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The First Year Being a Dad
May 14th, 2009The first year of being a father was one of the greatest years of my life. I had no idea what to expect and there was no lack of learning. Everyday was a new challenge and a new experience. There were ups and there were downs. At times I felt like I had no idea what I was doing, but sometimes everything just seemed to fall into place. Every minute of the first year I cherish and will forever hold in my heart and memory.
I can still remember the first day bringing Oliver home from the hospital like it was yesterday. I had never put a car seat in a car before and it was a nerve racking experience. I was so concerned getting it tightened in correct that I actually pulled it to tight and it sat Oliver almost straight up. Of course he could not control his little head so when I put him in the seat his little head flopped over to the side. Kristi road in the back with him and made sure his head stayed in the right place. It was a pretty good glimpse of what I had in store for me. There was going to be a whole lot of learning and figuring it out.
We had all the stuff a bassinette, changing table pad, bouncing chair, and lots of little blankets. We tried putting Oliver in his bassinette, but that really did not go to well. We actually let Oliver sleep in the little bouncy chair for about the first six weeks. We would set the bouncy chair up next to the bed put him in and turn it on. Putting it next to the bed really did not go that well either. I have learned now that babies wake up many times a night, and not necessarily to eat. Oliver would wake up and make some noise so we would wake up thinking that we needed to do something. It took a few nights of this then we decided to put him right outside the bedroom door in the living room. Then we got to get a little more sleep because we would only hear him when he was hungry. After about six weeks we tried the bassinette again, but still with no luck so Oliver spent the next couple months sleeping in his swing. The movement really helped him sleep, and it also let us get some sleep.
I soon realized that you can read books, magazines and look up information on the internet but every baby is probably going to be a little different. I believe that most of being a parent is common sense and intuition. There are certain things that will just come naturally and then some things I had to reprogram myself to do. I tried to avoid the experts and just go with what little I knew about babies. Kristi had much more experience than me having worked at a day care for a couple years, being a nanny and just babysitting in general. I counted on her for a lot of advice and the more technical aspects of being a parent like taking a babies temperature, which could be a whole topic in its self.
The first year of feeding Oliver was fun when we finally got away from the formula and started feeding him baby food and then eventually solids. I really enjoyed seeing his reaction to new foods. It was a whole event in the house, there was no new foods introduced to Oliver if both of us were not there to see his reaction. Some reactions where much better than others, there were some foods he did not like at all on the first taste that ended up being his favorites. You don’t realize how convenient it is to be able to eat until you have to spoon feed a baby three times a day. It was a great day when he figured out how to eat on his own.
So sleeping and eating where nothing compared to mobilization. The first six months Oliver pretty much stayed in one place, he might have rolled over of scooted but never got too far. Then came crawling and that was something different entirely. Now it was time to truly baby proof the house. It was time to put the outlet plugs, put up the baby gates, and make sure none of the furniture could fall over. Everything changed as he was starting to develop a little sense of independence and control of his body. That was a fun time and I remember thinking “I can’t wait until you can walk” then my wish came true. One day he crawled over to the couch and managed to stand up by himself. It was only a couple weeks later that he was taking steps and not to long after that he was walking. At first he needed help standing up then one day just as if he had been doing it all along he stood up and took a few steps on his own. There has been no stopping him since that day!
It has to be one of the hardest jobs in the world being a parent, but the rewards are far greater than anything else. Of course there was much more that happened in the first year, but honestly I want to be able to write about them separately. There are moments of that first year I will never forget and will always fill my heart with a warm feeling every time I remember them. I can hardly imagine a life without my son and I feel truly blessed to be given the gift of being a parent!
Jeff Burchell is Oliver’s Dad and created http://OliverStop.com as a way to share to wonderful experience of being a parent. There are many questions new parents face as they raise their babies to toddlers and beyond at http://www.oliverstop.com we have ideas and activites for children of all ages.
Play Day With Baby
May 10th, 2009From the moment your baby is born they are learning. Everyday and everything they do from the moment they wake up in the morning to bed time is a learning adventure. Here are some fun things to do with baby through the day to help your newbie develop and learn.
All of your baby’s senses are working touch, smell, taste, site and hearing in overdrive. Everything and everyday is completely new to them and their senses will be working in overdrive as they grow and begin to become curious about the world around them. Many of the everyday things they will learn are through playing.
There are many activities that will help baby learn through play, it will be fun for both you and baby!
Good morning Baby!
Morning is a very special time of day baby has just woke up and are ready to get started playing and learning. Something fun and special to do with baby is to sing to them as you are getting them out of bed and making your way across the house. Sing to baby about everyone in the family even the family pets. Singing to baby will teach them that there are many ways to use the human voice and will teach them words through repetition.
Hello my baby,
Hello my darlings,
Hello my sister,
Hello my doggie
It does not matter that the song is not real or that it even makes sense to you. The important thing is the repetition and baby hearing your voice.
Breakfast is another good time to start the learning and development through playing. Use simple things like cereal to show your baby how to start using their little fingers and learn dexterity. Take a small cup and put a couple pieces of cereal in then dump it back out. Encourage baby to copy you and put the cereal in the cup.
After lunch Baby!
The power of music is very important. Hold baby and move to the beat of music. Walk around moving and swaying to the rhythm. You will probably notice very early that baby is aware of music and they will even respond to it at a very young age. Encourage the experience and teach them music by letting them use a large spoon to bang on a plastic bowl. There are also some very good toys out that can help develop a music consciousness.
There are many items around your house that have different textures, sounds and even visual stimulations. Find safe colorful items and let baby touch them, shake them and there is a good chance they are even going to taste them so make sure it is clean. You can even get real creative and glue beads, feathers and even Velcro to a plastic bottle. The different textures will spark curiosity and help develop senses. (make sure the beads are glued on very good, or just put the beads in the bottle to make a rattle.)
Creative movement is not only playing but good exercise too. Help baby move around, stretch and roll over. Create a new environment for baby by making simple obstacle courses on the floor. Put down towels, pillows and blankets to make new terrain for baby to navigate through, over and around. Have fun with baby and get down on the floor and go through the obstacle course yourself. Baby will find it fun and want to copy you, or they might lead you. When leading they will probably look behind to make sure you are keeping up. Make it fun!
Night time Baby!
Night time is a great time for bath time. Bath time is a time for you to bond with your baby through touch and sound. While you are giving your baby a bath sing to them again. Sing about the day and the adventures you had together. If you were at work all day and not with baby sing to them about your experiences. Keep it simple and repetitive.
Bath time, bath time
Clean the baby’s belly
Clean the baby’s arms
Wash away the dirt from the day
Just make up verses that are fun and soothing.
Remember that everyday is a new adventure for your baby and you too!
Jeff Burchell is Oliver’s Dad and created http://OliverStop.com as a way to share to wonderful experience of being a parent. There are many questions new parents face as they raise their babies to toddlers and beyond at http://www.oliverstop.com we have ideas and activites for children of all ages.
Tips For New Dads
May 10th, 2009So you went with you wife to all the doctor appointments, ultrasounds and breathing classes but you still don’t feel the true feelings of being a Daddy. Your wife starts really feeling the emotions of being a Mommy long before you. Her body has gone through changes and she can feel the little one kicking and moving inside. Sure you got to put your hand on the belly and feel a kick, you saw the ultrasound pictures but something is still missing right? Don’t worry all first time Dads go through this.
There is really no way for us to feel or even imagine what our wife has gone through for nine months, but the moment you see that little face and those little eyes look at you everything in your life is about to change. So the question still remains, what do I do now? How do I start my connection with this new little person and let them learn that I am Daddy?
Now let me be clear I am not a Doctor, a psychologist or a parenting expert I am just a Daddy who has been there. I was excited through the term of the pregnancy, but I was not prepared for the wave of emotions that I felt the first time I saw Oliver. I know it is not the manliest of things, but I did cry when I saw him for the first time and they were tears of joy. In one instant I realized that I was a Daddy, and it was my duty to provide for him and be there to teach him to live.
Something I did to connect with Oliver was simply holding him as much as possible. Look at him and talk to him. I know that he had no idea what I was saying, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was hearing my voice and seeing my face.
I work a full time job and leave for work very early in the morning. So something else I did was on the weekends I would get up with him in the morning and let Kristi sleep in. This would give me one on one time with Oliver that I could start creating the bond. There were mornings that I would just lay on the floor with him staring at him, talking to him and playing with him. This was very important to me and helped me feel the emotions my wife had gone through for months. Just little things like laying him on my chest, holding his little hands and taking naps with him in my arms enforced the feelings of being a Daddy.
There was a period when I was going to work at four in the morning and Kristi was great about letting me sleep though the night. I did try to when Oliver would wake up in the night to eat go get him and bring him to Mommy to eat. It was hard for me, but I can remember some pretty wonderful emotions of going to get Oliver when he was crying and by simply picking him up he would settle down. This was very powerful to me and showed me exactly the true feelings of being a father. When they are that little and that new to this world we are everything to them and they depend on us for everything even the feeling of security and comfort.
My biggest tip for a new Daddy is don’t be scared, you are not going to hurt them by picking them up and holding them. Hold them as much as you can, look into their eyes and tell them about your day. They will listen and they will love you for it!
Jeff Burchell is Oliver’s Dad and created http://OliverStop.com as a way to share to wonderful experience of being a parent. There are many questions new parents face as they raise their babies to toddlers and beyond at http://www.oliverstop.com we have ideas and activites for children of all ages.
A Guide to Saving Money on Household Items Using Gift Vouchers
May 4th, 2009In these tough economic times, everyone is looking at how they can tighten their purse strings by saving money, whether it be at the supermarket, buying software for your computer, or for your leisure activities. If there is a product or service where you can utilize gift vouchers in order to save money, then you are more likely to buy this product or use the service. What follows is a guide to getting hold of the gift vouchers which offer the customer the best deals.
Retailers such as supermarkets have also been known to give away free gift vouchers. Sometimes these gift vouchers are in the form of stipulating some conditions, for example, you will get £10 off your grocery bill if you spend at least £50. Even deals like this can be valuable, as the weekly shop for most families, even those on a budget, will more than likely exceed £50.
By offering such deals, the retailer also gains. Firstly, by offering these gift vouchers, the retailer has ensured that the customer will return to their store, as opposed to the store of a competitor. Secondly, the retailer may gain in other ways. Sometimes, the gift vouchers can only be redeemed if you fill in a survey, or questionnaire. This way the retailer finds out crucial information about the shopping habits of it’s customers, which enables it to understand its customers more, and provide a better shopping experience.
Other companies offer gift vouchers in the form of free bonuses when you sign up for an account, such as poker and online gaming. This is a very competitive area, and so the various companies in this area offer big bonuses to customers who sign up with them. These will often be in the form of free money to play with, up to a certain amount. For example, if you deposit £200 into your account, the company will match that sum, and place a total of £400, so that you have £400 to play with (although there are sometimes restrictions on withdrawing this amount). Here, you can see that the value of the gift vouchers is very significant indeed.
Some of the best deals to be had at the moment are getting hold of gift vouchers for software. The software companies are desperate to sell as many copies of their software as possible, as they have already spent huge amounts of money to develop the software in the first place. Therefore, you often see some great deals, with gift vouchers sometimes reducing the price of the software by as much as 50%. You need to know where to look, however, as these deals are quite rare. One great site to get the best deals for software gift vouchers is Share Vouchers, which has developed key relationships with suppliers to enable the customer to save as much money as possible when buying software.
The internet is a great way of looking out for the latest gift voucher offers. There are now websites which have been specifically designed to look out for the latest offers offered by a huge variety of retailers. One of the leading websites offering free gift vouchers is Share Vouchers.co.uk, which has a multitude of offers, ranging from discounts on software, to free bonuses on gaming websites.
Jane Smith runs the leading website offering free gift vouchers and discount vouchers for a variety of goods and services .
Is it Time For Your Family to Grow?
April 29th, 2009The decision to have a baby is not always easy, even though it is exciting. If you already have a child at home, you have an additional amount of information to consider when deciding whether or not to have another baby. Many couples wonder when the “perfect” time to add a new baby to their family would be. While the truth is that only you and your spouse can decide whether or not you are ready for the responsibility of another child, answering some questions can make the decision making process easier.
Do You Want Another Baby?
This may sound trite, but you need to stop and think about whether or not you want another baby. You may feel pressure from friends or family members to give your child a sibling or grow your family for other reasons. On the other hand, you may want another baby, but your spouse may not. Take some time to talk about whether or not you both want to add to your family. Make sure your relationship as a couple is as strong as possible and that you are on the same page, because adding a baby to a strained relationship will only make it more strained.
Is Your Other Child Old Enough?
There is no cut and dried age that is the perfect age to become a big brother or big sister. Many parents choose to have their children close in age so they can be playmates, while others choose to space them out so that they can recover from babyhood with one child before starting in on it with another. However, if your child is really young and not yet sleeping through the night, your body may not be able to handle the demands of being pregnant without enough sleep at night. Additionally, having two children who are not mobile makes life a bit challenging, so consider whether or not you want to deal with two children that need to be carried.
Is Your Body Ready?
If you have a lot of weight to lose after your first, you may want to focus on getting back in shape before you get pregnant again. Losing the weight is harder if you wait, and your body needs to be as fit as possible for a healthy pregnancy. Also, most doctors recommend giving your body a chance to heal from birth before trying to conceive again, at least 18 to 24 months are ideal if possible between births.
Is Your Budget Ready?
You really never can “afford” to have another child. Most of us live to our means or beyond, but if you are really struggling to make ends meet, you may want to postpone adding on to your family. Sit down and plan a budget that will include the addition of more diapers and possibly formula, schooling costs, and medical costs, and then decide if you can add to your family. Of course, do not make the decision solely on money, but if you are not going to be able to feed the children you do have if you add another, it could be time to reconsider trying to conceive.
Maria Cummings is a devoted parent, wife and expert author on family matters and parenting. She is devoted to helping children’s organizations and activities. Maria is the Sales Manager for BustlingBaby.com which offers a variety of baby products to help make parenting easier, from the Eddie Bauer Bassinet to baby monitors
Bringing Together Old And New Christmas Traditions
April 24th, 2009Nowadays, you can see a cosmic mixture of the age-old Christmas traditions, fresh, current spins on old customs, but regardless of your viewpoint, majority of people have a short breather from the regular day by day pound of daily life, and somewhere within, the spirit of the time of year that connects a lot of people around a distinctive matter of good will is a sentiment we find ourselves hoping we could maintain the whole time of the year.
There is no better method to educate children the spirit of generosity than bringing to their awareness those less lucky ones, for whom Christmas isn’t a trouble-free time. For this form of learning and generosity, little troops of children work finest. Let your children call one or two very close acquaintances to help.
Call your local Department of Child Services if you want to ask inquiries about whom to get in touch with or someplace to go to adopt a kid (or family) for Christmas giving, however try to opt a foster child since they are likely to obtain plenty of presents, while further, less fortunate kids may not. Poor families you might identify as being poverty-stricken are good option. Once you have chosen the kid or the family you want to take on, take your kids, and with a specific budget in mind let them to help you buy presents. If you can, it is also good to create some easy food presents, such as gingerbread cookies, Christmas chocolate chip cookies, and many others to offer to both your adopted, and the elderly in your neighborhood a unique present to let them recognize you are thinking of them this Christmas season.
As soon as the shopping has been completed, gather all family members including your adopted kid or family to bake cookies, candies, and food presents. Allow the children to help, and even benefit from some hot chocolate and cookies, or try some hot spiced apple juice, a winter weather favorite. Here is a recipe on how to make a hot spiced apple juice.
Hot Spiced Apple Juice Recipe
Bottled apple juice or cider
Red-hot cinnamon candies
In a nonstick pan, pour the apple juice and add plenty of red hot, cinnamon candies.
Heat the pan, stirring constantly, until all candies are melted.
Serve straight away, or pour the mixture into thermal container to preserve heat.
Cookies and candies can be placed into economical Christmas tins or Christmas loot bags. Make sure to keep a supply of snacks within reach, take all the kids in the center of the floor with a stack of gifts, papers, tapes, ribbons, and bows and let them wrap up the gifts. When you all go away to deliver the gifts, take the Christmas cookies and candies with you, and let the kids bring them in and wish the elderly in the area a Merry Christmas.
This is a brilliant moment to have a sleep over, letting other parents have some time to go shopping without their kids. It would also be an exceptional way to educate children that Christmas is a time for generosity.
Melanie Smith is a regular article writer at Merry Christmas 24 website, to read more of her articles please visit our website at merrychristmas24.com. Read more about Christmas traditions by clicking on this link merrychristmas24 – Christmas traditions
Sources of Resveratrol
June 11th, 2008Resveratrol is produced by certain plants to protect them from stress caused by the environment. It is a phytoalexin which is a byproduct of a plant’s natural defense mechanism. Resveratrol is found in huge amounts in the skin of grapes and this antioxidant protects the grapes from extreme heat and fungal diseases. It is therefore found abundantly in cooler climates. Wine is understandably one of the largest sources of this powerful antioxidant.
This antioxidant does not allow fungal infections to affect the plant and also protects the plant from heat. Cooler climates can see more of resveratrol as it is here that there are more chances of fungus infecting the plants.
Although it is all at the experimental stage, resveratrol shows a huge potential in the treatment of coronary diseases and cancer. Research is being conducted extensively to find out how best this antioxidant can be used to fight these more common but deadly diseases. □
As it has been proved time and again, consumption of wine or alcohol reduces the incidence of coronary diseases. This is true especially in case of red wine. Presence of resveratrol has been linked to this finding. Recent studies have proven that being a very effective antioxidant, resveratrol protects cells from lipid peroxidation.
Resveratrol is found to reduce aggregation of platelets thereby helping in the prevention of atherosclerosis. Studies are however inconclusive as they have been conducted only on tissue cultures in artificial environments. It is yet to be tested on animals and humans.
Resveratrol has found to inhibit formation of free radicals as it is a powerful antioxidant. This proves to be helpful during the initial stages of tumor formation. Resveratrol also shows potential in inhibition of cyclooxygenase – 1. Cyclooxygenase is an enzyme which promotes the formation of pro inflammatory substances by converting arachidonic acid. These substances are the root cause for stimulating the growth of tumor cells.
Resveratrol is also manufactured as diet supplements. It is available in the form of a transdermal patch and in liquid form. The transdermal patch resembles a nicotine patch. This antioxidant is also offered in powdered or tablet form.
It is advisable to consult one’s physician before deciding to take resveratrol supplements as a preventive measure for any ailment. As with any other drug which is in the research stages, it is better to wait for conclusive evidence and reports before proceeding to make it a part of our intake.
Resveratrol is a very prospective cure for some major ailments like stroke and cancer. However, extensive research is under way and we soon hope for results. Information on what is happening on this front is available on the internet. There are various sites offering information and updates on the research front. It is interesting to study about this wonder antioxidant as of now. It is prudent to wait for conclusive evidence before taking it as a preventive measure or as a curative for any ailment.
Tons of information can be found on the internet about Resveratrol. It really is the new darling of the supplement world. It also comes in liquid form for easy digestion. All the major supplement companies have a keen interest invested in the future of Resveratrol.
Anti aging skin care plans
June 4th, 2008A baby’s skin is an ideal skin texture. Anti aging skin care treatments involve efforts to maintain the skin texture closest to a baby’s. Shine and smoothness of child’s skin is due to excessive of elastin and collagen that are presents in the body. Simple wash with water and baby soap to remove the dust will be helpful to maintain the beautiful texture of skin. Anti aging skin care treatment involves the basic step of washing the skin on a regular basis.
This is because the baby’s skin has an abundant supply of collagen and elastin which begins to wear out naturally as the baby grows and by the time the child has reached adulthood most of the collagen and elastin has vanished leaving the person with an aging skin.
Children’s skins are new and that’s why their skin cells are able to rejuvenate naturally. The best treatment for anti aging skin care for children would be to use mild soaps while giving them a bath and applying sun screen lotions when they are exposed in sunlight.
The texture of the skin keeps changing throughout teen years. Normally two changes occur during this period. Increase in the production of hormone will be continuous throughout puberty. Most of the teen agers love a good looking perfect and ideal skin. Hormonal changes occur during the beginning stages of adulthood.
The increased hormone production when the child attains puberty also contributes to the appearance of acne. The treatment for acne in teens involves exfoliating the dead and infected portions using salicylic acid exfoliates and over the counter skin ointments which help to control and get rid of acne and thus help in anti aging skin care.
Picking pimples and spots should be completely avoided as it might lead to scarring or spreading from one area to another. Clean and routine habits must be practiced duly without fail. Makeup should be promptly removed before going to bed. Cleansing the face is also essential. Toxins and waste products are being released and skin gets rejuvenated while a person is at sleep. Tanning beds and sun bathing should be avoided as they have the ability to spoil the internal structure of the skin. Dermatologist should be consulted for skin problems that are unusual. These conscious efforts make sure you are on the right path to anti aging skin care.
At the age of twenty hormones starts to get balanced. Oil secretion will slow down and texture of the skin can be enjoyed. At the age of twenty five routine skin care practices like moisturizing toning and cleansing must be followed as a requisite of anti aging skin care. Sun screen should be applied during morning hours and before proceeding outside. Regular exercises and vitamin supplements will be extremely helpful. Proper intake of food will also help in the nourishment of skin.
Skin starts looking great at the age of thirty. Wrinkles and lines generally depend on exposure to sun during younger days and the application of sunscreen. Major turning point is when the metabolism rates slow down. At 40 wrinkles develop around the eyes. Discoloration and sagging of skin can also be seen. Proper skin treatment like facials and skin toning must be adopted as anti aging skin care treatments. Doctors should be consulted periodically. Adequate sleep, exercise and rest is essential.
Anti aging skin care treatments like chemical peel and facial must be done regularly. Proper care should be taken according to the changing seasons. Enough of rest adequate sleep and exercise will be extremely helpful to maintain the texture of the skin.
A good anti aging skin care treatment would be to apply a chemical peel once a month under the expert supervision of a skin care specialist. Lots of beauty sleep, the right amount of exercise, and proper nutrition would go a long way in providing excellent anti aging treatment by helping to keep your skin smooth and shining.
Anti Aging Skin Care
June 2nd, 2008It is a well known fact that as we age our skin also ages. When we compare the texture of the skin of an adult with that of a new born baby we will find that the baby’s skin has a shine and smoothness that an adult skin does not have. Anti aging skin care treatments try to get back the baby’s skin as far as possible.
This is because the baby’s skin has an abundant supply of collagen and elastin which begins to wear out naturally as the baby grows and by the time the child has reached adulthood most of the collagen and elastin has vanished leaving the person with an aging skin. Children’s skins are new and that’s why their skin cells are able to rejuvenate naturally. The best treatment for anti aging skin care for children would be to use mild soaps while giving them a bath and applying sun screen lotions when they are exposed in sunlight.
Some of the negative side effects due to topical retinoid are high sensitivity towards UV light, dryness and irritation. Skin irritation might lead to aging during the long run. Exfoliation combined with either beta or alpha – hydroxyl acids are also used for acne treatments. If alpha – hydroxyl acids is used moderately with the process of exfoliation certain rejuvenation advantages can be obtained.
Alpha and beta – hydroxyl acids combined with exfoliation forms to be the major component for anti aging skin care acne treatment. Exfoliation with moderate hydroxyl acids has certain rejuvenating advantages. Extensive exfoliation methods can cause severe skin irritation and dryness and directly lead to the process of aging.
Women get frequently affected with acne problems even during their middle ages (between forties and fifties). The predominant reason for adult acne is due to the change in the hormonal pattern. Anti aging skin care treatments mainly for acne are needed especially for women owing to hormonal imbalance.
Reduction in oil consumption is considered as the best and effective treatment for acne as it enables to keep the hair follicles and pores open. Treating acne at the right time can prevent aging of the skin considerably. Early detection and treatment can provide positive results.
People suffering from acne develop pimples around forehead chin and nose. Symptoms of acne differ from each other rapidly. Blockage appearing in the pores of the skin and hair follicles forms the base for the infection. There should be a rapid reduction in oil which will enables to keep the open. Proper care must be adequately taken to prevent aging process.