I Love Diaper Derm

 

When Ian was in the NICU, we were introduced to this wonderful bum cream, Diaper Derm.  It is so light and non greasy.  I have tried many products that say they are non greasy, but this is the first that truly isn't.  We have 3 different types of diaper rash creams here that we were gifted, but the only one I love is this one.  The others leave a little greasy film on my fingers.  This is definitely a good product.

Diaper Derm isn't sold in stores here in Florida, I checked, but I did find them online.  For your baby's bum, you should try Diaper Derm.  It is only $6.50 a jar and you can get it at www.diaperderm.com.

Have a great weekend all. :)

Metlife Snoopy Snapshot Challenge

Ian Update 8/30/12

I took Mr. Ian with me to Walmart today and while there, we saw a couple other babies that where 2 and 3 months old.  When I see him next to another baby, he is very slim compared to them.  He is just as long, just not as thick.  His cheeks aren't as fat.  When he has no other baby near him to compare and contrast, he looks a lot bigger than he really is.  He is awesome the way he is.  If he was any bigger, there wouldn't be enough time in the day for me to feed him and do other things.  He is already a handful.

He is starting to drool all over the place.  He still swallows a lot of it, but when he spends the day trying to swallow his fist, everything gets wet.  I'm just waiting for the teething to start.  It's just around the corner I'm sure. 

I start school next Thursday and I'm a little nervous.  I'm confident that I can do it and I will be able to get it done, but it is just the time I am going to have to sacrifice with him.  He already doesn't like it when I'm on the computer trying to write or internet surf.  He kicks are already so strong, he might do some serious damage to my laptop soon.  All about him right?  Right!

He is my favorite person right now.  He makes me laugh all the time.  I am enjoying watching his development and growth.  Cherishing the times!

The Cute Kid Photo Contest

Gerber Baby Contest

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$100,000 Gerber Baby Contest

The first Gerber baby contest ever was in 1928. Since then when you hear “Gerber” you automatically see in your mind’s eye the little adorable baby face on all the Gerber’s products. Gerber baby photo contest did not end there. It went on and continue to this very day. The winner could take home a total of $100,000 plus other goodies like in 2006… Read more

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Great American Photo Contest

8/26/12

Mr. Ian and I have had a pretty busy week/end.  On Saturday, I took him to his first wedding and he looked so cute.  I wish I was able to take pictures, but I left my camera at home and my phone was acting funky.  It is beyond time for an upgrade.

We have been having such a very good time, but now its time for me to get back on schedule.  Ian is not going to like it, but he has to get used to me doing school work when we would usually spend time together.  He is very vocal about his displeasure.

He is getting so big now.  I took him to two of his doctors appointments this past Friday and my little man is 12.5 pounds and 24&1/4 inches.  He is growing healthy and happy.  I couldn't ask for anything more.  Even though we have a few more appointments than fully developed healthy babies, we are right on track to catch up with them.  He is finally on the growth curve, measuring in the 2-5 percentile.

He's trying everything too.  He likes me to hold him up as if he's walking from time to time, if I don't he yells at me.  I'm afraid my dream of him walking before he can crawl might possibly come true.  He tries to crawl, but gets frustrated if his foot doesn't catch anything and he doesn't move forward.  His protesets are cute.  My big boy :).

Update 8/20

Ian and I had a great weekend and day today.  We've been to the pool a couple of times and he really likes the water.  We also went to the beach for the first time this weekend and had a great time.  I don't know what I'm going to do with him, but I know that what ever activities he chooses to get in to, I'm on board.

It's been a crazy two weeks for me, and craziest of all is I have enrolled in college once again as a full time student.  Ian does not like me having to much time away from him on the computer.  He still kicks at it when he gets frustrated and I suspect that it is only going to get worse.  I'm cool with it though.  He is the man of my life and I have to make concessions for his tantrums.  Mainly because he doesn't have too many.  I love it.

My Little Swimmer

It's been a busy couple of days with family in from out of town, my work, and taking care of Ian.  I haven't had a chance to write.  Since he's taking a quick nap though, I am sneaking in this post before the weekend. 

I took Mr. Ian to the pool yesterday with his Godsister/Cousin to see how he took to the water.  He loved it.  He was trying to float on his own and if I trusted him to not drink the water (which I don't), he would have tried swimming on his belly too.  He is an awesome baby.

His Godmother took a few pictures of us in the water enjoying ourselves and I will share one with you.  Have a Great weekend everyone.

 

Getting to Know You

I know the getting to know you period with Ian is going to last for the rest of our lives because the more he grows, the more he comes in to his own, and that won't stop.  Right now he tries to talk to me, he smiles and laughs with me, and he fusses at me too.   I love it, it's all funny to me.

We are expecting some visitors that we are excited to see, well that I'm excited to see.  One of his Godmothers and my Goddaughter.  We are going to the pool and the beach and I'm going to see how Ian handles those activities because right now he loves the water when he takes baths.  He cries when I take him out of the water, but I suspect that it's because he doesn't like getting dressed, lol.

More than anyone else he knows who I am.  When it reaches 9pm, he has to be near me or he has a problem.  My family says its because that's around the time I used to leave the NICU every night and he would be looking out for me.  During the day he's fine, as long as your feeding him he has no problem being with you.  He's a man about his stomach, a man after my own heart.

Even though right now he doesn't really understand what I'm telling him when I show him different fruits and vegetables in the kitchen, he'll learn early how to be mommy's little helper in the kitchen.  That is until he grows and gets tired of being attached to my hip.

My Favorite Pump

When I was in the hospital and Ian was in NICU, the lactation counselors brought me a Medela Symphony Breastpump.  I had never seen another pump like it, not in the stores or from what any of my friends had bought when they had their babies.  It looked like the deluxe version of milk extraction.  While in the hospital, I was assigned my own pump and for two weeks my breasts were milk producing machines.  The nurses would ask me if I had other children because with the Symphony, not only did my milk come in fast, it came in heavy.  It could have just been me, but I think it was because of the machine.

As I was to be discharged, I was given the opportunity to take home the Medela Symphony for a low monthly rental.  I jumped on the offer because there is now way I could afford this particular pump on my own.  I researched it and found out the Symphony retails for $1100, which was not in my budget.  The low monthly rental though, worked out to me buying a generic pump that I wouldn't use after the year I plan to pump for anyway, plus it is way better.

I was given as a bonus a manual pump to go along with the Symphony and even it has awesome suction, better than the electric pump but without the workout on your arms.  I love the whole series.  Before I went in to the hospital I kept on hearing about the Ameda system from friends and I'd seen a couple of them, but after experiencing the Symphony I realize my friends missed out.

If you are ever given the opportunity to rent the Medela Symphony Electric Breastpump or if you can outright purchase it, I recommend you do it.  You won't be sorry.  Best breastpump system, hands down.

Single Mom Life

It's Friday night and I am chilling at home with my main man beside me.  He is looking at me make a photo book of him for his uncle, in between his naps.  I decided to make a funny picture book with all his funny faces and some words beneath them.  I think his uncle will like it.  I usually would have made some jewelry during this time, but I don't have enough hands.



My minutes, hours, days, weeks, months are all a blur.  They all flow in to each other as one in the same.  Just me, the man in my life, and my family.  I don't even have to leave the house.  I swear I don't feel like I'm missing anything and especially since it's so hot outside too, the air condition speaks the right language to me.  I like hot, but not 90+ hot every day. 



I question what it will be like to date after Ian and I get the hang of this thing called life.  I haven't done a lot of things since I became pregnant with him and I'm not sure how much I will do now that he's here.  He requires a lot, he takes a lot, and I am more than happy to do everything I can for him.  I think he was yelling at me today though, . I let my grandmother feed him and I guess he thought I was going to do it but when I didn't he seemed to be complaining as he voiced his displeasure then turned away from me so he could get his milk.  It was funny to see.



We are a package deal now, and though I am not even thinking about dating right now, when I do get ready to (maybe sometime next year), I need to have my priorities in order with no additional baggage or short comings.  I don't plan on settling on just anyone so they can be a father figure for Ian, the father role is taken care of.  It's just the husband role is lacking .   Until that situation fills itself, Ian and I will be the best of friends and even after that too. 



In the mean time, my Fridays will be spent making jewelry, watching t.v., pumping, and chilling with my baby.  My joy.  It may not sound like much, but to me it is more than enough.

My Boy(s)

I was pregnant once before with another little boy, but I miscarried half way through my pregnancy.  I didn't have any morning sickness, pains, food aversions or anything when I was carrying that baby.  From the time I became pregnant with Ian however, he came to show me he was here to stay.  With the severe pains and food aversions, he took everything out of me as he grew bigger and stronger every day. 



That did nothing for my nerves though.  I was always worried I would miscarry with him too.  When he was born, I was always afraid the doctors would tell me something tragic everyday I went to visit him in the NICU.  When he was finally able to come home, I watched him like a hawk till he reached his due date and even now still, just not as intense.  I listen to every breath, monitor every elevation in temperature, and I watch for chest rises and falls in the silence.  I pay attention to every item I put in his mouth to see if I might have to use my infant CPR training before I get him to the nearest hospital. 



He is thriving well.  I would joke in the hospital that he was healthier than me.  The sad part is that he was, lol.  My oxigination and blood pressure was a lot worse than his.  Now that we are both doing better, I breathe a little more every day.  My little man is super strong and is man handling me during feeding times, lol.  He's lucky he's such a cutie.

Baked Pineapple Chicken and Potatoes

There was this can of Dole Pineapples that has been in my cupboard for a couple of months now and it was bothering me.  I got tired of looking at it and lusting after the pineapples but not being able to commit to taking the can out and eating it.  Today enough was enough.  I had a whole chicken in the freezer that was taking up space, so I decided to cook that too.  I also cleaned out my potato bucket by using up the potatoes in there that were starting to root (ewww).

Now that I'd clean out my kitchen, lol, I'll share with you how they all came together.

Ingredients:
1 - Whole Chicken
6 potatoes
1/2 can of sliced pineapples
1 - tbsp Backyard Seasoning
1 - tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 - tbsp Dry Chicken Rub
1 - tbsp minced garlic
1 - tbsp minced onion/green onion
1/4 cup Pineapple Juice

Method:
Wash whole chicken and coat with garlic and onion.  Mix together Backyard, Old Bay, and Dry Rub seasonings and set to side.  Wash potatoes leaving skin on and cut into chunks.  Coat chicken with half of the dried seasonings that was set aside and place in a baking dish.  Use the other half of dried seasonings to coat the potatoes, leaving back a pinch to sprinkle on pineapples.  Pour pineapple juice in baking dish with chicken.  Place potatoes around the base of the chicken in the baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining seasonings on 4 pineapple slices then place the slices on top of the chicken.  Hold pineapples in place with toothpics.  Cover dish with aluminum foil and place in oven to bake at 375 for 1.5 hrs.  Take foil off for last half hour to let chicken get color.

Inspiration for Ian

One of the meanings of Ian is God is Gracious.  I'm a writer and I like most things literature.  Being that as it may, the reason I chose the name Ian for my son is because of Ian flemming, the famous author of the James Bond series which was loosely based on his life as a Naval Intelligence Officer/Spy.  He was handsome, smart and charasmatic and my son could do worse for a namesake. Besides, it's only the first name. 

Ian flemming has nothing on what my son will be though, or how handsome he will be when he becomes a man.  My baby is killing 'em already.  LLBI(LadiesLoveBabyIan).  Look out 007, baby Ian is coming for your spot.

Too Grown

Ian is trying to hold his head up now.  He is trying to jump around to when you hold him.  He is trying to do everything so fast that I'm afraid I might miss it.  I'm not ready for him to move around for himself because he's going to start getting into things he shouldn't get in to, and I'm not ready for him to start talking because silence will be fleeting. However, I am looking forward to watching him grow up at the same time.  It is inevitable and a gift.

His voice has a little more base in it when he cries and it is a lot louder than how it was when he was in the hospital.  He's a strong little thing too.  He's swung his arms and connected with my face a couple of times :D.  He's even trying to sit up a little bit, but just can't fully balance his head yet.  I had a dream a couple of weeks ago that he learned to walk before he could crawl.  If that dream comes to fruition, I am going to fall out.  He is too grown for his own good already, at 3 months old.

Gift From Simone

I find myself thinking a lot about my cousin who was murdered last year and how much I wish she would be around to meet you, Ian.  Two weeks before I became pregnant, I had a dream that I was in the maternity ward at the hospital visiting Simone.  She had just given birth to a baby boy that looked just like you.  She asked me to take care of the baby because there was no one else to do it.  I thought about it and how there was no one there to help her with the baby.  Everyone else was in Trinidad and she was here in America with me.  I told her I was about to take a trip and I would be back in two weeks, when I got back I would take care of the baby.  She said okay and returned to her hospital bed.

When I woke up, I really did go on a trip and when I came back two weeks later I was pregnant with you.  I strongly believe she brought you to me and I am more grateful to her than you could believe.  I miss her every day.  I wish I could talk to her about you and have her around while you grow, but I guess that will just have to be in spirit, because in flesh it is not to be.

 I feel like you are her son as well as mine sometimes.  With moms like us, you have been birthed with great genes and you will be full of a lot of life, happiness and love.  I truly believe you were her last gift to me too and that you will be greatly blessed.  I don't want to bring you down as you read this, but just know that my heart hurts.  With your birth it's not as despairing, but from time to time it goes there.  Your smile is a bright light and your laughter brings me nothing but extreme happiness.  I know it will only get better with you. 

I can't wait to take you to Trinidad to meet her beautiful kids.  You all will love each other immensely.  I can only hope you will have more time with each other than she and I had.  28years is far too short. 

My Pregnancy

From the time I became pregnant with Ian my body felt him and not in a good way at all.  My first trimester I couldn't eat anything but macaroni and cheese, fruit and fluids only.  Though I wasn't throwing up a lot, I was very nauseous and my appetite was none existent.  Not only that, but it hurt to walk. I was told not to worry about it, it was just round ligament pains.

By the time I got to my second trimester, I was able to eat a few more things and my pains had gotten worse.  It hurt to walk, turn, and just move in general and I was still being told not to worry about the round ligament pains.  Through my doctor's appointments, even though I was hardly eating I learned that I had gained 50 pounds before reaching third trimester.  I lost feeling in my big toe on my left foot.  I also learned I had severe pre-eclampsia.  Every week I would be hospitalized overnight for observation and by the time I got to my 29th week of pregnancy I was hospitalized for the long haul which ended up only being 2 weeks.

On the first day of my 30th week of pregnancy, they delivered Ian via c-section.  He was a little less than 3&1/2 lbs.  He was on every kind of machine and was not allowed to be touched for the first couple of days.  I wasn't able to go see during that time anyway because my blood pressure was still spiking high and I was heavily drugged and not allowed to leave the bed.

When I was finally moved from the WICU to another extended stay room, I was able to go see him for the first time.  He was so tiny and cute.  All the nurses were eating out of his palms already, and he had just been born.

He fought hard to live throughout my pregnancy and when he was finally born, he fought hard to thrive.  He's still thriving and even though we had a few setbacks in the NICU since he was born, he is on the right track to be a fully healthy little man.  I pump breast milk like no body's business because his stomach doesn't tolerate formula, not even human fortified formula, so he gets the best thing in the world for him.  My milk, his liquid gold.

Sleep

I haven't slept much since March/April, a few weeks before Ian was born.  Since that isn't going to change anytime soon, i can only live vicariously through him.  Sleep is his favorite past time.  All I can say is, it must be nice :). 

When I first brought Ian home from the hospital, I would barely sleep (if I did at all).  Reason being was that I would have to look at him and listen to him to make sure he was still alive and breathing.  We slept with the lights on so I could see his chest rise and fall. It's a bit scary beeing out of the hospital without the machines keeping track of his every move, every breath; but I'm also glad to be home too.  Spending all that time in the hospital has filled me up for a while.

As i type this, Ian is asleep on my arm right now.  Maybe I should be sleeping now too.  I am so tired.  I am still overly alert and watchful over him, but as he gets bigger and more active; I feel better more and more each day. Right now I humbly wait for the time when he'll be able to sleep through the night.  I'll be so excited when that happens.

3 Months

At 3 months old, Mr Ian has been trying to talk back to me.  It's cute, the sounds he makes, even the crying .  He's a funny dude.  Looking at him last night though, I could just tell by the look on his face that he is going to try his hardest to get over on me.  I am praying to God right now for patience in advance, lol.  He gave me some sneaky looking expressions and all I could do is laugh to myself. 

He's started eating baby food and I think he has some of my food aversions.  He loves the fruit though, apricot and mango are his favorites.  He likes the sweet potato and corn mix too.  I'm still waiting for him to sleep through the night though.  The doctor told me that when he gets to 4 months, he'll start sleeping through the night.  It's only a couple of weeks away and yet I don't see it happening.  The most he gives me in a time block of sleep is 3 hours.  It's better than the 1 & 1/2 to 2 hrs he used to hit me with though, so I'll take it.  Can't wait for my first 5hr block. 

His head bobs at my face when I'm holding him sometimes.  I feel like he's trying to eat my face.  His stomach is always on his mind because he must be fed at all times.  Though he's smaller than most kids age (finally making it on the growth curve but barely), I think he is trying to make up for it.  His legs are starting to look like mine, lol.  He's chunky cute.  Most people that see him don't give him more than 6wks old in size.  I've had a few 'newborn' comments, but my little man is growing.  From 3lbs to when he's full grown and towering over me.  Mommy's baby:

Hello World!

I realized that even though this site is for Ian, it is also about me and my voice.  Before having Ian, I was very reserved with sharing my feelings and emotions, whether it be online or in person.  I just didn’t grow up that way.  He deserves better than that from me however, so I promise to be raw and open.  My deep inner thoughts I will share with not only him, but with you as well.

Far removed from my usual writings of erotica and fantasy fiction is where I would say this blog falls, but who knows; maybe some will sneak in from time to time as well.

Some things I will be writing about in this blogs are my Letters to Ian, Recipe Trials, Milestones, How I’m Doing, Blog Strolling, and Baby Product Testings.

I hope you enjoy and welcome to Ian’s Village!