Carolyn

Please be careful.

Check the airline's website you're flying with.

They usually have guidelines somewhere on there.

My husband just flew internationally and his bag limit was 50 pounds (it was the same for Delta and Air France). Oh, and he was only able to bring one bag for free--the second one cost $55!!

Being multi-racial is no longer an issue--you can check as many boxes as apply to you (apparently before the 2000 census you had to check just one).

Technically they are caucasion but not white. I checked "other" and wrote next to it Arab.

Deb

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Yeah, I think I'm overanalyzing it...I'm going to check "other," too, and write something in.

I wonder if they will even have such a question 10 years from now...or if it will look completely different.

Hi all,

Trying to finally fill out the Census form for my family. What did you all do about the "Race" Question? I know that technically people who are of North African and Middle Eastern descent are categorized as white, but my husband is clearly NOT white. He is of Moroccan Berber and some Touareg descent...

It seems to me that these racial categories are seriously limited...

Thanks for any ideas,

Carolyn

Toothpaste (the paste kind, not the gel) works well removing tarnish on silver jewelry...not sure about silver trays.

Hi there,

We just extended my husband's passport (and registered with the consulate at the same time) through the mail at the Moroccan consulate in NY. Filling out the paperwork was a bit confusing and time-consuming, but it only took about 10 days to receive his passport back in the mail .

We haven't tried to get his Moroccan ID card renewed. We're hoping to visit Morocco before that expires.

Hazel,

Before you get too far in the process of marrying your fiance in Morocco, have you considered applying for a fiance visa instead? The process usually takes MUCH less time and is considerably less complicated.

My husband and I also first thought about marrying in Morocco, but thankfully found out about the fiance visa before we got married. He was here in the US about 6 months after we applied.

Good luck with your decisions.

Carolyn

Nessa, I'm sure your diet is fine. It sounds like you are eating well. I think that the point is not to put yourself on a diet to lose weight while breastfeeding--your body WILL take care of itself . Especially if you are getting some exercise.

Nessa,

Maybe this is awful to say, but I wonder if you would have less diaper rash if you used disposables?

Ilyas was also a big pooper (maybe 10-12 times a day when he was a little dude) and rarely even had a red butt--never a rash. Disposables do keep babies really dry...

BTW, I'm still breastfeeding at night--no bites yet, thank goodness!

Ilyas just got his first tooth--at just about 9 months. It wasn't too awful--he was a little more fussy and wants to bite everything in site (and now it HURTS with that little tooth! ). No fever, no diaper rash, no extra drooling...maybe the molars coming in will be more dramatic?

Why do guys like Brazilians?

ETA: Waxes, that is. Not the people!!

I'm not sure that my son has big enough "parts" to point it downward (sometimes it even looks like an "innie")!

Nessa--my son has never had a diaper rash (thank goodness), just a little red on the bottom at times. I've found that 1-2 applications of Boudreaux's butt paste does the trick. I think I have only used the paste about 5 times. I bet it's because most disposable diapers keep babies pretty dry. I imagine that you might have more irritation with cloth diapers (though cloth is probably much healthier).

About the Target diapers: so far so good! They are nice and soft and don't stink like some of the others. Plus, no blowouts with his typical morning dirty diaper. Too bad I've still got about 50 Huggies left...maybe I'll pass them on to my sister who is about to have a baby next week!

Target has cute (and cheap!) new diapers--anyone try them yet? I appreciate that they don't have goofy looking cartoon characters plastered on them (they have tasteful blue and green big dots). Ilyas has been having lots of diaper blow-outs lately with his size 2 Huggies, so I'm hoping that these do the trick!

Berber Mama,

Must be something about those Moroccan babies...my son is a toe sucker, too! And he crawls, so his toes aren't always so clean. Oh well, I guess it will build immunity (kinda like that dead ladybug I found in his mouth yesterday--yikes!).

Nessa,

When he was little, Ilyas would poop about 10 times a day. Seriously. I think that breastfeeding inspires lots of poop (especially in some kids). The number of daily poops gradually went down, and diminished a lot once he started solid food at 6 months. The best thing about breastmilk poop is it doesn't smell! Once they start solids, though, is another stinky story...

Staashi,

Don't worry--you'll be able to pump more soon. At first I could only pump 1 1/2 - 2 ounces at a sitting. After a while I could pump 4-8 ounces per session. My son, at 8 months, still only drinks 4-5 ounces at a time (I think some babies can drink up to 8 ounces by his age, but I guess he just likes to eat more frequently. I'm not about forcing him to eat more at once).

As of last week, I think I've given up on pumping. I hate it. No, hate isn't a strong enough word. I despise it. I think my body has adjusted. I'm producing more milk in the afternoon, evenings and early morning. I hope this doesn't dry up my milk supply entirely, as I do like breastfeeding.

Don't get me wrong, new mommies, I'd pump again if I had another baby. I did it for 6 months, but as a teacher it was really hard to fit in pumping in my work day, so I would have to get up at night (sometimes twice) just to pump enough milk for the next day. So to me, pumping = sleep deprivation + stress. I think it would be much easier if you had your own office and a more flexible work schedule.

8 month old Ilyas is changing so much so fast! I can hardly keep up with him--he's busy, busy, busy from the moment he wakes up. He officially started crawling on Easter Sunday (one week ago) and has already moved on to pulling himself up on things . I'm realizing how non-child-friendly my house is: nearly every room has some sharp edges/painful corners/dangerous steps, etc. I guess that's what you get for buying a 100 year old house (I bought it when I was single with no children in sight).

It's so much fun to read about and see pictures of the new babies! They are all so beautiful! And happy birthday to all the one year old bambinos!

Ugh. Ilyas had some shots today (DTaP and Hib) and now has a fever. Not a high one (hopefully it won't go up any more), but my usually sunny-dispositioned, almost-crawling boy was just not himself tonight: super fussy and crying.

I really wonder about all those shots...do they really prevent serious problems, or are the drug manufacturers selling us a load of #######? I am loosely following the Dr. Sears vaccination schedule, and am choosing to get no more than 2 shots at a time. The sheer number of shots that our children are required to have seems preposterous. What are we injecting into our children?

Grr...I hate listening to my son moan in his sleep...

ETA: I did give him some infant tylenol...hopefully this will not be a miserable night and he will feel better in the morning!

When he was just born I had NO luck keeping Ilyas awake. When he wanted to sleep, he did, no matter how much noise and stimulation was going on around him.

I think you can start the "sleep trainiing" kind of thing (letting them cry) when babies are around 4 months old. Until then, most babies (especially breast fed ones) need to wake and eat every few hours.

Also, Sofia was several weeks premature, correct?

have u tried keeping her up during the day so she'll sleep at night?

Ha! Good luck on that!

ETA: Sorry, I hope that doesn't sound too sarcastic. Newborns seem to have their own rhythm--they are awake and sleeping when they need to be. Hang in there, Vi!

Vi,

You and little Sofia WILL get sleep--I promise! I agree with Miss Bollinger--swaddling can be key! My favorite was the Miracle Blanket, but we didn't get one until our son was about 2 months old.

Just so you know, I spent a good number of nights with my hijo falling asleep on my chest but he didn't get addicted to it. He sleeps just fine in his crib now. Whatever it takes to get them to sleep when they are little! I wouldn't give up on the breastfeeding to sleep--formula is no miracle sleep elixer. Sofia just doesn't know that mama needs to sleep at night yet!

Buena suerte!

Carolyn

Hey breastfeeding mamas--how's the milk supply holding up? Anna and Eveline, are you hanging in there? I made it to 6 months exclusively breastfeeding, but now my milk supply seems to be dwindling--probably a combination of starting solids and stopping pumping in the middle of the night (6 months of sleep deprivation seemed like enough!). Now it seems like I can hardly pump 3 ounces at a time while at work . So, I have started supplementing with a little formula. I love breastfeeding and would like to continue until at least 12 months, but am fed up with pumping...oh, to be able to be a stay-at-home mom!

Wow, Vi--Congratulations!!!

I got tears in my eyes just reading your post! What an exciting time for you and your family!

Looks like all the people who kept you that you were going to give birth early were right!

Cheers,

Carolyn

P.S. Your baby is beautiful--what a head of hair!

Wow, I had a busy week and missed 10 pages of updates on Baby Corner!

Good luck to all the almost-mommies! You're in the home stretch!

Twila, your twins are gorgeous!

As for us, we are recovering from a week of a stomach virus...first my husband on Tuesday (I had to leave work early to take care of our son while he spent the day in the bathroom), then baby Ilyas starting on Wednesday night, then myself yesterday. Luckily I didn't get too sick since I'm the only one who seems to be able to take care of everyone. Ilyas just had some diarrhea and a little spit-up that smelled like puke but he never lost his good spirits (sorry if TMI). I am now convinced of the great healing power of breast milk!

Missbolinger,

I would be glad to supply you with some dirty rooms to clean! My son is quickly becoming mobile and my usual housekeeping (or lack thereof) just won't do!

Go get yourself some Indian food and go for a big walk! Good luck!

Diapers are such an annoyance. I like Pampers, but not the prices. I also like Costco diapers, but Ilyas is between sizes (the 1-2 are too small, but the size 3 are huge!). The Target diapers are cheap, but run small and are stiff. So, I'm experimenting right now. I'm sure he'll grow into the size 3 diapers sooner or later.