Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Zara's Eighth Month

Eight months! :) Most Chinese consider it a lucky number..for us, it is both a lucky and a happy one and for many reasons! Best of which is the "return of the comeback" (haha too corny?) of Z's maternal grandparents (yep, my mom and dad!!!). It was so much fun seeing her reaction to these new set of loving arms, faces and hearts!

Well I myself have always wondered what kind of family dynamics we will have now? I mean they have always seen Z but mostly through pictures or Facetime communication only. Will it be familiarly strange or a strangely familiar feeling? 

It's so heart-warming to see how even after 8 months of absence, the love between them is undeniably strong. Sometimes I think my dad wants to see more of his apo than his anak...hahahahaha :)

On her eighth month:
  • Baby started taking to food! Oh what a happy surprise! This is something I have prayed about often, coming from an "unsuccessful" start at BLW. 
  • She really is more and more a sociable baby! Stringing syllables for baby sentences! Even as we pray the rosary, she tries to imitate mommy :)
  • She loves to cruise around her crib...though she still detests being put inside it when asleep! Hahahaha..
  • She's having so much fun with the walker her lolo and lola gave to her!
  • Mommy and Daddy are still planning her 1st birthday party. Our guiding principle is to only spend as we can afford, and should be definitely below our means. We don't want to blow the bank with a single event!
  • The best part I guess is that we have started bringing her with us as we hear Mass every Sunday! Of course, it helps that we bring along her Baby K'Tan or Tula Baby Carrier so she can nap instead of fussing around.













Friday, September 19, 2014

First look: Unboxing our Tula Baby Carrier!

Okay, I couldn't help but make a blog post about this because I've been sooo excited since I got the USPS advise that it was already shipped to Johnny Air's US office! :) We finally received the much-awaited package yesterday..Yipeedoooodles!!!! :D



Sharing with you some "first look" (naks!) pictures of Tula love and my Baby love! :) 

All the way from Poland. My, my...have you traveled far!

Johnny Air Cargo (JAC) Kuyas just delivered our fluffy mail!

Tula packaging. Such an exciting feeling to peel off the courier's plastic wrapping! Hahaha...is this really what motherhood does? I normally just pass by without much care for the mall's baby stuff in the past. Now most of my breastfeeding time is spent reviewing baby products online! :)



Oooooohhhh the anticipation. As I uncovered it step by step, I saw Z's yaya smiling and giving out an "ano-ba-yan-si-ate" look hahaha! :)



Yes to more baby wearing days..or should I say, years!!! :) I'd like to say "THANK YOU!" to Daddy A for giving the go signal for this purchase! I know I have allocated a portion of my earnings for this but because we're married, it's no longer just 'my' money but "our family's" money. Besides, I don't think it would be a good 'surprise' for him to see a box of Tula without much of an explanation. Haha..di ba? Thank you Daddy-love for supporting baby wearing! I'm excited to share this special baby bonding moment with you! *kisses!*

Are you happy Baby Z?! :)
This package made me sooo happy even if I was still saddled with 4-day fever & colds
We're so pleased with our Tula Standard Gray Zigzag Baby Carrier! :) Did you guess right from my last post? Now to test it out with Daddy A & Baby Z! :)

Please stay tuned for more of our baby wearing adventures with a Soft-Structured Carrier (SSC) now! :)

Questions? Let me know in the comments section. Happy baby wearing! :)

Baby Meal: Squash, Malunggay and Apple

Hey there mommies! Just want to share Z's meal today, lovingly prepared by her yaya and moi! It's been almost a month of her eating squash + something. That something is usually either sweet potato (kamote) or a small portion of banana (latundan variant). 

Today I decided to let her have her first taste of greens :) And what better to eat than malunggay! Would she love it? I certainly hope so! :)

The first picture shows the goods. Yep, we tried BLW or baby-led weaning on her 6th month but she was not too keen on picking up food and eating it on her own. Despite my earnest wish for her to learn to feed herself, alas, it isn't to be...at least not yet. Since complementary food is very important at this point and I wanted to support healthy brain development and myelination, I "gave in" to traditional weaning. That is, spoon feeding of mashed food for the first stage of weaning. It ain't so bad except that it can still get messy and usually takes us an hour to finish a meal! Although I felt it was sort of a compromise, I'm still happy she's still getting breastmilk and healthy first foods..swak sa "Tamang Kain!"


Malunggay, Kamote and Apple
Z likes to eat squash because it is naturally sweet. I guess she also likes the texture it provides when mixed with breast milk. The color could be interesting for her too! We peel and remove the seeds and then boil it with just the right amount of water until it is soft. We then let it cool and mash it with a fork.


Mashed Kalabasa
Malunggay is a very nutritious vegetable. Sometimes even referred to as "miracle food". Add to that, it's highly available in the Philippines. So introducing it to her and to our future meals is healthy, sustainable and easy on the pocket. According to Sunstar:

"Nutritionists aver that 100 grams of malunggay leaves yield the following: 75 calories of energy (higher than ampalaya, squash, tomatoes, or carrots), 5.9 grams protein (higher than cauliflower, lettuce, or mustard), 12.8 grams carbohydrate (higher than okra, papaya, or watermelon), 353 milligrams calcium (higher than gabi leaves, mung beans, squash, and camote tops), 3.7 milligrams niacin (higher than other vegetables analyzed). And for thiamin, phosphorus, and ascorbic acid, malunggay is at the top of the list. 
In addition, nutritionists affirm that 200 grams of malunggay leaves would give a nutritive value roughly equivalent to four eggs and two glasses of milk. Its iron compound prevents deficiency of red blood cells known as anemia. And being a very rich source of calcium, it aids in maintaining healthy bones and teeth. 
Malunggay is also rich in vitamin A (higher than red and green mung beans, radish, or eggplant), thus helping prevent xerophthalmia, a disease of the eye."
So much health benefits in this little package! We prepared this by separating the leaves from the stalks. We boiled it and then used our Ninja food processor so that it will be easier for baby to digest it. 

Malunggay leaves

This red fella probably doesn't need an introduction! Aside from added sweetness to the meal, here are some health benefits from Parenting Healthy Babies website


An apple a day, keeps the doctor away
The healthy mix! Because she tends not to finish everything, I just make spoonfuls of this mixture so that we don't throw out food. Breast milk is hand expressed and transferred here and the apple bits are added on top. See the spoonful in the picture below.

Looks yummy? Of course I always taste it before giving to her..but of course, before I put in the breast milk! Hehe..

Ehrrmmmm...what can I say? Life with a baby isn't always glamorous! Welcome to the real world mommies! Hehehe..Here I am wearing a mask to prevent the transfer of my colds virus to baby. I've been sick since Monday..waaah!! The get-up is to account for the fact that I was supposed to take a bath already! Hahaha :)


This is her, probably a bit full already. She's playing with her rubber ducky as she's preparing for her bath too! See the little goblet to your left? That's the only way she would drink water!! She doesn't take to a sippy cup yet and for some reason, she expects her baby bottles to only contain my milk!

Oh what a mess we make, baby! But I guess these are the moments that make it worth it :)
A spoonful of health! See the apple bits on top - added crunch and flavor! :)

That's it for now! Baby-led weaning or Traditional weaning, HEALTHY EATING or TAMANG KAIN wins, hands down! :)

Disclaimer: Please always check with your pediatrician or health provider before offering food to your baby. Please also check with them first before mixing different food. 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Happy Second Wedding Anniversary!

Two years married, eleven years in love (or baka 12 years from your POV bwahahaha:p) and one baby now! This is a special day indeed!! I thank God for loving me so much He gave me you! Everyday I learn from your examples of kindness, generosity and love.

Let me just say how much happiness fills my heart everyday that I wake up next to you and our little one, smelly nappies and all Thank you so much daddy-love and I will never tire of saying how much I love you!

Happy Anniversary, baby! 




P.S. Thank you for *my oven* (yipee!! hahaha) will do my best to bake something for you this week Ang tagal lang mag kick-in ng sterimar-allerta-biogesic-etc.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Tula Love!

Aaaaggghhhhh....I can't wait (and obviously I can't contain my excitement!)!!! :) Our Tula is coming to town! Hahahaha...the little girl in me thinks Christmas is coming early!! :)

Oh the changes that motherhood brings. If clothes, make-up and gadgets used to make me giddy in the past, kamusta naman ngayon that baby carriers are now UP there in my mommy shopping list! 

The past 7 1/2 months have been all about learning and using our ring sling (Mamaway) and hybrid carriers (Saya & Baby K'tan Breeze). And just when I feel we're getting the hang of it, Z is getting too heavy to be worn in those carriers. The Saya & K'tan are actually supposed to be good up to 35 lbs.; but at 15+ lbs., ackk, my lower back is terribly in pain after babywearing. But, I won't stop babywearing just yet because I see the benefits for my child. And the obvious benefits for us especially when we venture outside...it's the only thing that'll help her sleep! I hate to admit it but in this department, the stroller definitely just won't cut it (Oh but it's useful to haul our bags and shopping finds!).

So the natural course of action is to transition into a more comfy (both for baby & me) carrier that we can use well into toddler years..say up to 3-4 years? And the great thing about it is I get to share the joy of babywearing with hubby A..yay!! :)

The nice thing about Tula carriers is that they offer 2 sizes - Standard and Toddler. Based on most reviews, the Standard (their smallest) is wee bit bigger than Ergo, Beco and Bjorn. Tula Standard can last you up to 45 lbs, and if you so wish, you could also buy a Free to Grow extension accessory. According to their site, the free to grow "attaches to the panel of the carrier and allows you to comfortably wear your older children." The Tula Toddler carrier is for bigger children. It's designed for children from 18 months (or about 25 lbs) to 4+ years old (up to 50 lbs.); and they don't recommend it until the child reaches 32 inches or taller. 

Because I want our Tula carrier to be future-proof (i.e., we can use it for longer, hence savings also for us), I initially thought of buying the Tula Toddler. But then reading their specifications, it seemed that we are currently 'between sizes'. So I sent them an email inquiring about this dilemma and let me just say that they are so helpful and customer-oriented! I love that in companies I support. Cassiopeia of Tula carriers directed me towards the Standard Tula and the option of getting a Free to Grow extension accessory, so that's what I chose! For Filipino parents, you can shop on their website or find stocks in Amazon and ship to the Philippines using Johnny Air Cargo (JAC) service. I finished the transaction last August 27 and now I have received their notification that it is ready to ship! :)

And have I mentioned that they have awesome, cutesy and cool prints? Here's a sneak preview of our soon-to-be baby carrier. I'll be posting some of the designs I like, but if I could...oh I'd love to sample all of these!! Maybe for a Tula Toddler in the future? Abangan!

Find out more at: tulababycarriers.com

Chloe

Gray Zig Zag

Billow

Hot Air Balloon

Folk Birds

NOTE: All photos are from Tula Baby Carriers website.

Can you guess which design we're having?

How soon did you transition from sling, hybrid, wrap to a soft-structured carrier (SSC)?

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