No! Don't Say It!

Co-Sleeping

Yes, I said it! Now, get over it! And don't you judge me...please :)

For the last month or so, Miss Saya has been co-sleeping in our bed. It all first started when there were a few days where she was really sick in addition to teething. She wasn't sleeping well and the sound of her breathing was horrible, so my hubby decided to bring her in earlier than her usual time of 5 am. Saya hasn't left since. I am still up in the air about the decision but have been finding many advantages to having her close by. For one, she has been getting more sleep during the night and waking up less. She may get up 1 - 2 times instead of 3 - 5 times which was almost guaranteed. We are talking 9 months of the same horrible sleep routine. So you can imagine that this change has helped both Mommy and Daddy out tremendously. 

With my 2 hour commute the lack of sleep was making me a zombie and more importantly made me a risky driver. In December, I proved that I was suffering when I had an accident. Saya woke up every single hour that night. So that afternoon, after work at about 45 minutes into my commute on the turnpike (2 miles from my exit), I closed my eyes for one split second. As a result, I hit the median. No one truly understands how I feel about the whole situation. I thank God all the time that I didn't hurt anyone. I would have been so distraught even more than I would have had something happened to me. I was truly blessed that day because I was surrounded by cars and trucks but at the time of impact not a single soul was to be found. And I came out unscathed. Just a little tenderness where I hit my head off the window and a little soreness on the right side of my neck but that was it. My car unfortunately didn't make it out of the mess. He was totaled but we now have upgraded to "Bleu," or minivan.

I am not alone when I say that I was totally against co-sleeping when I was pregnant and even in the early months of Saya's life. Really, I was against it up until the time we brought her in because I didn't want to start this habit that we couldn't fix later on. This is why I still struggle with the idea. Not to mention, Saya doesn't stay in the same position. She is constantly moving throughout the night. I put her in a vertical position to match the hubs and I and some mornings she is either in a horizontal position or even upside down. In the end, she is much more comfortable being with us. I must admit it is pretty darn cute when she ends up in either one of our arms and falls asleep. She just plops right down on our arm and she is out like a light.

So now that I got that off of my chest, I am interested in knowing whether you have changed your minds about how you were handling a baby situation when you were against it from the beginning or vice versa. Are you happy with the decision you made?

Please share!

Fab Find

shabby apple

shabbyapple.com

Found this website through a tweet. A one of a kind shop mostly dedicated to dresses. They cater to all body types and provide a very useful fit guide to assist you in picking out the perfect dress. Whether it be comfy casual dress, a dress for work or even a bridesmaid dress, this is the shop for you! They hold both modern and vintage style dresses at affordable prices to please anyone's inner fashion diva.

If you are anything like me, you may need some style advice. They have that too! Send a note to "Dear Shabby" and they will assist you within 72 hours. Need an answer sooner? Then check out their past advice.

Not sure what your body type is? Answer 3 short questions and Shabby Apple will gather a number of their outfits that work perfectly for your shape. Here are some of my favorite pieces for my body type of pear / hourglass:

Featured in Marie Claire:

Fifth Ave

{source}

Champs Elysees

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Chickaree

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Are you an emerging designer or have dreams of becoming one? Then check out there Emerging Designer program. It's there way of supporting start-up fashion designers.

They even have some cool interactive features to get you involved with the fashion biz and you don't need to be a designer to play. 

• With Purchase or Pass, you get to play buyer for the day and help them decide what they should sell on their site. You will view a number of clothing sketches and you will either select "Purchase" or "Pass." Getting the opportunity to have your likes and dislikes considered is muy bueno in my book. It is like they put the power in your hands. 
• Appealing or Appalling gives you the option to voice your own opinion about the latest fashion trend. Go on and tell them about those playsuits coming back in style!

As you can see this site has a lot to offer. So if you are looking to update your wardrobe or add a little spice to your current collection then why not start here? Go on and take a peek...I promise it won't hurt one bit!

Make Your Own Baby Food

When I was pregnant with Saya, I always wondered about making her baby food when she was ready for solids. Thankfully, I worked with someone who had experience with making the baby food. My boss had discussed some basic details and had encouraged me to give it a try and I am so thankful that I did. It was so much easier then I thought it would be. Just an hour or so of my time made weeks worth of food. One of the best parts of the process was that the food can be frozen for up to 3 months. This was and still is addicting and now that Saya is eating pretty much what we serve for dinner, it is all even easier. Not to mention, as a mother it made me feel great knowing exactly what was being put in my daughters mouth. No artificial ingredients or preservatives when you make your own food. It's even better when you use the organic veggies and fruits. So for the weary, I ask that you give it a try. You may find it just as easy.


One thing that I kept in mind in making the pureed baby food was that I made sure I made this process an inexpensive one. So when I purchased some of the tools needed, I made sure that I would use it for more than just making her food. This is key because you will get your money's worth out of the tools. Not a penny wasted.

TOOLS NEEDED:
Blender / Food Processor / Food Mill
Ice cube trays (preferably with a lid)*
Veggie Peeler
Freezer Bags (Qt or Gallon size)
Veggie Steamer pot insert**
Permanent Marker - To label the Freezer Bags with Food Item and Date Made

*You can get away with regular ice cube trays but you will want to make sure that you securely wrap the tray with plastic wrap + aluminum foil to protect the food. The food only needs approx. 24 to freeze properly, so this wrapping will be sufficient .
**You'll need to cook the veggie / fruit  so you can choose to steam the food or bake which are the two preferred methods. I have a veggie steamer insert which cost all of $11.


OPTIONAL:
These can make your life easier but are definitely not necessary to accomplish this task.
Apple / Pear Slicer
Potato Masher / Fork
  
SOURCE:
WholesomeBabyFood.com
This is a GREAT website that provides the details on what foods to feed at each stage of the baby's life. It includes awesome recipes and tips as well. If nothing else, it is a great read.


This was my go to guide for it all. I still reference it from time to time to review the foods that can be fed to Miss Saya during the different stages.


PERSONAL NOTE:
I want to point out that there were some foods that I chose not to make due to the time and effort it would have taken to make, which of course can be very limited at this stage of the child's life. In these cases, I just purchased the organic pre-made versions you find in almost any grocery store. So far these foods include: rice cereal, oatmeal, peas, green beans and prunes.


Good luck and feel free to ask any questions about this process!

Saya - 10 Month Update

Happy 10 Months 

Saya Baby

WOW! That is really all I can say! I know I sound like a broken record but I cannot believe how fast time has flown by. Saya baby is already 10 months old! Since I haven't provided any updates since her 2 month "birthday", I thought I would write up a little something for my baby girl.

Age: 10 Months
Weight: 19 lbs 13 oz - at her 9 mo checkup
Height: 28 3/4 in - at her 9 mo checkup


Milestones:

• Walking! Walking! Walking! For a couple of months now, Saya has been walking with furniture and occasionally being brave and taking a few steps before falling down. This weekend she was something else. She was walking all over the new tile floor that her Papi had put down. She didn't want to stop and she rarely even fell. I can say she also took this weekend to start standing up without the assistance of a hand or furniture. Saya is just dieing to walk.
• In addition to walking, she is a super fast crawler. When she tries to run away or to get something she wants, look out, you may just miss her!
• Saya has been babbling for some time and on occasion you could hear the word, Dada, Papa or even Mama. Within the past couple of weeks, you can clearly hear her say Dada. Matter of fact, she says it all the time.
• She recognizes objects more and more. The last few months she had developed the ability to recognize her Mom, Dad, Grandpa, teachers and even her dog. Lately, she has been able to show that she recognizes the same object (for lack of a better word) say on the TV. The other day one of the sad ASPCA commercials came on and she got super excited because she knew it was a dog on TV. She will develop her compassion for those poor animals later. I should note that Saya does not watch TV. She really has no interest in it. If I have the TV on while I am playing with her, I usually put NickJr on so that something positive and educational is on if she should happen to look at it. Because of this, she is fully aware of certain theme songs. When the theme song to Backyardigans or Fresh Beat Band come on, she stops what she is doing to look at the TV and do her little dance. When the song finishes, she stops watching.
• Saya LOVES music and seems to have already taken favor to two songs on two totally different genres. This is mostly thanks to her Papi, who is a lover of all things art especially music. Since she was in the womb, she was introduced to our favorite artists and genres.
• She also loves to chew on EVERYTHING. This is no exaggeration. From toys to shoes, if you are not paying attention she will grab whatever is in front of her to chew on. She is our little puppy!
• Her eating habits have improved. Around 3 - 4 months, she was barely drinking 4 oz of formula at a time. Now, at 10 months she will drink 6 - 7 oz in addition to solid food. Almost 3 months ago, she went on strike with pureed foods and wanted nothing but finger foods. Since then she has been introduced to many fruits and veggies with her favorite being green beans. We have learned though that she will eat small meals many times during the day. This has definitely affected our sleep time.
• Saya tries to mimic almost everything we do. I've caught her trying to strap herself in her little high chair and she just loves walking up and down the stairs. With guidance of course, she will tirelessly go up and down the stairs, one foot at a time and has even pulled herself up the stairs using the banister. It is as if she has been walking for years.
• Has a little arm on her! Not only has she been dropping items in hopes that one of us will pick it up so that she can drop it again, she is starting to throw things. I saw it yesterday when she threw one of her toys back in the toy bin. It had some speed and power... Aw, my little softball player :)
• Clap, clap, clap! That's how she shows her excitement now! She also does this little stiff arm vibrating thing with a grunt when she is happy. It really is hilarious to watch.
• Saya now helps out with putting her shirts on. No longer does she fight me, she straightens her arms out one by one when needed.
• Bath time is a happy time. She splashes endlessly! Thank God for shower doors :)... This is also her time to play with her squirt toys which she now can squeeze the water out of.

Challenges:

• Still not sleeping through the night. About a month ago she was still waking up 2 - 4 times a night. Our feeling was that Saya was hungry, especially since she ate small meals throughout the day. She was drinking 6oz bottles every 2 hours. And yes we tried everything including cereal in the bottle but that didn't work at all. So at her 9 month visit, the doctor had confirmed that she was just hungry and that is why she woke up during the night. So we tried a little something different and it has helped out. She gets up maybe 2 times the most.
• She is not a morning eater or at least for us she isn't. She will get a bottle usually between 6:30 and 8:30 am, depending on when she wakes up. We try to feed her some solids or even a bottle by 9:30 am and she will maybe drink an oz or have a couple cheerios or whatever is for breakfast and that's it. She starts her big eating after 11:00am.
• Saya is constantly sick. Right now she is fighting another chest cold and head cold. In addition, we think she is teething again. So her temp is elevated, she can't breathe through her nose and she sounds like a smoker when she babbles. Poor girl can't beat this. My mom and MIL seem to think she is suffering from allergies. They may be on to something!

Appearance:

• Many still have differing opinions but no one can deny that she is her father's twin. Of course she has some of my features (squirrelly cheeks and nose) but they aren't noticed too much unless I am holding her. Saya is her father from her looks to her little attitude!
• Her hair has grown in significantly in the last few months. I can start putting little alligator clips in her and he it takes. The front and top are fairly straight with little wave but the back is starting to curl like mommy's hair. The color is more like a light to medium brown similar to her Daddy's hair.
• Love her blue eyes. OK, well they are a different shade of blue. Blue-grayish with a tint of green? So she didn't get her daddy's gorgeous blues or my boring browns. She has her own shade. That perfectly describes our little girl. A little of both (or most of her dad) BUT truly her own person.
• She is still pretty pale in complexion. Her beautiful soft skin replicates the color of her daddy's skin that never sees the sun (upper leg, upper arm).
• She has teeth! Miss Saya has 4 teeth, two on top and two on the bottom. It's been a month since we have seen any teeth break through so I think she is about due for more.
• Depending on the store brand, she fits just right into 12 month clothing. With help from G'Ma, she is totally ready for the summer.

Easter 2011 - 10 months old

{Phone pic by Titi Tanya}

Stoning of Soraya M.

Hubs found this movie on NetFlix through the instant watch and wanted to watch it because it was given 5 out of 5 stars. But usually at that time of night, he puts a movie on to fall asleep to, which of course he did. I on the other hand was so intrigued that I decided to stay up way past my bed time to finish it. A part of me is so thankful that I did.

Without ruining the movie for those that want to see it, I'd like to share a brief description of the movie. Based in 1986, it is a true story about a woman named, Soraya, who lived in this small village of Iran. A plot was set-up by her own husband to accuse her of adultery so that he can marry another woman. A crime in some countries to be considered horrendous and depending on the gender of the assailant would result in being sentenced to death. In Soraya's case, she was sentenced to death by stoning.

This was an eye-opening experience for me. Of course, I have briefly heard about situations like this but this movie put things in perspective for me. It was rather humbling. Humbling in a sense that I am truly thankful to have been born and raised in the U. S. and at this day in age. I cannot imagine being a citizen of a country where I don't have the rights that so many women have fought for and others desire. Being treated as property and worse then animals is just disgusting. Unfortunately, there are millions of women (mostly undocumented) that are going through this same situation. Worst of all, the abusers misinterpret their religion and hide behind their God to explain their reasoning for their actions as if any holy being would ever want another person to be treated that way. Trust me, not only will you feel humbled no matter where you are from but also angry at the behavior of these God awful creatures that are supposed to be our fellow humans.

I should note, that this isn't for the weak stomached. The movie does show a depiction of the stoning. Every. Single. Part... from the beginning to the end. I don't blame them for putting that scene in there because it helped set the tone of the movie. Made it more realistic especially since it is based on the true story. I guess you can't expect anything less since it was made by the creator of "The Passion of the Christ."

The phrase, "out of sight, out of mind," is so true in this case or at least in my opinion. Not seeing or hearing about situations like this helps us to ignore the problems of the world which in turn prevents people from being helped. I am hoping I can use this new found knowledge to help people one way or another.

In short, I highly recommend this movie. If you decide to watch it, report back what you thought of the movie and maybe what you got out of it.

Fab Find

In viewing a new food blog that I found, Gimme Some Oven, the blogger was holding an awesome giveaway with the prize being a beautiful art print from her sister, Sarah Wain. Art teacher and painter, Sarah Wain is one talented woman. Her canvas paintings and prints are just gorgeous. Her use of color, paint and style make each painting so lifelike and delectable (you’ll see what I mean). My favorite pieces by far are the cupcake and dessert paintings. Some of her inspiration or shall I say her muse was the photos from the popular food blog, Annies-Eats. Another food blog that should be checked out as well!

If you are in the hunt for a unique piece of artwork, then you must check this out! I just wish I could buy all her dessert pieces. Her cupcake paintings would work perfectly for the décor of Saya’s 1^st birthday party, don’t you think?

Look at these paintings! Wouldn’t you want them to be a part of your home? J

Go look for yourself! I promise you will not regret it!

SaraheWain.com

{Black Forest Cupcakes}

{Chocolate Covered Strawberries}