Life With Zoë

Christmas is here???

2007-12-20T11:17:00.000-06:00

Unbelievable! Christmas in less than a week. I've been sick as a dog, my house is a wreck, only half the decorations are out, and only some of the presents on my list have been purchased.

Oh, well.

I've decided not to stress about it. After all, Christmas isn't supposed to be about stuff, right?

Yeah, well only if your over 40.

Anyway, need a great Christmas idea? How about art supplies? And an easel? And for the little girl in your life, you can't go wrong with Barbie the Island Princess.

Moms & Yuwie

2007-11-01T11:34:00.000-05:00

As a mom, especially as a new mom, it is easy to feel out of touch or overwhelmed. You just don't have the time you used to have to hang out and talk with friends over lunch. Your free time is limited and you're never sure where or when you'll find it.

I have found that online mom groups are helpful. Just by reading what other moms are going through often helps.

I recently found some really cool mom groups on Yuwie. Come on by and check it out.

The Power of The Nap

2007-10-26T11:51:00.000-05:00

At first all your baby wants to do is sleep – well, that and eat and poop – but that will change. By the time your baby has become a toddler, sleep is no longer the little one’s priority. But, nevertheless, sleep is still extremely important.

Toddlers should have two naps a day – a morning nap and an afternoon nap. And don’t let them talk you out of it.

Sleep is essential for growing bodies and minds – not to mention how it sweetens the disposition.

I also noticed that when my daughter didn’t get her sleep during the day, it was harder to get her to sleep at night. You know how it is when you’re too tired to sleep…

More advice from Mom: Sleep when the baby sleeps.

Zoë’s Favorite Chocolate Frosting

2007-10-23T11:24:00.000-05:00

Zoë’s favorite Chocolate Frosting is super simple to make.

I use Ghirardelli chocolate. You can find it in the baking aisle. Of course, you can also use Hershey's - whatever you like. The chocolate that I use is powdered, my mom always used the kind that came in blocks that you had to melt.

To get started you'll need: 1/4 stick of butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, milk (I use plain Silk soy milk), and of course the chocolate - oh, and an optional dash of salt.

First, place the butter and about 1/4 cup of chocolate in a sauce pan. Stir together as the butter melts.

Next, add about 3 Tablespoons of milk, splash of vanilla, and a dash of salt. Stir.

Next, let the mixture cool just a bit.

Then add the powdered sugar. I usually end up using about 3 cups. I like my frosting thick, yet spreadable.

If you find it starts to thicken too much just reheat a little. Be careful adding extra milk - you can end up adding more powdered sugar and then more milk then more powdered sugar and then....watch out. Sometimes a little heat is all you need.

And there you have it: Zoë’s Favorite Frosting.

Oh, and guess what? In the long rung this frosting actually costs less to make than the canned kind and, of course, this frosting tastes a 10000 times better.

Hope you like it!

Babies Love Fingerpainting

2007-10-16T11:59:00.000-05:00

Yeah, this is another art project...

Again, around the time Zoë turned one is when I first did this project with her.

All you need is some poster board, non-toxic washable paints, water, and paper towels (oh, and some paper plates to mix your paints on).

Before you actually begin you must decide where you want to do the painting (beware, of the wind if you go outside) and strip your baby down to the diaper.

Then pick your colors, mix a few if you like - your baby will probably do that for you, that's why paper plates are good for this.

Okay, you've picked your spot. The baby is ready and you've got the poster board on the ground or floor - it is time to paint!

You will have to help your baby although chances are that they'll love the feel of the paint between their fingers and toes. Zoë sure did. She got it all over her self and with my help she managed to paint a pretty cool picture that still hangs over my bed.

The best part about this little project besides being really fun is that you get some great imprints of your baby's hands and feet AND believe me you will want those later.

Zoë has actually done a couple of these paintings for me. And their priceless.

Art Project for Baby

2007-10-10T14:07:00.000-05:00

When Zoë was getting ready to turn 1, I decided that I wanted to commemorate her first year with something special and fun.

So, I ended up at Garden Ridge Pottery and found a garden stone making kit. Mine's in the shape of a heart, but I think they come in a variety.

Then once I had the stone mixture poured into the mold, I placed Zoë's hands and feet on it.

But, the final touch was the addition of her portrait.

The project turned out beautifully and we had a lot of fun that afternoon. Zoë really liked the feel of the stuff between her fingers and toes!

You know sometimes pictures just aren't enough.

Ah, Poop!

2007-10-04T13:13:00.000-05:00

Well, you know you’re in the land of motherhood when poop becomes a central theme in your life! That and diapers!!!

Word to all new moms and moms to be:

Pay attention to how many diapers you go through in a day. It should be pretty consistent from day to day – and babies poop a lot!

Mine, if you fed her then you knew what was coming next – and I do mean next.

Babies systems work beautifully – something goes in then something comes out. And if your little one is not doing this, you should talk to your pediatrician.

Constipation is a big deal – help your baby avoid it by adding prunes to the diet.

Diapers will be a huge part of your life for awhile – not a big deal.
Just remember if the diaper is wet – change it immediately. Don’t let your baby’s bottom sit in that damp smelly thing too long or you will have a rash on your hands. And that, my friend, is worse than any stinky diaper.

Here’s some advice from my mom:

Keep the baby’s bottom dry – always.

This means lots of changes and use Desitin every time – liberally coat their sweet little backside and just everywhere with the stuff and you will never have a rash problem. I followed her advice and my baby never had a rash.

Oh, Mom also told me never to use baby powder. It isn’t effective and the powder can get in your baby’s lungs – not worth the risk.

Food - Making Habits For Life

2007-10-01T08:49:00.000-05:00

My Mom’s Advice

Now this is some advice that I’m glad I took.

When Zoë started on solid foods, I started her out on the normal baby cereal mixing it with breast milk &/or formula whichever I had – but I never sweetened it.

So the next step – vegetables. Mom told me to start Zoë out on the blander foods first, so she would learn to appreciate them (and it worked!).

Zoë’s first real food was green beans followed by peas, carrots, then sweet potatoes.

Get the idea? Let your child develop a taste for non-sweet foods first. It worked for my daughter – to this day she doesn’t particularly like candy or sweets! She doesn’t ask for Kool-Aid or any of the kid drinks. YEA!

An Old Wives' Tale

2007-09-28T11:13:00.000-05:00

You’ve probably heard it, heck, I still hear it. It goes something like this: “Holding your baby too much will spoil her and she’ll expect to be held all of the time.”

Uh, hello.

We’re talking about babies. Babies are supposed to be held. Cuddled. Kissed. Comforted.

As you can probably guess, that was one bit of advice that got thrown out (hmm, hmm, with the bath water!). How ridiculous!

I held my baby whenever I wanted and if she wanted me to pick her up I picked her up. And you know what, she is 6 now and my baby is gone. So am I glad I held her when I could, do I regret holding and cuddling my baby? No Way!

And the best part?

She’s not spoiled. (What does that mean anyway? Children are not left-overs in the fridge.)

But she has always know that I’m here for her (and if you can’t count on your momma who can you count on?).

So my advice: Go pick up your baby – now! While you’ve still got the chance!

(The picture included today is of Zoë and my mom. It was taken on Sept. 11, 2001 - at least one nice thing happened that day.)

Sleep What's That?

2007-09-26T11:02:00.000-05:00

Zoë was born in the summer and down here in southern Texas that means heat and humidity. It also means air conditioning.

But keep in mind that your baby doesn’t have the girth of an adult or even a child, plus they don’t do too well staying covered up.

I learned this one the hard way.

During the day the air conditioning didn’t seem to bother her, but at night – well that was a different story.

It didn’t take long for me to figure it out though!

I found that dressing Zoë in a light weight, long sleeved onesie with the feet kept her comfortable and she’d sleep longer than 15 minutes at a time. What a relief that was!

(In the winter months, I dressed Zoë in a plush velveteen suit for sleep – it had a hood, feet, and even little mittens. It was super soft and comfy – and she never had an uncomfortable night.)

Zoë also enjoyed lullabies – I have a tape that I played for her every night it was part of our routine.

Routines are extremely important and they really do help your child (no matter what age) make the transition into sleep mode.

The routine I established with Zoë and still use to this day goes like this:
· Snack
· Potty
· Bath (brush teeth and *hair)
· Book and cuddle time
· Tuck in with lots of kisses
· Turn music on (Zoë now prefers Princess songs or Shrek disco)
· Lights out (although Zoë does have a night light)

*About the hair: Once your little one has long hair – beware!

Make sure you braid it before bedtime otherwise you’ll get the biggest knots you’ve ever seen.

I didn’t know this could happen – what a shocker – my own hair never did this, but ever since Zoë, I’ve discovered that lots of little girls have this problem.