This week’s post is going to be a lot of pictures. I caught a cold this last weekend so I really want to drink a hot cup of tea and watch Fargo with Jeff and then hit the hay as I’m recuperating, plus I have to have some energy for our outing to the Los Angeles Zoo tomorrow. We’re meeting up with my friend (and one of our bridesmaids) Berry and her 2 year old Maddie. Continue reading “What’s She Doing Wednesday: Happy and You Know It” »
Yup, I’m ’bout to blast a bunch of Halloween-ness on this post because 1) last week’s post didn’t fall on the day of Halloween parades and outings; and 2) my main audience for these Wednesday posts are close friends and family members who look forward to seeing these pics more than the average person. Besides, with all the stores rushing for us all to get to Christmas, I don’t mind a little Halloween recap to slow things down a bit. I mean, why are we completely skipping over the joys and excitement of Thanksgiving? It’s actually one of my favorite holidays, competing with Christmas.
So anyway, Jia experienced her first Halloween. Last year was technically her first Halloween since she was born, but at only 8 months I didn’t really feel like making a huge deal out of it since she wasn’t going to remember it. Sure, we bought her a Halloween onesie (see last year’s post) and cute little jack-o-lantern knitted sock/booties, but we didn’t try to figure out an official costume or organize a stroll around the neighborhood. This year; however, was a whole different game. She didn’t like the orange glittery butterfly wings I’d bought her from the 99 cent store (it really freaked her out having the wings strapped to her shoulders) and she is really very into Mickey and Minnie. So, we got her a Minnie Mouse costume dress from Target and I ordered a little matching bow barrette from Etsy to go with it. Continue reading “What’s She Doing Wednesday: Jia’s First (Real) Halloween and Other Stuff” »
This week, Jia’s personality is shining through even more than it has in the past. It’s really remarkable how these little people develop and change in the course of just a couple weeks, with really huge leaps and bounds every few months. I think back to what she was doing and how she was behaving and communicating when we first moved to California and she’s grown up so much over the past 2.5 months we’ve been here. Continue reading “What’s She Doing Wednesday: Not a Real Halloween Post” »
It finally happened. At exactly 20 months old Jia got her first bout of illness. Last Friday morning started off with a low grade fever of 100.4 F (and it has never been higher than this in the past), but with a normal demeanor, still smiling and playful. Props to Daddy for noticing she felt extra warm when he got her up in the morning to change her diaper and dress her and for taking her temperature. Continue reading “What’s She Doing Wednesday: Sicky Sprout” »
I’m having a hard time really remembering all the things she’s been doing, when it comes time to write about it! As the day progresses, I always think to myself, “oh I need to remember to write that one down, for the blog!” but something always comes up. If you’re a parent, I know you can completely relate.
So the daycare drop-off has been an emotional back and forth. As expected, not a huge deal. Some days she cries, other days she’s happy to get out of the car and walk to the classroom. Today was one of those happy days, where she kept saying “buggy? buggy? outside?” anticipating the routine of riding in the 6-kid buggy ride after snack time. Once we got into the classroom, she sort of clung to me, but I was still able to put her down on her feet, which is a good sign for the drop-off. She went off playing with a puzzle with a couple friends, and I gave her a big kiss goodbye and was able to leave without hearing desperate cries (like we did yesterday). Continue reading “What’s She Doing Wednesday: Mamarazzi” »
I’ve been wanting to write about this topic for a while now, but another topic seemed to always win out for the week. I remember hearing speculation that frequent pacifier use was linked to the common middle ear infection, otitis media, but I don’t remember where I heard it, if the source was credible, or if it was just a myth; an old wives’ tale. Every time we went to the pediatrician’s office after breastfeeding was well-established, (and we went a lot in the first 6 months, due to Jia’s soy and milk protein intolerance, see My Little Non-Soy Non-Dairy Sprout) Jia had a pacifier hanging from her mouth. Usually it was one of many Wubbanubb animals (pictured). But, they never warned us about a possible otitis media infection if she continued to use a pacifier. So I guess the speculation took a back seat in my mind, especially since in her 20 months, Jia hasn’t even come down with a common cold, let alone a painful and uncomfortable middle ear infection.
Since there is a lot of information in here, this will be Part 1: Otitis Media & Pacifier Use. We’ll get to the research in Part 2:
So here we go… Continue reading “Otitis Media & Pacifier Use: Is There a Link? The Info (Part 1)” »
This week has been a pretty good one for Jia. The last 3 days, she hasn’t cried at all when I drop her off at daycare, which is a huge step in the right direction. And, her teachers told me that she hardly pays attention to her lions the last few days, either. When I arrived to pick her up Tuesday afternoon, her lions were already put away in her bin (usually she’s clutching them until we put them away together and leave to go home). She’s easily distracted at drop-off, now that she’s really paying attention to the toys and projects around her rather than our impending separation, and this morning she spent maybe 10 seconds worried after I kissed her goodbye. Huge win! She’s getting used to this routine and I’m really proud of her! Continue reading “What’s She Doing Wednesday: Lil’ Pumpkin” »