Thursday, May 13, 2010
Need More Time
These are so great. I think this might be my new craft project. How great would they be hanging over Kins' crib. Although, her crib will be a toddler bed by the time I am done making them.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Some new LOVES
So many great artists and print designers out there. I love these very simple, yet very sweet designs.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
To Pass the Time By...
There is only so much you can do for 13 hours with a baby all by yourself. Not that Kins isn't a blast to play with, but you Moms know how it is. M. O. N. O. T. O. N. Y is a word that comes to mind. And it doesn't help when the hubby is gone from sun up to sun down, or later. So... my way of breaking that monotony up is photography. The word "photography" implies to me however that my photos must be great, that I am super deliberate and decisive in my choices of photographs to take. This couldn't be further from the truth as I just snap away, hoping I don't miss a single moment of Kins' amazing "many faces." So I will change my choice of the word photography to picture taking. I do a lot of picture taking.
Yesterday, I went to Target, my favorite store on earth, or home away from home, as I had to buy Butt Paste for Kins. Her diaper rash is slowly healing, as we switched her to good ol' Huggies after that Pampers Dry Max story came out. That really was all I needed, but who can just buy one thing at Target anyways? I can't help it, everything screams my name. I hope shopping isn't genetic, otherwise, watch out Daddy's wallet. I found these shoes and they are just about as adorable as shoes come.
Now to bring you back full circle, these shoes are what started my "picture taking." I found that Kins really loves the camera, and no I will not be a stage mom, nor will I ever consider any sort of modeling for Kins, but look at how she is posing. She sure knows how to "work it" in her bath robe and new sneakers. TOO CUTE!!!
Speaking of new things, my gift from Kris to me on Mothers Day was a standing mirror, something that I had been wanting ever since we moved in to our home, which was last April. We did buy a great standing mirror then, but on it's way home from Ikea in Pasadena, it decided to fly off our car, in the middle of the freeway. $100 down the drain. So ever since then, we have been on the lookout for one, and Kris found one, just in time for Mothers Day!!! Kins loves it too, so of course I had to do some "picture taking" with her next to it. And the last photo, which might I add, is the cutest pic of her to date, is with my NEW lamp or should I say lamp shade. See... she's even posing there! What a natural; a 7 1/2 month natural!
Yesterday, I went to Target, my favorite store on earth, or home away from home, as I had to buy Butt Paste for Kins. Her diaper rash is slowly healing, as we switched her to good ol' Huggies after that Pampers Dry Max story came out. That really was all I needed, but who can just buy one thing at Target anyways? I can't help it, everything screams my name. I hope shopping isn't genetic, otherwise, watch out Daddy's wallet. I found these shoes and they are just about as adorable as shoes come.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Mommy Weekend
Almost 8 months ago, I had my baby girl Kins. It was a life changing day to say the least, as I had to put my life on hold for someone I had never met, nor did I even know. But I loved her. I had felt her move for 5 months, I had talked to her for 9 and I snag to her for 7. I was bonded to this little human being before I ever laid my eyes on her, but I knew that bond would intensify to something I had never experienced before. It really is incomprehensible. My very own baby girl in my arms. INCREDIBLE!!!!
It's a place where I pray she will remain my entire lifetime. I will forever hug her, kiss her, hold her tight, snuggle before bedtime, reassure her, take care of her, play with her, and call her my baby. She is my first and we will always share that special connection, I know it. I felt that connection yesterday on Mothers Day. It was incredible.
Now I know Mothers Day is meant to celebrate all the amazing Mothers out there and all the countless hours they invest into their children, (almost all of it going unappreciated), but I felt it should have been a day about Kinsley. Yes, I am a mommy, and it is so wonderful. But, Mothers Day doesn't mean anything if you don't have your children say it or express it. So I took yesterday as on opportunity to really hon in on what I need to do in order to let Kins know how very much I love her, so that next year or the year after I will get appreciation from her. It truly is up to me, to give Kins the life she deserves. Not that I haven't up until now, but I will more consciously make an effort to tell her how very much I love her; every morning, day, and night, and every moment in between.
Just a quick note, my Mom does this. She makes an incredible effort to make me, my sister, and brother feel so, so loved. Here are some photos of my incredible first Mothers Day yesterday! Happy Mothers Day to all out there, especially to mine! I love you!
My Mom/Kins' Nana (a very young Nana)
Some Mothers Day balloons brought by Kins' other Grandma named Tita.
My mom, sister and Brother. My Dad/Grandpa (again, a young Grandpa) is down below.
My forever Family
and now...
MY NEW FAMILY!!!
It's a place where I pray she will remain my entire lifetime. I will forever hug her, kiss her, hold her tight, snuggle before bedtime, reassure her, take care of her, play with her, and call her my baby. She is my first and we will always share that special connection, I know it. I felt that connection yesterday on Mothers Day. It was incredible.
Now I know Mothers Day is meant to celebrate all the amazing Mothers out there and all the countless hours they invest into their children, (almost all of it going unappreciated), but I felt it should have been a day about Kinsley. Yes, I am a mommy, and it is so wonderful. But, Mothers Day doesn't mean anything if you don't have your children say it or express it. So I took yesterday as on opportunity to really hon in on what I need to do in order to let Kins know how very much I love her, so that next year or the year after I will get appreciation from her. It truly is up to me, to give Kins the life she deserves. Not that I haven't up until now, but I will more consciously make an effort to tell her how very much I love her; every morning, day, and night, and every moment in between.
Just a quick note, my Mom does this. She makes an incredible effort to make me, my sister, and brother feel so, so loved. Here are some photos of my incredible first Mothers Day yesterday! Happy Mothers Day to all out there, especially to mine! I love you!
My forever Family
and now...
MY NEW FAMILY!!!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Imagination
I think back to my childhood, oh what a great one it was. I know my main source of entertainment was of imaginary play. I loved wearing my mothers 70's prom dress, (yes it was her REAL one!), or becoming a cave woman. One of my favorites was a red dress from, oh, I don't know, the 10's, 20's. It was a giant, fluffy red dress, adorned with what I thought was the most extravagant lace. It was beautiful. Until they were all invaded by mold, pests, and smelly odors, (because they were kept outside) I lived for dress up and imaginary play. I can't wait to do this kind of play with Kins. My mom's best friend purchased a Tea Set for Kins and I know we will spend many nights pretending to be so prim and proper. With our pinky's up and our giant hats on, we will be the most sophisticated women in Ventura County. :) I know how great this sort of play can be, as it allows your child's mind to imagine just how great of a person they can become. They can become whomever they desire to be, a sales clerk, doctor, or a fashion editor of Elle Magazine.
My point stemmed from this photo, a photo of a pretend kitchen set, and how great it is. It is perfect for the sort of imaginary play that I grew up with and the kind I want to give to Kins. This will be added on to mine and Kins' wish list for sure!
My point stemmed from this photo, a photo of a pretend kitchen set, and how great it is. It is perfect for the sort of imaginary play that I grew up with and the kind I want to give to Kins. This will be added on to mine and Kins' wish list for sure!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
MUST READ
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/parents-protest-pampers-diapers-facebook/story?id=10537369
Rosana Shah said that when her daughter broke into a rash after wearing Pampers' new diapers in December 2009, she created a Facebook page protesting the updated product. Now, despite product awards from parenting magazines and what Pampers said has been a tremendous sales campaign, more than 3,000 parents have joined the page, saying the diapers have given their children painful rashes and, in some cases, burns.
Proctor & Gamble officially launched its new Cruisers and Swaddlers diapers in mid-March with what it called "revolutionary" Dry Max technology. Describing it the "biggest innovation" for the Pampers brand in 25 years, the company said the technology enables the new diapers to be 20 percent thinner and more environmentally friendly than previous versions.
But on a Facebook protest page, parents across the country say that the new diapers, which started hitting shelves under old packaging months before the official release in new packaging, are causing their children harm. Some have uploaded photographs showing the red rashes and blisters they say developed on their babies' backsides after using the diapers.
"In December, we bought our regular Cruisers and I noticed that my daughter's skin was red and hot to the touch," said Shah, 38, who lives near Baton Rouge, La. "And she was in pain. She didn't want us to touch her in that area at all.
After trying to lodge her complaints through Pampers' website with little success, she said, she decided to launch a Facebook page of her own "so people didn't feel so dislocated and confused."
For the first few months, she said membership hovered around 20 parents, as the new diapers quietly transitioned to market. But after Pampers officially announced the Dry Max diapers in March, Shah said, the numbers skyrocketed.
Even on Pampers' corporate Facebook page, which has more than 227,000 fans, some parents have left comments expressing their frustrations with the new product. Bryan McCleary, a spokesman for Pampers, said, "Our hearts go out to any mom and dad and baby that are experiencing this. We know how difficult this is. But this is Pampers' most thoroughly researched and tested new product since we invented the disposable diaper back in the 1960s.
The company said on its website, "Our Dry Max diapers use the same type of ingredients and materials as our other diapers and in fact, many other disposable diapers on the market. The key difference is simply in how we designed and produced the diaper itself." And the company said that with testing involving more than 20,000 babies and 300,000 diaper changes, the new diapers for kids up to toddler age are "one of the most mom- and baby-tested diapers in our history."
But Cathy Valentine is one mom who said she not only refuses to buy Pampers Dry Max diapers, she has sworn off all Proctor & Gamble products. She said her 4-month-daughter had worn Pampers Swaddlers since birth and never experienced a problem. But Valentine, 32, who lives near Detroit, said her daughter's bottom turned pink only an hour after wearing the first Dry Max diaper three weeks ago.
"It just got worse," she said.
She said she put the first diaper on at 2 p.m. and by 9 p.m., her daughter had bright pink spots. When she awoke at 5 a.m., "that's when she had the huge blister," Valentine said.
Valentine took her daughter to the pediatrician and after discussing the situation with him, determined that the only thing that had changed in her daughters life was the new diapers.
"It was hard for him to say 100 percent that it was that,"she said. But "he felt strongly that it was in fact a reaction to the diaper or something in the diaper."
After her doctor said her daughter had a "chemical burn," Valentine called Pampers to ask for a refund, which she received, and filed a complaint with the Consumer Products Safety Commission.
In response to the complaints from parents, Pampers created a dedicated hotline for questions about the new Dry Max diapers.
Still, some doctors say that despite the backlash online, all seems quiet offline. Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician in Austin, Texas, said she hadn't seen one patient come in with a complaint about the new diapers. But she said that as manufacturers update products, sometimes children respond with contact dermatitis, or skin irritation, from new diapers. "[They're] irritated or bothered by a particular ingredient in the diaper," she said. She said it was hard to imagine that anything in a diaper could be potent enough to cause a chemical burn, but said that simple diaper rashes can turn ugly very fast. "They can head south very quickly," she said. If a child has an irritation and then urinates and makes a bowel movement, the skin can end up raw or even broken, she said. "In their effort to make these products better [and] design better diapers, sometimes kids will be irritated by it," she said. "The answer is, if it bothers your child switch brands or products. Every product is not for every child."
Here is the Facebook Link
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=230956705705&ref=ts
This so, so infuriates me. I was noticing mild forms of irriation with Kinsley, as we are using the new Dry Max, size 3 Pampers. I felt like as soon as I cleared the diaper rash up, it would come back a day or two later. Thank God Kinsley's rash has not escalated into chemical burns, but my heart breaks for the babies that had to go through this. I will stop using these diapers, heck, I will never use any form of Pampers again for that matter. Huggies it is!
Rosana Shah said that when her daughter broke into a rash after wearing Pampers' new diapers in December 2009, she created a Facebook page protesting the updated product. Now, despite product awards from parenting magazines and what Pampers said has been a tremendous sales campaign, more than 3,000 parents have joined the page, saying the diapers have given their children painful rashes and, in some cases, burns.
Proctor & Gamble officially launched its new Cruisers and Swaddlers diapers in mid-March with what it called "revolutionary" Dry Max technology. Describing it the "biggest innovation" for the Pampers brand in 25 years, the company said the technology enables the new diapers to be 20 percent thinner and more environmentally friendly than previous versions.
But on a Facebook protest page, parents across the country say that the new diapers, which started hitting shelves under old packaging months before the official release in new packaging, are causing their children harm. Some have uploaded photographs showing the red rashes and blisters they say developed on their babies' backsides after using the diapers.
"In December, we bought our regular Cruisers and I noticed that my daughter's skin was red and hot to the touch," said Shah, 38, who lives near Baton Rouge, La. "And she was in pain. She didn't want us to touch her in that area at all.
After trying to lodge her complaints through Pampers' website with little success, she said, she decided to launch a Facebook page of her own "so people didn't feel so dislocated and confused."
For the first few months, she said membership hovered around 20 parents, as the new diapers quietly transitioned to market. But after Pampers officially announced the Dry Max diapers in March, Shah said, the numbers skyrocketed.
Even on Pampers' corporate Facebook page, which has more than 227,000 fans, some parents have left comments expressing their frustrations with the new product. Bryan McCleary, a spokesman for Pampers, said, "Our hearts go out to any mom and dad and baby that are experiencing this. We know how difficult this is. But this is Pampers' most thoroughly researched and tested new product since we invented the disposable diaper back in the 1960s.
The company said on its website, "Our Dry Max diapers use the same type of ingredients and materials as our other diapers and in fact, many other disposable diapers on the market. The key difference is simply in how we designed and produced the diaper itself." And the company said that with testing involving more than 20,000 babies and 300,000 diaper changes, the new diapers for kids up to toddler age are "one of the most mom- and baby-tested diapers in our history."
But Cathy Valentine is one mom who said she not only refuses to buy Pampers Dry Max diapers, she has sworn off all Proctor & Gamble products. She said her 4-month-daughter had worn Pampers Swaddlers since birth and never experienced a problem. But Valentine, 32, who lives near Detroit, said her daughter's bottom turned pink only an hour after wearing the first Dry Max diaper three weeks ago.
"It just got worse," she said.
She said she put the first diaper on at 2 p.m. and by 9 p.m., her daughter had bright pink spots. When she awoke at 5 a.m., "that's when she had the huge blister," Valentine said.
Valentine took her daughter to the pediatrician and after discussing the situation with him, determined that the only thing that had changed in her daughters life was the new diapers.
"It was hard for him to say 100 percent that it was that,"she said. But "he felt strongly that it was in fact a reaction to the diaper or something in the diaper."
After her doctor said her daughter had a "chemical burn," Valentine called Pampers to ask for a refund, which she received, and filed a complaint with the Consumer Products Safety Commission.
In response to the complaints from parents, Pampers created a dedicated hotline for questions about the new Dry Max diapers.
Still, some doctors say that despite the backlash online, all seems quiet offline. Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician in Austin, Texas, said she hadn't seen one patient come in with a complaint about the new diapers. But she said that as manufacturers update products, sometimes children respond with contact dermatitis, or skin irritation, from new diapers. "[They're] irritated or bothered by a particular ingredient in the diaper," she said. She said it was hard to imagine that anything in a diaper could be potent enough to cause a chemical burn, but said that simple diaper rashes can turn ugly very fast. "They can head south very quickly," she said. If a child has an irritation and then urinates and makes a bowel movement, the skin can end up raw or even broken, she said. "In their effort to make these products better [and] design better diapers, sometimes kids will be irritated by it," she said. "The answer is, if it bothers your child switch brands or products. Every product is not for every child."
Here is the Facebook Link
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=230956705705&ref=ts
This so, so infuriates me. I was noticing mild forms of irriation with Kinsley, as we are using the new Dry Max, size 3 Pampers. I felt like as soon as I cleared the diaper rash up, it would come back a day or two later. Thank God Kinsley's rash has not escalated into chemical burns, but my heart breaks for the babies that had to go through this. I will stop using these diapers, heck, I will never use any form of Pampers again for that matter. Huggies it is!
Monday, May 3, 2010
What is going on?
To add on to my list of Kins' new firsts, Kins crawled up the stairs yesterday, all on her own, with absolutely no provocation. I was off to the side, beginning to plant my tea tree I bought on Earth Day, (yes, I am a lager) and she just thought she would see what would happen. She was so confident about her approach. She knew what she wanted to accomplish, and she had to get to the top. She at first tried pulling herself up with her hands, then placing her feet on the next step. She quickly realized however that maybe her knees might be a better option. She pulled herself up with her hands on the top of the step while placing her knees on the bottom. She is SO SMART, and I feel she will be a great problem solver too. I stared at her is disbelief. I was dumbfounded, how did she know what to do? She got to the top so quickly. She went on to do it two more times perfectly. She has mastered the steps. So proud.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
New Firsts
Gone are the days of bar hopping and late nights. Now, life is about blogging on a Saturday night. And although I should be spending some much needed time with my husband, I thought I'd real quickly share some of Kins' many new firsts in the past couple of days.
A repeat, but her two teeth are too adorable not to show one more time.
She is making some pretty hilarious faces these days, and preparing her vocal chords, mouth, and tongue for speech. At least that is what I was told.
She met a new man! An older man! 9 1/2 months. Luke is his name and he was a cutie.
Lastly, Kins has her first pet. His/Her name is Indigo. I have no idea how to take care of a fish so wish me luck.
Ahh!! Kins is so, so much fun!
She is making some pretty hilarious faces these days, and preparing her vocal chords, mouth, and tongue for speech. At least that is what I was told.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
One of Those Days
So... this past Saturday, HOLY COW. It was an absolute day from hell. It all started in the early, early morning and never got better. Thank goodness for Kinsley, I had to keep it somewhat together for her sake; had it not been for her, I would have ran far, far away and never looked back.
It all started with the “misplacement” of my keys, although Kris would like to call it something else, carelessness. Misplacing your keys usually isn’t that big of a deal, especially when you know you just had them, and all you have to do is retrace your steps. However, tackling taking care of baby plus searching for your keys makes for an abundance of screaming, cussing and hair pulling (on yourself of course, not on the baby). Needless to say, I lost them early Saturday morning. I NEEDED them. Here’s why... I had a volleyball tournament. Kris left early, to begin coaching my girls. I coach for a club team, but Kris helps out all the time, and since I was absolutely exhausted from a night of zero sleep, he offered to get there on time to warm them up. I was going to be right behind him, as all I wanted was 30 more minutes of shut eye time. And I did, it was great. I get up, get all ready, get Kins ready, and pack my car. I had my keys there obviously, to open my car, but my recollection of events that occurred after wards with my keys had vanished by... well... rushing and trying to get Kinsley out the door. I went back and forth between my house and car at least 5 times, all with Kinsley attached to my hip, convincing myself that I had not looked hard enough. After about 45 minutes, I had given up. “Oh well.” I said. “Guess I won’t be going to my tournament.” I had resolved in my head a rather ridiculous theory as to what might have happened to them. I had left them in my car door, some jerk-off must have seen them, snagged them, and is now circling the neighborhood waiting for me to leave the house so he can enter my home and take all my belongings. That had to be what happened. I looked everywhere! Although I resolved to just stay home, I was still retracing my steps... “What did I do after I packed the car?” Instantaneously, after asking myself that question, a little voice in my head or who I like to call God said “mouth wash.” I opened the cupboard where the mouth wash was housed and there they were, I looked at them like gold at that point. Who knows, apparently I thought I would remember setting my keys down in the linen closet. I made it to the tournament, finally, just to lose to not only a rival team, but an all boys team who seemed to have just picked up a volleyball yesterday.
Amongst many other unmentionable hellish things that happened, I went on to lose my keys two more times. WHAT A MESS OF A DAY!! Thank God it is over.
It all started with the “misplacement” of my keys, although Kris would like to call it something else, carelessness. Misplacing your keys usually isn’t that big of a deal, especially when you know you just had them, and all you have to do is retrace your steps. However, tackling taking care of baby plus searching for your keys makes for an abundance of screaming, cussing and hair pulling (on yourself of course, not on the baby). Needless to say, I lost them early Saturday morning. I NEEDED them. Here’s why... I had a volleyball tournament. Kris left early, to begin coaching my girls. I coach for a club team, but Kris helps out all the time, and since I was absolutely exhausted from a night of zero sleep, he offered to get there on time to warm them up. I was going to be right behind him, as all I wanted was 30 more minutes of shut eye time. And I did, it was great. I get up, get all ready, get Kins ready, and pack my car. I had my keys there obviously, to open my car, but my recollection of events that occurred after wards with my keys had vanished by... well... rushing and trying to get Kinsley out the door. I went back and forth between my house and car at least 5 times, all with Kinsley attached to my hip, convincing myself that I had not looked hard enough. After about 45 minutes, I had given up. “Oh well.” I said. “Guess I won’t be going to my tournament.” I had resolved in my head a rather ridiculous theory as to what might have happened to them. I had left them in my car door, some jerk-off must have seen them, snagged them, and is now circling the neighborhood waiting for me to leave the house so he can enter my home and take all my belongings. That had to be what happened. I looked everywhere! Although I resolved to just stay home, I was still retracing my steps... “What did I do after I packed the car?” Instantaneously, after asking myself that question, a little voice in my head or who I like to call God said “mouth wash.” I opened the cupboard where the mouth wash was housed and there they were, I looked at them like gold at that point. Who knows, apparently I thought I would remember setting my keys down in the linen closet. I made it to the tournament, finally, just to lose to not only a rival team, but an all boys team who seemed to have just picked up a volleyball yesterday.
Amongst many other unmentionable hellish things that happened, I went on to lose my keys two more times. WHAT A MESS OF A DAY!! Thank God it is over.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Can I just Say...?
Will write more when I get a chance. I have to vent about this Saturday! WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Family
Earth Day
In honor of Earth Day, I bought Kinsley a Tea Tree. It blooms in the spring and summer, takes moderate shade and at least 6-7 hours in the sunshine, perfect for where I will put it. I would have loved to buy her a citrus tree of some kind but my wallet couldn't support that purchase. So this perfect little tea tree for $9.98 called my name. Its delicate but has an edge...meaning... its flowers are soft, small and delicate, and the leaves, or what you might call greenery, are actually gray. Gray, in my opinion, gives it the edge. :) And how perfect that Kins is delic...never mind, I was going to try and create a parallel between Kins and this tea tree. Lets just say I really like this tree and it is perfect for what I am trying to accomplish. I want to instill in Kins a love for our earth and all things in it. And I thought planting a tree in her name will allow her in the future to get excited about nature and keeping our Earth nice and beautiful.Now I just have to wait till the hubby gets home to plant it. It will take some quality "man labor" to get this in the ground. I bet he's so thankful I bought it. Sense the sarcasm.
Here's some photos of Kins playing outside today. Have to be outside on Earth Day. I love that she bee-lines it out the door as soon as it opens. That's my girl!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
A Great 7 Month Birthday Memory
So, Kins (I'm sure) had a wonderful 7 month birthday! I wish I would have made more of a stink about her previous month birthdays but it never really occurred to me that it was such a big deal. Her 6 month of course was a huge deal, she was half a year old. But 3, 4, and 5 didn't make sense to really CELEBRATE. I realize though, they were huge. Each month Kins is getting stronger, smarter, (prettier :)), testier, and more wonderful. And now, she is closer to a year old than she is to being born. SO CRAZY!
I made Kins this cookie and put a little pink candle in it.
I want her to know she is being celebrated, so hopefully with enough month celebrations, she will put two and two together that candles equals celebrating Kinsley!!!
She seemed very intrigued by the candle as well as the cookie. I gave her a little taste, and although we had a little scare, (we thought she might have swallowed a chocolate chip) she enjoyed her celebration!
I made Kins this cookie and put a little pink candle in it.
I want her to know she is being celebrated, so hopefully with enough month celebrations, she will put two and two together that candles equals celebrating Kinsley!!!
She seemed very intrigued by the candle as well as the cookie. I gave her a little taste, and although we had a little scare, (we thought she might have swallowed a chocolate chip) she enjoyed her celebration!
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