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Every day with my little one is a new experience, and a reminder of how sweet and simple life really is. Even with yukky diapers.
Thursday, August 28, 2003
Poop Explosion Part Deux
So I was on the phone with my mom last weekend, and had Cassidy in her exersaucer. She was really bouncing hard in it, and laughing, when I noticed that I smelled a poop. I commented to my mom that we had a little "action on the back end" and that I would have to change her soon. Needless to say, we kept chatting, and Cassidy kept jumping up and down in the saucer. I laughed about the fact that she was probably smooshing the poop all over her butt by bouncing like that...little did I know......she actually had diareahha!! When I looked down at the bottom of her saucer, there was poop all over it!! I was like "NNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" So I promptly got off the phone with mom, stripped her down, threw everything in the wash and put her in the tub. Of course then the tub had to be rewashed, with lots of Clorox cleanup, she had to be changed, then the saucer had to be cleaned. So needless to say, there was quite a bit of bleach and cleaner invovled! I have to admit, I was laughing the whole time, and cringing too. I just couldn't believe it!
So I was on the phone with my mom last weekend, and had Cassidy in her exersaucer. She was really bouncing hard in it, and laughing, when I noticed that I smelled a poop. I commented to my mom that we had a little "action on the back end" and that I would have to change her soon. Needless to say, we kept chatting, and Cassidy kept jumping up and down in the saucer. I laughed about the fact that she was probably smooshing the poop all over her butt by bouncing like that...little did I know......she actually had diareahha!! When I looked down at the bottom of her saucer, there was poop all over it!! I was like "NNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" So I promptly got off the phone with mom, stripped her down, threw everything in the wash and put her in the tub. Of course then the tub had to be rewashed, with lots of Clorox cleanup, she had to be changed, then the saucer had to be cleaned. So needless to say, there was quite a bit of bleach and cleaner invovled! I have to admit, I was laughing the whole time, and cringing too. I just couldn't believe it!
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
First B-Day Planning!
It's hard to believe, but Cassidy's first birthday is just around the corner. I've been wracking my brain to come up with something cool and unique for her party. I want to keep it small (an area Eric and I differ on..) with close friends and family only. I really feel like the focus should be on Cassidy as much as possible. I realize that sounds like an obvious statement considering it is her birthday, but so many times these parties end up just being for the adults. And granted, she is only a year old, so it's not like she can ride a pony or have a swim party. But I did want all of the guests to really think about what they would wish for her in the coming years. I decided to use a tradition from a Native American Blessing Way. The Blessing Way is designed for pregnant women, and it's like a spiritual baby shower. I would have loved to have had one, but I just don't have any friends here who would even know what to do, which means I would have to host it myself. I certainly can't ask my family to do anything too weird, but I still wanted to infuse at least a little spirituality to the occasion. So I've asked everyone to bring a special bead that they feel symbolically either represents a quality Cassidy has, or wish for her now and in the future. I gave many examples to help out. For example, you could choose a sparkly bead to reflect her spunky personality. Or a butterfly to symbolize her ability to metamorphasize into a beautiful creature as she grows. (i'm probably going to get a butterfly bead! ha!). You could choose a green bead to symbolize abundance. Or a Chinese Luck symbol. They all work. I did however request that the beads have holes in them big enough to fit through a peice of yarn, so that I can string them all together and make a necklace for Cassidy for when she's older. Little kids love to dress up, and she might want to wear it around. Or she may not. Who knows! My idea is also to provide little plastic bags to put a slip of paper in with why you chose your bead, and what it symbolizes, and then I'll place the beads with their descriptions in a "wishing well." (that will most likely be a barrel with flowers around it or something...) I haven't worked out all the details yet, but these are my preliminary ideas. I'm also going to make a head wreath for her, and maybe she'll wear it, maybe not, but I thought that would be sweet too. I'm tempted to make one for myself, but I have to keep the focus on her. She's the special one! I'd like to use baby roses, and then I can dry the wreath and save that too. Eric's going to get tired of me saving all this stuff! The good news is, I can take digital pictures of the beads, and paste the descriptions next to them in her scrapbook. I bet she'd enjoy looking at those pictures some day! It'll at least be a fun memory!
So those are my creative ideas. Who knows, maybe I'll have an arts and crafts project for everyone to participate in too. That's always fun! Hopefully it'll be sunny......I'll keep you posted!
It's hard to believe, but Cassidy's first birthday is just around the corner. I've been wracking my brain to come up with something cool and unique for her party. I want to keep it small (an area Eric and I differ on..) with close friends and family only. I really feel like the focus should be on Cassidy as much as possible. I realize that sounds like an obvious statement considering it is her birthday, but so many times these parties end up just being for the adults. And granted, she is only a year old, so it's not like she can ride a pony or have a swim party. But I did want all of the guests to really think about what they would wish for her in the coming years. I decided to use a tradition from a Native American Blessing Way. The Blessing Way is designed for pregnant women, and it's like a spiritual baby shower. I would have loved to have had one, but I just don't have any friends here who would even know what to do, which means I would have to host it myself. I certainly can't ask my family to do anything too weird, but I still wanted to infuse at least a little spirituality to the occasion. So I've asked everyone to bring a special bead that they feel symbolically either represents a quality Cassidy has, or wish for her now and in the future. I gave many examples to help out. For example, you could choose a sparkly bead to reflect her spunky personality. Or a butterfly to symbolize her ability to metamorphasize into a beautiful creature as she grows. (i'm probably going to get a butterfly bead! ha!). You could choose a green bead to symbolize abundance. Or a Chinese Luck symbol. They all work. I did however request that the beads have holes in them big enough to fit through a peice of yarn, so that I can string them all together and make a necklace for Cassidy for when she's older. Little kids love to dress up, and she might want to wear it around. Or she may not. Who knows! My idea is also to provide little plastic bags to put a slip of paper in with why you chose your bead, and what it symbolizes, and then I'll place the beads with their descriptions in a "wishing well." (that will most likely be a barrel with flowers around it or something...) I haven't worked out all the details yet, but these are my preliminary ideas. I'm also going to make a head wreath for her, and maybe she'll wear it, maybe not, but I thought that would be sweet too. I'm tempted to make one for myself, but I have to keep the focus on her. She's the special one! I'd like to use baby roses, and then I can dry the wreath and save that too. Eric's going to get tired of me saving all this stuff! The good news is, I can take digital pictures of the beads, and paste the descriptions next to them in her scrapbook. I bet she'd enjoy looking at those pictures some day! It'll at least be a fun memory!
So those are my creative ideas. Who knows, maybe I'll have an arts and crafts project for everyone to participate in too. That's always fun! Hopefully it'll be sunny......I'll keep you posted!
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
I'm a genius!!!
So I've been pondering how to get Cassidy to eat the healthy vegetable purees that I made for her, since she'll no longer let us feed her. She's been eating whole wheat pasta shells pretty well, and she seems to like her macaroni and cheese, so I (brilliantly) came up with an idea: I made a sauce out of her carrot puree and melted some of her rice cheese on top of the pasta and it tasted sooo good!! I added a few peas, and I'll tell you, this is something I would eat. I proudly served it up and put some on her tray, feeling like the best mommy on the planet.
She didn't eat it.
But at least she tried a few bites, even though she spit them out! AAARRRRGGGGG!!! So much for my brilliance!!
On another note, she's now doing the cutest thing! She's discovered her tounge, and she sticks it out at us all the time! It's hilarious! And we'll stick ours out back and she just laughs!! We went for a walk the other day and she kept turning around in her stroller to stick her tounge out at me. It was so funny. She's just the cutest little thing! Unfortunately we think she may (really) be teething, since we've been up all night for the last two nights. Poor baby. She's super fussy, and won't even take a bottle in the middle of the night. Eric and I alternated getting up to try and comfort her, and I finally just brought her in bed because she would only respond to our touch. If we comforted her and rubbed her back, she would settle down, but you know she's just got to be miserable. Eric started to get frustrated, because he was just so tired, and I had to explain that since she's acting out of the ordinary, we have to try to figure out what the problem is, and address it accordingly. It's really hard to be patient when you're tired. My philosophy is to take the path of least resistance. If she's unhappy and needs comfort, then keep her close. It's the only hope for sleep! In the meantime, we'll keep trying our homeopathic teething gel, and tylenol and advil... poor thing...
So I've been pondering how to get Cassidy to eat the healthy vegetable purees that I made for her, since she'll no longer let us feed her. She's been eating whole wheat pasta shells pretty well, and she seems to like her macaroni and cheese, so I (brilliantly) came up with an idea: I made a sauce out of her carrot puree and melted some of her rice cheese on top of the pasta and it tasted sooo good!! I added a few peas, and I'll tell you, this is something I would eat. I proudly served it up and put some on her tray, feeling like the best mommy on the planet.
She didn't eat it.
But at least she tried a few bites, even though she spit them out! AAARRRRGGGGG!!! So much for my brilliance!!
On another note, she's now doing the cutest thing! She's discovered her tounge, and she sticks it out at us all the time! It's hilarious! And we'll stick ours out back and she just laughs!! We went for a walk the other day and she kept turning around in her stroller to stick her tounge out at me. It was so funny. She's just the cutest little thing! Unfortunately we think she may (really) be teething, since we've been up all night for the last two nights. Poor baby. She's super fussy, and won't even take a bottle in the middle of the night. Eric and I alternated getting up to try and comfort her, and I finally just brought her in bed because she would only respond to our touch. If we comforted her and rubbed her back, she would settle down, but you know she's just got to be miserable. Eric started to get frustrated, because he was just so tired, and I had to explain that since she's acting out of the ordinary, we have to try to figure out what the problem is, and address it accordingly. It's really hard to be patient when you're tired. My philosophy is to take the path of least resistance. If she's unhappy and needs comfort, then keep her close. It's the only hope for sleep! In the meantime, we'll keep trying our homeopathic teething gel, and tylenol and advil... poor thing...
Monday, August 04, 2003
CASSIDY CRAWLED!!!!!!
Big weekend for us and Cassidy! Saturday morning I was in the kitchen making my usual morning latte, and I'd put Cass down in the living room to play with her toys. Next thing I know, I see this teeny tiny face peeking around the corner!! I about fell over! Then I watched her more closely to see just how she'd gotten there, and sure enough, she was on her hands and knees, actually crawling!! She still kind of drags her left knee instead of lifting it up so she's still slow (which is probably a good thing for now!) but she's completely mobile. So once we came down of the high of witnessing yet another major milestone for our baby, we realized it was time to get serious about babyproofing. So off to the store I went. I installed cabinet locks since she's been able to pull open our kitchen and bathroom cabinets, but I haven't installed the drawer locks yet. We also put a foam border around our coffee table in the theater room, since Friday night she bonked her little chin and made her mouth bleed. I cried, as usual. I felt sooo badly. But she was just fine, and I tried to explain to her that falling is part of learning to walk.As everyone says, it's the first of many many falls. But the first one is always the worst.
Sunday night Eric treated us to a wonderful concert at the zoo. The band was Dark Star Orchestra, and they actually recreate Grateful Dead shows. It truly was just like seeing a Dead show, and it was absolutely magical. I put Cassidy in the hip hammock, and she was just amazing. She snuggled up against me and fell asleep for the entire first set! She woke up during the set break, which was perfect, so she could crawl around and play with the toys I brought her. We put earplugs in, but they didn't stay, and luckily we were far enough back from the stage that it wasn't too loud for her. There were little kids everywhere!! It was so refreshing to sit next to parents like us, taking in a Dead show, and caring for their children. I shared our toys with a really cool couple next to us, with a little tow-headded boy named Malachai. Behind us sat another couple with seven month old Nora. It was so funny, because we all had our babies in slings, front packs, or hip hammocks, and they loved swaying to the music with us. Cassidy was happy as a clam, all snuggled up against mommy, while I danced and sang with her. We left the zoo around 10pm, and she was pretty wiped by then. I'd packed our dinner, but she was too keyed up with all the activity to concentrate on eating. So we got a few blackberries in, and some yogurt but that was about it. The music was incredible, and I heard all the songs I loved, the best part being when they played "Cassidy." For those of you who don't know, I'll just say it. Yes, our child's name was definitely influenced by one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs. I almost cried I was so happy. It had been a dream of mine to take my baby to a Dead show, and since Jerry Garcia died, this is the closest I'll ever come. It was a magical, magical night, and Cassidy and Eric enjoyed it as much as I did.
Big weekend for us and Cassidy! Saturday morning I was in the kitchen making my usual morning latte, and I'd put Cass down in the living room to play with her toys. Next thing I know, I see this teeny tiny face peeking around the corner!! I about fell over! Then I watched her more closely to see just how she'd gotten there, and sure enough, she was on her hands and knees, actually crawling!! She still kind of drags her left knee instead of lifting it up so she's still slow (which is probably a good thing for now!) but she's completely mobile. So once we came down of the high of witnessing yet another major milestone for our baby, we realized it was time to get serious about babyproofing. So off to the store I went. I installed cabinet locks since she's been able to pull open our kitchen and bathroom cabinets, but I haven't installed the drawer locks yet. We also put a foam border around our coffee table in the theater room, since Friday night she bonked her little chin and made her mouth bleed. I cried, as usual. I felt sooo badly. But she was just fine, and I tried to explain to her that falling is part of learning to walk.As everyone says, it's the first of many many falls. But the first one is always the worst.
Sunday night Eric treated us to a wonderful concert at the zoo. The band was Dark Star Orchestra, and they actually recreate Grateful Dead shows. It truly was just like seeing a Dead show, and it was absolutely magical. I put Cassidy in the hip hammock, and she was just amazing. She snuggled up against me and fell asleep for the entire first set! She woke up during the set break, which was perfect, so she could crawl around and play with the toys I brought her. We put earplugs in, but they didn't stay, and luckily we were far enough back from the stage that it wasn't too loud for her. There were little kids everywhere!! It was so refreshing to sit next to parents like us, taking in a Dead show, and caring for their children. I shared our toys with a really cool couple next to us, with a little tow-headded boy named Malachai. Behind us sat another couple with seven month old Nora. It was so funny, because we all had our babies in slings, front packs, or hip hammocks, and they loved swaying to the music with us. Cassidy was happy as a clam, all snuggled up against mommy, while I danced and sang with her. We left the zoo around 10pm, and she was pretty wiped by then. I'd packed our dinner, but she was too keyed up with all the activity to concentrate on eating. So we got a few blackberries in, and some yogurt but that was about it. The music was incredible, and I heard all the songs I loved, the best part being when they played "Cassidy." For those of you who don't know, I'll just say it. Yes, our child's name was definitely influenced by one of my favorite Grateful Dead songs. I almost cried I was so happy. It had been a dream of mine to take my baby to a Dead show, and since Jerry Garcia died, this is the closest I'll ever come. It was a magical, magical night, and Cassidy and Eric enjoyed it as much as I did.
