Friday, February 24, 2006

It's a Conspiracy!

C-O-N, Spiracy! (An "In Living Color" reference, for those who don't know! :-P). Nah, I don't actually think it's a conspiracy. But it's some sort of social commentary of not-so-big proportions. I'm talkin' about Live's Beautiful Baby Search. ("Live" is the abbreviated name of daytime talk show "Live with Regis & Kelly". I like Regis and I like Kelly and I even used to watch the show when Kathy Lee was still on!) They had this contest... It's like the 3rd annual or something now. And parents from around the country sent in their children's pix for a chance at something like three grand and for their child to be on the cover of "Parenting" magazine. Well... They said they received hundreds of thousands of entries and on Monday, they narrowed it down to ten semi-finalists. Of those ten, I think maybe four were minorities - I saw an Asian girl, a biracial girl, some other brown-skin ethnic baby, and there was a white-looking baby with an Hispanic surname.

America was to vote for their favorites, which reduced the finalist pool to five. My guess - and I guessed correctly - was that it would be all white babies in the top 5. I tell you, nearly all of 'em were blonde-hair, blue-eyed babies. I know that that's probably more representative of the population of this country - I mean, more white people than any other race... And I figure more white people watch the show than anything, along with a few other factors, but... that's kinda depressing. Ethnic people wanna see their own faces out there! I hope I don't have to remind people, we don't live an a utopic society! Especially not in this country! Far from it.

And if that wasn't the stinger of having all caucasian finalists... Those children were not even cute in person! I know, I know - it's about how well they take pictures and what not; being photogenic. But still. Thevy is cute in person AND in pictures. She should be on all the covers! lol.

Hehe. Anyway. I'm done venting. Have a nice day!

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Happy FART Heart Day!


We got our first major snow this weekend. I think it was about a foot of beautiful, white snow. It began snowing Saturday evening. I was awake 'til about 6 in the morning. Our power had gone out sometime around then or soon after. It didn't come back on 'til 7:30PM. Apparently, there were a lot of power outages in the region/area.

As for Valentine's... not celebrating. :)

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Fridays After Five

All this month, in honor of Black History Month, the National Aquarium is having a wonderful promotional rate for Friday evenings. On these nights, admission costs $7.50. That's well below the normal cost of, get this - $21.95! We never would have gone at regular price. That's a rip-off. Not like it's an amusement park! Oh, and the usual rate for children ages 3-11 is $14.95! Too, too much...

Anyway, Thevy most likely will never remember the trip. So, we're gonna hafta go again some day when she's older. I hated when my mom told me all the places I'd supposedly been - when I was a baby! She said I went to that very aquarium at its grand opening or something, when admission was 5 bucks. :-P I do recall have gone there sometime during my school days. Elementary school, maybe?

It was okay. Woulda been nicer with fewer people to get in your way. We met this Palestinian couple in there with their young children. When I overheard the wife speaking in Arabic, I made sure to find an opportunity to talk to them. I approached in English, asking about their youngest child, a 13-month-old. Then a few minutes later, I busted out a "Where are you from?" in Arabic. Hehe. That was fun. The wife said when she heard the Arabic, she thought that perhaps I was from Egypt. The southern part, of course! heh. Anyhoo...

Afterwards, when we left the aquarium, we headed over to Barnes & Noble for a drink before heading back home. The Strawberry & Creme wasn't too bad!

I've watched two movies over the past couple days. First, I finally saw "In Her Shoes", with Cameron Diaz. I liked the movie. Even Peter did, too. And he wasn't even the least bit interested in seeing it when I told him the title and who was in it. Good stuff. In the beginning of the movie, I started to hate Cameron Diaz. Well, I suppose I should say her character. I know I didn't like her when I saw her in "My Best Friend's Wedding". And I guess that was for her character. And I can't remember when I started to like her...

Then tonight I watched "Raising Helen". I been wanting to see that one since it was in the theaters. I liked that one, too. I like Kate Hudson. I judge movies, for myself, not to push on or recommend to others, necessarily, by a certain factor. If after watching I feel that I wouldn't mind owning the movie in my personal collection, then that means I enjoyed the film. Does that make sense?

Whatever. I'm hungry. It's almost 4:30 in the morning. I'm still awake. There's snow outside... I wonder how much of tomorrow - er, today, actually - I'll sleep. I would like to head to the store if it's not too yucky out.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Meet the Coolest 9-Month-Old Around :)

Since I lost my last set of photos I wanted to share, I got several more replacement shots of Thevy riding her car with her cool Dora the Explorer shades (Grandma bought those). That blur on the left side of the first pic is family pet, Rocco. Yes, I still have a dog with a baby in the house. When I was still pregnant, I asked my OB if I should be concerned about having a dog. I wasn't for safety, but for health reasons. She assured me it was not necessary to get rid of my dog or anything. She advised me to continue to "love my pet." I had no intentions of getting rid of him. And some people claimed that the dog would be neglected and would get jealous. Okay, first of all, he was already neglected. :-P Second, I was sure he wouldn't get jealous over the baby. I made sure, even before the baby was born, to acknowledge him. Like with my pet mice (now there's only 1 left of the original 3), whenever I would handle them, I would make sure to also talk to him, show him the mice, to include him. And Rocco continues to love both the mouse and the baby. Thevy would love to be able to play with the dog. But I usually don't let them touch each other. Only maybe right before I bathe her, I might let her pet him. Then I rinse off her hands before I even stick her in the bath water. And as she gets older, I'm less of a germophobe. Hence, putting her on the carpet without some sort of barrier is more likely now than it would have been a couple months ago.


And now check out Baby Girl. Look at her go! She's rather agile in her crawling ability, given that she doesn't get to crawl all that much. She also has the desire to want to stand. I think she's trying to stand on her own now. I can't wait 'til she starts walking! But the house isn't childproofed, so, that means we gotta keep an extra eye on her! And check out her hair! It's long enough to braid and I actually had her sitting still enough to do it! :)

Monday, February 06, 2006

This Sucks

Yesterday, I was all set to upload some photos from my camera and maybe post a new blog with accompanying images. But something has gone awry! I had over two hundred images on the memory card. Half had already previously been transferred to the PC. The rest? They're gone! I don't know what happened, but it seems that the card somehow got corrupted. I'm trying to see what can be done about recovering the pictures. Luckily, it was *only* a hundred photos. That's a relatively small number, considering I have over 2,000 pics loaded on the comp. :-P And I have backed most of them up on disc in case the unexpected happens with the computer. But what sucks is that there were certain shots I took specifically so I could blog about 'em. :-/ Ah, well...

Friday, February 03, 2006

It's the Year of the Dog

Chúc m?ng n?m m?i (or Chuc mung nam moi, in case you can't view the diacritics properly)- "Happy New Year" to all the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean people. =)

What is up with our unseasonably warm winter? Not that I'm complaining. It's nice not to be super-duper-freezing-cold. But you just gotta wonder - when will the cold hit us? And I guess I sort of want some snow. I mean, one of the beauties of winter is snowfall. I don't understand or I can't relate to people who seek warmer climates. I think one of the things I love about being on the East Coast is the four seasons. I enjoy experiencing the changes in weather. But I guess the downside to lotsa snow is if you gotta drive in it... Anyhoo...

I've watched a few movies lately. The last two I saw were "40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Wedding Crashers". I was entertained by both. Steve Carrel (the star of "40") is a funny guy. And then there's Rachel McAdams. She co-starred in "Wedding Crashers". I first saw her in "Mean Girls" and for some reason, I liked her. I'm not sure what it is about her, but I bet she's a really nice person, contrary to the character she plays in the latter film. She also stars in "The Notebook", which I also saw. I dunno... I didn't really care for that movie. Didn't it win some award or receive some sort of recognition? I liked the juvenile movie "Mean Girls" better. =P I'd she's also in "The Family Stone", which I've yet to see.

So on the first, Thevy had her 9-month wellness check-up. She's doing well. She's 29 and a half inches, which puts her in the 90th percentile somewhere (i.e. she's tall for her age). And she weighs 20 and three-quarters pounds. Her weight seems to be tapering off a bit, as she was only in the 80th percentile. Her previous check-ups, she was up there. She's still chubby, as mom and dad were chubby babies... But maybe she's on her way to becoming leaner. I've noticed she isn't eating as much as I try to feed her.

She's still on no kinda eating/sleeping schedule. The pediatrician says it's fine that she's not on a schedule, seeing as how it's not like I'm working or anything and I'm there for her. He also said that breastfed babies are harder to get on a schedule anyway. He also thinks it's good I'm still nursing her so that Baby can receive all the benefits there is from breast milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding strictly up until the baby is 6-months, at least. After that, "solids"/baby food can be introduced, and then continue on with at least formula. And they also recommend that the mother continue breastfeeding up to a year if possible.

I'm aimin' for a year. The pediatrician , Dr. H., also told me that I should breastfeed for as long as I want. There's a stigma in American society with breastfeeding. Breasts are viewed as mainly sexual objects, forgetting what their primary function is. I mean, we are "mammals". Anyway, it does seem great, though, that breastfeeding seems to be coming back in style. I'm not sure when the trend began - over the past decade or so?? It's great because it's proven that mother's milk really benefits the child's development. Plus, there are nutrients found in breast milk that have yet to be reproduced in formula.

So anyway, Dr. H. was telling me to breastfeed for as long as it takes, that some even breastfeed 'til the child is 2 or 3. Now, some might think that's "gross", but he finds nothing wrong with it. My mom and mother-in-law think I should go no longer than 1 year. I don't know how long I'll nurse Thevy. For as long as she wants and for as long as I'm comfortable with it.

Now, I must add that breastfeeding, as natural as it may seem, may pose problems to baby and mom! I, personally, experienced difficulty in the beginning with it. And I am not alone in this, and other women should know that they are not alone. Often times, the problem is the baby does not know how to properly latch on to the breast (as was the case with Thevy). There are even "lactation consultants" who are board certified and their job is to assist women who need to learn how to breastfeed their babies.

It can be a very emotional and sad experience for the mother, so all who are close to her ought to be very supportive. Many women give up. They shouldn't give up; they ought to seek assistance! But, sometimes, it's just not meant to be and the mother is unable to successfully breastfeed. And this is okay, too - as long as she tried to give her child what is considered the "best milk". But they also shouldn't feel bad because that is a common feeling triggered by the inability to nurse one's child.

Okay, I know a lotta people don't wanna read about all that... But my experience was Baby wasn't latching on properly, it was painfully sore for me, Baby wasn't getting all her nourishment, I was sad... I went to the breastfeeding class in the hospital when I was still there, but apparently, I didn't learn what I needed. When Baby went to the pediatrician a few days after she was born, I was told that her birth weight was down about 10%, which is the most they let a baby get (ya see, after a baby is born, they do lose some weight, but they eventually regain back up to their birth weight in the first couple of weeks). Thevy was dehydrated and I was feeling so bad. The pediatrician asked me to show her how I nursed Baby. And when she saw my nipples were raw - yes, pretty graphic, but deal with it, ey! =P - she suggested I see a lactation consultant. She herself had even gone to this particular place when she had nursing issues with her child/ren.

So... after I unsuccessfully nursed in front of the pediatrician, she went and got a bottle of Similac and Thevy downed that bottle! I felt so bad that "I" had been starving my child! But also relieved that she was getting some nutrition. I ended up pumping milk - b/c I was just too sore to nurse her and I wanted to heal - and supplementing with some formula since I wasn't producing enough milk, until I was finally able to see the lactation consultant. They're rather expensive to see, so best to try and get all the free help you can in the hospital... But it was necessary that I go and it helped out. I learned the proper techniques and positions to hold the baby and I was on my way to successfully nursing my baby. It took a few weeks, but I eventually got the hang of it and was comfortable with it.

Nursing in public is another thing. I was uneasy/awkward, but now I'm more comfortable. If I can, I'll go into a dressing room, out of the gaze of others. But if my options are limited, I try to be as discreet as possible, and I'll whip out that bad boy in front of others. Supposedly, if you do it right, people may not know you're nursing the baby right before their eyes. It's also kinda cool - you don't have to worry about packing any bottles or anything. Or if I were to forget to bring some food or drink, at least I have a back-up plan. =)

I talked to some of the other mothers I know who recently had babies and I'm glad to know I was not the only one to experience the trials of breastfeeding. It's more common than you think. Ever heard of La Leche League? That's a pretty well-known resource for all things breastfeeding...

I think I've spoken at lenght - at least for a personal blog - on this topic. But I wanted to mention it. Ladies, if you're considering breastfeeding in the future, do not get discouraged if you have trouble doing what would seem to be something so natural, so simple. It's nobody's fault. Seek help and don't give up so quickly! And to others - partners, mothers, etc. - be supportive! A woman is vulnerable at this time - she's gone through so much. Don't make her feel bad for not succeeding in nursing her child. Don't react, "Why don't you just give the baby a bottle?" Alright?

And that's my public service announcement for the month. =P