For those that are interested, here is a neat article on breastfeeding, detailing one woman's determination to keep nursing even though her baby was having problems (the problem was solved, and nursing was not the problem).
Doctors and pediatricians really don't know that much about breastfeeding, so sometimes its pointless to even come to some of them with problems. Lactation consultants are better equipped, but not all of them are equal. One thing I wished I have known with Gabe, which I figured out on my own, was to nurse them as often as they wanted it and not put them on a schedule. Not only to they digest human milk faster than formula, but nursing often helps establish supply and prevent engorgement.
Ok, Gabe is into this thing where he just screams. I might tell him not to do something: screams. I tell him something he doesn't like: screams. I say, please stop screaming: screams. Now, this doesn't happen all day 24/7, but a few times a day. How have parents out there dealt with this? He is going though some changes lately; weaned from nursing a few weeks ago, mom can't play like before because of carrying baby in tummy. Could be a communication thing, or just a behavior phase. I don't know. I just know that all toddlers do it, so he is not alone. Fortunately, he does not do this in public. Crosses fingers.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Book recommends
Sorry to inundate you all with two whole blog posts in one day, but just wanted to point out that I posted new books that we've read lately, down here on the right side of the blog. Raising Boys and The Culture of Make Believe are particularly notable. Craig is half way done with Raising Boys, but he has read some parts to me that were good. The Culture of Make Believe is truly eye opening, but is a large book. However, I read through it pretty quickly because, in my opinion, Jensen is a excellent writer. Just click on the links to read more about the books.
Interesting article about interracial dating
I just read this article from the Atlantic about interracial dating that focuses on the black/white variety and how blacks have historically responded to it. Honestly, it's just not on my radar how deep it is for blacks, especially some black women, who even to this day are truly affronted when they see a black man with a non-black woman. My personal opinion has always been that unless you are THE most attractive person in the world, with the most perfect personality known to man, you need to be happy to find love where ever you can find it.
Another aspect I found interesting was that the reasons, past and present, for some black people's antipathy for interracial pairings. The reasons and feelings attached are, frankly, almost the same as white racists. A strange contradiction, but I think it's just one of many undesirable effects of our (the U.S.) racial past.
Another aspect I found interesting was that the reasons, past and present, for some black people's antipathy for interracial pairings. The reasons and feelings attached are, frankly, almost the same as white racists. A strange contradiction, but I think it's just one of many undesirable effects of our (the U.S.) racial past.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
New Cafe´Post
Just wrote a post on my Cafe´blog about weaning. I really need to post to that blog at least once a week! Especially if I am going to be freelancing.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
First freelance assignment: DONE
I turned in my article to Portland Family Magazine on Tuesday. It was kind of stressful. I had everything ready and prepped, emailed the article and it didn't get sent! It took an hour of me trying to figure out if there was something wrong with my gmail account, or something wrong on their end. Turned out, the editor had moved on, and the publisher was supposed have those emails forwarded to her. But it did not work. So she sent a email out to all the freelancers letting them know to send their stories directly to her email…*wipes brow*. I was actually more concerned about Gabe needing some attention while I was in the midst of all that…fortunately, he was okay.
The article will be in the January issue. I'll let you all know if it can accessed online, too.
In other news, I think most of you know that we are having another baby! We had our ultrasound yesterday and we're having another boy. We were kind of hoping for a girl, but you just get what you get when it comes to babies. He moved around a lot, opening his mouth, stretching, and gave the "hang loose" sign with his hand! Maybe this means he will be ultra laid back? Who knows.
I'm 18 weeks and right now he is breech, which concerned me. But the midwife said that at this stage they have plenty of time to turn. She outlined the steps they take if the baby is still breech at 37 weeks, but stressed for me not to worry about it because most babies end up turning by that time. I actually saw another midwife at the practice because mine was off that day. She was really nice. Their policy is for people to see all 7 midwives, just in case your regular one is not available at the time of delivery, so that you are not faced with a total stranger.
So, that's about it for now. Hope everyone is having a good week.
The article will be in the January issue. I'll let you all know if it can accessed online, too.
In other news, I think most of you know that we are having another baby! We had our ultrasound yesterday and we're having another boy. We were kind of hoping for a girl, but you just get what you get when it comes to babies. He moved around a lot, opening his mouth, stretching, and gave the "hang loose" sign with his hand! Maybe this means he will be ultra laid back? Who knows.
I'm 18 weeks and right now he is breech, which concerned me. But the midwife said that at this stage they have plenty of time to turn. She outlined the steps they take if the baby is still breech at 37 weeks, but stressed for me not to worry about it because most babies end up turning by that time. I actually saw another midwife at the practice because mine was off that day. She was really nice. Their policy is for people to see all 7 midwives, just in case your regular one is not available at the time of delivery, so that you are not faced with a total stranger.
So, that's about it for now. Hope everyone is having a good week.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Busy first November weekend
Gabe had a full weekend. There was the play date that I mentioned in the last post, a birthday party on Saturday and another play date on Sunday. Whew!
The party on Saturday was for a two brothers, 3 years and 1 year. Their mom is Nigerian/white and their dad is Indian. The party was a place called Pump it up, where they have inflatable slides for kids 6 and under. Gabe wasn't too sure about these weird inflatable contraptions at first, but warmed up a little when Craig and I got in with him. When it was time for pizza, Gabe did really well sitting at the little kids table eating. I just watched him from a distance. Gabe and another little girl from our mom's group, who is half black, half Hispanic, really favor one another. Like they could be brother and sister. She is about 1.5 years old and don't you know she starts feeding Gabe his drink? And he accepts it like he is the King, and then she starts rubbing his ear, and he's like, no that's going overboard. It was so funny. Craig and I and her parents got a big laugh out of that.
Yesterday we went over to our friends Steve and Amy to have a play date with their son Silas who is the same age as Gabe (we met them in our pregnancy class). I made some chocolate flax muffins that I brought over, and they ordered pizza from Pizza Fino that had caramelized onions, mushrooms, mozzarella and fontina cheese and Gabe actually ate it, mushrooms, onions and all! We were surprised. He didn't eat my muffins though. Hmph. However, Silas loved them, but he eats almost anything, lol.
Other news: I got a freelance assignment for a local family magazine last week. I sent them a query about writing an article on black moms and breastfeeding. Some recent studies have come out this year, so it's a fairly current topic (we have the lowest rates of BF out of all ethnicities).
So, I emailed the query letter to them thinking it would be a few weeks before I'd hear one way or another because it says on their site that it could be like six weeks. So I was really surprised to not only hear from them the next day, but an expression of interest in the story and acceptance of the pitch. I'm, like wow! Also, I expected them to pay a certain amount in my mind, which was rather low and it turns out they are able to pay a little more than I thought. Now, don't get it twisted; that amount is still NOT a lot, but just more than I expected.
So I have until the end of the month to do interviews and write and submit the story. Fortunately, I started a little bit of legwork before sending off the query, so I am not scrambling for to do stuff: I will be interviewing a lady who blogs about black women and breastfeeding, a local lactation consultant I will be meeting with this week, two local moms (one older with grown kids who breastfed and one younger who is currently breastfeeding) to interview, and I will insert a little bit about my own experience.
It feels really good to have an assignment and to actually be getting paid for it. If all goes well, I'd like to write for them regularly (dependent on me having good ideas for stories, that is; they could also like me well enough to give me assignments) for a year and then I'd like to branch out and try writing for larger magazines, which means higher pay. It is all very slow going, patience is key. We'll see how it goes!
The party on Saturday was for a two brothers, 3 years and 1 year. Their mom is Nigerian/white and their dad is Indian. The party was a place called Pump it up, where they have inflatable slides for kids 6 and under. Gabe wasn't too sure about these weird inflatable contraptions at first, but warmed up a little when Craig and I got in with him. When it was time for pizza, Gabe did really well sitting at the little kids table eating. I just watched him from a distance. Gabe and another little girl from our mom's group, who is half black, half Hispanic, really favor one another. Like they could be brother and sister. She is about 1.5 years old and don't you know she starts feeding Gabe his drink? And he accepts it like he is the King, and then she starts rubbing his ear, and he's like, no that's going overboard. It was so funny. Craig and I and her parents got a big laugh out of that.
Yesterday we went over to our friends Steve and Amy to have a play date with their son Silas who is the same age as Gabe (we met them in our pregnancy class). I made some chocolate flax muffins that I brought over, and they ordered pizza from Pizza Fino that had caramelized onions, mushrooms, mozzarella and fontina cheese and Gabe actually ate it, mushrooms, onions and all! We were surprised. He didn't eat my muffins though. Hmph. However, Silas loved them, but he eats almost anything, lol.
Other news: I got a freelance assignment for a local family magazine last week. I sent them a query about writing an article on black moms and breastfeeding. Some recent studies have come out this year, so it's a fairly current topic (we have the lowest rates of BF out of all ethnicities).
So, I emailed the query letter to them thinking it would be a few weeks before I'd hear one way or another because it says on their site that it could be like six weeks. So I was really surprised to not only hear from them the next day, but an expression of interest in the story and acceptance of the pitch. I'm, like wow! Also, I expected them to pay a certain amount in my mind, which was rather low and it turns out they are able to pay a little more than I thought. Now, don't get it twisted; that amount is still NOT a lot, but just more than I expected.
So I have until the end of the month to do interviews and write and submit the story. Fortunately, I started a little bit of legwork before sending off the query, so I am not scrambling for to do stuff: I will be interviewing a lady who blogs about black women and breastfeeding, a local lactation consultant I will be meeting with this week, two local moms (one older with grown kids who breastfed and one younger who is currently breastfeeding) to interview, and I will insert a little bit about my own experience.
It feels really good to have an assignment and to actually be getting paid for it. If all goes well, I'd like to write for them regularly (dependent on me having good ideas for stories, that is; they could also like me well enough to give me assignments) for a year and then I'd like to branch out and try writing for larger magazines, which means higher pay. It is all very slow going, patience is key. We'll see how it goes!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Multi-Cultural Mamas
Gabe had a great time today at a play date. There were five moms there, including the hostess, and 7 kiddos. What I realized after I left was the diversity of everyone: I'm black (as you all know, lol), the hostess is biracial (black/white, her husband is Indian), the other 3 moms were white, Hispanic (her husband is black) and Indian. It was cool to have all the moms from different ethnicities and backgrounds (in fact, the Indian mom is Catholic, not Hindu, while the hostess' hubby is a practicing Hindu).
Anyway, it was nice to notice and appreciate differences.
Anyway, it was nice to notice and appreciate differences.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Lee Farms
Wednesday, I took Gabe to Lee Farms in Tualatin, Ore. We went with two moms I know that live in Northeast Portland. Gabe looked at baby chickens, a goat (although he didn't really like the goats walking up to him) ran around a pumpkin patch, and towards the end of the trip we got some apple cider donuts. These donuts are sooooo good, and they apparently make them all year around. I didn't get any apple cider (which they make fresh) but Craig wants to go back and get some.
We're still dealing with house stuff. We are a little bit closer to solving our drainage problems. Without getting into boring details, we need to divert the water that gets into our downspouts after the rain and the discharge line connected to our sump pump to another source other than the drywall. In fact, it may not even be going into a drywall, but a trench. Ugh, it is all very convoluted.
Last week, Gabe and I also went to lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory with a mom's group I am a member of. One of the little girls there, who is Hispanic, is very cute and looks exactly like a girl version of Gabe. I thought it was funny, because I have always felt Gabe looked kind of looked Hispanic.
We're still dealing with house stuff. We are a little bit closer to solving our drainage problems. Without getting into boring details, we need to divert the water that gets into our downspouts after the rain and the discharge line connected to our sump pump to another source other than the drywall. In fact, it may not even be going into a drywall, but a trench. Ugh, it is all very convoluted.
Last week, Gabe and I also went to lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory with a mom's group I am a member of. One of the little girls there, who is Hispanic, is very cute and looks exactly like a girl version of Gabe. I thought it was funny, because I have always felt Gabe looked kind of looked Hispanic.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Summer/Fall Update
It has been a pretty hectic two months! First off, we bought a house and closed on September 9 and moved in September 24. It's a 4 bedroom in Beaverton and it was built in 1992. It is in pretty good shape, but needs a few things done to it:
1) There are two skylights that need replacing because the previous owners did not repair them right per our home inspection report.
2) One toilet that is running (but that isn't majorly complicated to fix, if it is indeed just running).
3) There is a sump pump in our crawlspace that apparently needs to be there because water gets in there during hard rains. We suspect that the house is situated lower than the houses around us and gravity pulls the rain towards us, thus the need for a sump pump. The last time it rained hard, the pump was doing its thing, but we heard it working almost constantly for about 2 days. So Craig went down there, however it was dry as can be (the previous owners replaced it after out home inspector found it was not working; it's pretty loud after a hard rain, but broken pump somehow escaped their notice).
4) The kitchen and bathrooms need updating, but everything works fine. Except for the kitchen faucet, which leaks (our home warranty is putting in a new one when the part comes in) and the fridge is OLD and probably on its last leg, but the warranty will also take of that if it kicks the bucket.
5) The outlet for the clothes dryer was 3-prong, but our dryer plug is 4-prong, so we had to buy a 3-prong outlet to put on the dryer. Changing the outlet is very expensive, but that is something that we need to do at some point in the future.
6) There are a few other things I don't have the patience to get into. The former owners, who shall remain nameless, just didn't really take care of the place very well. They did a few things before they put the house on the market and several items outlined after the inspection. But there were a lot of things they dropped the ball on (like mickey mousing electrical outlets) and not because they were broke. They had the money to buy a boat, which sat in the driveway. That's why I don't feel sorry for them. And the husband is supposed to be an electrical engineer for Intel; he must have graduated at the bottom of his class.
Anyway, other than all that (and more) generally the house is in good shape. We want to buy a dining room table for the dining room, since the table we already have was placed in the eat-in kitchen. And we have a separate living room and family room, so our living room furniture and television we have is in the family room (which is situated off to the side of the kitchen), so we have to buy furniture for the living room. So currently, the living room is empty and the dining room is Gabe's play area for the moment.
Living Room
Dining area. Gabe standing there like
he can move objects with his mind, lol.
Family Room
Family Room
Kitchen
Eat-in Kitchen area
The backyard is nice and roomy, but not too big. We have arborvitae (a type of evergreen) trees, two plum trees (one is Japanese, I think), an apple tree, four blueberry bushes, and about 5 or 6 rose bushes. I saw the blueberry bushes giving fruit at the end of the summer, so I know they are cool and apparently don't need much care at this point. The fruit trees need pruning once a year and the evergreens don't really need any pruning, just watering at the proper times. So I am looking forward to getting some fruit for jams, pies/tarts, and just eating. The only thing I am concerned about as far as the plum trees is the mess they will create, when the fruit drops if not picked in time. But that is not real problem; I am hoping that they actually produce fruit and hopefully those previous owners didn't screw up the trees (I am very resentful towards them, in case you haven't noticed).
Plum tree
Other plum tree
Blueberry bushes
Rose bushes (I pruned the first one, have to
get to the others).
Backyard, getting rid of these flowers and will
change this to a vegetable garden soon.
Backyard, apple tree in the corner, arborvitae
on the right.
Craig says, "Homeowning is for people that don't like money."
Anyway, that is our update for now! Hope all y'all are doing well!
1) There are two skylights that need replacing because the previous owners did not repair them right per our home inspection report.
2) One toilet that is running (but that isn't majorly complicated to fix, if it is indeed just running).
3) There is a sump pump in our crawlspace that apparently needs to be there because water gets in there during hard rains. We suspect that the house is situated lower than the houses around us and gravity pulls the rain towards us, thus the need for a sump pump. The last time it rained hard, the pump was doing its thing, but we heard it working almost constantly for about 2 days. So Craig went down there, however it was dry as can be (the previous owners replaced it after out home inspector found it was not working; it's pretty loud after a hard rain, but broken pump somehow escaped their notice).
4) The kitchen and bathrooms need updating, but everything works fine. Except for the kitchen faucet, which leaks (our home warranty is putting in a new one when the part comes in) and the fridge is OLD and probably on its last leg, but the warranty will also take of that if it kicks the bucket.
5) The outlet for the clothes dryer was 3-prong, but our dryer plug is 4-prong, so we had to buy a 3-prong outlet to put on the dryer. Changing the outlet is very expensive, but that is something that we need to do at some point in the future.
6) There are a few other things I don't have the patience to get into. The former owners, who shall remain nameless, just didn't really take care of the place very well. They did a few things before they put the house on the market and several items outlined after the inspection. But there were a lot of things they dropped the ball on (like mickey mousing electrical outlets) and not because they were broke. They had the money to buy a boat, which sat in the driveway. That's why I don't feel sorry for them. And the husband is supposed to be an electrical engineer for Intel; he must have graduated at the bottom of his class.
Anyway, other than all that (and more) generally the house is in good shape. We want to buy a dining room table for the dining room, since the table we already have was placed in the eat-in kitchen. And we have a separate living room and family room, so our living room furniture and television we have is in the family room (which is situated off to the side of the kitchen), so we have to buy furniture for the living room. So currently, the living room is empty and the dining room is Gabe's play area for the moment.
Living Room
Dining area. Gabe standing there like
he can move objects with his mind, lol.
Family Room
Family Room
Kitchen
Eat-in Kitchen area
The backyard is nice and roomy, but not too big. We have arborvitae (a type of evergreen) trees, two plum trees (one is Japanese, I think), an apple tree, four blueberry bushes, and about 5 or 6 rose bushes. I saw the blueberry bushes giving fruit at the end of the summer, so I know they are cool and apparently don't need much care at this point. The fruit trees need pruning once a year and the evergreens don't really need any pruning, just watering at the proper times. So I am looking forward to getting some fruit for jams, pies/tarts, and just eating. The only thing I am concerned about as far as the plum trees is the mess they will create, when the fruit drops if not picked in time. But that is not real problem; I am hoping that they actually produce fruit and hopefully those previous owners didn't screw up the trees (I am very resentful towards them, in case you haven't noticed).
Plum tree
Other plum tree
Blueberry bushes
Rose bushes (I pruned the first one, have to
get to the others).
Backyard, getting rid of these flowers and will
change this to a vegetable garden soon.
Backyard, apple tree in the corner, arborvitae
on the right.
Craig says, "Homeowning is for people that don't like money."
Anyway, that is our update for now! Hope all y'all are doing well!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Brewster Birthday Bonanza!
My birthday (July 27) starts a narrow succession of events in our family: our wedding anniversary on August 2, my mom's birthday on August 7 (one of Craig's cousins has the same birthday as my mom), Craig's birthday on August 11, and my brother's birthday on August 19 (and if my dad were living, his birthday was August 15!).
Just got tired reciting all that.
We didn't do anything special for our anniversary this year, just went out to family restaurant for dinner (a local joint called Sharis). My mom and brother are coming to visit this coming Sunday for a little over 2 weeks. Yay! Really excited about that. Gabe can have other people to pal around with and I get to see my mommy (and my brother, too, lol).
Craig got me some hair products I wanted to try for my birthday, from Qhemet Biologics. Can you all tell I am disturbingly into my hair?
But I can't wait to try them. I joked with Craig and on Facebook that they smell so good, I want to eat it! However, I mistakenly told Craig to order the 2 oz. Detangling Ghee instead of the 5 oz. The 2 oz will pretty much get used up in one detangling session! But that's ok, maybe I won't like how it performs, who knows. I can always get more.
I got Craig his birthday present early. It's a CD of a band whose music is out of print, The Producers. He has the cassette tape, which is useless. So now, he has the CD!
While my family is in town, we all (including Craig's mom, Deb) plan on going out to celebrate the birthdays. I was thinking of taking them to Philadelphia's, a Portland restaurant that makes cheesesteaks. And they are goooood, okay? Better than cheeseteaks in Philly.
Here is the daily pic of Gabe. He was eating some Honey Nut Cheerios while I was taking pics of the hair products. He has one molar that is almost completely emerged. Another is just slightly poking through and the other two have not surfaced. He has really been a trooper about it because I know at times they hurt a lot. So far, he has not had a lot of trouble sleeping at night, but naps are bit fitful. We can't wait until all the molars are done coming in.
Just got tired reciting all that.
We didn't do anything special for our anniversary this year, just went out to family restaurant for dinner (a local joint called Sharis). My mom and brother are coming to visit this coming Sunday for a little over 2 weeks. Yay! Really excited about that. Gabe can have other people to pal around with and I get to see my mommy (and my brother, too, lol).
Craig got me some hair products I wanted to try for my birthday, from Qhemet Biologics. Can you all tell I am disturbingly into my hair?
But I can't wait to try them. I joked with Craig and on Facebook that they smell so good, I want to eat it! However, I mistakenly told Craig to order the 2 oz. Detangling Ghee instead of the 5 oz. The 2 oz will pretty much get used up in one detangling session! But that's ok, maybe I won't like how it performs, who knows. I can always get more.
I got Craig his birthday present early. It's a CD of a band whose music is out of print, The Producers. He has the cassette tape, which is useless. So now, he has the CD!
While my family is in town, we all (including Craig's mom, Deb) plan on going out to celebrate the birthdays. I was thinking of taking them to Philadelphia's, a Portland restaurant that makes cheesesteaks. And they are goooood, okay? Better than cheeseteaks in Philly.
Here is the daily pic of Gabe. He was eating some Honey Nut Cheerios while I was taking pics of the hair products. He has one molar that is almost completely emerged. Another is just slightly poking through and the other two have not surfaced. He has really been a trooper about it because I know at times they hurt a lot. So far, he has not had a lot of trouble sleeping at night, but naps are bit fitful. We can't wait until all the molars are done coming in.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Two year check up, teeth and potty stuff
Hello, hello! Sorry for the gap in posts.
One of Gabe's second year molars have made their grand appearance. Finally. I knew he was teething because for the past couple of weeks, he has had a rather short fuse. He's got the normal toddler frustration going on, but it was definitely taken up a notch. So far, its just the one molar on the bottom left. Haven't taken a good look lately to see if any of the other three have popped up. I can really imagine how painful it is, so I give him some extra cuddling, etc. to get through it all.
Gabe also had his 2 year check-up in June, and I do not believe I posted about it. He weighs 25 pounds now, so his weight is catching up with his height. I think (if I remember correctly) he is 32 inches tall. He is doing really well, no problems.
The main ongoing project with Gabe now is potty training. It seems that physically, he is just about 100 percent ready, but emotionally…not quite there. A while ago, we bought a potty and a toilet attachment. He would pee a lot in it, mostly in the mornings. Wanted nothing to do with the toilet attachment. Then he wanted nothing to do with the potty, either. Then recently, we got some potty books. He likes those a lot and asks to read them while sitting on the regular toilet with the potty attachment. But he has yet to actually go; he will go through all the motions of going to the bathroom without actually doing it. So, we're still working it. Any advice or encouragement is welcome!
Gabe pic for the week:
Craig took this, he was posing with various hats.
One of Gabe's second year molars have made their grand appearance. Finally. I knew he was teething because for the past couple of weeks, he has had a rather short fuse. He's got the normal toddler frustration going on, but it was definitely taken up a notch. So far, its just the one molar on the bottom left. Haven't taken a good look lately to see if any of the other three have popped up. I can really imagine how painful it is, so I give him some extra cuddling, etc. to get through it all.
Gabe also had his 2 year check-up in June, and I do not believe I posted about it. He weighs 25 pounds now, so his weight is catching up with his height. I think (if I remember correctly) he is 32 inches tall. He is doing really well, no problems.
The main ongoing project with Gabe now is potty training. It seems that physically, he is just about 100 percent ready, but emotionally…not quite there. A while ago, we bought a potty and a toilet attachment. He would pee a lot in it, mostly in the mornings. Wanted nothing to do with the toilet attachment. Then he wanted nothing to do with the potty, either. Then recently, we got some potty books. He likes those a lot and asks to read them while sitting on the regular toilet with the potty attachment. But he has yet to actually go; he will go through all the motions of going to the bathroom without actually doing it. So, we're still working it. Any advice or encouragement is welcome!
Gabe pic for the week:
Craig took this, he was posing with various hats.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Hair and Dough
I found a place in Northeast Portland to get my hair done and I went there a few weeks back. I got two-stranded twists; for those of you not familiar, it's basically like braids, except instead of three strands of hair, you use two strands. I kept them in for three weeks and took them out, which is another hair style called a twist-out shown here (along with my new glasses. Also, ignore the broom/mop handles in the background; I'm in the half-bath downstairs):
Two-stranded twists aren't complicated and despite the salon also offering straightening services (i.e. relaxers, press n' curls) the stylist did a good job. I have to say though, after washing and detangling my hair, when she was about to start twisting it, I got a hot comb flashback and my heart started beating all fast…actually felt heat on my neck…I guess it's Post Traumatic Press n' Curl Disorder!
So the only thing I didn't like were the products she used. They're called Miss Jessie's. A lot of naturals use their stuff and are happy with it, but many don't like them because it has mineral oil in it that can coat the hair and scalp, which in term might prevent moisture from getting in and cause dryness. This happens over time, so I haven't experienced this. But when I washed my twists a week after I got my hair done, it felt like ALL this goop came out. Didn't feel very nice. So I'll probably go back at some point; it's time and effort I don't have to use twisting my hair myself and using those products every now and again probably won't hurt long term, but definitely don't want that stuff in my hair on a regular basis so I won't be trying those products myself.
Some hair products I'd LOVE to try are called Qhemet Biologics. All good ingredients and almost all naturals who have tried them rave about it. My hair is starting to get longer, so it's really important I protect my ends to retain length.
A long post wouldn't be complete without a Gabe pic (although, I'm pretty sure I've prattled on before in a post without adding a photo of Gabe. Sorry, lol.). Here is a picture of Gabe playing with his blue dough. We bought this colored and scented dough from Lakeshore Learning for his birthday. Today he seemed really interested in the containers, versus the actual dough.
Two-stranded twists aren't complicated and despite the salon also offering straightening services (i.e. relaxers, press n' curls) the stylist did a good job. I have to say though, after washing and detangling my hair, when she was about to start twisting it, I got a hot comb flashback and my heart started beating all fast…actually felt heat on my neck…I guess it's Post Traumatic Press n' Curl Disorder!
So the only thing I didn't like were the products she used. They're called Miss Jessie's. A lot of naturals use their stuff and are happy with it, but many don't like them because it has mineral oil in it that can coat the hair and scalp, which in term might prevent moisture from getting in and cause dryness. This happens over time, so I haven't experienced this. But when I washed my twists a week after I got my hair done, it felt like ALL this goop came out. Didn't feel very nice. So I'll probably go back at some point; it's time and effort I don't have to use twisting my hair myself and using those products every now and again probably won't hurt long term, but definitely don't want that stuff in my hair on a regular basis so I won't be trying those products myself.
Some hair products I'd LOVE to try are called Qhemet Biologics. All good ingredients and almost all naturals who have tried them rave about it. My hair is starting to get longer, so it's really important I protect my ends to retain length.
A long post wouldn't be complete without a Gabe pic (although, I'm pretty sure I've prattled on before in a post without adding a photo of Gabe. Sorry, lol.). Here is a picture of Gabe playing with his blue dough. We bought this colored and scented dough from Lakeshore Learning for his birthday. Today he seemed really interested in the containers, versus the actual dough.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Teeth, pumpkin butter and parks
Sorry for the delay in posts. Time just got away from me.
This past week, Gabe had a dental appointment that went well. His two bad teeth are remaining stable, meaning they are not getting worse. He got his usual treatment done, with some crying, but it wasn't too bad. Dr. Hsu wants to do a cleaning and filling on them when he is old enough, like around three. I still have reservations about it because they don't seem to bother him and the teeth in question can fall out as early as five years. So, I don't know yet.
Here is a pic of Gabe the day of his appointment. I think he has food in his mouth:
Last Saturday, we went to the Beaverton Farmer's Market. Craig and I got these really delicious pot pies: beef and mushroom, chicken thai green curry. We each got to taste both. Then we bought some pumpkin seed butter from a local place; they are not selling in any health food stores yet because of demand. But boy, is it good with crackers and has a high protein content.
Then Sunday, we went to Peninsula Park where Gabe had fun strolling all over the place. For some reason, Gabe has never been into climbing stuff, so he can take or leave playgrounds (except for the swings, he loves that). Even as a crawler, I'd always watch him near the stairs but he was never interested. So at parks, he is usually more into exploring things he can run on or just looking at trees, grass, dirt, etc.
For Father's Day, Craig wants to go back to Grandma Leeth's for dinner (we went there for Mother's Day). So we're going there tomorrow evening! Hope everyone has a nice weekend!
This past week, Gabe had a dental appointment that went well. His two bad teeth are remaining stable, meaning they are not getting worse. He got his usual treatment done, with some crying, but it wasn't too bad. Dr. Hsu wants to do a cleaning and filling on them when he is old enough, like around three. I still have reservations about it because they don't seem to bother him and the teeth in question can fall out as early as five years. So, I don't know yet.
Here is a pic of Gabe the day of his appointment. I think he has food in his mouth:
Last Saturday, we went to the Beaverton Farmer's Market. Craig and I got these really delicious pot pies: beef and mushroom, chicken thai green curry. We each got to taste both. Then we bought some pumpkin seed butter from a local place; they are not selling in any health food stores yet because of demand. But boy, is it good with crackers and has a high protein content.
Then Sunday, we went to Peninsula Park where Gabe had fun strolling all over the place. For some reason, Gabe has never been into climbing stuff, so he can take or leave playgrounds (except for the swings, he loves that). Even as a crawler, I'd always watch him near the stairs but he was never interested. So at parks, he is usually more into exploring things he can run on or just looking at trees, grass, dirt, etc.
For Father's Day, Craig wants to go back to Grandma Leeth's for dinner (we went there for Mother's Day). So we're going there tomorrow evening! Hope everyone has a nice weekend!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Gabe 2nd Birthday
Gabe turned 2 years old last Thursday, yay!
He got a lot of birthday wishes from my Facebook friends, family and a call from Uncle Will and Grandma Claire. Friday, we went to the Portland Children's Museum. It was very crowded, but I think Gabe had a lot of fun.
Then we went home for his nap. We picked up his banana cream cake from the Beaverton Bakery on the way home, and I got pizza from Pizza Shmizza (it was our first time trying them and it was pretty good) later on.
The cake looks kind of plain, but it was delicious.
We didn't have a big party. We had Grandma Deb and a family friend, David, over to share in opening presents and cake. Gabe got a lot of nice gifts, mostly books and educational toys. I took some videos of him opening gifts, which I will post shortly.
We also took a trip to Olympia, Wa to visit our friends, Brian and Eunice this past weekend. Olympia is a little over a 2 hour drive from Portland. We drove down there on Saturday and came back Monday. On the way there, Gabe slept the entire drive (yes!) and on the way back he slept for about half the time, but remained fine relaxing in his car seat for the rest of the drive.
Here is a pick of Gabe with Brian and Eunice's three children, Jaiden, Angel and Toby.
He got a lot of birthday wishes from my Facebook friends, family and a call from Uncle Will and Grandma Claire. Friday, we went to the Portland Children's Museum. It was very crowded, but I think Gabe had a lot of fun.
Then we went home for his nap. We picked up his banana cream cake from the Beaverton Bakery on the way home, and I got pizza from Pizza Shmizza (it was our first time trying them and it was pretty good) later on.
The cake looks kind of plain, but it was delicious.
We didn't have a big party. We had Grandma Deb and a family friend, David, over to share in opening presents and cake. Gabe got a lot of nice gifts, mostly books and educational toys. I took some videos of him opening gifts, which I will post shortly.
We also took a trip to Olympia, Wa to visit our friends, Brian and Eunice this past weekend. Olympia is a little over a 2 hour drive from Portland. We drove down there on Saturday and came back Monday. On the way there, Gabe slept the entire drive (yes!) and on the way back he slept for about half the time, but remained fine relaxing in his car seat for the rest of the drive.
Here is a pick of Gabe with Brian and Eunice's three children, Jaiden, Angel and Toby.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Much improved eating!
Gabe has really shocked me the last few days. Last week, he ate fish sticks for the first time and liked it. And he has always liked spaghetti, but he usually only ate the noodles. I made said dish with meat sauce last night and he ate ALL of it up, meat and veggies included (sauce was courtesy of 1 jar each of garden vegetable and garlic herb Prego, meat courtesy of me).
Then today, he eats pesto and walnut ravioli (walnuts are VERY small and easy to chew). I'm like, whaaaaat??
I am really happy he is starting to try and like things more. He has been getting better and better over the last six months or so. He favorite foods are now:
Bagels or toast w/ cream cheese
Chocolate Chip flax seed muffins
Peanut butter (by itself)
Spaghetti w/ meat sauce
Ravioli
Grapes (quartered)
Bananas
Pizza (plain cheese)
Cheddar cheese
Smoothies
French Fries
Fish sticks
Couscous
Lentils
Guacamole with chips
Then today, he eats pesto and walnut ravioli (walnuts are VERY small and easy to chew). I'm like, whaaaaat??
I am really happy he is starting to try and like things more. He has been getting better and better over the last six months or so. He favorite foods are now:
Bagels or toast w/ cream cheese
Chocolate Chip flax seed muffins
Peanut butter (by itself)
Spaghetti w/ meat sauce
Ravioli
Grapes (quartered)
Bananas
Pizza (plain cheese)
Cheddar cheese
Smoothies
French Fries
Fish sticks
Couscous
Lentils
Guacamole with chips
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Dancing video
I promised a video or picture of Gabe dancing in his last dance class today, but I forgot the camera/video. So, I took this video of him getting down at home.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Successful green smoothie
For several weeks now, I've been drinking what I call my "iron-packed" smoothies for breakfast. This started after I found out my iron was rather low. Gabe drinks this for breakfast, too.
I've used mostly fruit (both frozen and dried) and nut milks, but lately I've realized that I need to incorporate some vegetables into it. So yesterday I bought some kale! This morning I added it to my smoothie and it was really good.
The color is a lovely, natural green.
And Gabe liked it too, despite the look on his face!
Here is what I put in it:
1 banana
1 tbs. molasses
3 prunes
handful of frozen mangoes
handful of kale
2 cups of hazelnut milk (or any nut milk of choice)
Blend until smooth and voila!
I've used mostly fruit (both frozen and dried) and nut milks, but lately I've realized that I need to incorporate some vegetables into it. So yesterday I bought some kale! This morning I added it to my smoothie and it was really good.
The color is a lovely, natural green.
And Gabe liked it too, despite the look on his face!
Here is what I put in it:
1 banana
1 tbs. molasses
3 prunes
handful of frozen mangoes
handful of kale
2 cups of hazelnut milk (or any nut milk of choice)
Blend until smooth and voila!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Dance, wrist update, and blogging news
Dance class is a hit! I am so glad I chose to take Gabe to Peninsula Park in North Portland; he's gotten used to it well and loves it. Plus, he gets to mingle with his buddies from our childbirth class that live across town. And the drive isn't bad at all, just 35-40 minutes; Gabe does get a little antsy during it, but that doesn't bother me and it's to be expected with him getting a bit earlier than usual. Once he is there, he is totally fine.
Now as far as pictures; it's a bit hard to take pics of Gabe dancing since the parents are expected to fully participate! LOL. Next week is the last class and I plan to get either some video footage or a pic somehow, someway. Some of us moms are also going to take the kiddos to this child-friendly cafe called Posies after the class next week.
Craig's wrist is doing much the same, unfortunately. While he has healed well from the actual surgery, he still has a bump and experiences pain while doing intense design at the computer. This leads us to think that his problem is not related to the ganglion, even though Dr. Layman removed one during surgery. Right now, we're trying to see if he can get an musculoskeletal ultrasound done on his wrist. The images are captured in real-time (looking at things while the joint is moving) and can be more detailed than an MRI.
The last bit of news is that I was featured as a guest blogger today on www.mixedandhappy.com. I wrote about how great it is for interracial couples living in the Pacific Northwest. They misspelled my name at the end (for which I emailed them so they can correct it), but I am still very grateful for the exposure. They are really trying to do some great things on that site, so check it out and if you're on Facebook, become a fan of them!
Now as far as pictures; it's a bit hard to take pics of Gabe dancing since the parents are expected to fully participate! LOL. Next week is the last class and I plan to get either some video footage or a pic somehow, someway. Some of us moms are also going to take the kiddos to this child-friendly cafe called Posies after the class next week.
Craig's wrist is doing much the same, unfortunately. While he has healed well from the actual surgery, he still has a bump and experiences pain while doing intense design at the computer. This leads us to think that his problem is not related to the ganglion, even though Dr. Layman removed one during surgery. Right now, we're trying to see if he can get an musculoskeletal ultrasound done on his wrist. The images are captured in real-time (looking at things while the joint is moving) and can be more detailed than an MRI.
The last bit of news is that I was featured as a guest blogger today on www.mixedandhappy.com. I wrote about how great it is for interracial couples living in the Pacific Northwest. They misspelled my name at the end (for which I emailed them so they can correct it), but I am still very grateful for the exposure. They are really trying to do some great things on that site, so check it out and if you're on Facebook, become a fan of them!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Twitter, Facebook, etc.
I just wrote a new post to my Cafe´blog and a new book review to my Examiner page.
Lately, I've been trying to increase my presence on Twitter. I used to think Twitter was dumb and for people with delusions of grandeur unless they had a business, were a celebrity, or had something serious to share with people.
I still think this. So, how does that apply to me? Well, I have this Examiner page and the Cafe´blog with this multiracial family theme, so it's been a challenge to increase readership (mostly for the Examiner page, since I can actually make money from it; pennies mind you, but money nonetheless). Twitter is probably the only thing that will help increase readership and help me to connect with like-minded people that support multiracial families/causes.
So I unchecked the "protect my tweets" option, started seeking out folks and basically ended my Twitter hibernation. And it has worked. Not increasing readership (yet), but gaining more followers and people actually re-tweeting my posts. People that have 100-500 followers, who might also start following me.
Another thing that I am grateful for is making a connection with author Heidi Durrow, who published her debut novel a few months back (the book I review in the above link). She is a Portland native, but lives in L.A.. She is biracial; part African-American and Danish and is such a sweet lady and always responds to my tweets and emails. I hope to meet her soon; we missed each other when she had a book signing at Powells in February (Craig was recovering from surgery).
I've also found that I am naturally separating my Facebook situation from my Twitter situation. Almost every person on my Facebook are family, friends, or former acquaintances/co-workers/classmates, i.e., people I know or knew personally. Most people on Twitter are people I do not know personally, but share a common interest, such as multiracial families, writing, politics or parenting. This separation seems to work for me.
Anyhoo, that's about it. Check out the blog post and the book review; let me know what you think! Oh, and here is my Twitter page.
Lately, I've been trying to increase my presence on Twitter. I used to think Twitter was dumb and for people with delusions of grandeur unless they had a business, were a celebrity, or had something serious to share with people.
I still think this. So, how does that apply to me? Well, I have this Examiner page and the Cafe´blog with this multiracial family theme, so it's been a challenge to increase readership (mostly for the Examiner page, since I can actually make money from it; pennies mind you, but money nonetheless). Twitter is probably the only thing that will help increase readership and help me to connect with like-minded people that support multiracial families/causes.
So I unchecked the "protect my tweets" option, started seeking out folks and basically ended my Twitter hibernation. And it has worked. Not increasing readership (yet), but gaining more followers and people actually re-tweeting my posts. People that have 100-500 followers, who might also start following me.
Another thing that I am grateful for is making a connection with author Heidi Durrow, who published her debut novel a few months back (the book I review in the above link). She is a Portland native, but lives in L.A.. She is biracial; part African-American and Danish and is such a sweet lady and always responds to my tweets and emails. I hope to meet her soon; we missed each other when she had a book signing at Powells in February (Craig was recovering from surgery).
I've also found that I am naturally separating my Facebook situation from my Twitter situation. Almost every person on my Facebook are family, friends, or former acquaintances/co-workers/classmates, i.e., people I know or knew personally. Most people on Twitter are people I do not know personally, but share a common interest, such as multiracial families, writing, politics or parenting. This separation seems to work for me.
Anyhoo, that's about it. Check out the blog post and the book review; let me know what you think! Oh, and here is my Twitter page.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Weekend
Had a fun-filled weekend. Saturday was really nice because the weather was absolutely gorgeous! We took Gabe to a playground Saturday morning that we just discovered within walking distance of our place. Then later, after nap, we went downtown and got dinner at Cha Cha Cha where they have very inexpensive, yet large and yummy burritos. Then we took a bit of a walk and got coffee at Caffe´Umbria. We both got cafe mochas, but I was not impressed. It was just okay, I think Stumptown mochas are better and taste richer.
Then Sunday morning, we had a playdate with our friends Amy and Steve and their son Silas. We met them in our childbirth class at Legacy Emmanuel. They reside in Northeast Portland, not far from New Song, the church that my mom loves to go to when she visits. I always get a kick out of Silas, because in terms of eating habits, he and Gabe are total opposites; Silas will eat anything, to the point where Amy is still like, "Should I be curbing his foods?" It's just interesting, because it really just amounts to all children being different and that's a great thing!
I've decided to have Gabe take his dance class at Peninsula Park Recreation Center, which is actually just four blocks from Steve and Amy, instead of at a rec center closer to us which is in the Tualatin Recreation district. Not only is the class at Tualatin three times the amount of the one at PPR, we have to pay an additional $67 dollars being out of district! That's like over $100 for Gabe to basically freestyle for 45 minutes. Cost for the class at PPR: $18, plus $5 because our taxes do not go to the City of Portland (they go to Beaverton and Tualatin).
While the PPR prices are much more reasonable, I was thinking to myself, wow, it's like we live in some odd limbo land or the Twilight Zone; we live in Portland, but our taxes go to Tualatin/Beaverton, yet we are not in district for the Tualatin Rec. Centers…confusing!
Anyway, this weekend we are going to drive to PPR just to scope things out, see how long it takes to get there, etc.
Then Sunday morning, we had a playdate with our friends Amy and Steve and their son Silas. We met them in our childbirth class at Legacy Emmanuel. They reside in Northeast Portland, not far from New Song, the church that my mom loves to go to when she visits. I always get a kick out of Silas, because in terms of eating habits, he and Gabe are total opposites; Silas will eat anything, to the point where Amy is still like, "Should I be curbing his foods?" It's just interesting, because it really just amounts to all children being different and that's a great thing!
I've decided to have Gabe take his dance class at Peninsula Park Recreation Center, which is actually just four blocks from Steve and Amy, instead of at a rec center closer to us which is in the Tualatin Recreation district. Not only is the class at Tualatin three times the amount of the one at PPR, we have to pay an additional $67 dollars being out of district! That's like over $100 for Gabe to basically freestyle for 45 minutes. Cost for the class at PPR: $18, plus $5 because our taxes do not go to the City of Portland (they go to Beaverton and Tualatin).
While the PPR prices are much more reasonable, I was thinking to myself, wow, it's like we live in some odd limbo land or the Twilight Zone; we live in Portland, but our taxes go to Tualatin/Beaverton, yet we are not in district for the Tualatin Rec. Centers…confusing!
Anyway, this weekend we are going to drive to PPR just to scope things out, see how long it takes to get there, etc.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Craig's PT, Gabe's dental appt.
This morning, Gabe went to his dental appt. He didn't like it. In fact, I am fully convinced that the boy is traumatized. He started crying as soon as he saw the dental assistant. And started crying when he saw the dentist.
However, despite this, the visit went well overall. How, you ask? He got his teeth bathed well in the fluoride treatment, and the doc got a good look at his teeth. They are all in the same condition they were in last time, which is good, because we don't want it getting worse.
One tooth, the one that got chipped, had some staining and doc wanted to make sure it was just staining, but in order to do that, he needed to poke it. But, because Gabe was not happy, and we were able to get the treatment on well, doc probably didn't want to press his luck.
If it can be called luck, because Gabe really did cry a lot.
So, we are going back in June, and doc said to just watch that tooth. It's possible that the staining he saw was chocolate because Gabe ate a portion of a chocolate chip flax seed muffin for breakfast (I did brush them afterwards). I didn't tell doc that, though.
So, Gabe recovered quickly. He's a trooper.
Craig has doctor appointments all this week, all related to physical therapy. In addition to PT, he is getting acupuncture, active release technique (ART), and ultrasound. We'll report later in the week how things go.
I wrote a blog post today on my Cafe´au alit blog about a controversy surrounding coverage of a women's blogging conference in Baltimore. Some women bloggers, many of them mothers, felt the article was biased and condescending (it certainly didn't help that it was placed in the fashion and style section, instead of the business section).
Let's see…nothing else to report. I am making mental plans for Easter dinner, but haven't consulted with anyone yet. I do need to do that, though.
However, despite this, the visit went well overall. How, you ask? He got his teeth bathed well in the fluoride treatment, and the doc got a good look at his teeth. They are all in the same condition they were in last time, which is good, because we don't want it getting worse.
One tooth, the one that got chipped, had some staining and doc wanted to make sure it was just staining, but in order to do that, he needed to poke it. But, because Gabe was not happy, and we were able to get the treatment on well, doc probably didn't want to press his luck.
If it can be called luck, because Gabe really did cry a lot.
So, we are going back in June, and doc said to just watch that tooth. It's possible that the staining he saw was chocolate because Gabe ate a portion of a chocolate chip flax seed muffin for breakfast (I did brush them afterwards). I didn't tell doc that, though.
So, Gabe recovered quickly. He's a trooper.
Craig has doctor appointments all this week, all related to physical therapy. In addition to PT, he is getting acupuncture, active release technique (ART), and ultrasound. We'll report later in the week how things go.
I wrote a blog post today on my Cafe´au alit blog about a controversy surrounding coverage of a women's blogging conference in Baltimore. Some women bloggers, many of them mothers, felt the article was biased and condescending (it certainly didn't help that it was placed in the fashion and style section, instead of the business section).
Let's see…nothing else to report. I am making mental plans for Easter dinner, but haven't consulted with anyone yet. I do need to do that, though.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Craig gets stitches out, toddler dance
Craig had his stitches removed this morning and is going back to work tomorrow. He went alone, so when he came back he told me that he had a grumpy nurse. She snapped the thread, while trying to take the stitch out, because she was being all violent. Who knows what put her in a snit, but really, some people need not come to work if it's that bad. Especially if you're a nurse, caring for people and such.
Today, the idea popped into my head to have Gabe take a dance class. This will of course cost money. I like finding activities that are free, like the storytime down the street at the cupcake shop. It's a great standby just to get out the house, but I think Gabe will benefit tremendously from a toddler dance class.
So I am looking some up, preferably at recreation centers. There is a pretty good one not far from us, the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation Center. They have a dance class for toddlers that starts April 2. This is a strong option, because it's close by. There are other recreation centers in Portland, and I got one suggestion from a friend that lives on the East side, at Peninsula Park. It'd be a little longer of a drive (probably like 10-15 minutes longer), but a pro would be that there would be people there I know. And it's only once a week.
Hope everyone is having a good week…anything exciting happening for people?
Today, the idea popped into my head to have Gabe take a dance class. This will of course cost money. I like finding activities that are free, like the storytime down the street at the cupcake shop. It's a great standby just to get out the house, but I think Gabe will benefit tremendously from a toddler dance class.
So I am looking some up, preferably at recreation centers. There is a pretty good one not far from us, the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation Center. They have a dance class for toddlers that starts April 2. This is a strong option, because it's close by. There are other recreation centers in Portland, and I got one suggestion from a friend that lives on the East side, at Peninsula Park. It'd be a little longer of a drive (probably like 10-15 minutes longer), but a pro would be that there would be people there I know. And it's only once a week.
Hope everyone is having a good week…anything exciting happening for people?
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Gabe goes potty for the first time
This morning I put Gabe on his potty, like I did yesterday. I have been doing this a few days, but not expecting anything or trying to pressure (I was still basking in glow stemming from the fact that he was even sitting on it) him. I try to help him get up because he'd been sitting there for about three minutes or so and I thought nothing happened. Well, he really didn't want to get up. So I let him sit there for a few seconds longer.
Well, lo and behold, I look in the pot and there was pee!
I was shocked, because I hadn't expected him to do anything in there for a few months. My goal was just to sit him on there a few times a day, including right after he gets up in the mornings and after a meal, and just get him used to it. When we first got the potty a few weeks ago, he didn't even want to sit on it, period. So I felt he came a long way from that, to actually sitting on it with clothes on, then sitting on it without a diaper.
After the grand event, both Craig and I made a BIG deal about it and Gabe liked that a lot. Of course, I know he is not totally trained but it's definitely progress.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Anemia, Craig's wrist update and eating out
This morning I woke up feeling sick. For the first five or ten minutes after I got up, I was ok. I took Gabe's diaper off and he sat on his potty for about a minute or two (nothing happened). Then, I just started feeling weak, like I felt when I became anemic in my six month of pregnancy. I barely got Gabe into his high chair and asked Craig to feed him while I made a smoothie for myself and laid back down.
I got up around noon and felt like 5 percent better, ate a little lunch and then basically laid back down with Gabe to nap at around 1pm. When we got up at 3pm, I felt 90 percent better. And now this evening I feel pretty good and gave Gabe his bath.
I'm think it was anemia because it felt familiar (the extreme weakness, like I'm about to pass out), I'm really prone to it and I felt better after resting. I haven't been taking vitamins regularly since Gabe was about 15 months old. So I think I need to start taking my multi-vitamins with iron again and probably to get my yearly check-up.
I was really disappointed because the weather was nice and it would have been nice to go out and do something. We ended up going out later to get coffee and walk around. So tomorrow, I think we will venture out and do something a little more exciting. The weather is supposed to be nice again.
Craig is still feeling good; he can stretch his fingers well, but his wrist is still sore. He's been watching movies on Netflix at night; Food Inc. and Helvetica (Craig says that if you're not a designer, you might not like Helvetica). Food Inc. was about the capitalism of the food industry and how exploitative practices contaminate food and abuse animals and workers.
Friday morning we went to Marie Callender's Restaurant to have breakfast. We had a coupon and it ended up cost $12 including tip. Being that it was a weekday morning, I should have known mostly elderly people would be there, many of whom probably don't like kids. But people always look and stare, like they expect the kids to have a major meltdown any minute. Or they stare because they never saw an interracial couple with a kid before. Anyway, I don't appreciate people being all up in my grill while I am trying to eat.
I got up around noon and felt like 5 percent better, ate a little lunch and then basically laid back down with Gabe to nap at around 1pm. When we got up at 3pm, I felt 90 percent better. And now this evening I feel pretty good and gave Gabe his bath.
I'm think it was anemia because it felt familiar (the extreme weakness, like I'm about to pass out), I'm really prone to it and I felt better after resting. I haven't been taking vitamins regularly since Gabe was about 15 months old. So I think I need to start taking my multi-vitamins with iron again and probably to get my yearly check-up.
I was really disappointed because the weather was nice and it would have been nice to go out and do something. We ended up going out later to get coffee and walk around. So tomorrow, I think we will venture out and do something a little more exciting. The weather is supposed to be nice again.
Craig is still feeling good; he can stretch his fingers well, but his wrist is still sore. He's been watching movies on Netflix at night; Food Inc. and Helvetica (Craig says that if you're not a designer, you might not like Helvetica). Food Inc. was about the capitalism of the food industry and how exploitative practices contaminate food and abuse animals and workers.
Friday morning we went to Marie Callender's Restaurant to have breakfast. We had a coupon and it ended up cost $12 including tip. Being that it was a weekday morning, I should have known mostly elderly people would be there, many of whom probably don't like kids. But people always look and stare, like they expect the kids to have a major meltdown any minute. Or they stare because they never saw an interracial couple with a kid before. Anyway, I don't appreciate people being all up in my grill while I am trying to eat.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
For the love of collards
I made a connection with another Portland Examiner, Aqiylah Collins, who writes about holistic health. This month she is doing a series of articles to celebrate Black History Month, highlighting African-American foods. Her latest article is about the history and health benefits of collard greens and she quotes me talking about how I love my mom's collards. Mmm. I want some now, actually.
I also finally wrote my book review for the novel Push. I'm going to try to update my Cafe´au lait blog more.
Craig is doing well with his wrist, but he is getting a little tired of wearing the splint. We went to Burgerville, a Northwest burger chain, for lunch on both Monday and Tuesday, so that was fun. Today I took Gabe to storytime down the street at the cupcake shop. The weather here is lovely, clear skies and comfortably cool. I'm sure the rain will sent back in soon, but for right now it's great.
Hope everyone is having a good week!
I also finally wrote my book review for the novel Push. I'm going to try to update my Cafe´au lait blog more.
Craig is doing well with his wrist, but he is getting a little tired of wearing the splint. We went to Burgerville, a Northwest burger chain, for lunch on both Monday and Tuesday, so that was fun. Today I took Gabe to storytime down the street at the cupcake shop. The weather here is lovely, clear skies and comfortably cool. I'm sure the rain will sent back in soon, but for right now it's great.
Hope everyone is having a good week!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Wrist Update and Gabe's new brush
Craig had his post surgery appointment yesterday and things seem to be progressing well. The tube was taken out of the wound and the bandages were taken off, as well. His hand was then put into a splint and re-wrapped; but the wrap can be taken off to be washed. So he will get this taken off on March 1.
Craig says his hand feels a little better every day and he can move his fingers around with no pain. His scar will definitely be a lot bigger this time, but I think our main concern is that after it fully heals, he'll be able to function normally on computer and design related activities and that the cyst will not return.
On a side note, I had to entertain Gabe for over an hour because there was a 40 minute wait in Dr. Layman's office (he seems to be pretty popular). We divided our time between being in the lobby and being on the 2nd floor, where the doctor's office was. The second floor was much better for him to explore because there were hardly any people in the hallways, while the lobby was of course quite crowded. So Gabe was great until about 5-10 minutes before Craig was done and he started getting tired and cranky.
We just received Gabe's new brush and comb set in the mail. As his hair is getting longer and thicker, the baby combs are not cutting it. I've already broken one comb trying to detangle his hair, lol. So I got the toddler Denman brush.
A Denman brush is basically a very sturdy hair tool for people who have very thick and/or coarse hair. I have an adult Denman (D3) and use that to detangle my own hair and it's a an absolute breeze (when my hair is soaking wet with conditioner, that is). So once Gabe began outgrowing his baby combs, I needed to find a similar tool for his hair. And I found it! The comb is actually attached to the brush. Can't wait to use it for his next bath.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Craig's Post Surgery Update
Craig had his surgery this past Monday and it went well. He's got his hand wrapped in bulky bandages and a tube connected to the wound to drain blood, so it looks rather dramatic. I have to change the tube every four hours, but there is significantly less blood at each changing. Today he is able to move his fingers without much pain and he hasn't needed any pain killers today. Tomorrow, he gets the dressing removed and I gather that the doctor will inspect it, etc., and then it will be re-wrapped for another 2.5 weeks. I don't know if he will have to go to the Dr. again during that time. I guess we'll find out at the appointment.
Gabriel is curious as to why he can't play with Dad like before. In fact, he seems to go through several cycles of wanting to play or be picked up by Craig, then remembering that Dad can't do that, then he moves on to something else.
So, all is well. We'll let you guys know how the appointment goes tomorrow.
Gabriel is curious as to why he can't play with Dad like before. In fact, he seems to go through several cycles of wanting to play or be picked up by Craig, then remembering that Dad can't do that, then he moves on to something else.
So, all is well. We'll let you guys know how the appointment goes tomorrow.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
February Update
This month is going to be very busy. Craig is getting surgery on his wrist February 8 to remove remnants of a ganglion cyst. I say "remnants" because the doctor aspirated it about two weeks ago, and the bump got very mushy and the pain lessened considerably. But since the ganglion tissue and the sac are still in there, the chances of it coming back are very high. So surgery is still on.
He will be off work for three weeks and during this time his wrist will be wrapped and bent forward. This means he won't be able to play with Gabriel hardly at all and won't be able to watch him alone for very long. This also means that meals will be VERY simple during this time; basically anything that can microwaved or prepped very quickly and be placed into the oven. You veteran mamas know that it is hard to do high maintenance cooking with a toddler that wants to be up under you all the time.
I also haven't written on my Cafe´au lait blog in AGES...I am working on a book review of Push by Sapphire, better known as Precious the Movie, OR better know in Carisa's head as The Movie Where Black Women are Depicted as Depraved and Insane...can you tell I didn't like the book or the movie? I'll post it when I complete it.
Oh, here are the promised Christmas pics! Just a sample, it's not all the pics I took.
William eating scones I made Christmas morning.
We got my mom some butterfly measuring spoons.
My mom got me this cool hat.
I got Craig the new Alicia Keys CD.
He will be off work for three weeks and during this time his wrist will be wrapped and bent forward. This means he won't be able to play with Gabriel hardly at all and won't be able to watch him alone for very long. This also means that meals will be VERY simple during this time; basically anything that can microwaved or prepped very quickly and be placed into the oven. You veteran mamas know that it is hard to do high maintenance cooking with a toddler that wants to be up under you all the time.
I also haven't written on my Cafe´au lait blog in AGES...I am working on a book review of Push by Sapphire, better known as Precious the Movie, OR better know in Carisa's head as The Movie Where Black Women are Depicted as Depraved and Insane...can you tell I didn't like the book or the movie? I'll post it when I complete it.
Oh, here are the promised Christmas pics! Just a sample, it's not all the pics I took.
William eating scones I made Christmas morning.
We got my mom some butterfly measuring spoons.
My mom got me this cool hat.
I got Craig the new Alicia Keys CD.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Happy New Year and Gabe's 18 month appt.
It has been a long time since I've done an update! With the holidays and my mom and brother visiting (plus the mutant snow storm in Philly) I've gotten slack. Sorry! :) Also, it's becoming harder to write with Gabe being more mobile and needing near constant interaction.
Gabe had his 18th month appointment on Monday and it went well. But he did not want to be checked out at all and gave us a hard time. Totally freaked and cried during the check-up, but he recovered quickly when it was over. He is a little over 22 pounds, but I cannot remember the height. He is in the 75th percentile for height and the 5th percentile for weight; that has been his pattern since he has been born, tall and lean.
We really like his pediatrician, Dr. Gibbons. She is very down to earth and knowledgeable. The practice, The Natural Childbirth and Family Clinic, is somewhat of a hike being in Northeast Portland (we are Northwest), but the next time he'll go will be at 2 yrs. and then after that, yearly, so we're okay with the distance.
Gabe's teeth seem to be stabilizing. I think the intense brushing, cod liver oil, wheat germ and getting more nutrient dense foods in him are helping. He is still picky; doesn't like eggs or meat (unless really mushed), but eventually I think he will try them.
Look for Christmas pics in a day or two! Let's see if I can do it before January is over! LOL
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