Crazy Mommy

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Sorry it’s been a few days since I posted. I went out of town for a few days and was unable to get online.

In 2006 I was in a car accident that left me with bad back pain. Turns out I have a pinched nerve in my back that when I lay down sends pain to my legs and feet. Sometimes it feels like my legs are expanding or blowing up like a balloon and it doesn’t matter which way I toss and turn, the pain wont go away. Because of the pinched nerve I had horrible heart burn and acid reflux that made it difficult to do work, or think straight. I always needed to keep milk or sprite close by to drink otherwise I was miserable. Finally I gave in and went to the chiropractor because the Dr threatened to give me a cortisone shot! (My dad said those hurt and I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of a shot.) With in weeks my back felt better, I could sleep with out using Vicodin (sp?) and the heart burn and acid reflux was gone too! I highly recommend chiropractors for ANY problems. Reading the different signs on the walls in the office and listening to others in groups or forums, chiropractors are good for all sorts of issues; heart burn, headaches, wetting the bed, colds etc. 

Did you know going to the chiropractor while pregnant is perfectly safe? When you start to show or it becomes uncomfortable they will not have you lay on your stomach to realign your back.  One of the women in the office told me that when you have a cold going in for realignment could possible make you feel worse for a short time because you’re releasing toxins into your body but I’ve heard from others that it’s helped their children and themselves get through their colds quicker. (Especially those long lingering ones.) One woman said her child had a cold that the doctor brushed off as being “how he normally sounded”, the cold or “normal” sound lasted for months and they couldn’t find the problem but when she took the child to the chiropractor it went away. So it’s worth giving it a try!

I am the kind of person who dislikes the popping sound and it took a lot of trust for me to go in and have my neck realigned. But I have to tell you it’s so worth it to get over that fear; the more you go the easier it gets. Try finding someone you can trust; someone recommended through a friend maybe? 

Monday I took my daughter in to see Santa. I know it’s a little last minute but I couldn’t decide how important it was to me and if I’d regret not doing it. Both my husband and I are with out jobs currently so I’m trying to save money. Luckily my mother-in-law gave me $20 so it made the decision easier. ha ha

So Monday I woke up bright and early hoping to beat the rush since it’s 3 days before Christmas and there should be plenty of last minute shoppers. I don’t know why I was so surprised when I got to the mall 15 minutes after it opened and I still had to park in the back of the lot. It started to sprinkle as we were walking in and that’s when I realized that in my hustle to get to the mall ASAP I forgot a sweatshirt or something to keep her warm; at least I walk fast. I was so happy when I saw only two groups of people in line for Santa; I hate crowds and here I am at the mall on December 22nd. 

I was so afraid Em was going to cry as soon as she saw Santa. She didn’t sleep well and I wasn’t sure what kind of mood she was in; she doesn’t typically cry for strangers - yet. I prayed and prayed that things would go well because it’s not like I had the money to come back another time and try it again. So I go up and place her in Santa’s lap and try distracting her by calling her name and walking straight back. I try not to let her see him and just stick her straight back in his arms; yet the first thing she does is turn around and look right up at him.

This is one of my favorites! I think she just looks too cute looking up at him like that and him down at her. And I have to compliment our mall because he looks so realistic! No fake beard which is another thing that made me want to get this photo done even more; I’ve seen some scraggly looking Santa’s around. He was a nice guy too which is always a plus. 

Oh I should also add, she did not cry. I was so thankful!

Yesterday Southern California got an early Christmas present from God; SNOW! I can’t remember the last time we got snow but several freeways were closed and remain closed today due to snow and ice. (Which may or may not mean anything, Californians can’t really drive in any weather.) I look outside now and there is a stream running down the street from all the melting snow because today it’s bright and sunny out. When I woke up yesterday morning it started snowing around 6:30 AM and did not stop snowing till sometime after dark. Some places reported getting at least six inches of snow. I heard even Vegas received between two to eight inches of snow as well.

For my daughter this was her first snow encounter and she seemed to really enjoy it. When we woke up in the morning I opened the blinds to the sliding door and she seemed to like looking out at all the white. She even looked up at the sky a few times to see the snow falling towards her. Here is a photo of her at the door looking out at our little patio. (The snow never stuck to the ground on the patio because there was too much water that had collected there.)

Then I bundled her up nice and warm; putting her into clothes that didn’t fit but I knew would do the trick. (They are hand me downs and so they are too big.) Below is a photo of her sitting in the snow for the first time. A few times she looked like she wanted to lean forward and try and eat the snow off the ground but because she was wearing a few layers of clothes she was hardly able to move.

(These photos of me just make me aware of how I need to diet. ha h)

Em liked it when I’d face her into the snow that was falling; she’d giggle as it hit her face.  

My dad told me his usual, maybe ten minute drive home from work, took him forty minutes because the roads were so slick. He said he’d coast through the intersections because if he’d apply any pressure to the gas pedal he’d just slip and slide around. One time he went down to the bottom of his street to help a man who’d got himself stuck in the intersection and afterwards got himself stuck and almost didn’t make it back home. 

I’m glad my daughter was old enough to enjoy this, even a little. Later on last night after the snow had stopped my neighbors made a nice big snow man. (He was about my height) So I took Em outside to see him; she looked him over, up and down, and giggled a little. It was an unsure giggle as she tried to figure out what to make of him. I know she wont remember this when she gets older, but it was still enjoyable for the three of us.

Tonight I sat on the floor eating spaghetti-O’s and my daughter, like everything else I eat, wanted some too. Well I decided to give her some and she loved it so she stayed close, climbing into my lap at times trying to get into the bowl as I held it in my hands. Using me to help her stand up she became eye level with my bowl then took her first step towards me. I almost cried I was so excited. My husband was sitting right there too which makes the moment even more special. She knew instantly that she did a good thing because her face lit up with joy. I try and praise her every time she does something good and I think she loves it when I do because she gets a huge smile and you can see excitement in her eyes. 

I was hoping she’d be walking by Christmas and it looks like she just might be. She mastered crawling with in a week so who knows what she can do in nine days. 

I can’t say enough how I love to watch her grow up. Everyone tells me I’ll regret that she is mobile but I just keep getting more excited; The older she gets the more I can do with her.  I can’t wait until the first time we can do arts and crafts together, first time I can take her to the zoo or her first time to Disneyland. I love to see her face light up when she see’s something that she likes or to watch the expression on her face when she finds something fascinating and she’s trying to figure it out. I look forward to the days when I can bring out the play-Doh, put together the Lego’s and build forts out of the furniture. 

You should not feed your baby uncooked fruits and veggies until they are at least eight months old. This is because it can be difficult to digest uncooked and cause them discomfort. My daughter turned nine months on the fifth so I decided to skip the cooking portion and just blend the pear in the food processor. Well I learned the hard way why you should cook the pears before hand; the pear turned brown with in a half hour. The portion I put into the fridge was so disgusting; brown and hard. I didn’t want to feed it to her so I dumped it down the drain. When the pear has been cooked it stays a nice off white color and doesn’t become hard like it did uncooked.

Make sure when you are feeding your baby solids that you give them a variety. Don’t just constantly give them banana or carrots. It’s good that they enjoy those foods but try and mix it up a bit. If they dislike something, mix their favorite foods in with. For example my daughter doesn’t really like pumpkin but she doesn’t mind if I mix it with pear. She seems to love pear.

Did you know that cows milk can be hard for babies tummies to digest? It’s good to start them on plain yogurt before giving them cows milk. I like to mix the yogurt with banana. Yogurt is filled with nutrients.

Did you know that you should only give a baby 6 - 12 months old 4 ounces of juice a day. You should dilute the juice down at least by half before giving it to your baby. I use the Take and Toss cups and I put a small portion of juice in. 1/4 of the liquid is juice while the rest is water. Find juices that say they are 100% and try not to buy the ones that say “cocktail” or “drinks” because you’ll be giving your baby more sugar or added sweeteners and less real juice.

According to THE BABY BOOK by Dr William Sears the “Best Fats for Babies are; seafood (especially salmon), flax oil, avocados, vegetable oils, nut butters (because of possible allergies, delay peanut butter until after two years.)” - Taken from page 239 of THE BABY BOOK by William Sears.  He also says that “The top three sources of fats (breast milk, sea food, and flax oil) are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for optimal brain growth.” Avocado doesn’t need to be cooked and can be mashed up easily with a fork. It’s also important that if you’re breastfeeding you get omega-3 into your diet. Walnuts, Flax-seeds and salmon are just a few things that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Here is a page I found on omega-3 fatty acids and why they are important. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=84

If there is anything specific you’d like me to focus on please let me know.