I got my own domain..

I've moved to www.247parents.com. Please follow me (and my hubby) there from now on. :)

Embrace Life - always wear your seat belt

Good DVD Workouts

Ever since I moved to Kuwait I've become more and more addicted to DVD workouts. The gyms here do not offer aerobic classes that are of the caliber I was used to in Lebanon.
First I started with the prenatal workouts which my sister-in-law got me. The one I liked the most and did often was The Perfect Pregnancy Workout. She works out the entire body and ends it with a stamina builder that's perfect for childbirth. Karyne also has a post-natal workout, but I haven't done it so I can't comment on it.
However, the postnatal workout I did that had a great idea behind it but a horrible implementation was Fabulously Fit Moms: Total Body Workout. It's supposed to be done with a baby (which is fabulous)... but she does it with a medicine ball so you end up trying to guess what's the best way to hold your baby. That said, Mimi and enjoyed it at the beginning. By the time I was half way through the workout she'd be asleep! :D So in that sense it was fabulous. :)
But if you're a tae-bo kinda gal, the postnatal must-have is Billy Blanks: Postnatal Power Tae-bo Workout! I enjoyed every minute of it. :)
On our last trip to Beirut I found the most amazing DVD workout.. brace yourself, ladies and gents (because your man will enjoy this one too!).... Pussycat Dolls Workout! Now it's up to you if you'd allow your child to watch or do this routine with you, so I'm not going to go into that.
So there you have it, ladies, that's only 4 DVDs and your set from pregnancy and onwards to motherhood!
A fit mom is a happy mom. :) Remember that! So, go ahead and put on a nice top and some nice sweatpants and just dance around your living room. Whoever said you can't look nice while you're working out? And always remember to have a smile on your face. That will definitely make you feel better.

Oullie signs Water!

Oh, joy!! My 10 month-old just signed water!
I would strongly urge parents to try teaching their babies sign language. The book I used was: Sign With Your Baby. But it might be helpful for some parents to get a DVD.
They usually say that signing works best with the first baby. However in my case it didn't really work with my daughter. As soon as she signed for milk, she also said it. So I dropped signing and insisted on her talking.
I was actually very hesitant to sign with my son because I was worried my 3 year-old would regress. Turns out she's the best teacher around! She always emphasizes the sign that goes with the action/object we are giving her baby brother. So instead of having one teacher, he had two! :) And today we all celebrated that he signed for water. My hubby and daughter saw him do it first and when I ran into the room, he courteously repeated it for me. :)

I hate teething!!!

Teething is probably the only reason I wouldn't want to get more children. It's unbearable!!! Both for my baby and for me. The poor dear wakes up shrieking during the night! And I miss my sleep!
It's especially hard when he has the four top teeth all coming in at the same time! I'm not sure if he's on a deadline or what.
I've tried several teething gels and the only one that seems to have worked with me is Orajel which I find infrequently at Sultan. I like how they have a day tube and a night tube (which is obviously a bit stronger so the baby can sleep better).

Miracle Balm!

Every mom who's breastfed even for a day knows the pain that can be caused by engorgement (when the breast is not emptied properly due to infrequent or inadequate feedings). Engorgement can actually reduce you to tears. Your breast becomes hard and full. Putting your baby to your breast is not a solution because it will only make matters worse because your baby will not be able to latch on because your breasts are so full. Consequently, baby will start crying and you breasts will hurt even more. :( It's a sad picture I know... but it's a very painful one that I hope you'll never experience like I did.
Well, there are two things you will need in this case: the miracle balm and a breastpump. The miracle balm is... Bag Balm! Not available in Kuwait, but if you need some, let me know and I'll send some your way.
The way to use it is in the shower:
- Apply it liberally on the engorged breast(s) and massage.
- Stand under lukewarm/warm water and continue to massage.
- Ta-da... you will feel instant relief because you'll be dripping milk. :)
Then you can either try putting your baby to your breast or pump a bit (like 2 mins) if you feel it is still difficult for the baby to latch on to the nipple.

Breastfeeding

It's saddening to realize that we live in a part of the world that is currently going through an anti-breastfeeding phase. I really hope it's a phase. Almost all the women I've talked to had little or no support when they ventured into breastfeeding. Either no one helped them through the first couple of days by showing them how it's done or at any minor obstacle they were encouraged to stop.
The Medela website states, "Though breastfeeding is natural, the technique is a learned skill and it may take time and patience for you and your baby to master it. As you become more practiced, breastfeeding will become easier and more pleasurable." This is very true.
Without the proper guidance, coaching and support at the beginning, many women opt to resort to formula. Unfortunately many of the cases I've heard about were situations where the mom could have continued to breastfeed.
One major issue with new moms is, "I'm not producing enough milk!" Trust me every mom produces the right amount of milk for her baby. Resorting to formula as a supplement actually makes your milk supply decrease! The only way to increase your milk supply is to let your baby stay at your breast for as long as s/he wants provided s/he doesn't fall asleep at the breast. The way to measure if your baby is getting enough milk is by counting wet diapers. There should be 6 wet diapers in every 24 hour period. I had a calendar posted up on my closet when my kids were born and I would mark each wet diaper on it. That helped calm me down especially when Mimi was an infant. I had trouble with her latching on because she spent the first week of her life in the NICU and they gave her a bottle so we had a hard time adjusting to breastfeeding. But I was adamant about it even through the engorgement, the sore and bleeding nipples, and the tears. We enjoyed a year and a half of breastfeeding after that (up until I was 3 months pregnant with Oullie).
Other common myths are:
- women who have a c-section can't breastfeed
- women with inverted nipples can't breastfeed
Every woman can breastfeed if she puts her mind to it... even adopting mothers can breastfeed! It's all about educating yourself about the subject prior to embarking on it. A book that I found really helpful was: The Nursing Mother's Companion.
On a final note, also from the Medela website, "No formula can duplicate the unique properties of breastmilk, no matter how many vitamins, minerals and supplements are added to what is basically a chemical formulation."Gosh, even formula packages indicate that "breastmilk is the best food for babies"!
Give your baby the best milk.... give him/her breastmilk. :)

P.S. Maybe I should start a breastfeeding support network. Those of you who are interested, please let me know and we'll start something like La Leche.

Maternity Clothes... and Post-Natal for that matter :)

Gosh, when I was pregnant with Mimi there were only 2 stores that sold maternity clothes: MotherCare and then H&M. Both didn't offer a wide selection, but at least H&M's stuff was wearable. MotherCare even to this day (4 years later) still has the worst maternity line!
I remember I had to order all my maternity clothes online. My favorite store was Motherhood. They offered both casual and work clothes. Plus, they have a fabulous Nursing Clothes line. I actually bought a couple of nursing tops from their store in NYC when I was there last summer.
As my family and I were walking through the Avenues this afternoon I realized how many maternity stores there are now. Even Motherhood will be opening up soon! Oh joy! I just hope they will be as well priced as they were in NYC. But that's far-fetched, isn't it?! I mean, anyone who has ever walked into an H&M (even the one on Fifth Avenue!) would tell you that it's much better priced in the States. As a friend pointed out the other day, they just might be pricing "$1 to KD1"! ie a piece that would cost $3 (which is actually KD1) in the States is priced at KD3 here. Ridiculous! But I guess the enormous spending power of the few has totally skewed the market and all retailers are taking advantage of that.

Breastpumps!

Oh what an alluring world it is when it comes to breast pumps!!! I own a Medela Pump in Style Advanced and I love it. But a friend just asked for my opinion since the Pump in Style is a bit pricey. They are considering the Medela Mini Electric Plus which my research revealed is not good for a working mom. However, an alternative might be the Swing though it's a single pump which is a bit of a disadvantage.
Honestly, I don't know what to say. On the one hand, price is a valid obstacle but on the other if we consider how pricey formula is (about 3KD per can... and 3 cans per month...so that's 108KD per year), a Pump in Style (currently priced at 117KD) will pay for itself within a year! But of course that's based on an 'exclusively breastfeeding' plan.

The cute things kids say...

"My ears are on!" -Mimi when her ears popped after being on a plane. (April 10, 2010)
"I'm raining!" -Mimi when she sneezed on me. (April 21, 2010)

Cooking while the kids sleep

With a 3 year-old, cooking has become a late night adventure! After putting the kids to bed and making sure they are fast asleep, I waltz into the kitchen and commence to make lunch for the next day (or two).
A couple of weeks ago I was up till the weary hours of the night making Moughrabieh (Semolina Balls with Chicken). So I decided that day that from now on I will do things in phases. So now I prepare the chicken one night and then the next night I whip the whole thing together!
Now my hubby and I were in the kitchen making Kafta. And I mean just rolling the meat and 'frying' it. (I have to give him credit, he's doing the whole thing... I just did the dishes...) Then tomorrow night we'll make the potatoes and cook the whole thing. :)
It does actually make things easier. Especially since Mimi will never give me more than a few minutes in the kitchen before she's standing between me and the stove! Oh and now with Oullie crawling it's become even harder to be in the kitchen on my own without both my kids gravitating towards me.
Well, on this note I will end today's blog and turn in for the night. Sweet dreams, all.

Inconsiderate people!!

When I came home today, I found someone parked in my spot! The driver didn't have the decency to leave a phone number in the wind shield nor indicate what apartment s/he is visiting. So I honked a couple of times to now avail then called our doorman. He rang all the apartments on the intercom but no one claimed the car! The thing that ticked me off was that the inconsiderate offender hadn't gone in all the way into the parking spot, so I couldn't even park behind the car without leaving half my car hanging out in the street. But I wasn't going to take another neighbor's parking spot. So with the help of the doorman I got as close as I can get to the idiot's car. Note that by that time my kids and I had spent 15 mins in the car and I was pleading with my daughter not to fall asleep because I couldn't possibly carry both kids up to the apartment.
As I was unloading the kids, I told the doorman that I will be putting them down for their naps now and so no one is to ring me to move my car. He understood completely.
Half an hour later my next door neighbor knocks on my door and with broken English asks me to move my car because her friend wants to leave! There was no apology for her friend taking my parking spot!! As I was locking the door on my napping kids, my neighbor tells me that her friend managed to get her car out of the parking. So in total ticked off attitude I told my neighbor that I still needed to fix my car because half of it is out on the street and that I have to leave my kids at home alone because of her inconsiderate friend!
Inno, seriously!!! Why couldn't this friend have parked in their parking spot rather than mine?! When my friends come over I always tell them where to park so they don't take someone else's spot. Or I tell them to park across the building if both my hubby and I are home. Does it take too many brain cells to be considerate towards ones' neighbors???

I'm back!!

It's been a whiiiiiile since I've blogged. Life has gotten in the way... ie the sleepless nights, teething and having to entertain a toddler and a baby! :) But I've enjoyed every minute. :)
I should actually change my blog name to "Highway Mom" since now I spend most of my time commuting on the highways here and encountering all sorts of people (if they can be called that... because I think they're more like animals) behind the stirring wheel! When we first moved to Kuwait, we could not drive because we had to wait for our residencies before we could apply for driving licenses. The driving test proved to be a silly and frustrating ordeal. My poor hubby who had been driving and parallel parking forever in the busy and tight streets of Beirut, failed the driving test here in Kuwait 3 times!! He actually came home every time with a story that would make your head spin. Like the time there was a lady who parked perpendicular instead of parallel to the sidewalk... and still passed! While my hubby failed because the guy supervising, who was sitting miles away, accused my poor hubby of hitting the pole as he was parallel parking.
So from now on I'll be sure to post on my highway encounters. And don't hesitate to share your stories too. :)