Tampa Trip

While we had sunny skies on most days, the temperature in Tampa was surprisingly not as warm as we expected it to be. It was down in the 40s or 50s in the morning and early evenings; only in the brief afternoon hours did we get to enjoy some warmth from the sun without feeling a chill in the air.

This was baby K's second time flying and she did very well on both legs. On the way there, she napped for a majority of the flight, which was a great reliever for me. I even got to enjoy some of "Iron Chef America" on the Food Network (thank you for the Direct TV inflight entertainment, JetBlue!). On the way back, I kept her busy with an old "Parenting" magazine that I let her shred to pieces. Sure she made a mess all over the area (which we did clean up), but I'm sure the neighboring passengers would appreciate that over a crying baby any day.

We stayed at the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel in downtown. It was categorized as a 3.5 star hotel according to Priceline, but I wouldn't give it anything more than 3 stars (and that's being generous). Service was decent (I appreciated how the valet attendants remembered our names and would greet us with Mr. and Mrs. Yong -- but then again, they probably just wanted more tip), free Wifi was a plus, but the rooms were in need of some major renovation. I was also disappointed that we didn't have a refrigerator to use (this is probably the first decent hotel I've been to that doesn't have a mini-bar). It was a pain having to buy milk for baby K each day instead of getting a quart-size one that we could refrigerate over the period of four days we were there.

Though we survived our second trip with baby K, it's not easy traveling with a young child. Between the packing, lugging the car seat, stroller, suitcase, and diaper bag through the airport, and keeping a toddler entertained, I have to wonder... is it worth it? Wouldn't it be so much easier just to stay home? I think we'll try a cruise (leaving from NY/NJ) for our next vacation.

Bad Dreams

Can infants have nightmares? It's pretty unbelievable (I mean, what can they possibly be dreaming of at that age?), but I think they can. Ever since birth, there have been times when baby K would cry out in the middle of the night, but when we went to check on her, she'd appear to be sound asleep. I went to my trusty source http://www.babycenter.com/ (one of my favorite websites since becoming a parent), and it confirmed my belief that babies (well, they mention toddlers as opposed to babies) can have nightmares.

Two nights ago, I kept hearing baby K cry through the baby monitor. This went on for a pretty long time. M went to check on her but when he came back, the crying continued and M said that she was asleep. It took all the willpower I had to keep from going into my little girl's room, taking her out of the crib, and cradling her until the cries were silenced.

On the drive to work yesterday, it kept bothering me that baby K didn't sleep well the night before. Then I thought back to the article I read on babycenter.com, and one of the contributing factors it mentioned was stress. So I'm sitting there thinking, "she's 15 months old. She plays all day, gets fed, gets changed, takes naps... what can she possibly be stressed about?" Then it struck me... dinner time! Earlier that evening, we had a lot of trouble feeding baby K. We made beef stew for her with butternut squash (which we thought she would like) and other vegetables, but she refused to eat any of it. It got so bad that M and I were practically forcing food down her throat... not that it worked since baby K wouldn't even open her mouth for us. Baby K was in hysterics and we eventually gave up and took her out of her high chair with barely anything in her stomach. I think that's what caused baby K's nightmare.

To test out my theory, I was a lot more forgiving during dinner time last night. M wasn't home yet, so I was on my own. Again, baby K refused to eat the (this time leftover) stew. In addition to the normal tactics (like putting a few pieces of food on her tray table, eating it myself), I also let her play with one of her spoons as she pretended to feed herself. This allowed me to get in a few bites of butternut squash, but she stopped after the fourth or fifth spoonful. Surprisingly, she didn't even want the beef. I didn't try to force her to eat this time, but proceeded to giving her a jar of fruit (which she naturally took without any problems). Result: I am happy to say that my little girl did not have any nightmares last night! (Or at least I didn't hear her cry in the middle of the night.)

Lesson learned: Do not force my child to eat.

Baby and Mommy Day

As M spent most of the weekend battling his illness (including fever, headache, sore throat, cold symptoms... SIGH! poor daddy!), baby K and I had a "mommy and daughter" day on Saturday. I'm so used to spending the weekend with M and baby K that it was a bit unnatural for me to be going out without the hubby (especially knowing he's home sick). Nevertheless, it was nice to have that time alone with my little girl (outside of the normal weekday rush).

In the morning, we took a trip to Shop Rite for some groceries. I did something I told myself I'd never do and put baby K in the shopping cart. Of course, this was after wasting half a dozen disinfectant wipes cleaning the cart. Baby K loved the ride and was much more cooperative than when she's in the stroller. It was hard to shop while keeping an eye (and hand) on baby K, but we managed. Thankfully, the supermarket wasn't too crowded at 9:30 in the morning. Still, I wouldn't recommend grocery-shopping with a toddler by yourself unless absolutely necessary.

In the afternoon, we did what mommy loves most and went to the mall. It's funny how I automatically head for the baby section when I go into a store, but sadly enough, I discovered this past weekend that baby K has almost outgrown the baby section! All the sizes I was looking at indicated "0-3 months," "3-6 months," "6-9 months," etc... everything that used to fit her once upon a time. Baby K's clothing is already up to 24 months, and from thereon, they don't count the size by months anymore... a true sign that she's past the baby stage. I felt old and dejected all of a sudden as I slowly made my way over to the girl's section. It's the inevitable, but I am just not ready for my little girl to grow up.

Traditions

My relationship with M started 10 years ago on this very day. Our first date was dinner at a random Japanese restaurant in the west village (chosen out of convenience, as the original restaurant M wanted to take me to was closed -- great way to make a good first impression, huh? =P). From that day stemmed an annual tradition for us to go back to that same restaurant on or around February 12. Unfortunately, it was not for the good food being served, as evidenced by our reluctance to frequent the place more than once a year. It was also a bit odd (not to mention shady!) how the restaurant would have a new name and be operating under different management every time we went there. Nevertheless, we continued with this little ritual until one year when we went there and discovered that the restaurant had shut down completely. It was just as well, since we could be getting better sushi elsewhere and I don't know how we would have kept up with that tradition after moving to the burbs.

So then we started a new tradition: vacation every year on or around February 12. It was never discussed that this was the new routine; we sort of just made it happen that way. In 2006, M came to visit me in Sao Paulo, Brazil while I was there for work. In 2007, we took a cruise to the Eastern Caribbeans, and in 2008, we made our way to Costa Rica. The birth of baby K in late 2008 put a temporary halt to the traveling. 2009 was a year of change for us as we learned the ins and outs of parenthood (by becoming one!) and where everything was put on the back burner as we focused our attention and efforts on baby K.

Moving onto 2010... we won't be going to a Japanese restaurant in the west village tonight, nor will we be boarding a plane to some foreign land. Now that a decade has passed and we've become a family of three, I think it's time to start a new tradition.

Wedding Resurgence

Within a day's time, I just got an invite and a save-the-date note to two separate weddings in the upcoming months. What a great surprise! Aside from being thrilled for my friends as they embark in this next chapter in their lives, I must admit, I miss going to weddings and am looking forward to the celebrations. Last year was the first time in almost a decade where M and I did not attend any weddings. It probably worked out for the best since baby K was so young, but now that she's a bit older, it's time to start the festivities again!

CONGRATS to KF & MU and WT & JW!

A Weekend of Milestones

Despite battling a nasty cold, I can't believe how much my little girl was able to accomplish this past weekend! Here's what she was able to do:

• Walk by herself.
• Drink formula/milk out of the sippy cup instead of a bottle (though M and I are to blame for this one... we never really tried giving baby K formula in a sippy cup until this weekend, and only after her teacher at daycare urged me to do so). Baby K has been using the sippy cup to drink water for quite some time now, so I wasn't surprised that she was able to transition fairly quickly, but her caregivers at daycare were ecstatic to learn that baby K no longer needs the bottle.
• Blow kisses, but as always my little girl does not perform on demand, so seeing this one will be a rarity.

We are up to five ounces with the regular cow's milk at night now, and I even started mixing in two ounces of milk in her morning bottle (or cup, rather). Baby K seems okay with the dairy so far; we haven't seen blood or mucus in her poop to date and it's been about two months already. The only thing we did notice are dry patches on parts of her body. It might be eczema that may or may not be the result of an allergic reaction to the dairy, but it hasn't flared up with the increase of milk, so we're not sure. Hopefully the pediatrician can shed some light on it when we go for her 15 month visit... but just based on how "helpful" they've been so far, I wouldn't hold my breath. I think I'll just ask for a referral to an allergist.

Baby K should really be called "toddler K" as she starts this next stage in life. I contemplated on whether or not to keep the "baby K" reference; it didn't take me long to decide that I will. I could just picture myself blogging in 17 years time... writing about my little girl (who won't be so little anymore) starting college, and I'll still be calling her "baby K."

Baby K's First Steps

Here's baby K having a conversation with daddy... then taking her first steps! She's been able to walk while holding my hand for quite some time now, but hasn't mustered up the courage to take the first step by herself until now. What a bittersweet moment! My little girl is growing up!

On a side note, don't you love the flying hair?

Dancing Baby

Here's the tail-end performance of baby K's dance to "The Wheels On The Bus." This is no doubt the first of many children songs that I will get sick of hearing. After playing it for the millionth time, baby K finally decides to cooperate and show her moves in front of the camera.