Helping a friend

Just trying to help out a co-worker in setting up his blog. 

And for your viewing Pleasure, some pictures from The Wiggles concert yesterday.  It was a blast, I was truly in awe of their performance.  There is no lip singing or fake instrumentals.  Everyone is actually singing, all the while dancing their hearts out…drenched in sweat.  They got down in the audience, played with the children and talked to people…it was incredible.  I was worried that Cole wouldn’t be into it since we don’t watch the videos at home, but he had a great time.  The lights and movement all kept his attention and he even danced to the music a bit.

Dancing in the aisle:

Jeff, our favorite:

The guy in the blue shirt (his name escapes me…):

At the end of the show, do you think he had fun????

And at dinner afterwards!!  “Cold spaghetti!”

World Breastfeeding Week! 8/1-8/7

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!  My fave blog is doing a series of photo blogs this week to honor breastfeeding and I had to share. 

My favorite quote out there has been :

Okay, so I like bad music

I’ve always considered my tastes in music on the verge of eclectic, but as I played my iTunes list for the other people sitting in this conference room with me, I got lots of eye rolls and “What in the world?”  Sure, I’ve got JayZ backed up to Simon & Garfunkle, followed by a little Alice In Chains or Slayer.  But is that so bad really?

Eventually I just turned off the tunes, and let them work in silence.  If you can’t appreciate different types of music, and embrace that not everyone appreciates the same genre or artist, than you deserve quiet.  (All this being typed whilst I listen to ABBA)…well, maybe that isn’t the best in taste, but everyone has a guilty pleasure. 

My favorite baby products

Reposting from some feedback I gave on my Mommy board:

Table Toppers by Munchkin – A great way to quickly make the table finger food friendly without wasting a hundred anti-bacterial wipes. 

Kipiis Bib Clip - No bib needed here, just use a restaurant napkin or paper towel for a make-shift, go disposable anywhere bib.

Robeez - By now, just about everyone has seen or heard of Robeez…or so I thought.  While traveling I’ve had at least a hundred different people stop me and ask who makes my son’s shoes.  They were perfect for him as an infant because he had no need for hard soled dress shoes, and a pair of black and brown Robeez matched every holiday outfit we put him in.  Not to mention, that even now at 12 months of age, he can still fit into the first pair of 0-6 month Robeez I bought him.  I also love that these shoes stay on just about any foot; chunky, skinny, wide, narrow, the elastic banded foot makes the shoe fit just about any little one.  I asked my pediatrician if my son would need “big boy” shoes now that he is cruising, and he said that the leather sole of Robeez was actually the perfect shoe because it creates a barefoot walking environment, which is best for early walkers. 

Little Giraffe blankie – We received one of these as a gift and can’t go anywhere without it.  The satin edging and luxuriously soft chenille like fabric make this a blanket even I would love to sleep with.  I’ve already invested in a few extras in case his precarious “woobie” ever gets lost.

Oil Cloth Splat Matt - A site I stumbled upon while searching for a matt to put under my son’s high chair, this was the perfect solution for my home.  I had found plastic covered fabric matts on many sites, but these are cumbersome, hard to wash and the plastic usually fogs and yellows after a couple of washes.  Oil cloth is a lightweight fabric that you can wipe down with a damp wash cloth and the color never fades or yellows.  Not to mention the stylish colors and prints available, I had a matt custom made to match the decor in my kitchen and LOVE it.

Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers – A revolution in cloth diapering, this diaper system takes all the work and mess out of using cloth diapers.  My parents were appalled to learn that I was considering cloth diapering, and wanted to know what service I’d be using.  This system of pocket diapers requires minimal work, and is easily maintained.  All you really need is an initial investment in the diapers themselves, and a good washing machine.  Not only do I feel good about what I’m doing to help cut down on the waste in landfills, I also save money by not making a weekly run to the Supermarket to but a 40 pack of Pampers.

Lansinoh Lanolin Baby Wipes - The most gentle and soothing wipe on the market.  These are marketed towards babies that are still breastfeeding, but we’ve used them past weaning.  There is actually lanolin built into these super soft, cloth like wipes that kept diaper rash at bay through countless bouts of Rotavirus.  I also have been flushing these down the toilet, and have never had a problem with clogging.

Bilingual Book of Words by BE – Because my husband and I are both employed on a full time basis, our son stays home with a nanny whose first language is spanish.  This books has helped Marc and I to pick up some additional spanish words, and let Isa pick up a couple of words in English. 

Signing Times tv show on PBS – Our speech pathologist referred us to this show for my son.  YES, I know television isn’t recommended for children under the age of two…however because of my son’s hearing loss we were looking for ways to further incorporate sign language into our daily activities.  We record this show on our DVR once and week, and watch it together as a family all picking up a few new signs to practice that week.  It’s a great way for us to have an educational thirty minutes of television, as a family, once a week.

Did I do that??

 

Okay, so I’m scared of heights. It doesn’t take much for me to say that out loud, but it does take a lot for me to decide to confront my fear. Sure, I’ll hop on a plane every now and again, but don’t even think about asking me to look over the edge of a railing or drive in the lane closest to the edge of the bridge. So WHY may you ask did I fly to Puerto Rico for work? Well, I love my job and have become accustomed to the idea of flying on commercial airlines. After all, flying on a plane across the country is safer than getting in my car on a daily basis. So, I’ve grown accustomed to traveling for work, with the comfort of knowing that if anything happens to me whilst on a company trip, I’ll at least be covered by worker’s compensation insurance so my family would at least be dully compensated. I mean, if I die alone in a plane on my way to Harlingen, at least my peeps would be taken care of without me. Probably this isn’t the best way to talk myself through my fears, but, hey…it gets me on the plane.

Knowing all of this about myself and my “issues,” what in EARTH got me on a plane to Isla Culebra, Puerto Rico? Allow me to give you a bit more background. I’ve been to Puerto Rico two years in a row for work. We have a sub. down here that requires the same level of SOX testing as the other subs. we have across the country. Generally, when I travel for two weeks or more, I bring Cole with me. So my Dad and Cole are here enjoying Puerto Rico with me. Anyhow, one of the Accounting Managers tells the audit team that we have to see Isla Culebra, specifically Flamenco Beach while we’re here. We do a little research and find that is rated one of America’s top beaches, and decide we’ll take the Manager’s advice and ride the ferry to the island…about a one hour ride from the main land. So we get all of our things, and head out to the island with the Director of our Audit project. We get to this little bitty town, built on a beach (Fajardo) and it begins to feel a bit like the barrios of Mexico. A shanty town, we’re directed to park in an empty lot in a remote neighborhood. The three adults all agree that we’ll be SHOCKED if our vehicle is still in one piece on our return. Anyhow, we walk to the ferry (on streets strewn in shatter car window glass) to find the Port Authority building buzzing with thousands of people, loaded down with ice chests, beer and beach gear waiting for the next ferry. Like something out of a movie, it looked more like an evacuation zone than a place where people were headed out to vacation for the day (or weekend). The line to get a ticket on the ferry is, literally, hours long.

In true shady fashion, a woman walks by and is telling the groups of people that they can catch a ride to the airport for a couple of bucks from a cabbie (lined up behind her), and than get a flight to Viques or Culebra for $25.00. What the hell, right? We’ve already resigned to the fact that our car will likely now be there upon our return and there is no way the baby is going to make it through the hours of waiting ahead of us at the Ferry. So, we get in a 1985 astrovan, no A/C and hardly any brakes…to be whisked (and I use that term romantically en leau of the torture we were actually subjected to). At the airport, which is the size of my living room we book a flight to Culebra at 11:30 and a return flight at 3:00. All of this being said to say, we then flew 15 minutes, God only knows how many miles, over the Caribbean Ocean to Isla Culebra. All I could do whilst we flew across the vast blue void, was pray for my friends and family. Oddly enough, the first prayer that went through my mind was of a friend’s child with Leukemia…and then came Cole and I (and the other passengers). I wanted Marc to know that I loved him, and that if we didn’t make it to the island… that I loved Cole with my whole heart for ever second of his life. That we died together loving him. And then I realized, my son was staring in awe out the window, enjoying the whir of the propeller and the crystal blue waters below us. Here, I was planning our death and my son was enjoying his first real aerial view of the ocean.

So, my fears aren’t concurred yet, but I flew there and flew back. And each time, my first prayer didn’t go to myself but to someone else who needed them more. And that fact alone tells me that, even I can surprise myself.

Puerto Rico Last Year

 

See how much he’s grown!!

Happy Beach Bum

Happy Beach Bum

Originally uploaded by doriankaye.

Last night we visited the beach to play and get some cute pictures. I’ll post another one from last year so that you guys can see how much he has grown (since November 05).

I love my job, but people get the impression that being in Puerto Rico is all roses and smiles. We’re in the middle of NOWHERE PR, also known as Palmas Del Mar. The scenery is exquisite, but this development has issues. Like power outages in our villa, lack of hot water, mosquitos and not alot to do if you’re not a member of the highly exclusive Golf, Beach and Tennis Clubs. Fully stocked with millionaires and pretty people, these aren’t exactly the “my people.” Not to mention that all of the fun stuff closes at 6 p.m. except for food. There are three or four eating options here, and only one of them is anything to write home about. The closest thing to “civilazation” is outside of the development and about a 15 minute car ride away. Your shopping options are Wal-Mart and a gas station. Yeah, it’s a real sprawling metropolis…lol.

Enough, of my complaining…it’s still PR and I’ve managed to miss the killer (literally) heat wave striking at home.

Speech Therapy

As most of you know, RPC (Roley Poley Coley) was placed in speech therapy at 9 months due to developmental delays resulting in hearing loss. Since then, we’ve started speech therapy in the state early childhood development program and are currently seeking a private speech therapist for some additional practice and therapy. Cole has already made huge improvements in making new sounds, and though they’re still saying he’s about 4 months delayed…we are excited on a daily basis by his progress.

I’ve struggled in finding information that made sense to me about the reasons some children have these sorts of delays and what, as a new parent, we can do to recognize to and address speech delays. As I’m taking a coffee break at work this morning, I stumbled across this brief article on speech and language development that I think makes a few good points. Just wanted to share, as this journey continues I hope to be reporting more and more progress on our end.

Oh, I see

invitepics033

Originally uploaded by doriankaye.

It only took an hour for me to figure this out…whew, now we all know why I don’t work in IT.

WASH YOUR HANDS!

Okay, so this is the second time in as many days that I’ve seen someone use the restroom without washing his or her hands!  Didn’t their Mom’s teach them that not washing your hands after using or even just going into the bathroom promotes the growth and spread of germs and illness?  Sure, I’ve been accused of being OCD a time or two, but I’m thinking actually washing your hands after using the potty doesn’t go in this category.  So after a little research, I’ve found that I’m actually NOT completely insane and though people like to say they always wash their hands after using the bathroom, observed behavior shows that only 82% actually did.  Interestingly, I think it’s time I move to San Francisco where the article dubs people “very hygienic.”  Or I’ll just go to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, where I know the percentage of hand washers was greatly impacted by all the Moms in the bathroom forcing their children to scrub down before retuning to the exhibits.  And I’ll take comfort in the fact that I’m a bit more paranoid about germies by way of my sex.Moral of the story, wash your hands people.  Ewwwwwwwww.