My Thoughts on Spanking

Answering a question posed by Rhada and Sunshine4Life.

I was spanked as a child. I had one of those wooden back scratchers -- with an indian head design on the scratching portion -- used on me. I can still envision that indian head with its insidious smile. It finally got broken spanking me one time. I was partially raised by my aunts, and they, along with my mom, wholeheartedly believed in spanking. As the recipient of the spankings, I didn't.

I can never say never of course. Perhaps a couple of years from now, one frustrating afternoon when Mina finally gets on my last nerve, I may take a swipe at her butt. What I plan to keep in mind though, is how young and helpless I felt being spanked as a child. How terrorized. Because the spankings usually happened when the spanker was angry at me. I hope I have the resolve never to resort to the same angry spankings I received. I know I turned out well, and I don't hold a grudge against my mom and aunts for spanking me; it was what was done in the family. But I can't quite stand the thought of spanking my little girl.

So in summary, my plan is to spare the rod right now.

What Kind of a Mom Will I Be?

Admit it moms, most of us at one point or another, have looked at our mothers and thought "I will never be like my mom." Only to realize that little by little, we have become, or are already exactly like our mothers.

Not to say that some of us didn't have great Moms that we want to emulate. But I think the majority of women out there know what I'm talking about. Whether we promised not to be as impatient (me), not to spank, not to be so strict, there's always something we hope to improve when it's our turn to mother our child(ren).

I'm not exactly like my mom. I think part of it is the temperament I was born with. But I do have her tendencies, especially the easily frustated, easily impatient part. I'm aware of it, and so I already have half the battle won. I just need to continually work on my temper when things aren't going according to plan. Let me repeat, it is continuous work. Since I have this tendency, it's not all of a sudden going to get fixed, and there will be moments when my temper will get the best of me. I just never want to resort to yelling or spanking my little one. I have regretted very little in my life, but that is sure to be something I will regret if it ever happens.

But what kind of a Mom do I wish to be? I have a very good sense of humor, so I hope to impart that to baby Mina. Her dad and I are goofy, so I most likely will be the jokey, laughing type. I would like to be the kind of mom with whom she can feel free to share most things with and not feel like she has to hide them. I would like to be a trusting mom, making sure of course that I raise a trustworthy, critical thinking, responsible, daughter. I want her to see me laugh often, hear me praise her often, and know I'm not one who's easily fooled.

I want to be a loving Mom, a Mom who she can trust to protect her. I may not be able to whip her up a gourmet meal like her daddy, but I will always do my best to give her rich and rewarding experiences.

We'll most likely have our battles. But whatever they are, we'll get through it with humor.

Picture of a Happy Mother and Daughter team?

Monogrammed Clothes for Kids

I've been wanting to give this as a tip but it just didn't fit in my other site.

I've been obsessed with baby clothes recently. The coming colder weather (yes, still coming; hasn't come yet even in November) will create a need for cold-weather clothes. I've been scouring the web and happily stumbled upon two sites that allows you to monogram your clothing order. I think it's cute, though not all parents think so.

The first, Ralph Lauren for Kids, has a Create Your Own section. I can just picture baby Mina in a cute polo. Their items aren't cheap, but they do have some items on sale.

Next, is Potter Barn Kids where for $6 more, they will personalize a lot of their clothing.

(The sites above are for U.S. residents only)

You know, if you view my browsing history, it's almost all baby clothing sites, babies r us, babycenter.com, etc. Major baby on the brain.

Note To Mina

Hi Mina. Just wanted to let you know that we visited your pedia last Tuesday, and you are a whopping 15.4 lbs. I was carrying you over the weekend because you never wanted to be put down and I swear I could see you growing right before my very eyes.

My nicknames for you these days:

• Tabaching-ching - still a favorite
• Chunky monkey
• Fatty (gosh don't hate me when you grow older)

Your also now 24 inches long. Your head has grown too but I can't quite remember how big.

The nurse gave you a shot and you cried little head off. I cuddled you and put up with the snot drooling all over me because it hurt Mommy's heart to see you cry. Mommy's a sucker for her little baby girl!

I'm also delighted to report that last Friday, I noticed you watching your hands. And now, you're holding them together! I am so proud of you. Even though billions of other babies can do the exact same thing, I am positive you are holding your hands together in the correct manner; that is, perfectly.

I've had to delete quite a few exclamation points from this note. Mommy is fond of them see. She often feels that exclamation points match her energy!!!

That's it my love. I hope you are able to turn over soon, cause honestly, you need the exercise.

Baby Gear Review

I know first-hand how helpful gear reviews can be. The manufacturers and sellers can hype their goods all they want, but getting an honest to goodness first-hand account of how a product performed is a gem. Well, for me, anyway. I have read, and keep reading baby gear reviews. I mean, if we’re gonna spend so much on our little ones, might as well spend it on gear we know we’ll like, or at least have a good idea of how it will perform.

I don’t claim to have first-hand knowledge of every baby gear out there. All products will be products I’ve tried myself and I no, I haven’t tried them all. I’ll keep updating this as my little one grows.

1. Boppy Pillow versus My Best Friend Pillow.
1. It’s hard to declare a winner because each has its pros and cons. For nursing my baby the first two months of her life, the My Best Friend pillow wins out. Its sturdier, and better-shaped to hold my baby, plus it stays put because it belts around your waist. The Boppy kept sliding and shifting. I had the Boppy first and had to buy the Best Friend later when the Boppy didn’t work quite like I hoped.
2. For longevity, I think the Boppy wins out. I’ve used it to prop my baby up in bed while she’s awake, and while she’s been congested and needed to be reclined so she could breathe better. I can see her using this pillow as she grows. I sometimes even use it to cuddle with in bed. Because my baby is so big now, she can sort of sit up while nursing, and the Best Friend has been relegated to the baby’s closet.
3. I’ve heard from others though that have made the Boppy work for nursing. If you can make it work, then great. If not, buy both? :)

2. Bassinet – put this on your registry list or buy it used on Craigslist. I got mine as a baby shower gift. Mina used it about ten times and I have sold it on Craigslist since. She just didn’t like it. We ended up co-sleeping. Bassinets don’t have the same safety issues as cribs so it’s okay to buy it used. In any case, no need to drop $ on a new one. They will not use it long anyway. It is recommended that you stop using a bassinet once a baby can turn over or exceeds 15 lbs. I used Kolcraft Cuddle 'n Care™ Rocking Bassinet.

3. Bottles, if nursing. You will need bottles even if you’re nursing. Buy or register for bottles with nipples that are shaped close to a mother’s nipple. The ones shaped most like a nipple confused my baby the least. Every baby is different though so you may want to try different nipples to see which one your baby handles best. Mine liked Playtex Ventaire’s Stage 1 nipples, and she uses the wide regular bottles when at daycare.

4. Breast Pump. I used Medela Pump-in-style. The system is great for moms who pump at work. For occasional use though, buy something that is less heavy. Mine is supposed to weigh 15 lbs but feels much heavier. Other than that, this product performs very well. I feel good walking around downtown with the stylish black case.

5. Storage for breast milk. I bought Medela storage containers. It’s the cloud plastic type and I’m not that happy with it. I bought it because the bottles go with the pump I purchased. But when stored, the cream separates from the milk, and it cakes the insides of the container. Shaking does not easily settle the cream back in. You’d have to warm the milk in that container, and then transfer to the bottle your baby is using, or use the nipple that comes with it (which I don’t like). I keep thinking she’s missing something important when I can still see gobs of cream left in the storage container.

If you plan to buy storage, experts recommend glass, apparently safer than plastic; or those clear plastic ones. If you’ve ever seen a Dr. Brown’s Natural bottle, it is that type of plastic I’m talking about. I’ve used my Dr. Brown bottles as storage and the milk doesn’t stick as fanatically to the sides as the cloudy plastics.

6. Chicco Key Fit Travel system with both stroller and car seat. They work great. I wish the stroller would fold down more compactly and that there were more room in the cargo holder. I love the stroller though, for its maneuverability, suspension system, and light weight. My complaint about the car seat is that it doesn’t have a hook on the bottom of the car seat. When you go to restaurants, they need to have a sling or your car seat ends up going on a sometimes too tiny chair. It’s a big car seat. Other car seats I’ve seen have these indentations on the bottom so you can safely prop it on a high chair at most restaurants. The bottoms align with the high chair backs and fronts. I’ll take a picture later for illustration purposes. You know what though, I feel Mina is safer in a sling anyway.

Wow, this is getting long! I’ll get a part two later.

Baby Fat

On baby Mina's 2 month check-up (she was 2.5 mos old during the visit), she weighed in at 15.4 lbs. This puts her at the 95th percentile for weight.

Did you get that? Mina is 15.4 lbs. at 2.5 months. Whoa!

Apparently, the main cause for this is high-fat content in mother's milk. My milk packs a punch!

The doctor told me not to worry and that it's not something I'm eating. However, I can't help but worry a bit. Will this hinder her mobility? Will this mean that she'll be fat when she grows older? I can't put her on a diet, she already eats on the low end of the average. The average is 19-32 oz. and she gets probably 19 oz. or less a day. She eats no more than 3 oz. and eats about 9 times a day. That is with feeding in demand already.

Sigh. I know a lot of fat babies end up being average in size later on but a mom can't help but worry. Questions of is this normal dance in my brain?

Mommies, any feedback?

Generating Extra Income

With a baby comes inevitable added expense. I've cut way back by doing the following:

1. Breastfeeding. Do you know how much this saves? Lots. Lots and lots. According to some sources, $2000/yr. on average. Added bonus: I lose weight in the process.
   
2. Asking for diapers as gifts. I've had to buy only 2 bags of diapers since Baby Mina was born. She is almost 3 months old! She'll be moving on to Level 2 diapers soon. I've got a huge box of it from my baby shower.
   
3. Making do with clothes we've received from friends and family. I've purchased 2 going-home outfits for Mina and a special dress for a wedding. Since the weather has been turning colder and we have very little sleepers for her, we visited Once Upon A Child and bought some sleepers at $4.50 each. Compare to $7-15 at Target, and even more at more upscale shops.

Every little savings has helped. But now comes the other half of the coin: generating more income. I have been against paid blogging for a long time, but I have seen some who have made it work seamlessly. My main gripe was that the paid posts were not the reason I started visiting others' blog in the first place.

I've decided to revisit my stance on this as the practice gets more and more lucrative. But I decided to leave my old blog alone and create a new one. Be up front and personal as to what it is. A mutually beneficial site where I will talk about tips on mommy-hood for others to learn from as well as generate extra income for my family. We'll see how it works out shall we?

With that said, I am claiming this blog for Technorati.

Pinay Mommy

Allow myself to introduce....myself. :)

I am a Yummy Mummy, with a healthy self-confidence (can't you tell? ;) ). After having recently given birth to a healthy baby girl, SMH, I constantly find myself surfing the net for information on baby development and problems; constantly thinking about how to raise my daughter, how to manage my finances with a pricey baby to think about, how to keep the passion alive in my marriage with a baby who keeps clamoring for attention.

This blog is in tandem with my other blog where I also write about more mundane things. I hope to keep this strictly mommy-related, while I struggle to hold on to a piece of my pre-baby identity in the other. :)