National Blog Posting Month

BlogHer.com is hosting a contest/giveaway to celebrate National Blog Posting Month. For those who blog and want to take the challenge of blogging daily in November, and be eligible to win something, add your blog name and url to the form. The blogroll is open until 11 pm EST on Nov. 5th.

P.S. I'm already on the blogroll, #7 and #8.

Fun at Madame Tussauds

Washington D.C. location - Taken with Samsung Intensity

Am I fierce?

 J, save me!

 Madonna doesn't care either

 

Now, this is how you get around town!

Always seems to be sick

I knew that J would get sick (a lot) in daycare -- it'd be inevitable. But oh my goodness, it's like one right after the other this past month. It started with a runny nose, then escalated to a fever, then a rash + fever! 

Two weekends ago, we noticed red bumps on J's inner thigh. We just thought it was an irritation from crawling around in only a onesie. But then a week later at daycare, the teachers noticed it -- this time over more parts of his body and accompanied by gastrointestinal issues.

We took him to the ped that day. Thankfully he ruled out hand-foot-mouth disease, which sounds scarier than it is, for which there was a confirmed case at the daycare a few weeks prior. Doc and the teachers both mentioned that it's common for kids to break out like that right before a fever or even after a fever has been over. So weird!

 [source]

Doc wasn't able to determine the cause of the rash except to say it is a viral exanthem and the gastrointestinal issues could just be along for the ride. Saturday morning, after a good night's rest, Benadryl, and a colloidal oatmeal bath that Daddy insisted on giving him, J's rash has subsided (and so has the gastrointestinal issues). YAY! This week, he is back at daycare, and I haven't gotten a call, so that must be good :). This past weekend was rough, but we made it through, and I was reminded that I am only a custodian of God's child, and I can be a better one with His help.

Funny things about J

I've reflected on the many changes J went through in his first 9 months in this post. He developed his own rhythm/schedule, made noises, slept longer at night (yay!), turned over and crawled. He interacted with toys and responded when we read books with him. It was amazing!

J is now 14 months and the changes since then have been equally amazing and fun! Here some of J's newest developments:

Hide & Seek

While we were all sitting on the floor in the dining room, J crawls over to the curtain and pulls it over him (I know, I know, the curtain rod could be pulled off the wall and hurt J, just bear with me for the story). He then sits real still and quietly. All the while, his cute little bug and legs can still be seen.

We say, "Where's J?" over and over again.

Finally, J peeks out from behind the curtain with a huge smile (smirk is shown below) and giggle!

He also likes to crawl from room to room while we "chase" him. He laughs uncontrollably when we finally get him. He also likes to chase us.

Laughing when doing something wrong

Last night, J was playing with a ball. The puppy got to it and licked it. Of course, J then wanted to put that same ball in his mouth. But it was dirty, so we said "Heyyyy, don't put it in your mouth, it's dirty!"

You know what he did next? He slowly put the ball to his mouth, and right before it touched his lips, we'd say, "Heyyyy" and he'd start cracking up! If we then walked toward him, he'd quickly throw the ball away, also laughing hysterically. So mischievous!

Self-congratulating

J is getting better at sorting shapes and stacking cups. Yesterday, with his back toward me, he successfully stacked two cups. He then gave himself a hand. Melt. My. Heart.

Spinning coasters

Here's the video of J trying to spin coasters like his dad. He's got the hand position right, he just has to learn to rotate his wrist and let go at the right time -- not easy! While eating out on Sunday, J grabbed one of the cardboard coasters and tried to spin it too. One day he's going to get it right. I can't wait to see his reaction. I'm sure there'll be some self-congratulatory clapping.

What amazing things has your child surprised you with?

Class photo

The smile, the arm on the chair, the leg up....it's just too much cuteness!!!! The photographer the school hired did a great job!

New video: practicing gross motor skills and problem-solving

J is learning to use his walking legs in this video. He's also learning to problem-solve by turning the truck himself. Notice how he reaches up his hand for help when he reaches the window. Unfortunately, mommy is wielding the camera and can't help. No problem, J does it all by himself!

New video: practicing fine motor skills

J is trying to spin coasters like daddy in this video. But he also displays his asking skills, clapping (finally at 14 months!), kissing (so cute!), and signing "all done" skills. Growing up so fast!

Project: reversible tote bag

Two years ago, a friend and I promised one another handmade gifts via a wall-post in Facebook. We had until the end of that year to fulfill the promise. She sent me lovely handmade greeting cards. I sent her an IOU. So bad!!!

Well, here I am two years later with some time between jobs, so I decide to make a reversible tote bag using fabric of the "remnants" section at Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts. I took what my mother had taught me on the sewing machine a long time ago, and made the bag in this tutorial. Read the full tutorial before beginning because the writer admits to posting the wrong photo for one set of directions. Another error may be that the darts should be sewn right sides together (not wrong sides together), but I could be wrong.

Anyways, here's the product below. It took about 4 hours to make and cut the pattern, cut the fabric, and then pin/sew the bag together. I used craft paper for the pattern. The pattern for the tote is 18x18 inches and the pocket was supposed to be 8x8 inches. I think I measured (and cut) wrong because the pocket looks huge! In retrospect, the pocket should be a solid color so as to not compete with the pattern behind it. Nevertheless, not bad for a first try! I hope my friend can use this bag! I'd certainly try to make another one -- maybe bigger.

P.S. I have so much more appreciation for the designers on Project Runway with the time constraints imposed on while expecting a high level of craftsmanship and creativity.

Project: magnetic chalkboard

Ever since chalkboard paint came on the market, I've always wanted an excuse to paint with it. So when I had some time off between jobs, I decided I was going to paint magnetic chalkboards for J in our living room and basement.

It was super duper easy!

The magnetic primer was found near the Rustoleum (of course!) products. The chalkboard paint was right next to it. The sales associate said no special brushes were needed. I bought a roller for smooth surfaces. He said they are water-based paints, but I think he meant only the chalkboard paint is because the magnetic primer was very difficult to wash off my hands. More on that later...

The directions suggested three thin coats of primer, allowing 30 min. between each application for drying. Not bad at all! This primer smells though -- provide good ventilation. I then applied one coat of chalkboard paint and let it dry 24 hours before using. Two coats would have made a more even layer, but it didn't matter to me so I stopped at one coat. If you wanted to use regular paint over the magnetic primer I'm sure you'd need more than one coat since the primer is black.

The magnetic strength of the primer isn't strong - no surprise since it’s a relatively thin layer. But it supports lightweight magnets fine. Also, chalk writes and erases off the board just fine. Below is the first use of the magnetic chalkboard wall. Success! I even cut out photos from magazines, laminated them, and glued magnets to the back so that J could play/learn. (A few weeks ago, the teachers at daycare said he stared at the photos on their walls for minutes at a time. What concentration! He has only wanted to eat my laminated photos)

Now for cleanup -- when I thought that the magnetic primer was water-based, I thought I could just rinse it off and save a roller. But when it wouldn’t come off my hands with rubbing alcohol and/or warm soapy water (which are effective for water-based paints), I gave up trying to save the roller and focused on getting it off my hands. Guess what worked? Vegetable oil! Still needed some scrubbing, but it eventually worked.

Here are other ideas for chalkboard paint!

Being outdoors

For the past few weeks, J has been sick on and off -- runny nose, sinus infection, now scratchy throat, maybe also teething. It got chilly outside, so my husband wanted to keep J inside -- didn't want him to get even more sick. But I was inspired by a post on A Cup of Jo on being outdoors.

A friend of hers, who grew up in Copenhagen, said "You just wrap your babies up in whatever you have.You stick them in the stroller and take them outside. In Denmark, you can't be afraid of the weather, otherwise you'd wait six months to go outside again." Heck, babies sleep in their carriages outside! I've seen it!

Also, "being indoors is both overstimulating and boring at the same time". Indoors is boring because "they replace the exciting sensations of nature (the feeling of the wind on their skin, the brilliant sun, the soft grass, etc.) with an immense stillness (flat walls, flat floors, no wind). [The indoors] bombards them with jolting experiences that kids in the past never had to deal with: crazy cartoons, slick videos, clanging computer games, noisy toys, and bright colors everywhere...which can make many little children feel stressed." I do find that J is calmer and his attention span lengthened outside.

We have our entire adult lives to be indoors 90% of the time -- college classes, in our dorms/apartments, working at a desk -- so why not let our children spend their childhood outdoors -- even if they're sick, just for a breath of fresh air?

I wonder what my husband's rule will be in the winter. Can J go out and play with snow? Gosh, I hope so!

What do you think about children being outdoors?

Car seat laws

I had no idea that car seat laws vary so much by state. In MD, children have to be in a restraint system when they are 7 years and younger and either less than 57 inches or 65 pounds or less. And there's no preference for rear-facing car seats, even though the AAP does recommend rear-facing for children under 2 years of age. With the winter coming -- sweaters, coats, etc. -- the buckle on J's rear-facing car seat won't be able to buckle. Guess we'll be in the market soon for a convertible rear-facing car seat. Baby Bargains has the following recommendations:

Brand	Rating	Front-facing weight limit	Price
Britax Boulevard	A-	65 lbs	$310-330
Britax Decathalon	B+	65 lbs	$295
Britax Diplomat	A	40 lbs	$260
Britax Marathon	A-	65 lbs	$250-280
Britax Roundabout	A	40 lbs	$180-200
First Years True Fit (C630)	A	65 lbs	$180-220
Maxi Cosi Priori	A	40 lbs	$170-200

Any suggestions for a convertible rear-facing car seat?

Burned for flan

Flan -- because I love egg tarts, I also love flan. Some people say making it from scratch isn't that hard, but that's not my way. JELL-O makes an instant flan that comes with caramel sauce.

But this time I decided to try the Goya variety. Unfortunately, you have to make your own caramel. You do this by heating sugar very slowly to 340 degrees F. You know what happened? I poured the caramel into ramekins. As I was coating the bottom of them, a drop of caramel fell on the side of my pinkie. IT HURT! I silly-ly tried to shake it off. But then I got my brain back and ran it under cold water. I have a blister now. It's mini Rob & Big (for you TCCGPers out there).

I don't know why, but my caramel set almost instantly. It turned into thick layer of sugar candy in the bottom of the ramekins! Luckily, as I poured hot flan liquid into the ramekins, some of the caramel melted. They were yummy but not worth the burn and blister. I'll be using the JELL-O brand next time!

You like flan? 

You make yours from scratch or use an "instant" variety?

For moms who love digital photography

Featured in this month's BabyTalk, momtog.com. I love her blog, tips, and images so much, I'm adding her to my favorite photographers list. If you love digital photography, join her community! I did. I'm mommyng.

Because mixing formula in a bottle is apparently too much work

In this month's BabyTalk, a product called BabyNes was featured. It's like a Keurig coffee machine -- place single-serve formula cups into the machine, and the BabyNes heats and mixes a bottle of formula under a minute. The product is made by Nestle and is sold in Switzerland for about $300 (that's insane!). Apparently some people think that mixing formula in a bottle is too much work!