Macy’s Mom

Macy loves to bake with me. With the new baby..we don’t have alot of time anymore. Betty Crocker Warm Delights are a great/quick baking option for toddlers! I let her add the water..mix..put it in the microwave..push the button..squeeze on the frosting. Time together baking..5 minutes.. another 5 minutes eating together and talking.. That’s 10 minutes of quality “Macy & Mommy time.”

I have always preferred Huggies..but I saw the Luvs commercials..and then my mom sent me a Luvs coupon for $3 off. O.K…we’ll try them! At the store, I couldn’t believe the price difference! $9.99 for 60 Luvs vs. (about) $16.99 for Huggies Supreme! (and I have the $3 off coupon!)

The first thing I noticed was the waist band…no elasticity. Sure enough…major blow-out! “WARDROBE!” Not so great absorption of Gavin’s breast-milk mustard poo. And I was not happy with the leakage of pee in the middle of the night…”wardrobe!” I found myself using them in the daytime- only when we were staying home..definitely not at night..not letting my husband use them..(he just doesn’t get them tight enough around the waist)

I figured the money I saved in cost, was equal to the money I spent doing laundry!

And the Oscar goes to………Huggies Supreme!

Macy was born with a head full of dark..straight hair. At one point it stood straight up..even when it was wet. Nobody was more surprised than me when it started to curl around her first birthday. Not tight curl..more of what I would call ‘fluffy’ curl. I do not have curly hair. I did not know how to care for curly hair. We have a few pictures of baby Macy with what looks like a bush of hair! Then we found Sophia at West Seattle Kids...She has curly hair. She knows how to cut curly hair..and gave me some golden rules of curly hair care! This is something I feel needs to be passed on to other mom’s of curly headed toddlers who love the curl..but don’t really know how to encourage it..here are Sophia’s rules…

1. Don’t wash it everyday. About twice a week is enough..you can rinse out clumps of food..condition as often as you like. Shampoo just the roots.

2. The brush is not your friend. Only comb when it’s wet.

3. Fill a spray bottle with half conditioner/half water..spritz on in the
morning to tame the bush. (I like to use Infusium 23..about $5)

4. You don’t have to get curly hair cut as often..we go about 3 times a year.

I’ve pretty much been growing Macy’s hair out since her birth..only trimming it to keep it healthy..it’s finally past her shoulders. I don’t know if it will always be curly..but for now she likes her curly hair…
If it’s still curly when she’s a teenager..I’m sure I’ll spend a fortune having it straightened!

I love reading this book! Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner. Macy and I find it very humorous when I read it in my “best Spanish accent”…(she likes my Spanish accent better than daddy’s..) We bought this book last year when she was 3..and she still asks why the Siamese cat thinks he’s a Chihuahua…funny!

Grandma bought the Fisher Price Monkey Chase for baby Cole..he loved it so much..that Grandma bought one for baby Gavin too! The box says 6 months and up..but, at 4 months..Gavin thinks it’s hilarious!  Everytime you tap the monkey..it makes ‘monkey’ sounds and runs away.  Big sister is happy to tap the monkey until Gavin is big enough to do it himself!

O.k…it’s not what you think! The Winkel is baby G’s new toy! Grandma bought it for him 2 weeks ago at Babies r us… At 3 1/2 months old..Gavin needed a toy that he could hold for longer than 2 seconds. The Winkel is colorful..rattles..and is easy for a baby just learning to use his hands! He stays busy with it in his infant seat..chewing and drooling away..and according to the label..we can chill it in the fridge when he really starts teething!

Pick up a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser…it’s a must have for parents of toddlers!  Crayon on the walls..gone!  Ball point pen on the tan leather seats in the truck..gone!  Sharpie on the cabinets..gone!

Mr. Clean-3          Macy-0

After the breastfeeding fiasco with baby Macy…when I found out I was having another baby…I was determined to do it right this time! I read as much as possible about it…called the hospital where I was going to deliver and spoke with the lactation consultant. Even during labor, I let the nurse know that “I had failed the last time..and I needed all the help I could get!” As soon as Gavin was born, they put him on my breast. Help! And I continued to ask for help every-time I nursed him. …HHmmm..time to nurse the baby..(push the nurse call button..) “um..Hi..could someone come check my latch?” During my two day stay, I met every lactation consultant and nurse. And even after I left the hospital, I was back the next day to..guess what? ..check my latch! We weighed him, and he had lost over 1 pound! I kind of freaked out..the nurse suggested I see his doctor..and to get a pump. We saw his doctor the next day..Gavin had already gained since the day before. Phew! Relief! We’re breastfeeding and gaining weight! Yeah!

Ok, I was surprised by what a production early breastfeeding is! Pillows, latching on properly…and the time! He would be on my breast forever! I’d nurse him for hours.. quite a difference from out shopping with baby Macy the first week! I felt trapped at home the first couple of months! I wanted to quit so many times! (but after all the drama to get us here..I couldn’t bring myself to stop) And yes..it eventually got easier..and faster… And the irony is that now I have a baby that won’t take a bottle!

Macy (4 1/2 years) has just finished episodes 6-12 in Dinosaur world! She got to read another book. I’m amazed at her progress! She can read 14 words and according to the progress report I received..she can potentially read 67 words! In episodes 1-5 she learned.. s, ee, v, an, n, cl, c, l. Episodes 6-12 was all about.. fr, f, r, cr, sl, sn, ip, p, pr, sp, pl. When she is involved with the ‘game’..I love to watch her clicking the mouse and speaking with the characters. She can’t wait to start the “Ocean game” next!

I have several friends who sent me their Snapfish albums…at first it was a little annoying..sign in..password..huge albums to go through. I never realized the beauty and sheer convenience of Snapfish! I have years of digital pictures that I’m still waiting for my husband to print. Just in the last year I finally figured out how to get the memory card out of my camera to take it to the drug store and print out pictures myself. (Yeah..clueless) But after my son was born..there was just no way I was getting to the drugstore! HHHmmm…it was time to take a closer look…upload picture onto Snapfish(with a little help from the husband) .. order prints…mail them to myself. All I have to do is make it to the mailbox! (sometimes that’s hard to do) I love Snapfish! My mom loves Snapfish! (she get’s copies of what ever I order..now she doesn’t have to wait for my brother to get around to printing pictures for her..)