6 Things I`ve Learned From My Kids
Posted on July 8, 2008 - Filed Under Kids, Wordless Wednesday | Leave a Comment
1. It doesn`t matter where you lay your head, as long as you have good company.
2. We could all use a little brotherly love.
3. Grab what you can get and save it for later.
4. Try everything once.
5. Get excited about the little pleasures in life.
6. Don`t be afraid to look silly.
How to Treat a Severe Diaper Rash
Posted on July 7, 2008 - Filed Under Kids | 1 Comment
We`ve been through our share of diaper rashes. Dorian had a nasty one caused by a yeast infection that he picked up at the hospital when he was just a few days old. Unfortunately, since he had a colostomy, it wasn`t on his bottom, it was on his side and his tummy. We had to get a special anti-fungal creme for it, but that sucker finally cleared up. He had plenty more while he had his colostomy, but once his reconstructive surgery was over, he was fine.
Now it`s Dante`s turn and boy has he got a doozy this time! It was a minor rash for a while, but last night for some reason (and despite two diaper changes during the night), it exploded into raw, red skin that had him sobbing in pain. Here`s what we did to ease it.
Step One: Stop using wet wipes. Those things just make it ten times worse! A damp cloth with warm water is a far better option.
Step Two: Bathe the baby. Dante was NOT interested in a bath, but I knew it woul help wash away the irritants. Instead of using soap, which would have caused more problems, I put a bunch of oatmeal in a clean, old sock and wet it and wrung it out several times into the bathwater. Oatmeal helps reduce the puffy rednes and takes out some of the heat. We used cool water so it would help soothe the area.
Step Three: Air dry that butt! Even the fan was too much for Dante`s sensitive bottom, so I just laid him on a towel on the bed and we read stories while he got lots of fresh air down there. Since most diaper rashes are the result of too much humidity, being out in the fresh air helps a lot. It might even teach him something, the other day during his bare butt time, Dante walked to the door and proceeded to pee outside.
Step Four: Numbing spray. This is one of those things that is awful to do, but is for the best. I took a numbing antibiotic spray and coated all those red patches with it. Dante screamed his head off. It stings a bit on the first application, but then it kills the sensitivity. We learned this one with Dorian! Often their skin is too painful to touch, so it can be a nightmare trying to spread diaper cream on them.
Step Five: Dry it off. I was reading today that you shouldn`t use baby powder because it causes lung problems and that cornstarch can promote yeast growth. I guess that leaves burnt flour . . . but I used cornstarch, just a light dusting to make sure the entire area was nice and dry.
Step Six: Slather the cream on. Here we have a diaper cream called Crema Lassar that is pretty much universal in it`s use around Guatemala. No Desitin, Peneten or anything else that would probably be just great. So, I put Crema Lassar on Dante. And LOTS of it. Irving said his butt looked like an iced cake when I was done. 
It`s a complicated process, and requires frequent repeating, but one that has been refined as we`ve gone through all sorts of diaper rashes. And it`s working . . . Dante is sleeping peacefully right now!
The Way We Were: Part Two
Posted on July 5, 2008 - Filed Under Guatemala | 5 Comments
Thought I`d share a few pics of my life before Irving and the bubs, here in Guatemala. Since I was traveling solo on my way down here, I only have pictures of landmarks and none of me! Once in Antigua, however, I ended up with a few. Sorry for the poor quality, I don`t have a scanner, so had to take a picture of the picture.
This is a Polaroid that my sister took of my parents and I the day before I left.
Here I am dancing with a Garifun in Belize, about four months after leaving Canada. I went with my friend Julie to renew our visas and we ended up travelling for quite a while throughout Belize. It was great. The weird look on my face here is because I seriously don`t dance and this guy just WOULD NOT leave me alone and the girls I was with basically pushed me up and then took a photo of me. 
I spent about a year volunteering in a local hospital, Hermano Pedro. This little girl was “my” kid, Marialos. She was abandoned at birth. Here she was four years old and blind, with cerebral palsy. A very sweet little thing. With so much time in the hospital, they would let me take her out and we would go listen to music (which she LOVED) and walk through the market. The wheelchair she usually used was just awkward on the cobbled streets, so I got a suti and carried her around in it. That same suti is actually used now with Dante!
I`ve worked in a lot of bars, but Reilly`s Irish Tavern was the best. I spent a total of two years though. Here`s a shot of me crocheting . . . I made bags to sell when the bar was empty.
Another shot of the bar.
Talk about feeling old, this little guy is now all grown up . . . well, he`s like six now and really tall. I met his mom through my friend Jung-Ha, they lived in the same house. We used to borrow Jarvis and take him around the town. He was the sweetest baby ever and I am still in contact with his mom via email and on Facebook.
For a while, I taught English in an English school and surprisingly, most of the students were Korean. For the most part, they were just my students, but Jung Ha and I ended up being absolute best friends. When I had no food, she fed me and we spent every day together . . . she is still a very good friend and we stay in touch through email.
So, that`s my life before kids . . . and even before Irving . . .which was really only about 6 months of living in Antigua. 
The Way We Were: Part One
Posted on July 5, 2008 - Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Last night, Irving and I went out for dinner. This is something that happens about two or three times a year, so it`s a big thing (though it is getting more frequent as the boys grow). It was spitting rain as we left on the motorcycle, but it wasn`t a big deal.
After a delicious dinner of California burgers, we headed to the Parque Central where a band was playing rock classics in Spanish. You have no idea how unnerving it is to listen to Beatles hits in Spanish! The tune is the same, but the words are so not.
The park was FULL of tourists. All the Americans wanted to celebrate the Fourth of July and a group of them had gathered quite the arsenal of firecrackers and bombas. It was really noisy, but everyone was having a blast. Irving and I stood there and watched groups of young people laughing and talking about how cool Guatemala was, how neat the market was, etc. And I felt sad and old.
I love my family. I love my life. Living in Guatemala with my hubby and boys is great . . . most of the time. But when I see young people so carefree and having fun, not having to worry about getting back before the babysitter falls asleep and so wide-eyed and amazed at this new culture and people, it makes me feel old. I almost (ALMOST) wish I could go back to that life, travelling and enjoying just hanging out at night, doing whatever I want . . . but mostly I wish I`d just enjoyed that time a little more.
Because there was a time when I was new to Guatemala and everything, even riding a chicken bus was exciting. Learning a new language, staying out in the park all night for celebrations like last night, all that was fun and new, but I really don`t think I enjoyed it as much as I should have. I didn`t realize how much I`d miss it someday and I spent far too much time stressed out and unhappy!
If there is one thing I can pass on to my boys, I want them to know that they should enjoy life. Not just because it ends so soon, but because, before the end, you go through many stages and you don`t want to miss out on the best each one has to bring. So, now, I plan to fully enjoy this stage, with my babies still little and fascinated with the world and in love with their mama . . . because pretty soon, this part will be past too and I don`t want to look back and regret not living it to the fullest.
Moving Onwards and Upwards
Posted on July 3, 2008 - Filed Under Mom Stuff | 2 Comments
The time has come for me to move on . . . in my At Home Mom blog, that is. The free template I´ve been using there is lovely, but too limited for my purposes. Now that I´ve gotten to 1,000 visitors a day, I really need to make some space for ads and redesign the blog. Something that should be a good sign, right?
I never realized how attatched I´ve become to my blogs . . . it´s a little disturbing! I´m SO nervous about changing my blog, even though it is really for the better. The thought of having a different look scares me and I´m a little worried that my readers won´t like the new design . . .
Can you imagine, if I´m stressed out over a template change, how awful it must be to actually sell your blog? I think it´s safe to say I won´t be doing that anytime soon!
Any thoughts on what should be included in a new design? If you aren´t familiar with At Home Mom, you might want to take a look before the old design disappears into the annals of history!
Wordless Wednesday: A Very Small Cowboy
Posted on July 2, 2008 - Filed Under Wordless Wednesday | 7 Comments
Where Does This Stuff Come From?!?
Posted on June 30, 2008 - Filed Under Mom Stuff | 1 Comment
It´s crazy, the things that come out of your mouth when you become a parent. A few examples from our house this past weekend:
“Feet don´t go in the popcorn.”
“Suffocating your brother is NOT ok!”
“Careful, don´t fall out the window.”
“Cornflakes don´t belong in your nose.”
“Cornflakes don´t belong in your ear.”
“They don´t belong in your brother´s nose or ear, EITHER!”
“What is Barney doing in the sink?”
“Don´t spit in your brother´s face, please.”
“YAY! You had a poo!”
Stuff no one tells you about becoming a mom. You WILL start to spout bizarre phrases.
Dante´s New Obsession
Posted on June 28, 2008 - Filed Under Kids | 2 Comments
Up until very recently, Dante has had no particular interest in life. Dorian was obsessed with cars and anything automotive since he was born, practically, so it always struck us as odd that Dante didn´t seem to fixate on anything in particular.
That has changed.
He very recently discovered soccer and now spends about two or three hours per day (spread out, of course) kicking a ball around. If there isn´t a ball to be found, an empty water bottle works just fine! His main interest is managing the ball with his feet.
But when he´s tired out or sick, anything goes. . . .
I guess next year´s birthday cake will be a soccer ball. At 13 months, Dante already handles the ball as well as Dorian! Maybe we´ll have an athlete in the family after all.
Why We Have Mice
Posted on June 26, 2008 - Filed Under Food | Leave a Comment
Aren´t these the coolest cracker packets ever? Dorian thought they were chocolate when he saw them.
After having eaten about five packets between them, the boys got bored of crackers. I´m pretty sure this is why we have mice . . . they must think they´ve reached the Promised Land!
NINE Hours!
Posted on June 26, 2008 - Filed Under Mom Stuff | 1 Comment
Of sleep, that is. We went out for a walk to tire the boys out yesterday and it wore us all out! By 8:30, I couldn´t keep my eyes open anymore and since both boys had crashed early (Dante in his crib, yay!), I headed to bed.
And slept the whole night through.
Amazing! I think Dante did wake up once, because Irving came home around 4 am and I noticed that the water was moved, so I think he gave him more water. But I didn´t hear a darn thing and just slept like a log. I think it´s been about 3 years since I slept that long in a single night!
Strangely enough, I am still tired . . .
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