Jessica Girado

We are finally updating our family website.

Hope you check it out….

Under the Chuppa

As a new mother, reading things like this really scares me.

This week we finally switched to BPA free bottles. I’m still waiting for Dr. Brown’s BPA free bottles to hit the stores. But for now, Evenflo will do.

For those that don’t know what BPA is, read along.

What is Bisphenol A?
Bisphenol A is a harmful chemical found in polycarbonate plastic which is used to make many popular baby bottles and sippy cups, among other things. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that mimics the action of the human hormone estrogen, which alters our body’s natural pattern. BPA can leach from polycarbonate plastic, usually a hard, clear plastic that is common of many products we use everyday. Effects at even low BPA exposure include prostate cancer, breast cancer, early puberty onset, alterations in gender-specific behavior, decreased sperm count, affects on fertility, behavioral effects including hyperactivity, increased aggressiveness, impaired learning and other changes in behavior, and other problems.

Many leading experts argue that the use of Bisphenol is safe to the human public but research may begin to further prove otherwise. No level of BPA has been deemed as safe by independent research.

For a list on BPA free bottles and sippy cups, click Z Recommends

Emery Grace will turn 32 weeks this Thursday!!

It’s amazing to see how time flies. It’s a bitter sweet feeling though. We are so excited to see her grow, but sad because it goes by so quickly. Any how. Here is an update on Emmy.

- She’s crawling so much. I would say that 80% of the time, she’s on the floor. (if not sleeping) About a month ago we bought her a rug / fabric thing from Ikea so she can play on. She started off playing there most of the time. Not anymore. lol. She follows us everywhere!

- Since she’s been crawling, her favorite spots in the house are the bookcase in the living room where she destroys the dvd’s. The kitchen where she plays with her shadow. lol. And behind the couch where she tries to stand up.

- The other day I was making myself a sandwich and she was in the living room. I went to sit in the couch and I freaked out because she wasn’t there. She usually crawls to her play room. But this time I found her in the office by Michael’s guitar. She’s exploring the place.

- She loves to eat. We started off with jar food. Now she eats “mommy’s homemade food”. I started making her baby food last week. A little tedious but atleast I know exactly what she’s eating. Organic of course. Her favorite: carrots, peas, sweet potato, pears, bananas. I’ll be adding some new veggies to her menu this month.

- Michael and I sing a lot to her. Her favorites are: “Hukapele” from the Backyardigans. And a song which I don’t know the title to. But it goes, “come Josephine, in my flying machine…”

- She’s dancing! Tonight in group Michael was playing the guitar and Magdy the jimbe and Emery started dancing. They would stop playing. And she would stop dancing. They play again. And she danced again. And so on. Really funny.

Gosh, she’s doing so much. I can’t even write it all. But that’s a little idea of what she’s doing friends. I’ll keep updating….

Well, I am super excited about next weekend! We’re going to Disney World!!! The happiest place on earth…lol…

We will be taking this trip for three reasons:

One. We will be celebrating our two year marriage anniversary. Last year for our one year anniversary / babymoon, we went on a cruise to the Bahamas. And we promised we will try to do something special every year.

Two. We will be celebrating my first Mother’s Day! I think I deserve a little time away from my home.

And Three. We will be taking Emery on her first vacation. This means a lot to us because we will be spending this trip alone with her. Like most of you know, we will be trying this summer to get pregnant again and it’s really special and important to us to take Emmy somewhere alone. You know, before the three or four kids come along…We’re also really excited to take Emmy because she’s so visual. She loves looking at people. She’s so interested in things. And she’s learning so much. We are looking forward to seeing her smile while she rides “It’s a small world”….

So that’s what we are looking forward to. In a not so bright note, things have been ok here in Cape Coral. We received some sad news from our good friend here in Cape Coral on Wednesday. And then some more bad news for Michael on Friday. I am sure he’ll share it later on. So if you can, please remember to pray for us. God is really testing us.

Thank you. And I promise to post some pictures of Emery at Disney!!

I read this article posted on MSN and wanted to know what you thought about it:

What if no one were fat?

To read the full article, click here

Some of my favorite shirts from Threadless.

This one’s for Emmy.


This one’s for Michael.


And this one’s for me.

lol.

To see more shirts, click Threadless

Remembering our wedding…

Wow, today Michael and I celebrate our two year anniversary!

We are so blessed to be where we are right now. These past two years have been amazing and the most precious thing has been the birth of our daughter. We are truly blessed and excited for what’s to come.

Thank you all that have shared with us. We love you!

Yesterday was one of the toughest days I have been through in a while. Some personal things happened in the morning (don’t get crazy thinking it’s about me and michael, it’s not. Really.) But I can tell you that one thing had to do with us financially.

Having Emery has been the biggest blessing in Michael’s and my life. But it has been tough and one that has involved sacrifice. Don’t get me wrong. Even though we are in the situation we are in, I would not change it at all. Most of you know that I am a stay at home mom. So Michael is the only one working. I love being able to stay home with Emery. I cherish so much everything I experience with her. And I feel complete and satisfied in being a mom and a wife. Not many people can say that.

Anyway, I went to an interview on Thursday in a temp agency to see if I could work maybe 1 week out of the month. All we really need is one paycheck from me to be “OK” for the month. And I was ok with working, until last night. I guess it hit me. And it hit me hard that I will not spend that week with Emery. Most of you might think it’s silly. One week is nothing. Even Michael said, it’s ONE week. But you will never know what it is to leave your daughter in the care of someone else until you are a mother. If I work, I will feel like I’m being robbed. Someone else will look after Emery, play with her, feed her, soothe her, comfort her, stimulate her. And all that hurts me very much.

Hopefully I will be able to find something to do from home. God knows I want to stay home with my daughter. We don’t need much really. But what is needed, will help us a lot. I am also trying to focus on the favor business. I thank God he has given me a creative talent. And I do want to use it. But my focus has been Emery.

So my friends. Please pray for me. That God may provide something for me to do. And that I may finally start what I think I am good at.
I love you. And thank you!

I came across this article in Baby Center (one of my fav websites) called:
“Thirty things that change when you have a baby!”

What changes when you have a baby? A better question may be: What doesn’t change? Here, writer and mom Rebecca Woolf lists her most notable post-baby observations. And some from readers.

Here are my personal favorites:
(italics are my comments)

1. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.

2. You respect your body … finally. (7 pounds heavier than pre-prego but loving it)

3. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.

4. You find that your baby’s pain feels much worse than your own.

5. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child. (lol. it’s true)

6. Your heart breaks much more easily.

7. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.

8. Every day is a surprise. (and a gift from God)

9. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. Hooray for poop!

10. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself. (soooo true!)

11. You become a morning person. (unfortunate, but true)

12. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

And from the readers…

13. You discover how much there is to say about one tooth.

14. You finally realize that true joy doesn’t come from material wealth.

15. You’d rather buy a plastic tricycle than those shoes that you’ve been dying to have. (Yup! Michael tells me to buy myself a shirt and I end up buying one for Emmy instead)

16. You don’t mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night. (this one’s for Michael!)

17. Silence? What’s that?

18. You discover an inner strength you never thought you had. (this one’s my favorite)

19. You no longer rely on a clock — your baby now sets your schedule. (Yup! Trying to go some where but Emmy wants to nap, so we have to wait)

20. You give parents with a screaming child an ‘I-know-the-feeling’ look instead of a ‘Can’t-they-shut-him-up?’ one.

21. You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you’ll be late. (oh i could kiss her alllll day)

22. You learn that taking a shower is a luxury. (yeaa! for hot, quiet showers)

23. You don’t eat when you’re hungry, you eat when the baby allows you to. (pfff. yes. sometimes i’m having lunch at 3:00 pm, and been up for 6 hours)

…………
So once again, “What changes when you have a baby?”
Everything!!!
But I wouldn’t change a thing. I love my little Emery!