An Early Welcome to the Terrible Two's

I cannot even believe we are here now, at 22months, Isla has entered the dreaded Terrible Two's. There was just no way to prepare for it, we didn't even realize we were on it until I googled it and like experiencing a storm, she has put us in the eye of it. In this stage, the only constant in our life is the word "NO". However, from what I've heard, just like any phase, this too shall pass...right?!...I hope...I pray😅

I really wish I can give you some goods on how to deal but since we had just entered this stage, I too am just working my way around it. I think we have made some great progress on some areas and still trying to figure out others. I had just gotten her out of the "NO" to clothes. Yup, she didn't miss out on that one, unfortunately. For some weeks, we have to fight every time I had to dress her, whether it's for bed or going out. Our morning involves with me fighting a shirt on her and her trying to figure out how to kick pants or shorts off. I tried, facing her to the wall, even letting her choose what to wear but both just did not work with our strong-willed daughter (not ready to call her stubborn just yet). What worked? One morning, I put on her choice of top and shorts to school but she still screamed and cried like it was burning her skin. I had to let her cry it out and when finally calm, sat her down and explained that clothes are a must when going out, said sorry that I upset her for forcing it. She hugged me and it has been a more workable situation since then. So a big no during this time is forcing things on them. I forgot that our little person can understand me now if I explain things simple enough. A choice of you stay home or you go to school with clothes worked great!

Now, we are in the world of "NO" to anything. She is upset about church taking so long so she pranced around for 10minutes saying "NO"; she is upset she can't play in a puddle and she stood upset in front of it saying "NO"; she was told to take a bath and she laid in her bed saying "NO". Everything is a NO. I think she knows that NO is now a choice. She can choose to say NO. She can use the word NO on anything that displeases her. I mean, I did, I said no to her numerous time on things I didn't want her to do...now she does it too! Game plan: Use it less often. I am now practicing, thinking of the many ways I can get her not to do what I don't want her to do without saying the word NO. Current progress: Some Success (yey!)

Speaking of choice, this is also apparently the time that they've learned that they can make choices, make decisions for themselves, and of course, she happens to love making a choice against mine. 😂 This one is tricky, so I've also come up with a plan, give her as little amount of choices she can get. Early on, I said that my will shall be done but these little humans are just like us adults, they have their own will and they are who they are. I offer choices but only of two, milk or water? Apple or water? Pink shoes or red shoes? Limiting her choices is less overwhelming for her and she then can make an easier choice without aggrevation.

Tell me, how is your terrible two's experience going? What has worked? I'd love some advice!

We're Sick...again!

Other than sleep troubles, one of the worse things that I ever had to deal with as a mom is sickness and if your baby/child goes to daycare, you know getting sick is just now part of the norm. Isla is going on her 7th month in daycare, illness is less often and by that I mean, she is not sick weekly anymore...now, it's bi-weekly! She goes to daycare three times per week, Monday-Wednesday and in her first 6 months, she would end every week sick, get better by Sunday and by end of the week she is sick again, a vicious cycle! The worse part about it, she has a baby brother who also catches everything that she has.

This week, my Isla had one of the worst one from daycare, FHMD (foot, hand mouth disease), no not the animal kind but the human kind, causes blisters in their mouth and later, in their hands and feet. It's viral so of course it comes with a cold and fever too. I say it's the worst because unlike ear infection (which she already had twice) where you can get antibiotic, this one just like a cold and would just run its course. Yes, Quino caught this one too, it was inevitable as it is highly contagious for kids their age.

Do you ever just feel like when your child is sick, the entire household is too? They get extra clingy so you can't do any work at all, if you do have a job, you have to call out because they can't be at daycare anyway, their energy is down and that sucks out yours, their appetite is off so you end up losing yours too. They also get so frustrated, totally understandable but somehow you get frustrated that they are and you still loose it? Well...I do. I hate it (real talk now!). I'm sure most moms are absolutely poised about handling illness but I have yet to master it even with plenty of practice. My heart aches for her pain and it's almost like nothing I do can make her feel better, and my body, well mostly my ears ache because of the constant whining and crying. I should be more understanding of her clinginess and drama antics, her whining and pining for me, and for the most part I am but I had moments when I lost it too. If only I can protect her from catching one and all virus and bacterial infection out there...hmmm..bubble girl?!

This week I was a walking spit and snot catcher, I was kicked and screamed at all throughout the day and night (by a frustrated and hungry toddler, she can't eat due to blisters in her mouth), I didn't shower for two days nor brush my hair, I haven't slept more for than two hours. My patience ran out at times and as she screams of frustration I did too, as she cried herself to sleep, I did too. She felt so bad and I feel worse for not being more catering or understanding, for not giving her what she wanted, for making her feel worse at times instead of making her feel better. This is one of those parts of parenthood that I just didn't expect and am still so clueless how to handle.The good news? Well, just as the doctor said, wait it out, and it will get better on its own.

Happy Meals

Offering solids to your baby and meal time for your toddler is one of the most exciting and also challenging time of motherhood. Fun to see their reactions when they try something the first time and annoying when they refuse something for the first time. I may had just been lucky that Isla so far is a good eater (don’t get me wrong, she dislikes a lot of things including fruits and some vegetables, not a big fan of pasta either) but I think that encouraging them to try flavors and food that you normally eat can make a difference in their eating habit. Here are some ways that I am currently trying and tried that worked for us so far and also writing a few things to keep in mind as you introduce your little one to solids.

1.       Make some and buy some

I wish I have more time to do this more often but I do enjoy making my little ones’ own food. Yes, very idealistic, most won’t have time but whenever you do, try it and if you can't, do buy. Jarred or packet baby food will cost you over $10 for a pack of 10 and if you’re in the stage where you're feeding your baby about 1-2 jars a day, that $10 of yours won’t last you that long. Buying fresh fruit or vegetable and throwing it in the blender, freezing it in an ice tray will cost a fraction! No need for expensive steamers or baby food blenders, regular blender will do just fine! I don’t always have the time so I mix and match home-made and store bought ones based on convenience.

2.       Do not be afraid to spice them up

If you do decide to make your own baby food, do not be afraid to play around with your own recipes. For a 4month old, start with just one vegetable/fruit at a time since not all can be processed by their baby stomachs and this way it’s easier for you to determine what food causes reactions. Give the same food for 3-4days before letting them try a new one. After their 6^th or 7^th month, you can start mixing veggies and fruits and I would even recommend adding spices in it! With Isla we gave curried squash, carrots with basil and oregano, ginger and cauliflower mixed with carrots (now she won't eat her scrambled eggs unless it's herbed or spiced). Since your palette is more advanced you pretty much can tell what would be a good combination. Introduce spices like paprika and herbs like thyme and basil or even sage! Some moms will stir away from salt and I do agree with that and I did until both my babies were about 7months when I started giving them a taste of any food on my plate that is safe for them to swallow.

3.       Research or Check

Before you get too excited in making them try all, do make sure you read on what food are safe for your baby’s age to try. Some fruits or veggies are more advisable to give at latter months of your baby. What I did introduce a little early were peanuts and eggs, both of my kids were introduced with peanut butter and egg at 6months. Very small amount and it doesn’t necessarily save them from getting an allergy from it but more are saying that introducing them early can lower that risk. So far so good for us, no allergic reactions on both!

4.       Offer what you have and what you normally eat

At 10months, I felt that Isla was ready to eat more. She had a few choppers to chew, she has also learned to spit out food if she bit too big. At this point, there isn’t anything I hadn’t let her try. If it was on my plate, I gave it (including spicy ones). Also at this age, they’re safe to have food that has milk in it so I was less mindful of that. From this point on I stopped preparing food for Isla and gave her what we have. Since we are rice eaters (Pinoy all the way), we gave rice and whatever we have that came with it. When we go out in restaurants, we offered her what Jeb and I ordered. If it’s taco, she will have a taco, if it’s pasta she will have that too, at 17months she’s had maki rolls (only cooked ones of course). What I noticed is that this encouraged Isla try food and now that she’s a toddler, she makes her decision if she likes the food or not.

5.       Encourage self-feeding

Many result to spoon feeding for many reasons and I do that too, I also spoon feed at times but I also do encourage self-feeding. At this time with my 7month old Quino, we offer little pieces of soft food or baby snacks for him to pick and feed himself; I also hand him pancakes, bread and even pasta to hold in his hand and eat for himself. I do spoon feed him for certain foods like rice and soup or purees. At 9months when Isla had her firm grip, I gave her a spoon and welcomed the mess at home to let her feed herself with a spoon. Now at 18months (by 12months she was an expert on spoon and self-feeding), she basically feeds herself and only require very little help from us in eating. I am able to enjoy my meal as well as focus on feeding Quino too!

6.       Do not force your baby/toddler to eat

This is probably the most important advice of all, sometimes, even I forget to do this. It’s hard especially during the toddler times when they would rather play than eat but do try your best to work your way around it (maybe they're not hungry or they just don't like the food you offered). The best way to go at this is by being cautious of your baby’s feedings. Make sure to time their bottle feedings vs meals so that they’re not full. For the first year, formula is more important and complete so offer more of that and make meals just an opportunity for them to try and learn to sit with you on the table. If they seem full or not interested in the meal, do not force it and adjust the rest of the day to make sure that their next meal time will be a better shot. Forcing them to eat when they’re not ready will make eating more like a chore instead of it being a natural part of the day. 

8 things I didn’t Do as a First-Time Mom

There are just so many things to keep in mind, to buy, to do, and want for your baby especially as a first-time mom. Being that I have many moms ahead of me, bests—my mom, my sisters, there were a few things I learned ahead from them that I wanted to do too and some that I no longer did or decided to do differently during my turn at motherhood. Now, not all things listed in here are good advice, if I have to be honest, I did them out of laziness/convenience and many may feel differently about it but it all worked out for us and my babies are happy and healthy!

1.       Sterilize bottles

It’s not like I never did, I mean I tried for like the first month, although I did not even do it daily as it is accustomed or should be. I attended a class in microbiology and remember my professor saying that she never did this, at times, she did not even boil water for her baby’s bottles and she said that it all turned out fine, so I kind of took that to the heart (lol!). After Isla’s first month, we pretty much stopped using our sterilizer and just washed daily. For Quino, we also tried, once or twice and being that we had a dozen bottles due to two babies, we gave up after the second try.-------babies are healthy and happy!

2.       Breastfeed

Again, it’s not like I never did. This is a bittersweet situation for me. With Isla I was so determined to but never produced enough to do so (as mentioned before, she even suffered near dehydration and was just fortunate to catch her right before things were turning for the worse). I pumped for the first month with her but could only produce 2-4oz in 4sessions even with diet, pills, teas, etc. I eventually gave up the idea and decided that my baby is best fed even if not breastmilk. And with Quino, because I also had an 11month old, I chose to stop breastfeeding after two weeks because I also had to cater to her. It worked out for the best for us because it allowed me to have more time to divide between my two babies.

3.       Went with expensive baby bottles

This one was more for convenience and not so much because I have anything against buying the pricier bottles. I wouldn’t say that I’m thrifty but I kind of just went with my gut feel on this one, less expensive bottles could possibly work. For my baby registry, I went ahead and chose Playtex Vent Air bottles instead of Avent or Dr. Brown’s and other brands for the sole reason that it was cheaper (haha!). I didn’t ask for a lot in my registry, just one set as I wasn’t sure how it will work for my baby (some babies are more finicky than others with bottle feeding particularly if they’re transitioning from breastfeeding to bottle feeding so don't go purchasing so many if you're not sure that they'll stick to it), and when we needed more, I wasn’t breaking the bank to get more. Playtex is about $10 cheaper (a set of 3 is $7.09 compared to avent’s or Dr. Brown’s that’s about $17.99) than the other brands and it worked wonders even on my colicky Isla. And for Quino, we used the same ones Isla used and we saved a good amount of money! This one I’d definitely recommend!

4.       Gave Rice Cereal

A big advice especially during my eldest sister’s time was to start your baby’s solids with rice cereal. Some doctors still advise you to but with my pediatrician’s permission, I went another route and gave green beans as my girl’s first solid and carrots for Quino. Scientifically, baby’s first solid doesn’t really define their palette as they don’t really develop difference in taste until 5months (some start solids at 4months) and their determination of liking vs not liking won’t really happen until after a few tries of the same food. I do however, wanted to make sure that my babies have a more complex taste and texture for their first try. More on my theories on food, on another post!

5.       Own an umbrella stroller

I really want one, I probably should have one or two being that I have two little ones but so far I just haven’t made up my mind in owning one. My single stroller was part of a travel system and I love it, it was pricey but received it as a gift and I just felt bad not using it anymore after the first few months so I’ve decided to keep it and continue to use it. I have the chiccobravo travel system and although it’s not the lightest weight stroller, it folds easily and compactly that I even use it in the city and during travel, just fold and it stores away in a corner of a small restaurant and doesn’t take as much space in a compact car.

After having Quino, I also got a compact double stroller (joovy caboose ultralight double stroller), which I love and get plenty of compliments of how much it looked like a single stroller. I purchased this one and would recommend it for moms with an newborn/infant and a toddler because it holds a carseat, seats a toddler and then covert to a sit and stand when both babies get a bit bigger. Being that it’s also pricey, I kept it and drag it along with me everywhere I am with the two babies. Umbrella strollers, especially some brands can also be quite pricey so my advice is if you decided on a travel system or a non-umbrella stroller in the beginning, stick to it to save you some $$$.

6.       Wash new clothes

Well I do but not always, only when I feel like it or don’t have the immediate need for it. Especially for Quino, I’ve decided not to purchase a lot of clothing and relied on gifts, hand-me-downs and Isla’s old clothes (yes, sometimes he wears pink!) so when I do buy clothes, it’s because he outgrew the current ones he already has or he has the need for it. Isla also grew pretty fast and skipped a few clothing sizes after her 2^nd month so that resulted to me just using the newly purchased one without washing it. I really wouldn’t advise this but so far it has worked fine for us. If you have the time, do so just to be safe but if you don’t, you gotta do what you to, you know what I mean?!

7.       Use a pacifier

Nothing against it at all but I worked for a pediatrician for four years and I hear her advice our patients to not rely on them (never got to ask why she advised our patients not to, but some complained it became a sleep association and caused them more trouble than comfort). I know many babies that use or used them and not really depend on them other than having it for comfort and not so much for need. If you do use it, I don’t see why you can’t or shouldn’t. Both my kids however, refused it and I kind of just went along with that. It’s one less worry for me I guess because I don’t have to wean them from it. Isla however, thumb-sucks which is the next thing to paci so…not much difference there!

My Quino doesn’t know of it and his comfort is a tiny blanket which he chews on during sleepy time or to keep him occupied while in the crib (Click here to see).

8.       Purchase all baby gadgets

I have baby gadgets, they’re a must! I did however, decided to keep my baby gadgets to a small collection instead. I live in a town home that doesn’t boasts a huge space or separate kid space so my husband and I really wanted our collection to be kept small. I went with having a mini pack and play which doubled as my bassinet during the newborn phase and was Isla’s play pen during her infant phase, foldable rocker which doubles as my bouncer because it also vibrates, a foldable jumperoo, and a foldable high chair. I figured that if I don’t introduce the swing, the walker, the bouncer, the big gyms, my babies won’t know they exist. I was right and we survived without them (I did have a hand-me-down walker which we eventually gave up because of space issue). If you also noticed, I went with all foldable items, love ‘em!

Let's talk Sleep

SLEEP...it's a big deal! I wish I have tips to share on this one but I have not had much success on it so this is to just share my feelings toward it and my experience. As I planned out parenthood (learned soon after giving birth that there's no such thing), I knew I wanted to sleep train. I have friends that  had great success on it and thought, I would love to have that, a good sleeper. I read blogs after blogs, forums after forums and all sorts of research on how to sleep train and thought that my first 7months were great and that I may have reached success. I was warned about regression but nothing like what I've experienced.

I love my daughter, I do but she put Jeb and I through sleep hell! It started during her 8th month, I thought that this was quite early for regression but later found out that there are things that us parents do to cause it and I think I did 9 out of 10 of those things. Isla was a straight sleeper in her first 7months being that she's formula fed, she was always full before sleep and she would have 8-12hours of straight sleep. At her 7th month, my husband and I decided to bring her to a trip to Miami. Her sleep was not the same afterwards. Her anxiety as we leave her in her crib was stronger than ever (during night and even nap time), we tried CIO (crying it out), we tried camping in her room, holding her hand, rocking her, giving her an earlier bed time...believe me when I say I tried it all. After two weeks though, I saw an improvement and thought we're back! But, silly me decided to go on a trip on my own, leaving her again and it just got even worse upon my return. Now nothing helped. She woke up every hour to check if I'm in the room and cried out her lungs (one night straight for an hour) every time I tried putting her down. Did I give up? Nope! I chose to put her crib every night and woke up every hour or two until she was 11months old. I was lucky to get 2hours straight of sleep before having to get up again to comfort her. She didn't need to be rocked to sleep, she just needed me beside her.

When Quino arrived, I've decided to end this battle with sleep training and decided to co-sleep. She has slept better and so did the rest of the household. Straight sleep? No! Since she started daycare at the same time, she was sick weekly which means no straight sleep for us even if she's in our bed. Our night routine, now involves me having to put her down in her toddler bed and my only purpose is so that she knows she has a room and a bed in the hopes that when she's able to understand a little bit more, that I can persuade her to sleep in her room and bed and no longer in mommy's and daddy's (like, wish me luck). She wakes up to check if I'm in there with her one-two sometimes three times a night before she finally decides to move to our room and by that time I'm just ready for bed and no longer feel like I have the energy to fight it out with her.

My feelings towards sleep? Do what makes you have your best try at getting some. If you're more successful at sleep training, then bravo and good for you. Others may not have your luck and in that case, decide and stick and stand by your decision. I have been very happy with the medium I chose because it is what works for us the best at this time, plus since I work, bedtime is my cuddle time with her and I don't mind that one bit. For now, Quino is happily sleeping in his room and crib, he is 7months but I'm sure we will go through some sort of regression sometime soon and who knows? He may end up in our bed too! I do want to see if I would have a better shot at it with him being that I've decided not to plan any trips for his first year. His personality may also differ from Isla and we may have success...at the end of the day, what I have at heart is that my children get the rest and sleep they need and mines? Hmmmm...I'll sleep when I'm dead!

Restaurants and Babies

Please know that all kids are different and some of what I'm about to say may or may not apply, but it's certainly worth a try! Jeb and I are big resto eaters, two reasons, one, we just love trying out new places and their food, two, we don't always have time or want to cook. So, how do you deal with a toddler, an infant or a kid at restaurants? Here's my take on it:

- Plan!
Yes, just like everything else with kids, eating out also entails planning. Not all restaurants will accommodate young children especially out in the city. So make sure to either call ahead or read reviews on the restaurant to see what type of accommodations they can do for your certain situation. Do you need to bring a carseat with you? Can a stroller fit? Do they have a high chair? Not all places do, some only uses boosters and others don't have both.

- Prepare for battle!
If you're a first time parent, you maybe used to eating out as a time to chit chat with friends or just to relax and have a drink and with an infant/toddler, this may not be the case. Bring certain items to help you make this day the best for you and your party.
        1. For our toddler, we've purchased the over-sized bib protects baby's clothes top to bottom (Click here to see).
        2. We also have a reusable silicon mat as her plate (great because it can be folded and packed) (Click here to see).
        3. Pack small snacks, which is great since toddlers aren't really the most patient customers in the restaurant. This way, while they're waiting for their food, you can keep them occupied with their snack of choice, cherios are best, I also bring mumums for Quino, nothing too heavy that they wouldn't have room for their main course.
        4. Next, bring plenty and I mean plenty of wipes. They are always going to be messy, there's just no way out of it so just prepare yourself for that.
        5. Bring a toy or two. I try to limit my kids with use of phones but since they eat much faster and would most likely get bored while you finish your dish, phone is a great back up, temporary sitter. I also bring with me a mess free coloring book (crayola is great!).

- Train them early!

This is one battle that I actually won (lost with breastfeeding and sleep training), but so far, Isla has been a great company at restaurants. She loves to eat and knows how to sit and eat with us. Just like everything else, it all starts from home. Train your baby to eat with you at the table every meal. Do not encourage TV or electronics while eating as this is what they're going to look for when in a restaurant instead of them learning to enjoy meal time. We also trained her early with eating at restaurants and brought her out in plenty of resto trips that she's now gotten used to the resto environment and cooperates at least 90% of the time haha! You can't win 'em all!

- Share your Food

When we eat out at restaurants or even at home, Jeb and I would share the food on our plate with Isla and now with Quino. Until recently that Isla now can eat a good portion, we would feed her what we eat and this got her interested in trying out food that we have. This I think makes her feel like she's part of the dining experience and therefore doesn't think that she's just there for the ride.

- Don't be afraid of the mess
Let her make a mess, eating at restaurants should just be as comfortable as her eating at home. I've added some tip when Isla makes an extra mess but I do let her eat the way she is used to eating at home. My daughter is perfectly capable of using utensils but chooses to use her hands and I let her, if that's what would make her dining experience enjoyable.

- Be mindful of their time
As much as you want to have a 2hour dining experience, you do have to consider that your child may not last as long, sometimes they do most of the time they won't. 2hours has been our max at the restaurant with no meltdowns and but a minute over and it is a disaster so do finish your meal and when they start demanding to be off the chair, give them some freedom to do so. Ask your husband or a friend to take them for a quick walk to the bathroom or switch chairs, sit in a lap and then work your way back to the table or their chair.

Diapers and Subcriptions: My honest opinion on Honest

I had been meaning to post my opinions on diapers for sometime now but it's good that I waited until my 2nd child to do so because I'd have now more to say and know about it. Is it really that complex? Well...yes and no. As a first time parent, I considered all choices when it came to which diaper I would choose for Isla. I read blogs and reviews on different brands and really considered how much I am willing to spend for it. After all that research, I went, for both babies, Honest Co. I also liked Parasol Co. but thought that their pricing and what came in the subscription was not enough for the money. I also considered reusable diapers but based on reviews, it is a lot of work (washing) and also need some budget to start your pile. Now you may ask, do you need subscription? Of course not, as the mom, you are entitled to choose and purchase whichever diaper you want for your child. This post is mainly to say what I love and don't love about what I chose for my kids.

Love...

1. I will admit that the first thing that drew me to honest are the prints! I'm a girly girl, pretty superficial about certain things including diapers that goes under my children's clothes! haha...they're just too cute!

2. I've tried several brands--pampers, huggies, target brand, seventh generation, babyganics and I will say that Honest will still be my favorite. Yes it is overpriced, this is something to consider but after using it and going back to other brands, I can tell there's a difference. Its absorption is great. It lasts about 6-9hours with no leakage whatsoever and my kids drink/feed a lot! Isla who doesn't sleep straight and still relies on milk (sadly) to help her get back to sleep drinks in total about 10-12oz of milk/water mixture every night and that cause a lot of peeing over night. With other brands I end up having to change her 2-3x/night as to 1/night with honest. With my little one, Quino takes his last feed at about 9-930pm of 6-8oz of formula and will sleep straight until 7a-8a does not need any changes overnight, unlike with other brands that would need 1 change over night and would have leaked by the morning time.

3. Honest diaper also does not sag. Even if it gets full, it gets heavy but does not sag like most diapers.

4. I also love their wipes, it's too bad I use so much of it that the 4 packs that used to come in my subscription is no longer sufficient for two babies. It's thick, not overly wet which is great because Isla has very sensitive skin and needs to be dry at all times. It also does not tear or stretch out like other wipes would. Not scented either, some like it that way some like it scented, but that's just an info I'd add here.

Great tip coming your way!!!
5. My opinion on subscriptions? I love it! With honest or any diaper brand you choose, you can have subscriptions. You can go directly to the honest website and avail their $80 one (I did this for a year and some months, came with 186 diapers and 4 packs of 76 bag wipes) or simply go to amazon and now, target has them too! I love it! With two babies, shopping anywhere is tough and since I try to limit my target runs, I now do most of my shopping online. I just love that diapers/wipes are in stock at my house since I still have two using them for now. I've switched my subscriptions to target from direct honest, this way I am not tied to just one brand and I can customize my monthly payment the way I want it. My current subscription at target has me getting 2boxes of honest diapers and one box of pampers 576count wipes for $56 every 4-6weeks (with redcard). More wipes that I would ever get for the $80 I used to pay at honest. I also only subscribed to two boxes of diapers because target would sometimes have a sale on honest diapers and promos on all diapers and I would still like to be able to avail those. For example, recently target had a promo of buying 2boxes of diapers any brand and you will get a $10 gift card. Since I normally use 3boxes of diapers/month for two (yes with honest even though the count is less, since my changes are also less, 3-4 boxes are enough for my two babies), I purchased the two and used the $10 giftcard to purchase one more box.

Not so great...
1. Do  not be fooled with the honest marketing ploy about it being green or extra safe etc. a diaper is a diaper, because it has prints, they still use dye, and even if it marketed itself as safe for the environment, because we throw them in non-biodegradable bags, it kind of defeats the purpose.

2. Biggest one, it is pricey! Overpriced in fact, I, however, use it because I love it therefore I chose to spend on it. Now though, I do have a more conscious effort to get them at the lowest price possible.

3. Honest can be found at marshalls and ross, a tad bit cheaper price...it kind of hurt when I used to have the subscription only to find out you can also get it elsewhere.

4. Sizing, I do think they run a bit small compared to the weight description on the sizes. My kids now wear the same size diaper (at 11 months apart, yes they don't weigh that far off from each other), at size 4 even though weight wise it says they should still be ok with a 3, 4 just fits more comfortably for them.

Update: Life with 2 under 2

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged anything. Jeb and I now have 2 under 2 and life could not be any busier! I often wonder if there are differences with having multiple kids that are not so close together in age and having two that are really close. I have my sisters and some friends to compare it with and I guess no two lives of parenthood are alike, not one is easier than the other. But if you are curious as to how our "2under2" experience is, here are a few updates, changes and realizations:

1. Sleep.
Or should I say lack of? Surprisingly enough, Joaquin or Quino as we call him is an amazingly good sleeper (so far that is. Isla was great too for the first 7months. I'm already dreading Quino reaching that age). Isla on the other hand, never got over her separation anxiety stage and now partially sleeps in her room, mostly in ours (she moves between 11:30am-12:30am), all sleep training out the door! Even then, she wakes up about 2-3times, sometimes more, a night. So...no sleep not due to the infant, but more due to our young toddler. 

2. You can never have enough diapers...to buy and to change.
One of the biggest adjustments we had is the amount of work and time it is to change diapers. We are constantly on diaper duty! Our morning routine begins with that and ends with it as well. For our baby sprinkle, we had a diapers & wipes party and man oh man, was that a good idea or what!? We did not have to purchase a single diaper for Joaquin until he was about 3months old. Now, our honest subscription is divided between the two and is covering our diaper needs (wipes, we buy boxes of and we still always run out of it). I'm loving our honest subscription even more so now than ever!

3. Getting ready.
So I think this is true for any mom with multiples, it's been 6months since Quino arrived and I still can't master getting ready on time (haha!). I have now cut my hair short for the sole purpose of not having to mind it. I go out of the house with my hair wet and no make up, I'd be lucky if I can squeeze in a 5minute face which includes, eyebrows, cheek and lip. Forget about impromptu trips, just not possible with two babies especially if one parent is absent. It takes about 1.5hours to get out which includes, prepping the kids (diapers/clothes and shoes), packing their bag (and we pre-pack the day before, so only last minute additions), loading them in the car (toddler fights the carseat at all times now).

4. Time.
This is probably the ultimate challenge of all. Jeb and I both work, schedules are different but because we do work, our time at home, specially mines is very limited. I get about 1-2hours in the morning and about 1-2hours at night to divide between the two. I mostly live with guilt because of this but it is the harsh reality of being a working parent, even if you just have one it is and so much more so when you have more than one child. Because our toddler is so attached to me, there are nights, I have to admit that I only get to hold Quino for one feeding before he is asleep. I certainly wish that there's more than 24hours in a day so that I can squeeze in more cuddles for him and more playtime with Isla.

5. Balance.
Impossible. I would say this and it may not be true for all but I don't think I can ever reach the right balance between all of it--home, work, parenthood. However, there isn't a day that I don't try. Everyday I try something new to make things work better for our children. One always has to give and you just have to choose which one will for the day. Work will always be secondary to my children of course, but there are days where I need to be at work more, I just try to lessen those days. I have come to accept that I cannot do it all. Our home, which I spent so much time cleaning and organizing, designing before has to take the backseat. Cooking is seldom, maybe once to thrice a week. Fortunately, our house is well-maintained by my amazingly supportive and hardworking husband. Thank you love!

To sum it up, is the life of 2under2 crazy? Yes! It is hard, I've cried so many times because of how challenging it is, it is never boring, it is beautiful and ugly at the same time, I wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world!