Santa Picture

We went to take a picture with Santa Claus this weekend.  I thought that BJ would be one of those babies who LOVES Santa... but I was wrong.  He cried! haha. And he wouldn't stop crying.  This picture is the best one we got... and it was before he figured out that Santa was a stranger with a white beard...

I apologized to Santa and told him that it's because he hasn't figure out yet that he's the guy that gives all of the great presents! lol....

BJ's First Booboo

*Sigh* BJ got his first official booboo last night... He's been very active lately, crawling around and running into everything.  Last night, BJ decided to chase after the football that his G.G. (Grandpa Glenn) got for him; he somehow crawled over the football, landed directly on  his face and started sobbing.  I felt terrible so I picked him up, as he buried his face into my shoulder.  I ran to show HJ that he landed on his face, and when BJ pulled his face up from my shoulder, all I saw was blood gushing out of his mouth.  HJ started panicking asking me if we had to go to the doctor, but after we wiped off all the blood and checked for missing teeth, we realized that when he fell on his face, he bit his upper lip and cut it.

Don't worry, though, BJ's okay.  He just has a fat upper lip.  Not sure if you can see it from this picture because I had to use a cell phone to take it:

He kinda looks like this....

Haha.  It's kinda not a laughing matter, but now that we know he's okay, it's kinda funny

.

This morning when BJ woke up, we noticed that the swelling went down, so his lip is healing.  It was just a really scary feeling to see all that blood... and after the shock wore off, I felt TERRIBLE that he got hurt.  I realize that BJ's his own person and that I can't protect him from everything, but I felt really sad about the whole thing.  In honesty, I felt like a terrible parent.  *sigh*

Random Toys

BJ plays with the most random toys!  Sometimes, they aren't even toys. 

"Hmm... What's this?  A tupperware cover?"

"Nope... It's my new toy!"

I think we should just save our money buying BJ toys and find stuff around the house to give him.  He seems to find more satisfaction in household items like tupperware covers and measuring cups! Haha.  

In other news, BJ's been trying to stand on his own.  He walks  from one end of the couch to the other by holding on to the edge, and sometimes tries to let go to see if he can stand.  It's kinda scary when he's at home because we have laminate flooring so we try to stay right by him whenever he pulls himself to standing on the couch.  Aunty K (the babysitter) told me today that he was leaning on the couch, got excited, let go and jumped up, and hit his head on the ground.  Lucky that Aunty K's house is carpeted! I inspected BJ's head and he has a small red bump on his head... first of many (small) injuries, I'm sure.  He's such a playful boy. lol. 

I have a feeling he's going to walk early because he loves standing and walking so much.  He even developed a small callus on his foot because of the way he "crawls".  In reality, BJ doesn't really crawl. He kinda moves across the floor like a dolphin by flopping his body across the floor; it's rather humorous. You'd think it would take him a while to go across the room, but he's a speedy boy. You turn your head for 5 seconds and he's out of the room, into the kitchen. lol. He's beginning to be a handful... But a fun handful, of course. :-)

Some Milestones

Wow... BJ picked up a piece of lint off the ground today and stuck it in his mouth!  Gross!  He sure has the pincer grasp down good!  Ugh, I was dreading the moment that we would actually have to go and baby proof everything and I think that moment has come.  I guess I'm going to be spending a part of Veteran's Day cleaning the house. Blegh.  I will just look at this moment positively in the sense that BJ is maturing. Haha. :-P

In other (better) news, BJ has also learned how to sit up from his tummy.  He's also learned how to clap!

We are so proud of him.  He  just made 8 months yesterday and he just keeps changing every day!  It's amazing.  Here's a short video:

How are all of your kiddies/pets/families doing?  Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Halloween Monkey

I've been catching up in the blogging world and everyone's kiddies look so cute in their costumes!  We dressed BJ up too, but we didn't go trick-or-treating.  We thought it really didn't make sense considering BJ can't eat the candy that he would've collected, but now I'm a little sad we didn't go because I'm craving some candy. haha!

Halloween was fun, though!  We went over to my in-laws' house and passed out candy there.

After scouring a bunch of different costume sites and stores, we decided to go with a monkey costume. :-)  I was really surprised because BJ didn't mind having the headpiece on his head, and didn't even try to pull it off.  I think he likes Halloween. :-D  One of my friends suggested that HJ dress up in a banana costume but he didn't go for that. Hehe.

Hope you all had a great October! Now it's on to November and Thanksgiving!!!

<3, Tracepoo

BJ and I are BACK!

Have you ever had one of those months?  The type of month where you just felt so overwhelmed with everything and things just came to a crashing halt?  I had one of those months this September/October.  With grading and homecoming at school, a new boss, and an exciting possibility for an investment that I can't talk any more about until it actually happens, I have been so overwhelmed.  I realize that is no excuse and I am TRULY sorry... especially to my fellow bloggers out there who I have gotten close to.

I would like to especially thank Footprints in particular for pushing me back into blogging.  She left a comment on my post just before this one...

miss you in the blogging world...

This made me realize people actually read my blog! I am so sorry to everyone and will definitely catch up and continue on with writing about BJ!

Speaking of BJ, he has grown so much in the past couple of months. In fact, that is part of the reason why I haven't been blogging; He's become so much of a handful.  It's not that he's bratty or anything, though his father likes to call him that, haha.  It's just that he's been more active so we have actually had to watch him more.  Before, I would be able to place him in the bouncer while I typed.... Now, he moves around, crawls around, dances, LOVES to stand... in other words, he won't keep still!  This isn't a bad thing, though.... just harder to do other stuff. :-)

We've also been having to deal with BJ's teething.  He has SIX teeth and he's only 7 months old; two bottom teeth and four top teeth.  His top four teeth all came in at once!  Poor guy.  He's been handling it quite well, though.  It's kind of funny... his face is changing!

Okay,  won't make this post too long so that I have more stuff to write about in the coming weeks.  Thank you again for your encouragement, Footprints.  I promise you all, I will be back SOONER than later. :-)

Here's our most recent family picture:

SuperBaby {Review}

I Love SuperBaby!  

SUPERBABY

12 Ways to Give Your Child a Head Start in the First 3 Years

By Dr. Jenn Berman

Foreword by Alan Greene, MD, author of Raising Baby Green

Straight from the Publisher:

Raising a superbaby is not about creating an überbaby: a perfect, genius who will get into all the right preschools and colleges. Instead, it is about raising a child who is empathetic, resilient, and is emotionally intelligent. It is about nurturing a baby to help her reach her full potential.

The first three years of life are the most important in a child’s development: babies start forming attachments, developing a sense of self, and learning to trust. During this time, there are critical windows of opportunity that parents can take advantage of—if they know how. In SuperBaby: 12 Ways to Give Your Child a Head Start in the First 3 Years (Sterling / September 7, 2010 / $24.95) Dr. Jenn Berman gives parents the knowledge they need to make the most of these windows for their child’s optimal mental and emotional growth.

In each chapter of SuperBaby, Dr. Jenn focuses on one of twelve areas that greatly impact a baby’s development. These include respectful communication, responding to cues, creating security and predictability, the importance of touch, promoting language development, sign language, foreign language, the importance of play, reading, screen (tv) time, reducing exposure to toxic chemicals, and eating & nutrition. You’ll learn:

• ! Easy steps to reduce resistance and avoid tantrums
• ! The two “Qs” parents need to know about to promote language development
• ! The truth about learning toys and videos
• ! How to use play to develop key social, intellectual, and emotional skills
• ! When and how to start reading to your child
• ! The three ASL signs that will make your baby’s life easier
• ! The seven most important ingredients to avoid in your child’s food
• ! How to teach good sleep habits from the start
• ! Simple ways to reduce toxic chemical exposure at home

Dr. Jenn shares important research, her clinical experience, and her personal stories as a mother of twins. She has also included “From the Experts” sidebars from leading experts such as Dr. Harvey Karp, Dr. Bob Sears, Dr. Jane Nelson, Jim & Charles Fay, Dr. Tanya Remer-Altmann, Dr. Scott Cohen, Ruth Yaron, The Campaign for Commercial-free Childhood, The Alliance for Childhood, Healthy Child Healthy World, the Environmental Working Group, and many others. Filled with tables, lists, helpful scripts, recommended books, and resources, SuperBaby is a book you’ll refer to again and again for common sense and research-based advice on successful, real-world parenting. 

{MY REVIEW}

Seriously, this book is AMAZING... Not just amazing in lower case letters, but AMAZING in capital letters! Before BJ was born, I was never around kids much, aside from my high school students.  Sometimes, my students can act like kids (haha), but I have never really had to take care of an infant.  When I got pregnant, I was nervous because I wanted to raise my child to be an upstanding citizen, but wondered if I would do a "good" job because I have never taken care of babies.  In fact, I'm still nervous about whether the decisions I make are the right ones.  However, after reading SuperBaby, I feel a little more at ease.  

I learned some great tips in the book that I plan to try, and even if it doesn't work, it's worth a shot.  For example, I'm now set on my mom teaching BJ Japanese... Dr. Jenn says that bilinguals have higher IQ's, increased creativity, improved math ability, and more. (page 144)

She also writes about "how to avoid the eight biggest mistakes parents make" regarding communication (page 104) and the "ten rules of effective praise" (page 27).  There are so many things to think about that I think I am going to have to read this book again, but it's so worth it.  Of course, there are some things that I don't necessarily agree with, such as purchasing an organic mattress, but the things I disagreed with were just because I can't really afford to buy all organic cottons and foods. (Terrible, I know, but it's the truth.)  In reality, if I could, I would, but I can't.  So instead, I'll try to raise BJ to be the best human being he can be, and I think Dr. Jenn's book gets me off on the right track.

*EDIT*

DUH, I forgot to mention, you can purchase this book from Amazon.com. :-)

Disclaimer:

I was not paid to write this blog nor compensated in any way.  I did, however, receive a free copy of SuperBaby to review.

Safeway GC Winners + More

I'm here to announce the TWO WINNERS for the $50 Safeway Gift Card!

Congratulations goes to...

Mami2Jcn and Heather!  I will email you shortly and you will have 48 hours to respond. Congratulations!!!

I wish that I had more gift cards to giveaway so that everyone who voted for BJ could win something. :-/ Maybe some day when I'm a billionaire. Hehe. Until then... There are only two winners. Sorry!  But you still have time to enter my giveaway for the 250 DieCut Business Cards!  :-P  And you could still vote for BJ, hehe. He still hasn't won. :-( Makes me sad but he's the cutest and cuddliest boy in my heart. <3

BJ has been pretty fussy lately.  He woke up at 11:30 pm last night and stayed up crying for a good 30 minutes, then woke up 2 more times.  We don't know if it's due to constipation or  teething but something's keeping him from sleeping through the night.  At least he's a happy baby during the day... hehe. Still, though, I woke up at 6:50 this morning because I was so tired... and I'm supposed to leave for work by 7!!  I was not on time today. Haha. My students were waiting outside my room for me. WOOPS. 

Anyway, I felt like "SuperMom" on Sunday and finished all of my mommy-house chores... which means I can blog tonight! Woohoo! Giveaway and reviews coming soon. :-) Congratulations again, Mami2jcn and Heather!

Failing at Blogging... Sigh

Okay, Blogger, you can say it... I am FAILING at blogging. Seriously, though, I think of you every day. EVERY day. I miss you, too.  More than you realize.  I promise I will come back to you!  In fact, I am coming back to you TONIGHT to announce a winner for my $50 Safeway Gift Card Giveaway!  See you then.

Loooove,

Tracepoo and BJ

Hectic - First Antibiotic and Constipootion

Ugh, this week has been sooooo hectic. This past weekend, BJ got an infection in a small cut on his finger so he had to take his first antibiotic (cephalexin).  Funny part is, he really liked drinking it.  Probably because it was the pink antibiotic that tastes a little like bubble gum and he didn't drink anything that was sweet until then.  I'm glad he didn't spit it out!

Drinking the antibiotic was fine, but for some reason, he developed constipation after that and didn't poo for 2 and a half days.  Poor guy was really cranky and uncomfortable so I had to stay home from work on Monday to be with him.  Because of that, I've been playing catch-up all week at work.  Sorry I haven't been blogging much but I'll be sure to catch up over the weekend!

Still plenty of time to enter my two giveaways.  Thanks to everyone who has been entering. :-)

Happy 6 Months BJ

I know I said this yesterday but I can't believe BJ is already 6 months old!  He's been getting a lot more playful lately, which is great, but it's been harder to watch him.  Look at the predicament he got himself in to the other day:

Don't worry BJ's Grandparents who are probably reading this; He was fine.

Not saying that we never watched him before, but now we REALLY have to watch him. lol. HJ turned away for one second and BJ slid down towards the bottom of the bouncer.  I think he might be getting too big for it but he's not quite strong enough yet to sit on his own.  To make matters worse, he doesn't really like to sit in his BebePod for too long; not sure why. Maybe we should try this:

Haha, Kidding.

Seriously, though, I think he's in a transition period where the tiny infant furniture is too small for him but the toddler furniture is too big.  I'm sure he'll grow into the toddler stuff soon, considering how fast he grew into the other things.

Tomorrow is his 6 month doctor's appointment, which means SHOTS!  We'll see how it goes.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a $50 Safeway Gift Card and 250 Die Cut Business Cards!!

Love you BJ!

UPrinting 250 Die Cut Business Cards {GIVEAWAY}

"Time Flying" has been a constant theme in my blog.  BJ made 6 months today, and it's been such a fast and fun ride.  Happy 6 Months to my one and only cutie, BJ!  I love him:

I'm excited to offer my readers another giveaway!  Thank you to UPrinting.com for providing this fun giveaway for 250 Die Cut Business Cards!  UPrinting is a company that prints greeting cards, calendars, brochures, and so much more.  They even have a variety of business card designs, from the original shaped business cards to a more modern card, with either rounded corners, square cards, or slim cards.  Check out all of the great designs by clicking here.  

As a side note, I will be provided with 250 Die Cut Business Cards from UPrinting for hosting this giveaway, and I am truly excited about that!  I am a little embarrassed when I have to write out my contact information on a piece of scratch paper.  Want to purchase your own business cards, or other printed products?  Check out UPrinting's Website.  

Even better, want a chance to win your own set of 250 Die Cut Business Cards?  Check it out below:

250 Die Cut Business Cards for One (1) Winner

2 x 3.5”, 2 x 2” (square card) or 1.75 x 3.5” (slim card)

Die cutting options available: Rounded Corners, Leaf, Rounded One-Corner, Half-Circle Side, Circle

Paper Type: 14pt Cardstock Gloss, Matte, or High Gloss; 13pt Cardstock Uncoated       

Color: 4Color Front, Blank Back; 4Color Front, Black Back; 4Color Both Sides            

Limited to US residents only  18 years old and above

Here's How to Win:

Mandatory Entry:  Go to UPrinting's Website and tell me one other product you would like to create and why.  (Please make sure your e-mail address is either in the comment or in your profile.)

Extra Entries:  Leave a separate comment for each additional entry you complete:

1.  Follow my blog, A Maui Mommy, via Google Friend Connect.

2.  Like UPrinting via Facebook and say that "A Maui Mommy" sent you on their wall.

3.  Follow UPrinting via Twitter and tweet them publicly that you were sent by A Maui Mommy.  Leave the link to your twitter in the comment.

4.  Like A Maui Mommy via Facebook and say hi on the wall.

Giveaway opportunity ends on September 27, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time.  

One winner will be chosen using random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail.  If the winner does not respond, a new winner will be chosen.  

Good luck, everyone!

Disclaimer:  This giveaway is open to US Residents Only. You must be 18 years old or older.  In addition, I have been provided with 250 die cut business cards for hosting this giveaway.  I was not paid or compensated in any other way.

Apparently, My Blog is Stylish

Hooray!  My blog has won an award.  Thank you to Ladii Aponte at "Through My Eyes", who awarded me with the "Stylish Blogger Award".  Thank you Ladii~!  You're AWESOME.

Okay, so... to officially accept this award, I am supposed to reveal 5 secrets about me or my blog.  Here we go:

1.  I am a high school business teacher, but that was never my dream job.

When I was young, I wanted to be an emergency room doctor and "knew" I was going to be one.  I wanted to save people's lives.  When my other friends would say they wanted to be teachers, I would laugh and say I could never do it because I wouldn't be able to control kids. Weird how things work out.  I LOVE everything about being a teacher now, and I like to think I can "control" my classroom, hehe.  I have a wonderful job, and I can honestly say I am working my dream job. :-)

2.  BJ does cry sometimes, but I highlight his smiles.

What can I say... he's a baby, right?  Yes, BJ does cry, but I'm too busy making sure he's not crying to take pictures of these moments.  I am so thankful because he actually doesn't cry that often.  In fact, I don't remember him sobbing much lately.  He's actually a really good baby.

3.  Although HJ and I are from the same island, we met in college on a different island.

Not much of a secret to my close friends and family, but yes we didn't meet until college, even though we're both from Maui.  What's even funnier is that we had mutual friends before we met, but hadn't heard of each other until that day.  It's kind of weird how it all works out.  Who would've known that when we met that day in the back of his best friend's pick up truck, seven years later we'd be married with a baby!

4.  I don't really know who reads my blog.

When I first started this blog, I sent out an e-mail to many of my friends and family linking back here.  However, not many of them are avid blog writers/readers, so they don't always comment. (Hi Family! Hi Friends!)  Therefore, I don't really know who reads my blog.  Every once in a while, someone will talk about something I mentioned here, but for the most part, I have no idea.  I would like to say hi to all of them... Shout out to all Maui/Hawaii Peeps! :-D

5.  I read everyone's blog that I follow.

Yes. You read right.  I follow everyone who follows me, plus others whom I feel write about exceptional things, and I read every one of them in my google reader.  Sometimes, it can take me an hour or two to get through all of them, but I read what everyone wrote since they took the time to write it.  I hope people will do the same for me.  Plus, I love reading blogs.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Okay, all done!  Thank you again, Ladii Aponte, for the award! 

Now it's my turn to pass on the award.  Here are five blogs that I feel are stylish and deserve the "Stylish Blogger Award".

1.  The Constant Search for More

2.  Footprints

3.  Every Mom Has Her Day

4.  Adventures of a Wee Mason Man

5.  Future Bound

Congratulations~!  Now off to eat dinner with HJ, BJ, and my parents.  Have a wonderful 3-day weekend everyone.

Hair is Growing Back

I was in a reflective mood today and decided to look at BJ's pictures from when he was born.  My focus immediately went to the change in BJ's hair. You see... when was first born, HJ and I were happy because BJ had so much hair and it was really long.

Then, for some reason or another, we noticed that he started to go bald.  I realize the phrase "going bald" connotes an image of an old man, but hair-wise, he got pretty close to an older gentleman's head.

I think it's finally starting to grow back now that he's almost six months old.  It took a while.... Some babies that were born around when BJ was born have a FULL head of hair.  Although BJ looked cute as a baldy, I'm ready for him to start getting a full head of hair, too.  However, that would mean extra money spent on hair cuts... hmm. Now I don't know what's better. Haha.

Did you guys remember to sign up for my giveaway?  If not, click here. :-)

Two $50 Safeway GC's [Giveaway]

Giveaway Alert

I have been talking about this giveaway for a while now, and I'm excited to finally get to write about it!  I previously had a giveaway for one $50 Safeway GC.  Today, I get to have a giveaway for TWO $50 Safeway gift cards.

If you live in (beautiful) Hawaii, I hope you checked out Safeway's JustForU Program!  It is a way to load all of your personalized discounts onto your Safeway Club Card online, so you don't have to worry about clipping coupons. Plus, when you sign up, you get a free dozen eggs!  We just went shopping at Safeway today and got lots of cheap items -- they were priced higher in the store but cost less since I loaded the discounts on to my club card before we left home.  I felt so sneaky knowing that I was getting lower prices than many of the people in the store, hehe, but it's their fault for not signing up for JustForU! :-)  If you're interested in signing up, simply visit http://www.safeway.com/Hawaii.

Are you interested in winning one of two $50 Safeway gift cards?

Don't worry; You won't get this drooly gift card :-)

 If you don't have a Safeway near you, these gift cards are also good at Vons, Dominick's, Genuardi's, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Pavillions, Carrs/Safeway (except at Tom Thumb in California).

Here's how to enter:

(1) [MANDATORY ENTRY]  Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect by pressing the "Follow" button on the right side of the screen.  Leave a comment saying you're following.  If you are already a follower, just comment that you are.  (For all newbies, I believe you need a google account for this.)  Please make sure your e-mail is included either in your profile or your comment so I can reach you if you win.

--- ALL OTHER CHANCES TO WIN MUST BE DONE AFTER THE MANDATORY ENTRY---

(2) Sign up for JustForU and leave a comment here saying that you did.  (This entry is for Hawaii residents only.)

(3)  Write a blog post about this giveaway and make sure to leave a link on there to this giveaway.  Leave two comments here with a link to your blog.  (2 extra entries)

(4) Vote for BJ on Native 92.5's Cute & Cuddliest Baby of the Week Contest and leave a comment here saying that you did.  (He is under Jacob.jpg in this contest.)  This entry can be done once daily! (Unlimited entries, once a day, until this giveaway ends.)

This giveaway will end on Saturday, September 25, 2010.  The winners will be chosen through random.org, and will be notified via email.  They will have 48 hours to respond to the e-mail, and if they do not respond, a new winner will be selected.  Please make sure your e-mail address is either in your profile or in your comment.  Please note that I have the right to delete comments if the mandatory entry is not completed.

Disclosure: I received $200 in gift cards for posting the Safeway banner on my blog.  No other compensation was provided.  However, I am giving away $100 of the $200 as part of a giveaway/promotion.  The opinions expressed on this blog are my own, regardless of the compensation I received.

First TOOTH

August 30, 2010

Dear Mommy,

I am popping my first tooth.

Loooove,
BJ

A Beautiful Day in the Park

HJ, BJ, and I had a picnic at the park yesterday!  It was such a beautiful day to relax and enjoy the beautiful Hawaii sun.  Some days, you just have to do nothing, not worry about work, and spend time with your family.

BJ's Been Making the Darnest Faces....

I have to share with you some of the pictures "Obaachan" aka Grandma has been getting on her camera. BJ has been making the funniest faces lately...

Funny, huh?

BJ is going to be six months soon.  Time really flies.  He ate squash for the first time today, and liked it a lot better than peas and green beans. Doctor H. told us to start with the veggies first so that he'll like it and eat it, and I hope that'll work because I'm hoping BJ will grow up to eat healthily and love vegetables.  We'll see how it goes. He'll probably end up being a steak lover like his daddy, haha.

In other news, I'm so excited!  I got two products in the mail that I am going to be reviewing.  I also finished writing the giveaway but I'm waiting for one thing before I post it.  All three posts coming soon! :-D

Falling Behind?

Egad!  I'm falling behind on my posts; something I said I would never do.... (Who starts a blog posting with the word "Egad" anyway?)  Well, it's getting to be the middle of 1st quarter and I find myself slowly falling behind with grading papers, blogging, and doing my assignments for my professional development credits.  If I had a choice between these three, my first love is blogging, of course.  However, it's not my first income source (yet? in my dreams?).  I HATE that I'm not keeping up with my blog but I have to work. :-/  Of course, I'm taking care of BJ's needs first... I think our family has figured out a balance and a schedule for weekdays:

5:30 am - HJ wakes up
6:00 am - TracePoo (me) wakes up
6:30 am - BJ wakes up and eats
6:45 am - TracePoo kisses BJ/HJ good-bye and goes to work
7:30 am - HJ takes BJ to Aunty K (the baby-sitter)
3:45 pm - 4:35 pm - Either HJ or TracePoo picks up BJ from the sitter, depending on who finishes work earlier
4:40 pm - Play time with BJ
5:30 pm - BJ eats cereal with baby food (Last week: Peas; This week: Green Beans)
5:50 pm - BJ takes a bath
6:00 pm - Play time/Read a book
7:30 pm - 8:30 pm - BJ goes to bed
After BJ goes to bed... Work time for TracePoo

Kind of a hectic schedule but it works.  The only thing that is hard is when I'm tired at 8:30.  Sometimes, I am exhausted and can't get to finish my work, which I hate because I am trying to be more organized this year.  Since this is my fifth year as a teacher, I can't use the excuse that I'm a newbie anymore, haha.  Hmm... technically, I suppose I could use the excuse that I am a new mommy, but I was never the excuse-giving type.    Gah... we'll see if I can do this.

Speaking of falling behind... YES, I do realize I have not posted the giveaway for two $50 gift cards. I PROMISE. Coming soooon!

BJ's New Skill

J found a new skill:  "I love sucking my toe, Mommy!"

Doesn't this look so funny? He's so flexible.  Too bad we don't all stay this way when we get older... Oh wait, I spoke too soon. I just tried reaching my toe and got it. Haha!  [You think I'm joking, don't you?  People who know the real me know that I really did try to reach my toe ;-)]

Welcome to all readers new and old! I'll be having a giveaway for two $50 gift cards soon... Stay tuned! :-)

Religion

HJ and I are so torn about what to do... While we both believe it is important for BJ to go to church, we don't know where.  You see, I was raised going to Sunday School at a buddhist church.  HJ, on the other hand, was raised going to a Christian church every Sunday.  Not to brag, but I believe that HJ and I have grown up to be good citizens of our community (LOL), and I think going to church every Sunday has helped us to become better human beings.  I would like BJ to have a solid level of integrity and values, and this would help give him a solid foundation.

This isn't meant to be a debate about what's better:  Christianity or Buddhism, because I don't believe that this is the place for that, and I am not trying to offend anyone.  I guess I'm just rambling because BJ is getting older and it's getting harder to say, "We'll worry about it later", because later is coming soon.  Since HJ and I started dating and I started thinking about our future together, I always knew this was going to be a problem, and I always had that "We'll worry about it later" mentality.  Now that "later" is here, I STILL don't know what to do. :-/

BJ has 100 Followers and more feeding escapades

Wow, thank you to everyone for following my blog... BJ has 100 followers!!!  I am very excited, and can't wait to share the news with HJ!  [I told HJ I wanted to buy myself a present when I reach 100 followers, but I think I'll save the money towards our future house, whenever that may be. :-)]

So you may have read about our feeding escapades.  This afternoon, I got the WONDERFUL opportunity to change BJ's doodie diaper after his first human food feeding of peas and rice.  Why didn't any of you warn me that BJ's doodie would smell the way it did??? It was the STINKIEST thing I have ever smelled in my life.  I nearly fainted.  Shame on you readers for not warning me!  Seriously.  And now that we'll be introducing more foods into BJ's diet, I imagine it can only get worse.  *Sigh* Who knew I would miss the days of smelling BJ's 'just-born doodies'.

And why do I always end up talking about doodie on this blog? lol...

I was a little embarrassed by the mess I made when feeding BJ today but I'll show it to you.  BJ thinks he's sucking on a bottle when I feed him with a spoon and squirts food all over the place. If any of you out there have any tips for feeding babies without being messy, please share!

Mommy needs to learn how to feed me without being messy!

Eating Peas!

BJ ate peas for the first time today! His first real HUMAN FOOD (aside from rice cereal)!

And he did not like it. He made the most sour face ever and held the peas in his mouth for a long time before he swallowed.

In fact, he disliked it so much that after eating a spoonful of peas, he scarfed down spoonfuls of rice cereal to erase the taste.

But mommy and daddy had lots of fun feeding him and taking pictures.  :-)