Ahhhhhh ... to live by the sea shore!

   Sometimes, in life, the cards that life dealt you is not the cards you want. Sometimes you have to take charge of your own destiny. The question you have to ask yourself is how much do you want it?

    I was born in Poland in a place that was very much inland. Except for few trips to the lakeside and one trip with my mother to the seaside, I was never around the water much. I didn't even know how to swim until I was 9. As a matter of fact I taught myself to swim at a summer camp to Czechoslovakia. I begged my parents to let me go, even though I was much younger than most kids going. As part of that camp activities we went to a swimming pool every other day, and in order to keep up to all the other kids I was driven to learn to swim. I tried hard, "drank" a lot of pool water through my nose, went under few times, and persevered in learning to swim that year.

Sunday Snapshots - Finally, cupcake time.

   This weekend, we finally got a chance to have some family over for Funky Monkey's cupcakes. I felt so bad that it took so long. First, we had troubles getting everyone together, then, twice we were sick with stomach bugs. Funky Monkey was very understanding about it, but since it was his 10th birthday I thought that it should be more special. But we got a chance to have some family over for cupcakes. He wanted them to be Angry Birds cupcakes, so I got them done. In the process, I got a chance to unload all my baby girl clothes, And kids got a chance to spend time with Grandparents and Aunty. Yey!!!!

The good, the bad, and the ugly - part 3 ... "change time"

   I finally got some time to continue my "Baby needs" series. I already mentioned Bathtime and clothing in my previous posts, so now is the time to talk about change time. Why is change time so significant? Because you'll be changing your baby's diapers for the next 2 to 3+ years. That's right, you better get used to it. 

   First, let's talk about how baby's toilet routines change from birth to potty training. At birth most babies will wet their diapers very little. The way that a nurse explained it to me is that on the first day they will have one wet diaper, on the second day -two, third day -three, up to fourth day (or the day your milk comes in) when they will start having significantly more wet diapers. At first, the baby will not pee a large amount, but by three months you can expect a very wet diaper, especially after nap time or night-time sleep. As to poop (yes, when you have a baby you can use the word "poop" in casual manner ...)

Girl Time!!!!

Sometimes it's nice to have a Girl Time. Girly Monkey used her money after Christmas to buy this fancy nail stamper (you've probably seen the infomecials for it) and we finally got some time to try it. We started with foot bath and then painted our toes. It was lots of fun.

Happy Birthday to my sweet Funky Monkey!

   I really can't believe that Funky Monkey turned 10! Where has the time gone? I can still remember being a new mom holding this squirmy little baby in my arms and wondering how he was going to turn out in the future. I remember sitting in the hospital room, holding my new baby, and wondering if they really were letting me take him home. After all, I was really worried that I would break him.

   It was a big adjustment going from living only for me (and my husband) to being responsible for this little creature that depended on me for everything. There were many nights that I cried with him. He was nothing like the calm, content babies in commercial ads and movies. Funky Monkey made a statement wherever he was. He arrived with a surprising amount of pain and a vacuum extraction. The first few months he cried and nursed constantly, the only constants in his little life. It took me a while to get to know his needs and act accordingly. Once I did, our lives went much more smoothly, He still nursed all the time, but I could now recognize his cries and what they meant. When he started crawling he eagerly explored everything, although he was very cautious. He always needed his mommy within the arm's reach. I didn't mind. My presence build his confidence and before I knew it he was out exploring everything, although he never leaped before he looked.