Magic Elixir

My mother in law sent some ‘tissue oil’ when Bea had a very bad diaper rash a while back. That stuff is literally like gold! I strongly believe that it cleared up her diaper rash within days. And just on Monday I noticed Bea was getting another one. So I put the tissue oil on all this week and it’s gone! This stuff is great! But I can’t get it any where else but South Africa. It has wheat germ, almond oil and all kinds of fabulous stuff… now I’m wondering what else I could use it for…. Wrinkles?? ;)

Being creative, what I do best.*

Wonder Woman! All the world is waiting for you and the power you possess. In your satin tights fighting for your rights and the old red, white, and bluuuuue!! Wonder Woman!

K-sorry ‘bout that. So Bea has been invited to a super hero themed 1st birthday party. At first I was racking my brain of what she could be… Super Girl? Nah. Bat Girl? Mmmm, no. Cat Woman, maybe. Wonder woman, maybe. Shera!? YES. But looking at Shera’s outfit I decided that would be too hard to come up with on my own so I decided she’ll be Wonder Woman. Unfortunately the only Wonder Woman costume I could find was butt ugly. What’s a girl to do? Yup, you guessed it. Make her own! No, I won’t be following a pattern I’m going to be much more creative than that! I’m going to piece it together myself using everyday objects with a dash of gold lame. (Can’t do that thing above the ‘e.’) So it won’t look exactly like Wonder Woman’s real outfit because first of all lets get real here, Bea will be 9 months old when she attends this party I’m not going to have her running around in hot pants and a strapless top. And second, I would just like to say that Wonder Woman got ripped in the wardrobe department, I mean, how could she have really fought in an outfit like that without anything falling out!? (Lynda Carter rocks btw!) Um, so yeah, although Bea won’t be in satin tights she’s going to look just as cute, if not cuter. ;) I’m sure Bea will get annoyed with my mad costume making skills out of everyday clothes and objects… prompting her to complain, ‘Why can’t you just buy a costume like the other kid’s moms!!!???’ But lets face it, she’s bound to complain about something and I know when she’s older she’ll look back on her completely original costumes and think… ‘Yeah, mom was pretty cool about that.’ :D

(*duplicate post for those of you who have myspace. sorry!)

Going Green

As I was perusing my all time favorite online shop, yes you guessed it, www.etsy.com I found some uber cute reusable nursing pads. I was thisclose to purchasing some but then I thought...'Wait! I hardly have time to do the laundry as it is.' Why then would I do that to myself and add something else that I would need to launder? I just can't. I already have the motto, 'if there isn't puke on it, it's clean.' Of course other things factor into that as well. But I just don't think I could ever go fully green. I'll do my part and recycle, even when Izak refuses to. I'll buy the green cleaning products once I run out of the current stuff I have. As far as purchasing and using reusable stuff like the nursing pads, and diapers, I've even seen panty liners ((!) We so won't go there!) I just can't do it right now. So I won't be going green any time soon.

Busy Bea

Beatrice had a very busy weekend. We, (Grandma, Me, and Bea) drove down to San Diego for cousin Madison's 1st Birthday! Bea really enjoyed being outside at the park. She got to roll around and stretch out on a blanket while Madison opened her gifts. Then we went down to the beach and put our feet in the water. (Well, her feet are almost in the water!) We definitely need to do another beach trip. Bea was such a good traveler, she didn't get fussy once with all the driving!

Bea and Auntie Stacey chillin' at the hotel the day before Madison's party.

Bea and I at the beach!

Happy 1st Birthday Madison!

Pears

Beatrice tried pears this evening. They might be too sweet for her. I'm not entirely sure that she enjoyed them. But we'll try them again tomorrow.

First Food, First Word??

Today we gave Bea her first rice cereal. I'm not really sure if she enjoyed it. She kept shivering, like it was hard for her to get it down. :) But she ate the whole two tablespoons. Then as we were leaving Grandpa asked her what she was going to call Grandma. Grandma replied that Bea was going to call her GiGi. And sure enough Bea said it. She said, 'GiGi.' It was pretty funny, but I'll wait until she repeats the same word over and over before I mark it down as her first word. :)

Happy 1/2 Birthday Beatrice!

My Bea turns six months old today! I can't believe how big she's gotten and how little she used to be.

Thoughts on Daycare

Yesterday when I went to pick Bea up from her second day of daycare, er, I mean school she was sitting on Mary's lap playing with some toy. She dropped the toy and a little boy, Aiden, who had been almost waiting for her to drop it, quickly picked it up and handed it to her. She smiled at him and went on playing. Cute picture right? But it made me sad because she didn't even notice me! There was so much going on that she didn't even see me come in. And it sort of only registered to her when she was in my arms! I'm sad about that. But then again, I'm not. I don't want her to be upset all day long looking and waiting for me to come. And I know once she gets older and her awareness broadens she'll notice me sooner. I just felt kind of left out. I guess I better get used to it right?

Bea's First Day at the Gym

Here are a couple of pictures of Adam and Bea at their first day at the gym. Bea really enjoyed the light show and the parachute peek-a-boo! Adam stole all the instructors' hearts smilin' up a storm at them. :)

Bea had such a full day today that she's already passed out on her daddy's chest. My little baby is growing up!

A big week for Bea

This is going to be a big week for Bea. She started school yesterday. Tonight we're going to a Mommy and Baby Toddle Fitness class with Dezi and Adam. Tomorrow she turns six months old! And Friday she has her six month check up, where we'll get to ask the doctor what baby foods she can start on. Big changes for Bea! I'm curious to see how she'll enjoy 'real' food!

Bea's first day of 'school'

My Mom has convinced me to call Bea's daycare 'school.' It sounds better don't you think? She's at school. :) Well today is her first day. I dropped her off and she was all smiles. In the grand tradition that is my mother, I took a picture of her before we left the house. (My mom always took first day of school pictures, even up to college!) But guess who shows up to take her own pictures? Yup, that's right my mom. I will post them later since both of mine and her pictures are in the camera and I have no way of uploading them just now. I didn't cry. I took deep breaths all the way to work. (Which was like 2 min.) I'm still taking deep breaths. And although Mary said I was more than welcome to call as much as I want to today, I'm not going to. I just can't do that to myself! I might really loose it then! Why do they have to grow up!?Here is the picture I took before we left for 'school.'

These are the pictures my mom took. Bea and me and Bea and Mary. (Her 1st 'teacher.')

Update on the first day of school: I'm pretty sure Bea had a good time. When I got there to pick her up she was still napping! She had been sleeping on her tummy and she had a pacifier mark indented into her face around her mouth and her nose had been all smashed up so she had a little red line across the bridge of her nose. She did sort of look beat up but I know it was just because she was sleeping that way. She also went to bed around 7, missing her usual eating time. I expected her to wake up in the night but she stayed sleeping until 6 this morning! Mary must have really worn her out! :)

4th of July Pictures

I know... that's it?! But it was such a crazy weekend that we just didn't have the time to really take a lot of pictures! :)

Down Time with Mommy and Daddy

A 'gym' for Bea and I?

So I think I have found a place where the working mom can work out with her kid! I've contacted the facility and I am waiting to hear back from them about their schedule and prices. I believe they offer one class in the evening. It would be nice if they offered two, but we'll see. Maybe one is the best way to start out. And my Mom suggested that once I see what they do in the class perhaps I'd be able to duplicate it for myself at home. Dez and I have the same problem, when do we find the time to work out? We're both working mom's and we used to attend the gym in the mornings for a 5:30 class. I can't go to that one any more because Izak leaves the house around that time! And I'm not about to wake up Bea and drop her off at 'G's' while I go work out. Plus, I wasn't really thrilled with the thought of missing out on sleep. And going to the gym after work wasn't very likely either. I mean, I pick up Bea from daycare just to leave her again? I'm sorry, but I'd like to actually spend time with my child. (At least now.) Ugh, what is a working mom to do!!!???

Pictures...

But none from the 4th of July/wedding weekend. I know! I know! I will get them up... sooner or later... :)

Bea's first travels out of state to Arizona!

So I don't have the pictures yet. (I have to get them from my mom.) But I thought I would at least post something to tell you about our amazing weekend. Where to begin... I always like going out of town when I don't have to drive. That being said, when I'm not the driver I rarely pay attention to the time. Why bother? We left early on Friday morning. Not the butt crack of dawn like I thought we would, but I really do know better. When traveling with my parents we've always left 30 minuets to an hour later then what was said. But since I wasn't driving, I really didn't care. I only loss what like an extra 30 minuets of sleep. But like Brandy said, 'sleep is for babies.'

On the open highway Bea is occupied with toys and then falls asleep on her own. That would be the only time she does that. The rest of the driving part of the trip she fought sleep. But I can't blame her, she was probably irritated with being strapped into her car seat for so long. She wanted to get out and stretch!

We got to Noodles (Needles) and when we got out of the car I was amazed at how hot it was! It really made me appreciate V*town's weather. Bea's first Fourth of July kind of went unnoticed for her because we went to our hotel room before the fire works went off. I wanted to stay, but I knew that Bea needed to be kept on somewhat of a regular schedule, and plus I wasn't sure if she would be more scared then awed by them. She woke up twice that night, which is very unusual for her. But I just chalked it up to the weather, long drive, different smells etc. The rest of the weekend she slept fine. (Thank God!)

We headed for Havasu on Saturday. Saw some family friends. Bea received a beautiful stainless steal cup with her name and birth date engraved on it. She loves it! She immediately grabbed for it and put it in her mouth. I think she was attracted to the shininess of it. We drove by the London Bridge, but we didn't stop. It was just too hot to try to get out and take pictures. Next time, we'll go when it's a bit cooler. :) Then we stopped at the new Dillards there. Bea was complimented at every turn! I guess people don't have cute babies in Havasu. :D

Saturday night was the wedding and I ended up watching it from inside the house because Bea was trying to take a nap in my arms.

Sunday was hilarious! We had breakfast, said our goodbyes and then hit the road. We were almost an hour or so away from Bakersfield when my mom and I realize Bea had a bowel movement. They've been somewhat watery in the past and they have a tendency to squish out of her diaper. And this one was no exception. We pulled over immediately and I got her clean diaper and the wipes ready. When my Mom pulled her out of the seat, it was just as I had feared, it was every where! Luckily I had some Shout wipes and my Mom went to work on her car seat. Izak held her while I peeled of her clothes. My Dad got us a bottle of water from the back. I poured the warm water on her bum to clean her off. It was comical because Bea was just chillin' totally loving being outside in the warm sunshine. I'm just glad that I had just about everything I needed for an accident like that. In the future I will pack a towel, just to keep in the car, and some extra blankets.

Um, Hello!?

So I told myself I wasn't going to write about this, but I thought that it would be good for me to just get it out there and then I might be able to shake it off easier?? I don't know, so here it goes.
This morning I drove to my parent's house to drop Bea off. We took our normal route where we have to stop at four 4-way stops. The first three aren't that bad. But the very last one can be a nightmare. I am always very careful at this last one and today I was even more so because there was a cop en route at the 4-way stop directly across from me. (She got there after me so she had to wait for me to turn.) But let me tell you from the beginning. As I approach the 4-way stop I see the cop car ahead of me in the distance. The person to my right had already stopped before I arrived at the stop sign. The two people to my left were stopping as I approached and stopped at my stop sign. The others go, since it was there turn first and since there was no on across from me it was my turn I start to go when suddenly this white truck just runs the stop sign! He/she was thisclose to hitting me! I, of course, slammed on my breaks. (I'm not going to insist on my right of way with a child in the car!) I was too busy looking at how close the truck's bumper was to me (luckily I was in Izak's truck as well) and just amazed at my 'luck' that he/she didn't crash into me, that I didn't even pay attention to the driver. Perhaps he/she waved an apology, I'll never know, I was too stunned. I let the truck go obviously and then I looked straight ahead at the cop who just sat there. I made my turn and watched in the rear view mirror to see if she would turn after him/her. She didn't. She just went straight on a head while the truck went the other way!!! I ask you where is the justice in that!?!?! I was so mad. Was she not on duty? Was this out of her jurisdiciton? Still there could have be something that she could have done right?? I was able to hold it together until I got Bea and I inside my Mom's house and then I just started crying. I don't know if I was more upset at the almost accident or the cop who's supposed to 'serve and protect' sitting idly by doing nothing.

*On another note I will try to get pictures and a blog up about our 4th of July/Wedding weekend. It was very interesting! ;)

What are your thoughts?

So I have a question. I've already asked my sis and prima and I'm now asking you. I've been looking for letters for Bea's room and I've found two very different styles that I really like! (I think I know which ones I'm going to go with) but I thought it would be fun to hear what you guys think. Please bare in mind that I am looking for something that can 'grow' with Bea, if that's even possible. :)

I found both of these fabulous things on the etsy site! Love them!!

Want to see more of the above? Go to www.lyoungstudio.etsy.com

This one is located at: www.PoshDots.etsy.com

'G' teaches Bea to use the computer

Well sort of. She found this site that says, 'peek-a-boo' every time you hit the keypad. I have a little bit of Bea doing this on video. It sort of ends abruptly because my Mom got a phone call that she had to take. So it's not much! But somehow Bea turned on some sort of speaking mechanism on my Mom's computer. It would say the web address, anything that you typed it would say. It was really strange and freaky sounding. I think my mom finally figured out how to turn it off.

Please join me...

in my latest addiction... www.etsy.com I totally el,oh,vee,eee (as my sis would say) this site. It's a bunch of people selling stuff that they've hand made! Everything from clothes to laundry detergent. My prima Binz got me started... grrr! :) We have our own little etsy shop for our bows and bow holders. But you've got to check this site out, if you haven't already! I just have to give you a tip though, if you find something you're interested in 'convo' the seller first to tell them that you're interested in a certain product (and to see if they are actually there!) before you pay up. I just had an experience where I bought something but I didn't hear back from the seller for almost a month! It turns out that she had a family emergency and I'll be getting my order in a couple of weeks or so. But I was totally bummed at first! I know you will find stuff that you absolutely have to have... and stuff that you never realized you had to have. ;) Enjoy! And tell me what new and interesting things you find!

I used to love my cats...

I really did! I loved them to no end. But now, they annoy me. Especially Neko. He's so demanding and vocal. He practically wakes me up every morning meowing. (And it's like 3am) I used to let them sleep with me on my bed. But I couldn't stand all the hair on my bedding and then the hair would end up on my clothes. (Maybe I'm not a true cat lady?) Plus, Neeks doesn't sleep in one place. He likes to move around. He's tried to sleep on my pillow and on my face. When that doesn't work for him he crawls under, yes UNDER the covers. But it's not just a quick crawl or anything, oh no. He has to sit there and get the covers up and over him just right. Then he'll crawl all the way down to my feet, lie there for a minute or two then crawl up and sleep next to me. Like he's a person. It was cute in the beginning, but then it just got irritating. Especially when you can't sleep because he's crawling around so much. Trouble, has never really been a trouble, like her name implies. (Well just the way she came into the family was the only trouble she's ever created.) She's very antisocial and doesn't like to cuddle at all! (Which makes me sad because when you see her you just want to scoop her up and squeeze her!) Anyways she's always hiding under something and only comes out when it's time to eat or at night. Otherwise she can always be found under one of the tables in our family room or behind the sofa or chair, or under our lazy boy. Her only other fault was that she kept sleeping on the throw pillows and kept getting them so hairy! I finally just put the pilows away because when I'd come out at night and see her sleeping on them she just looked so cute and cozy that I couldn't bare to yell at her and get her off. I don't let my cats roam around the house. They are only allowed in the main room. This is mainly because they will go and crawl under stuff and/or puke somewhere and I wouldn't know about it till a month or so later! When I discover dry puke and a mound of cat hair. I think that is why I wish I no longer have cats. Now that I have a baby who's always on the floor I've seen things that my cats have left behind. Besides the hair, I'll find a toe nail which grosses me out! I can totally picture Bea finding a cat toe nail and popping it in her mouth. I think I'd puke! Also I find litter. Yes, litter from the litter box that's waaay out in the garage. Somehow my charming kitties manage to keep a few chunks on their feet and bring it into the house! YUCK. I guess my only way out of this mess is to cut off their feet, remove their vocal chords and shave them. Just kidding. Or I could vacuum everyday two to three times a day! Which leads me to yet another strange thing... my vacuum smells. I don't really know why. But every time we've turned it on it just makes the place reek. I've tried baking soda and lavender... nothing seems to help with the smell. We even ended up buying a new vacuum cleaner!

Neko Peeko is on the left and Trouble Bubble is on the right.