Laurelhurst Park

A couple of weeks ago we packed a lunch and headed over to Laurelhurst Park to hang out for the afternoon. I hadn't been there since I was a little kid. My dad used to take us there to feed the ducks. While I have memories of those days, I could never remember where it was we were at. One day while my sister Mary was in town a couple of months ago and we were driving through Portland and passed Laurelhurst Park, she mentioned her memories of going there feeding the ducks with our dad.

While we didn't feed the ducks (apparently you're not supposed to), we did take a nice stroll through the huge park, Esperanza swung on a swing for first time and we sat in the grass and relaxed.

Making messes

One of the very first things I did when we moved in to our new place, was fill a cupboard full of plastic containers and dedicate it as Esperanza's cupboard. It's a life saver in the morning when I am getting breakfast ready, or after meals so I can clean up.

Esperanza also loves to stand in front of our coffe table/bench/diaper holder and pull out all the diapers. Cheap entertainment you could say.

Then, off for a stroll through the ghettoHere's a little video of her standing and pulling clothes out of her dresser drawer - another very entertaining past time for her.

Livin' in the Ghetto

First, I have to apologize to Armando and all the other Valencia's who grew up here. I think some of you may be in denial about the neighborhood - or maybe I'm just a snob trying to get used to an unfamiliar place. Either way, I'm sorry if I offend anyone by going public with my opinion and observations.

Okay, so I'm not trying to scare everyone off from coming to visit me at our new home. It's Camas ghetto, not Portland or other big city ghetto. We don't have drive by shootings or gang activity (that I've noticed). It's just an older, poorer neighborhood with a lot of houses, apartments and duplexes that haven't been kept up.

The neighbors on either side of us are thankfully very friendly people. The neighbor across the street however, is a little suspicious. He's got lots of traffic coming to and fro...and I'm pretty sure he's got some kind of business running out of his side of the duplex. He also seems to attract all the neighborhood stray cats. They sit at his front door all day long. So, all I can say about that is at least he's using his earnings to feed those poor cats. Maybe he could also take them in to get neutered and spayed to they stop reproducing. I've named this neighbor Shaggy, from Scooby Doo. He totally reminds me of him, except he just shaved his head the other day so I might need a different name for him. I can't help but be the 'nosy neighbor lady' - I'm home all day and pay attention to m y surroundings. At least Esperanza isn't out running the streets, yet.

We've gone on a few neighborhood strolls and even though I call it ghetto, it's a very peaceful and comfortable environment. Because it's older, there are lots of mature trees, bushes, flowers all over and lots of birds. There is also a cute little neighborhood park a few blocks away which must be newer and looks out of place with it's immaculately manicured lawn, plastic play gym and a few approved for parks trees.

As for a more personal yet not as interesting update on our move, we are settled in and loving our new home. It's Mando's childhood home so of course it was expected he would immediately feel comfortable. But Esperanza and I feel at home here too. It's cozy and homey. I've also realized having a smaller, one story home with a baby is a lot more convenient than the 2 story mansion. It's a little different going from a brand new home to an older one and getting used to little odds and ends that need to be fixed and cleaned. Mando has been amazing at making a huge dent in the 'to-do' list though and fixed so many little things all ready. I'm still slowly unpacking boxes, getting things organized and cleaning as time allows. Moving is definately not the same with a baby as it was without a baby. Oh, and yesterday Esperanza figured out how to pull herself up to a standing postion from a sitting position. It was cute at first but then once bath time came around and she wanted to stand in the tub, it wasn't so fun.

I'd post a picture of the new home and recent ones of Esperanza but I'm having issues with uploading from my camera. If anyone wants to come over to visit us in the ghetto, you are more than welcome.

9 Months

Esperanza is 9 months old today! She has now been outside of the womb for as long as she was inside. She's adjusted quite well and has become curious and accepting to this crazy yet amazing world we live in. She's growing in so many ways and at a rate that is quicker than Mando and I can keep up with. One day she'll do something new and before we can fully grasp it, she's moved on to another new thing.

Just before lunch

Esperanza eats all kinds of food these days. Yesterday I tossed out the window the 'four day wait rule' b/c we were at my moms and she made some yummy lentil soup. It had a lot of stuff in it I hadn't introduced to Esperanza but seriously, with spices included it could take forever to introduce everything if I waited four days in between a new item. So, I gave Esperanza the lentil soup and she loved it - more flavor than she'd ever had before. We also ate it for lunch today and no strange rashes yet. We gave her some steak (pre-chewed of course) the other day and she loved that too! She really loves food in general. If she's unhappy for whatever reason, I can put a handful of Otie-O's in front of her and they will keep her busy and happy until they are gone. She still has no teeth, but I've pretty much stopped pureeing foods and now just dice them - ever since Esperanza discovered she can feed herself, she no longer wants anyone else to do the job for her, and pureed foods eaten with hands is not always a smart way to go.

She 'talks' even more now and continues to put together various constantants with vowels. While none really come out as words we can understand just yet, she can understand a lot of what we say to her. 'Kitty' is the word she knows best so far, or at least the one she responds to most. She LOVES our kitty's and one of them actually loves her too. Our little black kitty we call 'kitty' will let Esperanza pull her hair, ears and tail all while purring and loving the attention.

Esperanza will sometimes yell really loud and other times she will whisper. She whispers what sounds like the word 'yeah' pretty often. After the bath tonight, she kept saying it and even after nursing her to sleep another 'yeah' came out of her mouth.

Ah, the personality of a 9 month old baby girl. Her personality is growing every day as she discovers her various likes/dislikes & causes/effects all while we learn to distinguish her needs verses her wants and how to balance it all. It has been a real eye opener for me just in the past month or so noticing and realizing that she is her own person and not just my little girl. She tests her limits with us and lets us know when she doesn't like something, whether it be getting in the car seat, being fed something she doesn't want or getting her diaper changed. While she certainly doesn't get a choice with most things, it's amazing to see how she tries. Armando and I always joke that she's trying to 'train' us.

Esperanza is also quick to smile, often playing games with strangers that want to hold her. She'll smile and hold out her arms as if she wants them but then will shy her face away into my neck, then smile and do the routine again. And she's ticklish! Mostly her thighs and ribs but really if you get her in the right mood, you can touch her anywhere and she'll start giggling.

She is intrigued by the game of dropping things and watching someone pick it up for her, just so she can drop it again and again and again.

She has learned to wave hi and bye, sometimes waving with both hands. I give her a bath every evening and afterwards as we leave the bathroom we pass by the mirror to wave hi to Esperanza. There have actually been a few times I thought she really did say the word hi.

Esperanza is working really hard at trying to get around. She can't yet, at least very far. She can 'scoot' on her bottom, will sometimes lunge forward from a sitting position and end up in a laying position or on her hands and knees and she will sometimes roll but not more than once or twice. It's nice for me, but I know it must be frustrating for her. I'm soaking in these last few days or maybe weeks of her being immobile but am also looking forward to the adventures we have ahead of us.

As we approach our move to Camas this weekend, I am anxious to get in there and make the house our new home. There will undoubtedly be challenges the first few days/nights (hopefully not too long) getting Esperanza used to the new place. It'll be an adjustment for all of us, but we'll fall back into a pattern and routine fairly quickly I am certain. I've already set aside Esperanza's kitchen cupboard that I plan to fill with 'approved for Esperanza' kitchen items to play with. As a stay at home mama, I plan to be in the kitchen cooking a lot more for Esperanza, Armando, myself and anyone else who wants to stop in for a visit. I can already taste the rewards!

Sunny Days

We've had beautiful weather the past few days and spent them outdoors soaking in the rays getting some much needed vitamin D. Yesterday was our nephew Brandon's 6th birthday party so we went over to Mando's sister Cathy's house to celebrate.

Here's Brandon with his Yo-Yo we gave him

Nieces Jiselle and Celeste with the birthday boy

And here are a few of Esperanza

Today we went out to Camas to visit the garden. I turned over a lot more grass and got in a few more plants and seeds. So far I've planted Kale, Broccoli, Lemon Verbena, Strawberries, Tarragon, Arugula, several varieties of Lettuce, Cilantro and Leeks from starts. From seeds I've planted carrots, more lettuce, radishes, swiss chard, more kale and chamomile. A few weeks ago I started some seeds indoors including MORE kale, MORE broccoli, basil, more cilantro, hot peppers, sweet peppers, dill and I think thats it. The list will go on though. Once the middle of May comes around with the chance of frost gone, tons of other less hardy plants are going in. Plus, I have to transplant all my herbs and blueberry plants over to the new house. Whew! Lots of work (and sweat) - but at least it is work I enjoy.

The Garden at the end of the day

Esperanza and Mando relaxing in the shade while I shed blood, sweat & tears

And just for fun, I took some pictures of tulips that opened up today in our front yard

Recent Pictures

Beautiful

Dinner Time!
Esperanza sucking the thumb (a rare event)

Unhappy even surrounded with toys

Esperanza and her Uncle Tony
The 80's pack!

The Garden March 29th. It's sad looking now, but just wait...all that grass will be gone soon.

The Garden April 4th. A little less grass, and a little more space for food. Still sad but once the rain comes, it'll perk up.
Sleeping Beauty (also a rare event)

I'm a Great Aunt - Again

Our niece Sarah had her first baby yesterday making Mando and I a 'great' aunt and uncle to her little one (we also have a 'great' nephew from a different niece). Sarah's baby was born 2 weeks early, weighed just under 6 pounds and is super cute. Mama and baby are both healthy and doing wonderful. Mando, Esperanza and I went to visit them at the hospital yesterday after work. It was a short visit but I snapped a few photos of our 'great' niece (I'll probably just refer to her as my niece in the future - and I can't for the life of me even attempt to spell or say her name yet. It's a beautiful name, just a little different for me). Here are a few pictures of her...

And no post would be complete without a picture of Esperanza

This Past Week

We went to our neices play last week at their school and it was super cute! Wednesday was Addy's 5th grade play and Thursday was Marisa's 4th grade play. Mando went to both but I couldn't convince myself to rush after work two nights in a row to both so I went on Thursday and brought Esperanza with us. Here are a few pics...

Marissa narrating the storyAddy

And here's a clip from a song they sang

Friday we took Esperanza in to get her first shot - DTaP. I really want her to dig and play in the soil with me this spring/summer yet I didn't want to give her any immunizations until she was a year and her immune system and body were developed a little more. I gave in though. I also gave in to the DTaP even though I only wanted Tetanus (and they were out of the DT). An interesting fact I learned from the nurse that day is that the reason Tetanus is combined with at least the Diptheria is because the immune system won't absorb the Tetanus toxoid without the Diptheria. It was explained better to me in person but I had to share what I could. So, she got the shot and suprisingly didn't cry or even flinch and was a happy baby all weekend with no side effects. Yay! Bring on the dirt.
On Sunday we drove out to Camas cause I wanted to take a look at the back yard at our future new home so I can start planning our veggie garden. I dug in the dirt and immediately found a ton of worms, potato bugs and a big larvea (I forget the excact kind) all within inches of each other. I was relieved and excited to discover these critters cause it means the soil is wonderful and full of nutrients for veggies to thrive in. And it means I don't have to do much prep work. I forgot the camera but will post pictures later of the house and gardens, as I will be spending probably every waking moment in the garden so we have food to eat this summer, fall and maybe even winter if canning works out for me.

I was browsing Craigslist that evening and found these Uncle Goose's ABC Blocks for sale for $20. I've been looking for these for a few months now and put off forking out the cost that they are at most toy stores. Thankfully the lady on Craigslist still had them when I called her so I swung by after work on Monday and picked them up. These blocks are super neat - wood, made in USA, non-toxic safe paint, embossed and they were brand new in the box never opened! And they are the Spanish version with a pull wagon! Today, Mando's brother Chilly (dad to the two girls above) came over with his son Ezequiel (not sure on the spelling) and they both played with Esperanza and the blocks.

Splish Splash

Now that Esperanza is able to sit up on her own, I've started giving her baths in the big tub (she used to shower with me). The small baby bath tub thing was too awkward for me the one or two times I actually used one. Now, baths are so much fun. Probably just as much for me as they are for Esperanza. She loves to splash the water, suck on the wet washcloth and drink the warm bath water.
Trying to use a camera while also paying super close attention to make sure Esperanza didn't slip in the bath probably wasn't the best idea as far as safety goes for baby and the camera - but I had to take the risk and get it on video! They both survived.

An Overdue Visit With Family

My sister Mary spent Thursday and Friday night at my house - it was nice to have some time to visit with her. She watched Esperanza most of the day while I was at work Friday. We made all kinds of plans for our Saturday together including scoping out a Waldorf style Charter School for Geneva's kids and we made a lists of toy stores we wanted to go to. As always though, the minute I try to make plans, Esperanza reminds me that she's the boss. We had a late night so going anywhere Saturday morning just wasn't happening. We were however able to get ourselves together and out the door just before noon. We went out to Portland and spent a couple of hours visiting with Cyndi, Tony and Baby Roman. At almost 3 months, Roman is such a big boy. He'll be bigger than Esperanza in no time. Mary took over picture duty while we were there and even captured a video clip of the babes together.

Nursing MamasMary and Espy
Mary with Espy and Roman
Roman gazing up at his mama
Me holding my handsome nephew

My Pulsatilla Baby

Pulsatilla is a delicate wild flower that sits on a thin stem, tossing and turning whichever way the wind blows it – it is often referred to as the ‘Wind Flower’. What does this delicate flower have to do with my baby? For one, Esperanza’s middle name is Flor which means Flower in English. So, it was only a matter of time before I discovered a specific flower to relate her with. The Pulsatilla flower connection was made just recently based on the following events:

Last weekend was a three day weekend for me and I thought I’d use it to try and get Esperanza into a different sleeping pattern and routine. I figured it would take at least three nights for it to work and knew I’d get little if any sleep. No worries to all you anti–CIO parents out there, I’m with ya and that’s not the method we tried. After planning and preparing for a few days, it ended up backfiring and was a complete disaster. After a long sleepless 'planned' Friday night, Saturday brought on intense coughing, sneezes, snivels and a fever in Esperanza. Ya think she was telling me something! As if I didn’t feel bad enough for what I had done the night before, that just pushed the knife in deeper. I think we pushed her to a limit we shouldn’t have and her body responded in one of the few ways it could to tell us what we were trying to do was a bad idea.
So, of course the original plan went out the window and we spent the weekend instead caring for and comforting our sick baby. Every parent probably handles things differently when it comes to their sick kids and I’m still discovering my own comfort level with things. But in general, the best remedy I’ve felt is best for myself and now my daughter is to just let things run a natural course allowing the body to heal itself without suppressing the illness with drugs – and of course provide extra love, attention and as much rest as possible. We had also recently picked up some tips and advice at this months parenting meeting which discussed First Aid, Safety, Naturopathic & Homeopathic care for children at home (if you’re interested, I can email anyone the electronic handout that has great info).

Even though both Mando and I felt confident Esperanza would eventually get better on her own, I went ahead and called Catherine (midwife / naturopath) for advice on the fourth day of her being sick and not showing much improvement. After describing all of Esperanza’s symptoms (tired, weepy, sad, needy, clingy, etc.), guess what she prescribed? Pulsatilla! In homeopathic form. I'm new to homeopathy and have just begun exploring and experimenting with it. So, before packing up the sick baby to run to the store to get it, I did a little research and was shocked that the description of Pulsatilla fit Esperanza to the T!!! And not just her ‘sick’ symptoms but really it nails her personality! I have trust in Catherine of course, but was amazed that after just a quick conversation over the phone she could pinpoint specifically what homeopathic personality trait Esperanza fit into. I guess thats why she's the professional huh. So, I bought the little white pills along with some Cherry Bark & Elderberry cough syrup, dosed Esperanza up, put some ‘warming socks’ on her and snuggled up in bed to nurse, hoping for the best. We did that same routine for two nights in a row (on the second night we added a 20 minute session in the bathroom breathing steam from hot water & Eucalyptus to loosen the congestion - I need a vaporizer) and this morning she woke with the sun bright and cheeful with no congestion or cough!

While it's hard to say that Pulsatilla did the trick alone, if it was the combination of remedies or if it was just Esperanza getting better on her own, Pulsatilla will forever be part of my medicine 'box' and maybe even a new addition to my yard.

Here’s a short video clip of how miserable Esperanza was a few nights ago, it’s pretty pathetic…

Look Who's Vertical!

Beginning right at 6 months old, or sometime within that week, Esperanza began sitting up almost on her own. She needed a hand, pillow or something to catch her when she tumbled over. But now, she's sitting all by herself! She still tumbles over sometimes but her torso muscles are strong enough now to provide her with the ability to sit all by herself. It's such an amazing and exciting turning point in her development. Here's a video of her sitting and exploring some 'toys' from around the house - scroll to the very bottom of the page & pause the music first...

Did you notice the little hand movement she did towards the end? Not really sure what thats all about but she's been doing it a lot lately. It's this dreamy slow motion fascination she has with her hand/fingers sometimes and then she'll just snap out of it and back into reality. It's fun to wonder what else she and her senses are aware of and picking up on that I am not.

Another new development I noticed just this morning is that she will now extend her arms up and out when she wants to be picked up...my little baby is growing so quickly!

Here's a few pics of Esperanza sitting up.