Saturday, August 20, 2011
S&S: Semolina Cake
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
B&V: Beads of my Rosary!
Whenever I think of childhood, I just want the time to come back. Alas! We can’t step back in time. Memories of making toys with olive-like drupes (Nimbori –fruit of Neem Tree) or counting the stars while lying on a charpoy in the night; imagining funny figures from clouds or playing hide and seek during electrical outages; making excuses for school or eating lunch in the class; asking Granny to repeat the same story a hundred times or dumping things deep in the ground with a hope that after some days I will find them a few feet away because the earth has moved. I remember, after reading “Gulliver’s Travels” I started to believe that deep inside the ground there exists a Lilliput; with this notion I used to dump my eraser, hairpin, pencil, sharpener and what not in the ground so that one day people in Lilliput will get them and will come to talk to me. The thought of talking to a 6 inch man or woman used to amuse me a lot and it even amuses me today too - if they are from Lilliput . Eating a seed can grow a plant inside your stomach was another belief which used to scare me a lot. Once I ate the seed of Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana) and throughout the evening I was asking my Mom how to get it out from my stomach. All these silly things and more make our childhood special.
Monday, July 11, 2011
M&M : Shopping List for Mommy and Munchkin- II
- Long-Sleeve Mitten-Cuffs
- Long sleeve without mittens
- Short sleeve
- Sleeveless
Thursday, June 30, 2011
C&P: Oregon Coastline Trip
I have never in my life waited for summers as much as I do now. Being a South-Asian sunny days are commodity instead of luxury in my country-India. But Seattle’s weather has made me to believe that things which are available so easily day in and day out might not be there always. Yup! This is very true with sunny days in Seattle. Weather forecast is the most followed news here. The moment you see a golden sun with no clouds on weekend forecast page, one starts planning for outdoor activities. We are the people who wait for the last rain of the season, not the first. But in spite of this, I love this place for its beauty and serenity.
In Seattle, summer usually starts in July, and July 4th is the first long weekend of this season. This year we have decided to have a road trip on Hwy 101 which runs along the Oregon coastline. I am quite excited about this trip, as it will be our first trip with our son. Keeping our son’s age in mind we have decided not to make it very hectic and we will pick few but most recommended places for our itinerary. So far we have planned to pick few tourist spots from following list:
Flavel House Museum, Lewis and Clark Salt Cairn Historic Monument, Fort Clatsop National Memorial, Astoria Column, Canon Beach, Tillamook Cheese Factory, Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, Oregon Coast Aquarium
View Oregon Coastline Road Trip in a larger map
Right now, my only concern is that whether we will be able to make it or not as my husband is down with seasonal cold and sour throat. Anyway, let’s hope for the best. I will write more about his trip once we are back. Till then stay tune.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
M&M : Shopping List for Mommy and Munchkin- I
- Motherhood Maternity: Motherhood Maternity is a good place for buying bottoms (Jeans/trousers). I really love the secret belly Jeans. I do not like the tops because of dull colors, but still got one nice top from here.
- Gap Maternity Shop
- Burlington coat factory
- Kohl’s
- Pea in the pod: Expensive but you will get variety
- Unbuttoned Maternity
- Always buys at least one size (or some women like to buy two size up) from current size
- If possible, check how comfortable you feel with nursing pad in it
- Make sure you can open and close the snap with one hand comfortably
- Nursing Pillow
- Pacifier
- Bottle Warmer
- Nursing pads
- Bottle brush
- Brest Pump
- Bottle Nipples
- Nursing cover
- Crib
- Crib mattress
- Crib bedding set
- Head Support Pillow
- Bath tub
- Shampoo and body lotion
- Comb
- Massage oil
- Massage sheets
- Bath Towels
- Nasal aspirator
- Nail clipper
- Diaper
- Wipes
- Changing Pad and pad cover
- Diaper rash cream
- Infant Bundle me
- Sterilizer
- Glider/Rocker
- Swing
- Baby Monitor
- Pack n Play
- Hands Free Breastpump Bra
- Snuggle Nest
- Wipe warmers
- Bottle Drying rack
- Night Light
- Car Seat and Stroller
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
M&M: Pregnancy and Exercise
Drinking plenty of water and doing exercise regularly can save you from lots of trouble during pregnancy. I didn't do any exercise in my initial four months but eventually I started doing exercise daily. A long evening walk was a must have thing for me. I chose couple of gentle exercises with seated poses (using chair as prop) from Prenatal Yoga with Shiva Rea; In addition, Squatting, Tailor sitting and sliding squat were the other three main exercises which I used to do a couple of times during the day. I realized that a gentle workout really helps in assuaging minor aches and pain and it also makes your muscles strong and flexible.
M&M: Icky Side effects of Pregnancy
From its name it sounds like something which can happen only in morning, but trust me it can happen all day long. It doesn't matter what time of day. Following are the measures I tried to get some relief from it.
- Drinking lots of water with fresh lemon in it
- Ginger also helped me a lot in quelling my queasiness. I used to nibble on ginger
- Taking small but frequent light meals. I realized the my queasiness increased if I delayed my meal
- Preggie Pops
- Vitamin B6 syrup (after consulting my Nurse practitioner)
Excessive Saliva:
Initially, when it started I thought it might be because of acidity, but soon I realized that I am salivating more than usual. Beside spitting I tried following measure to quell it :
- Frequent brush and tongue cleaning. I used to dislike the taste of toothpaste and mouth wash, so I started using Indian tooth powder "Dabur lal dant manjaan.”
- Frequent, small, well-balanced meals, and avoided excessive amounts of starchy food
- Drank plenty of water- I used to keep a water bottle handy all the time
- Preggie pops
My sense of taste became so unpredictable that if one day I was eating sweet the other day I was eating salty food. This was the one area where I was experimenting every other day. Throughout the day I used to feel metallic taste, I made a habit of brushing my teeth and cleaning my tongue after every meal.
Smell Sensitivity:
Oh man! It was so bad. My smell sensitivity was so intense that we stopped cooking food at our home and put a microwave in garage. I always used a paper tissue to cover my nose whenever I visit my kitchen. I also tried aromatherapy by smelling different things such as flower petals, candles, drinks (rooh afza) etc.
I had a severe food aversion specially to garlic, onion and milk. I used to avoid fridge and our pantry. For some time we stopped buying all those food items which were on top of my aversion list. I was not able to drink milk so to keep my calcium intake normal I started eating "Rasgullas"
I got the fever and headaches for a short time. I took “Tylenol” once or twice after consulting my Nurse practitioner. I preferred the rest over the medication for mild fever/headaches
- Avoided water immediately after meal
- Avoided citric fruits. Ate fruits and vegetables which helped me in quelling my acid reflux: Banana, Guava, Doskaya, and cucumber
- Frequent shots of cold milk
- TUMS
- Slow walking on Treadmill after every meal
- Increased my calcium intake
- Stretching exercises (check my section)
- Avoided wearing socks and tight footwear
- I used to drink lots of water
- Avoided long sitting and standing. I used to put my feet up whenever possible while sitting
Monday, June 20, 2011
M&M: Tale of my three trimesters
In my first two months, I didn’t feel any major side effects except increased appetite and mood swings; however, beginning third month, every other day I was feeling something new. Third month was worst I was not able to eat well because of nausea and queasiness. I was throwing up all day long. My diet was quite limited to certain food items. Primarily, I was eating lots of fruits and drinking lemonade. My husband was a bit surprised when he found that I couldn’t even drink plain water because of some weird small; and same with Onion, garlic, rice, because of their unbearable smell I stopped eating them.
Generally, second trimester is considered relatively better than other two which I found true in my case, but it was not as good as I was expecting. Beginning fourth month things started getting better, and I found that some of the side effects were fading away. Fifth and sixth months were the best period of my pregnancy. In these two months, I could eat well and some of the side effects such as smell sensitivity and morning sickness had lessened; I started light exercises and evening walk, and we also planned trips to Vancouver and Bay area.
Once I reached my third trimester I realized how time really flies? This trimester was relatively better than my first trimester, but there were some new developments such as difficult in walking, blanking out, loosen grip, labia pain, muscle spasms. Babycenter.com was one of the sites which I used primarily for my pregnancy-related queries. I also subscribed to its weekly emails.
My every trimester came with new surprises, but slowly, and steadily I learned how to cope with them.
Posted by Nidhi at 10:40
Saturday, June 18, 2011
M&M: Books I Read During Pregnancy
- Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy: Loved this book very precise and concise with no fluffs. I used to read it on week-by-week basis to get a picture of my upcoming weeks.
- Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide By Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley and Ann Keppler: This book, not only provides info about clinical details, but also provides info about the emotional aspects of pregnancy. If you are planning for natural birth then this is a must have book. I used this book primarily for Pregnancy exercises, natural birth, and postpartum care.
- What to expect when you're expecting By Heidi Murkoff (Author), Sharon Mazel (Author): I don’t like it much; I found the tone a bit condescending and found the details a bit overwhelming. I used to filter through the pages which applied to me.
- Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Gear, Clothes, Toys, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More! by Denise Fields, Alan Fields : A must have book for new parents. It really helps you to understand the general lingo related to baby stuff. This book helped me in making my decision about what to buy and what not to. I didn't read this book cover-to-cover, but I selected few topics and read them thoroughly.
- Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads: This book is a perfect gift for a new Dad. Don't get mislead by the title, even for new mom it's a good read. My husband and I read this book. It is a very practical, short and upfront book. Book's layout is pretty organized and full of pictures. I read this book in short burst towards the end of my pregnancy and after delivery. Tips and tricks are really practical and useful too.