Diaper Pail

We're in the market for a diaper pail. Now that NJ is on solids more regularly, his poo is starting to smell like... real poo. What brand do you recommend? Diaper Genie? Diaper Dekor? Diaper Champ? Any other ideas?

Eggplant Bolognese

I cooked with eggplant for the first time in my life. I came to like eggplant ever since I had the Trader Joe's eggplant parmesan in phyllo. Mmm. I was always intimidated to cook with it though, for some reason. But I found a great recipe for Eggplant Bolognese. The eggplant was really easy to cook with! The skin peels off nicely with a veggie peeler and the flesh has a nice spongy texture. It's nice to me, anyway.

Eggplant Bolognese- really chunky pasta sauce (6-8 servings)
8 Tbs olive oil
1 large eggplant, peeled and chopped in 1/2 in cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise, slized 1/4 in thick
1 garlic clove, minced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 lb ground beef chuck
1 Tbs dried oregano
1 lb rigatoni
Parmesan cheese, optional

1. In a large pan, heat 6 Tbs of olive oil and add eggplant. Cook 6-8 min or until soft, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
2. In the same pan, add remaining 2 Tbs oil and cook onion, green pepper, zucchini and garlic and cook 7-10 min or until soft.
3. Add beef and cook until no longer pink.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to box directions
5. Add tomatoes, oregano and eggplant to beef/veggie mix. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until sauce is thick (25 min).
6. Serve sauce over pasta. Top with Parmesan if desired.

Teething order

NJ has been very fussy today and refusing to nap or nurse. He already has his bottom 2 central incisors in as of 5 months. I checked up top and didn't see anything- I'm not really sure what swollen gums are supposed to look like. But when I checked on the bottom, his lateral incisor (next to the central ones) on the left side has broken through! So he must be teething and trying to break the other one in on the other side. Is this normal? I thought the top 2 buckteeth :) come in next.

Crying phase...what is the reason behind this???

Hi Ladies! First of all...thanks for all of your advice and hugs...you guys really are the greatest! My DH is jealous and feels that Dads should have their own blogs too! I am feeling much better the past 2 days and I am just going with the flow and not trying to be Miss Perfect all the time! But I have a new dilemma...I cant quite figure out this new crying phase that Jada seems to be going through? She is 11 months old and is doing quite a bit developmentally, walking, climbing, drinking from sippy cup only, eating table food, however...the past 2 weeks she has been crying constantly at certain times during the day when she is tired of walking around or playing and wants to be held. I feel this is normal as babies cry. This happens alot in the morning when my DH and I are getting ready, she grabs our legs and cries and if we dont pick her up she throws her back out and screams on the floor! it also happens at random times during the day which I am guessing is just her way of expressing her needs. But I am hearing from others that you cant cater to her every need becuase she will pick up on that and always cry. When family members babysit her for our date nights, she does this also...and they have started to complain and tell us that we arent doing something right with her:( I am getting really frustrated and I dont feel like I am holding my child any more than any other mom would...however my in laws, my DH and daycare feel that I need to let her cry it out a little more as she does this. I am feeling attacked but I am now starting to think that maybe I need to come down off my throne and listen to what others are saying. Is this a phase as she transitions from infant to toddler? Any advice???

Love you ladies!!!!

Sideways blowouts

Whenever NJ poops, it almost always leaks out the sides, usually dirtying up the bottom of his shirt and pants. Occasionally, he'll have the classic blowout up the back. (Luckily, I have an awesome stain stick that leaves all his clothes stainless.) Is this something I just have to deal with? Or am I putting on his diaper too tightly? Or is it time to move up a diaper size?

Transitioning baby from formula to milk??

Hi ladies:) Does anyone know when to transition baby from formula to whole milk? I remember at our last appointment (9 months) the doctor told us not to worry about giving whole milk until age 1. Jada will be 1 on July 15th and I wasnt sure when to actually start using whole milk and how to incorporate it into her daily feeding schedule. I know the doctor will have some suggestions at our appointment next month, but I would really love to hear from other moms who have been through this phase. What can I do to make it easier? When should I start? Is there a weaning process? Thanks so much!

p.s...By the way...this blog is the greatest:)

Am I losing my mind????

I am feeling like a total mess thi sweek:( Today is slightly better but how can I prevent weeks like this from happening? I wasnt sure if it was just becuase it was Monday, but I was so emotional the entire day! I couldnt get it together that morning for work, Jada ended up at daycare with no bottles and I ended up at work with the wrong work bag...I had left my files at home:( So on top of being late for work, I had to leave to take bottles to daycare and switch out my work bag. I was a wreck, on top of that Jada was up the previous night 3 times. She wasnt hungry, her diaper was dry and clean, and she couldnt be consoled??? Go figure. Now today is Wednesday and I notice 2 more teeth have broken through in the top of her mouth and she is now sleeping through the night. I am delighted that Jada is walking at 11 months old...but she is ALL over the place:) I used to be SO organized and all of a sudden I dont know what organization is! Can anyone relate??? I feel like my days are becoming crazier and crazier lately...any suggestions???

long-sleeve onesie/bodysuit

Does anyone know where I can find plain long-sleeve onesies? NJ wears them underneath his sleep sack. I only have 3 that I got at the GAP and we cycle through those so quickly. I went to Buy Buy Baby and they literally did not have any, not even with designs. I guess I could go to the Gap, but they cost a little more than I'd like to pay. I understand that long-sleeves are out of season, but don't babies get cold sometimes in air conditioned rooms? NJ's room is the coldest in the house, no matter how we adjust the AC.

Head Sweating

Hi Ladies - I was wondering if any of you had this issue. Rachel's head tends to get sweaty/clammy - especially when she's nursing. Any way this could be related to teething? I did some searches on this and saw a post/blog that mentioned that this could be related to teething as noted in Dr. Sears book. I don't have Dr Sears book (I have Dr Spock and it's not in there) and I couldn't find it on the Dr Sears site, so I thought I'd check w/ ya'll.

Basically, the rest of her body is cool and/or dry....it's only her head, and I have the air conditioning on in the house too. She doesn't have a fever...it's just a sweaty head. I may call the doctor about it, but they always want me to bring her in, and other than some sleep issues lately (due to teething and developmental spurts, I think), she seems perfectly fine, so I hate to take ~2.5-3 hours out of our day for something that is probably not serious. Plus, when the advice nurses tell me to bring her in, the doctors always look at me like I'm a worrywart mother. That's probably all in my head, since the doctors are super nice, but I always feel that way;)

BTW - I'm labeling this as teething, but not sure if that's the correct label.....I didn't want to label it head sweating:)

Little Hivies?

I know on my blog I said that I may hold off on rice (in my diet) to see what it does to NJ's eczema. Well I changed my mind and decided to go a whole new direction- to start giving him rice cereal again. He will be 6 mo old on Tuesday, so I thought I'd go ahead and try again. (I had stopped at 5 mo and decided to wait b/c of his allergies)

He took it very well and his tongue thrust is gone, ate the whole thing. No reactions at all. BUT after a few hours I saw that there were little tiny hives around his mouth and on his cheeks. I mean they are tiny but still noticeable. He doesn't seem bothered by them.

Is this normal? Maybe I didn't clean him off as well as I thought I did? Or does my half-Asian boy indeed have a RICE ALLERGY!? Should I...
1. Keep trying rice for a few more days and see what happens
2. Skip over to oatmeal
3. Don't do any more solids until his 6 mo appt (Tuesday)?

How do you know?

I feel stupid for asking this. You would think that after 6 mo. I'd know my baby by now. But how do you know if baby is crying during naps/night due to
1. hunger (growth spurt)?
2. teething?
3. other sickness or discomfort?
4. reverting back to bad sleep habits? (wants to be rocked, nursed, held)

NJ has had the toughest time sleeping (naps and nights) after a week or so of great sleep unswaddled and decent sleep even before that. I don't know what to do.

name for boy "part"

ok, so this may sound kind of trivial but i need advice.
we are nearing the time to potty train our oldest son and my husband and i can't agree to a name to call his private area. any ideas? i just keep thinking it has to be something that i wouldn't be embarrased if he said it in public like the grocery store or in preschool in the coming years.

Just Whining about Tantrums & Stress!

Hi Mommies,

Today has been so difficult. It's been a while since I've had a day like this with Jackie. 1st she wouldn't nap all day. When she finally did go down (around 4:15pm), she only stayed asleep for about an hour. When she woke up, she started throwing a major tantrum (arching her back, screaming bloody murder, etc.). Around this time, I got call from one of our tenants about some possible water damage in our rental property due to the rain. "Oh great," I say to myself. Unfortunately, I had a hard time having an intelligible conversation with my tenant b/c of Jackie screaming bloody murder in the background. No matter what I tried to do, Jackie would not stop screaming. I put her back in her crib - but unfortunately, she's still crying. I think that she is just extra fussy b/c she had trouble taking a nice nap (normally she sleeps anywhere from 2-4 hours for her 1 nap). It's so hard listening to your child cry and not knowing what to do about it. Anyone have any good tips to deal with temper tantrums?

Sandy

Cleaning drooled-on toys

What do you use to clean/disinfect drooled-on toys? How about the toys that are soft/made of cloth? NJ drools on everything, every day.

Washing polos

Is there a trick as to how to wash baby polo shirts/rompers? Every time I was NJ's, something always goes awry with the collars- they get folded wrong, become unfolded (and I can't get it to the original fold) or otherwise warped.

Swaddle weaning update

Well NJ is doing fine without being swaddled despite the fact that it's the way he has slept since birth. The first night (no swaddle, no nothing) was rough. The second night (with sleep sack) was rough. The third night, he was up at 8:00, 9:00 then did a stretch from 9pm to 4am, which is great for us! The fourth night, he regressed a bit- up at 10:30, 12:30, 1:30, 5:00. He usually goes back to sleep with some light patting and shushing. We'll see how it goes tonight. He has rolled over with it but it was in his sleep and it didn't wake him. His biggest problem still are that he bumps into the railings and that sometimes when he transitions between sleep cycles, he scratches at his face and that wakes him up. I've been putting no-scratch mittens on but we keep losing them. Tonight, he has socks on his hands. Whatever it takes!

Chicken and Couscous Salad

I make a big fat batch of this and eat it straight out of the tupperware for lunch for a couple of days. (Adapted from a recipe I saw on Everyday Food). It is so fresh and tasty and easy to make. (For those of you who read my blog, it's a repeat! Sowwy)

Chicken and Couscous Salad (perfect for a hot summer's day.)
Ingredients:
1 box couscous, any flavor (I've used quinoa too, when I was cutting wheat from my diet)
1-2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I use Rotisserie- the guy at the Rotisserie/deli section of the grocery store practically knows my name now)
1- 8 oz can pineapple chunks (juice reserved)
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
Juice from 1 lime

1. Cook the couscous according to box directions, let cool.
2. Mix cooled couscous and the rest of the ingredients. Add as much or little of the pineapple juice.
3. Enjoy as is, or tightly cover let it sit in refrigerator for an hour or two and eat cold. (I just spread the couscous onto a big plate and let it cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes.)

What's for Dinner?

I find myself asking the "What's for Dinner?" question as late as 3 pm some days...where does the morning (or afternoon for that matter) go? Ironically, I actually do my grocery shopping for 2 weeks at a time, having planned dinner for each of the days of those 2 weeks. But laziness sets in, or I forget to pull meat out of the freezer to thaw, or I realize I forgot to buy a key ingredient at the store and I don't want to drop $5 for it at the corner market when it's only $2.25 at Shoppers. So I'm faced with the dreaded question...or as my mom calls it, the "Daily Dinner Dilemma."

To add to matters, my 9-Month-old is a little less inclined to let me get away with making anything labor-intensive these days. Gone are the days are propping her up in the Bumbo and sitting her on the kitchen counter while I cook...not that I ever used it on a raised surface or anything. ;)

I thought I'd share the secret that got me through the DDD yesterday...I like to cook large batches of yummy recipes when I cook, so that I can freeze half (or even 2/3!) for later. Of course, this doesn't work for everything, but many things freeze well. So 3 weeks ago we had Chicken Cacciatore for dinner and it was delicious...and it was just as yummy last night when it reappeared as "Twice-Baked Chicken Cacciatore Potatoes" when I realized that I meant to make Twice-Baked Potatoes earlier in the week and had forgotten to, leaving very yummy potatoes at risk for growing eyes while my husband's out of town this week and I go visit my parents. It sounds like a funny dinner, but Mike really liked it and renamed it "Chicken Cacciatore Surprise," saying "Surprise! There's a potato in there." This is just one time that having leftovers in the freezer saved me lots of hassle. I seriously pulled it out of the freezer at 3 and through it in the crockpot on high for 2 and a half hours to thaw and heat up while I did other things.

Here's the recipe for a Cacciatore that freezes beautifully:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3/4 cup white cooking wine
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried crushed rosemary
1/2 tsp dried crushed thyme
1/4 tsp crushed oregano
1/8 tsp black pepper

Saute onion and garlic (and 1 cup sliced mushrooms if you like them...my husband doesn't) until tender. Mix remainder of ingredients in Crock Pot and add chicken and Onion Mixture to pot. Cook on low setting for 6-8 hours, or until chicken is fully cooked. Shred chicken with fork. Enjoy over linguine noodles (or potatoes!).

Who is Lisa Law?

What, you don't know?? Just kidding. I'm Lisa Law and my sense of humor is really that bad. I'm a SAHM of 9-Month old Kathryn, and hope to add others to that list someday. I don't claim to know what I'm doing, but I love being her mommy! My husband Mike and I have been married for about 2 and a half years.

Teething woes and sleep

Don't laugh at me, I must have a very short memory since my elder daughter went thru the whole thing with me by her side... but my almost 6 month old Hayden is just killing me with his teething problems. He'd wake up with 30 min nap nowadays and desperately gnawing on his blanket, his hand, MY hand, everything... How long does this last for each tooth? And are all babies napping/sleeping like this during teething? Seems like he's been like this forever!

Honey glazed salmon

I don't know how practical this recipe is for the little ones since it contains honey, but it is a great and easy recipe otherwise! I thought I'd follow Ning's idea for double categorizing recipe threads as well.

1 lb Salmon fillet cut into serving size portions
1 Tbs honey
2-3 tsp mustard
1/8-1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (as spicy as you like!)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Pan sear the salmon fillet on both sides.
3. Mix honey, mustard and pepper and brush on salmon.
4. Bake until done, 6-8 minutes. (I'm not sure on the timing- just guesstimating! I forget how long it took last night)

I served it with rice and green beans (mixed with sesame oil and sesame seeds).

Anyone with "Baby tan-lines" in diaper area?

Did everyone else notice babies sometimes have "tan lines" on their tush?
My little girl Lexa had it as a baby. Since it was mostly summer time we were joking she went out to the beach while we were sleeping. As it turned out it's the bleach in the diapers (to make them snow white) that made her like that. After seeing our son with the same stuff (even tho he was born in winter and was always bundled) we switched to chlorine-free diaper. I got mine online for good price (just a bit more than normal ones, plus they have discount for first time customer), it's so soft and comfy, and Hayden's "tan line" is gradually disappearing now that it's been a couple of weeks. Just wanted to share...

Double categorizing (labels) our blogs with age groups

Since some of us have kids that are similar in age and some are a bit older. I think it'd be nice to give our post 2 separate labels, one is the topic (ie, feeding, sleeping, crafts, etc), another label would be the age, ie, 0-1, 1-2, 2-3 years, 3-4 years, so on). It'll make it easier for us to sort thru the topics as we get more posts in the future with more membership, what do you think?

Sleep Sacks

I thought I'd try a sleep sack to transition NJ from swaddling. Right now, he sleeps well swaddled with one arm out during naps, but at nights it is a disaster. So for those of you who have tried it, does it prevent the baby from rolling over? That seems to be biggest problem right now. He freaks out when he ends up on his tummy and has no control of his space, banging into rails all the time.
- kyung

It didnt stop my baby from rolling, it did keep her warm durng all that rolling bc loose blanket comes off, plus suffocation hazard :)
- ning

More mommies?

Just thought I'd post this here for those of you who have been asking...

To invite more people,
1. Sign on as the admin (username: kiddieqs@yahoo.com...)
2. Click on customize (top of the page)
3. Then settings (middle tab)
4. Then permissions (last link up top)
5. Click on "Add Authors" then type in the emails of your friends.

Margaret

I am a stay at home mom of Daniel (3), Sharon (2), and another little one coming in October. Life has been good to me so far but I'm a little worried when things get more hectic when the third one comes!

Esther

i'm esther and i am a mom to landon (19 months).
we're in md... only a few minutes from kh.
what a great idea to have a forum where moms can connect!

Arts and Crafts for one year olds

I wanted to have a place to share arts and crafts/activities you do with your one year old. I thought i would put an age on it b/c otherwise we'll have tons to weed through. We could do a separate one for under one and then one for two's and so on.

Anita, you mentioned a footprint craft. tell me more...

I don't really have any great arts and crafts ideas. I just really have activities that we do regularly. Rhett enjoys painting with water outside. He also likes to paint inside on the sliding glass door (just water). We have also painted with watercolors on his easel set up in the bathtub to contain the mess. We do sidewalk chalk on the concrete as well.

For each month I try to do an activity.
Jan - cut out paper snowflakes - we read the directions and cut them out (it was all me but wanted to model for him how to follow written directions.
Feb - cut out red hearts and "hid" them around the room. When he would find one (they were out in the open) i would say where he found it. Ex: you found that one on top of your choo - choo)
March - can't remember
April - Easter eggs - used an egg carton and had him move the eggs from the bucket to the carton. we worked on colors. also, made a bunny headband (he loves to wear hats).
May - made "flower basket". cut a semi circle, taped it like a cone, added a strip of paper for the handle. he could load it with whatever and carry it.

so, as you can see mine are super simple. I would love any ideas you have.

more posts

Hi everyone- I changed the blog so that each page shows 30 days' worth of posts at a time so that you don't have to keep hitting "older posts". So scroll down and make sure you didn't miss any! (Thanks, Ning for the idea!)

Father's day example (con't)

I couldn't post it in the earlier one on Father's Day gift, here's my example of a photo collage that I was talking about (made for daddy last year). It was printed 20x10 inches, mounted on a board, really nice in his office. This year I'll make a similar one (now that we have TWO babies :) and I also took the babies to Color Me Mine (pottery place, should be a chain), had their hand prints on a big plate, glazed/baked it, writing was "We (Heart) Daddy" at the bottom.
Ning

Rolling around in the crib

Last night was NJ's first night in the crib without being swaddled. (He was starting to roll around swaddled and was getting stuck against the rails) He just kept rolling around and around running into the rails and just riling himself up and not sleeping. At firs the was playing, then he got frustrated. Any suggestions as to how to keep him still? Or is this just a phase? He knows how to suck his thumb but hasn't figured out how to use it to soothe himself. He doesn't have a lovey but I'm trying to get him to "adopt" one.

Overflowing toys

Are you all finding that as time passes, your house is getting more and more cluttered with toys? I have given away quite a few, but the ones remaining (especially for infants) I am hanging onto in case we try for #2. But how long do you hang onto something when space is starting to become an issue? Do you have some manageable way to contain the toys?

just mommies

As per Jill's note a couple of posts ago, I think Just Mommies is a super cute name! I'll change it (try, anyway) unless if someone has any big objections to it, or another idea?

Father's day gifts

Are you guys getting your DHs a gift for father's day? This will be Nathan's first. I don't want to go all out (it's not like we have the $ for it anyway) but I want to do something small and special because he is a great daddy. Any ideas?

Grace

Hi! Thanks Kyung... I made it here!

My name is Grace and I'm a SAHM to two wonderful boys (6 & 3). We're working on #3 right now and hoping for a girl 3rd time around! Please send us some PINK dust - thanks so much! =)

I'm from British Columbia, Canada!

Solid Food Chart

Hi ladies -

I was doing some searches on solid food charts.....want to make sure I'm up to where we should be by Rachel's 9 mo check up (we have about 2 1/2 months to go). Anywho, I happened on what looked like a pretty good site for this.

Check it out and lemme know what u think: http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solids2.htm

~Jill

BTW - Anita, I like your blog name better (just-mommies). I like the "kiddieqs" url, but the moms w/ questions is kinda bleh:) Like I said in the email, my brain was a bit numb last night. So, if anyone else wants to change the name, feel free to do so (I have a feeling Kyung might know how - she's the blogging brain).

Irene

Hello everyone,

Thanks for inviting me to join, Kyung. Love meeting new people.
My name is Irene, living in Vancouver, Canada.
2 little girls - Hailey (Aug 2004) and Jenna (Jan 2007).
Currently on maternity leave until Jan 2008. =)

Julia

Hi all! This blog is a great idea! I'm Julia, mom to Chloe who is just a few weeks shy of 2 years old. We're from Texas, and the heat is starting to get to my little one's brain. Heat + terrible 2s = crabby crabby child!

Ning

I'm Ning, my daughter just turned 2, and I have a 5.5 months old boy. I used to work full time and stayed home since I was preggo with #2.

just testing something...

:)

Sandy Palmer

Hi Everyone!

Thanks Jillian for setting up this blog & thanks Anita for trying!

My name is Sandy Palmer and I have an almost 15 month old daughter named Jackie. Her blog is squishymelonhead.blogspot.com. If you'd like to see her blog, let me know and I can send you an invite.

I live in Falls Church, VA and I work part-time. I hope to get to know you ladies better in the near future!
Sandy

Kyung Lindsey

I'm Kyung, I have a little boy 5 mo old (1 wk younger than Ning's!). I'm a SAHM.

Anita Richburg

I am Anita, and my daughter is Jada and she is 10 1/2 months old. I work full time as a counselor for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. I live in Cary, NC with my husband, and Max our chocolate lab puppy:)

Victoria Wong

I"m Victoria, and I'm mom to 13 months old twins, boy/girl, Alex and Abby. I will be starting to work from home this Wednesday and just hired a nanny for the summer. I am looking for a more permanent one to start in August/September... so if you all know a good one who's willing to commute to McLean, or is close to McLean, please do let me know!

Kristalyn

hi! i'm Kristalyn and i have two boys. one is 20 months and the other will be 1 month at the end of this week. I stay at home with them. We live in Albuquerque, NM.
i have been trying to be creative in a name for us but so far nothing has come to mind. thought a play on words would be neat or an acronym but i'm drawing a blank.
kristalyn

Going from 3 to 2 Naps

here's a question- NJ is currently taking 3 naps per day, usually lasting 1-1.5 hrs each or two 1.5-2 hr naps, and a 30 min catnap. I know that in the next couple of months I will have to drop the last nap. He currently stays awake for 2 hrs at a time during the day.

How did you go about transitioning your baby to 2 naps and increasing his/her awake time? Cold turkey? Or gradually? How gradually? When?

Jill Hamilton

Hi everyone -

I'm Jill Hamilton. I'm from Arlington, VA, and I have a 6 mo old daughter named Rachel Kirsten. My email is jeh82180@yahoo.com, and if you want to see pics of my family and of course, Rachel, you can check out our blog - http://hammyfamily.blogspot.com.

~Jill

Solid Feeding

Again, I am summoning the help from experienced mommies! I will probably not start regularly feeding solids to NJ until he is closer to 6 mo. (esp b/c he has shown cause for allergy concerns already!), but I want to be prepared. Please respond when you get the chance!

1. Did you start w/ cereal (rice, oatmeal) or veggies/fruits?
2. If you started w/ cereal, what ratio did you use for cereal/milk? When and how did you start making it thicker?
3. Did you ever mix cereal w/ fruits/veggies? What ratio?
4. Did you breast/formula feed a full or partial feeding before giving them their solid meal? From what I understand, you breast/formula feed first, then give the solids an hour or so later.
5. When did you start giving 2 solid meals per day?
6. What were good first veggies/fruits?
7. Any other info/advice you want to share re:solids?

~Kyung

just a placeholder for age 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5 and above labels