parentinglife

Tonight is a scary, fun filled activity for kids and adults of all ages. Its that once a year where we get to dress up and be whoever we want. We don’t get the worries that people are laughing at us. For kids its that one night where they can eat all the candies and the goodies they can have, binge and gorge. Weeks before Halloween, parents with kids usually go crazy with them asking to get there  costumes early and getting the right one. With babies it easier, they don’t have a say in what they are going to wear but with older kids, that’s a different story altogether.I was watching CNN yesterday and did you know that around 36 million kids will be out trick or treating? I wonder how many kids we get this year and i hope we got enough candy for them,lol

Last night we tried on the costumes once again to make sure that it fits, as if they miraculously shrank or grow in the closet,lol.. Kayla got to wear her costume for Girls Scout Daisies last Wednesday and baby also dressed up as the black kitty cat. Kayla the Lion loves her costume so much while Kaitlyn the Piglet doesn’t like it since it restricts her movement. Be that as it may she will wear it, we  paid to much for her not to wear it and besides, she will be in the stroller when we finally go out for trick or treat. And oh, we are having a pizza party at our house for the kids. After getting some food in our bellies we will brave the cold night and waves of kids to go trick or treating. I know I’m going to be so cold but i have to suck it up and just go with the flow. Ill have the camera and the video ready for that tonight. And speaking of camcorders i better charge the battery.

TO ALL KIDS HAPPY TRICK OR TREAT AND BE SAFE OUT THERE!!!!!!!!!!

I have come across a dozen of blogs with men and women posting articles about eating healthy, dieting, exercising and so on. I sometimes feel guilty since i was never one of those health conscious people. Then i ask myself do models that are thin as a needle eat? Are they really  happy? Salma Hayek once said that she was a bitch when she was dieting and when she was skinny. I feel so sorry for them in a way that they don’t get to enjoy the best things in life that food can offer. MIL is always on my back about me eating anything that is fried and me eating to much rice. I was raised with a lot of frying, fat and skin in my food, its normal for me to eat rice every day.

When MIL was rushed to the hospital and we later learned that her cholesterol is high it got me thinking about my eating habits as well. But food is such a precious commodity that should not be wasted and should be enjoyed to the limit. I don’t have time to keep looking at the foods that i eat, how much calories, fats, proteins, sodium and the list can go on. Frankly i don’t even know how to look at it and i don’t really care. I’m what you would call on a “see food diet”. When i see food i eat it. If it looks, smells and tastes good then its in my mouth. I eat veggies though but not as much as my husband would want to. I have to be a model with my kids about eating veggies. So fat Kayla does good on veggies while Kaitlyn the baby will eat just about anything you put in her mouth,lol…

I love food and i love to eat! Its one of the best things in life and i choose to indulge in every sinful delight i could sink my teeth in. Before i didn’t like cooking since cooking takes a lot of time, preparation, effort yet it take little to no time consuming the food that one had painstakingly cook for how many hours.. That all changed when i became a wife and mother. Now, i cook most of out meals except when hubby offers to cook which i jump at all the time to rest my tired brain from thinking what meal to serve every single day. But back to my eating habits, so far i don’t think i have the energy and the will to turn around and change my eating habits. Maybe because, i think that healthy foods don’t usually taste good while unhealthy foods are the most scrumptious delight in the food world. I know i should, but for now i just want to enjoy every little bit of morsel i can put my mouth on.

DARK AS NIGHT, GLOOMY AS GLOOM

YOU CREEP BEHIND THE SUN AND

THROW YOUR CAPE OF GLOOM.

MISERY SHEDS ITS TEAR COLD AS ICE

WIND HOWL LIKE WOLF IN THE NIGHT

Today is very wet,freezing and gloomy. I go out and i feel the iciness of the wind hit my face and soaked to my bones. Will i ever feel warm again? I huddled in my huge umbrella so not to get wet in the icy water, didn’t want to go out in the cold afternoon but i had to get Kayla at the bus stop. I was shivering by the time i reached the stop and glad the bus wasn’t late. As soon as she got off we said our goodbyes to her friends and just left and walk fast,my fingers were freezing and it was cold as ice. It still amazes me that Kayla was not even bothered by the cold even if she wasn’t wearing gloves. We got home and ate dinner early, watched television, played and kept warm. Since it got cold we had to take out the space heater and put it in the hallway bathroom upstairs so the kids wont get cold when taking a bath. Both girls were far from being cold still i turned it on for my sake,lol. They played and played and yes, playfully screamed at each other at the top of there lungs. Kaitlyn the little one wanted to get out of the tub while i was drying off big sister but her short little legs wont just co-operate hence she was stuck in the tub until i was done drying off and dressing big sister. After the bath of the girls i could hear the sound and howl of the wind, brrrgghhhhh it must be freezing outside. My thoughts then went out to those homeless people that live on the street. How do they keep warm? I was miserable before but when i think of them i realize how lucky we are since we have a home and heater to keep us warm and protect us from the howling winds.

I usually dont eat ice cream when its cold but tonight was an exception. I took 3 scoops of “dulce de leche” ice cream and put it in a bowl, had a spoon and sat on the couch with both my girls. We shared that ice cream while watching television. That was my bonding time with the girls.. They are both asleep now and im just cold and i am still wishing for the warm summer sun….

Its been no secret to mine and Ralph’s family that we are trying to conceive again. We have in fact been trying to have a baby ever since Kaitlyn turned 6 months old. So far i still haven’t gotten pregnant. Before we got married we talked about how many children we would like to have and how many years apart do we want out kids to be. We decided it should be like a year apart so that the kids will grow up together.That was the plan but it looks like its not going to happen the way we want it. If i do get pregnant they will be almost 2 years apart.

I’m the youngest of 2 girls and Ralph is the youngest of 3 boys. My sister and I were never lonely, we had our cousins to play with, fight with, laugh with, eat with and hide with. I never really wished for another brother or sister, i was content with just having a big sister. We did have a big family when you include maternal grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. It was and still is pure magic, harmony, fun, joyous when the whole family gets together. Ralph is also the same way and he is very very family oriented like me. What irks me is when other people say something about us having another kid again. I just hate it when people say : “your crazy to have another baby when the youngest is only a year old or wait at least 2-3 years before having another baby”. I just want to scream in there faces and say shut up!!! Just keep your opinions to yourself, your not going to feed nor take care of my kids anyway so what are you worried about? Of course this people don’t understand and all they think about is what problems are going to arise when having a big family, only the negative side. They forgot to think about the positive side of having a big family where there is lots of love, patience, understanding, laughter and harmony. I see Michelle and Jimbob Duggars (if I’m not mistaken)and they are the picture of happiness and love. Now that is the right parents to author a book about parenting. They may not be professional psychologist, pediatricians, doctors but they are real parents.

I want to have at least 3-4 kids, its going to be hard work but once they turn a certain age they get much easier. All i know is that no matter what, we will be a parent to each one of our children.

Four more days until it is Halloween and its crunch time for parents to get the candies, goodies for the trick or treat  and for the children to have the costumes picked, ready and for them to finish planning who and where to go to get the most candies. I got to experience my first every Halloween last year when Kaitlyn was only a few days old. I didn’t really get the essence, the rush, excitement of going trick or treating. I did have fun oohing and ahhing over the kids costumes when they stop by out door for trick or treat. I was surprised that there was a very big turn out and there is going to be more this year I’m sure.

Last year, we carved out pumpkin way way to early. Imagine i was still pregnant with Kaitlyn when we carved out pumpkin. I didn’t do any carving as i left it to Ralph and Kayla. I however did all the cleaning and taking out the inside or the gut out of the pumpkins. I think i did an exceptional joy cleaning out the guts, even our neighbour’s was impress on how clean  the inside of the pumpkins where. This year I thought we were going to skip the pumpkin but Ralph went out this morning to buy pumpkins. To bad i was not here when they were carving and taking out the gut of the poor pumpkin, MIL and I were at the store getting the candies. Ralph was left home cooking dinner and he had the two girls with him. When we got home i was bracing myself to the mess that would greet me when i walk into the dinning room. I was  very much surprised that there was no mess at all! The pumpkins where already lit and outside. The baby was in her highchair and from what Ralph told me she was very well behaved and just watched them. The only mess i was left to sort out was the pumpkin seeds in all the guts.

Ralph knew not to throw out the pumpkin seed. I cleaned washed and soaked  it in salt water for a little bit then baked it in the oven. That was the only thing i was looking forward to was the seeds,lol. Now i got my little snack of pumpkin seeds and soda while I’m doing my blogs. Bon appetito!!!!!

As per my previous post yesterday was Kaitlyn’s birthday celebration. We just had fresh ham, sausage and peppers, string bean casserole, steamed buns, fruit salad and birthday cake. MIL and I were just busy getting everything in order. The celebration was a success and we had a good time. After it was over we were left with a big mess in the dinning room as well as the kitchen. MIL looked so tired so i told her to just lay down and ill take care of the cleaning up since she did a lot for that day already. Ralph had to work overtime until 4 a.m. and i was able to finally rest and sleep before 12 midnight. It was after 1 a.m. that i was woken up by something.This is what came to mind:

Woke up startled and heard the baby cry, after a few second heard MIL calling out to me with urgency in her voice. I had to pick up the baby and put her on the floor with me thinking that the baby must have been crying hard before i woke up that’s why MIL was calling me. I waited but still she was calling out my name.

MIL : Melody? Melody?!!

Me : Mom? yes, I’m awake.

MIL : Melody?!

Me : (got up and went by the stairs leaving the baby crying in her room) What is it mom?

MIL : I have to go to the hospital.

Me : What?! what??? what happened ( scared that something happened to Ralph)

MIL : (crying) I have to go to the hospital, i cant breathe and my chest hurts. Ralph is on his way home and the ambulance will be here any minute.

ME : Are you ok mom? (left her for a few sec. to pick up the baby and went downstairs

 It was clear that she was in pain and i could see the fear in her eyes. The baby was just looking at her and was wondering what was going on. Finally Ralph and the Ambulance pulled up in the driveway at the same time. Two sets of paramedics came in the house and checked her out. Her blood pressure was soaring high but her heart was fine. She was then placed in a gurney bed and taken out of the house but not before she gave baby a kiss and me as well. I could see it in the baby’s  eyes she was worried for her grandma, she didn’t know what was going on. I had to hold her close and kept telling her grandma will be right back. Ralph left with them and he called me when he got to the hospital. She is in stable condition and everything is back to normal now, she will have to stay overnight.

It was a scary scary feeling for me, i thought she was going to pass out right in front of my eyes. I was terrified but i also had to be strong and had to keep my wits about with me in case something did happen. She is finally home and resting now. Thank God she is doing good now, i don’t know what we would do without her. I had to call almost all of her grandchildren to inform them about what happened so they can call her. Things can happen very quick and you will not know what to expect the next. I have had to much excitement, worries and stress this week. Its time to relax for a little bit. Ill probably just play a little game of cake mania 3 to relax. Adios!!!

As a mother we always want wants best for our babies. Things have change in the past years in what doctors and parents know before and now. Ralph is the youngest of 3 boys, and MIL raised them basically by herself. I have read Angelo’s baby book when he was a infant and he was already eating a lot of food when he was only 2 months old, this was advice by pediatrician. So, MIL has been telling me to give Kaitlyn whole milk since she gave her boys that when they were younger and they turned out good. I am not oppose to giving her cows milk but suprisingly it was Ralph that really objected to it. He pointed out that the baby gets more nutrition and vitamins out of the formula than the regular whole milk since he read it in the book. Of course, his mother would react and try to explain to him that he had cows milk before he was a year old and he turned out fine. We solved the problem by asking the pediatrician itself when the right age to start Kaitlyn on whole cows milk.

The pediatrician pointed out several factors that The American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that infants not drink whole cow’s milk before the age of one.

WHOLE COW’S MILK

• Low in iron, possibly leading to intestinal blood loss that can result in iron-deficiency anemia
• Low in vitamins C and E, essential for proper development
• Too high in protein and certain minerals
• Whole cow’s milk contains excess amounts of sodium and other nutrients that can put a strain on young kidneys

She also explained that babies generally don’t get nutrients and vitamins from baby foods since the actual use for it is to get baby use to the thought of eating, chewing and expanding his/her taste buds. I was advice to give baby as much formula as i can and avoid giving her whole milk until she is a year old.

Kaitlyn is already a year old and she will be getting her 1 year old check-up, shots and blood work done to test for lead. It will be interesting to find out whether she will be getting off the formula entirely or will she still be on formula. I have a lot of things to talk to the doctor about her coming appointment. We have started giving her cows milk but only a cup here and there, boy does she love whole milk!!!! She could do an advert for ” GOT MILK” . We just got done with her birthday celebration about 2 hrs ago and I’m pooped! Sayonara for now!

I have not stopped moving and just relax today. Got up early to get Kayla to school then got the baby ready so we can go food shopping for her birthday celebration tomorrow. It was cold this morning since it called for a frost, thanks to Ralph i didn’t have to walk Kayla to the bus stop. It was just MIL, baby and me that went food shopping. Kaitlyn was having so much fun at the grocery, she didn’t let the fact that she was so bundle up cramp her style and just kept moving around and standing in the cart and laughing at grandma. And oh, i forgot to bring our list which got MIL a little upset. Still, we got everything we wanted at the one store and off to the next store again to get the fresh ham we ordered, but not before stopping at the house on the way to pick up the list. The fresh ham is about 13 lbs, probably wouldn’t fit in the rotisserie. After that went home, brought all the stuff in and put away the meats. MIL started making the sausage and peppers.

Oh, my mistake i did get some down time with the baby,lol. I took a nap with her, it was unintentional though but i still got in my 1 hour nap. When we woke up it was time for me to get Kayla at the bus stop. While walking to the bus stop i was shaking as i was so cold!!! I cant imagine when the temperature starts to really go down. Kayla was so upset she had to go back to her mommy’s as usual, and wanted to stay with us. Finally i got her to settle down long enough to change in the clothes that she came back from her mommy’s and off we went again to the meeting point. At least this time the baby wasn’t as fussy and cranky, she just watched a movie in the car with big sister. After the drop off we came home, gave baby a bath, played a little bit, put baby to sleep and started making my steamed buns which i am so bummed about. I don’t think its going to come out as good as i want it to.

I just took this few minutes to write while i let the dough rise. After that i will have to make the fruit salad which is a dessert. I’m probably not going to be able to sleep until past 12 midnight since i still need to cook the steamed buns. At least when Ralph comes home at 2 am this morning he can have some of the steamed buns since he likes it. And when i wake up ill have a new cellphone,hurray!! Its going to be pretty busy tomorrow, at least the only thing left to be made is the green bean casserole. I cant wait to see my relatives specially my aunt and show off Kaitlyn. I am so so so tired the only thing that’s keeping me up is the thought that i am doing this for Kaitlyn.

Cellphones and network providers, so many to choose from. Were currently under the Sprint provider but starting tomorrow we will be shifting to a new one. The reason? Its not that they don’t have great coverage and signal its to cut down out bill. Husband bought me my own cellphone last July, i was very very happy about it at first then i got to think about the additional bill. I don’t really need a cellphone as i don’t drive and i don’t usually go anywhere without either my husband or my mother-in-law. Partly my fault he got me want since i was asking him for one and now I’m regretting it. One of the reasons why my husband got me my own line so that i can call my family back in the Philippines and i don’t have to wait for him to come home to make the call. Now that were changing providers i told my husband he didn’t have to get me my own line so that this way it will lessen the bill but he said the provider were going to use is fairly new and cheap. He gets 3 lines for less than $120 a month.

Now, im stuck here trying to list down all the numbers on my phone and deleting them one by one. I feel bad though as i wont be able to get the pictures that is in the phone, oh well i could take a lot more with my new one. Tomorrow will be very busy for both me and MIL, have to do the food shopping at 9 am.  with a toddler in tow at this cold weather. Gosh, Kaitlyn is no longer a baby but a toddler. She will certainly have fun at the store while food shopping, i just hope she doesn’t get cranky! As soon as we get home from food shopping ill be tidying-up the place again, MIL and I will have to drop of Kayla to the meeting place so she can go to her Mom for the weekend. To bad she wont be here to celebrate both her daddy and her baby sister’s birthday with friends and family, at least we still got to celebrate on the actual date itself which is more important. I’m going to be so exhausted but i love having my family from NJ visit and they get to see my daughter walking now! That will be fun and interesting to see how Kaitlyn will react to them since the last time she saw them was when she was still about 6-7 months old,lol.

I’m going to end this note here and i will try to post tomorrow if I’m not to busy.

Kaitlyn and her daddy just celebrated there 1st birthday together today. She turned the big 1 yr. old and daddy turned 39. We just had spaghetti and birthday cake after whew, what a mess it was! It was so fun so watch her eat spaghetti without any teeth at all! Yes she just turned one but has not a single tooth in her mouth. I took upon myself to read and search about teething.

Teething supposedly occurs between 3-7 months in a child’s life but for some will eventually get  the little chompers after the first year. Well, she just turned a year and still nothing. I was kind of hoping that she would sprout one single tooth today,lol no such luck there. Since she was 6 months old i have religiously checking her mouth and gums for any signs of tooth and teething altogether. I have also heard that babies who generally start walking early get there little chompers a little later, i don’t know if there is any truth to that! Lately she has been showing signs of teething and this are usually the ones to look for:

• Drooling
• Gum Swelling and sensitivity 
• biting behavior
• Sleeplessness
• fussiness and irritability
• refusing food
• diarrhea (i know its not in books but i swear i hear these from other moms)
• runny nose
• fever

Babies tooth usually sprout out in this pattern

• two middle teeth on the bottom
• two middle teeth on the top
• each one around the side and back 

The suggested food or object to help sooth babies discomfort while teething ranges from ice cream, teething rings, to fruits like apples, biscuits and of course the gum rub. I can tell you though, even without teeth my daughter eats like she has her full set of pearly whites. She eats toast, waffles, regular crackers and just about anything she associates as food like dog and cat food. She is my little porker, loves to eat and eat. She also got to taste her first cup of whole milk. The look on her face was just priceless, she wanted more and more. I have been delaying giving her whole milk as per the pediatricians order, i have to wait until she was a year old and now that she is I’ll have to ask the doctor again if she could have whole milk and formula. I guess that it, tomorrow is another day of wait and anticipation if her little tooth has sprouted, I’m not holding my breath this time,lol. I’m just going to wait and see, it will happen….