ONE YEAR!!

It's been one year since I went into labor. One year since I was in the hospital. One year since my baby girl arrived into this world.

Our Weekend in Boston

We had a lot of fun in Boston this weekend. Jo Jo was such a good girl. She played, napped, ate, slept at night. She did all those things! The only thing is, Momma needed to do all those things with her. Separation anxiety is strong for both of us. My darling baby likes it when I'm the one holding her. A good trick is to take her from me and I run away. She is unsuspecting sometimes and will go along for about 30 minutes before she realizes I'm not nearby.

We took the train to and from Boston and the ride was great. Jo was a great rider. She slept a little, watched youtube, played in the Cafe car. On our way home, as we were entering Penn Station, Victor and I looked at her and realized she had fallen asleep in my arms. Little angel.

Today, she stood up all on her own. Without anything to help her!!!!

And today was also Jacky's first day of Pre-K. She didn't cry. When Winston picked her up, she said "I had a great time." I hope Josephine will be like Jacky and not like her mommy who cried and cried and cried and cried!

No picture today. I will upload my Boston pics in another entry.

P.S. Jo is now an expert head shaker. She shakes her head 'no' to everything you ask her. Even when she wants something, she still shakes her head.

Sleep (again...)

Well it took 4 days to get Josephine back on track. Not bad! She had 2 wonderful naps today and is now asleep (@ 7:15 pm). She was sooooo happy today! She must be so tired from walking so much with the walker and doll stroller. She walked back and forth and poor mommy was hunched over most of the time making sure she did not fall over and bonk her head.

Tomorrow we go to Boston. I'm really excited. And kind of nervous at the same time. I know I should just relax and know that whatever happens this weekend (all the noise and meals and playing) will undoubtedly throw Jo Jo's sleep schedule off. I will be able to get her back to 2 naps and sleeping by 8 pm in just a few days. I can do it! I just hope the 6:30 dinner at Legal Seafoods doesn't turn into a 3-hour meal. I don't know how Jo will sit thru such a long dinner! I know that she will be very excited to see Aidan and Mac. She loves to watch kids. It's funny that she has this affinity for children. She is going to have such a good time crawling around my sister's house. Adam and Chloe will be there for part of the weekend as well. I hope her eczema is not too bad this weekend.

I'm such a mommy. Worrying...

Now what picture should I post? Not another sleeping Josephine! Actually, when Josephine came home with us from the hospital, we took so many sleeping pictures of her. So here's one from the 1st month. We put her on top of a tempur pedic pillow so that we could look at her while we all laid in bed together. My sweet little girl. Mommy's obsessed!!



P.S. Little girl is asleep across my lap!! So sweet. I love how close we are!!

Chunky Arms

My daughter was not born with chunky arms. They just appeared some time between her first and second month. Her arms are so wonderfully segmented. I've looked at quite a number of babies and don't see all the fat folds that Josephine has. Other babies are so skinny! Well over the past 11 months, the arms got really fat, but now that she is starting to grow longer and moving like a maniac, her fat seems to be disappearing. The "lotus root" arms are still there, but the folds are just not that deep anymore. We used to have to peel back her fat just to get the lint out. She would have the dirtiest wrists. And I've been told that once she starts walking, then the fat folds will go away. This all makes me so sad. I love everything about my daughter including those fat folds. Next her thunder thighs are going to go away...right?

I've always loved being skinny myself, but seeing all the fat on my daughter just makes me so happy. When I took Jo Jo to Chinatown one day, someone said to me "She is so fat! What a good job you are doing!" I'm a great mommy because my daughter is fat?! Well, I think she meant that I was taking good care of my daughter and she was well nourished. Ha! I am happy that I'm not the only admirer of her fat. I wonder if she will be a fat teenager? How would my daughter feel if she grows up fat and I'm always skinny? She's not full Chinese and she looks just like Daddy, so it's possible that she won't grow up to be a 30-something year old woman wearing size 14 childrens.

I also must mention my daughters fat feet. They are so yummy and I just love to nibble on her cute little toes. Her feet are black. They stick on in the stroller and is the only part of her body that is exposed to direct sunlight.

I like to wonder what my daughter will be like when she is older. I hope she will always love Mommy and Daddy.

Sleep is a Big Deal

In our little family, sleep is very important. Josephine sleeps either at home or at 28 Street. My sisters think I should get out more with the baby and take her out when it is naptime so she can sleep in the stroller. Well this little girl does not fall asleep in the stroller anymore. She used to fall asleep during our walks and I would carry her up the stairs and into her crib. But she really enjoys her outdoors time now and is usually invigorated rather than sedated. She loves when the wind blows in her face and loves to dance while I sing Wiggle songs out loud. We like to walk to the bookstore. I like going to Rite Aid, but Josephine has a problem with browsing and long lines for the cashier. She likes to be in motion. Sometimes we go to the park and she swings around for a while. Sometimes we go to the school by our house and watch the kids play during their recess period. But when it is time to sleep, we both enjoy being in the bed. All her naps are taken in the crib. At night though, she sleeps with me. I can't bear to have her so far away from me. And plus, since I'm still breastfeeding, it is so convenient for us to have her right next to me.

By the way, the 2-nap days were going really well, then we had a 3-nap day and it screwed up her schedule. We had a 2-nap day today, but only because she missed her morning nap. Hopefully tomorrow we will be back to 2 naps. I guess these things happen and we just have to be flexible.

Oh What a Cute Boy!

Is it a boy? No, she is a girl. Oh sorry. What a cute girl!

Stupid people are so stupid. Do boys wear shirts with flowers? Do boys wear ALL pink?

I don't know how to make my daughter more girly. I'm waiting for her hair to grow long so that I can do a ponytail. And then some stupid guy is going to say what a good boy he is. Ugh!

Anyways, Josephine (despite looking like a little boy) is a people magnet. Very often we are in the streets and people will turn around to say hello to her. Or they will say how adorable she is. One woman said "What a delicious baby!" I was so proud.

Eczema

Little Josephine has had eczema for a while now. It was pretty bad several months ago that she scratched her skin so hard that she got an infection and had to be put on antibiotics. Now her skin is manageable but still dry. The really bad patches are her knees and hands. Her back and sides are also dry. Her fat knees get so red and blotchy from her scratching. If her skin is covered, then she can forget about the itching, but she's a tricky girl and knows how to lift her pant legs up so she can scratch. I'm so tired of putting steroids on her even though they work really quickly. The problem is the eczema comes back once I stop using the steroids. So I really don't want to be putting steroids on my baby's skin for months and months or however long. And the stupid dermatologist told me to continue putting on Aquaphor at least twice a day. It doesn't work! Josephine's skin does not absorb any of it. It is truly a skin barrier and that's why it works great for the butt. And it's good as a lip balm. But to moisturize, it's not really that great.

Well, thank goodness for the internet. I've been able to do research on natural remedies. I've found a lot of good reviews on coconut oil and decided to try it. I went to the local health food store called Heath 4 U and got a bottle of Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. I've been applying it morning and night, and my little girl smells so yummy yummy that I just want to eat her up. Her new nickname is Miss Coconut. Another reason why I needed to find a natural solution is because Jo Jo keeps sticking her fingers in her mouth. She is teething and seems to find relief in chewing her fingers. I needed something that could be ingested. Coconut oil can be used in cooking and baking! Some people take it as a supplement or apply topically. I also read that I could take flax oil (which is very high in omega fats) and Josephine will reap the benefits from my breastmilk. Dr. Sear's fish oil is better so my husband is going to get me the fish oil. By the way, taking oil is disgusting. I have texture problems and drinking a tablespoon of oil falls into that category for me. It would be okay if it was oil and steak or oil and fried chicken. But just oil by itself!? Blech! I took fish oil when I was pregnant. I think my baby has great vision. Maybe it's from the fish oil I took.

Throughout the day I also put calendula cream and borage cream on her hands, knees and back. It seems like a lot of work but I love massaging my little girl's chunky arms and pudgy legs. She seems to enjoy it (sometimes).

I am so tired. Yesterday I made 2 trips to Union Square. Once to Babies R Us and the second time to the Farmer's Market. Both times I came back with some heavy items. I bought plants and spent some time pulling up all my weeds and planting the new flowers. I'm sore and exhausted. Night night!

Picture below was taken when Josephine was about 7 months. She still wears mittens to sleep! We don't want any more infections!