OT- CONSTRUCTICONS NEEDED!!

So If you visited me here or passed by one of my postings in cyberspace you may already know that My site is .....changing! I've played around with a few different host and blogging sites but have not yet settled on any one in particular. I find a lot of host frustrating for such a person as myself with no web building experience other than my personal attempts to build and expand this blog.

Beggars can't be choosers.......?

I guess not but I just am not satisfied with the pre-made sites I've come across. Don't get me wrong they are nice, but I really do want something all my own. I also am too cheap to pay a designer to make one for me..(if any designers out there want to help me with my project for free please leave a comment below ^_^) . With all of that said I know it's going to be a long road until I have the site of my dreams. I'm learning the ins and outs of CSS and HTML, but there is a whole lot more to building a site than just those things, and then there is the whole time factor. Since I'm a newbie it takes soooo much more time to do even the smallest of changes because I don't really know too much about this stuff.

Right now I'm learning how to create my own blog backgrounds and headers,buttons ect... I think my first try at combining different elements other than just a single layer picture is going well. It's not perfect but it's a start.

Anyway......I'm still working towards MY perfect blog. I hope I get there soon. For now I will display a "construction icon" until I'm ready to unveil the new and improved fully functional website!

Wish me luck and inspiration!

What's going on? The 9th month update!!

Ok, I'm back and ready to go!

I've been really light as far as blogging goes lately. There are plenty of things going on that has been keeping me off my poor bloggy. Nothing major or heart wrenching, just regular ole stuff including nice weather, and sheer laziness. I guess a few updates are in order.....Here we go!

As I announced last week or so, the famous tooth watch of 2010 is over. My princess sprouted her first pearly white! It a bottom front tooth. I think I can see the second one right next to it on it's way in!

Eating!.......mi muñeca come mucho! and I mean alot! Just the other day something really funny happened. I was sitting down to share a small plate of leftovers with dad and Hana, light lightning, reaches up and grabs a handful of the food yells and eats it right up! She didn't even give me time to offer her any! Every time this happens it makes me laugh so dam hard, it's just the look on her face and how she yells out!...lol as if she say's "GIMMIE SOME TOO..NOW MAMA", and she's soo happy happy while chewing too! She kinds sings while she eats...it goes like this...ya ya ya (chew,chew)ya, ya.....ect. So cute. Also....She likes to eat food with lots of texture. Chewing is something she loves to do. If I give her any strained jar food I have to thicken it up with rice cereal or potatoes. Watching her self feed is the best part of our meal times! That little pincer grip is "da bomb"! Daddy say's she's such a good eater, and it's true. I never have to fight her or play "airplane".

Hana the socialite! .....lately as the weather has been good, my little girl is making friends on her trips to the park! I didn't know she was so social as she is always sticking to me (my velcro baby!) lol. On the last trip to the park another baby girl joined in on our play group. I thought she was going to cry but she didn't. She played without a care in the world. I was sitting behind her and she didn't look back once to check for me. A proud mama I am! I hope the rain clears up this week so we can get back to our play business. :-P. She has also been getting out to kiddie partys and get togethers.

Ryan even has a new playmate...bebe's sister Alex!

This is how WE roll! ^_^

Locomotion baby......It's her way or no way...really...she loves to "crawl" and it's kinda the full hands and knees thing but she also incorporates the roll when she really wants to get from point A to point B. I try to "teach" her how to keep moving her arms and legs to continue the crawl but she fusses and wants to roll anyway....*sigh*....so be it. Dad thinks she will skip the full on crawl and begin walking because she loves loves to stand and is starting to creep more and more now. I agree because I can't even get her to sit down in the bath tub anymore. She always stays put for five minuets or less then like clockwork she pulls herself up to stand for the remainder of the bath. There is no sitting this girl down and if you try she gets all worked up and begins crying. I pick my battles so for now..she can stand, I just have to hold her extra tight or keep bath time nice and quick. I guess it all adds up to .....

WALK WATCH 2010!!!

Take your bets folks! I'm hoping she will walk this month like her big big bro did. It's a long shot but that my bet and I'm sticking to it!

Nursing.....is still going well. Even though she is eating lot's of solids, Hana is still nursing several times a day. My poor pump is collecting dust in the corner as I have not used it in many weeks as I promised to do. I know I welshed, but I think my store of milk will take us into the 12 month mark because I only use it when needed, and that's not often. I'm thinking of starting up a new stash that I can use to take us into 18 months, but I have to beat that crippling condition called LAZY, before I can make that wish a reality. So for now it's all still coming straight from "the tap" and real weaning is on hold. Aside from the lazy condition I think a part of me does not want to wean Hana so soon. I guess I'm holding onto and treasuring our special time together. She is getting big so fast it's making me afraid I guess. She's not that tiny little flower I brought home from the hospital...all squishy and pink who could barely open her mouth to nurse.. where does the time go?

Family.......La Reina is what she has been dubbed....or the princess. Oh yes she has subjects....her loving brothers, mommy dearest, tia's, tio's , grandparents cousins, friends, family friends, and everyone else........not to mention the most loyal subject of all....PAPA! all wrapped around her little finger...especially when she goes into her "da-da-da" song. Soliel is what she is...our little sunshine.

Birthday prep.... Things are going slow, but I do have three more months till its party time. Right now I'm still working on the dress. More on that in a separate post. Saturday I did buy her the cutest birthday onesie ever. I was thinking she could wear it while playing, and could change into the custom made dress when it is picture time. Since her day is in July it will be way too hot for her to keep on that dress for the duration of the bbq party.

Health Check.... Last week we both fell a tad ill. A mysterious cold hit me like a ton of bricks and grazed over the baby. The has a runny nose, but aside from that, she is just as happy and playful as ever. I really think being breastfeed is helping her avoid being really sick. To date she has not had any illness requiring a sprint to the ER or anything. I still have untouched infant Motrin and Tylenol! She is blessed with health and I pray for her all the time. Even teething has not caused any dramatic fevers......yet. She will have her 9 month check up soon.....let's hope the shots don't make her sick either.

Ok...I think that's it. I'm back ....and ready to blog!

Wordless Wednesday: Practice makes perfect

Hana and her friend bebe standing at the park!

Tooth Watch 2010

TOOTH WATCH 2010 IS OVER!!! WE HAVE A SHARP WHITE BUD THAT JUST BIT ME!! IT'S STILL PARTIALLY COVERED BY GUM...BUT YAY!! WHAT A BIRTHDAY GIFT!!!!!!!

Hana Can Read

......ok, not yet..but we're hoping very soon!

I've always been skeptical about infomercials that say they have the tools to change your life. You know if it was soo life changing...... why would everyone NOT have this product!

Now......every since I watched the "YOUR BABY CAN READ" infomercials a few years back I've been intrigued, but guess what??.......That's how they get you.....with intrigue! They peak your interest until you cave in and buy the product, with little more than the HOPE that your child will reap some unproven, subjective benefit. Children are natural "copy cats" if you will. That's HOW THEY LEARN IN THE EARLY YEARS!!

Now I know what you're thinking.....If you know all that miss-missy....why the photo above??

I'll tell you why...and the culprit's name is DAD! .......well German to be exact...but let's go with Dad. He surprised me last month with the YBCR set (awwwww how nice and cute of him!!). I don't really think too much of the program.....but Hana sure does love it! When she is watching, it's like she's in a trance! One song in particular she loves, loves, loves!

Now that I am the proud owner of this happy, singing, set of learning fun...I'll give it a go and let you know how this turns out.....but before we get all giddy and think this product will make our babies smarter consider this..........

"By pushing children, especially boys, to read early it can make them hate to read. There are studies that suggest that children who read too early, especially boys again, can have eye tracking issues, causing problems with dyslexia or something similar. Basically our eyes are meant to go across the page to read a sentence after we're about 7. Pushing before then may be straining the eyes and the portion of the brain developing for that. (If you decide to let your child read before 7 they suggest keeping the sentences short so that they're not reading across the page but just one or two words at a time.) Reading early does not mean that they are smarter. By 10, everyone seems to catch up and it's the ones who love to read that succeed, not the ones who started at 2.
Focusing too much on reading rather than active play can cause damage to portions of the brain that are developing at this time connected to balance, play, etc. In other words, a 2 year old doesn't need to read. But a 2 year old does need to learn to walk along a wall balancing, to bounce a ball, to kick a ball, to pour from one cup to the other, etc. The brain develops these areas before it develops those areas used in reading, and there's some studies that suggest that when you push one area of the brain before it's ready then you cause underdevelopment of other parts of the brain, or problems later on."

Well..., that's all people! I don't think I will PUSH my baby to read, but just continue to read things aloud and talk to her, and if she finds the program interesting so be it!

link to the info....
more info..

Nature Walks - Spring

Who needs the botanic gardens when live you in a neighborhood with so much floral life!
(can you say ACHOOOO!)

Look at Hana in the pear tree! -------------->
(I didn't even know what kind of tree it was until we got home and I looked it up!.....awesome).


Thursday was another warm day so I decided to take the family on a nature walk after we finished our errands. The flowering trees seemed so alive and aromatic. The flowers were also vibrant and playful in the wind, so I stopped for a few quick pictures. We had lots of fun posing in the foliage, sniffing each flower as we passed and learning a little bit more about our neighborhood's "garden" .

Moo'n at the Q - First BBQ of The Year

Welcome to another one of my SEASON'S FIRST BBQ's!

It was warmer this year than my first BBQ last year, and we had a few more friends in attendance as well! Most importantly it was my baby's first BBQ outside my tummy! Things went as well as expected.

First came the shopping......Tuesday was the day I headed out with my sister and Hana in tow to collect the needed items from the supermarket. She loves riding around in the shopping cart and I make sure she is strapped in because she likes to reach out for whatever she can grab.

Fast forward past a whole night of prepping macaroni salad, burgers, and ribs. Then we come to the actual cook out itself.

A few good things happened....one.... the two grills lit on the first try. Either I am getting real good at this or the sun was soo hot that it started the lighter fluid on the bricks all alone...LOL Two...my family and friends showed up as promised! I have not seen some of them for the longest time! It was a great way to kick off the spring! Three.....it was also my friends son Christopher's birthday! so along with my BBQ food, we had cake too. now. Four...My Hana pants was nice enough to let our friends hold her! She didn't do her usual "give me back to mommy" dance. She was a nice friendly mamabear!

Feeding her was a success I guess. I didn't pack any bottles, ...a though at times I really wish I did. It's hard being the grill master and a nursing mommy. Once during the BBQ she did get real fussy and I had to pass off the GM duty for a bit. Everyone didn't care too much that I nursed right there in public because I think I've talked their collective ears off about breastfeeding to the point that they expect me to nurse wherever they see me =^_^= ! In my experience nursing always beats trying to heat up a bottle in the middle of a park, or trying to clean off the nipple of a bottle that's taken a fall onto the dirty ground...eek!

There was also something else that happened at the cookout. It's kinda funny and kinda scary. My friends husband had two small birds swoop down into his plate! Apparently the birds were fighting (over what I do not know lol) and dropped out of the sky right into his lap then recovered and flew right back into the trees next to us!! What's even funnier is that they continued to fight and we could still see them in the tree! Those little buggers were like a looming threat of attacking bird until we left, and we didn't leave until some time after 7.

Baby talk: Hana's Favorite Word

Seems I've got a little chatter box in the house! Sunny sunflower Hana says Dada..da...da all the time. Happily she can say other "words" too....but it bugs me that mama is not the one she says all the time lol.

Dad LOVES LOVES when she goes into "babble DADA mode".
This ones for u dad!

Wordless Wednesday: baby's first BBQ

Learning About Her Milk

My curious little flower.

Just a few minuets ago I was sitting on my couch nursing a fussy little girl. She didn't seem her super hungry self because she was distracted from the entire nursing session. What happened next I wish I could have captured on video, but then again I don't think I could have posted that up anywhere lol...

Hana stopped nursing, focused intently on the end of my breast where the milk comes out and began to study it. She pulled and pushed it as if she was trying to figure out how it worked...aside from drinking from it. The funniest part was when she pulled it for the second time. SHE SPRAYED HERSELF IN THE FACE with the milk!!! I did everything in my power to keep from erupting into laughter! She was soo surprised, but not deterred. She concentrated so hard on trying to understand the mechanics of where her milk comes from. I have to say that about 1/2 an ounce of milk was wasted from her "experiment". Every drop that came out she intently focused on. Then to my amused delight she did it again, what a riot!!!!!!!!!!! It was worth putting up with the pinching and semi-painful pulling just to see the look on her face for the second time! How priceless. This ones going down in her baby book, just in case I don't remember it when she's older.

I hope that satisfied her curiosity, because I dont think I can take the prodding again.

Holy Nursing

One Year Later.......

<-----This was me doing the Easter belly bunny hop when Hana was 24weeks old (in-utero) in 2009. At the church services she was a little fiesty but overall behaved. This year ----->
my little flower was out of the oven and still managed the same behavior! lol.




At the beginning of the service I noticed we managed to sit in the row with the most infants..lol. All little girls! Hana loved it. She looked all around, babbling at the babies that were close by. The boys and my niece & nephew sat in the row in front of us, and my sister and the little ones sat in the row before them. My little mama was very talkative indeed. So much so that she insisted on yelling "ba-ba-ba-yum-yum yum" at various times during the service. She did cry a little bit and I tried to quiet her down with nursing but she was still full of energy. With all the hymns and music she was too distracted to nurse for long. She kept whipping her head around at every baby's squeal, trying to see who made the noise. One thing about nursing in church that's nice is no one ever gives you dirty looks, nor does anyone stare. It's my favorite place outside of home to feed my baby, lol.

One tidbit.........she was not the most fussy baby there by any stretch of the imagination. A few other babies started crying off and on, and my young nephew hummed his way through a few minuets of worship. All together it was not a noisy service, the babies just added their two cents every so often =^_^=.

After the service, instead of sticking around for the egg hunt, we took advantage of the nice weather and spring foliage to take some family photos in the garden and have a picnic at the nearby park. The boys ran about under the sakura trees, and played tag with their cousins...getting a little messy in the process. I didn't think to bring the good camera, but still made do with the phone's abilities.

It was a good first Easter for Hana and for the whole family!

Hana@Play

We've discovered the best place to play in the park, and it's all our own!

An idea so diabolical, so utter & deliciously devious it should be a crime that I didn't ever think of this before when the boys were small! Somehow no one I know of has ever put the world of inside play together with the world of outside playground fun. The Idea came to me on one of our last outings to the park when Hana met a baby friend to play with. That mommy brought a ball for her baby to play with. She confidently sat him down on the rubber area that runs bigger than the length of the jungle gym and rolled the ball with him. That's when the idea hit me! I was a little nervous about sitting Hana on the ground and wished someone had brought along a blanket to sit the kiddos on. Well as I tend to do......I took that thought, kicked it up a few notches and BAM! Baby blanket outside play ground was born!

Ok..Ok.....yes,...........it's just one of her indoor play blankets (that used to be her older brother's when he was a baby) with some of her favorite toys tossed on for extra fun, but since she is not up and running around yet, I thought this would be perfect fun for her while her big bros enjoy the big kid park.

The real trick here is finding a section in the playground that protects her from flying balls and reckless tots steering wildly and wailing as they topple over (hopefully not onto my baby lol). With the myriad of things to watch out for, I think I bumped into the perfect spot for us to play! Its located right on one of the corners of the baby swing area. It's fenced in, and not very crowded. In essence our little corner functioned like a baby play yard if your will. Hana played on the blanket with her toys and then got to stand up and cruise by holding onto the sides of the gate enclosure. Even when she got a little fussy and wanted some movement a quick swing ride was just two steps away!! Genius if I do say so myself!

I think I introduced a new way for moms of younger babies to play with their little ones at the park in my neighborhood. Every mom who passed us exclaimed how they loved the idea and will bring their things to join us next time! It goes without saying that Hana made a few more friends. All the babies who could toddle made a bee line straight for Hana's little toy filled section. Until she can run about, this will be our little thing!

Hana's sun room!