Merry Christmas everyone

Yeap, Bryce's second Christmas. Last year, you were a bit too small to understand anything out of it, these year, at 16 months, you are walking and so aware and curious about everything around you, that Christmas was a joy.
We've spend all the Christmas' days by your uncle's Duke house in Long Beach with all your crazy, American family: mom, dad, buni Myrna, buni Dan, cousins Jake and Alex, auntie Lauren, uncles Curt and Duke plus 2 big, fluffy dogs: Cali and Izzy. :)
And because this family tradition has been for years to have an amazing Christmas full of tons of presents, this year was no exception so, the tree was surrounded by 50 plus presents. So, starting 10am till around 5:00 pm we've opened and opened presents. So much fun and so many exciting things to be discovered!!
You've got so many things: a little trike, books, some cute clothes, new bath toys, cars.
By the end of the day, we had a nice, big diner with steaks, boeuf salad, peas, potatoes, good wine and lots of laughs.
I dont't know who I should thank but I THANK somebody out there who watches us and takes care of us and keeps us healthy and joyful.
Merry Christmas to everybody out there!!!
Craciun Fericit dragii mei prieteni mici si mari!!!
Va imbratisam cu drag

Bryce is drumming

The drumming continued for another 2 unrecorded minutes. LOL

Reading starts young

Few words

Well, I haven't say too many things lately just because you're keeping me bu-sy. :))
So, in between running and keeping up with you, knitting for "Funky Gavroche" (a label inspired by your energy, sweet little one) and some other miscellaneous stuff around the house, here's what I have to tell you:
-you're 16 months old already (boy, time flies, they're not kidding around when they're telling you that);
-you're just awesome; let me see if I can find all the epithets to describe you: 200% energy, fun, laughs, giggles, creative, inspirational, smart, curious, inquisitive, problem solver, naughty, sometimes a bit mischievous in a fun way, stubborn (OMG so stubborn), independent, like very independent, explorer, focused, still not a great sleeper-:)
- you still love the music; it's so interesting seeing it developing in you from the first days you were born; you play the drum every day, and the piano (for some reason it's not an everyday request anymore), then if I give you a spoon or something that resembles a stick you start banging as if imitating the drums; you ask to play the Romanian music cd and you love to dance and applaud on its rhythms;
-you bring me books to read to you but you kind of loose interest in the subject 2 sentences later. LOL;
-you talk and talk and talk, from 6:00 am (BTW, you're like a clock); I don't get all that you're saying (I know, you have developed your own language) but for some reason we're communicating in a great way (with some few exceptions when you prefer the scream instead of having a civilized conversation-LOL)
-you're not a tantrum thrower, yet (and I hope you'll stay that way); I don't know if me listening to you helps, or it's just you putting up with me (and my tantrums sometimes-LOL), bottom line is, we kinda of getting along with each other (maybe because we're both Leos? - LOL)
- you love, LOVE to socialize, to have as many people around you as possible, you just thrive around other kids and to be in the center of attention, in the spot light,
-you love outdoors so much that you could stay out 24/7, if possible; and when we go out no matter where, you just want to walk and walk, you look behind to make sure I'm following you and then you walk some more (you don't like that much to be carried nor strolled);
-even if I thought you don't hug me enough , you know exactly when to come and put your little arms around my knees or just throw yourself over my body laying on the floor;
- you love inventing games and playing with us; in fact, so far, you're not the kind of the kid to play by himself that much but to interact with someone all the time;
- you still wake up at least twice a night to eat and even if we're quite tired we still don't want to "train" you how to sleep all night long; we figure you will learn it eventually all by yourself just as you did with so many other things; we completely trust you in that and everything else you do;
Ok, I have to stop now 'cause you just woke up and of course, you need our attention. LOL

Things on my face

Moi: Bryce unde e gurita?
He sticks his tongue out. :)
Moi: Bryce unde e nasucul?
He puts his finger in his nostril. :)
Moi: Bryce unde sunt ochisorii?
He pokes his eyes with his finger.:)

The ghost game

I don't know if other kids are playing it or if Bryce invented it but he loves it.
The game is like this:
He takes the blanket from his crib and puts it over his head and then is wondering in the house as if he is a ghost. And we're pretending we don't see him and ask where he is until finally we stumble upon him. Lots of fun!!

15 months check-up

Wow! Already 15 months!!!
Sooo, at 15 months, Bryce:

- weighs : 22,75 lbs (aprox. 10.31 kg)
- height : 32,5 inches (aprox. 82.6 cm)

We discussed the way we would continue with the immunization.
So for the 15 months check-up we redid:

- the DTaP (especially because there's a whooping cough outbreak happening in LA at the moment)
- the HIB ;

Oh, and you were such a trooper. You didn't cry a bit for any of the shots (both done in each arm). You're so courageous and good.

After more than 24 hours he didn't have any side effects nor temperature.

For the 18 months check-up we will do:

-the Pc;
-the Polio;

As for the MMR and the chicken pox vaccines, we decided to postpone them at least until he will be 2 1/2 yo.

The rest, just normal stuff, lots of interaction with Nicole, the pediatrician. I think he has a secret crush on her. :))

The hugger

Something very interesting is happening lately. We're going out a lot: every morning at the work out, every Tuesday at Gymboree then almost every day in the park or in the malls where there are playgrounds. So, Bryce has the opportunity to meet, socialize and interact with lots of kids mostly 2 years and older.
So, in the last couple of weeks and so Bryce is learning how to hug and he's practicing it with different kids that he choses all by himself. LOL
Last week it was a 4 year old girl, Valerie, very sweet and gentle. The feeling was mutual. They would hug and hug and hug.....
Today, we were in the Gap store and there was this little boy, maybe 4-5 years old, he was on the floor, unwrapping some presents. Bryce just went straight to him, started touching his hair first and then totally opened his arms and hugged the little boy.
Can't wait to see how this display of feelings would evolve.

It's a play date time!!

Two weeks ago we've started the play dates. The first time was by Owen's house. Little Owen is only one week younger than Bryce.
This week was by our house. So, little Owen, his mom and little Sho with his mom, they all came together and had some fun with Bryce.
It is so funny to watch them. They don't know yet how to interact and play with each other but, like any other think, give them the opportunity and they will learn.
So, twice a month we decided to have play dates with each other. It will be either hosted at our homes or out in the malls. So, 2 in 1 : the kids and mom will have fun!!!

BLW with a spoon

No comments.:)

How about some reading???

Recently he would just bring me different books to read to him. I will put him in my lap and start to narrate the story but, by the second page, he will go away and try to find something new to do. LOL

Bonjour Canada!!!

One week ago, we packed again and left for Canada, more precisely Ottawa and Montreal. Ottawa because my hubby had a little shooting there and then Montreal 'cause my dear friend, Edwina, lives there with her fiance.
Sooooo, impressions:
- overall good impressions: nice and helpful people, clean streets, good food, nice architecture, walking & family friendly;
Things that I found a bit different (and again this is only applied to the cities I've visited and not the whole country);
- more people smoking in the streets;
- more cigarettes butts on the sidewalks (but there were these little machines coming to clean all the time)
- on the Montreal highways, people would tailgate more and would not be too courteous to let you pass from one lane to another;
- gas was more expensive;
- clothes and shoes as well more expensive ( I think no one can beat the Americans on the sales -LOL)
- loved, LOVED the automatic doors for people with disability/mom with strollers (most of the doors had this button that you would press and the door would open)
- loved the family rooms where you could go and change the baby (very clean and well appointed)
- loved the parks (although I couldn't see any space for kids - but it could be that not all of them have them);
- the Rideau mall I've been to in Ottawa also didn't have a play area for kids ( I don't know if this is common but in LA all the malls have a play area for kids)
- love, LOVED all the bilingual signs and that I could speak in French ( I could speak French over and over again and never get bored, it's my favorite language ever!!! )
Hmmm.....what else?? I've said to myself I would buy a dairy and wrote every time I travel. But....with a super active kid my brain sometimes fail to serve me. LOL
Anyway, we should definitely go back. If not to visit some more of those cities at least to see some others like Toronto or Vancouver.
Au revoir nos amis, Candiens!!! A la prochaine!!!

Little Halloween

Of course Halloween is a big celebration here, in the States. It starts like months before and everywhere you turn your head you see decorations and costumes for sale. And then there are the private houses, each families decorates its place in different ways.
It's a joy to walk around your neighborhood and see all these colors and disguise.
Bryce was not quite sure what to wear this year so, we chose 2 different costumes for him: a little green monster and a cute, white chicken.
Fortunately, he also had the opportunity to wear them. The first one at the Stroller Strides Halloween party which was held in the park with good food and lots of his little friends. And the second one at the Grove an outdoor space where everybody comes to celebrate and have some fun.
After the Grove party, we came home and welcomed kids with "trick or treat". Candies for everybody 'cause not every day is the Halloween.:)
We'll see what next year will be like but I'm sure he will tell me exactly what he would like to wear. LOL

The mysterious virus

I really don't know exactly what it was but after 2 weeks it is gone with no particular treatment.
Symptoms:
- 4-5 poops a day with a bit of mucus, not very runny, not green, no blood, no foul smell, no vomiting, no fever;
- he was not bothered by it, he was very active, he still had an appetite all this time;
Personal treatment:
- in the first days I gave him rice, rice crackers, bananas and BIOGAIA probiotic in the milk bottle;
- after 5 days of this diet, I started give him normal foods again, just keeping in the mix the probiotic;
One week later and no change, I called the doctor and asked her if I should worry. Meanwhile, he had a bit of a diaper rash ( I suspect from the no of poops). Our doctor advised to wait one more week and if the poop doesn't go away or symptoms aggravate we should go in.
Less than week later, he's back on track, one poop a day.
And BTW the rash is gone ( I used DESITIN).
He had for sure something in his belly (in my opinion, I find it totally normal as he's interacting with other kids, they share foods, toys etc not to mention that he plays outdoors, puts his hands in his mouth), no matter how much you try to clean his hands, chances are he will manage "to eat" some dirty hands). I'm happy his little body fought it all by itself and that it wasn't something serious.

More learning

We've been reading every morning for a while now, from this little, cardboard book that teaches you animals and numbers.
We have :
1for 1 rooster
2 for 2 cows
3 for 3 pigs
4 for 4 horses
5 for 5 chickens
Every time I'd get to the picture I would say in Romanian: one rooster, the rooster is singing "Cucurigu", than turning the page "where is the rooster"? And I would point the rooster to him.
Let me tell you : "Repetitia est mater studiorum". Today, he started pointing to the animals, every time I would ask him where they are.
It is such an amazing experience to watch them grow and learn in front of your eyes

BLW podcast

I was writing some weeks ago about me participating in a podcast about BLW.

Here's where you can hear me.:)

Understanding Romanian

He completely understands Romanian. I'm so 100% sure of it. There have been numerous occasions where I would ask him in Romanian to do different stuff and he would do it but there was a particular situation today that made me even more sure.
He was playing with the remote and then at a certain point he just dropped it on the floor, somewhere in the living room. After about 2 minutes, he came to me (I was by the computer), approx distance from the remote around 14' so the remote was not even in his visual field.
I kneeled down to his eye level and said to him in Romanian:
- Bryce, bring me the remote. Bring me the remote! The remote! He looked at me as if he processed all the information and then he headed towards the remote, picked it up and gave it to me.
There's so much joy in the heart and mind of a mother when she sees the all her hard work, perseverance, patience are paying off.
Raising a kid is the most challenging project of one's lifetime as that kid is the future and we all want to have a healthy, smart future.

Romanian citizenship

Bryce became a Romanian citizen as well around 2 weeks ago.
The process of becoming a Romanian citizen is not very complex, but it is very Romanian. LOL
So, the first thing you need to gather is the paperwork.
Here's what you need:
- valid Romanian passports or valid American passport is your spouse is American;
- both parents birth certificates;
-the Romanian marriage certificate;
-the kid USA birth certificate with apostille;
- parents declaration (paper available at the consulate);
- if one of the parents is American, he also needs to sign a paper agreeing to the new citizenship;
Ok, now that you have all the papers, the next step will be for you to go the nearest Romanian Consulate. Once, you figure out the chaos and you pay the fee ($260, in our case) then you're good to go and in about 2 weeks, you will get your Romanian birth certificate.

More words

aja - asa

ata - asta

bu - buf

Up and down

I know, I know....I believe I've said it thousands of times already of how amazed I am as to how fast he's learning and figuring out things all by himself.
The latest: going down the stairs or the couch.
He just comes to the edge of the stair, turns around and there you go, he just arrives on the next step.
Curious what the next one it's gonna be.

A podcast and BLW

Some days ago, I took part in a interview about BLW. The interview was hosted by Meredith who herself has a 6 months old little girl and on the verge of starting BLW.  The idea behind it was to basically tell our BLW experiences: how we heard about it, how was in the beginning, what our fears were etc.
After I got the questions and started to prepare for the podcast, I read Rapley's book one more time and I was so amazed again by the easiness of it as well as by the informations I discovered going though the book regarding Bryce's stage, that I've decided to share some of those right here:
- "Babies and small children seem to know instinctively which foods will give them the nutrients they need"
- "Babies who crave a particular food seem to be responding to a need, so it's important to trust their instinct and let them make these choices"
- "Most mealtimes battles with toddlers are the result of a mismatch over what the parent thinks the child needs and what he thinks he needs"
- "Children have a strong survival instinct, especially when food is concerned. They have an extremely reliable sense of when they need to eat, what to eat and how much"
- "A baby-sized portion IS a baby-sized handful" - a portion is roughly the amount each person can hold in one open hand
So, we should try to include in our every-day toddler's menu:
- vegetables and fruits: five (three of vegetables and two of fruit)
- grains and starchy vegetables (rice, potato, pasta, bread etc)  two to three
- meat, fish and other protein rich foods such as lentils: one
- cheese, milk, yogurt and other calcium-rich foods such hummus and small-boned fish :one
- healthy fats (such as olive oil, nuts and seeds) : a quarter of a portion

Diversity in the mother's world

One of the things I loved most about LA was the diversity. I like the multicultural exchanges, people with different religions and beliefs and skin colors living all in the same place, at peace.
After I became a mother and especially after Bryce grew a bit and was able to take him places, I became a part of different group of mothers with different backgrounds belonging to different cultures.
In Stroller Strides, for example, one of my best friends is Akkiki, who's Japanese, married to an Afro-American so, their baby, Shaw (I hope I've spelled it right) is a mixture of them both: BEAUTIFUL.
Then we go to the park, and here's the funny part:
- if you go to the Encino park which is like a park located in a middle class community, you will encounter Mexican, Russian, German families with their kids, all plain and simple, no strings attached;
- on the other hand, if I drive up the hill towards West LA, I pretty much have the chance to mangle with a different crowd of moms. Moms that are coming to the park with their kids and their set of nannies. Or nannies who are wearing Stella McCartney boots. LOL. Or kids of famous people.
Anyway, I just LOVE the diversity. And LOVE to talk with all these moms, find out their stories or points of view in raising their kids, all so different but at the end of the day, all kids are just playing in the SAME sand.

New words

Bau - when we're playing (cucu-bau) the Romanian version of peek-a-boo
aba - avion (airplane)

The Happiest toddler on the block

I've just finished Harvey Karp's "The Happiest Toddler on the block" and I have only one thing to say:
For all the parents out there, please, take a moment and read it!!!!
It is mind blowing!!! What a wonderful book, so informative, comprehensive, useful!!!
IT IS the book that makes you SEE through the eyes of a toddler!! IT IS the book that makes you THINK with the mind of a toddler!!! And after the above experiences, IT IS the book that gives true and effective solutions to the every day challenge of living and raising a toddler!!
I will just write down the 10 basics for raising a Happy Toddler, as you will find them in the book:

1. It helps to think of your toddler as a little caveman
2. Know your toddler temperament
3. Give yourself a pat on the back. Parenting is hard
4. Be an "ambassador" to your uncivilized little tot
5. Practice the "Fast-Food Rule" every day
6. Speak in your upset toddler's native lingo-Toddler-ese
7. Encourage your child's good (green-light) behavior with lots of fun interactions like:
    - time-ins, confidence builders, teaching patience, routines, planting seeds of kindness
8. Curb your child's annoying (yellow-light) behaviors
9. Put a quick halt to your child's unacceptable (red lights) behaviors
10. Prevent most tantrums or lovingly stop them in their tracks

I can report successful results with "patience stretch" and treating your toddler with respect. We're still working on every single aspect and I know it is a process that requires patience, consistency, perseverance.
And even if there are times when I feel like loosing it myself, I know for sure that with practice it will only get better.
Thank you so much, dr. Karp!!!

Persistence

He asks everyday to play the piano. He points towards the little piano in his room, I sit him on the chair and he starts "practicing".
I'm so curious to see the outcome.
If there's anything that sticked with him since birth is: FOCUS and PERSISTENCE. He is very, very tenacious in everything he's doing.

Why we chose not to childproof

Or better say, we partially childproofed. We basically childproofed two closets: both are the under the sink closets where we keep all the dish detergents etc.
The rest of the house is an open space for my little man. We made sure the sharp, dangerous kitchen utensils are not in the bottom drawers, and that's about it.
I didn't want to be very strict in childproofing because I wanted Bryce to explore and discover the world around him. I'm sure that it's a little adventure for him.
Like this morning, he opened this little door we have in the kitchen where I normally keep kitchen towels and table mats and some miscellaneous stuff. OMG, if you could only see the joy in his eyes: when he opened the door, and looked inside carefully and then went in to explore some more.
These moments are just priceless.

How we roll @ 13 months

Here's our little schedule:

6:30-7:00 am - waking up
9:30-10:30 am - Stroller strides and snacks
11:00-12:00 pm - 1st nap
1:00 pm - lunch
2:30-3:30 pm - 2nd nap
Late afternoon - Park and snacks
7:00 pm - diner
8:00-8:30 pm - Nighty sleep

During night time, he will still wake up for feedings two to three times ( he eats somewhere in the neighborhood of 500-750 ml of milk/ night). Also, there are nights when he will just wake up and start talking for about 20-30 minutes then he will go back to sleep. :)
On Tuesdays, we've started to attend the Gymboree Play&Learn and on the days we don't make it to the park, we go to the Playroom.

The gentle barn

The gentle barn is a place where animals and kids come together. The animals in the barn are all rescued animals and the concept behind it is to offer the kids the possibility of interacting with the animals in a very cozy and natural way.
Bryce was absolutely fascinated by the whole experience: by the tall and handsome horses, the lazy pigs, the fury sheep, the fast chickens, the big and gentle cows.
He just ran around freely, tried to catch some chickens, fed some horses and combed some cows.
For us, as parents, it was a joy discovering again the animals world through a kid's eyes and being a part of the adventures of our son.
See you soon, gentle barn!

Three times

That's how many times Bryce got seek in his first year of life:

1. the croup (fever + cough)
2. mild cold (fever + runny nose)
3. mild cold mixed with teething (fever + mild diarrhea)

He handled it all well.

Bilingual even trilingual

When you are going to the park with your kid, you sure meet there all kind of other kids.
That's exactly what happened yesterday to me, when I and Bryce were playing in the sand and a bunch of kids were building sand castles in close proximity. One of them, a really cute, curly boy starts speaking with me in a perfect English, asking me if I'm Russian. I'm just amazed. How can such a small kid distinguish my accent? I asked, in return, why does he think I speak Russian. His answer: "Because I speak it". At that point, I'm more thinking to myself, yeap, kids like to invent stories, blah, blah. Soon enough, his father comes:"Nathan". The boy turns around and starts speaking Russian fluently.
I wanted to spank my inner me. How couldn't I trust the little one? And in the same time, keep talking Romanian, French and any other language, momma, 'cause these little ones know their business. :)

Re-arreaging

The other thing that Bryce is enjoying lately is finding for things a new home.
That's how:
- the car keys end up in the toilet;
- the remote in the hamper and after that in the washing machine;
- his clothes on the floor and the toys in the dresser;
- the water bottle inside the dvd closet;
- mommy's sleepers in the toys box;
Ughhh....I will become a detective, pretty soon. :))

Understanding

Bryce is chasing an orange balloon in the tv room. The ballon flies in the kitchen.
Bryce turns his head to mommy:
Mommy (in RO): Bryce, where is the balloon?
Bryce (pointing towards the kitchen): Ba!
Mommy (in RO): Bryce, go and bring mommy the balloon!!
Bryce (leaving for the kitchen) : Ba! and I could hear him touching the balloon but he didn't it bring it to me.
The understanding is there, he makes the right connections, he's very aware of what words mean, that little brain is working and developing. Every day is the witness of a new discovery.

Thoughts on motherhood

It's been more than a year since I am a MOTHER.
There are moments when I think about the meaning of this word that sometimes loses its true values.
And there are other moments when I think about myself only as a WOMAN who has her own needs, and goals and desires (and no, not in a selfish way).
For me, and now I speak only for myself, for the type of personality I have, becoming a mother was a true challenge.
There were some instinctual feelings that just kicked in when I delivered my baby, BUT there were some other feelings and tasks that I NEEDED to learn and to follow.
Sometimes, I'm kind of annoyed when I read books or articles about motherhood just being such an idyllic state of mind.
How many times being sleep deprived or just in a lot of pain was I sad? How many did I have to stop in the middle of something that was important to ME in order to attend my baby? Yes, I had to learn that I'm 2 persons in 1. And, in the future, I will be 3 persons in 1.
As a very active and independent woman who will leave the house in the morning and come home in the evening after an amazing day at work, becoming a MOTHER (when maybe you don't change your clothes for days, no hair and make-up, no interaction on a mature level) can be a bit hard, especially in the beginning, when you think that that's all there is to it. The monotony of waking up every day and doing the same thing (feeding, changing diapers, feeding, changing diapers) can make you a little bit depressed. Where is the woman in me? What happened with my freedom?
There were so many times when I felt useless or without a feeling of accomplishment.
I'm sure that there are a lot of women out there thinking :"OMG, how can you say something like that? Being a mother is so wonderful." But, I'm also sure that there are these other women (who still love their little ones enormously) but who resonate with what I've just wrote.
Looking back though, after one year of MOTHERHOOD, after 365 days of watching and helping Bryce developing, growing, becoming an individual, there is a sense of Accomplishment that could not compare with any of the jobs I did so far. IT is so palpable and alive, it's just beyond words. For some reason, I Know for sure that, the more Bryce is growing, the more challenging my job would be and the more rewarding.
I also know for sure that, when they (Bryce and his siblings) will know how to fly by themselves, mommy will need to find her old self and making it alive again.

Frustration

I was aware in a way that, as Bryce is growing, more challenges will follow, especially because he is a very strong will kid.
In the last week, I can see a very unusual pattern developing. When time comes for him to have a nap, he becomes hyper focused on different objects, can not seem to calm down, he wants to be hold but then he's pointing all over the place and fidgeting in the same time, just putting him in the crib with the bottle doesn't seem to work either, not to mention the bouncing.
So, after 10-15 minutes of all this trying, I have to admit that I get frustrated and kind of annoyed.
Soon enough, my hubby comes from his office and he puts Bryce to sleep in like 5 minutes.
How weird is that? Should I just relax or let daddy do his job? :))

The "ehhhhen" phase

Ladies and gentlemen I present you "the ehhen"phase. It's very frustrating for mommy as most of the times he's whining about the forbidden objects and he doesn't want to give up on them. No matter how hard mommy or papa is trying to use the good ol' method of shifting his attention towards other activities not to mention the pile of toys, he's focused on the Other Thing.:)
I'm just very curious how much is just a stage in his development and how much is just pure personality.
More to come, I'm sure....

1 in 3

That's what I should call it: 3 parties for 1 celebration. Or 1 celebration with 3 parties. You choose.:)
That's how many parties little Bryce had for his 1st birthday.

1. Michigan - so all the family can give him a kiss and a present.:)

2. Park in Encino - a little party with his little friends from the work out, right when he turned 1;

3. Party at home - 3 days later, on a Sunday, for all the good friends that were working in the middle of the week.

But, I have to write here very clear, that this will NOT become a habit. :) One party is enough. So, please, when you will read this post, later in life, my dear Brycy,  don't start complaining.:)

1 year and 1 week check-up

So, after 2 months from the last visit, we had our 1 year old appointment.
Some results:

-height : 31 1/2 " ( 80 cm)
- weight : 21.5 pounds (aprox. 9,8 kg)

At one year old, he is also supposed to get the MMR shot (measles, mumps and rubella), the chickenpox shot and Hep A shot as well as drawing some blood to be checked for anemia.
We only went ahead with the anemia test and postponed the shots. The reason for which I postponed it is that Bryce is still recovering from a week in which he didn't feel that well.
However, I still have a different approach about the way I want to do this whole shot schedule:
- I know for sure that I don't want to do at all the chickenpox shot  (our doctor doesn't have anything against it)
- I also want to delay if not skip at all the Hep A shot;
- now when it comes to the MMR shot, I have mixed feelings, each disease by itself is not dangerous for him, as a kid. According to dr. Bob Sears, in his "The Vaccine Book":
"Measles is a virus that travels throughout the body and causes a fever, rash (red, round bumbs and spots all over the body) runny nose and cough. [...] Measles is usually not serious. Most cases, especially in children, pass in a week or so without any trouble. "
"Mumps is a virus similar to measles. It causes fever, rash and swelling of the saliva glands in the cheeks (right in front of the ears). [....] Mumps is not serious. In fact, most kids who have mumps have some fever and a slight rash but not enough for anyone to worry about or even make a diagnosis. [...] Fot teens and adults, however, mumps can be more serious. Males may have sore, swollen testicles, and men and women can have arthritis, kidneys problems, heart problems or nervous system dysfunction. Very rarely, the disease can make adults (men and women) sterile.
"Rubella, like measles and mumps, is a virus that causes a fever and rash ( red, round bumps and spots all over the body). It can also cause aching joints and swelling of the glands behind the ears and in the neck. In children, the disease is so mild the it often goes unnoticed. [...] We vaccinate for rubella because if a pregnant woman catches rubella, [...] it can infect her fetus and cause birth defects. So, we vaccinate the kids to protect pregnant teachers and mothers and their soon-to-be born babies."
So, after this brief presentation of each of the diseases, the bottom line would be: no shot for the measles, maybe a later shot for the mumps ( as it can be somehow dangerous in the teenage, adult years) and an early shot for rubella (depending on how much interaction with pregnant women he's having - is he going into daycare, kindergarden etc)
Taking in consideration that the MMR shot has by far too many side effects than any other shot, I'd rather pursue the splitting of the vaccine, meaning doing only the mumps shot and the rubella shot.
So, my alternative schedule would look like:

15 months - Pc, HIB

18 months - DTaP, Polio

24 months - Rubella (that's about the time when we would like to get pregnant again with another baby)

3 y.o - Mumps (he will start pre-school)

EDIT : Thanks to my wonderful friend MQ, I found out that MMR shot is no longer available into separate shots. There's a very useful article about it, here. Having said that, I will revise my schedule, as fallow:

15 months - PC, HIB

18 months - DTaP, Polio

3 y.o. or later (depending when he will start pre-school) - MMR


Shots are not an easy one!!!

A week to remember

OMG!!! What a week that we've just ended!!! So many events, all so meaningful and important in their own way!
August 18th - Bryce's first birthday
August 21st - The Emmy awards (my hubby was nominated for outstanding VFX for Ben 10)
August 22nd - Bryce's mom B-day (33 yo)

In the middle of all these wonderful events, we've also had our share of not so happy moments.
Right at the beginning of the week, Bryce started having fever. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 102 F (38,8). If he didn't seem to care or be bothered by it in the first two days, reason for which I basically didn't give him anything, except for keeping him hydrated, by the 3rd day, he was kind of overwhelmed by it, a bit lethargic, not so active. We decided to give him some Ibuprofen, and after the first dose he already felt so much better and more active. No second dose was necessary.
Now with the temperature gone, some more stuff to deal with. A bit of diarrhea. Only 3 stools a day and just a bit runny. Again, because he was not bothered by it, I basically only gave him some probiotic, a bit of menthe tea and some rice. And after about 3-4 days, his stools were back to normal again.
So, what would have been the cause to all this? Well, we suspect it was a combination of both a little cold virus (as he was coughing a bit, but no runny nose) and teething (as all 4 up incisors came in at once).
Today, after more than a week, he's back to his old self, happy, starting to eat solids again and not in pain.
What a week!!! Not to forget it so easily!!!

Tooth X 4

Right before his first birthday, Bryce got himself a present: 4 teeth coming out at once. All 4 above incisors. We're still waiting for the other 2 on the bottom.
A little bit of ouch for him, some loose stools and lots of clinginess. Sometimes, it's hard to be a baby

Happy B-day, my awesome son!!! La Multi Ani, "somitate bebeluseasca".:)

One year ago, at 7:27 am you came out from my womb and thought me how to be a better person, how to be a MOTHER. And you were so patient with me and so kind.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my dear son!!!

LA MULTI ANI, dragul meu fiu!!!

Mami te IUBESTE foarte, foarte mult.

O ZI

UN AN

Dragul meu fiu,

Ai intrat in viata mea ca o ploaie calda de vara. M-ai racorit, inveselit,
curatat si m-ai facut sa privesc viitorul cu si mai multa hotarire.

M-ai invatat ca dragostea e neconditionata si ca rabdarea poate fi
recompensata doar cu un zimbet sau o dulce privire.

Nu mi-as mai putea imagina nici o clipa viata mea fara tine.

Ce incredibil poate fi sentimentul matern!!! Cum creste inlauntrul nostru si ne
cucereste definitiv cind ne stringem pruncii in brate pentru prima data.

Calatoria noastra a inceput acum un an!!! Si cit de multe aventuri ne mai
asteapta!!! Si cite provocari si poate citeva lacrimi, si o inima frinta si
citeva dezamagiri, insa, pentru bine si rau, succes si nesansa, bucurii si
tristeti, vei avea un umar pe care sa te sprijini, brate deschise in care sa te
scufunzi si multa, multa iubire.

Iti multumesc si te imbratisez cu drag

Mami cea zgubi :))

Thought of the day

When you raise  kids, raise them with the thought in your mind, that one day they will be grown ups among other grown ups.

All night long sleep

I have to record this, even if will not become a habit in the near future. But last night was the FIRST NIGHT when he didn't wake up at all. He slept all the way through it.
Some myth busted right there ( you know the one in which they say that baby start sleeping through the night by the age of 6 months old...blah...blah).:)

Scribbling

Just like that while we were in Michigan. We went to a restaurant where they were offering to the kids paper and pencils to draw. Bryce was very excited and the moment he put the pencil in his little hand he started scribbling on the paper.
Now he likes it even more.

BLW -6th month

It's been half of year of BLW. I really don't know how all this time went by, but here we are, close to our first birthday.
For us, BLW was the perfect choice. I'm so happy I've learnt about it (one more time, thanks so much MQ for sharing with us) because I gave my baby the opportunity of being himself and choosing for himself, discovering for himself and learning how shapes and textures work and how they can melt into a delicious meal.
As time went by, Bryce evolved from playing with solids to the degree of actually understanding what solids mean :that they can fulfill bellies, that they have different tastes, that he can ask for more 'cause something is very yummy, that meals are fun 'cause he can see both mom and dad and that he is free to choose and free to go and never forced to do something he doesn't want to do.
By doing BLW, I was never forced to invent stories or behave like a clown or trick my baby just for the sake of eating. And after only six months, I can see the benefits: how independent he is, how grown up, how he sits in the chair and really enjoys every piece that goes into his mouth, asking for more or refusing when he is full.
For some reason, even if he's my first born (or maybe because of that) I just was so confident and just trusting him in the way he approached this concept. For some reason, I've never freaked out that one week went by and he may be he only ate some grapes and blueberry. I guess that the concept :"Solids are fun til' they're one" kinda of sticked in my brain really well.:)
And now, at almost one year, he's eating well. Well for him 'cause I know he's smart to choose what he needs. Mom will just offer and baby will do the rest.
Way to go, Brycy, mommy is so proud of you. Bon appetit!

Torch Lake

There's a place where the memories and the fun and the quiet come together. There's a place where kids grew up with the sound of the waves breaking on the shore. There's a place where a grand parent built a little house and a father listened to the music played on the porch. And because all the places in the world need to have a name, then this place is called: TORCH LAKE.
So begins the story of our first baby and his first experience on Torch. I would love for him to look back in 20-30 years and be amazed by the heritage, by the souvenirs, by his own adventures on TORCH.
If I would have to write a word for everyday we spent on TORCH, let me see how that would work out:
wind, cottage, lake, beef jerky, Charelvoix, piano, family, sunset, turquoise, sandbar, dockside, concert, Petoskey, bonfire.

There's a place so vibrant yet so calm and its name is: TORCH LAKE.

I want to use the fork

Mexican restaurant. Menu: carne asada and tortilla soup. On the table: plastic fork and spoon. In the high chair: Bryce.
Purpose: I want to use those things.
First: the spoon for the soup. He's very happy to make the connection between that bowl of soup, spoon going in the bowl, spoon full of soup then spoon in the mouth.
Second: the fork for the carne asada and some other stuff on the plate. Mom will impale a piece of meat on the fork and baby will transfer into his mouth.
Little things towards a total independency.

Learning something new

While he's practicing his walking every day, today was time to learn something new.  Coming to a stand from the sitting position. Quite exciting. :)

Stacking

One ring, two rings...everything goes now one on top of each other. Out the toys from the basket then back the toys in the basket. Mommy is happy for sure.:)

First steps

Hubby laying on the couch. Wify aka "moi" was coming from the backyard.
Hubby:"You don't know what you've just missed".
Moi: "What???"
Hubby : "His first steps".
Moi: "Bummer".
As "moi" was walking into the TV room, there he was standing by himself and then walking ALL BY HIMSELF, HIS FIRST THREE STEPS.
And then "moi" started to cry again: joy and sadness. Joy that he's such an unbelievable kid and sadness of seeing him growing, not being a baby anymore.
I love you so much, my little wonder.

The story of the crib

It's been more than a week since my baby boy is sleeping in his own bed aka crib. And he's very happy and he sleeps so much better.
How did he end up there???
Well, for the last 10 months he was sleeping with us or we were co-sleeping, you name it. And all of us just enjoyed it. It was the perfect choice from all points of view: baby was cozy in between us, parents got some more rest not having to walk all the way to the nursery for feedings, not to mention the benefits of the attachment parenting.
All was nice and well until some weeks before when he started fidgeting a lot while sleeping in between us, acting like he wouldn't have enough space. Just to make sure I understood all the signals, I would put him to sleep in his crib for the naps during daytime, and surprise.....he was all mellow and happy to have his own space...
Hmmm...I said to myself.....It's already the time?? And after a brief and thoughtful conversation with my hubby, we decided to give it a try and see what's gonna happen.
First night....big success for Bryce....kinda of a white night for the parents.:) We were tossing and fidgeting and going to check on him.:)
Second night....another success for Bryce, a little bit better for the parents....
By the seven night...baby's still doing great (wakes up only one time for feeding and goes back to sleep until 8:00 am) and we, as parents, kind of found our own place again...:)
Having said that, it just made me realize how time goes by so fast, and how quickly they're becoming so independent. And one day, they will just go away from home and build their own lives. Only the thought of it brings tears to my eyes.

10 month's routine

7:00 am (approx) - waking up
8:00 am (approx) - breakfast ( it normally consists in fruits, yogurt, cereals, toast w/ different spreads)
10:00 am (approx) - morning nap (somewhere from 45 min to 1 hour, maybe even more)
12:30 pm (approx) - lunch ( all cooked, family made and all family eaten food- no more exceptions except not too salty);
3:00 pm (approx) - afternoon nap ( usually more than 1 hour)
7:00 pm (diner) - either fruits or some other light family diner;
10:00 pm - off to bed for the night sleep ( some 2 waking ups during night time for feeding purposes)

In between naps and meals, just a whole world to discover: playing in doors and out doors and having fun.

Da-da

Tonight, for the first time. Very clear, pointing towards his daddy. :) Imagine the joy in his father's eyes and heart!

Thought of the day

I'm amazed by how much my baby is progressing not only from week to week but from day to day.

Little shoes for little feet

I remember I've had discussion some time ago with a very good and dear friend of mine from Romania, whose little girl is one month younger than my son. At a certain point, we came across the subject of little shoes and as I was showing her the kind of shoes I was buying for Bryce, she became a bit amazed by their softness and told me how doctors in Romania would advise moms to buy very stiff shoes for the little feet.
I've quickly googled some article where the contrary was stated and yesterday, while I was reading my amazing Baby Book by Dr. Sears, here is what I found:

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A BABY SHOE
By Dr. Sears

The Sole. As a general guide, the earlier the stage of walking, the thinner and most flexible the sole should be. Before buying a shoe, bend it in your hand to test its flexibility. Then watch your baby walk. The shoe should bend at the ball of the foot as your baby takes each step. Whether to get rubber soles or leather shoes is a matter of which is the most flexible. The rubber soles on some snickers are thicker and stiffer than leather soles. Also, rubber soles tend to be more grounded, whereas the flatter leather soles tend to provide more stability.  Avoid stiff shoes for young feet.  If you have difficulty bending the shoe in your hand, leave it in the shoe store.  Your baby will have even more difficulty bending the stiff show with his feet.  Stiff soles may catch on the walking surface, causing a nasty fall.

The Counter (Back of the shoe).  To ensure proper fit, the counter should be firm.  Try this test. Squeeze the counter between your thumb and forefinger.  If it feels too soft, it will weaken with wear, causing the shoe to slip off.

The Heel.  Beginning with your baby's first shoe, a slight heel is advisable to help prevent dangerous backward falls.

The Top and Sides.  The throat of the shoe (the area across the top of the shoe just below the laces) and the sides should crease easily when your baby takes a step.  If they don't, it means your baby's footwear is not flexible enough, and the foot can't bend naturally while baby walks.

Construction.  Stick with natural materials - leather or canvas - that breathes, letting air get to babies perspiring feet.  Avoid synthetic materials, such as vinyl, which don't breathe.

Selecting a good shoe fitter is one of the most important steps in buying your baby's shoes.  A qualified shoe fitter measures both feet while baby is standing, looking for flexibility at the ball of the foot while baby walks, and checks for toe room and heel slippage.  And don't forget to consult the walker.  Let baby test stride the new shoes around the store.

Almost walking

I've decided to write a post about this stage and not wait until he will really walk all by himself just because there are some interesting things that happen with him that are worth talking about or rather more, writing about.:)
From the very first months, mobility wise, he was kind of precocious baby, by 5 months he was basically crawling so his development took us by surprise.:)
As the mobility develops, Bryce also displays some very strong character features: perseverance, willfulness, stubbornness.:)
Now, applying these character features to the subject of walking, these are the results:
-he never liked the walker (he felt kinda of constraint in it);
-on the other hand, he's kinda of enjoying the pre-walker as he will just pick it up and start walking with it throughout the house;
-when it comes to us helping him walking, there are 2 situations:
        a) he loves it (especially when me and my hubby are by his sides)-he always enjoys when both of us are playing and entertaining him;
         b) he hates it (there are moments when he seems to say " I will figure this walking all by myself so, please, leave me alone.":)
- he stands with no support for about 10-15 sec;
So far, we really applied a very indulging and laid back kind of parenting. We didn't want to impose or force anything on him:
-that's one of the reasons I chose BLW, I wanted to give him the freedom to choose how much and what he would eat;
- since he became mobile, he pretty much wondered around the house how much he liked it and wherever he liked (there are no gates, nothing to make him feel closed or confined) and under our "clin d'oeil" supervision he just has the freedom to discover a whole new world;
- we never let him cry at night just to get him used to sleep through the night without our help, we just thought it was not natural and if he woke up that would mean he would need some sort of comfort from us or just the milk ( he will eventually sleep through the night, I'm pretty sure about it);
It is very interesting just to watch him develop and going through all these milestones but further more these notes will be a great help and information for his future siblings.

Wild animal park

One of the many things I love about living in LA is that, besides being a very family friendly and oriented city it also has lots of places to go with your little ones where entertainment meets knowledge.
After Disneyland which was such a fun and colorful experience, last Saturday we took our backpacks and put on our hats to land into another adventure: San Diego Wild Animal Park.
The idea behind it is that animals don't live behind bars but basically they provide for them bigger spaces and more freedom. For visitors, it is a neat experience too, as they get to see these animals more in their habitat. The park also provides a petting area where you can basically go in and become friends with the deers or get some honey and become a buddy with the parakeets.
It was very interesting to see Bryce's reaction. First time for him when he saw live animals (except the grand parents dog, of course) and a bunch of them and they were big and weird, too.:)
He was very, very amazed by the close encounters with the deer. Actually he loved to pet them. He also liked the parakeets and he was fascinated by their colors and feathers.
The other nice thing about this park was that they had a nice ride that would take you throughout the whole area and give you the chance to see some unbelievable animals and birds like the white and black rhino, Flamingo birds, pelicans, African vultures, giraffes, gazelles, big lions on top of abandoned cars, cheetah to name just a few.
All in all, if I would have to make a comparison between the two parks and what Bryce liked most, I can totally say that he just LOVED Disneyland there's just no doubt about it. I think that the Wild Animal Park is just a place that he will enjoy a lot when he will be a little bit older and will understand more about its habitants. :)
On the same note, Sunday, we went and visited the Griffith Observatory. What an unbelievable place and again such a great source of information and knowledge for when he is a little bit older. Beautiful sunset and you're just left with the feeling that we are so small in this Universe and we have so many things to learn throughout our lives.

More pictures here.

Dancing King

It is not the first time we've seen him very interested in music and dancing his but off on some rhythms. But  in this video, he's just making a perfect duo with his brilliant father. Love them both.

BLW - 4th month

The 4th month of BLW was by far the best one . It was like the revelation month as he suddenly would eat foods because he would understand what foods meant. And I truly believe he does. He's definitely into more cooked foods and flavors. He really enjoys flavors and I didn't hold back on anything. Having my mom with us, I've also introduced him to a lot of the Romanian traditional foods. So, this month, he tried: stuffed bell peppers (ardei umpluti), meat balls sour soup (ciorba de perisoare), chicken soup( supita de pui cu galuste), beef sour soup (ciorba de vacuta), cooked cababge (varza calita),moussaka (musca de cartofi), pizza, pasta with chicken, stake, carne asada, chicken wings to name just a few. 

He still loves the fruits especially the blueberries and grapes but generally all kind of fresh fruits and of course some vegetables.

We have a little video of this month. So, enjoy it!!!

10 months check-up

Weight: 20.1 pounds ( aprox 9,11 kg)

Height : 31" ( aprox 78,7 cm)

Bryce's first Disneyland adventure

9 months 3 weeks and one day. That's how old Bryce was when we took him to his first Disneyland's adventure.
Impressions:
- very cool.:)
- very excited;
- very interested;
- very happy;
- very aware;
On a short note: we got there around 11:00 am. He just woke up from his morning nap, ready to see this marvelous world. We walked around, got in some small, cute rides. He was so excited, he just didn't know where to look first. Around 1:00 pm we sat down and grab some lunch (I made a separate lunch box for him when we left the house with bananas and cereals) but I also gave him some french fries and tomatoes.:)
After lunch, he fell asleep and we launched ourselves into the space: space rides and so much thrill.
In all this time Bryce just hang up with grand ma' Rica. We got back and head up for some more adventures like : "It's a small world" ride, the "Fairy tale world" ride, "Alice in Wonderland" ride, The Mickey' world  "The Dumbo" ride, "the Jungle" ride and "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride.
Around 7:00 pm just in the middle of the "Pirates" ride, he finally fell asleep. We grabbed a little diner and headed back home.
What an adventure!!! And so much fun!! And I was so happy to see him so thrilled and interested in everything that happened around him. He didn't seem bored not for one minute. He didn't cry or fuss for anything!!! It was just a total SUCCESS!!!

Looking forward to the next one!!! Most likely next year!!!

Here are some more pictures to see.

Ma-ma

How is to wake up in the morning and hear your baby saying "ma-ma" for the first time????
PRICELESS!!!

Mommy's little helper

Whoever says that babies are making a lot of mess, you didn't meet my baby. He's such a helper, sorting the clothes for mommy to wash. :)

2nd Tooth

It's there. Very shy. But it's there, next to the first one. Down, in front. So far, we didn't have that much trouble with teething. Minor stuff. No temperature, no lost appetite. So we hope it will keep going like this.

Mr. Personality with capital P

This is my first baby, I know. So, I'm sure that probably most of the moms that read this post and have more than 1 kid will tell me that is nothing new but....boy oh boy...I'm just amazed that with every day it goes by his personality and his way of expressing himself become bigger and bigger.
For one:
- he is very, very annoyed every time he is not allowed to do something (ex: play with the buttons of the oven as he can totally reach them-lol, or when he opens the door of the shower and tries to go inside etc)
- he is also very, very annoyed when he can not reach something ( ex: my laptop that sits on the coffee table, my camera or blackberry etc)
- he is very perseverant ( he doesn't give up when he wants to accomplish something) - ex. : to open the door of the pantry or to reach for something that fell under the couch)
- he points to things whenever he is interested in them;
- he makes it very clear every time he doesn't want to eat solids ( he starts to throw them on the floor and takes off his bib);
- he's handing you things ( ex. my slipper to put it back on my foot);
- he's imitating signs and some of the sounds we are making;
- when he's doing something "wrong" he looks at you, acknowledges it and then continues with no regrets; :)
I just look at him amazed by this whole attitude and realize that this is just the beginning. I know for sure that the challenges of raising him and teaching him good manners are only one mile away.:)

Bryce and the swimming pool

The summer is here; not that we ever have winter BUT the real summer is here so all the J family and buni Rica went in the backyard and had fun in the swimming pool.
Bryce was just ecstatic. I knew he would love the water. And he did. Very hard to take him out of it.
Just watch this:

BLW - 3rd month

It was not a proper BLW month. Being away for most of the month, it was more of a purees month more than he ever ate purees since we've started the solids.
Nevertheless, I still offered him bananas, mum-mums, biscuits, dried apricots, mainly fresh fruits and more vegetables purees.
Now that we are back home and grand ma' Rica joined us, the next BLW month would be so much more interesting to describe.

By 9 months

There have been 9 months of an unbelievable development. Even if people are telling you that "babies are growing fast", "enjoy these moments when they are babies", you just kinda live in the moment and don't understand what they are saying.
And then there are moments when you wake up in the morning and you ask yourself: "Where is my little baby?"
After only 9 months of unbelievable development, I need to write down some of the skills that he masters as of this age:

- sits perfectly;
- crawls very, very fast;
- pull himself to a stand with no problem;
- cruises from point A to point B;
- exquisite pincer grip;
- understands "no" but doesn't always obey it;
- says "baba";
- says "aaa" when he wants something;
- drinks from a sippy cup;
- waves "bye-bye" but not necessarily  when somebody is leaving or waving to him;
- very sociable;
- smiles, returns smiles and interacts with people who are interacting with him;
- loves to bang on any firm surface;
- very, very interested in music;
- plays peek-a-boo;
- throws the food on the floor when he's done eating;
- has only one tooth;

9 months check-up

Right after coming home from the big trip, we went for the 9 months check-up. A little bit more than 9 months, 9 months and 1 week.

The results:

-weight : 19.5 pounds ( aprox. 8,850 gr)
- height: 30 3/4 " ( approx 78.1 cm)

Good check-up, no issues, Bryce is healthy and happy.

The first big trip - conclusions

I'm happy about  the whole experience:
- happy to take Bryce to see new places;
- happy for everything I packed;
- happy for all the choices I've made;
There's only one thing I wish it wouldn't exist: jet lagging. :)
Can't hardly wait for the next one: TRIP.

The first big trip - last week in Sofia

The last week in Sofia was probably the easiest one. Bryce was sleeping well at night, my mom and my niece came to visit, we were all happy that pretty soon we would fly back home.

Oops!!! Poop!!

I've just got this article on poops, and I found it very useful for future references.
Sometimes, you just freak out when you see all the colors and textures so to have a picture guide in your virtual pocket is not something bad at all.
Take care and pay attention to the poop!! :)

The first big trip - 2nd week in Sofia

Well, the second week was just calm with no too many adventures. Bryce got better at sleeping at night, he would go to sleep around 10:00 pm 'til like 7:00 am (not all the way through but just to drink some milk and then back to sleep).
We also, visited some friends of ours, the producer's family, we had diner with them and Bryce got the chance to play with their kids ( Sawyer - 1 y.o and Oliver - 3 y.o). He is such an amazing baby and so sociable; he really got along so well with the big one and chase him and did all kind of fun stuff.
By the end of the week, my best friend from Romania came and visited me and we had such a fun time together just hanging out and remembering things that we did together. Baby Bryce immediately bonded with her and just had such an amazing time with each other.

One more week in Sofia and after that we will close another chapter of our lives. We will go back home 'cause that's no place like home wherever you will go in this big world

Doors

He opens and closes the doors for a while. At home, he would love to smash the kitchen door to the fridge or close the tv room door and then starting to cry 'cause he doesn't see me anymore.;)
Now, we are away and there are more doors to be experienced.  I love that he really understands the way they're working. He figured out what to do in order to open or close them.
Example:
I'm in the bathroom ( the door is not completely closed, it's more ajar), I can hear him crawling (lipa-lipa), he stops in front of the door (he probably wonders if the door is closed), he starts pushing it (the door opens), million of yuppies in his head, he's pushing it more 'cause he realizes that his fat ass doesn't go through, then I can see a full baby coming out from the door, he stops, looks at me, then wisely closes the door to make some more room to advance and lipa-lipa he goes straight to the....... toilet paper, it's yummy, he likes it, a very special flavor, he's the only one to understand it. :)He even figure out how the doors work just to get to it. :)

NOTE: lipa-lipa - Romanian onomatopoeias

A future drummer ??!!

In Romania, when you are in school, they use to ask you about what you would like to do when you would be a grown up.
I strongly believe that if Bryce could talk right now and I would ask him what he would like to be when he would be a grown up, he would definitely answer: "A drummer". It's amazing what a precision and how fascinated he is every time he bangs on any surface (table, floor, dady's head :) etc
If, by any chance, in the future, he will be a drummer or he would only have it as a hobby, I would be more than thrilled to show him this video as a proof of his early talents.

Mommy likes

I know this is a blog for my son, but, since we are back in Europe, there are some stuff that I really enjoy and that are soooooo European so that I can never replicate them in the States.
In no particular order, here there are:

- the bread;
- the expresso;
- the flavor of the food;
- the little, cobbled streets;
- the busyness of the streets;
- the taste of the chocolate;
- my favorite honey nuts cornflakes;
- the real pastry ("foietaje"), real croissant, real everything;

I will edit some more.

Gimme some orange

Today, my son decided to really let us know what he wanted.
So, this morning as my hubby was peeling an orange and Bryce was watching him carefully, he then said "hmmm", and more "hmmmm", looking very intensely at the orange.
We sat him in his highchair and gave him a slice of orange that he gobbled immediately asking for some more "hmm", "hmmm", so he ended up having 3 slices of a yummy orange.
I'm so thrilled when I see that he wants and tries to communicate to us. Since day one, I talked and talked to him just to get him familiar with sounds and words that later will develop into a language.
Way to go my baby boy.

The first big trip - 1st week in Sofia

The first's week challenge in Sofia was, of course, the jet lag. It's annoying for a grown up, imagine how annoying this can be for a baby. Add to this the teething and the unhappiness is there.
Anyway, the first days he would wake up like in the middle of the night, and be all wake and ready to play. The funny thing about it is that he would not sleep throughout the day as if it would be the night. He would rather have naps or maximum a 3 hours long sleep.
With the help of grand ma' Myrna, we've managed to somehow survive (we would take shifts, like she would sleep more in the evening and be wake for him in the night, while I would be awake during day time and sleep during night time). But, all in all, if you travel somewhere where the difference hour is significant (more than 3 hours) then you need to take in consideration having someone with you to help you with the shifts, otherwise is just 1 week of sleep depravation.
By the end of the week, he started sleeping a little bit better: he would go to sleep somewhere around 9-10:00 pm sleep till around 4:30- 5:00 am ( with some little waking for the feedings), stay awake for another 2 hours or so then go back to sleep for another hour. All in all, around 7:30-8:00 am he is totally awake, ready for a new day.

The city challenges:

- no sidewalks for pedestrians or/and strollers ( I mean the sidewalks exist but they are full of parked cars);
- the remaining sidewalks are full of holes making the stroller stride a real adventure;
- smoking everywhere ( in the streets, on the terraces, in the parks, in the restaurants, even in the hotel- I smell smoke coming under the door of our apartment); basically, it's smoke everywhere, you can barely smell the nice breeze of the spring;
- no high chairs in the restaurants ( so far, the first one that we found was in the Hilton), but for one week we didn't find any restaurant that would have a high chair for the baby; (this was kinda of hard as we are going out a lot in LA and Bryce would always have his highchair, basically he would sit with us at the table and eat with us, one of the concepts of BLW); here, instead, he would either  sit in his stroller or in our laps;
- not so many but still here and there some stray dogs and you never know how they will react so, you just need to be cautious when you pass them by;
- stairs, stairs, stairs, lots of stairs and no other choice for people with disabilities or moms with strollers; even the shops have lots of stairs but no ramps or some other access ( malls not included, as they do have elevators);

As for the food and water: to be on the safe side, we are drinking only bottled water, even Bryce's fruits and vegetables I wash them with the same bottled water; I still do a little bit of BLW ( I don't cook too much but I offer him carrots, apples, bananas, grapes etc) and I also bought some little bio Hipp jars that he eats from time to time; he was only one day constipated right in the beginning but after I gave him some prunes puree, he started pooping on his daily routine.

It turned out to be great to have a a lot of Orajel tubes with me, as he started teething right here and right now; so, having the Orajel helped a bit as well as cold cucumber and apple finger cuts.

My hubby was free for the weekend, so we spend some time just the three of us as we needed it so much. It was just great.

Now, the first week is over, we're looking forward to the 2nd one and some more things to discover.

First tooth

It's finally there...Not all the way up, but I can feel and see its little head.
So.....8 months and 3 weeks....the first tooth...with some pain and some tears...but we had Orajel...now I'm waiting for it to come all the way up so I can take a picture....:)

The first big trip - the flight

The whole flight I found quit easy. Probably the night flight helped but anyway I can not say that it was a big struggle for any of us.
We checked in at LAX,  very quick process, got the tickets, they weighed the luggage, I didn't have to pay for anything extra, so, basically, I could travel with two big suitcases ( max weight 23 kilos/each).
Having the baby helps as you don't have to stay in the long line, you're directed towards an express line, but the security check-up is a big pain in the b..., as you have to basically put everything on the x-ray conveyer belt (even the stroller), the baby shoes etc. Ughhhh.....
We had the bulkhead seats ( I highly recommend them especially when you travel with small kids, infants);  the people from Lufthansa were great, they gave Bryce a little toy and they were very, very nice with all of us; half an hour after the plane took off, Bryce fell asleep in the nice bassinet that the airline provided us with (btw, great thing this bassinet - really helpful for both the parents and the baby) and he slept for about 7 hours out of the 11 that the flight had. We ate, played, napped and finally we got to Munich.

In Munich, we had a very little layover just enough to have a good cup of expresso and change Bryce's diaper and clothes, and after that we've boarded on the plane to Sofia. Short trip, only 2 hours, small plane, a little nap for Bryce.
And finally Sofia: but wait, we got to the Balkans and the change was so obvious: we got there and there was a huge line by the custom booths and no organization what so ever. And it the midst of all this mess, a police guy sees us and let us go in front. DONE!!
So, after around 13 hours of flight and 1 hour layover we've managed to get there safe and sound and to hold and give million kisses to our papa.

Pina unde mergem...

Imi doresc din tot sufletul ca atunci cind Bryce va creste si va avea familia lui si o sotie si copii, si de va fii sa uit ca-i sunt doar mama si bunica pentru copii sai, si de voi incalca acele legi nescrise ale intimatatii unei familii sau a unei mame la inceput de drum care nu doreste decit sa-si stringa in brate odorul mult iubit, atunci va trebui sa caut acest post, sa-l citesc si sa-mi aduc aminte de aceasta zi si ce a insemnat pentru mine si ce lacrimi in suflet am avut.
Sper sa nu fie nevoie......

First bye-bye's

Since today, my little baby found a new sign: the waving. So, here he is, doing his first bye-bye's. They are not quit intended for when somebody leaves but he is mastering it for sure.
Some more cool stuff to come, I'm sure.:)

Bryce just started crusing

It's a very shy attempt. But it's definitely there. It happened along the couch from one end to the other. It seems that the couch offers him the stability he wants. He doesn't like the coffee table.:))
Can't hardly wait for the first steps.
Almost there Brycy, mommy is so proud of you.

EDIT : few minutes after I wrote this post, Bryce stood up by himself, with no support, for about 10 or 15 seconds. That's so awesome!!!!!!

The first big trip - preparation

We are only 2 days away from the first big trip since Bryce was born. We will go to Bulgaria, a country which is a neighbor of my native country, Romania. Language spoken: Bulgarian- slavic origins. I've studied Russian for 4 years but I don't know that much anymore and they're different languages anyway; I still recognize the signs of the alphabet, though.
So, first of all we're traveling with Lufthansa, an airline which is a considered a very family & kids friendly. My husband already booked the bassinet seat for both ways. That is LA to Munich and Munich to LA, from Munich to Sofia and back, Bryce will sit in my lap.
If you're flying economic, as we do, the line will allow you to have a luggage with a max weight of 23 kilos (50 lbs), whatever exceeds that weight, you will have to pay extra. Also, if you want to have a second luggage (as I have for Bryce), you pay en extra $50, but with the same weight limit of 23 kilos.
In the big luggage that I will check in at the airport and I will take it back in Sofia, I've packed the following:

FOODS:

- 6 cans of Enfamil Lipil powder;
- 1 can of rice cereal;
- 2 bags of mum-mums;
- 3 boxes of Earth's Best biscuits;
- 5 packs of different purees;
- 1 washable bib;
- 3 packages of disposable bibs;
- 1 package of disposable playmates;

DETERGENT:

- one small bottle of baby dish detergent;
- one small bottle of Dreft;

MEDICINES:

- 1 tylenol;
- 1 motrin;
- 2 night time orajel;
- 2 day time orajel;
- one salt nasal spray;
- 1 thermometer;
- 1 nasal pump;


BEAUTY:

- 1 sunscreen tube;
- Earth Angel body lotion;
- Earth Angel bottom lotion;
- Weleda cheek cream;
- 1 Johnson & Johnson head to toe;
- 1 nail scissor;

As, for clothes, to be on the safe side, I've ordered this weatherproof sac: and beside this we have the usual pants, hoodies, hats, sun hats, socks, pj's just to have a verity for whatever weather and occasion we will be in over there.

This is what I've packed so far; there will be more posts as the trip unfolds where I will note how useful or not all these stuff I've packed end up being.

Now, the carry-on luggage, the one I will have with me in the plain:

- 4 cans of Enfamil Lipil liquid;
- 6 little packages of Enfamil Lipil powder;
- 1 tube of Orajel;
- 10 dipaers;
- 1 travel pack wet wipes;
- 1 pack of disposable bibs;
- 2 sets of clothes;
- 1 sippy cup;
- 2-3 toys;

We will also bring with us in the plane the MacLaren city stroller and the Ergo baby carrier.