Lia's First Camping Trip

Ok. It was an ambitious undertaking: tent-camping with an 8-month old baby. I was introduced to camping after I met Rich and loved the experiences we had. But this is different. We did not know what we were in for and only hoped for the best. The 6-hour drive up to Leelanau State Park was no problem. When we got there the Wilsons had already set up and warned us of the mosquitos. I guess being "by the water" is only a great thing if you are in a HOTEL where you can turn on the AC and shut the door. Not here! And I know bugs LOVE me. So I was a bit nervous. I only hoped the Burts Bees spray would work (read previous blog for why no deet). At least we had a brand new *large* tent. I wish I could spent the entire camping trip in it. It was fun!

All in all Lia did well. She hated to be put down in the Pack'n'Play at first but got used to it. Sometimes she shared the space with Meredith but it didn't take long before she wanted out. And because we had dinner late, it threw off her sleep schedule a bit. I didn't want to leave her in the tent by herself (it got chilly after dark) so I held her while eating.

I think the whole experience was ok but not raising my hand to do this again until she is older- able to walk and little more independent. It was just a lot of extra work and I couldn't really enjoy myself much. At least we tried!

Trip to the Zoo

We got together with some of the parents and babies from our bimonthly parent group and spent the day at the zoo. While the babies probably had a good time, for the most part they were unimpressed with the animals.


The polar bear exhibit drew lots of oohs and ahhhs.






Class photo.

Toxic All Around

Among my many concerns about the environment is the daily products that we put on our bodies. It amazes me that to this day companies can produce and market products containing dozens of toxic ingredients that can lead to cancer, endocrine disruption, developmental abnormalities, allergies. The list goes on. Women are more susceptible because we simple use more products on a daily basis. Now, with a baby, I have to pay more attention to what gets absorbed in my and her skin. Unfortunately the onus is on me as a consumer to figure this out. The FDA does not regulate this market segment. Legislation is pending to change that. I am sure big companies such as Procter & Gamble, L'Oreal, Johnson & Johnson, etc will put up a fight. Europe actually has more stringent rules against toxic ingredients and if these companies want to sell there they have to make safer products. So why the double-standard? Why not here?? Furthermore, the environmental impact is that the products get washed down the drain and end up later in the drinking water. So eventually it does affect everybody.

Luckily there is one resource available to help me evaluate my products. EWG analyzes the ingredients of thousands of common products and publishes the findings on its website cosmeticsdatabase.com. The "hazard scores" of 1-10 are what I use to figure out how toxic the products are. I am ok with 0-3 range. 4-5 I would not buy again. 6+ I would throw it out right now.

So I take a look at what I currently use and better alternatives.

SHAMPOO
Current use: Pantene Pro-V Classic Clean (5)
Alternative: Burt's Bees Grapefruit & Sugar Beet Shampoo (1); Healing Scents (0-1); Aubrey Organic (1-2)

BODY WASH
Current: Alba Very Emollient Lavender (5); California Baby Shampoo & Body Wash Super Sensitive (1) - this is a great product for Lia. She's never had a problem with dry skin.

FACIAL CLEANSER
Current: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser (2). This is nice and does not dry my skin.

SOAP
I use some fancy French soap which I don't even know the name. I love it and will keep it. This is my one indulgence!

TOOTHPASTE
Current: Crest Extra Whitening Clean Mint (4)
Alternative: Colgate Cavity Protection Regular Flavor (3); Burt's Bees Toothpaste (1); Burt's Bees Children's Toothpaste (1). I would definitely buy the Burt's Bees for Lia since she will swallow. I will try the Colgate next time.

FACIAL MOISTURIZER
Current: Neutrogena Healthy Defense SPF 30 Untinted (3). I've always liked this product but it contains parabens so I will continue to look for alternatives.

BODY LOTION
Current: Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion (2). I have switched to this after years of using Jergens.

DEODORANT
Current: Secret Invisible Solid Unscented (3). Oh, I tried Toms of Main *natural* deodorant but I could still *smell* myself. Sigh, I just can't go through life so self-conscious about my B.O. it's not worth it.

DIAPER CREAM
Current: A&D Aloe (4)
Alternative: Burt's Bees Baby Bee Diaper Ointment (2). I've known about this but kept Lia on the A&D because diaper cream is supposed to be a barrier, not to be absorbed into the skin. Plus, BB is more than twice the cost and she uses *a lot* of diaper cream.

SUNSCREEN
Current: Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Touch Dry SPF 45 (7). Wow! I am THROWING THIS AWAY. The culprit toxic ingredient is oxybenzone. It is absorbable into the skin. It is an allergen that damages cells and DNA with free radicals.
Alternative: Badger SPF 30; UV Natural; California Baby Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 Unscented (1). I've looked in 2 Target stores and CB is sold out in both so the word must be out.

INSECT REPELLENT
Current: DEET
Alternative: Burt's Bees (0). This is DEET free and consists of different natural oils. We are camping next weekend and I will bring this along with the DEET only as backup. I heard from people BB attracts Japanese Beetles. Hope they don't have those up by Traverse City.

I look to Burts Bees a lot because it is widely available and the stuff smells pretty good. But BB does not get an automatic thumbs-up. A lot of their products do carry higher hazard scores so you really need to do the research on the EWG site.

Lia Sings, Part II

This is a quick one. She sure is funny!

Oh yeah... and the teeth

Rich keeps asking me whether I have posted Lia's picture with her teeth, so here it is. These emerged right around six months.

Kid-Safe Chemicals Act

The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act was introduced in Congress last week. The law would require companies to prove that their chemicals are safe before putting them in the market. To learn more, go to http://www.ewg.org/kidsafe.

EWG (Environmental Working Group) publishes a database of skincare and cosmetics products, including baby products, with analysis of their ingredients. You can find out how "toxic" your everyday products are. I always refer to it before buying a new product.

Does She Know Her Name?

At this age babies are supposed to recognize their name. But if we have been calling Lia a dozen different nicknames since birth, how does she know what her real name is? Lately, I have made a conscious effort to call her "Lia" or "Lee-lee." A long list of her nicknames include: Bubbaz, Bubba-loo, Bubz, Lulu-bird, Lia-loo, Peanut, Toot-toot pants...

Her feet are her favorite toys. Always ready and delicious!

Bath Tub Bunny

We moved Lia to the big bathroom so she can splash. Toys are introduced.

Goodbye to the Swinstons

The Swinstons were in town last weekend to say farewell before they move to Hong Kong this July. The Wilsons hosted the party at their new home. We also celebrated Beatriz' first birthday.

Welcome Summer!!!

It's been over a month since my last post. I have no excuse other than that I've been busy with other things. I've been really busy at work lately. It's good in that the day goes really fast. At the same time, the stress level rises. I feel it there is no end in sight. At some point, I ponder about whether I should work at all. Should I scale it down and work part time, or freelance? So far I have not had to bring work home with me, and I am still keeping reasonable hours.

But at last, SUMMER is here! This past winter just has been so miserable that we are brewing with excitement of the idea of SUNSHINE, WARM AIR and GOING OUTSIDE. Speaking of outside, I am just having the worst allergies ever. I have never had allergies. But the past two weeks, every other day, my nose is stuffed up. Lia is getting it too. She is now in her 4th week of coughing. This week it got worse coupled with a runny nose. I took her to the doc and she said it's likely allergies. She does not think it's a virus. All that rattled breathing and coughs bother me more than her.

I took her to Gymboree today. I had a free pass and wanted to try it on my day off. I think she had a good time. I know I got a good workout. I am unsure about enrolling her though (it is $68/month). Maybe we'll just go to the open gym sometimes. She was so zonked out she has been napping for 2+ hours now. That alone is worth it!

Lia weighs 18 lbs and is getting ready to crawl. She hoists herself up on all fours and kinda waits. We have done nothing as far as houseproofing. That will be interesting. Now that she is older and becoming very aware and curious of her surroundings I want to make sure she gets enough stimulation.

Lia Is 6 Months Old!

Lia doesn't seem like a baby to me; she is like a mini-toddler. At six months, we are seeing a lot of changes:

Two new front bottom teeth slowly emerging.

Started eating solids three weeks ago. She has had rice cereal, banana, apple, pear, avocado. She likes them all.

Sitting up by herself. She was able to do this without support yesterday for about a minute.

Lots of talking, babbling and rolling. She is always making new sounds.

Reaching out and touch. Last night at dinner I let her put her hand into my glass of ice water. The cold didn't bother her. She fished out a couple of ice cubes.

And the stats from her recent checkup:
16 lb. 1 oz. (50-75 percentile) - she has almost doubled her birth weight
26 inches (75-90 percentile)

I have been conservative with giving her solids (once a day, half jar) because something I read has said that milk is the primary source of nutrition until 12 months. But the pediatrician said that is wrong: it is 6 months. Babies especially need zinc and iron from cereal. Now we have a new eating plan: 2-3 solids per day that includes a feeding of cereal. I noticed an immediate weight gain when she started solids a few weeks ago. Pretty soon she will need a new carseat.

Hooked on ChinesePod

Ever since I found this podcast on iTunes, I can't get enough. I've dragged my feet on learning Mandarin for years but I think this is the real deal. ChinesePod offers Chinese (Mandarin) lessons over the internet. The accompanying website http://www.chinesepod.com offers daily audio lessons that you can choose based on your proficiency level, from Newbie (me) to Advanced. The banter between the two hosts Ken and Jenny are entertaining. They operate out of Shanghai. Ken is a co-founder of the company and Jenny was at one point a translator for Maria Shriver. There are a lot of repetitions and the lessons are short enough that I actually REMEMBER them. You can also refer to the PDF to follow along in pinyin or characters. Once a week they also discuss cultural insights. For example, most recent topic was about urban parks. All this is free. Paid premium services are available if you want more one-on-one coaching.

So far, in one week I have learned...
- how to buy a newspaper
- to express my nationality
- to ask if someone is available
- to ask if someone speaks English/Chinese
- to tell someone I don't like eggs and ham
- to say I am tired (and please leave me alone)

Lia Starts Solids

At long last, Lia took her first bites of solid food. Well, not exactly solids as you or I would eat. She starts with soupy and will work her way up to chunky. Daycare has been begging me-- please please give her food... she is always so hungry!! She now takes 6oz bottle every 2.5 hours. I can't even pump enough for her. So here we are, supplementing with real food and she is more than ready. So far she's had rice cereal and apple. She definitely prefers apple and asks for more, but I have to start her off slowly as not to cause allergic reactions. Right now she gets one serving per day and will increase to two at 6 months.

Happy 2nd Birthday Leo!

Here we are at the Schmidts' to celebrate Leo's 2nd birthday.

Lia Sings!

Lia turns 5 months old next Friday. She is having a great time talking, laughing and rolling around on her tummy. She is such a strong little baby that changing her diaper and clothes can turn into a wrestling match!

Thank goodness it's March. We can't wait until the weather gets warmer so we can take her out for walks.