sick days

in all the world there is nothing worse than a sad, sick baby.

on friday I awake terribly early to find a sick kid. santiago, ear infections and croup cough have become the most intimate of friends.

i haul out the infant tylenol and the baby motrin and we spend the weekend in our jams. cleaning and laundry go neglected. mama's hair never gets brushed. there are lots of snuggles on the couch and we watched the lion king and nemo lots and lots and lots of times. oh, and two (2) trips to the urgent care clinic.

urgent care trip #1

trip #2 (does this smiley kid look sick to you? nah. he's totally faking it)

 

last night before bed we rocked back and forth in the warm shower, his sad tired head on my shoulder, while i rubbed his back and sang every lullaby song i know. between sad sighs he perked up a bit and waved at the shower curtain. i imagined he was waving to his angels, who had stopped by to make sure he was okay, and that i was doing my job.

don't worry guys, mama kisses and snuggles cures all! today his fever finally broke. huzzah!

If you're looking for us. . .

we are most likely here:

doing this:

and this:

running up then down the grassy hill at top speed:

 

Happy Weekend to you, friends!

Sugar cookies

I've been feeling ________ lately. You fill in the blank and I'm sure it would describe an emotion my little heart has been experiencing. There is nothing traumatic happening in my life, just life happening in my life. Also, Saturday is my 28th birthday. Yes. 28. Midlife crisis here I come!

In an attempt to overcome this funk, I baked my favorite cookie recipe while Mr. Santiago oversaw the process. He was also the official "Cookie Tester."

Santiago did a marvelous job decorating the sugar cookies,

except I like more cookie in my bite than sprinkles.

One little monkey jumping on the bed, fell off and bumped his head.

My mom always told me, “No matter how careful you are, one day, you will drop the baby.” And I would always nod but think to myself, “NOO. NOT ME. NOT ME. NOT MEEEE!”

Well, substitute “drop the baby” for “let him fall off the bed,” and then, yes. Yes, it’s true. Life is cruel.

This morning, in the split second it took for me to remove my eyes from my cute kid to pick up the pillows from the floor(pillows he threw on the floor, may I add), down he went. BAM.

What followed were the most awful seconds I have endured in recent memory. Oh the guilt! Oh, the horrible, wretched guilt!

Santiago stopped crying almost as soon as I scooped him up, and once I had thoroughly inspected him for scrapes and fractures (all clear!) he flashed me the goofiest, most relieved little teary-eyed smile. I think he mostly got scared from my blood curdling scream than the acutal fall. Immediately I decided I could never forgive myself.

I think the fall may have increased his appetite because he devoured his breakfast.

So. Let’s do this: You tell me your Worst Mom Moment, and then I’ll nod and think, “Oh, I'm not such a bad mother . . .” Oh, c'mon pleeease, for the sake of my sanity.

Baby mine. month ten.

Have I mentioned how much I adore this little boy of mine?

My heart bursts with love every time I hold him, lay eyes upon him, think of him, smell him, hear him, sing to him, read to him, tickle him, bathe him, feed him.

at ten months Santiago is:

a grouchy- growly boy when he skips nap-time
really diggin broccoli 

giving big drooly open-mouth kisses
practically walking
blab-blabbing on the telephone with grandma
loves playing peek-a-boo
already getting into mischief
 happiest in the bathtub

has 8 teeth!

he is a handful
but, I love him so

I like to DANCE!

Santiago has reached the age where anything on TV is super interesting and filled with splendor. Now, I'm not the kind of parent who plops their child in front of the television all day, but do you know what this means? This means we start watching cartoons! Hurrah!

But this is an area of parenting in which I am undereducated. It's been years since I've babysat, and even longer since I've had young siblings, and so all of these kid television programs are entirely foreign to me.

So I began to do some research. . . . Some initial questions: Who is this Caillou person? Why is his head overly large? Why is Handy Manny's tool Turner(the flat head screwdriver) so snotty? Wait, kids are still watching Barney?

And while searching through cartoon channels, I happened upon Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Santiago was a goner, in love forever with Mickey and his chipper friends. You should have seen him! He stared in wide wonder, kicking his legs happily and occasionally even squealing in excitement. He wiggled in delight anytime Mickey so much as glanced in his direction. And the Hot Dog Dance? Forget it. Instant classic.

We also discovered the brilliance of Yo Gabba Gabba. Seriously, Yo Gabba Gabba where have you been all my life question mark?

So, now I must know: WHAT ELSE ARE WE MISSING? Spill it, friends. What programming is worth our eyeballs and what should we avoid?

Baby mine. month eight

When Santiago was born, I thought, "I'm never going to be good at this," and then it just became second nature. He has become an integral part of my life that I can't imagine not being a parent. I've learned to relax and enjoy the good and bad times, because he is growing up so fast. Eventually, he will sleep more (and hopefully so will I), he will be more independent. And over time, he will refuse to be held, instead he'll want to walk. He won't want my help feeding him, he'll want to do it himself. He won't want me to dress him, he'll pick out his own mismatched clothes. And oh, oh, oh, how it's going to make me cry.

I'll bet you can't look at these newborn pictures without smiling....

Every day I wake up wishing for time to rewind. I'd like him to stay a newborn forever. New and fresh and so teeny tiny. And mine, all mine.

And now.... shoot, EIGHT months!

{So, I guess it's time for him to sleep through the night, isn't it?}

Glitter heels!

Every domestic goddess requires the appropriate foot wear to do household chores. And my glitzy pumps are the perfect look for sweeping, scrubbing toilets, washing dishes & baking cookies.

Not to mention they are quite glamorous for reading books.

Thank goodness for comfy socks not because my feet hurt and I was tired. Promise.

YOU want glitter heels!

{am I right or am I right?}

Adventures in sleeping...

We have a great mystery on our hands at the Magana house. Perhaps you can help?

Santiago, who is 8 months old, and who has never slept through the night but, in glorious, magnificent 4-5 hour stretches, is now waking up every 2 hours screaming, crying, staging a revolt, I tell you. So, I dunno, I feed him. BIG mistake! it only gets him more and more worked up. And up at six for the day and I am wrecked. Exhausted. What happened to my semi-good sleeper? Every two hours! What iiiiiiiis thiiiiiiiis?????

Now, I don’t know (I’m just the mom), but it seems to me this could be because:

a.) He is teething. His two front teeth are cutting through(this explains the hands-in-mouth and increased drool). Also doing things that signify he’s feeling discomfort (if not straight-up pain) in his gums.

b.) He is not getting enough to eat during the day. But have you seen this kid? He does not look hungry.

c.) The 8-month sleep regression? sleep regression is a real thing! it's related to a growth spurt(developmental milestones.)

d.) All of the above.

Last night I threw up my hands and gave him a dose of infant Tylenol and he slept for almost four hours, the longest stretch he’s slept in days. And to ease the teething pain I have been giving him Hylands teething tablets, Nenedent numbing gel, soft teethers, frozen chunks of cantaloupe or watermelon inside the mesh food pouch teethers. Oh, and Sophie the giraffe(he loves to chew on her legs.)

What do you think? What are your teething tricks? Your thoughts, Puhhlease!

p.s. have you heard of this?

My body didn't look like this before?

Let's talk about our post-baby bodies. Oh, yes we are!

We all know the drill: Pregnancy is super bizarre. You become even more beautiful. thick hair, amazing skin, and that goddessy glow.

But then! After child birth, suddenly the body you’re left with is entirely foreign to you. Nothing is where it used to be! And, your boobs! What on earth ????? Where did THOSE come from?

Let’s get personal, shall we?

Obviously, you expect certain things will happen to your body. This includes but is not limited to: a wrinkly deflated balloon for an abdomen, boobs the size of cannon balls. Then there is the stuff that catches you entirely off guard. Things like, your feet growing. Or the way certain parts suddenly feel.... different.

My new outtie belly button, which will never look the same again, and the permanently stretched skin on my lower back. Not to mention the complete and total restructuring of my whole body.

At almost 8 months postpartum I weigh 12 lbs. less than my pre-pregnancy weight but, I'm dealing with an entirely new set of proportions. I’ll skip all the rambling and just give you the punch line: My bottom, she is flat. Like a pancake. Where did it go? Could I have pushed my bottom out with my baby? My curves? Gone. I keep expecting them to return from where they've gone (possibly with touristy sunglasses and fanny packs on), but so far.... shoot!

We put up with a lot for what we get out of it in return. We made those babies, can you believe it? Gosh they’re worth it!

Just thinking about it and I’m ready to do it all over again.

What bizarre things happened to your body after your babies left your flesh walls? Let's share our sorrow.

Advice to a new mother.

As one of the newest mommies on the block, I certainly don't claim to know everything about motherhood.... but I do know I love it!

I prepared extensively for labor and birth by reading books, taking a Bradley Method class, and learning everything I could about every possible medical intervention or emergency that could take place. It was the afterward part that I neglected to prepare for. And that was dumb. But I'm learning as I go.... and I would love to share some advice with you new and soon to be mommies!

1. Trust your instincts. You might not think you know what you're doing, but I promise you do. You may be nervous because you've never been a mom, but your child has never been an infant either-- you will figure it out together.

2. You need less than you think. Hold off buying anything but the essentials until a few weeks after your baby is born. You will be surprised at how little you really need to take care of a newborn.

3. Skip the "overnight" maxi pads and just get a pack of Depends. Post-partum bleeding can be really bad. (I wish someone had told me what to expect.)

4. Take lots of pictures and write down all of their milestones. I am sure your child will love to see them someday. (I'm thinking of having each year made into a book.)

5. Expect that it will hurt, expect that it will be hard, and expect that you can do it. You're a woman, after all. You were made for this!

6. Cherish those first few days. They are magic.

- this blog post was an email I wrote to my dear friend Amy. she welcomed her precious baby girl Eleanor on thursday feb. 17th