• Infant acetaminophen (Tylenol) and a dosing chart. Get the chart from your doctor — it’s not included in the packaging for babies under two.

• Medicine dropperor syringe so you can dispense medication accurately.

• Bulb syringe (also known as a nasal aspirator) for clearing your baby’s nose of stuffy mucus.

• Digital thermometer. Though your baby may protest, taking her temperature rectally is most accurate. Keep rubbing alcohol or alcohol-soaked wipes on hand for cleaning the thermometer after each use.

• Antibiotic cream for small cuts and scratches (those tiny fingernails are sharp!). Don’t use adhesive bandages, since your baby can choke on them if they come loose.

• Tweezers in case of splinters.

• Baby lotion to relieve chafed or irritated skin (lanolin-based breast cream works too).

• Cold-mist vaporizer or humidifier to relieve cold symptoms; ask your doctor whether over-the-counter decongestants are okay.

• Rehydration fluid (such as Pedialyte) for diarrhea; always talk to your doctor before using.

I got this list online and I’m glad I have most of the items listed. My Iyah little girl rarely gets sick and when she does it is always cough, colds and fever…either one of all of the three at the same time. We always have over the counter medicine for fever and cough and most of the time it works for her.

I got this from The Daily Digi. I thought it would be nice to post it here, so I could read it when I need a quick pick me up when those days of self doubt and second guessing my judgment occurs…

This is to all moms - and moms to be ———

“Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, and expecting more than others think is possible”

I’M INVISIBLE

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, ‘Can’t you see I’m on the phone?’ Obviously not; no one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I’m invisible. The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, ‘What time is it?’ I’m a satellite guide to answer, ‘What number is the Disney Channel?’ I’m a car to order, ‘Right around 5:30, please.’

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She’s going, she’s going, she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, ‘I brought you this.’ It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription:

‘To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.’

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, ‘Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.’ And the workman replied, ‘Because God sees.’

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, ‘I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.’

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, ‘My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.’ That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, ‘You’re gonna love it there.’

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

I’ve been thinking about setting up the little girl her very own bedroom now that she’s turning two. She’s been co-sleeping with us since the day she was born. We have a crib but she never really liked being in it so it was almost never used except for putting some of her toys and books. Now we converted the crib into a bed and she spends a lot of time there drawing, reading books and playing. I’ve looked at Kids Bedroom furniture and there’s a lot of pretty designs available for little girls like mine. I’m not sure how ready she is sleeping on her own but still have her own room to put all her things in would be nice. Right now she have a full closet and while it is nice I would love to have a bigger one for her since I love shopping for her. Wooden Childrens Furniture seems like a good idea to me. I would love for it to be painted white though as I want the walls of her room to be pink or light yellow. A Kids Desk is a must because this little girl loves to doodle and she’s getting the hang of it too. I will have to post some photos of her recent drawings next time to show you how good she’s getting. I have to tell my husband about me plan, let’s see what he thinks…

Technorati Tags: Baby, Children's furniture, Writing

I just read an article at Babycenter about this topic and it was indeed very timely. My little girl is turning two in a a few weeks and it made me think if we’re ready to try for baby number two now. Am I read to trade in my normal tops and jeans for Maternity Dresses again? What about my current and not so ideal weight, what will happen to me when I get pregnant again? Will I let Maternity Clothes cover my flabs? Don’t get me wrong I don’t look like a whale and I’m sure I can find nice Maternity Wear that will suit me too but yes I do question what will happen to my weight after the birth of baby number two. Of course wearing maternity clothes are just a teeny part of what will change when I get pregnant, there’s far more important things to consider like how it would change our lives in general. I asked my friend the other day how it’s like having two kids now, she told me it was great but they’re also tired and don’t have much time to do other things too. For me I would like to be done having kids before I’m thirty, be it one or two more kids I don’t know yet. I just know that I want more than one child and I want their age gap to be relatively close, for me it is better that way. The article I read covered everything I had in mind, all the things I was considering when it comes to having another child. So if you are considering having another child now or next year you might want to read articles about it and weigh the pros and cons.

Technorati Tags: Baby, Writing

I read this article on MSN this morning and thought it would be nice to post it here (to remind myself all about it). I love my little girl to bits but you know how kids get sometimes when they don’t get what they have or if they are over stimulated.

A Guide to Tantrums
Understanding, preventing and surviving them
By Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Health Publications

I’ve been there, too — in public with a small child who is screaming her brains out, as if someone is pulling her fingernails out one by one. Of my five children, Natasha was the most dramatic: Once I walked through Target pulling her along as she clung to my leg, letting the entire (huge) store know that she wanted the (very expensive) princess telephone. I know that feeling of anger, embarrassment, and desperation.

Why Tantrums Happen

Tantrums are a normal part of childhood. They are most common in 1- to 3-year-olds, but sometimes older children have them. They usually happen because a child:

Gets frustrated. Children ages one to three are learning to use language and their bodies. They become frustrated as they struggle to express themselves and when they can’t do something they want to.
Gets upset. Disappointment and anger can be very difficult feelings to deal with, especially for a small child.
Is asserting his or her independence. This is the age when children begin to say no — sometimes purely for the sake of saying no.
Some Children Are More Prone to Tantrums

While every child throws a tantrum at some point in their lives, some children are definitely more prone to them than others. My eldest, Michaela, hardly ever threw one; I thought I was doing everything right as a parent — until my next child came along and threw plenty of tantrums.

Here are the most common reasons why some children are more prone to tantrums:

Some kids get frustrated more often than others, usually because they don’t talk well enough to express themselves — or aren’t yet physically able to do what they want to like running, climbing and reaching.
Temperaments vary. Some children are simply more emotional, more stubborn (that’s Natasha!), or have more trouble handling disappointment than others. It was Michaela’s thoroughly easygoing temperament that made tantrums rare for her, as opposed to my parenting of her.
Some kids need more attention. The attention they get for tantrums isn’t really the kind they want, but it’s attention.
Tantrums work. If you could get what you wanted by screaming, wouldn’t you do it?

Read the rest of this entry »

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