baby girl clothes : by jean

Now that I have a girl, it's been interesting purchasing girl clothes.  With boys, it was always a t-shirt and shorts in the summer; long sleeve shirt and sweatpants in the winter.  With girls, there are SO MANY OPTIONS!

Jordan's been getting a lot of Miles/Logan/Charlie's hand-me-downs, but I have gotten a few real girl's clothes for her.

I recently purchased a few rompers for Jordan as they are super easy for the summer.  I didn't even look at the back picture since I assumed it would be a regular back, but then I got the package in the mail and saw that they both have open gaps in the back!

old navy striped bubble romper 

old navy striped romper

I get it that these open back looks are trendy right now for women...but even for BABIES?! 

A friend of mine who has a daughter in grade school said she can only shop at Target in the summertime becauseTarget is the only store that have "normal" shorts while other stores have shorts that are "daisy dukes".

I remember having major argument sessions with my dad who wouldn't let me out of the house if my skirt went above my knees.  If this is payback for all the times I gave him a hard time, I'm in TROUBLE!

thank you, California : by amy

As some of you know, our family went through quite an adventure over the past year.  While our adventure was for my husband's job, it became one of the best things to happen to me and my work situation (among other areas of my life too!).

Back in February 2014, I returned to work after my maternity leave.  I was now juggling 2 kids with my very-full-time job.  I still had the same support systems in place, but I felt like I was just hanging by a thread.  I was technically getting everything done in my life, but I just wasn't satisfied with the quality of my time spent at both home and work.  Honestly, when I look back, I think having a full-time nanny (that cooked and drove) would probably have been the best type of help to meet our demands but my husband and I just couldn't get comfortable with a stranger being in my house all day with my kids or driving my kids around town.  And the major killer was my commute: 1 hour each way.  I wasted 10 hours a week on the road.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I only saw the kids for about 45-60 min. a day, and I was usually feeding, cleaning, dressing and chaffeuring them for that entire hour.  I knew it was going to be rough during these years, and I managed to accept it and just deal with it after my first one was born.  But after the second one, I was genuinely unhappy.  I asked my bosses if they would let me work one day a week from home....and they said no.  And I tried hard to see it from their eyes: they didn't want to set a precedent (I work with a bunch of men), and maybe I would miss out on some important business conversations that happen around my desk that day (...like what's for lunch :P)  but come on - one stinking day a week!.  We have email and phones!  Anyway, the funny part was that after they denied my request, we happened to have a snowstorm once a week for the next 3-4 weeks, and I ended up working from home 1 day/week for about a month.  God's funny like that.

So, now I was discouraged and a bit resentful.  My husband and I had been contemplating a big change/decision to move to California since Christmas, and while we were leaning towards doing it, my rejection of this 1-day/week proposal was the straw that broke the camel's back.  I decided to quit my job and move to California.  My colleagues were understanding of my decision, and I was frank about my struggles and disappointment because these were people I had worked with for over 8 years.  But during one of my discussions with a male colleague, I was explaining how there were things that I wanted to do and be there for as the mother of my children, and my commute and work circumstances were just denying me the chance to do that sufficiently, like real home-cooked meals once in awhile, spending quality time with them before they go to bed and just generally BEING THERE.  And do you know what he said?  He said this:

Well, you know Amy, if your financial situation can support it, I would highly suggest you hire people to do what you need done, like cooking, cleaning and driving the kids around. 

*SHAKING MY HEAD.*  OK first, I do have a cleaning person that comes twice a month, so yes, I've outsourced that, but that's mostly b/c my husband is semi-OCD and doesn't accept my cleaning standards.  But I JUST told you that I (me personally!) want to take a more active, physical and emotional role in my child's life aside from paying for his bills. *sigh* I know he was just trying to help.......

So we did the California thing-- lived the laid-back life, soaked up the sun, ate some acai bowls and mexcian food, got addicted to Cardio Barre classes...and then came back to the east coast a little sooner than planned.  But our life in California was just the kick-in-the-pants I needed to slow down and enjoy my family.  It humbled me because I no longer had a six-figure salary or a cushy bonus to rely on-- and that was honestly hard for me.  I somehow managed to keep working part-time while in California, but only 10 hours a week, so my salary was enough to buy the groceries each month :P  But I was finally able to be WITH my kids....and in beautiful southern California!  In the midst of the other crazy stuff going on with my husband's job situation, I was learning to be happy with less.  I was also cooking more and learning to be more efficient with our money.  I even saw a difference in my relationship with my kids. I started to feel way more in-tune with them than I did when I was full-time working.  I realized this sacrifice was worth it and was so thankful we had the balls to make this move.

And you know, God continued to provide for us when we moved back to NJ.  I am miraculously still working part-time (!!) with my same team.  This is a bit unreal considering part-time was a big NO-NO in my business.  I can't really explain how this started and even continued after I moved back to NJ -- it really is God's grace and providing the right circumstances at the right times.  Now that I'm back in NJ, I work 25 hours/week-- 5 hours a day.  I commute into the office 3 days a week and work 2 days from home.  It is my dream work situation and I have ZERO interest to go back to work full time.  I still get to interact with my colleagues who I really enjoy, but I also have the flexibility to eat breakfast with my kids, pick them up at a reasonable hour and make dinners for them.  The days are still incredibly busy and jam-packed.  I'm basically a chaffeur with a paying job in between drives, so time management is still key here.  But this is the kind of work-life balance that I've been dreaming of.  My part-time situation isn't permanent, but I am thankful to have it and will hope to do it for as long as they let me.  My part-time role is different from what I was doing-- I'm no longer leading or delegating major projects, but instead, doing side projects and in more of a supporting role.  Sometimes I struggle with my ambition to be and do more (and to make more $$$), but my husband has been really great at keeping me grounded and reminding me of how awesome my balance is now versus pre-California.  There may be a time and place for more focus on work/career in the future, but my priority is different right now.

I came across this article the other day about a women-led law firm that let's partners be parents.  So amazing!  Hope these women are able to keep doing what they do!

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/business/a-woman-led-law-firm-that-lets-partners-be-parents.html?_r=0

itchy, itchy eczema! (part II) : by jean

I'm back!  Well, sort of.  I've been meaning to post and have all these things I want to write so I can remember for later, but there's NO time!

As Amy mentioned in her previous post, I too had another baby. (CRAZY!) Her name is Jordan, and she has had some mild eczema from about 3-4 months old.  It started to get a little bit worse so I had asked my doc for a prescription ointment.  Every time we went in for Jordan's check-up, her eczema was getting better so our doc told us to stick to OTC stuff.  I ended up trying out a bunch of different products, so I figured I would share!  But keep in mind, when it gets really bad, I think prescription hydrocortisone is really the best way to go.  Amy also mentions that here.

In the end, I finally called my doc for a prescription, and she finally ended up giving me one, but before she did, I was desperate and took some of my friend's kid's prescription. (shhhh!)

2 products to live by when you have eczema: Cerave Cream & Aquaphor.  (FYI Cerave is $12.50 at Costco- much cheaper than at your normal drugstore). This is more of a repeat to Amy's previous post but I can't emphasize how great this combo is.

Cerave & Aquaphor

Coconut Oil is one of the new products we've been trying. Too many people have raved and raved about it so I had to try.  I got a jar from Trader Joe's.  They also sell a huge jar at Costco for $15.  Make sure to get organic, unrefined/raw.

Trader Joe's Organic Coconut oil

I normally use Cerave, everyday as my face cream.  After I got coconut oil, I've been using that as my night cream.  At first, I have to admit it was a bit weird to smear it all over my face and smelling a bit like a pina colada.  But it makes my skin SOO soft. I've been using it also to remove makeup (the two times I've worn makeup), and using it on my cracked heels and cuticles.  These days Jordan does this itch dance as soon as I take her out of the bath so I slather coconut oil all over her since it starts absorbing right away and then put a layer of Cerave and then Aquaphor on bad patches.

I also came across Vanicream

Vanicream

Vaniply Ointment

and Vaniply Ointment ...didn't seem too much different from the usual Cerave & Aquaphor.  Vanicream def feels a little bit more greasy after you apply, I'm wondering because it doesn't absorb as quickly?  Vaniply Ointment seems like a good in-between if Aquaphor and Vaseline had a baby.  Its not as thick as Aquaphor but thicker than Vaseline. Because the thickness is in between, its very easy to apply.  The National Eczema Organization link is a great resource for anything eczema-related, especially for products.

My doc also suggested Sarna, which is a steroid free anti-itch lotion. To be honest, I don't think it works that well...Jordan still does the itch dance and scratches herself even after I apply. I don't know if it takes some times to settle in?  I've been using it sparingly here and there, just to test it out. Only if she can just tell me if it works or not...!

Sarna

I also read somewhere about Curel's Itch Defense lotion.

Curel's Itch Defense lotion

It says it is pediatrician-tested and good for babies 6 months and up...gentle enough to use on face, so I got it.  Again, similar to Sarna, not sure how well it's working but I do think sometimes it's nice to switch up products once in a while.  I still religiously use Cerave and Aquaphor but in between, I try out these other ones on areas like Jordan's legs where she doesn't show much eczema but still scratches.

And last, but not least...A&D!

A&D

I've only heard of using A&D for cuts and diaper rashes but when Jordan's eczema started to ooze, Amy recommending trying A&D.  Aquaphor is also great but I found A&D better for areas where her skin started to break and was oozing.

What are some other products you have used?  There's so much out there, would love to hear all about them!

Life with two and Montessori : by amy

Does anyone still write in this thing!?

Sheesh.  Slackers!  Seriously.  What.  Happened.  We went on an unannounced hiatus.  Sometimes, it happens.

One year later, where are we now?  Jean and I both have TWO kids now.  Meet Charlie (Amy's second) and Jordan (Jean's second):

Jean and I have been reading back on old entries to refresh our memories on baby food, feeding schedules and sleep regressions, so the blog fulfilled its purpose for us!  I don't know how frequently I can write in this thing going forward, but I felt like writing an update on the boys.  Maybe it'll become useful for us if we have a 3rd kid :P.

"Charlie-zilla" - back to infant/toddler life!
Our second son is now 18 months old.  He's down to 1 nap a day and sleeps "only" 10-10.5 hours at night-- he insists on waking up before 6:25am every day no matter what time he goes to bed.  Doctor says this is completely normal and he's just a natural early-riser (thanks to the husband's genes!)  Fortunately, no major sleep regressions just yet-- he had one or two with the naps at ~9 months.  Despite his dairy and random soy allergies, he eats quite well!  His favorite meals are typically bap and gook (rice with Korean soups), acini di pepe pasta in pureed veggie sauce, this salmon (though I take off most of the brown sugar), all types of chicken and marinated kalbi.  In his infant months, instead of buying only fresh fruits and veggies to puree, I used frozen organic produce from Trader Joe's.  What a time saver!  Anyway, Charlie had THE WORST eczema starting around 4 months.  It wasn't until 6 months that we realized it was a dairy allergy, so he was on super-expensive formula until about 14 months.  He is now drinking Flax Milk (with protein, unsweetened, vanilla flavored).  I found it to be the best in terms of maximizing calcium and protein with the added bonus of a ton of omega-3s, but it's only available at Wegmans and Wholefoods.  My mom accidentally gave him Greek yogurt last week, and...he didn't break out!  So I'm hopeful that he's perhaps slowly getting over the dairy allergy.  Behavior-wise, he's a bit of a terror, hence the nickname (unless he's at someone's house or we have company-- how courteous of him!).  He also makes us read "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "Oh My, Oh My, Oh Dinosaurs" about 30 times a day.  Each.  No lie.

Logan - the big brother.
My little Wolverine is now 3.5 years old.  He started going to a Montessori school when he turned 3, and I have to say that we (parents and child) love it!  I feel that there are some misconceptions about Montessori, and I can understand why.  It's a bit hard to understand the philosophy until you see it in action.  There are two types of Montessori: AMI and AMS.  Basically, AMI is the purest method and AMS, while it is still true Montessori, is a little more relaxed.  Logan has been to both, and I don't think the difference has been too noticeable.  Before enrolling the boys, I debated if this was the right decision.  Will they transition easily to public school?  Will they become anti-social because they work independently most of the time?  What if they're idle or choose to do the same work over and over?  After speaking to a lot of people about it, I realized that the people who encouraged me to do it were all professionals in education-- parents with masters and PhDs in education.  People who clearly knew more about the learning systems than I did.  I also realized that the people I know who did Montessori as a young child were actually pretty smart, very inquisitive, independent, "normal", social children/adults!  So it couldn't be that bad, right??  To address my original doubts:

Will they transition easily to public school?
Usually, yes.  But it also depends on the child's personality and when the child transitions.  If the child is in Montessori beyond Kindergarten, then there may be a more noticeable transition process, but it will be temporary (and again, depends on the child's personality and temperament).  But most Montessori schools start to transition the children to non-Montessori methods/settings in Kindergarten anyway since most children don't stay in a Montessori classroom beyond Kindergarten.  Kids will have to encounter change at some time in their lives!  Better they get used to adapting early on than later.

Will they become anti-social since they work independently most of the time?
Um, no.  Absolutely not.  Actually, Montessori encourages community (at least ours does!).  They encourage "grace and courtesy," so if anything, not only will they be social, but they will actually be polite and exercise grace and courtesy towards one another (though not all the time)!  Also, the older children often take the younger ones under their wings.  It's the most endearing thing to watch.  Children are encouraged to do work both independently and with others if they choose to.  It is typical to see 3-year olds commonly doing work independently and the 4/5-year olds doing work with each other (because they're more social at that age).  Also, there are circle times and group lessons/observations (at least more so in AMS schools), so they're used to group settings as well.

What if they're idle or choose to do the same work over and over?
I just asked Logan's teacher about this, and while Logan doesn't have this issue, she said that when it does happen to other children, they will allow the child to observe whatever he/she is observing (typically, it's another child's work) since they are still passively learning.  But at some point, they will encourage them to choose something to work on.  In my brief observations, I rarely saw a child doing nothing.
 
I originally considered Montessori because I wanted Logan to hone his concentration/focus skills since he's typically very high-energy.  So far, Logan has really flourished in the classroom, and I can now understand why they call Montessori "knowledge for life" because the skills they learn will be critical all the way through adulthood. I know Montessori is great for both boys and girls, but I feel like it's REALLY good for boys since they tend to have shorter attention spans and are slower in development.  But I also understand that Montessori is not for every child...and not a necessity by any means.  But I would highly recommend it if you're considering it for your child.

So far, I am really enjoying age 3-- they are not terrible for us at all...which means it will be terrible when Charlie turns 3 :P.  Logan's been saying all types of crazy things like... "I like it when the brown boy beat boxes!"  or "I didn't see my brown friend at my old school."  *UNEXPECTED TEACHING MOMENT!*  (no Montessori method for teaching race!)

potty training : by jean

Miles recently started doing this thing where he goes off into some corner where no one can see him so he can squat down and poop.  If I come by to see him, he immediately stands up, holds his hand up and says "no umma, nooo."  If I ask him if he's "all done?" he proceeds to point to his behind and says "more, more."

He also learned to pull down his pants and at times likes to take his diaper off himself.  He definitely likes to be free from his diaper but makes us very nervous as he runs around the apartment naked.

My mom (who potty trained my sister before she could even walk) is so determined to get him potty trained while she stays with us for the next couple of months.  Anytime she doesn't see him, she will go find him and proceed to put him down on the toilet and tell him to go "eunnggg ga"(push to poop). We've only been successful once so far.  He doesn't enjoy sitting on the toilet.  I've been holding back on getting those little potties because I don't want to deal with cleaning it up after he does his business.  Am I being selfish?  Probably!  But if I can get him do it directly into the toilet, why not, right?

Well, I was wrong.  Miles hated the toilet so we finally got him his own potty.  I wanted something small and functional so I got him this.

Baby Bjorn Smart Potty

And then the real training began.  My mom was watching him about 3 days a week so we officially started when he would be home with my mom and into the weekend before going to daycare.  My mom had him sit down so he can watch himself pee and eventually poop.  We had a lot of accidents where he would tell us after he peed and pooped but since he wasn't wearing a diaper, he soon learned to tell us right before he was about to go, and we would rush him and have him sit down. I think the key is to let them be diaper-free in the beginning so they feel themselves getting wet and soiled because they typically don't like it.  

By the time Miles was back at daycare, he LOVED to tell you "peep peep" and would sit and pee in the potty.  We started to teach him to pee in a container standing up after he watched his dad do it. His daycare also reinforced stand-up-peeing, and he mastered that in a day.  While teaching him to poop in the potty, Miles got constipated so for a good week he would NOT go poop in the potty.  He was scared and kept saying "owy owy."  We washed a lot of poop-stained pants that week.  GROSS!

After a week of Miles protesting to poop in the potty, my mom convinced him that the small potty was for babies!  I think it took her 2 days to convince him, and then one day I got a text at work of Miles sitting on the big toilet going poop!  He officially became potty trained a week before he turned 2! YAY!

Seriously, grandmas are the best!

So now Miles is fully potty trained and only wears a diaper to sleep.  The kids at daycare are fascinated by Miles peeing and all crowd around the bathroom as he goes.  LOL!

Another milestone...they sure do grow up fast!

freedom : by jean

A few weekends ago we were over at Amy's to hang out.  While the dads watched the boys, Amy and I left the house to pick up some lunch for all of us.  As we walked out of the house, we yelled "freedom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and ran to the car all giddy.

We were free for the next 20-30mins.  We were allowed to only think about ourselves and did our quickest catch-up talk session which became one of the most productive sessions in a while.  

The other day I had dropped my mom off at her friend's place and had to drive back to Brooklyn myself which rarely happens.  I had the next 45 minutes to myself to listen and sing to any music I wanted...while driving very safely!  I didn't have to sing "wheels on the bus" on repeat WITH the motions!

A lot of times when you have a child, many emphasize the importance of having date night.  Obviously, date night is important, and we should all date our husbands whenever we can.  However, just taking some time for yourself where you can be selfish and not have to think about anything else is also so crucial.  It seems like a basic idea but after the 20-30 minutes of freedom I had with Amy in the car, it really dawned upon me that I needed more of this for myself. 

I know hiding in the bathroom and taking long showers at times are sometimes our only moments of freedom, but we should ALL take some time, whether short or long, to be selfish once in a while.

What are some of the things you do when you have a few precious moments to yourself?

an umma's new considerations : by amy

There are some obvious changes that one expects after having kids: sleep habits, travel plans (lack thereof), quality and quantity of TV time, strong language around kids, etc.  But there are a some things that aren't so obvious-- things that I've just started noticing that I do/consider.

1. Parking jobs

Especially now that I have 2 kids in the backseat, I choose my parking spots extra carefully to ensure that I can open both backseat doors freely.  Logan is a little easier since I can slip him out of a tight door opening, but Charlie's infant car seat is obviously much wider, so a tight spot on the left side just won't do.  But this is a warning to non-parents!  Please park properly or else you will risk not only getting your car door damaged from the banging of another car door trying to open, but you might also end up getting this special unwanted gift if your parking job REALLY sucks (it's a poopy diaper too): 

2. Disguising innocent words

Obviously, one does not want to curse in front of their children (although I've seen/heard plenty of parents still do it, accidental or not).  They're going to learn these words one day anyway, but we still don't want to encourage using that kind of language, particularly at such a young age.  During our conversations, he husband and I will often disguise or change words so instead of "that's stupid," we'll say "that's silly."  But sometimes, we'll be talking about something totally innocent and not want Logan to hear it just yet because he'll lose focus on what he's currently doing-- like if Logan's eating his dinner, and I'll ask the husband "do we have any BA's left?"  ("BA" is code for banana).  If I say the word "banana," Logan will instantly stop eating his dinner, push it away, and start screaming "NANA-NANA!!!"  If you're ever at my house, don't say the following words in front of Logan while he is eating his main meal: banana ("BA"), raisin ("RAI"), orange ("ORA"), Sesame Street ("SS"), Charlie Brown ("Peanuts").  You can use the appropriate codes or speak of such things after he's completed eating his main course :).

3. Germs!

I was never a germaphobe before having kids, however my husband is a clean-freak.  But we are both in the camp of exposing our kids to some germs to help toughen their immune systems.  If Logan dropped a cracker on the ground, I'd give it a little blow and give it right back to him-- no biggie.  Now, if it fell on the floor of the NYC subway, then I'd throw it right in the trash!  (you realize how disgusting the city is after you have kids).  A few weeks ago, Logan contracted some virus from school and after just 1 sneeze on baby Charlie, the poor baby got bronchiolitis at only 2.5 months.  Since then, I've been a little more germaphobic around the baby.  The only thing babies put in their mouths at this age are their hands, so I am typically careful not to touch his hands unless I need to or if I know my hands have just been washed.  It made me realize my friends must've cringed whenever I touched their babies' hands!  To be safe (and respectful), always wash your hands before touching a baby and avoid touching babies' hands unless you know your hands are clean.

4. My wardrobe

I'm in that in-between stage where neither pregnancy nor pre-pregnancy clothes fit me.  I've been living in stretchy leggings and Uniqlo jeggings-- hopefully far from being "frumpy!"  Many people make the wrong assumption that moms don't think or care about their wardrobe after they have kids.  But you know what?  Maybe it's quite the opposite-- some moms DO think about their wardrobe much more than you think.  For example, in this colder weather, I want to throw on my thick sweaters that have been unworn for the past 8 months but I always have to stop and ask myself: 1) When was the last time I washed this?  2) Was it with the Free & Clear detergent?  3) Is this material going to irritate Charlie's skin?  4) Does it cover my fat ass?  (Most of my sweaters fail the 4th question).  I have a few trendy faux fur vests that I've been wanting to don, but alas, they are not baby-friendly.  Necklaces are often a no-go given my baby will likely rub his face on them too.  Even my shoes are affected!   How I long to wear cute pumps again!  But have you tried carrying an (extremely heavy) infant car seat and baby bag while walking in heels?  While your legs may look skinny and sexy, it's neither safe nor comfortable.  And shoes that require straps or buckles?  What mother has time for that??  Baby is crying, toddler is running away-- it is GO-time!  So, I've been sticking with anything that I can slip-on easily: flats and my Sorel boots for extra-cold weather.  So next time you see me dressed in boring-not-so-fashionable-cotton outfits please know that I did take a lot of time thinking about my outfit!

Korea again! : by jean

Hello from Korea!  Check out our last trip to Korea here .

Since we made the trip last year, I already knew what to expect.  The jet lag will suck while we are there and then once we get back.  The biggest concern this year is that Miles is now too big for the bassinet.  Miles is still under 2 so legally I don't have to purchase a seat for him which is a huge plus but also a huge concern.  We were banking on the possibility that the plane wouldn't be full so that we could have an extra seat between us for Miles...and luckily we DID get an extra seat!  Miles did pretty well for the most part.  He didn't enjoy the kids' meal but rather liked the bibimbap that was for the adults. (He's a true Korean...loves rice!)

Our flight was at 1pm which is around his nap time.  Because he was so fascinated by the plane he was fine past his nap time and went down around 3pm and slept for about 2 hours.  He comfortably laid down in between us while we made room for him to stretch and sat awkwardly.  He went down to sleep for the night a little after his usual time and was able to sleep for about 6 hours, leaving only about an hour left once he woke up.  All in all, he slept well, but we (husband and I) were SO uncomfortable and pretty much pulled an all nighter! :(

The one major item that helped us through the flight was the iPad.  I used to judge parents (sorry being honest here) who used to give kids their phones/iPads during dinner to keep them occupied.  I TOTALLY get it now!!  Anytime he started to melt down, an episode of Sesame Street or Barney helped us.  Did you know that Asiana Airlines now has USB and power plugs at your seats?! Amazing!

We are now dealing with day one of jet lag.  Hopefully we will adjust soon!

being a working-stay-at-home-mom (WSAHM) : by amy

I'm taking 5 months of maternity leave-- did the same with Logan, but I'm enjoying my leave much more the second time around.  Logan is going to day care full-time, so that leaves me with just one child at home to look after for most of the day which is a total luxury!  Logan gets to be engaged with music, books, outdoors play and socialize all day, and I get to take a productive "break" during the day when Charlie is napping.  ("break"= shower, eating, tidying up the house, laundry, cooking) This is a totally different stay-at-home experience than I had with Logan.  But there is one thing I learned about myself this time around: I am a very expensive stay-at-home-mom.

What do I mean exactly?  Learning from my first maternity leave, I know I can't stay in the house all day.  I need to go out at least once a day.  Fortunately for me, I live in the most convenient location of arguably one of the most convenient towns in New Jersey.  I live <10 minutes from every major retailer, Wegmans and Korean grocery shopping and restaurants; 5 minutes from a decent mall, 15 minutes from a nicer mall, and 25 minutes from a "baller" mall.  Oh, and Uniqlo just opened up in 2 of those malls.  Now that I'm somewhat nap-training Charlie, I make a field trip during his 2nd nap.  Today, I went to HomeGoods.  Yesterday, I went to Target.  Friday, I went to Nordstroms and learned that it was their half-yearly women's and kids sale.  Gap keeps giving me 40% off everything.  I double-stacked coupon codes at Piperlime and got $260 worth of stuff for only $60.  My co-worker gave me the Friends and Family coupon for PB Kids.  Restoration Hardware and Bloomingdales just had their Friends and Family sales.  Oh, and did I mention that Uniqlo opened up in 2 locations near me?

Aside from the food shopping, all of this "window shopping" and sales alerts have got me spending more than I did when I was actually going to work.  I don't actually shop every time there's a sale, but I definitely am tempted to buy more stuff just because it's on sale!  I used to be a bit of a sale-aholic before having kids, but once I had kids, I somewhat lost interest in shopping unless it was for food or for the kids (my mom calls it "maturity").  And it doesn't help (or perhaps it does) that I'm still getting a full-time paycheck.  But now that I'm at home, I feel like retailers are coming at me!  Hey, welcome to the SAHM world!  We have a sale so come spend your money here!  After all, you deserve a little retail therapy!  Even though I've been spending a bit more than usual, I feel like it's mostly been constructive spending.  Perhaps it feels like I'm shopping more since I actually have the time to get things that I've always been meaning to get,  like flannel sheets and a nightstand for Logan's room, picture frames for new family photos, fall and winter sweaters for Logan, a bigger diaper bag, a new hutch for the dining room, black ankle socks and stretchy transitional pieces for me as I slowly start to lose the baby weight, more Heat-tech shirts for Charles (the last 3 things were all from Uniqlo).  These purchases don't sound too bad, right?  When I was working, I typically did all of this discretionary shopping online if I had a lucky few minutes during mental breaks...or I just didn't buy them at all.  Is this what all SAHMs do?  I doubt it.  Since I'm a WSAHM (meaning, I'm a temporary SAHM), I'm not making any effort to join any mommy groups to make new local friends or sign up for baby classes at my local Gymboree.  I'd rather have a relationship with my American Express card.  Just kidding, sort of.

I actually had a conversation with my father-in-law about me being an expensive WSAHM.  He laughed and told me I was truly living the life as "Mrs. Chang" (my mother-in-law has always been an expensive SAHM).  The husband and I (and my father-in-law!) agreed that it's better for our bank account and my social life if I return to work in February when my leave ends.  From now on, I'm focusing more of my energy on reorganizing rooms and cleaning out stuff in our house.  It's therapeutic, something I likely will never do once I return to work, and way cheaper.  Too bad I don't get Amex points for it though.

Tangent: Uniqlo has been my savior during these post-baby days.

 This Heat Tech lounge dress is like wearing a toasty cloud.  Winter must-have for only $30.

 Post-pregnancy magic pants.  Stretchy denim leggings that come in S/M/L with an ahjumah-style elastic waist band (which I shamelessly love).  The best part?  Only $20.

milk or night light? : by jean

(It's been a while since my last post as well.  Sorry! Life's just been busy. :p)

Miles has relapsed again.  He SCREAMS when we put him to bed now.  Not just a whiny "I don't want to go to bed" type of thing, but a painful scream that is exhausting to listen to...and I'm sure exhausting for him.  We let him cry it out a few times.  Each time it lasted about 20 minutes.

Then the other day I thought, could he be screaming because it's so dark in there?  Normally there's still some day light when we put Miles down but now that the days are getting shorter, it's dark by the time it's Miles' bedtime.

My roommie thinks it's because we haven't been giving him milk after dinner.  When he doesn't ask for it, I haven't been giving it to him.  He normally eats very well for dinner so he definitely doesn't NEED milk before bed.

So we tested Miles.  We gave him milk AND had a little night light for him.  He whined for 30 seconds and then was off to bed.  I think it was the night light, but roommie thinks it was the milk.  The next couple of nights we alternated giving him milk and not giving him milk while the night light stayed on at all times.  Unfortunately, after he whined for 30 seconds, he then continued to cry/scream for about 20 minutes.  Last night was 6 minutes.  Tonight it was 3 minutes!

The next couple of nights was up and down.  At one point, I thought maybe Miles was more upset about being stuck in the crib so we tried letting him sleep on the floor.  FAIL.  I was so close to converting his crib into a toddler bed which means he can get out whenever he wants...but the roommie and I decided it wasn't time yet and that he must just need another review on how to sleep.

The moral of the story is that there's absolutely no rhyme or reason as to WHY they relapse.  Does it ever end?  Please tell me it does before they turn 18 and are out of the house. :p

Update: now we are dealing with daylight savings.  With the time changes, Miles is exhausted by the time its his bedtime and doesn't even really fight with us anymore.  Maybe a whine but that's about it. However, he's now waking us up at 5:45am! Grrrrreeat!  Anyone else hate daylight savings??

they are cute until they wake you up at 5:45am!!

the big change / baby brother : by amy

I know it's been over 7 weeks since I lasted blogged.  When I'm not feeding the baby or cleaning around the house, I had to make the decision if I should sleep, eat or blog during my "free" time-- sleep was typically my first choice :P.

I know my next "big change" post was supposed to be about transitioning to the twin size bed, but turns out, the transition was pretty anti-climatic and not really blog-post-worthy on its own.  In a nutshell, we purchased his bed right before his sleep regression incident, so decided to hold off on transitioning until maybe a couple of months after the baby brother arrived.  But one Saturday night in July, I went out to a birthday dinner in the city, and Logan decided he wanted OUT of the crib!  This wasn't completely surprising to us because a few weeks before this, he decided he didn't want to sleep in the crib at grandma's house either.  She made a bed for him on the floor with a bunch of comforters/thick blankets, and that's where he prefers to sleep now.  Anyway, after 2 hours of crying (and what we dreaded was yet another sleep regression cycle...), Logan dragged dad into his new room where his new bed awaited for months.  He and dad hopped in and both fell asleep in the bed.  There was no turning back after that-- every night, we did our same bedtime routine, but let him climb into his new bed which was filled with "friends" and plenty of books.  He never comes out of the bed at night, nor does he come out in the morning when he wakes up-- he just "reads" in bed and waits for one of us to come in.  Seems like an easy transition, right?  Yeah, I thought so too.  I'll take it.

So what other big changes happened in Logan's/my life?  I had another baby!  Charlie's arrival to the world was 5 days early.  The experience was far less painful and more pleasant than my labor with Logan, which was induced and drawn out.  I was 4 cm dilated by the time I arrived at the hospital, and I probably could've had the baby within the next 3 hours after arriving, but my epidural slowed things down, which was fine with me since I got to sleep for 2-3 hours before pushing and changing my life again forever.

After only 15 minutes of pushing, little Charlie made his way into the world, weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces and 19 inches long-- significantly smaller than his big brother who was 8 pounds, 2 ounces and 21 inches long!  I was pretty strict with my diet after being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, so that affected Charlie's size, but I've been plumping him up pretty quickly!  Let me tell you-- it is FAR easier to push out a 6-7 pound baby than an 8 pound baby!  Your vagina and body will thank you if you control your diet during pregnancy!  I'm sure it was also easier this time around since it was my second, but I definitely learned about the consequences of a good diet during pregnancy.

We tried to prepare Logan for his baby brother's arrival as best as we could-- we would talk about the baby, he would hug and kiss "baby" (my stomach), and he got a book about being a big brother.  When Logan visited the hospital for the first time, he was interested in the baby for about 10 seconds and then decided the hospital room's furniture was more interesting to play on.  Our entire family made sure to shower Logan with extra love and attention during these past 7 weeks. He does get bouts of jealousy which manifest themselves through silence and avoiding eye contact with whoever is holding the baby.  And until just recently, he would whine and get upset if dad held Charlie, but these days, he's been more mellow.  But generally, I think our approach and Logan's reaction has been pretty good.  We encourage Logan to help during diaper changes and feedings so he can feel involved.  Logan is very affectionate with Charlie and gets concerned (shows his sad face) when he hears Charlie crying ("baby cry-in. [finds baby monitor] "baby!?").

Learning to be gentle with baby Charlie

Logan loves to give kisses to baby Charlie

I also don't immediately drop everything to attend to Charlie when he starts crying, especially if I'm spending time with Logan.  I do this for three reasons - 1) Charlie just has to deal with the fact that I cannot always come to him immediately-- sorry, 2nd born!  2) I also give him the opportunity to calm himself down if I don't think he's crying out of hunger.  3) During these early transitional times, I don't want Logan to think that Charlie is always stealing me away from him whenever he cries.  So if Charlie starts crying, Logan first acknowledges it ("baby cry-in."), and I will calmly say Yes, Charlie's crying, but it's OK-- umma will go get him soon.  I'll wait a minute or so (also based on timing, like if it was a really short nap, I'll wait to see if Charlie can calm himself down), and then give Logan the head's up that I'll be right back.

Speaking of crying, I have definitely been letting Charlie cry more than I did with Logan.  And I came to a recent epiphany: I think a reason why Logan was such a terrible napper during his pre-sleep-training days was because I never gave him a chance to learn how to settle himself, i.e. let him cry longer.  Whenever he woke up from his 10-15 minute naps, I would immediately pick him up and think that was the end of his nap.  I guess a first-time-mom rookie mistake?  But with Charlie, often because I have no choice since I'm attending to Logan, I'll let him cry, and maybe after 10 minutes, he'll be able to go back to sleep.  Charlie is also less sensitive to the sounds of our old creaky house (as I had complained about in this post), probably because he had to sleep through Logan's shenanigans during the first month when we had him sleeping/napping downstairs in our office next to the dining room.  And, one of the best differences (which I hope doesn't change) is that unlike Logan during this age, Charlie can fall and stay asleep on his own without me having to hold him all the time.  I've been very conscientious about this-- I hold/rock Charlie until he gets very drowsy/falling asleep, and then I put him down, even if he's sort of awake.  He will sometimes cry when I put him down, but I won't pick him back up (cruel, I know) because I know he is tired.  After 10-15 minutes of crying, he will go to sleep.  Thus far, Charlie has been a much better napper than Logan.  He's OK at night-- doing 4-5 hour stretches right now at 7 weeks.  Logan was doing 8-9 hour stretches at this time, but that's probably because he napped horribly during the day!  Anyway, I'm hoping that when I truly sleep-train Charlie (if I need to), it will be a less painful process since I'm already having him get used to these certain circumstances.

Charlie at 7 weeks

The super-exhausting days are now turning into just regular exhausting days now that I weaned and Charlie is sleeping for 4-hour stretches at night, so hopefully I can blog a bit more regularly.  In the mean time... sweet dreams!

Babies and social media: by jean

I came across this article last week, "Media Elite Making Twitter Accounts for Children."

I'm not gonna lie. I thought it was rather ridiculous-- people tweeting on behalf of their kids.  Sure it can be funny and cute here and there...but come on!

But then I started realizing maybe it wasn't too crazy after all.  Soon after Miles was born, we heard people say they made gmail accounts for their babies so that they can get the name they wanted for their account.  At first I thought, "why would we do that?" but then I realized there could there be more Miles Lees in this world taking over his email address.  So, Miles now has his own gmail account.  (Remember the days when gmail was so new you had to be invited to make an account?!)

I still think tweeting on behalf of your own child is a bit much, but perhaps making an email account or a facebook page isn't too crazy.  I've seen friends who made FB accounts for their babies so that only friends and family will get updates and pictures in their newsfeeds.  I've also had moms tell me that they started writing to their kids' email addresses-- letters to them about what they are going through so they can read them when they get older.

Google had the same thought and made a commercial.

Dear Sophie Google Commercial

Made you tear, right?  Or was that only me? :p

Have you made an email address for your kids?  Or are you already tweeting on behalf of them?

birthday blunder? : by amy

Logan turned two a few weeks ago, but we had a family birthday party for him much earlier since the husband was going to be out of town on Logan's actual birthday (boo!).  I made a big 'ol cake, made some bo-ssam (Korean-style boiled pork lettuce wraps), and had all of our family members over to shower Logan with birthday love. 

Magnolia's vanilla cake recipe with rainbow chip icing

the happy 2 year old! 

family!

Logan loved the attention, blowing out the candles, licking off the frosting of the cake, and REALLY loved his birthday gift from Aunt Jean-- the buckle backpack!

He got some other fun gifts, like play doh, "non-messy" finger paint (Crayola is really amazing), a wooden choo-choo train, $100 (...which dad borrowed for his Chicago trip...), but none of these gifts could surpass the awesomeness of the buckle backpack! 

providing toddlers with focused, buckling fun!

So, at school (day care), kids have small birthday parties even for two-year olds.  The teacher told me not to bring in cupcakes because they're too big-- she said munchkins or veggie stix go over pretty well.  Some kids' parents prepare goodie bags too (usually with junk that goes straight into the garbage).  Some memorable ones that Logan received included cereal bars, (or some other type of parent-approved treat), a small pack of crayons, and a Thomas the Train whistle (which he loves blowing).  These are all very usable and practical "goodies" for two-year olds.  So, I wanted to prepare something small to celebrate Logan's birthday too, but something simple and practical.  I made little goodie bags that included small cups filled with animal cookies (from Wegmans, of course...and organic).

I also brought in a box of munchkins that the kids could have during their afternoon snack.  Simple, right?  I mean, the kid is turning two and probably isn't worried about peer pressure or having "cool stuff" for his birthday just yet.  I also didn't plan on being there to distribute the afternoon snack because...I just didn't think he would care if I came or not.  I'm not even sure if he would understand what the munchkins were for (it was his first time having a munchkin).  And we had a huge birthday party for him at home which obviously was more significant than this afternoon-snack party at school.  I don't think other full-time working moms come to their two-year old's afternoon-snack birthday parties...or do they?

So, I've got the school video streaming on my desktop while at work to watch them celebrate Logan's birthday.  I remembered it was another girl's birthday too-- same day as Logan's.  And the teachers told me her mom was bringing fruit and some type of small cake.  Well, the kid's ENTIRE FAMILY came to the classroom for the afternoon-snack-birthday party!  The mom walked in with a ginormous craft-bin filled with what turned out to be goodie bags filled with...stuff that's going straight into my garbage (I'm not being mean-- I'm being real.  See items below).

What does a 2-year old do with "mouska-bucks"?  I don't give my toddler Tootsie roll pops, gummy snacks or chocolate gold coins.  And he's not skilled enough to play with a mini maze and will probably eat the rubber blue ball.

Then she whipped out this huge roll cake with candles.  The dad was taking pictures like the papparazzi.  Suddenly, Logan's simple munchkin party was overshadowed by this hoopla of a birthday party.  A part of me was like "um...was I supposed to do this too??"  Was I supposed to drop everything and come to my son's 2-year old birthday "party" at day care with all the bells and whistles?  I mean, I can understand turning 3 and older-- kids are much more aware of what birthday parties are, but my kid just learned how to say "birthday" a week ago, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't really understand what a birthday is.  But, I shouldn't hate.  It was sweet that her family took the time off to celebrate the occasion.  Next year, I will go to his school for his 3rd birthday party and will bring in the works!  (but my goodie bag is still going to be simple and practical!)

Logan ended up having three birthday parties anyway.  One with the entire family, one at school, and another mini-party with my in-laws and me while the husband was out of town on Logan's actual birthday.  Here's footage from the third party:

still talking about sleep! : by jean

Yes, more on sleep.  My last posts were on sleep (here and here) and we need to talk more about it.

A couple of weeks ago, we decided we couldn't do this any longer.  Ever since Miles started his sleep regression, the only way to get him to sleep was for one of us to stay in the room with him so he sees that we are RIGHT by him.  From my research, it said that these sleep regressions go on from 2-6 weeks.  It's been a month and it hasn't been getting much better.  So we decided to start the dreaded CIO session again.  I blame my mom for his sleep regression.  She visited and stayed with us for almost 3 weeks and during that time she would give me the evil eye whenever I would let Miles cry when I put him down to sleep.  I think Miles also felt the "grandma vibe" because I swear he started this regression on the first night she was home.  She denies giving me ANY looks but is glad she isn't here for the CIO sessions.  Remember, DON'T fall into grandma pressure!

If you read my post from way back on our original sleep training, CIO was hard but it worked well.  I had Miles sleeping from 7:30-7:30 almost every night.  We would do our bedtime routine, put him down in his crib and walk out.  Sometimes he would whine, cry, fuss here and there but nothing more than 5 minutes.  Now, it was time to re-sleep train.

Day 1:
Sunday night, we had gotten home a bit later than we had liked so Miles was already dozing off a bit in the car.  I didn't want to move him after he fell asleep so I kept him awake.  We did the same bedtime routine, put him in his crib and walked out.  He laid down for a good 30 seconds and then the crying/screaming started.  It lasted for 22 minutes.  My stomach was in knots.  Something about this time around was harder than before.  Perhaps because he was more aware of what was going on, and I was I worried I was traumatizing him.

Day 2:
13 minutes.
I couldn't stay to hear him cry again, so I took a shower while the roommate monitored him.

Day 3:
22 minutes

I went to the supermarket during that time and got some ice cream (ice cream is a great way to comfort yourself during CIO sessions).

Day 4:
Started crying even before I left the room. 4 mins of crying and then sat in his crib for about 15 minutes as if he was pondering what he should do next...and then finally, he laid down.

Day 5:
3 mins of crying standing up and then settled down for a bit, sitting down and sucking on his fingers, but then started crying again 30 seconds later.  He cried for about 2 more minutes and then just stayed seated in the corner of the crib right by the door.  By minute 15, he was finally laying down.  Not too bad. He only really cried for about 4-5 mins total!

Day 6:
10 mins of crying and then sitting down by the corner and down to sleep.

Day 7:
1 min of crying and then another minute of sitting by the corner and then laid down!!

Day 8:
4 mins of crying and then laid down.  But then sat up and cried for almost 30 minutes. UGH.  I thought we were on the right track...

Day 9:
30 seconds of crying and then laid down.  HOORAY!

Day 10:

Less than a minute of crying and then sleep position.

Day 11:

10 seconds of crying and then sleep position.

Day 12:
10 seconds of crying, then in sleep position.  randomly started crying again about 15 mins later, cried for another 10 seconds or less, sat down for a sec and back down in sleep position.

I think we are finally onto something.  He cries but stops after a few seconds and gets right into his sleeping position.  Re-training took almost 2 weeks!  I really thought he was just going to remember to go back to sleep on his own again like they say with sleep regressions, but I think he needed a little more push.

Miles also had a couple of episodes where he woke up in the middle of the night or would wake up around 4am and wouldn't go back to sleep.  Cranky baby + cranky parents isn't a good combo. Thankfully, now that he is somewhat back to his normal sleeping habits, waking up in the middle of night or waking up WAY too early is no long occurring.  YAY!

Turns out, Logan had a stint of sleep regression just recently too! (He is approaching 24 months).  We (Jean and Amy) literally texted each other every night when the kids were going to bed to update each other on the progress.  It's so great having friends who are going through what you are going through. :)   Here is Amy's experience:

Day 1:
Saturday night, we put him down after our normal bedtime routine, and he started crying after we closed the door.  Hmm, that's strange...maybe he pooped?  So I went in to check on him, but no poopie diaper.  I put him back in the crib and walked out.  More crying.  I let it go for 15 minutes.  Maybe he just wasn't tired?  But it was already past 8pm.  So I went back in and held him/soothed him.  I put him back in the crib and rocked in the rocking chair in his room.  He cried and fussed but eventually calmed down.  He looked at me often-- I pretended to be sleeping in the chair so not to re-engage with him.  After 45 minutes and a lot of yawning and eye-rubbing, I was pretty sure he was laying down and getting ready to fall asleep, so I tried to slip away...BIG MISTAKE!  He immediately got up and started screaming bloody murder again!  What happened to my sleep-trained child!?  It was now past 9pm, and I knew Logan needed to go to bed.  I remembered what a friend said once: when they regress, nip it in the bud early before you start letting things slip and build bad habits.  So, we let him cry it out.  I sat at the bottom of the staircase listening to every excruciating cry to see if he would vomit.  After about an hour of crying, Logan had finally gone to bed.  No vomitting, phew!

Day 2: It's Sunday night, which means work for us and school for Logan the next day, which means-- baby needs to sleep!!  But he ate a very late dinner, and I was afraid he would vomit in bed during CIO, so I laid on the floor next to his crib until he fell completely asleep, which was around 8:30pm. 

Day 3: OK, time to be strong.  We're going to CIO tonight.  Husband and I knew what to expect.  It lasted 66 minutes.  I will admit it's easier to sit through it when you're resolute on not going back up.  We also re-set our monitor so we were able to watch for any vomitting.

Day 4: 63 minutes!  And no vomit.

Day 5: 27 minutes!!  Progress!

Day 6: No tears!  I didn't bother watching him on the monitor.  I don't care what he's doing in the crib as long as he's not crying.  I also put a new book in his crib, which perhaps helped distract him.

Day 7: No tears again!  We put Elmo in his bed too, so he had a new sleep buddy to entertain him.

Fortunately, our re-sleep training took only a week.  He's been sleeping through the night every night with the exception of one (seemed like he had a bad dream).

In the end,  CIO isn't easy.  Not only do you have to make sure your child is ready for it, YOU have to be ready for it AND you and your partner have to be on the same page.  If one of you can't bear to listen, go take a long shower, or go out for a walk.  It was really torture for me to sit at home and listen him cry in our tiny apt.

Thankfully, both Logan and Miles are back to sleeping normally again.

the big change / day care : by amy

2013 is a year of big changes for Logan.  This will be the first of three in "the big change" series.  First up: change in care providers!

Since Logan was 5 months old, he had been going to a home care provider sponsored by Monday Morning.  We had a wonderful experience.  He was one of five kids in the house (ages newborn - 3 years old) and lovingly cared for by a woman named Bina.  She gave him his own room to sleep in, cooked all of his meals (once he was off BM/formula/purees) and received a lot of personal attention.  He was comfortable being around babies and older kids.  The older kids helped out a lot and "cared" for the babies (sort of Montessori-like).  But this comfy atmosphere ended last week when we put him in commercial day care.  My primary reason for changing care providers was to prepare for my maternity leave.  Bina's house is close to my office, which is 45 min. from my house, and there was no way I was going to shuttle him back and forth that distance while on maternity leave, so I needed to find something closer to home.  My second reason for changing it up was because I thought he was ready for a more social/structured type of experience.

Preparing for his first day was like preparing for a first day of school-- a ton of forms, labelling EVERYTHING, contemplating what to make for his snacks/lunch, and loads of anxiety!  (parental anxiety, not Logan).  The night before his first day, my husband and I checked on Logan as he slept like we always do.  As I watched him sleep so peacefully, I thought to myself Logan, rest well, my love!  Tomorrow's a big day of change...  Then, we prayed for him...and I cried.  Yup, tears of anxiety and apprehension.  He'll be OK, right?? I asked my husband.  Of course, he will be!  It'll just take some time...he will have to get used to change.  This wasn't even real school yet, and I was already crying!  I was just so anxious on his behalf.  We did a few visits to the school so he could familiarize himself with the rooms and teachers, but he really had no idea what was going to happen.

The morning drop-off was...quick.  He was eating his breakfast at the table when I left, and there were no tears...for the first 2 minutes.  I was doing security finger-printing at the front desk when I heard him WAILING from down the hall.  My heart sank, but I knew I couldn't go back.  I SPED to work so I could register and log-on to the day care's streaming camera system, and this is what I saw:

That's Logan on the right in the yellow shirt.  He wasn't wearing a yellow shirt when I dropped him off; he was wearing a blue one.  Turns out, he cried so hard that he threw up. :(  (and that's why they ask you to bring 3 changes of clothes!).  This was him during lunch time:

Don't worry-- he didn't throw up again.  The Ladybug class wears giant red t-shirts before they eat, so they can get as dirty as they want and then throw those shirts in the washing machine, which is nice so Logan is pretty clean when the day is over.  Anyway, aside from the morning throw-up, his first day went OK.

Fortunately, Logan is adjusting really well to day care.  He still cries when I drop him off, but according to my husband (who is already logged in and watching the cameras as I'm dropping him off), he only cries for a minute or so and then is happy for the rest of the day.  We can see him having fun, participating in circle-time, listening to the teacher read, and even napping in his cot (which is completely foreign to all of us).  It also helps that our neighbor is the school nurse, so she pops in a few times a day to check on him, and he can see a familiar face.

While things are going well at school, his behavior at home changed dramatically during the first week.  Some of it was probably related to him getting a fever (I actually don't think he got it from day care b/c it came too soon-- pretty sure he got it during the weekend), but he became extra clingy, temperamental/demanding and started to hate baths.  The bath aversion really puzzled me.  Turns out that it's a very common thing for 2-year olds and is just phase.  So far this week, the temperamental/demanding behavior has cooled off a bit, but he's still been clingy and hating bath time.  So, I decided to deck out the bath tub:

(Thanks, Yoonha for the heads up on bath crayons!)  He was still pretty whiney during bath time, but the new toys definitely helped.  I'm just hoping this phase passes quickly!

So, the whole family survived the first 2 weeks of day care...onto the next big change: the big boy bed!  I'm hoping it won't be too bad of a transition since he's already now sleeping on a cot in day care... we shall see!