Monthly Archives: August 2010

This Pregnancy is Kicking My Ass!

Posted on August 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

As I visited the bathroom six times in one hour, it occurred to me that I am obviously not getting better. This stomach virus, or whatever it is, is determined to stick around. I’m going to have to start charging it rent if it stays around much longer. I still haven’t figured out an appropriate price.

But really, my pregnancy with Ari was not this hard. I guess it was hard for different reasons. During this pregnancy I’ve been able to eat virtually nothing, most everything makes my stomach start a gastrointestinal revolution. Whereas when I was pregnant with Ari I could eat mostly everything with the exception of cottage cheese, which made me ill. Interestingly enough, cottage cheese has been good to me this time around. It’s one of the few things I can eat.

With Ari, I had scarier things happen than food aversions. I had multiple instances of spotting, I developed an umbilical hernia and had to have surgery on it during my second trimester, I went into labor quite early (at 36 weeks) and the hospital misdiagnosed my water breaking, saying that I’d peed on myself. For more on that click here.

Also, I forgot the most obvious difference, I have Ari now! Having a two year old and being pregnant is a unique experience to say the least. I can’t really rest the same way I could when I was childless.

Despite the fact that this pregnancy has been far less dramatic than my first one, it had been really hard! I miss being able to eat whatever I want, and take naps.

Tell me about your pregnancies!

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Posted in Uncategorized

Motherhood is Not Glamorous

Posted on August 23, 2010 | Leave a comment

Ari just slammed my finger in the bathroom door. Given it was an accident, but I screamed and cried. Wil was there, thank G-d. He gave me a big hug, and after he realized exactly what happened, he said:

“It’s okay babe, he didn’t mean it.”

I know he didn’t mean it. He was trying to close the bathroom door, and my finger happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But damn! It hurt like a bitch! I was angry and I had nowhere to place that anger.

This incident got me thinking about motherhood. So much of motherhood is not glamorous. There’s various media footage (movies, TV shows, commercials etc.) that present an alternate point of view, motherhood is happy smiling babies, and stroller walks in the park on a crisp autumn day with no humidity.

So. Not. True.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are days that are good. There are days when my finger is not in the wrong place and doesn’t happen to get mangled in a door frame. But then there are days like this. Where I’m tired, I’m frazzled, I’m angry. I just want a break.

Has this ever happened to you?

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Posted in Rants

Twinkle Twinkle…I Can’t Do This!

Posted on August 22, 2010 | Leave a comment

Here is Ari’s version of the classic, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

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Posted in Videos

The Rudest Bus Driver I’ve Ever Encountered

Posted on August 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

This morning Ari and I took the subway to Josina’s house to feed her cats while she and her family are away camping. We arrived at the subway. Ari was in the stroller, it was excruciatingly hot underground and all three of the elevators we took to get to our destination smelled like some sort of human excrement.

I decided on the way back home, we would take the bus. Surely, it would be a more pleasant journey.

We boarded the bus and as soon as the stroller wheels touched the bus floor the Bus Driver shouted at me:
“You can’t come on here like that! You need to break that stroller down!”
“I know, sir,” I said trying to maintain my cool “I need to pay, and then I’m going to break it down.”
He grunted in response.

After the stroller was broken down, a couple of nice elderly ladies helped me lift it up to store it safely for the ride.

“Sir,” I said to the Bus Driver “Does this bus stop anywhere near 5th Avenue?”
“Look at the route!” He barked back at me.
“Okay…” I said baffled by his demeanor. I attempted to look at the bus map, but (if you’ve ever seen an MTA bus map you would know) it is extremely confusing.

“I’ll go as close as I can, okay?” He said

I left it at that. When I saw the bus was approaching a stop semi-near my destination (because this gentleman refused to tell me where exactly he was going, I had to guess) I rang the “stop request” wire.

I attempted to open the stroller and exit the bus.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” The bus driver yelled as loud as he possibly could “You can’t open that thing up in here!!”
“Excuse me!” I had had enough “I didn’t know that, sir, and don’t talk to me like that! You are very rude!”
“Sorry if you took what I said as rude!” He grunted back.

I got off the bus at warp speed thanking the elderly ladies for their help as I walked down the stairs.

I was left with a nasty feeling as I stood on the side walk with Ari in the stroller. Then I quickly turned around, wrote down the bus’ license plate and reported this jerk to the MTA! I felt better after that.

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Posted in Anecdotes

Huggable Hangers Review

Posted on August 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

Recently I had the pleasure of reviewing Green Pan, an eco-friendly cookware. The same PR firm that sent me the Green Pan for review, allowed me the opportunity to try out Joy Mangano’s Huggable Hangers.

Huggable Hangers are just what they sound like, they’re clothes hangers made of soft velor-type material. I was really excited when I opened the box of them. They were so colorful!

To be honest, I don’t bother to hang Ari’s clothes up. I mostly shove them in a drawer the minute they are out of the dryer. But recently I realized that when I do this, I have no idea what clothes he has. But when I hung his clothes up:

It occurred to me that he has some really cute stuff! I like that Huggable Hangers are made from fuzzy material because it makes them feel more child-friendly, rather than an anonymous plastic hanger. I don’t think I would bother hanging his clothes up if I had to use plastic hangers. It wouldn’t be as fun!

Here’s how huggable hangers look in the closet:

I believe these hangers have inspired me to be more organized with Ari’s wardrobe! They’re just so aesthetically pleasing!

To learn more about Huggable Hangers click here.

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Posted in Reviews

Poop Poisioning

Posted on August 18, 2010 | Leave a comment

Maybe it was the burger and fries I ate from Five Guys yesterday, but my stomach was just not okay. I was visiting the bathroom way too frequently. I called my doctor and he told me to go straight to the emergency room to get IV fluids.

I feel like a frequent flyer at the emergency room, I should really start to get cash back, or something, for the amount of times I’ve been to the ER, especially in the last two years. For example this time or this time or perhaps this time.

Anyway, there I was again. I was so tired that I barely complained when I had to wait five hours just to be seen. Fortunately for me, I took my Jewish mother with me who was full of energy to advocate and complain for me.

“My daughter has been waiting five hours, and she’s pregnant! This is ridiculous! She just needs some fluids for G-d’s sake!”

I finally got a bed, and all at once a fantastically hot doctor arrived to treat me.
“How are you feeling?” He asked
“Um…like crap.” I said.
“That’s a fair and honest answer.” He replied. “We’re going to get you feeling better, okay?”
I nodded faintly. I told him about my symptoms and he took note of all of them.
“I have a two year old at home, and my midwife said that this could be a rotavirus transmitted from him? What do you think?”
“Sure,” he said “That sounds about right.”
“Um…” I paused. “What is a rotavirus?”
“Well,” he began “It’s essentially poop poisoning.”
He went on to say that rotavirus is very common, it’s the most common cause of diarrhea in babies and toddlers. It’s transmittable to adults as well. Especially when you are changing an abundance of diapers, which I am. And it doesn’t matter how obsessively you wash your hands afterwards (which I do) you can still get it. In fact, the hot doctor had an 18 month old daughter, and he’s been infected twice already.

The most unpleasant part of the visit was when the hot doctor and his female assistant resident had to stick their fingers up my butt and do a pelvic exam. During both of these fun-filled procedures I had to pee so badly. I warned the hot doctor that I might pee on him. He said that was okay.

After we “got to know each other” they did a sonogram and I got to see my baby again. I asked the hot doctor if he knew whether it was a boy or a girl. He said that the baby was hiding, and plus I should save that question for the “fancy ultrasound technicians” who
“really know what they’re doing.” I’m seriously considering giving up with regard to finding out the gender of this fetus. I think it wants me to be surprised.

Finally, I got fluids and antibiotics and was sent home after seven delightful hours!

When I got home Ari was still awake (my dad had been hanging out with him) and watching Blue’s Clues. I took advantage of this time to eat an exciting dinner of toast and white rice. After that, I read him “Click Clack Moo” and we fell asleep.

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Posted in Anecdotes, Sick

I Feel The Need to Complain

Posted on August 17, 2010 | Leave a comment

As if being pregnant and having a two year old wasn’t hard enough, I now have the added bonus of a stomach virus. Fantastic!

There are so many things wrong with this situation:
1. There is a limit to what medications I can take to treat my symptoms because I’m pregnant.
2. Ari doesn’t care that I’m sick, and says things like “I want to go outside mommy.” “Playground, mommy.” And I feel too guilty to say no.
3. My doctor has made it clear that I must drink three liters of Pedialyte/day for three days if I want to feel better. Have you ever tried unflavored Pedialyte? It’s the most vile liquid I’ve ever tasted. I’ve gagged several times trying to consume it.
4. I’m starving all the time, but whenever I eat my stomach rebels against me. Yes I’ve tried the BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Apple Sauce and Toast), and no it hasn’t worked.

I’m at my wits’ end here. I want to magically feel better. but instead I feel like this:

Have you ever been pregnant with a stomach virus? How did you treat it?

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Posted in Rants, Sick

Vote For Ari!

Posted on August 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

Recently, Mint took some cute photos of Ari with her new Hello Kitty Fisheye camera.

Picture # 1

Picture # 2

These pics have been submitted to a contest: Lomography’s Kawaii Fisheye Rumble! This photo competition celebrates all things that are cute: babies, puppies and kittens for example. Fisheye lenses tend to make cute things look even cuter!

If you like either of these pictures, vote for Ari!

For picture 1, click here.

For picture 2, click here.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Jazz Up Kid’s Glasses With Ficklets!

Posted on August 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

I have to say that I was reluctant to join Twitter. I used to think of Twitter as a silly place to read celebrity gossip. However, since joining I’ve met some really interesting people and especially fellow moms, one of whom is Ros Guerrero. Ros is the founder of Ficklets, a company that makes fun accessories that attach to kid’s glasses.

Ros has a teenage daughter who has special needs. Her daughter inspired her to create Ficklets. She wanted to jazz up her daughter’s glasses.

But wait…let me leave the rest to Ros.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m originally from Guam, married to Roy for 16 and half years & have one child, Gem. We love to travel and because of my husband’s previous job, we had the opportunity to travel to Asia & Europe and have lived in the Philippines, Singapore and Dubai.

I’ve always been interested in business – dabbled in real estate investing, co-owned a window treatment design and nail salon business, but my entrepreneurial spirit has soared like never before after learning about my daughter’s disability, which inspired my latest venture, Ficklets.

2. Tell us about your daughter.

My daughter, Gem, is 15 years old and is mentally handicapped. We first learned about her disability when she was 3 years old, so it was important that I was a stay at home mom to help care for her special needs and demands. Gem is about 30% independent and requires full-time assistance and supervision.

Realizing early on that Gem’s work opportunities would be limited, I wanted to create a business that would provide that for her and hopefully give her a sense of “normalcy”. Also, my long-term vision is that our business will provide and support a quality life for Gem after I’m gone.

3. How did you come to create Ficklets? What does the word “Ficklets” mean?

Ficklets is a product I invented in 2007 inspired by Gem. Ficklets are patented interchangeable charm huggers for eyeglasses. Gem has worn glasses since she was six years old. I created Ficklets as a way to jazz up Gem’s plain, tired frames. Ficklets is a made up name derived from the word “fickle”, which means to “change often”. I came up with the name because it appropriately described how much fun Gem and I had changing out her charms. You can read more about how we got started here - http://ficklets.com/info.html.

4. How do you feel that Ficklets will help children who wear glasses?

Initially, I created Ficklets as a way to give Gem’s plain, old frames a fresh and unique look. I also wanted to add some color & whimsy to make them more fun for her. When I launched our website, I started receiving messages from moms saying how Ficklets helped improved their kid’s attitude about their eyeglasses. One mom shared this heartwarming message – “You are my hero! Your Ficklets are THE one thing that makes my four-year-old WANT to wear her glasses! ….”. I didn’t wear glasses as a child, but I’ve learned that for many kids eyeglasses can be quite unpleasant & awkward. It’s gratifying to know that Ficklets helps children feel more comfortable in their eyeglasses and makes the whole experience more enjoyable.

5. Where can we learn more about Ficklets?

Website: http://Ficklets.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Ficklets

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ficklets

Email: contact@ficklets.com

If you are interested in purchasing Ficklets for your child, here is a coupon!
*Special offer from Ros to OS/NS Mom Readers: 25% off purchases using code – SF2010.

Expires 12.31.2010

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Posted in Interviews

Ari’s New Ride

Posted on August 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

After our trip to Governor’s island, it was apparent that I could no longer push my stroller. You see, one of the back wheels of the Maclaren Techno XT (circa 2000) had fallen off. My sister-in-law kindly gave us this stroller, and let me tell you, this baby is a veteran. She strolled around town with my niece in the Techno XT when she was a baby. My niece is now almost nine years old. Considering it’s age, it lasted a long time! We’ve had the Techno XT for over a year!

Even though I was exhausted from the trip, I called my dad, and asked if he wanted to accompany me to Maclaren repair store in Soho to get the back wheels fixed for $40. My dad agreed to come along for the journey. Ari was thrilled to re board the “choo-choo” with Grandpa.

When we arrived at Maclaren, we saw this:

Beneath it was this:

Wait a minute? I thought to myself. I’m going to pay $40 for new wheels, when I can get a NEW stroller for $100? My dad I talked it over, and we decided that it made more sense to buy the new stroller.