We Have a Talker!

Rory said her first word a few weeks ago, and now has a total of three words in her vocabulary: daddy, doggy, and pula. Pula is the Portuguese word for "jump", and we owe this word to my favorite Brazilian, Xuxa.

It started with the word "daddy", and I'm not going to pretend that I wasn't a little bitter that her first word wasn't "mommy" or "mama". (Those of you who know me would never believe me anyway.) I mean, I'm the one who gave birth to her-without drugs. I'm the one who changes 85% of her diapers, and I'm the one who uses my shirt to wipe her nose when she sneezes at the park (her daddy just looks at her in disgust), but I don't mind that "mommy" wasn't her first word. Or her second, or even her third. Nope, not bitter at all.

So, even though I was a little perturbed that "daddy" was her first word, I quickly got over it...And not because I'm the bigger person (obviously), but because I discovered that it actually benefits me. You see, we Marcos made a reeeaaalllly big deal out of it the first time she said "daddy"(it was quite embarrassing, now that I think about it), so of course now she says it all the time. Everyone and everything is "daddy". So, naturally, when she wakes up at 5 am, the first thing she says is "daddy!". And naturally, Marcos and I both pretend not to hear her talking through the monitor. (It's like a parental version of  the game "chicken".)

"Daaaadddy! DADDY!" 

And this is when I roll over, nudge Marcos awake, and say, "she's calling for you, daddy". Karma is a beautiful thing, my friends.

This picture has nothing to do with her first words...I just think it's hilarious. Talk about perfect toy placement. 

Random Updates

I know all three of my readers haven't been able to sleep because they spend their nights wondering what we're up to in the Fukumoto household. I decided to end their senseless torture and tie up some loose ends.

1. Capsule Wardrobe

I'm going to be honest here...I started out with the best of intentions, but I've reverted back to old habits, and on most days, I reach for my yoga pants or norts. Maybe when Rory isn't constantly getting into things she shouldn't be, and I'm not crawling after her in the sandbox, it may make more sense to wear nicer clothes, but for now, loose, comfortable clothing just makes sense. I am making more of an effort on weekends, and the idea of a capsule wardrobe has helped me in other ways. I've cleaned out my closet, identified my "uniform", and I find it easier to resist impulse purchases. It also prevented me from overpacking for San Francisco. I used all but one of the clothing items I brought because I thought in terms of outfits rather than individual pieces. I still plan on creating a fall capsule wardrobe because I like the idea of condensing my clothing and focusing on versatile pieces that make sense for the upcoming season and my lifestyle. My friend, Karla, has done an awesome job with her CW. She posts her outfits on Instagram daily...and she has two boys under the age of five, so I really have no excuse. Perhaps I need to post my outfits on my blog...a little accountability goes a long way. Or so I've been told.

2. The Basement

Our basement is finally finished...after 7 long weeks. The original estimate for completion was three weeks, but when do contractors ever finish on time? Marcos and I decided to paint the room ourselves in order to save some money, and if we had to do it again, I'm pretty sure we would have happily shelled out the dough. It was a long, tedious process made even longer by the fact that we have a 10 month old. This means that we could only paint during nap times and when she was in bed for the night. It seemed like it would never end. But, of course, it did end, and now we are enjoying the extra space. It's one big room, but we designated one half as a TV/movie watching area and the other half as Rory's play space. We also plan to put visitors down here where it's quiet and cool and there isn't a baby in the next room who makes up before it's light outside.

3. Feeding/Breastfeeding

Several people have commented on what a good eater Rory is. She pretty much eats whatever we put in front of her. (And whatever she finds on the floor.) I'm sure that will change and there will come a day when she refuses to eat anything except chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. But for now, she is into hummus, mushroom risotto, vegetarian Shepard's pie, you name it. She pretty much feeds herself at this point, but I do spoon feed her yogurt and oatmeal.

Ahhh....breastfeeding. My struggle with BF was one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place, but Rory and I have come a long way. I have to admit, I never really grew to love it...but I did grow not to hate it. (If that's not a ringing endorsement for breastfeeding, I don't know what is.) Rory is now feeding twice a day, once in the morning, and once at night. I plan to go down to just the nighttime feeding in a few weeks, and hopefully she will be completely weaned by one year. I've tried giving her some whole milk to replace her midday feedings, but she's not a fan. So, I use it in her oatmeal instead. I worry about her getting enough vitamins and nutrients, and I know a lot of people would say that twice a day isn't enough for a 10.5 month old, but it's working for us. And if there's anything I've learned from this whole BF process, it's that you can't listen to other people. You have to do what's right for you and your baby.



4. Cloth Diapers

We ended up getting a new washer a few months ago because our old one wasn't agitating...which is important. I love our new front load washer, and it's been great for CD, but lately her diapers have been reeking of ammonia. (Once they've been sitting in her pail for a few hours.) I spoke to several friends and called our local CD store to ask for some advice, and I came to the following conclusions.

1. The ammonia smell may be the result of too much detergent (build up)
2. ...Or it may be the result of too little detergent
3. My HE washer may not be using enough water to wash the dipes
4. I may need to do more rinses
5. I may need to strip my diapers
6. I may need to change my wash routine
7. I may need to wash my diapers more often

Notice how there's a whole lot of maybes? This whole CD thing is all trial and error. One of my friends suggested using Funk Rock Ammonia Bouncer, so I've been using two tablespoons in the prewash cycle, and that seems to be helping. I didn't realize that I should only be using half a scoop of the recommended amount of detergent, so I'm almost positive the ammonia is a result of build up rather than too little detergent. I really wanted to avoid using bleach to strip my diapers, but the smell isn't 100% gone, so I may have to bite the bullet. I don't mind doing a few extra rinses, but one of the main reasons I use CD is to save water/money, and if I'm rinsing my cloth diapers five times every other day, that seems to defeat the purpose. After doing some research and going back to the drawing board, my new wash routine is as follows:

Quick wash with two tablespoons of Funk Rock (warm)
Normal wash with half a scoop of Country Save detergent and an extra rinse (hot)

If the smell gets any worse, I will try to add more rinses or strip with bleach. I've also gotten better about washing every other day, and I think that's been helping. Three days is too long to go without washing. The nice woman from the store who tried helping me over the phone also suggested that I put a towel in with my diapers to trick the washer into using more water.




5. Sleep

Rory has been sleeping through the night since 6.5 months, and I couldn't be more relieved. Sleep deprivation was by far the hardest part about being a new parent. From about 4 to 6 months she was only waking up once a night, which wasn't bad, but sometimes it would take me hours to fall back asleep. Rory's naps are also much better. She naps twice a day, for a total of about 3 hours. Her naps range anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, but as long as she wakes up happy, I don't stress about it. Looking back on how obsessed concerned I was about her sleep habits, I realize how much time and energy I wasted worrying about her short naps and her midnight feedings. Sleeping through the night and condensed daytime sleep are developmental milestones. You can't rush it...it happens when they're ready. I have several friends with babies who are Rory's age, and their sleep habits are across the board. Some have been sleeping through the night since a few months, and some are still waking up for a feeding. Some take three naps, and some are already down to one. One think I know for sure is that I won't worry so much with baby number 2...mostly because I have no choice but to be more easy-going with two children, but also because I know now that all phases, good or bad, come to an end.

Three Things Thursday

1. Chalk Paint

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know what chalk paint is. It basically turns any old piece of furniture into...a much better looking piece of old furniture. We recently finished our basement, and we needed some side tables, but we didn't have a lot of money to spend, so I decided to try my hand at refinishing some cast offs I found through an online garage sale. We got large, solid wood end tables for $50, but I wasn't a fan of the oak color. I did some research online and quickly discovered that chalk paint is hella expensive. Fortunately, I found a magical powder on amazon for $20 that turns any can of flat latex paint into chalk paint. You simply add one cup for every gallon, stir, and voila....chalk paint that doesn't break the bank. I painted the end tables white and did some distressing. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out:

And why stop at end tables?

I found 2 of these mini chairs on the same site for $5 for the pair and chalk painted them a pale pink for Rory. Add a $10 Lack table from Ikea, and she has the perfect spot for her future tea parties.

I'm also in the process of painting our old Expedit bookcase to use as toy storage in the basement and an antique dresser for our bedroom that I found on Craigslist. Let's just hope chalk paint doesn't go out of style anytime soon.

2. Babysitting Swaps

We are very lucky to have awesome neighbors. They are some of the kindest, most helpful people I have ever met. When we brought Rory home from the hospital, they brought us several delicious meals and Amanda helped me a lot with breastfeeding in the beginning. She stays at home with her three boys, so we see each other quite often. A few months ago, we started a babysitting swap every few weeks. Here's how it works: On Friday night, Marcos and I go out to dinner/shopping/out for a drink and Amanda stays with Rory. On Saturday night we return the favor, and I stay with the boys while she and her husband go out for a few hours. It's the perfect arrangement because I trust her 100% and we don't have to shell out $50 to have a few hours of alone time. We paid $80 for three hours of babysitting in San Francisco...and Rory was asleep the whole time! I highly recommend making a similar arrangement with you neighbors/friends who also have kids.

3. Meal Planning

I've mentioned before what a terrible mediocre cook I am. Once 3:00 rolls around, I open the fridge and pantry doors and stare at their contents in the hopes that something will jump out and shout, "Make me!" (Disney style.) This rarely happens, so I end up throwing something together last minute while Rory throws tupperware lids around and begs to be picked up. My goal is to begin planning meals before I go grocery shopping in the hopes that I'll be better prepared for dinner time. I found some great blogs that list weekly meal plans as well as the corresponding recipes and shopping lists.

http://www.mealplanning101.com/

I'm ashamed to say that I've attempted meal planning more times than I can count, but the 100th times the charm, right?

Snake!

Our First Trip With Baby

We spent all of last week in San Francisco visiting Rory's godfather, Paulo. Marcos had the opportunity to do a work training in SF, and we decided to join him and take a mini-vacation. Turns out, traveling with a baby, even if it's to someplace exotic like Figi, does not equal a vacation.

The night before we left I had so much anxiety about the trip that I had trouble falling asleep. 

What if she cries on the plane?

What if we forget something important?

What if she doesn't nap or sleep through the night?

What if they lose our luggage?

What if she cuts a tooth?
What if I'm attacked by liberals?

I wasted a lot of energy worrying because there were no major issues. Rory slept about an hour on the plane each way and played with the emergency instruction card for the remainder of the flight. Once we landed, we had to ride the BART for about 45 minutes and then take a taxi to Paulo's apartment. Considering the fact that she woke up earlier than usual and had a short nap, Rory was a champ. I'm not saying it was easy, but it wasn't a nightmare. 

Paulo has a one-bedroom apartment on the third floor of a walk-up building in the Marina district of San Francisco. It's a beautiful area with lots to do within walking distance. Rory and I were pretty much on our own for most of the day because Paulo and Marcos were working from the apartment. We walked to get coffee, did some shopping, and played at a local park. In the afternoons we would walk to the water where Rory pointed to every seagull she saw. 

Naptime was a little tricky at first. Rory is used to napping in a dark room and her sound machine, so she had trouble falling asleep in the bedroom. Once we noticed that Paulo's closet was much darker, we put her crib in there, and she fell asleep much faster. (It's a big closet.) Paulo doesn't have any children, but he will be much better prepared now when that day comes, thanks to Rory. He quickly learned that his shot glass collection will need to be stored somewhere high and even things like window blind cords are hazardous. I can only imagine the sigh of relief he let out when we drove away from his apartment towards the San Francisco airport. 

We were also able to go out one night because Paulo's girlfriend arranged to have a babysitter come and stay with Rory after we put her to sleep. It was nice to go out sans-baby, but when your daughter wakes up at 5:30 am, you can't really go too crazy. (Translation: one vodka soda and half a Bud Light) Mostly, I just felt old. Also, I realized I need to listen to the radio more. The only songs I recognized were from circa 2002. Our last trip to San Francisco involved 6  hours of bar hopping...the details of which I'm still trying to piece together. A lot has changed in two years. 

San Francisco is a beautiful place. I already can't wait to go back. Rory experienced lots of firsts during this trip: first airplane ride, first subway ride, first taxi ride, first time in a different state, first time seeing the ocean. Of course, it felt good to come home and sleep in our own bed, but I miss the hustle and bustle of the city and being able to walk to the ocean. Here are some snapshots from our week in San Fran; 

Rory's first plane ride.

Almond croissant. Pretty much the best thing I've ever tasted. 

Playing at the Apple store. 

We didn't bring many toys with us, but Tio Paulo also has a Tupperware cabinet, so Rory was all set.

The Golden Gate Bridge from Paulo's apartment. Must be tough to work from home when you have this view. 

Rory's nap space. 

Rory and Paulo. 

Swinging at the park. 

Watching the seals at Fisherman's Wharf. 

The ocean. 

Family shot. 

The day after we returned home. This is what happens when you mess with a baby's schedule.

Rory Keiko: Ten Month Update

Rory,

If I had to choose one word to describe you this month it would be curious. You want to see, touch, and taste everything. It's so fun to see you experiencing things for the first time, from the shower to your tricycle.

You have started copying everything we say and do. You know to put your pretend phone to your ear, and just the other day, you said "e-i-e-i" after hearing us sing "Old McDonald". (You can't quite get the "o" sound at the end.)

You are such a happy, friendly baby. Amy, our favorite barista at Starbucks, has nicknamed you smiles because every time you see her, you scrunch up your nose and give her a huge grin. You still love to swing and play in the sandbox, and you are becoming increasingly aware of other children at the park. You like to sit and watch the bigger kids dig and build sand castles.

The most exciting thing to happen this month was our trip to Steamboat Springs with Conrad and Avery. I was so nervous because you had never slept away from home before, but you did great. You adapted quite easily to your new surroundings and you loved your first gondola ride up to the mountains.

Auntie Joanie and Uncle Bob came to visit this month, and to say they loved you would be an understatement. Aunt Joanie took more pictures of you in two days than I've taken in ten months! You are so lucky to have so many people who love and adore you.

You now have 6 teeth and are starting to use your walker to cruise around the house. I don't think it will be long before you are able to walk. Every time I turn my back, you are half way up the stairs, but you still haven't figured out how to go down. One of your favorite activities is to stand at the screen door and watch Marli outside in the mornings.

You are able to stay awake longer between naps (usually between 3 and 4 hours), but you still hate the car. And you love your wooden blocks and your Legos, but not to build with. Instead, you take them out of their containers one-by-one and chuck them across the room. We haven't quite mastered the concept of "cleaning up"; although you do love to hear me sing the clean up song and watch me put your blocks away.

Another big milestone happened this month: we left you with a babysitter...while you were awake! Amanda from next door watched you and put you to bed so that daddy and I could go to the Jack Johnson concert. I was nervous that you would cry and be upset, but Amanda said you were very easy and hardly fussed at all.

You're starting to become opinionated, and although I appreciate your spunkiness, it does make life more difficult. You become upset when I tell you no (as in "No, you cannot chew on my phone charger"), and you cry real tears when we leave the park before you're ready.

I can hardly believe that in two short months you will turn one year old. How is that possible? There are days when I would give anything to turn back time to those moments when you fit perfectly in my arms. Just last night I noticed how much your legs hang when I rocked you to sleep. The only thing that keeps me from breaking down into tears each night is thinking of all of the fun things you have yet to experience. I can't wait to take you horse-back riding and to your first fireworks show. Seeing things through your eyes is like experiencing all of life's joys all over again. It is one of the infinite things I love about having you for a daughter. Happy ten months, Rory!

Hi, Marli! 

You and mommy in the mountains. 

Your first gondola ride!

Pointing is your newest trick. Hey you...come and get me!

This is how you carry your giraffe around. 

Playing on the stairs. 

You love your tricycle.

Mommy and daddy love it, too...but for different reasons. 

You think sunglasses are the coolest. 

You wake up so happy...I just wish it wasn't so early. 

Mommy and Rory selfie. 

Pretty in yellow. 

You Know You're a Mom When...

Your kitchen looks like this 75% of the time. What is it about plastic food containers that children find so appealing??