tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83682839905368873202024-03-18T20:11:45.637+01:00Poppies and Ice-creamAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.comBlogger492125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-12387066464536164472019-03-19T12:43:00.001+01:002019-03-19T12:43:21.887+01:00My favorite baby things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have had this post in my mind for so long. Every time I get the news that a friend is expecting a baby I feel the need to tell them about my favorite baby products. If I was very rich, I would be happy to get these for them every time. In real life though, I recognize that maybe, just maybe, nobody wants to be bombarded with advice.So I thought putting all those recommendations in a post would be a good idea. These are the things that have really made a difference, in terms of making our lives easier, happier or healthier, this is the list I would have liked to have when I was pregnant.<br />
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First of all, in terms of what babies need, well, as long as you have a crib, diapers, and clothes for about a week (think 7 onesies and 7 bodies, plus some hats) and a couple of blankets, you will most probably be fine, at least for the first couple of months.<br />
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-<a href="https://www.adenandanais.com/swaddles">Muslin swaddling blankets</a>. I really love the ones made by Aden & Anais. You really can use them for everything: as a light blanket on the bassinet, as a picnic blanket when going out, as a sun cover, as a towel, and yes, as a swaddling blanket on those first months. They come in the loveliest prints and they get softer and softer with every wash. This is the classic present I get to anyone who just had a baby.<br />
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-<a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.com/2014/09/loving-beaba-babycook.html">The baby food processor. We have the Beaba Babycook, I wrote about it a while ago</a>, we love it so much, I am not even sure I will ever get rid of it. We still use it to make apple puree and smoothies every now and then, we regularly steam our broccoli in it (making sure it stays crispy) and I plan to keep using it to make sauces like pesto. I love that it is so small, that you can wash it easily, that you can set it to work and forget about it, without worrying that you will burn a pan (if all the water evaporates) or the food, and that you can program it to steam your fruits and vegetables to the perfect point, assuring that you don't lose any nutrients. I love that you can puree in the same container. It is just pretty much perfect. (If only it could be made out of glass or steel).<br />
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-An ergonomic baby carrier. To <a href="https://hipdysplasia.org/developmental-dysplasia-of-the-hip/prevention/baby-carriers-seats-and-other-equipment/">prevent hip dysplasia</a> make sure that when the baby is in it the legs form an "M" or frog position and never carry facing front. <a href="https://www.lillebaby.com/collections/carriers">We love our Lillebaby</a>. We got it when our oldest daughter was around 1 year old, and now, at 5, she can still fit there, in the back, on emergencies (like when we travel and she is tired of walking) It is one of the only baby carriers that has lumbar support and that goes from newborn to toddler. It is just so comfortable. I wore Laia so much in it, it was a godsend when I had to go out with both of my daughters and walk for long distances. The toddler would be in the stroller and I could carry the baby.<br />
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-Our beloved<a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.com/2014/01/thinking-of-cloth-diapers.html"> cloth diapers</a>. This was easily the most expensive baby item we got for our first daughter. Even when we got a very good deal with them (we had one of those pay 3 and get 4 offers), we still invested around 450 dollars on them. Yet, we are still using them on our 2nd daughter and I am so happy we have been able to avoid generating so much waste and saved so much money.<br />
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-<a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.com/2014/04/baby-gear-choosing-and-loving-our.html">Our all-terrain stroller</a>. We just sold our Maxi-Cosi Mura Plus 4 and it feels like the end of an era. I never thought I would let go of it, I loved it so much, and loved every second we used it. It really was like the Land Rover of the strollers, we went on so many walks together . It took the hardest roads smoothly, no matter if it was cobblestones, sand or the woods, it folded so easily, it went from babyhood to toddlerhood, it is just so perfect. <br />
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The only reason we sold it is it did not fit in our cargo-bike and I
needed something in which the baby could go from bike to stroller as she
often falls asleep in the bike.It is impressive how technology has
changed in just some years, puschairs that fold so small that they can
fit as cabin luggage are so life-changing. We were between the <a href="https://www.babyzen.com/en/yoyo-plus">Yoyo Zen</a> and the <a href="http://gb-online.com/en-us/strollers/pockit-plus/">Pockit Plus</a>, but went for the latter because it was the smallest and the lightest. <br />
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-A babywearing jacket. Particularly if you mean to have the baby in a sling/carrier for long walks.After much research, I went for the <a href="https://www.mamalila.de/Softshell-Babywearing-Jacket_info">Softshell Mamalila</a>. It was such a life saver, because I felt comfortable enough to wear the baby even during the coldest winter days and know she was warm enough. I wore Laia a lot more than I did Yulia, because my older daughter still got tired and for drop offs and pick ups it was way easier to push the toddler and carry the baby. I have an "all seasons" version that is water and windproof with a thin fleece lining, so I wore it both during the summer and the winter (with thicker sweaters underneath). There is also a winter version that I was very tempted to get, but I think having a jacket that can be worn the whole year long was the best. I just wished I had made the decision earlier, because you can start wearing them since pregnancy. The jacket comes with several attachments in such a way that it is a pregnancy jacket, a regular jacket or a jacket where you can wear the baby both in the front and in the back. It was not cheap, but the quality is very good. <br />
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-Baby Bouncer. This little "chair" was crucial for the first months, the baby would often play happily while I was able to take a shower, cook something or just rest. It is so totally worth it for the freedom that it gives you.<br />
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-A <a href="https://www.boppy.com/nursing-pillows/">Boppy breastfeeding pillow.</a> When I was staying at the hospital with baby Y, I got the opportunity to try all kinds of different breastfeeding pillows. I did not like the ones that were all soft and loose, so I finally settled for a Boppy that has the perfect form and a certain rigidity. I loved that it can be used for belly-time exercises later on and as a little support when babies start learning to sit.<br />
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-<a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.com/2018/04/breastfeeding-clothes-i-love.html">Nursing clothes</a>. I wrote a whole article on how breastfeeding clothes changed my life this second time around. So comfy, so pretty, so worth it.<br />
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-<a href="https://www.lifefactory.com/">Life factory glass baby bottles</a>. So, both my kids were breastfeed (the second one is still in the middle of it), but we love these bottles as sippy cups and they are so versatile because depending on the life stage you can change the lid to have a bottle, a sippy cup or a regular bottle. I really do not trust plastic and we are working hard on trying to avoid it (such a hard task), but particularly when it comes to children's exposure I want to limit it and so this was a great option.<br />
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Which are your favorite baby items? Which things made your life as parents easier?<br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-77069345345687662942019-02-04T13:07:00.002+01:002019-02-05T08:57:38.024+01:00Japan: favorite shops<br />
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Oh
Japan, how I miss you. Another thing that I wanted to write about was
the shops: OMG, Japan was like a giant candy shop, everything
-everything- was either cute, or pretty or delicious. Too bad that they
do also have a taste for luxury and so many things had quite the high
price tag.<br />
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Anyhow, I thought I'd make a list of my favorite places to shop in Japan.<br />
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-<a href="https://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/en/">Tokyu Hands</a>. How do I begin. If you like baking, painting, crafting,
papershops, home and kitchen goods... this place is where you will go
bankrupt. It is a giant shop. 7 floors dedicated to all the things you
did not know you wanted. If you are looking for utensils to make cute
little Bento boxes this is where you will find them. Everything from
moulds for rice or eggs in the form of dogs, cats or bears to insulated
steel containers, little bags and printed muslin cloths.<br />
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And
if you draw or paint you will find all your art supplies. If washi tape and origami paper is what you are looking for, this is the place. For those
that are into disguises and cosplay there is also a selection of
clothes and party goods. If sewing or even working with wood or leather is your thing, there
is also a whole floor dedicated to fabrics and materials. On top of that
they had a nice selection of purses, earrings and other fashion
items.This place was so amazing, I just did not want to leave. You will
find a list to all their shops<a href="https://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/en/"> here.</a><br />
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<br />
-<a href="http://www.ippuya.co.jp/">Ippuya</a> in Kyoto. Last summer my dear friend<a href="https://unaregiaenbicicleta.wordpress.com/2018/07/31/verano-aprendo-los-paises-japon/">
Marcia organized activities centered around teaching the kids countries
of the world and their traditions. One of the days was dedicated to
Japan</a>.Tomomi, the friend who showed us her culture, brought her
sweet kids dressed in these super cute kimono-like sets of matching
shorts and shirts in cute modern prints. I had my mind set on finding
them. As I learnt these sets are called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinbei">Jinbei.</a><br />
<br />
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<br />
I
thought we would see them everywhere. I first looked in the childrens'
section of big department stores, with no luck. It was only when we
went to Kyoto, on our way up to Kiyomizyu-dera temple that we found
Ippuya. It is a small shop owned by the sweetest lady who actually
crafts all her goods (purses, blouses...) from scraps of kimono fabric,
so all her material is beautiful, high quality printed cotton. It is
also a great place to have traditional Japanese tea at their adjacent
cafe. (<b>540-15 Gojōbashihigashi 6-chōme, Higashiyama-ku, Kyōto-shi</b>)<br />
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<br />
-<a href="http://www.graniph.com/">Graniph.</a>
I really wanted to go shopping for skirts and dresses in Japan, they
have a very sweet and modest yet modern and edgy style. I was not able
to find anything on our budget at department stores, however I was happy
to discover Graniph. They specialize in graphic t-shirts and often do
collaborations with illustrators like Taro Gomi, Eric Carle, Kayako
Nishimaki. It is the ideal place to get a t-shirt, but they also have
dresses, skirts and sweaters in very thick, warm cotton. We got a
long-sleeved t-shirt dress for my daughter based on the classic Japanese
children story: "My dress" or -Watashi no wanpisu- and it is her
absolute favorite. I wish the book had been translated to Spanish, but
so far I haven't been able to track it.*<br />
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<br />
As an extra note -for all your practical and daily life needs:<br />
<br />
-If
you are looking for a supermarket Life is a very good option with lots
of variety. But if you really want a magic experience, go to Tamade, a
supermarket that opens 24 hours and looks like a discotheque, with its
neon lights and fun decorations.<br />
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<br />
And for a snack, coffee and emergency needs (like basic toiletries) look for the Family Mart and Lawson's. And have an onigiri!<br />
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<br />
Oh and let's not forget about bookshops, also paradise, often with many, many floors. Crayon House, Maruzen, Kinokinuya, find all about them in <a href="https://serendipityliteratura.blogspot.com/2018/11/de-librerias-bonitas-en-japon.html">this other post</a>.<br />
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<br />
*The book tells the story of a white rabbit without clothes who's hopping across a meadow when a
piece of white cloth comes falling out of the sky. "I think I'll make
myself a dress," she says, and sets to work on her foot-treadle sewing
machine. When it's done, she dons the triangular white dress and starts
across a flower garden. "Oh, my!" she realizes. "My dress is now a
floral print! I wonder if I look good in flowers." She continues on her
way and it begins to rain. The pattern on her dress changes to water
droplets. As she walks on, she comes to a field of golden wild grasses,
and the dress transforms again to match their gently waving seed heads.
Birds flock to her dress, wanting to eat the seeds, and the rabbit's
outfit changes yet again to a pattern of birds. When she takes off into
the sky with the birds, the pattern on her dress turns into a rainbow;
when the rainbow gives way to a sunset, she starts to grow sleepy. Soon
she is flying through the night with her eyes closed in a dress covered
with stars, and then it is morning again and she wakes up back in the
meadow. Simple lines and soft colors dominate the illustrations. The dress
itself is a plain triangle; its constantly changing patterns and the
rhythmical language lend the story its magic.<br />
<br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-42906317544866347952018-11-23T07:36:00.001+01:002018-11-23T12:28:22.774+01:00Japan with kids: things to do and practical tips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c_6veU0WJr8/W_eS-zHOnKI/AAAAAAAAGVM/OtKQiwQPDR8pxv1nqah822nETg2hs1BMQCLcBGAs/s1600/24%2Boct%2BOsaka%2B%252819%2529-mod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c_6veU0WJr8/W_eS-zHOnKI/AAAAAAAAGVM/OtKQiwQPDR8pxv1nqah822nETg2hs1BMQCLcBGAs/s640/24%2Boct%2BOsaka%2B%252819%2529-mod.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Almost every time we told friends or family that we were going to Japan with the girls the answer was a face of shock, accompanied with an "Are you crazy?" exclamation, even from people who had already been there.<br />
<br />
The truth is we love to travel and we want to transfer this love to our children. They are more or less used to it too. Ever since my friend <a href="http://www.betterinrealife.com/">Lauren</a> gave me the best postpartum advice I ever got (which was: "go out of the house everyday"), we have been out and about every single day and so both of our girls are used to napping on the go, laying flat in the stroller or in the baby carrier.<br />
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<br />
Now, back to Japan. We like to take city hikes, know the place by walking the neighborhoods, visiting supermarkets and playgrounds, doing normal everyday stuff aside from the touristic sights. This has the advantage of minimizing the time spent on public transportation, which can sometimes be difficult to navigate. Our oldest daughter is now almost 5 years old, but, of course we couldn't expect her to keep up with our long walks, so we brought two umbrella strollers (Chicco liteways) and our beloved Baby carrier (a Lillebaby).<br />
<br />
We found Japan to be quite child-friendly, as there are a million fun things to do with kids, more than can be done in one trip. To get your ideas I highly recommend the blog: "<a href="https://www.anepiceducation.com/japan-with-kids/">An epic education</a>', a children-travel blog originally specific for Japan.<br />
<br />
If you are travelling with infants, relax. There are nursing and changing rooms pretty much everywhere, from restaurants to metro stations, museums and department stores.<br />
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<br />
There are also elevators everywhere, however they were not always easy to find in some of the biggest metro stations and sometimes we just gave up and carried the strollers up.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9_plqJfSCAA/W_efrfQEWgI/AAAAAAAAGdI/mDOepEIobz4QTTtDvrX9XtUNEx1IUWWBwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20181027_135652609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9_plqJfSCAA/W_efrfQEWgI/AAAAAAAAGdI/mDOepEIobz4QTTtDvrX9XtUNEx1IUWWBwCLcBGAs/s640/IMG_20181027_135652609.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These houses were actual nursing rooms, completely clean and private!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As for food, small convenience shops will be your everyday stop. Chains like Family Mart, Seven Eleven and Lawson sell cheap, fresh and high quality food so we had a picnic lunch everyday consisting of Onigiri (rice balls with nori seaweed and assorted fillings), Yakitori (marinated chicken skewers, that even the pickiest eaters will enjoy), soft bread sandwiches, milk tea, mandarins and bananas. You will also find basic essentials like toothpaste, wet wipes, etc... at this type of shop, but you will find more variety at pharmacies and supermarkets.<br />
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We stayed at an apartment in Osaka for the first part of our trip which allowed us to make short day trips to Kyoto and Nara. The last stretch of our trip was reserved for Tokyo, where we did stay in a hotel, but luckily we had a small fridge and a kettle so we were able to have a small breakfast before leaving every morning.<br />
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In <b>Kyoto</b> the kids will have fun at the very many temples. There are always fountains at the entrance, to wash your hands and purify your spirit, where most kids will be happy to play. There are also bells, though I am not quite sure children are intended to play with those. Keep in mind that temples are often in the middle of the mountains , so if you can, avoid the stroller in favor of the baby carrier (we couldn't, so we ended up carrying the strollers through flights and flights of stairs) or get an ultralight und foldable one (like the <a href="https://www.babyzen.com/en/">YoYo Zen</a> or <a href="http://gb-online.com/en-en/strollers/pockit/">GB Pocki</a>t). <br />
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The shintoist deities like Inaris (foxes) will amuse the children and hopefully they will learn about spirituality. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiyomizu-dera">Kiyomizu-dera </a>was beautiful and we loved to run through the endless red gates at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fushimi_Inari-taisha">Fushimi Inari Taisha.</a><br />
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In <b>Osaka</b> there are plenty of child friendly attractions like the Aquarium, the zoo and a child museum called <a href="https://www.kidsplaza.or.jp/en/">Kids Plaza</a>. The latter is a combination of a science and culture museum that includes a city for the children, with slides and hanging bridges (which reminded me of Barcelona); a fully functional supermarket, a part on medicine, biology, physics, potential energy, electric trains, a TV studio, different folk traditions of the world, and a part that focuses on solidarity / tolerance, making children experience life as a handicapped person....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My kid wouldn't pose.</td></tr>
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We loved visiting the <a href="https://www.kaiyukan.com/language/eng/">aquarium, Kaiyukan</a>. It is a spiral building with its marine ecosystems structured to follow the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Fire">Pacific ring of fire,</a> a major area in the <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_basin" title="Ocean basin">basin</a> of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ocean" title="Pacific Ocean">Pacific Ocean</a> where many <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake" title="Earthquake">earthquakes</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Types_of_volcanic_eruptions" title="Types of volcanic eruptions">volcanic eruptions</a> occur. In a large 40,000 km (25,000 mi) horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanic_trench" title="Oceanic trench">oceanic trenches</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_arc" title="Volcanic arc">volcanic arcs</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_belt" title="Volcanic belt">volcanic belts</a> and plate movements. It has 452 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano" title="Volcano">volcanoes</a> (more than 75% of the world's active and <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormant_volcano" title="Dormant volcano">dormant volcanoes</a>).<br />
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The <a href="http://www.tenzoo.jp/english/tennnouji.html">Tennoji zoo</a> is quite basic but the girls had lots of fun and the Polar bear and seals seemed happy which is always a good sign. The emblematic Osaka castle is a beautiful place to visit, you can also take a little boat tour or have ice cream while you walk (the only acceptable food to eat while walking)<br />
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Visiting<a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nara_(stad)"> Nara </a>is a must. Deer are believed to be sacred messengers and so they are left free to roam around the city and park adjacent to the temple. You will find street vendors selling deer cookies , which the deer will happily come and snatch from you , but not before elegantly bowing their heads. I was a bit concerned about Lyme disease but according to the authorities* the deer are free of the <i>Borrelia </i>infection for which they are continuously screened. The infectious ticks are not passed from deer to human, rather they go from tall grass to a mammal passing buy (this means you are most likely getting bitten from hiking in the forest than from being close to animals). The areas where these tick are, supposedly, are further in the North. It does not hurt to wear long sleeves and screen for ticks after hiking in the forest, making sure to check warm places and body pleats. If the ticks are removed correctly within the first 24 hrs. the chances.of infection are very low.<br />
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As for Tokyo, you won't get tired of activities to do with children. I mean you can even go Mario-karting through the city. If you want to go to <a href="http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/">Ghibli Museum </a>don't be like us and book in advance. We went all the way there only to find out it was closed for renovations... and then it started raining dogs and cats. Later we found out that bookings are preferred since they want you to experience the magic world of Miyazake without crowds so only a limited amount of tickets are sold in 2 hour slots. <br />
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In Tokyo you can also visit <a href="http://www.kidzania.jp/tokyo/en/">Kidzania</a>, the city for children, and again, a zoo and aquarium (which we did not visit as we went to all those things in Osaka). The man made island of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odaiba">Odaiba</a> is quite a fun place to visit with the children. Just the train that takes you there is amazing. It is a circular train from which you can see landmarks of Japan's architecture like the world s biggest ferry wheel and the rainbow bridge and the Fuji building. There are malls, giant robots, a toys'r us (oh the childhood memories), a replica of the statue of liberty and many museums. <a href="https://borderless.teamlab.art/">Teamlab Borderless</a>, a group of artworks that form one borderless world where artworks move out of
rooms, communicate with other works, influence, and sometimes
intermingle with each other with no boundaries is also there in Daiba.<br />
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Visiting the statue of Hachiko, the loyal dog who waited for his owner days and days, at Shibuya station (exit 8) is also a nice thing to do with children as you can tell them the story and later read a book or watch the movie together.<br />
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If you want to see the crazy, pop, cosplay Japan the place to be is Yoyogi park on Sunday afternoons. Once there visit the Meiji Shrine and continue to Takashita street where you can get giant , rainbow cotton candy, the cutest ice-cream ever and all your souvenirs. On the same line, but on a different area is the <a href="http://kawaiimonster.jp/">Kawaii monster cafe</a>, a cathedral of kitsch with its rainbow pasta, blue ice cream, unicorn decorations and happy music. It is like a club but totally child friendly.<br />
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Other children specific activities are of course Tokyo Disneyland and <a href="https://en.puroland.jp/">Sanrio Puroland park</a>, for those crazy about Hello Kitty. <a href="https://www.kiseichu.org/e-top">The Meguro parasite museum</a> might also be a hit with school children who are not afraid of being grossed out. You will never look at your udon noodles in the same way after visiting.<br />
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All in all we tried to do the same type of activities we would do with our girls back home: look for parks and playgrounds, walk a lot, have picnics, talk about culture and the lives of people, visit museums, live the city.<br />
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And voilà, these are our best kid-specific recommendations for visiting Japan. Have you been there? Did we miss anything?<br />
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*This was <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/topics/regarding-lyme-disease-in-nara-japan">the official (and quite vague) statement of the prefecture of Nara,</a> on a rather old post in the Lonely Planet website: "I<i>n Japan, since the first case of Lyme disease was reported in 1986,
several hundreds cases have been reported. The disease is mainly found
in the northern half of Japan (particularly in Hokkaido and Nagano
Prefecture), while no cases of Lyme disease have been recorded in Nara
Prefecture (Nara City). As for the deer in Nara Park, please rest
assured that we keep close watch for any abnormalities through patrols
and other means. Furthermore, there have thus far been no reports
regarding Lyme disease traced to the deer of Nara Park or the ticks they
may host (confirmed with the National Institute of Infectious Disease).
While keeping an eye on trends in Lyme disease outbreaks, we endeavor
to gather information with a scientific foundation.</i>" Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-89706618967842256492018-11-16T14:09:00.002+01:002018-11-16T20:20:16.788+01:00Japan: impressions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We spent the last 3 weeks in Japan with our two daughters. As we adapt to our routines and the chilly weather that welcomed us, I wanted to take a moment to write about our trip, Mark's dream. He has been a fan of manga and anime for a very long time (still watches at any chance he gets) and that incited his curiosity for the country and its culture. On my end I have to admit I always felt a bit strongly towards their policies regarding whaling and overfishing in foreign waters and as such, though -the contradiction- I always loved the food, I had a certain reticence towards Japan.<br />
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Going to Japan was being in a constant state of fascination, everything was new, everything was different. It was like being a kid in a candy shop for the first time, or truly, like being inside one of those cartoons. It really is exactly as you see it depicted (and the food tastes just as good as it looks).<br />
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Contrary to what stereotypes may lead you to believe -we imagined the Japanese as quiet and reserved- the people were so open and welcoming it made us smile every time. Particularly in Osaka, which seemed a more family-centered city than Tokyo. We would walk around playgrounds or temples and it was palpable that the curiosity we felt towards them was mutual.<br />
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I particularly remember a group of school-aged children sitting and playing some kind of card-game at a park , how they came towards my daughter, asked her her name, how old she was. Other mothers and old ladies in the train would constantly comment on how sweet our girls' were, exclaiming: "kawaii, kawaii". We thought the opposite, little boys and girls in uniforms with their matching hats and teenagers in sailor dresses were one of the main subjects I photographed.<br />
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Everything was cute. So overwhelmingly cute, from ads at the metro station, to milk and toothpaste packaging as well as billboards, there really is a cult of kawaii, cute innocence, according to some, as a reaction to the chaotic and often pessimistic state of life and the world, and the constant catastrophes (earthquakes, fires, wars) that Japan has had to endure. Basically kawaii would be the equivalent to that other k word, kitsch, as defined by Milan Kundera: "...the<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "nimbus sans l" , "arial" , "liberation sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> aesthetic ideal of the categorical agreement with being in a world in which shit is denied and everyone acts as though it did not exist. This aesthetic ideal is called kitsch. … </span><b style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kitsch is the absolute denial of shit, in both the literal and the figurative senses of the word; kitsch excludes everything from its purview which is essentially unacceptable in human existence."</b><br />
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And life really does seem hectic in Japan: we saw people, men and women alike, working long hours, sometimes leaving the office at 21:00 pm. However some things -like eating- are sacred and they really did take the time for a break. Scattered around the city there were eateries, high-end, low-cost and everything in between where people would eat sitting down in groups or alone (in little cabins).<br />
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But you would never see people walking around while eating. Food is a pleasure and a moment of peace. Eating on the go is a big faux-pas, it is considered unpolite and just not done which is why even small shops of takeaway food had chairs and sometimes a couple of tables for that purpose.<br />
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We knew this but it still shocked us: the public transport system in Japan is large and complex. It is operated by several companies, train and subway lines, some that ride in circles. There are certain stations like Shinjuku where 2 million people circulate every day. Some of these stations had 8 levels underground and at each level you would find shops and restaurants. It was so easy to get lost, hard to find elevators or the nearest exit. Truly a labyrinth. However what makes it somehow easier to navigate is the fact that each line has a letter and each station a number, it is easier to think in terms of "we're at C5 and going to C11" than trying to read Japanese. Also, if you have a good ear, each station is identifiable by its own melody. We did avoid to travel at peak hours, travelling with 2 small children, but the little that we saw was not more impressive than the subway of Mexico city.<br />
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The food really was delicious, exquisite, even from fast-food chains or takeaway convenience stores. It is exactly as you expect it from watching cartoon characters enjoying Udon or other delicacies. It is also rather affordable, fresh and high quality. We could have a family picnic lunch made of Onigiri (filled rice-balls), Yakitori (marinated chicken skewers) and a sandwich for 7 EUR for the 4 of us. Fruit, however was extremely expensive. I remember trying to buy a small bunch of grapes for our girls for 15 EUR, which is crazy given that I buy double that amount for 3 EUR here in The Netherlands. So we only got bananas and mandarins, which were still more expensive than what we are used to but not extremely so.<br />
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We loved going to parks and playgrounds, loved to see and interact with other families, and of course have our girls play and crawl a bit. Another remarkable thing is that most public toilets had this gadget where you could hang the baby while you used the facilities. There were separate nursing rooms complete with diaper changing stations at almost every shop and station.<br />
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An aspect of Japanese culture that fascinated me was a certain elegance that was almost spiritual, an importance of rituals and little details, of joy in tiny, little everyday things. We would see people at the end of their day picking up their bread at fancy bakeries, having it wrapped with the uttermost care.<br />
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Or old ladies taking their time to pick cookies at a pastry shop, getting to try them while sipping a little cup of tea and then taking them home wrapped in beautiful paper and ribbon.<br />
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There are of course all the things the Japanese are famous for: origami (it was the sweetest to see old men and ladies making origami to pass time at temples or at the airplane on our flight back), bathing at hot springs, the ceremony of tea, and all the details moms put into preparing Bento (lunch) boxes, for which all kind of gadgets are available.<br />
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The Japanese are also incredibly stylish, you can tell they pay importance to every aspect, and though the lines are simple and the colors neutral it all goes together for a very clean look: the girls would wear long A- line skirts with tights , sneakers and oversized sweaters. I thought I would go all out shopping there, but most of the clothes we saw were quite expensive, even those for children. <br />
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We stayed in Osaka and Tokyo, and made short day trips to Kyoto and Nara. I hope I get the time soon to write about our daily itineraries and all the things we saw in each place. Have you been in Japan? What impressed you the most?<br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-47586784812137252102018-07-17T17:30:00.000+02:002018-07-17T17:30:10.528+02:00Reading again: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng<br />
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Oh, reading how much I miss you. I am such a cliché of motherhood, always running like a headless chicken, leaving a million little chores halfway through because someone started crying or fell down or needed attention and that is how I spend my days. So when I have some actual time I am also dead tired and I just either fall asleep or space out.<br />
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Anyhow, the other day I actually won a giveaway! <a href="https://www.abc.nl/">The American Book center</a> kindly raffled a signed copy of <a href="https://www.celesteng.com/little-fires-everywhere/">Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng</a> (thank you!) and I was so curious about it: the stories and descriptions of motherhood, of subversion, of disregard of the status quo.<br />
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The book sucked me right in. It took me less than 2 weeks to finish it, I don't know how I managed, I stole every little moment available. It is so good. So good, so good, so good. First of all the story takes place sometime at the end of the 1990's, the main characters are kids who were all born between 1980-1986 (like me) and are high-school students at the time the story takes place. So all the cultural references to music and political events that frame the events in the book: the president's scandal with an intern; music groups like Boyz II men, Alanis Morisette, Aerosmith; hints to what was in fashion are all things I grew up with.<strike> I feel so old writing this.</strike> I also loved the fact that the parents were part of the generation of the late 1960's, so there are slight mentions to the protests and fights of the time. That is a subject that has always fascinated and appealed to me, maybe because I did not actually live those days. Perhaps I look at them with a certain naïveté, but it seems to me that the youth's ideals back then were so transparent and pure, that they really believed in change, that a better world was possible and they were out to make it happen... unlike the somehow cynical attitudes of the young of today: lost and perplexed after having seen socialism fail and simultaneously experiencing the ravages of imperialism, capitalism, extreme neo-liberalism. Defeated? Resigned?<br />
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Then there is also one of the main themes of the book, so painful, so close: motherhood and who deserves it and why. And is it even a matter of deserving?<br />
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So here are, at random, some of my favorite parts. <br />
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-When Elena Richardson describes her experiences of having a very early premature baby.<a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.com/2014/02/yulias-birth-story.html"> It brought it all back</a> in words I could never have put together myself:<br />
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<i>"Despite these precautions, Izzy had arrived precipitously soon thereafter, making her appearance -eleven weeks early- an hour after her mother arrived at the hospital. <b>Mrs. Richardson would remember the next few months only as a vague, terrifying haze. Of the logistical details, she remembered only a little. She remembered Izzy curled in a glass box, a net of purple veins under salmon-colored skin. She remembered watching her youngest through the portholes in the incubator, nearly pressing her nose to the glass to be sure Izzy was still breathing. She remembered shuttling back and forth between home and the hospital, </b>whenever she could leave her oldest three in the capable hands of the housekeeper -nap time, lunchtime, an hour here and there- and when the nurses allowed it, cradling Izzy against her: first in her two cupped hands, then in the hollow between her breasts, and finally -as Izzy grew stronger and filled out and began to look more like a baby- in her arms.</i><br />
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<i>For Izzy did grow, despite her early start, she displayed a tenacity of will that even the doctors remarked upon. She tugged at her IV; she uprooted her feeding tube. When the nurses came to change her, she kicked her thumb-sized feet and hollered so loudly the babies in nearby incubators woke and joined in. "Nothing wrong with her lungs", the doctors told the Richardsons, though they warned a host of other problems that might arise: jaundice, anemia, vision issues, hearing loss. Mental retardation. Heart defects. Seizures. Cerebral palsy. When Izzy finally came home -two weeks after her scheduled due date- this list would be one of the few things Mrs. Richardson would recall about her time in the hospital. A list of things she would scan Izzy for over the next decade: Did Izzy simply not notice things, or was she going blind? Was she ignoring her mother out of stubbornness, or was she going deaf? Was her skin looking a bit yellow? Was she looking a bit pale? If Izzy's hand, reaching to add a stacking ring to her toy, fumbled, Mrs Richardson found herself clutching the arms of her chair. Was it a tremor, or just a child learning the complicated business of managing her own fingers?</i><br />
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<i>Everything Mrs. Richardson had put out of her mind from the hospital stay -<b>everything she thought she'd forgotten- her body remembered on a cellular level: the rush of anxiety, the fear that permeated her thoughts of Izzy.</b> The microscopic focus on each thing Izzy did, turning it this way and that, scrutinizing it for signs of weakness of disaster. Was she just a poor speller, or was this a sign of mental impairment? Was her handwriting just messy, was she just bad at arithmetic, were her temper tantrums normal, or was it something worse? As time went on, the concern unhooked itself from the fear and took on a life of its own. She had learned, with Izzy's birth, how your life could trudle along on its safe little track and then, with no warning, skid spectacularly off course." ANGER IS FEAR'S BODYGUARD, a poster in the hospital had read, nut MRs Richardson had never noticed it".</i><br />
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-Also, this description of parenthood:<br />
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"<i>To a parent, your child wasn't just a person: your child was a place,a kind of Narnia, a vast eternal place where the present you were living and the past you remembered and the future you longed for all existed at once. You could see it every time you looked at her: layered in her face was the baby she'd been and the child she'd become and the adult she would grow up to be, and you saw them all simultaneously, like a 3-D image. It made your head spin. It was a place you could take refuge, if you knew how to get in. And each time you left it,each time your child passed out of your sight, you feared you might never be ale to return to that place again</i>."<br />
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-Then this part:<br />
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"<i>But three generations of Shaker reverence for order and rules and decorum would stay with Elena, too, and she would never quite be able to bring those two ideas into balance. In 1968, at fifteen, she turned on the television and watched chaos flaring up across the country like brush fires. Martin Luther King, Jr., then Bobby Kennedy. Students in revolt at Columbia. Riots in Chicago, Memphis, Baltimore, D.C. -everywhere, everywhere, things were falling apart. Deep inside her a spark kindled, a spark that would flare in Izzy years later. Of course she understood why this was happening: they were fighting to right injustices. But part of her shuddered at the scenes on the television screen. Grainy scenes, but no less terrifying: grocery stores ablaze, smoke billowing from their rooftops, walls gnawed to studs by flame. The jagged edges of smashed windows like fangs in the night. Soldiers marching with rifles past drugstores and Laundromats. Jeeps blocking intersections under dead traffic lights. Did you have to burn down the old to make way for the new? The carpet at her feet was soft. The sofa beneath her was patterned with roses. Outside, a mourning dove cooed from the bird feeder and a Cadillac glided to a dignified stop at the corner. She wondered which was the real world. </i><br />
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<i>The following spring, when antiwar protests broke out, she did not get in her car and drive to join them. She wrote impassioned letters to the editor; she signed petitions to end the draft. She stitched a peace sign onto her knapsack. She wove flowers into her hair. </i><br />
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<i>It was not that she was afraid. It was simply that Shaker Heights, despite its idealism, was a pragmatic place, and she did not know how to be anything else. A lifetime of practical and comfortable considerations settled atop the spark inside her like a thick, heavy blanket. If she ran off to Washington to join the protests, where would she sleep? How would she stay safe? What would become of her classes, would she be expelled, could she still graduate and go to college? The spring of their senior year, Jamie Reynolds had pulled her aside after history class one day. "I'm dropping out", he said. "Going to California. Come with me." She had adored Jamie since the seventh grade, when he had admired a sonnet she'd written for English. Now, at almost eighteen, he had long hair and a shaggy beard, a dislike for authority, a VW van in which, he said, they could live. "Like camping out", he'd said, "except we can go anywhere," and she had wanted so badly to go with him, anywhere, to kiss that crooked, bashful smile. But how would they pay for food, where would they do their laundry, where would they bathe? What would her parents say? The neighbors, her teachers, her friends? She'd kissed Jamie on the cheek and cried when, at last, he was out of sight. (...)She had no regrets, she told herself. She'd been crazy to have considered it even for a moment. (...) All her life, she had learned that passion, like fire, was a dangerous thing. It so easily went out of control. It scaled walls and jumped over trenches. Sparks leapt like fleas and spread as rapidly; a breeze could carry embers for miles. Better to control that spark and pass it carefully from one generation to the next, like an Olympic torch. Or, perhaps, to tend it carefully like an eternal flame:; a reminder of light and goodness that would never -could never- set anything ablaze. Carefully controlled. Domesticated. Happy in captivity. This philosophy had carried her through life. Rules existed for a reason: if you followed them, you would succeed; if you didn't you might burn the world to the ground."</i><br />
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And this excerpt in Mia and Mrs. Richardsons final conversation:<br />
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"<i>It bothers you doesn't it?" Mia said suddenly. " I think you can't imagine. Why anyone would choose a different life from the one you've got. Why anyone might want something other than a big house with a big lawn, a fancy car, a job in an office. Why anyone would choose anything different than what you'd choose": Mow it was her turn to study Mrs. Richardson, as if the key to understanding her were coded into her face. "It terrifies you. That you missed out on something. That you gave up something you didn't know you wanted". A sharp, pitying smile pinched up the corners of her lips. "What was it? Was it a boy? Was it a vocation? Or was it a whole life</i>?"<br />
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Have you read the book, did you like it? Which were your favorite parts? Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-32539922417019984772018-04-29T07:56:00.003+02:002018-04-29T18:46:26.380+02:00Breastfeeding clothes I love<br />
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<a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2014/09/i-am-dory-i-am-mad-hatter-i-am-headless.html">I breastfed </a>my first daughter but our start was so hectic and chaotic with <a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2014/02/yulias-birth-story.html">her premature birth </a>that I did not even have my breastfeeding bras ready when she was born. I started using triangle bikini tops and slowly I got used to breastfeeding in public by wearing a tank top and whatever blouse I wanted to wear on top. I did the same tank top trick with regular dresses by wearing shorts underneath. It never even occurred to me to stop and look for specific clothes for breastfeeding eventhough I breastfed her for almost 2 years (<a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2016/04/night-weaning-our-toddler-at-24-months.html">the last months mostly at night</a>). <br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6m7fVEl-Mi0/WuSxDeR0-qI/AAAAAAAAFpM/ChrTLO7otYg7_IxUtGfZB6H_y3fTVLmXgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170830_194755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6m7fVEl-Mi0/WuSxDeR0-qI/AAAAAAAAFpM/ChrTLO7otYg7_IxUtGfZB6H_y3fTVLmXgCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170830_194755.jpg" width="240" /></a>This time around a very close friend told me -when I was about 36 weeks pregnant- she had a bag full of pregnancy summer dresses and breastfeeding tops she could give me. It was like a whole world of magic opened up in that plastic bag.<br />
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Turns out you can breastfeed discreetly and pretty much hassle-free with cute and properly designed clothes (that basically have a small opening for the breast and nothing else, so people can barely even notice you are breastfeeding). With this information and knowing I would be breastfeeding for a while I decided to research and invest in some blouses (and a dress or two) and it has totally been worth it. I thought I would share my finds <br />
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I really like the selection from<a href="http://www.asos.com/women/maternity/nursing/cat/?cid=19764"> ASOS nursing</a>. It is not crazy expensive and they have some pretty fun and modern models, particularly for tops and t-shirts.<br />
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<a href="https://www.seraphine.com/eu/nursing-clothes.html">Seraphine</a> also has a nursing selection. They are pretty pricey, but the clothes have very good design, high quality and last a long time. For me it has been worth it and my absolutely favorite top (<a href="https://www.seraphine.com/eu/coral-modal-maternity-nursing-top.html">this coral blouse</a> that I want to get to everyone as soon as they have a baby) is made by them, I am just slightly sad that the blue and white print they used to have it in is sold out.<br />
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I got a red and white striped pregnancy/nursing summer dress (that turned out to be too short for me, but I am tall) and a white and navy dress that I used for Lai's baptism and I will be reusing for a wedding later this year.<br />
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<a href="http://www.boobdesign.com/">BOOB design</a> has a more casual and sporty vibe. I got a sky blue sweatshirt, it has a very soft flannel inside at the chest level. It is perfect for travel and comfy days at home. They also have sweaters and dresses that I still want to try!<br />
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Another brand that I like is <a href="https://www.milkernursing.com/shop/frontpage.html">Milker nursing</a>, I really like their dresses, maybe I will be getting another one soon. I have not tried<a href="https://latchedmama.com/"> Latched mama</a> but I also like their clothes and they seem to be properly made. Last but not least I have 2 or 3 basic nursing tops from H&M, the classic navy striped ones. They are ok, I have been wearing them a lot for everyday use. Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-78497180874439500702018-02-17T08:45:00.001+01:002018-02-17T10:53:32.910+01:00Brussels: my favorite shops<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've been going to Brussels for day trips almost every year for the last 4 or 5 years. It is the perfect destination for a short day outside of The Netherlands and the instant feeling that you are on a holiday at a different country. From walking the city over and over again we have a few spots that we keep coming back to as well as some others that are new finds. So I thought I'd make a list of my favorite little shops in Brussels:<br />
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- Let's start with the most important thing, namely, chocolate! We found the quaintest little shop, with boxes reminiscent of the time of Marie Antoinette. The chocolate is still made in an artisanal way. You will find them right in front of Manneken Pis. It's called "<a href="https://www.mary.be/">Mary</a>". My favorite is their dark chocolate infused in Earl Grey Tea, I think it's called a Windsor. (<b>28b Rue du Lombard, 1000 Brussels</b>)<br />
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-Another favorite is "<a href="https://www.thegrasshopper.be/">The Grasshoper</a>". This is a dream of a toyshop. It is a two-story beautiful building and you can find every type of toy for all ages: puzzles, play kitchens, wooden toys, scientific toys and so much more. They also have a small section on clothes, disguises and cutlery / water bottles / lunchboxes. (<b>Grasmarkt 39-43,
1000 Brussels</b>)</div>
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- My personal heaven though is "<a href="http://www.lewolf.be/">Le Wolf</a>", a children-bookshop with a café and cultural center. It is the cutest place ever, you can even have tea at little red riding hood's kitchen. They have a jukebox or children illustrated stories . It is a little house, perfect for children, where an off voice narrates the story.<a href="https://serendipityliteratura.blogspot.nl/2018/01/descubriendo-le-wolf-en-bruselas.html"> I wrote a whole post on them in Serendipity</a> (a new space where I write in Spanish about children's books). You will find them right around the Grand Place <b>18/20 rue de la Violette, 1000 Brussels.</b><br />
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- Then, my most recent find: "<a href="https://www.mofelitopaperito.com/">Mofelito Paperito</a>"a shop entirely dedicated to paper goods, cards and stationery, with a couple of books as well. They had cards, cardstock, papers, pencils. We got a fill-in calendar made of recycled poster material and I am still dreaming of an illustrated edition of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales that I saw and didn't get. (<b>Spoormakersstraat - Rue des Eperonniers 19, 1000 Brussels)</b></div>
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-Last but not least, "<a href="http://www.auxmerveilleux.com/home_nl/">Aux merveilleux de Fred</a>". A merveilleux is basically a giant sandwich made of meringue, filled with whipped cream and topped in chocolate or other toppings (like crushed cherries, pistacchio nuts, etc). We first encountered a merveilleux in <a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2012/08/a-weekend-in-lille.html">Lille</a>, they are the boy's favorite. Now at least they make them in small bite sizes. (<span class="_Xbe"><b>Grasmarkt Straat 7, 1000 Brussel, België</b>)</span><br />
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-We also love to go to the shopping mall <a href="http://www.city2.be/">City 2</a> (<b>Nieuwstraat 123, 1000 Brussel</b>). They used to have a <a href="https://www.mothercare.com/">Mothercare</a>, the only one in the continent, but I am not quite sure it is still there. If so, you will find everything related to babies at good prices and great quality. There is also a <a href="https://www.fnac.com/">FNAC.</a> We always go and wander inside for fun, so many books, gadgets, a place where you can still listen to music. In the shopping streets around there are other shops I love <a href="http://www.dpam.com/">Du pareil au même</a> and<a href="https://www.kickers.com/fr/"> Kickers</a>.<br />
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Are there any shops that you like to visit when you travel?Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-80121773273911601482018-01-20T08:44:00.000+01:002018-01-20T13:02:56.691+01:00A My Little Pony birthday party<br />
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I cant' believe my little girl is already 4. She is starting official school next week. This week has been an emotional one, full with festivities and goodbye parties: at ballet lesson, at her beloved daycare, with her friends and at home. She has changed so much in the last year. I feel when she was 3 there was still some baby left in her and this year she just -shook it all off. She became a girl in full. The conversations that she has, the way she loves to dance, how she expresses her strong opinions.<br />
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This year she requested a My Little Pony birthday party. I love that they are back in fashion because I loved them so much as a little girl. We even brought a couple of ponys that I used to play with to use in her buffet table as decoration.I just set a table full of snacks: rainbow fruit-skewers; mozzarella-basil-cherry tomato snacks; crackers; hummus, baba-ganoush and tzatziki; Dutch cheese squares; ham and cheese and cucumber and cream-cheese sandwiches; fuet, serrano ham and other cold meat cuts and an assortment of cut veggies.<br />
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I went all out with a cake, this time it had 3 tiers, the bottom and the top one were chocolate-raspberry and the middle one was rainbow cake with colorful sprinkles. I had been wanting to make one for so long, my dear friend <a href="https://marcelamacias.com/">Marcela </a>gave me the tip and I invested <a href="http://www.wilton.com/easy-layers-round-cake-pan-set/2105-0112.html">in this set of pans</a> which make the task a lot easier. The cake came out pretty high with the recipe for 1 cake. I covered it in sprinkles using<a href="https://www.tablespoon.com/posts/how-to-cover-a-cake-with-sprinkles"> those tutorials</a> that have been going around for a while. I also made lemon-raspberry cupcakes with a gummy rainbow on top.<br />
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We ordered the piñata from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/littlewingatelier/">Little Wing Piñata Atelier</a>. Viri is an artist and she didn't disappoint. She is now delivering to all of Europe so really, contact her, she can make any character you want and has already made most of the popular characters for children (Cars, Paw Patrol, Angry Birds, etc). <a href="https://unaregiaenbicicleta.wordpress.com/">The amazingly crafty Marcia</a> from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/handmade.withloveNL">Handmade with Love</a> is also pretty good and has you covered for any and all of your party needs (favors, piñatas, decorations, cake, cookies, snacks).<br />
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I set a table with coloring pages that I downloaded<a href="http://www.momjunction.com/articles/my-little-pony-coloring-pages_0099377/"> here </a>with some colors, crayons, tempera, markers and other art supplies and they were a huge success. We also played "pin the tail on Rainbow Dash" and it was fun.<br />
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I printed <a href="http://www.momjunction.com/articles/my-little-pony-coloring-pages_0099377/">these masks</a> in cardboard for the kids to take home, hopefully they liked them (a big shout out and thank you to<a href="https://iwatchthemgrow.com/free-printable-my-little-pony-masks/"> Courtney from I watch them grow</a> who kindly made them available to download). As favors I made Mexican-mosaic gelatin (recipe coming later): a dessert made of colorful squares of Jello inside a sweet milk gelatin. We gave them in Little Pony glasses that can be reused at home.<br />
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I think the kids really enjoyed the day, as much as my girl did and I dare say the parents. It was so lovely to have friends and family on such a special day and I am beyond grateful to have been able to build this community around our girls.<br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-18704015485477541012017-12-28T09:07:00.001+01:002017-12-28T09:07:27.806+01:00The Ice-Cream world tour: Lisbon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We recently went on a weekend trip to Lisbon. It was the boy's birthday too. Just as we were walking one of Lisbon's steep streets, after we played at a small park we found the perfect place to celebrate: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GelatoMu/">Gelato Mú.</a><br />
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Its decoration is simple, clean and pretty in white, light green and natural wood. It is long enough to fit our stroller (several actually, as another family came after us) and you can peek at their small kitchen / factory to see how they actually make the ice-cream. They only use fruits that are in season. They use a process of ice-cream making in which the ice-cream sits a whole night to make the flavours just more intense and guarantee the perfect texture.<br />
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I had a strawberry milkshake, we also tested chocolate (we are classic, I guess) and we had to have the tiramisu as well.<br />
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I wish we could have stayed to try all their flavours. You will find them at <span class="_2ieo"><b>Campo Martires da Patria 50</b> in Lisbon very close to Jardim do Campo Santana. </span><br />
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<span class="_2ieo">Highly recommended! </span><br />
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<span class="_2ieo"><br /></span>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-59740913615908278702017-12-23T09:24:00.003+01:002017-12-24T11:11:23.453+01:00Building our Christmas traditions<br />
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This year the tree was in place early, before the husband's request to only set it until <i>after</i> his birthday because the toddler was insisting. There is something magic about lighting candles, taking out meaningful ornaments, looking forward to the light.<br />
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I have slowly started to build our little family's traditions. On the 24 I always, always make<a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2011/12/my-moms-spinach-and-ricotta-lasagne.html"> </a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">my mom's Spinach-Ricotta lasagne</a>. The 25 in the morning we go to mass at the English speaking church. It is a very festive, joyful celebration, full of children and families of many nationalities. This year on the 26 we are also going to see a children's ballet perform "The Swan lake". Earlier in the season we already went to see "The nutcracker".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.russianballetacademy.nl/gallery">Photo from the Academy on Classical Russian Ballet of The Hague</a></td></tr>
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I am learning so much from being the mother of our little Yu. She is crazy about ballet so that makes me research and learn with her. I knew the music from the nutcracker (mostly from Fantasia) but I did not know the story. We got her <a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-78603-068-9">this book</a> (must be the book of the season because the English version is sold out everywhere) that explains the story and has little buttons to play the music and it is well... magic to see her dance and recognize the parts of the story that go with each piece. <br />
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We also organize a yearly<a href="https://www.tripsavvy.com/christmas-posadas-tradition-in-mexico-1588744"> posada,</a> that is a Mexican celebration that represents the time when the Holy Family arrived in Bethlehem for the Roman census to ask for shelter. It is complete with a piñata and kids holding candles outside while they sing a special song.<br />
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Yulia has been very interested in the story of baby Jesus and so we have started a small collection of books on the subject. I particularly love Mischa Damjan's <a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7358-1505-6">"The little seahorse and the christmas pearl"</a> an allegory which narrates the journey of the little seahorse on his way to deliver a special present to the "christmas child" who was born at a stable in the name of all the sea creatures. I have also started collecting different handcrafted nativity sets or crèches. Whenever we visit a church we look for the "nacimientos". <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apparently they all went conga dancing.</td></tr>
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We also set the chrismas stockings my mom made by the window, for lack of a chimney. It is hard not to succumb to the consumerism of the season, I am guilty of wanting everything I see, from that lovely scarf, to those earrings, to another costume for the toddler (dressup play is so fun), another couple of books and on and on and on. There are also 3 magical entities that show up with presents between the 5 of December and the 6 of January (Sinterklaas, Baby Jesus/the angels and the 3 kings), closely followed by Y's birthday in January.<br />
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However we have tried to follow the famous formula Want-Wear-Need-Read and we try to make sure that the girls get only 1 present per occasion. That means they will both get fancy matching dresses on the 24th, plus some Duplo for the toddler and a little thermos for the baby (how is she already on solid food!); on the 25th the angels/baby Jesus will bring them a book, and the 3 kings will bring a toy to learn electricity for the toddler and some little boats to play during bath time for the baby. I tried to keep it simple and somehow it still feels like a lot.<br />
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Lastly, we really enjoy looking at the lights, christmas trees and decorations in the city. Last Friday we took a stroll around The Hague just to marvel at the lights.<br />
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What Christmas traditions do you and your family have? I wish you all the happiest holidays, all the light and love and peace.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pope is thinking what am I even doing here?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magic fairy lights in one of Lisbon's main shopping streets .</td></tr>
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-30314547223918077602017-12-22T12:52:00.005+01:002018-01-15T18:13:27.930+01:00Try-day Friday<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't mind the mess in the back. I am really bad at selfies. Also, the skirt needs ironing.</td></tr>
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A few days ago I received an email from Ashby from <a href="https://www.dia.com/how-it-works">Dia&Co</a> challenging me to find confidence through fashion and inviting me to join their series Try-day Friday, the idea being to step out of the box to try new styles; new outfits, things that you own and never wear.<br />
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Lately I have been in a bit of a rut, fashion wise. I am such a cliché. I literally wake up have my coffee, shower and run, run, run. By the time the girls are asleep I am so ready to crash as well (and I often do). I have never been someone to spend hours and hours in front of the mirror, but now I do it even less. Between the cold weather and the time it takes to actually take clothes out of the closet<i> </i>I am always wearing jeans, a warm fleece sweatshirt and tennis shoes or boots. All the time. So I thought this would be a fun thing to do.<br />
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We recently took a long-weekend trip to Lisbon and I was happy to find tights in bright crazy colors (pink, yellow, green!) as opposed to the gray, brown, black, and if you are lucky, red, that you can find here in The Netherlands. My Bolivan best friend, the historian who now lives in Barcelona inherited me this brown tulip skirt with pockets that is not something I would have chosen myself. Out of ignorance, I guess. It is high-waisted. I think my fashion soul stayed in the 90's because I always tend to pick clothes that fit at the hips. I decided to wear it with my new tights, a colorful silicone teething necklace I got from my <a href="http://www.weehermione.com/">dear and bright friend Hayley </a>and some colorful sneakers I once found at an airport. Then, inspired by the lovely <a href="https://www.instagram.com/asafemooring/">Kirsty</a> I painted my nails bright pink and added glitter to make it festive. What have you been wearing lately? <br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-27088309587477580822017-12-12T11:33:00.004+01:002017-12-12T11:33:39.764+01:00Our Bapao recipe<br />
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It's been so long since I posted a recipe, but this one I had to share. They are one of the husband's favorite foods and I don't want to forget the recipe (given to me by my mother in law).<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakpau">Bapaos</a> (Bakpau or Bah-Pau) are small, round steamed breads filled with meat or chicken. Their origin is Chinese, through Indonesian cuisine they became popular also in The Netherlands. They are often eaten with sweet chilli sauce or ketchup, though this is not common practice in China. The name probably comes from the Chinese <i>pao</i> (包) that means bread.<br />
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<b>Ingredients</b><br />
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1 kg. flour<br />
14 gr (2x 7gr. packages) dried yeast<br />
lukewarm water<br />
1 tbsp sugar<br />
a pinch of salt<br />
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400 gr. minced meat<br />
1 onion<br />
spices (seasoned salt, pepper, herbs)<br />
Oyster sauce<br />
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Wax paper <br />
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<b>What to do</b><br />
Mix the flour with the yeast and sugar. Add lukewarm water to form the dough (first about 500 ml) then keep adding until you reach the correct consistency: meaning it does not stick to your hands and you can form balls. <br />
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Let the dough rise, about 1 hour, depending on room temperature.<br />
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In the meantime, cook the filling. Here you can get creative as you can use pretty much any filling you want, from what I read some people even do sweet bapaos. We sautéed the onion until it became transparent, added the meat and seasoned it with salt, pepper, herbs and oyster sauce.<br />
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Once the dough has risen make little flat disks, fill them with a small amount of meat and close them to form balls. Then attach a small piece of wax paper to make sure they do not open while being steamed.<br />
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Arrange the bapaos in a steamer pan and let them cook. It took about 15 minutes for us.<br />
And voilà you are ready to enjoy! These warm little buns are a success with old and young, if my 3 year old will eat them you can be sure they are delicious. <br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-15560355875901632632017-10-06T13:19:00.000+02:002017-10-09T10:52:00.514+02:00Marks & Spencer leaves the continent<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.ad.nl/den-haag/marks-en-spencer-sluit-eind-oktober~a34d2aba/">Image via AD </a></td></tr>
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I know, I know. It is <a href="https://nltimes.nl/2016/11/08/british-marks-spencer-close-dutch-branches">old news</a> that<a href="https://www.ad.nl/den-haag/marks-en-spencer-sluit-eind-oktober~a34d2aba/"> M&S is leaving The Hague</a>. We heard they were closing down about a year ago but then it didn't happen and I kept secretly hoping their departure would be postponed forever.<br />
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Marks & Spencer opened in The Hague at the beginning of 2014, around the same time that our daughter Yu was born. I remember my parents coming back from the center on those first postpartum days with tubs of their lemon curd yoghurt. I didn't know it would become such an important place for us, one of our safe places in the city. They had the loveliest café, full of light, a view to the city, and a giant Escher painting. They served the nicest tea, cakes and of course scones with jam and clotted cream. Whenever we went for lunch there we always had their Tikka Masala chicken, with bread and mango chutney. Not only that but they had the most perfect -and private- changing room together with a giant breastfeeding seat. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lifeinthehague.com/2015/02/18/a-view-of-fishies-while-you-eat-or-m-c-escher/">Photo by Niki from Life in The Hague</a></td></tr>
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I have memories of so many coffee dates with friends there: Yu and one of her best friends M. learning to crawl and then racing down the ramp that led to the tables by the windows. Getting lunch with my mom just a couple of months ago, heavily pregnant and dead tired from walking the city, having smoothies with a friend that has now moved to Scotland. Searching the aisles for their Empress Grey tea (often out of stock), so loved by many. Buying jelly fruits, chocolate and even an amazing penguin-party-at-the-igloo cake for Christmas.<br />
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Last Wednesday I was walking the center and I saw they were having a clearance sale. As in, everything should go, <a href="http://denhaagfm.nl/2017/02/23/marks-spencer-sluit-op-31-oktober-filiaal-in-den-haag/">and then they leave</a>. It was so sad to enter the building, find the 2nd floor was already empty and most of the stuff was gone. No baby clothing left (aside from a pack of 5 bodies and some summer hats), not one sad box of tea (all tea! gone!), just some random things around. I asked a manager if they were really doing that bad, but he said the decision was made <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/08/29/marks--spencer-to-scale-back-overseas/">to close down all European Marks & Spencer shops</a>, not just the Dutch ones.<br />
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It feels so sad. I know I am not alone in the feeling. I know it's just a shop, but it feels a part of our early days is going. Are there places in your city that make you feel like home and bring you back to happy times?Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-78399437700975427462017-10-03T16:06:00.000+02:002017-10-03T16:19:27.125+02:00The morning coffee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Or how I am becoming my mother.<br />
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For as long as I can remember my mom would wake up and drink her cup of coffee before she even had breakfast, before anything happened. She would often say she could not function without it and would request nobody talk to her until she had it.<br />
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Now I understand. I have loved coffee for quite a long time, started drinking it regularly during my years at university, then stopped because it made me nervous, shaky, borderline psychotic, then came to see the ritual as a moment of calm, to be enjoyed with friends while talking. I almost completely stopped when we were struggling with infertility, then started again when Yu was born. I drank so many delicious lattes while going through the city during our long stroller walks. Most recently, when I was doing the working-mom run every morning I would reward myself with a proper Italian coffee at the train station on the days when I was able to quickly get it before running-running-running to get to the train and to the office on time. <br />
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Now that I am staying at home again and being ever-so-tired all the time I look forward to my coffee every morning. I don't want to say I need it but it really does wake me up and I enjoy every single sip. For it to happen I (or the loving husband) need to wake up very early, normally after the baby's first feeding, so that I can drink it before the get-ready-to-go-make-breakfast-pack lunch-dress-the-toddler-brush-teeth-here-are-your-shoes-put-on-your-jacket dance takes place.<br />
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We recently got a milk foamer and it has been the best kitchen gadget addition since... <a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2012/03/one-of-this.html">the KitchenAid </a>probably. We use it everyday, for the toddler's loved babyccinos as well, who now also drinks her "coffee" a cereal-based caffeine free alternative called <a href="https://www.avogel.nl/webwinkel/producten/Bambu-instant-cafeinevrije-koffie.php">Bambu</a>. <br />
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Do you have any morning rituals? Any favorite gadgets? What can't you live without?<br />
<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-5670320195221294052017-09-05T12:10:00.000+02:002017-09-05T15:22:11.742+02:00Luxembourg with small kids <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The first time we went to<a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2013/07/luxembourg.html"> Luxembourg</a> I was secretly 7 or 8 weeks pregnant,after <a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2013/06/bring-it-on-ivf.html">the IVF that brought us Yu</a>. During our long walks there we discovered the most amazing playground in a city park and we prayed we'd be able to come back with our children. It has the form of a giant pirate ship wreck and all around there are sand pits and water pumps where the kids can run around and get wet.<br />
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This summer my mom was with us for a couple of months and at the end of her stay we wanted to take a short weekend trip. We remembered Luxembourg and thought it would be a great place to visit.<br />
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Our first stop was of course that playground, at <a href="http://petitweb.lu/sorties_type/parc-municipal/">Parc de Monterey</a> (<b>45 Avenue Monterey, at the intersection between Avenue Monterey and Villa Louvigny</b>). It was a warm sunny day. That place is really paradise for the small ones.<br />
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Another fun thing to do with children is taking the "<a href="http://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/recommended-trips/tour/t/touristic-train-luxembourg-city?category=">Pétrusse express</a>", a little green train that takes you down to the old city, where you will see the Fortress and the main historical sights. Our 3.5 year old loved the experience. She also found it very amusing to listen to the explanations through the headphones. The train leaves every half an hour from <b>Montée de Clausen</b> near the <a href="http://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/place/castle/bock-casemates-luxembourg">Bock Casemates</a>.<br />
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While we were walking down in the <a href="http://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/travelguide/mediacenter?media=163">"Grund" quarter</a> we found yet another very-well-thought-of playground. Aside from the games for kids it had an outdoor gym, a super clean bathroom a hammock and the most amazing skate park, the perfect place to have a picnic.It is near <b>2 Rue de Saint-Quirin</b><br />
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If you need to breastfeed I fell in love with <a href="http://www.namur.lu/"> Namur</a> (27 rue de Capucins). It is a small pâtisserie-café that supplies the royal family (if it is good enough for them...). They have a changing table (though you do have to go up quite a few stairs) and the best strawberry milkshake ever. While we were there, at least another 3 moms were there with their small ones.<br />
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There is a small playground nearby and the cutest children clothing and toys shop, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/Palazzo-Kids-231726153540257/about/?ref=page_internal">Palazzo kids,</a> just in front (<b>30 rue de Capucins</b>). We also visited the famous "<a href="http://chocolate-house-bonn.lu/">Chocolate house"</a> (<b>20 rue marché aux Herbes</b>), right in front of the<a href="http://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/place/castle/palace-of-the-grand-dukes"> Grand Ducal palace</a>. Breakfast was nice, the hot chocolate is good, we loved the rock n'roll decoration in the 2nd floor, but for some reason the place was better in our memories.<br />
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When we first came to Luxembourg we met <a href="http://fionalynne.com/">Fiona and Rasmus</a> who took us for ice-cream at <a href="http://www.bargello.lu/online/www/content/philosophie/FRE/index.html">Bargello</a> (13-15 rue du Fort Elisabeth). Naturally, we had to go again. They have delicious gourmet ice-cream flavours. I had ricotta with fig and it was very, very good.<br />
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We really like the city, if you are in the area it is the perfect place to visit for a couple of days.<br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-68518745874489663452017-08-25T13:44:00.001+02:002017-08-25T13:52:41.032+02:00Laia Isabela's birth story <br />
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Our beautiful daughter Laia was born on June 30 at 10:50, weighing 3900 gr. and measuring 52 cm. when I was exactly 41 weeks pregnant. We had been waiting for so long. Every week after week 34 (<a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2014/02/yulias-birth-story.html">when her sister was born</a>) felt like a relief... until the point where I started to worry she would never come by herself. My mom arrived when I was almost 37 weeks. We really did not think I would make it past 38 weeks (my due date was June 23) and everybody joked that I would spend my birthday giving birth to this girl. But both dates came and went. We've had a lovely summer (for Dutch standards) and those last days were hard. I remember I could not sleep from the warmth, the back pain and the difficulty finding a comfortable position in bed, my feet were swollen and I felt enormous even when I kept walking and walking up until the very end. I did gain about 15 kg (I stopped weighing myself when I reached that point... I didn't want to know about any further weight, at around 38 weeks) eventhough I ate healthy food and kept active. I guess your body will do what it has to do.<br />
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On May 31st, timely coinciding with our 7th civil wedding anniversary, we went for what we expected to be a routine checkup only to realize that the baby was way up high touching my ribs (from being almost engaged in previous appointments) and since I was 36 weeks and 5 days and had tons of amniotic fluid (<a href="http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/polyhydramnios/Pages/polyhydramnios.aspx">polyhydroamnios</a>) the gynecologist recommended an <a href="http://www.webmd.com/baby/external-cephalic-version-version-for-breech-position">External Cephalic Version</a> (in other words, they turned the baby). It luckily went well and the girl stayed down for the rest of the pregnancy. At that point they started doing prenatal checkups very often. One week after that, just before I reached 38 weeks there was a day where I did not feel the baby move a lot and that raised all kinds of red flags. Since our girl seemed to be measuring "too big" and I had all that fluid they talked about starting an induction -right then and there- it was June 9. I was alone at the hospital, but I felt the baby was fine (I had been hearing her heartbeat all along) and still wanted a chance at labor starting spontaneously, when the time came. They had me checked for gestational diabetes, verified that the baby's blood and mine had not mixed during the EVC and monitored both of us. They ruled out all the known causes for polyhydroamnios, so that remained a mystery, but it was a relief as well. I had to go for fetal monitoring everyday from then on but was told I would most probably be induced during the week that followed. After 3 days of daily checkups a different gynecologist looked at us and decided to let us wait, since the measurements late in pregnancy are not that accurate and the 32 week scan (when measurements are more reliable) showed she was within the normal size range. I did not have diabetes, our blood hadn't mixed, my blood pressure was fine (regardless of my swollen ankles), I was feeling well and she was active, moving a lot, with a strong and steady heartbeat. So we waited, and waited and waited. I went on long walks with my mom, I ate <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=125682">eggplant parmigiana</a>, I talked to the baby, I went to Monkey town and jumped around with the toddler. But she was way too comfy inside. There were some days where I had intense Braxton Hicks or a night where I had a couple of regular contractions; but that lasted 1 hour or 2 and then... nothing. When I reached 39 weeks and days I started asking how far they would let me go (I did not want to wait so long anymore) and they said by week 40 we could start discussing an induction. I was afraid she would be too big and I would tear myself badly or that the placenta would stop working. Then week 40 came and I was told if there was no medical reason / fetal distress they would not induce labor until week 41. I was relieved by learning that<a href="http://www.cmaj.ca/content/186/9/665"> latest research</a> shows that<a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/growth-curve/induced-labor-doesn%E2%80%99t-necessarily-kick-cascade-interventions"> inductions do not necessarily lead to more interventions or c-sections</a>. And so we scheduled an induction for the day I was 40 weeks and 6 days. The baby was engaged, but I was only 1 cm. dilated and so they could not break the membranes.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vSkOLDRJPC0/WaAKgnC2oXI/AAAAAAAAE3A/I4EtolfkLz0erpuPkhtSuhnEA6nWNZf7ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vSkOLDRJPC0/WaAKgnC2oXI/AAAAAAAAE3A/I4EtolfkLz0erpuPkhtSuhnEA6nWNZf7ACLcBGAs/s400/IMG_3292.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last belly picture at the hospital while waiting</td></tr>
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On June 29, at 15:00 a Foley catheter (a little balloon) was introduced in my cervix. After this, they connected the CTG to monitor the fetal heartbeat and possible contractions. I was supposed to have the catheter on until 6:00 am of the next day, when they would check if I had dilated any further and if I was around 2-3 cm. by then they would proceed to break my membranes and start oxytocin (pitocin) if needed. The procedure did not hurt, it was only a bit uncomfortable, like getting a PAP smear, as they have to use a speculum to push the catheter in. After they introduced it I started feeling mild menstrual-like cramps, every now and then but I could handle them and I was told this was normal. The husband stayed with me until about 18:00 pm, when he went back home to have dinner and get rest, as we expected everything to start happening early in the morning the next day. He left me with a Fanta and some chocolate chip cookies. I was mostly entertained, chatting to my family and losing time on the internet. I video-called Yu and my mom who were home, showed them my hospital dinner and waited. At first I had the room at the maternity guard for myself, but later another woman (who presumably was also there for an induction) came, together with her husband. It was weird and sad because as soon as she came they closed the curtains in the middle of the room without saying hello or acknowledging me (though I tried) and she kept moaning and sobbing to herself. I would have liked to talk to her, offer comfort, but she mostly seemed annoyed that she had to share the room. It was so different from my first experience at that same maternity guard, when I stayed for a week on bed rest at the hospital before <a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2014/02/yulias-birth-story.html">Yu's birth</a> and other women would come and go but we'd talk to each other and bond over why it was that we were there.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rfeeN3HNtDk/WaAMuXOGGEI/AAAAAAAAE3c/RgEiF7EgkZASULQ2sgT8xmVyyXnwlpDEwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0408mod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rfeeN3HNtDk/WaAMuXOGGEI/AAAAAAAAE3c/RgEiF7EgkZASULQ2sgT8xmVyyXnwlpDEwCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_0408mod.jpg" width="400" /></a> At around 22:00 pm I tried to get some sleep but as I was dozing off, around 23:00 regular cramps, that were starting to get more painful in intensity woke me up. I walked to the nurses in the guard, but they told me to take a couple of paracetamol and ride it out. However, 10 or 20 minutes after I asked to be connected to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiotocography">CTG</a> for monitoring because it was becoming too painful and I really felt something was happening.<br />
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Finally, at 24:10 they connected me to the monitor and at 24:29 I had contractions every 4-5 minutes with the maximum intensity (100-120 on whatever scale they use to determine uterine activity). At 24:43 the doctor finally came to check me and it turned out I was already 4 cm. dilated. This was the official (spontaneous) start of labor, they took the Foley catheter out and told me I could call my husband in. Mark arrived soon after and we moved to the labor and delivery section.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ggd5suqN6JY/WaALIR4_IZI/AAAAAAAAE3I/bJ0WMyp3l9cvQncHQ0AQbVh48EPLqrC2gCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ggd5suqN6JY/WaALIR4_IZI/AAAAAAAAE3I/bJ0WMyp3l9cvQncHQ0AQbVh48EPLqrC2gCEwYBhgL/s400/IMG_0409.JPG" width="300" /></a>By 1:22 we were in the room I would deliver, I was still 4 cm, but I could barely stand the pain and most of all I felt it was starting to progress very fast. I requested an epidural, as this time I was determined to get pain relief. Funnily enough, the nurse in charge suggested I take a warm shower instead as "hot water is the best analgesic" and "we didn't know if labor was going to go so fast that maybe the anesthesiologist would not have time to come from home". I already knew the risks of an epidural (I might get a fever and antibiotics as a consequence, contractions could get slower, I had to get an IV drip in case my blood pressure dropped and I would not be able to stand up until after delivery) and had thought long and hard about it. <a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2014/02/yulias-birth-story.html">My previous birth</a> had been extremely fast (I went from 4 cm to 10 cm. in less than 3 hrs) and intense, with a tiny baby, and I did not want to try that level of painful intensity with a larger baby.<br />
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I think they sensed my determination and called the gynecologist, who have me the talk about the risks (again). She was confident I would do well with it, as I had been through birth before and was going to be able to feel the sensations / contractions / urge to push and finally got the anesthesiologist. I really do not know why they try so strong to dissuade you from pain
relief, as if there was value or medals for going through it.<br />
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The blessed epidural came at 1:59. I was a bit scared of that part where they tell you to sit very still while they put it in, but it did not hurt at all. I still felt the contractions, and they were still very mildly painful, but they were manageable, like menstrual cramps. At some point I started to feel very numb and the pain totally disappeared, though I did still feel my uterus contract.<br />
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At 3:08 they came to check me again, I was 6 cm. dilated, which was a good progress, right out from textbooks, and contractions were regular and efficient. Two hours passed and by 5:00 am I was still 6 cm. and my contractions had become irregular, so they broke the membranes to generate efficient contractions and we were told to wait.<br />
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Around 6:30 we started playing music to call Laia, we listened to some of the music we always played her and her sister while in the womb: <br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKBLLbwbqiY">Origin of Love,</a> ( Mika),<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vRyLwdBZAs">Cuando Llegaré</a> (Natalia Lafourcade and Emmanuel del Real),<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT2krbHgoAY">Amor de mis Amores </a>( Natalia Lafourcade),<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yca6UsllwYs">Around the World </a> (Daft Punk),<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmXW6YpMw84">Gypsy</a> (Suzanne Vega).<br />
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I think it kind of worked because I started feeling contractions. But at 7:08 the obgyn came again and I had not progressed from 6 cm. So they started me on oxytocin. They told me to rest because the active part of labor was yet to start and we had been awake all night (I have an obsession with the CTG and loved to see how often the contractions came and how high they'd go on the scale). I was able to sleep a bit. The contractions became strong almost right away. I felt weak, tired, dizzy, thirsty. The breakfast trolley came and I had some milk, orange juice and bread with raisins. I was so happy to eat. And then I started shaking and vomiting, but I felt no pain. I thought it was an effect of the anaesthesia, but they told me it was my bodies' reaction to the intense contractions, that the pain would be unbearable without the pain relief. I felt like that girl in the Exorcist.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uBNd1ZLN4xI/WaALuCvymEI/AAAAAAAAE3Q/NiNpV36bV8QEKyqBvfvq5OksSmEg8ipbgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uBNd1ZLN4xI/WaALuCvymEI/AAAAAAAAE3Q/NiNpV36bV8QEKyqBvfvq5OksSmEg8ipbgCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_7177.JPG" width="400" /></a>Finally, at 9:29 I was 10 cm. dilated. But Laia was a bit "high" still, so they told us to wait to start pushing, so that she would go down by herself and my cervix could become softer. At 10:00 am they checked my vitals and I had a fever, so I had to get antibiotics and wait until they were all in to start pushing. (They said this was a consequence of the epidural, but I think it is just what my body does with labor, as with Yu I did not have an epidural but I also got a fever just before starting active labor).<br />
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At 10:40 I was finally able to start pushing. I think I pushed through 4 contractions. The gynaecologist in training that was assisting the obgyn was the best... he kept encouraging me and made me feel so confident and powerful. Him and Mark . At those moments, being told you are "doing great" and that they see the baby coming is what keeps you through it. Only 10 minutes after, at 10:50, Laia was born. They put her in my arms right away (after totally failing at getting a photo of Mark cutting the umbilical cord, pro tip: hand the nurses a phone or some other simple device that they will be able to use). It was the happiest moment, having her in my arms after so long, talking to her, holding, feeling, smelling her.<br />
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Then at 11:00 I was told I had to go to the operating room... my placenta had detached from the umbilical cord when they were trying to pull it out and they had to<a href="https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jp/2014/274651/"> extract it manually</a>. I think this was the hardest part for Mark, as he stayed alone with our girl and was told I had to get general anesthesia. It turned out, since I had an epidural, they just had to up the dose and I was conscious during the whole procedure. It was very entertaining and I did not feel anything. They were finished quite fast, but I had to wait about an hour in observation at the intensive care unit to make sure I was not losing blood and everything was fine. I was so thirsty. They must have known because the nurse came with an ice-pop that tasted like heaven. I could not wait to go back up to our family. It seemed like such a long time, but around 13:00 they finally pushed me up to our room. It was pure joy to find Mark, Yulia, my mom, my mother in law, and Laia sleeping peacefully in her cot.<br />
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I have such complicated feelings about birth. Both my<a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2014/02/yulias-birth-story.html"> birth experiences </a>were very positive, I remember them fondly
and happily and yet I also can't stop thinking of the process as violent, even when this time I was under anesthesia. People describe giving birth as a mystical experience. I think it is mystical, in ways: like going to the deepest pits of hell, of horror and pain and then coming back to the most undescribable joy and love. Like experiencing eternity. Having my body take the lead was like being possessed, without having any power against it. Fear is inevitable, being able to let it happen, to embrace it, to lose all control and flow were the hardest parts but also the what let me make it through to the other side. Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-68462333764715451512017-07-11T14:13:00.000+02:002017-08-01T09:13:03.051+02:00Pregnancy: the 2nd time <br />
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Being pregnant the second time was in many ways the same and in many others different. I still got lucky with almost no nausea during the first trimester, just a queasy feeling when I went without eating for a long time, for which healthy snacks (apples, bananas, yoghurt with granola) were the solution. I craved orange juice, salmon, enchiladas verdes, steak. I think I threw up only once. The constant tiredness was the same, maybe even more, with a toddler added to the mix. I remember coming home from work, having dinner, showering and going to bed at the same time as little Yu. <br />
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I started showing a lot earlier though. I think the body just "remembers" and everything gets pushed upwards and outwards almost immediately. I started wearing my maternity jeans sometime around week 10 or 11 because I just did not want to deal with tight waistbands. On my first pregnancy I was still wearing the loosest of my jeans up til week 28 or something.<br />
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I was a lot more achy this time though. I started having <a href="https://www.babycenter.com/0_round-ligament-pain_205.bc">round ligament pain</a> pretty much since the beginning. I also had a lot of trouble sleeping and felt some kind of weird pain in one side of my pelvis. I believe it was <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/pelvic-pain-pregnant-spd.aspx">pelvic girdle pain (</a>formerly known as pubic symphisis dysfunction), but the pain was not located in the center of the pubic bone, rather on one side, so maybe it was some weird muscular pain due to everything being stretched.<br />
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In terms of managing the pregnancy, since Yu was born quite early (at 34 weeks) I was considered high-risk and handled by the gynecology department of the hospital. My cervix was measured at different stages, to determine its length and possible weakness and to consider a cerclage. In the end it was not needed because my cervix was in the correct size range. I was also monitored closely: for diabetes, anemia, etc (not routine tests in every pregnancy within the Dutch healthcare system). Moreover, from weeks 10 to 36 I had weekly injections of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3218546/">progesterone, which seems to have an effect in preventing preterm birth. </a><br />
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After Yu's unexpected early arrival we did not know what to expect in terms of<i> <b>when</b></i> our second girl would come. Reaching 34 weeks was a relief. It coincided with the week I started maternity leave. From then on, we knew what to expect and we were glad for every week that passed. My mom arrived when I was 36 weeks and 5 days. At that point on one of the prenatal checks we saw the baby's head was way up high in my abdomen (from being down and close to engage in every other appointment) so they turned the baby (the procedure is called an <a href="http://www.webmd.com/baby/external-cephalic-version-version-for-breech-position">External Cephalic Version</a>) and luckily it went well. We also found out that our baby was measuring slightly above average and that I had a lot of amniotic fluid (<a href="http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/polyhydramnios/pages/polyhydramnios.aspx">polyhydroamnios</a>) without any explained reason.<br />
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And then we waited, and we waited, and we waited. I reached full term (38 weeks), I reached 39 weeks, and then 40. I was feeling Braxton Hicks and every now and then a slight cramp, but then it would stop. I had swollen feet, but was otherwise feeling ok, still energetic, still walking a lot. In the end our girl was born at 41 weeks exactly. I never thought I would be overdue, at that point we were so eager to meet her already. I was also afraid she would be too big and that birth would become difficult. I will write the story down as soon as I get a moment.<br />
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This time I really wanted to document the pregnancy: knowing this might be our last, and haven't been able to do so last time, we did a pregnancy photoshoot. We hired <a href="https://nemriky.wixsite.com/erikabourne">Erika Bourne Photography</a>, and we loved the results. She made us feel comfortable and the whole process was easy and enjoyable.<br />
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I was also very grateful that my closest friends organized me a baby shower, which I also wasn't able to have last time. I felt so blessed and overwhelmed by everyone's kindness. I am still in awe that our little girl is here, that we are a family of four. Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-88163250289263846042017-06-05T00:20:00.000+02:002017-06-05T21:53:52.645+02:00Of Baby-led weaning, purées and smoothies: a feeding story. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When Yu was around 6 months we decided to start experimenting with solid foods. I had been reading well in advance about feeding methods and recommendations. I went through the <a href="http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/feeding_your_baby_in_the_first_year">Canadian</a>, <a href="http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/solid-foods-weaning.aspx">British</a>, American, French, Mexican and Dutch advise from their respective pediatric organizations. All advise was contradictory. Should you start with proteins? With vegetables? With fruit? <br />
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In the end I trusted my gut and made a mish-mash of methods. Some things are really absolutely out of the question, mainly not giving any honey until after the 1st year (knowing well about the <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001384.htm"><i>Clostridium botulinum </i>risk</a> I waited well until she was 18 months) and avoiding hard round pieces of food that could present a choking hazard like nuts or whole grapes. We also avoided salt and sugar, but did use some spices in a little tea infuser to gradually add flavour to her food. <br />
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I mostly followed baby-led weaning, starting by letting her play with soft-steamed little broccoli trees, sweet potato or cucumber sticks (to suck and bite). But I was also super excited to make my own purées, I received <a href="https://www.amazon.fr/FAMILY-COOK-BOOK-LAURENCE-HAURAT/dp/2841234037/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496604985&sr=8-1&keywords=beaba+family+cook">a french book</a> with tons of baby recipes a present ("Family cookbook" by Laurence Haurat) and all the recipes sounded so tasty that I decided to give it a go. Baby-led weaning purists will tell you not to combine methods or it will somehow "go wrong" but I didn't really believe it and just did a bit of both.<br />
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We did introduce 1 food at a time, letting her have it for 3 days to observe her reactions and only afterwards making mixes of previously eaten foods. We never gave her rice meal as it is completely stripped of nutrients and preferred to use a mix of cereals (oatmeal, wheat) with her steamed-fruit in the morning. When she was about 10 months old we started with yoghurt and different types of cheese. We also started with peanut butter on her bread (a very common Dutch breakfast staple) as I read that<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/05/babies-peanut-allergies-health-guidelines"> starting with allergens early might decrease the risk of developing allergies later. </a><br />
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She was always an avid eater and tester: she loved zucchini, eggplant, carrots, pumpkin, avocado, banana, blueberries, spinach, green peas and most fruits as well as egg and little pieces of meat.<br />
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Everything you read tells you that in order to avoid fussy and picky eaters you should introduce a variety of flavors and foods very early on. Well, ha ha. I say. Yes, sure, right. I guess those people's children did not reach toddlerhood yet. Our girl was really used to all kinds of food: she would eat things like ratatouille and surinamese roti with pleasure. And then, slowly, she developed her own will; learnt how to say no and there were days where she would only eat orange food. Or green food.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a5_lQyY5bek/WTR_NP3E0zI/AAAAAAAAEzA/CssTJ1eG02M8-ryPtWt-PNPaZbrmtllcACLcB/s1600/IMG_2556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a5_lQyY5bek/WTR_NP3E0zI/AAAAAAAAEzA/CssTJ1eG02M8-ryPtWt-PNPaZbrmtllcACLcB/s400/IMG_2556.JPG" width="300" /></a>She is now 3 years and a half and we struggle. She goes through phases -that last 2 to 4 days- where she will eat a lot of food but she then reverts to requesting the classic bland foods small kids like and refusing to even try veggies she used to love so much. So she eats a lot of yoghurt, bread with peanut butter, pasta and cheese. And we have to bargain and bribe and negotiate to get her to eat a few pieces of carrots or green stuff. We have tried all the tricks: have her help me cook and prepare her meals (which she loves), arrange food on her plate in fun figures, ignore her, let her starve. In the end she eats when she eats and she doesn't when she doesn't. I like to give myself praise as a parent whenever she eats a whole plate of spinach (over her cheesy thin pizza) or when she requests carrot soup, but most days it is still something I worry about. Trying to make sure she is getting plenty of vitamins and nutrients while not making meals a battlefield is a challenge.<br />
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Lately we have tried things like spinach-banana-orange juice or cucumber-ginger-apple smoothies, which she loves, but I am still uncertain <a href="http://www.aappublications.org/news/2017/05/22/FruitJuice052217">if those are actually any good</a>, with all the finely cut fibers and (natural) sugars concentrated. <br />
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Spanish pediatrician <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/may/28/carlos-gonzalez-doctor-parents-break-rules">Carlos Gonzalez'</a>s words on <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/carlos-gonzalos-my-child-wont-eat">this interview</a> really struck a cord:<br />
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"<i>You should eat vegetables, leave your children alone and, in the end,
they'll probably eat vegetables also. But there are changes in food
preferences in a lifetime. Between one and 16 years, most children would
prefer macaroni to vegetables. They will change again, unless you make
them really hate vegetables</i>."<br />
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I do not have any answers but in the end I think there is only so much
you can do as a parent but the child will still decide what it needs and
what goes into his/her body. And toddlers will be toddlers and what
they are is defiant, strong willed and stubborn. I want to trust that as
long as she keeps seeing us eating a varied, healthy diet she will pick
it up and start trying and enjoying all kinds of food again. <br />
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<i>This post was written in collaboration with The<a href="https://blog.honest.com/?s=honest+feeding+stories"> Honest Company's Feeding Stories Campaign.</a></i>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-75701598770256048222017-02-23T15:29:00.002+01:002017-02-23T15:29:49.598+01:00A Finding Dory birthday party <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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About a month ago Yulia turned 3. I do not know how I do this, every year I say to myself we will keep the celebration small and then I make a list and we end up having a party full of kids (and their parents). I love it though and get so excited making things ready.<br />
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We have slowly been showing short cartoons to Yu, last summer she fell in love with Nemo and Dory so we decided to go with that theme. I tried to keep the menu simple: vegetables and hummus, sandwiches, olives, cheese, fruit , mozzarella-tomato-basil sticks and some chips. I made -agua fresca de naranja- homemade orange water and put it in a "Nemo" jar. <br />
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The cake was chocolate-raspberry, we had a blast decorating with little girl (sculpting fondant is just like playing with play-doh), following<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVcSXtBo6nI"> this tutorial,</a> and lemon-rasberry cupcakes.<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/littlewingatelier/">Little Wing Atelier</a> made the cutest piñata. She loved it so much that Dory had to sleep with it the day before, it was so cute. She enjoyed the day and had so much fun. It is a lot of work, but so worth it!<br />
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-53422206135415181932017-02-12T19:22:00.002+01:002017-06-05T00:21:24.827+02:00Getting the pink lines <br />
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I am pregnant again. We are so happy this is happening and sometimes I still can not believe it. After we had our miracle Yu I had totally drank the Kool-Aid that as soon as we "relaxed" we would get pregnant spontaneously. I know this is not a thing and yet I wanted it so much to be true. Everyone tells you those stories: "my friend did IVF, and for the second one, they got pregnant without expecting it" or "we were about to adopt, and in the middle of the process we did a test out of the blue, and boom, positive".<br />
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We basically never used protection since baby Y. was born. I breastfed her for almost 2 years so at some point I started taking ovulation tests to verify everything was "fine" and that I was ovulating again (my cycle was back and regular, it actually came back quite fast after birth, I think 3 or 4 months after).<br />
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<br />
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9266524">I read that CoEnzyme Q 10 might have a positive effect on sperm motility and function</a> so Mark started taking it. And then months and months passed and.... nothing. We were back to square 1. Suffering in silence again and not even daring to talk much about it because I felt so guilty and ungrateful to even dare to want more. It is so difficult to have a kid and be among fertile people who can just get pregnant when they want or whom the event takes them by surprise. Makes you feel completely isolated.<br />
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Anyhow, in November 2015 we went to the fertility clinic again. It had been almost 2 years and things were not moving. They told us Yulia had to be fully weaned if we wanted to attempt treatment so we had to go through that. Then we planned a trip to Mexico last April and with the whole Zika virus thing going on we wouldn't want to risk it.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T77FUFCQ0gM/WKCmDwiUz0I/AAAAAAAAEvA/e4f1JCA2S9k5G6EChoepyNk8mhseFN2OgCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160730_111013873_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T77FUFCQ0gM/WKCmDwiUz0I/AAAAAAAAEvA/e4f1JCA2S9k5G6EChoepyNk8mhseFN2OgCLcB/s640/IMG_20160730_111013873_HDR.jpg" width="640" /></a> So in May 2016 we were ready to start an IVF/ICSI cycle. We went through it all, confident that it would work. When I saw the negative test and my period came I was so incredibly sad. But this time around they were able to freeze 2 embryos so we could try a frozen cycle before starting from scratch, without doing the whole stimulation and follicle aspiration process. When an IVF cycle fails though, they make you wait a month to let your body rest. Come mid July we were ready for our frozen embryo transfer, singing ice-ice baby to ourselves whenever we talked about it to each other. But it was not to be. On the day of the transfer they called us to say that neither of our embryos had survived the thawing process. I cried so much that day.<br />
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So there we were, getting ready for a 2nd round of IVF, hopes renewed, about to start. I remember being at the carousel at the beach when we received the call that we had only 1 embryo growing that time. We went on with the transfer. And waited, and waited, and waited. I did a test a bit too early and there was the faintest line, barely visible.<br />
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<br />
But I got my period the next day. I guess the line was leftover
medication from the trigger shot (that's why you are not supposed to
test early) but the devastation we then felt was enormous. I remember
sitting on the outside benches of the office, crying, without being able
to stop as I felt all our hopes crushing down. I was at work but I
could barely do anything. I remember being on the phone with customers
and the tears just kept coming of my eyes. I had no control over my
feelings.<br />
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After that we had to wait another "resting" cycle. We had a talk with our lovely doctor to discuss our options. Our insurance would cover a 3rd fresh IVF cycle, we had to think about which medication to use during the stimulation period. She showed us numbers and data and how my body had specifically reacted to each of the options. One medication was the one that we used during our succesful cycle (Yulia), on the other one my body seemed to react better (it was the one where we were able to get frozen embryos). Statistically, when looking at the population level, they did not really see differences between both. We went with numbers knowing that our failed cycles were most probably due to genetic factors (as my body responded well to either stimulation protocol) and hoping we would be able to get strong embryos.<br />
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We started our 3rd cycle, full of hope, but with fear trailing behind. We were not able to to let go of this just like that. We had agreed that if it didn't work out we would still discuss the possibilities of trying yet another time. And then we got lucky. Mid October we found out this time it had stuck. We were so overjoyed and are still so grateful. I am now 21 weeks. This time my pregnancy is being followed more closely (at the hospital) and I am getting weekly progesterone shots to try to prevent a preterm birth. I am feeling well, just mostly tired. 2nd time around I have been showing a lot earlier. I was on maternity pants since week 10 or 11 and I just seem to be more achy everywhere. We are so happy that this is happening again and just keep praying that everything will go well.<br />
<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-42679917223906604592016-04-21T23:54:00.000+02:002016-04-21T23:54:18.731+02:00Night-weaning our toddler at 24 months old <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is difficult to write about breastfeeding, about ending such a relationship. I have had this post in my mind for about 3 months now, always dreading to sit and write it. It is a subject so full of feelings that I kept procrastinating. But when I was in the midst of it, I was desperately looking for others' experiences and so here is ours.<br />
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I originally thought I would breastfeed 6 months and then continue with solids. I clearly had no idea on how babies work. <a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.mx/2014/09/i-am-dory-i-am-mad-hatter-i-am-headless.html">Our start was not exactly easy</a>, 6 months flew by and by then it was so comfortable and she was growing so well that I was definitely not stopping at that moment. Then I thought I would simply go on to 1 year at which point I planned on trading the boob for bottles of regular cow milk. Except the baby had other plans. We tried several different types of bottles, and they just would not replace the boob. Sure she would drink a bit and fiddle around with a bottle, but it would not ultimately make her sleep or calm her down, it was more of a game or a snack. At that point she was still waking up several times each night. Nothing would soothe her except the breast and only mom was accepted. Rocking, bouncing, shh-ing, singing, reading stories, massage, dim-lights and strict routines did not really help at those moments. I read that at that point babies "didn't really need" breast milk anymore and that it was just a ("bad") habit. I was not convinced, so I followed my instinct and kept on. The World Health Organization does recommend breastfeeding until 2 years old, so I figured there was at least some benefit in breastfeeding (and is there! *), but more importantly I felt that she truly needed it. For me, even an emotional need was justified.<br />
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We read that it had to be the non-breastfeeding partner who should be giving the bottle and soothing the baby, but she really would not have it. A year went by, in which she fully stopped breastfeeding during the day, not even when I came home from work, at around 6 pm, after being all day in daycare (the first few months she seemed to need me at the end of the day, just briefly). There were also periods, particularly during a very hot holiday (Sevilla in July, with 40ºC temperatures) where she would ask for the breast during the day which was unusual for her at that time. Honestly, I would have liked her to naturally outgrow the nightly wake ups by herself, to wait until she was ready. But it was becoming very, very tiring and sometimes I felt she was just there because it was what she knew to do, and because she did not know how to sleep otherwise. Naps have never been a problem, but calming down at the end of an exciting day and fully relaxing has always been a challenge for her. At the end of last year we went to the fertility clinic again, to get everything tested before starting treatment again, as nothing seems to be happening on my womb, no matter how much we try. At first the doctor said that the hormonal treatment is not known to pass through the breast tissue into the milk, so in principle, she would be safe, but after discussing it with other specialists at the clinic they decided not to take a risk, as the impact of breastfeeding on implantation is not very well understood. So even though I was ovulating, we had to wean her before attempting treatment again. It was so bittersweet, I felt like I was betraying her, in some weird way. Like it was a cruel and mean thing to do to her, to take away something that she needed so much. At the same time, I was ready to -maybe- start sleeping full nights again, and she was starting to suck very very hard, making it painful and uncomfortable.<br />
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We had heard about a technique where you gradually reduce the time of each breastfeeding session. We tried that, but with her it would not work. If she did not get all the milk she needed, or if I released her while she was soothed but not completely done, she would wake up 15-20 minutes after, or wake up multiple times in a 3 hour interval. At the moment when we decided to really wean her, just before her second birthday, she was breastfeeding 2-4 times a night: around 8 pm when she fell asleep, then around 11 pm, then around 1 am and later, sometimes, at 3 or 4 am. Since she was not going to accept shorter breastfeeding sessions we decided to go cold-turkey on every session, doing 1 session at a time, starting by the first one ( 8 pm, sleepy time) and waiting until that one was assimilated before moving on to the next one. All in all the whole process probably took around 1 month or perhaps it was 3 weeks. It was at once the hardest thing I have done as a parent, and yet, easier than I thought. I think taking the decision and going through those first 3 or 4 days was the most difficult. I was happy to do it at a moment where she could really understand what was going on, where we could explain it to her and she could process it. I did not feel like telling her things like "the boobs are asleep", it felt strange to me to talk of them as a separate entity, not as part of my body, of me. So we just told her that she was a big girl now and that she was ready to learn to sleep without mom's milk. She understood it so well she refused right away and started crying whenever we mentioned it, but she did accept to try. We also told her that we would always be there to soothe her if she needed it.<br />
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We decide not to have Mark soothe her while I went away to another room, because it felt like we would be taking away two things she wanted, the milk, and me, and she would totally lose her shit. It was something we had to do together. So on day one we explained what was going to happen and I just started rocking her, without breastfeeding. She cried and cried. I did as well, silently, while Mark was holding my hand and signed to me that it was ok, that we could go through it. I think the intense crying lasted no more than 1 minute, but it felt so long, it was so heartbreaking. At one point she would accept the pacifier and fall asleep. Those days I would still breastfeed at the next wake ups. We did this for about a week. I think she only cried the first 3 days, and those were the hardest. Once sleeping without breastfeeding was settled, we moved on to the next session, normally 11 pm. Those times normally Mark would pick her up from her crib and try to soothe her or offer water. This second session coincided with an antibiotic treatment, so she would get it at that time and since it was a sweet "treat", sometimes she would just settle down with a bit of rocking. There were times where she would want to sleep on top of my chest or where she would ask for water or milk (in a glass). This again, took about a week. Then she started skipping the 1 am session on some days, sleeping for longer stretches. If she would wake up we would explain again that she could not have breast milk, but she could be with us, and we offered water, milk or the pacifier. When this seemed settled we tackled the last wakeup (3-4 am). This time, since we were well in the process I told her she would have breast milk for a definite amount of time (10 minutes), and then we would stop. She understood it and accepted it. The next day I told her we would do it for 9 minutes, then 8, then, 7, and so forth. The day she had 2 minutes was the last time she woke up to ask for breast milk. I think two or three times after that she asked around 5 or 6 am, which was rare for her (she had not being doing that since the baby days), but since it was so close to breakfast tine and since I did not want to be inconsistent (that would seem mean to me, why would I sometimes say yes, and sometimes deny it), I would explain that she did not need it anymore and we would just cuddle. It was hard, but I was afraid it would just mess the process and it seemed cruel to go backwards when we were almost done with the process.<br />
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I really could not believe it, but since we night weaned her she started sleeping longer stretches at night. Sometimes she does still wake up in the middle of the night, but a bit of shh-ing and soothing usually brings her back to sleep. There are days where she looks at my chest, points at it and says that milk is for babies, that she is a big girl. Or she role-plays it with her cow and calf figurines. It was hard, but I think it was the good decision for both of us at the moment it happened.<br />
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Have you gone through something similar? How did you do it?<br />
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* <a href="http://www.thestranger.com/features/feature/2015/08/26/22755273/the-more-i-learn-about-breast-milk-the-more-amazed-i-am">This fascinating article summarizes it well</a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-50370530464999387732016-03-19T13:18:00.002+01:002016-03-19T13:18:29.719+01:00Apple and banana oatmeal bars <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I made <a href="http://deliciouslyella.com/chewy-sultana-cookies/">these oatmeal bars </a>for <a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2016/01/a-teddy-bear-bobbi-beer-birthday.html">Y.'s birthday</a> in the form of little bears and ever since then she has been repeatedly asking for them: "Bobbi, Bobbi, Bobbi, eten". Last Monday, after we finally made them again she insisted on bringing some to her favorite teacher. We wrapped them in silk paper and a ribbon and she had them ready in her little backpack. Toddlers are full of feelings! We arrived at school in the morning, she took them and excitedly gave them to her teacher, happily. Then we left the room to go upstairs to her classroom and she started crying and crying like she suddenly realized giving something meant letting go off it as well. It took her a bit to process it, she talked about the incident on the days that followed, we emphasized how kind and thoughtful it was for her to share her cookies, eventhough it also made her a bit sad to give them away.<br />
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Anyhow, these are so good, easy and healthy that I thought I'd post the recipe.<br />
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<b>You will need :</b><br />
4 apples<br />
4 bananas<br />
3 tbsp. honey<br />
270 gr. oats<br />
a bit of cinammon<br />
150 gr. raisins and dried cranberries<br />
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<b>What to do: </b><br />
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Peel and grate the apples. Drain the excess liquid using a sieve (but don't throw it a way, save it and drink it: it is delicious, fresh apple juice). Mash the bananas. Mix the fruit with the oney, oats, cinnamon and dried fruits.<br />
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Line an oven tray with parchment paper. I used a cookie cutter to give the bars the form of bears and spooned the mix into the form, then gently lifted it. Bake for 25-30 minutes and let cool. Enjoy! Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-31843356078813494052016-02-28T20:53:00.001+01:002016-02-28T21:03:33.245+01:00Wishful thinking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been thinking a lot about whether or not to write about this. It makes me feel selfish and guilty and ungrateful. But I can't be the only one going through this and I am putting it out there because we should be able to talk about the things that no one dares or wants to talk about. Not at baby groups, not at birthday parties, not with other moms, or even with friends. You never know what other people might be going through, it is so difficult to share without accidentally hurting someone. <br />
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We would like to have another baby. I am longing so, so hard to be pregnant again. It is becoming very difficult to bear, so much it hurts. Scenario number 1: we go to a kids' party and I can't help but notice all the moms with kids Y.'s age are either pregnant or already have a second little one. This also applies to most of the people we know who had a baby at about the same time or even after we did. Scenario number 2: we go for a stroll to the dunes/woods/the park/a playground and stumble upon plenty of families with more than 1 kid, with an age difference that does not seem higher than 2 years. Scenario number 3: people start discussing post-baby birth-control methods at a Facebook's mom group and suddenly we are not talking about birth control at all. I find myself reading stories about how someone knows at least 5 people who got pregnant while using an IUD and how somebody else's best friend got pregnant while her husband had already had a vasectomy (!!). It is impossible not to feel alienated in face of such an "innocent" conversation, where women are just sharing their experiences about accidentally getting pregnant while trying hard to avoid it. Ah, but you are not like those women. In fact it never occurred to us to even use any form of birth control (other than condoms, for the first 6 months, to allow healing) since the baby was born. We night weaned the baby, we have been tracking my ovulation, and know it is happening, and yet nothing. We hear of surprise pregnancies and of people conceiving (seemingly) with ease (normal I guess, when there are many parents in our social circle) and I can't help but feeling like an outcast, with no one to talk about it.<br />
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We are back where we started, facing again that old witch, infertility. The bitch. She did not really go away. And yet we know we have been blessed. Oh, how much. Even as I write this I feel like I should not be having these feelings at all because our miracle was granted. I am grateful every single day and I feel almost bad, greedy for dreaming of more. And yet we pray and hope and continue to delude ourselves into thinking that it might just happen Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-21458121601567154152016-01-24T21:37:00.000+01:002016-01-24T21:37:49.522+01:00A teddy bear (Bobbi beer) birthday <br />
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I don't know how it happened but I have a 2 year old and it seems so sudden. This year was the year we saw her change from a small but strong willed baby to a confident, curious, independent little girl that knows so very well what she wants. Of course the changes were not sudden. Our daughter. She changes and learns so much every single second. It is such a joy to see her take life in, explore, grow, discover.<br />
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I hear a lot of parents say that it's not worth it, at this stage, to organize parties for their children because they won't remember. When I see how much fun Y. has at her friends' parties, when I see how much she enjoys hitting the piñata (we made one for Christmas and she has been practicing non-stop), when I see how much she loves cakes and treats and playing, I honestly don't care if she will remember or not. All I care is that she will enjoy, have a blast, feel loved and celebrated.<br />
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The theme for this year's birthday was<a href="http://www.bobbi.nl/"> Bobbi beer.</a> She fell in love with the happy little bear from the Dutch book series ever since we read her a story with him for the first time, so it was just a natural choice. It is amusing to see how certain books really speak to her. It's almost like a real friend, Bobbi and Y., they get each other (and the illustrations are really lovely).<br />
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We wanted to keep it relatively simple, however I still wanted it to feel special. This year we didn't have the time or energy to make a piñata, but we got it from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/littlewingatelier/?fref=ts">another Mexican</a> who is a true artist: she was able to construct it just from looking at a drawing.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SX1f8bjuAhM/VqU1Rsu-mzI/AAAAAAAAEow/oMQopp4_5OI/s1600/IMG_0510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SX1f8bjuAhM/VqU1Rsu-mzI/AAAAAAAAEow/oMQopp4_5OI/s400/IMG_0510.JPG" width="265" /></a>I made her a <a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2012/03/blueberry-and-coconut-milk-pound-cake.html">blueberry and coconut milk cake </a>and iced it following <a href="http://sweetapolita.com/2012/06/pastel-swirl-cake-video-tutorial/">Sweetapolita's pastel swirl cake tutorial</a>. Then I used paper straws and some wrapping paper to make a carousel with Bobbi bear and its friends. I used <a href="http://www.chicaandjo.com/2015/02/22/paddington-bear-favor-bags/">this tutorial </a>to make party favor bags (and yeah, I know that is the Paddington bear, but I just thought they were similar enough, and the 2-year-old didn't seem to mind, all bears are Bobbi to her). They were very easy to make.<br />
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For snacks there were mozzarella-tomato-basil skewers, olives, peanuts, cut veggies with hummus, mandarin and grapes on a stick and <a href="http://deliciouslyella.com/chewy-sultana-cookies/">these apple-banana-oatmeal bars</a> in the form of little bears. I also made orange and chia-seed water and that was about it.<br />
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It was so nice to see her running around and playing with her friends and having a day all for herself. Do you like to make a big deal out of birthdays or do you prefer low-key celebrations (Mark's the latter)?<br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8368283990536887320.post-16393287026130923622015-12-18T07:38:00.001+01:002015-12-18T07:38:36.973+01:00Our toddler-friendly felt Christmas tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well... hello. It has been a while. Is anyone still here? I have missed writing so much. But I am always so bone-tired that I never seem to be able to make the time. <br />
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Suddenly, it is that time of the year again. I think I've written before abou<a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2012/12/the-tree.html">t how the boy does not love having a lot of Christmas decorations or a tree</a> (he just hates stuff in general, and anything that looks crammed).<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u7-glnna4r0/VnOpK2YUkfI/AAAAAAAAEnE/nauI2k7dxv8/s1600/IMG_4529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u7-glnna4r0/VnOpK2YUkfI/AAAAAAAAEnE/nauI2k7dxv8/s320/IMG_4529.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="http://poppiesandicecream.blogspot.nl/2014/12/first-holidays.html">Last year </a>we had a real Christmas tree, albeit a small one, and it was lovely, but also, I spent a lot of time trying to stop Y. from hurting herself with the crystal spheres (I don't know why I thought they'd be safe).<br />
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When <a href="http://www.icanteachmychild.com/kid-friendly-christmas-tree/">I saw pics </a>of<a href="http://www.pepperdesignblog.com/2012/10/30/pinterest-challenge-christmas-comes-a-little-early-this-year/"> toddler-friendly trees made of felt,</a> I knew we would be making one. It is the perfect activity for little children, it is easy, flat, does not take up space and it is oh so pretty (and lazy!) .<br />
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We just got the felt from the craft store, free-handed the form of the tree and the ornaments, cut it and attached everything together with safety pins and double-sided tape. We made little holes to <br />
let the lights go through and attached everything with a bit of tape.<br />
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Yu loved participating in the process, admiring it and helping assembling it. When it was still work in progress she would hold our hands, lead us to the couch where it was waiting to be hanged and smile in awe, asking us to light it up.It was magic.<br />
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We do not have any plans yet for Christmas, I am looking forward to taking a pause, just being with our closest family. And maybe making a ton of cookies with little girl. She loves cooking (and getting messy with flour) How are you celebrating? What traditions are important to you? <br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424374017675047414noreply@blogger.com2