Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Test results

Baby Chuck's eczema is flaring up again.  Today we visited the dermatologist's office and then took Chuck to a nearby lab to get his blood drawn.

Note:  This was the first attempt.  His veins were soo tiny that we had to visit another lab to get the blood drawn.


He was a trooper and the lab techs were great.  We're hoping the test will reveal the cause of his eczema.  Is he allergic to milk?  Eggs?  Soy?  Wheat?  Dust?  Pollen?  Dog dander?  (Any guesses?  Hubby guesses eggs and chickpeas.  I'm guessing eggs and milk.  Charlie hopes it's not dog dander.)  Until we find out the results, we'll keep using the meds, giving him bleach baths (strange... but it's doctor's orders!) and moisturizing.  (Now, if only I could just rest him in a large tub of moisturizer.  But alas, even Sam's Club doesn't sell containers that large.)

Monday, January 30, 2012

Date night with an ipod

I heard about this new free app called Camera Art FX.  It lets you apply different artistic filters to photos taken on your favorite iProduct.  Hubby, Chuck, and I enjoyed playing around with it during our last date night:



Sunday, January 29, 2012

Friday, January 27, 2012

Mr. Right and future babies

I just found out that a friend from New York recently got engaged.  


It was the best freaking news I've heard all week.  


M- Do you remember the dinners and sleepovers we had?  You know, the ones where we laughed a lot, ate a lot, and dreamed about Mr. Right and future musically talented babies?

I'm so glad that it's finally happening. 
Thanks for sharing your joy with us. 

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Jellogami

I'm not very good at folding origami.  I struggle with the wordless 300+ step directions needed to make just about anything.  I'm too impatient to interpret the images.  I find the dotted lines and curly arrows confusing.  Plus, I struggle with mentally rotating images.  Because of my white belt origami status, I bow down to those crazy amazing black belt folders.  I also bow down to the dexterous hands (and brains) behind My Jello Americans.

Folding paper?  Tres Tricky.  Folding jello?  Well, who could have imagined that? 

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Wallflowers

Aren't these images lovely?
Where does artist Cecilia Paredes end and the environment begin?

What a perfectly placed chrysanthemum

I almost didn't spot her... until I saw the whites of her eyes

There's something so intimate about the curve of a woman's back


First spotted on dear golden vintage blog

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

New skill

Is the post office looking for a new stamp-licker?  We have someone here who is willing to work for a bottle of milk...or some hugs.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Happy Chinese New Year!


Happy Chinese New Year! Hubby, Chuck, and I celebrated last night by eating dumplings and drinking a fake-pho (faux-pho?) that hubby made.  I really wanted Baby Chuck to wear something Chinesey, but didn't have time to do any shopping.  (Plus, I was feeling cheap.)  So, I made this hat (modeled after this one) out of some materials that I had lying around the house:  a paper plate, used ribbon, construction paper, and some Christmas tinfoil.  

Hope you have a wonderful time celebrating with friends and family.    

Friday, January 20, 2012

Sadly, they're baaa-aack

After a couple of days of clear skin, I woke up yesterday and saw tiny red spots all over Baby Chuck's head and around his nose and mouth.  There's also some funny yellow crusting around his nose.  Rats!  The doctor told us to keep putting the cream on his face and to schedule another appointment if things don't clear up within a week.  Luckily, our little man still seems to be in a good mood...  

I'm mum's little trooper

which is somewhat surprising given that he also vomited several times yesterday and once this morning.  (Thank goodness for waterproof mattress protectors.)  So, we've been doing a LOT of laundry around here.

Don't worry mum, I'll take care of these.

Hubby and I are trying our best to keep our spirits up.  Hopefully the doctors can help us figure out what's wrong...

Have a great weekend.  Be sure to stay healthy and warm.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

These good moments

(Left):  Two weeks ago                     (Right):  Three days ago

I can't stop kissing and hugging Baby Chuck.
I can't stop stroking his cheek and tiny hands.
And I can't stop delighting in his smiles and coos.

I'm so thankful that he's feeling better.

And even though we're not out of the woods yet, I'm going to try my best to enjoy these good moments.

Love toasty hands?

With Valentine's Day less than a month away (oh golly, where does the time fly), you're probably looking around for a gift for your sweetie.  If you two enjoy long walks on cold winter nights, perhaps this gift will strike your fancy:


You can find these funny dual gloves here

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

His many faces

Thanks for all your good wishes and prayers.  Baby Chuck seems to slowly be on the mend.  Hubby and I are taking him to the doctor again today, so we'll see what she says.  We're feeling cautiously optimistic and enjoying his improved mood and many cute expressions.

I can't stand it.  He's just so darn kissable. 

Monday, January 16, 2012

Bye auntie


I loved seeing my sister holding Baby Norris.  
She'll make a great mom someday.    

Little sister


Thanks for cheering me up. 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Cheery diapers and pins


It's officially over.  We cancelled our diaper service. Thanks to hubby's mum and sister, we now have an assortment of cloth diapers. Inspired by the cute diapers' colors, my sister and I shnazzed up our wooden clothes pins with pretty paper and mod podge.  I think we're now ready to start this new adventure...            

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Crabby birthday

My sister recently got a new camera for her birthday.  I really wanted to make her a case, so I followed these directions.  As you can see, I struggled with the seams... but at least the camera fits the case.   Gosh, who knew sewing in a straight line could be so hard?


Feeling some fabric deja vu?  You're probably remember our changing pad.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Sick baby


Lately Baby Chuck hasn't been feeling well.  He's been crying a lot and not sleeping at night.  Today we took him to the doctor's office.  Tomorrow we're visiting the dermatologist for his eczema.  Hopefully he'll start feeling better soon...

I'm thankful that my sister is coming tomorrow to help out.

If Italians wore bow ties...

they may look like this:

And look, they come in different colors!

First seen here on Foodiggity

Friday, January 6, 2012

It's quiet... too quiet...


"Like branches on a tree we grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one. Each of our lives will always be a special part of the other." -Author Unknown

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Bye nanna and grandpa


Dear nanna and grandpa,

Mom told me that you left today.  Why did you have to go?  I miss you.  When will you come back and see me?  I can't wait till this summer.  Then I can visit you and meet cousin Manny and pet some kangaroos.  I'm going to pet at least five.  Mom says that I'm going to be a really big boy then.  You might not recognize me.  I'll be the one in daddy's arms.     

Love,
Baby Chuck

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Lotions and potions

Things are finally slowly settling down here.  Baby Chuck is getting less fussy during the daytime and he's sloooooowly adjusting to nighttime sleeping.   (Hooray!)  We hit a low point last week when he woke up every half an hour, but this week we're bouncing back to two- or three- hour stints.  Thank goodness, because the bags under my eyes were developing bags of their own.   

We think that Baby Chuck's eczema is one of the reasons behind his moodiness and sleeplessness.  He's constantly scratching the red, weepy, angry-looking patches that appear all over.  Poor boy.  Right now we're working on uncovering the irritants that cause the spots and we're also trying to ease the itchiness by dousing his body with lotion.

Thanks to Nanna, our lotion collection has exploded.  I think Baby Chuck now has enough products to open an online store.

Chuck-  "Eczema, you're no match for my army of lotions!"

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Pretty nails, better mom?


Last Christmas hubby surprised me with a spa gift certificate.  Last weekend I finally redeemed it and got a manicure, facial, and pedicure.  Hubby, nanna, and grandpa volunteered to babysit Chuck for 3 hours.  I was so nervous because it was the longest time I'd ever been away from him.  What if he didn't stop crying?  What if I didn't leave enough milk?  What if Rumpelstiltskin visited the apartment and tricked everyone into giving the baby away?  (Hey, you never know.)

As you can probably guess, none of these scenarios happened.  They did a great job taking care of Chuck and I ended up with pretty nails and less facial acne.  (Yes!) Even though I missed Chuck terribly (and ended up talking to the esthetician about him for most of the time), I'd like to think that little breathers like this will help me to relax and be a better mom.    

Sunday, January 1, 2012

What are you doing New Years Eve?

I love Zooey Deschanel.  I also dig her tiara and ukulele.

First seen on here on Modern Kiddo


Tummy Times Comic -6

Happy New Year!


To see previous comics, click here