My Baby's Baby

There's nothing more sweet, more pure, than the love of two babies.  My best friend, Carolina, and I had always dreamed of raising our children together.  Since she only got married two years ago, I had to go through my first pregnancy alone.  Then on my second, we decided to coordinate everything down to the second.  We timed our conceptions, took lamaze classes together, and even triggered our labor in sync.  Needless to say, we both dreamed about our children getting married so we could officially be sisters.  It was a dream come true when our babies clicked after delivery.  From the very beginning it was clear that Orwin and Debrotta were soul mates.  It was true love.

Only a minute old and already inseparable.  Orwin's on the left with the scissors to cut his umbilical cord.  You can really see who wears the pants in the relationship! :)

Now that they are older and more active, who knows what will happen? Orwin's eye has begun to wander to the other members of his play-group.  As much as I love Debrotta as a daughter in law, I can't help but to think it might be good for their relationship for both of them to see other people and experiment with new things.  I would never want them to think that they missed out in life by playing too safe.  In the future, perhaps, things will work out for the two of them.  Que Sera! 

Cooking Disasters

The apple doesn't farl fall from the tree... as the old saying goes.

That's especially true with my eldist child, Jennica.  At least when it comes to cooking.
This was quite an exciting morning in the Diego household.  Jenn heard her daddy and I arguing about cooking... nothing big... just that I am a little inept in that department (I was a little too experimental on Thanksgiving with the fireplace roasted turkey).  My brilliant little daughter thought she would try and help out, so she took some of her Little Tykes fun-food and popped it into the toaster oven.  Needless to say, it caught on fire and the kitchen now smells like burnt plastic.  Not a huge difference from the way it does after I cook, according to daddy LOL.

Here's a picture of the damages.

Is my baby gifted?

The mother of all Mothering books, What to Expect When You're expecting offers six signs of a gifted and talented baby.  As a mother, I take the responsibilitiy to provide the best possible opportunities and life for my children as I possibly can.  From the very beginning, after conception, I began the process of progressive child rearing.  After intercourse, lying on your back with your legs elevated, will cause the baby's brain to be the first thing that begins development (image below).  Since then, Orwin's life has been a nonstop express to superiorally gifted development.

The Baby Einstein series offers Orwin the challenge and stimulation that he truly desires.  From a young age, nursery rhymes and children's songs would just immediately put him to sleep, while polyrhythmic/polytonal compositions keep his mind wandering for hours on end.  Right now we have a baby piano in order for him to learn the basic scales, after which he will get to play the family grande just like his big sis Jennica.

Baby Shakespeare will expediate Orwin's language development, and give him a model by which he may begin his narrative composition.  

Nonethless, the light of my life, Orwin, has aced the test for gifted babies. 92% of valedictorians are said to have achieved the same accolades as infants.  

Holiday Shopping for Children with Special Needs

Once a year for the holidays I get together with my good college friend, Thereza.  She just happened to be in town the other week so we got together for brunch today and exchanged gifts for the kids.  Thereza has a precious 5 year old named Darien, who was diagnosed with Autism when he was born.  He is honestly the funniest little man, but I had a little trouble when deciding what I would get him for Christmas.  His mother had told me that they were working on his sensory development and awareness, so I decided to be a little creative and make an assortment of gifts.

I got the idea from a fellow mommy blogger at http://www.blogher.com/frame.php?url=http://www.thepickyapple.com/blog/2010/07/10/sensory-bin-extravaganza/

With that inspiration I went out to my local craft store and purchased several plastic bins that I filled with rice and sand and shaving cream.  For his auditory senses, I also picked up some kazoos and party noisemakers that Darien absolutely loved.  Gift-wrapping the bins was a bad idea because the contents spilled out all over the floor of the restaurant when he opened them, but Darien had a great time playing! We could hardly get him out of the pile of sand and rice and shaving cream under the table when it was time to leave, but finally the busboy came over with hose and we were able to snatch him up.  Thereza let me know that the noise makers were a big hit.  Darien hasn't stopped with the kazoo's for the past three weeks straight!

I realized from this experience, the difficulty it must be, of having to buy gifts for children with special needs.  We discovered early at the age of one and half, that Jennica was a slow reader, and worked with that struggle by entering her into toddler reading classes.  So I thought it might be nice if I posted some commercial present ideas for kids with special needs...

Here's a great option for quirky little girls who cannot relate to the typical image of perfectly proportioned and active Barbie.  It's her paraplegic friend Becky!

I absolutely adore this company- Disabled Dolls- which represents every different kind of child out there.  As you can see, there are two blind girls (one who is presumably cross-eyed and allergic to dogs), a girl with leg braces, a boy in a wheel chair and with glasses, a boy who carries stuff in a rolly bin because he can't use his arms, and a boy with a hearing aid who has to wear hospital scrubs.

I would absolutely buy a doll like this for my child if I had adopted.  It is important for an adopted child to feel welcomed into the family, and to make sure there is absolutely no alienation.  What better way to celebrate his or her life than by giving the gift of a friend who has had a similar life.  What's more, many off the dolls appear to be injured or disabled in some way, which brings exposure to the importance of caring for children who have special needs or who have experienced trauma in their lives with birth parents.  

Baby Health!

As a mother, I find it essential to introduce children to the importance of health consciousness at an early age.  If a child grows up without a strong emphasis on exercise and healthy dieting, they are 30x more likely to develop health-related disorders such as diabetes by the low age of 13.  These numbers are far to frightening for me to even think about taking that risk.

That's why I'm starting Orwin off on the right track early.  I decided that for Christmas this year, I would give him the gift of a longer, healthier life, by providing him his very own exercise room!

I found some great deals on amazon on child-friendly equipment, perfect for him to work out some of his trouble areas.  As soon as he gets his first steps out... I'll make sure he's walking right onto that treadmill!!

http://www.amazon.com/Redmon-Fitness-Exercise-Equipment-Kids/dp/B00139YBQQ

Baby's first Treadmill!

http://www.amazon.com/Redmon-Fitness-Exercise-Equipment-Kids/dp/B001403IL8/ref=pd_cp_ba_1

Baby's first Elliptical!

http://www.amazon.com/Redmon-Fitness-Exercise-Equipment-Kids/dp/B001404UMO/ref=pd_cp_ba_3

Baby's first Bench Set!

Now Orwin will be a real muscle man... not just the kind with the foam muscles that we dressed him in on Halloween!  I could not be a prouder or happier mother when it comes to my children's beauty.  But this issue extends far past looks... it's about starting out on the right track in life and eliminating the risk of child and adulthood obesity, which has plagued our nation's health for centuries.

Is it better to speak up?

Hello again,
We have been all out of clean diapers for about three days know (I've been creative about alternatives- dishtowls, sweatshirts, etc).  So finally today after a massive lentil baby food disaster, I ran out to the co-op to get some more composted disposables.

It was there where I saw a kind of curious happening.  A woman in the frozen foods isle was yelling at a man about the same age, who I presumed was her husband.  The man just kind of stood there passively, not saying anything back to her while she went on and on, degrading him about not picking the right brands and not thinking about anybody but himself.  This kind of got to me.

Only recently has verbal abuse become a publicized issue in society.  Before, it was considered a minor infraction, something that does not do any real harm to the victim, and so something that does not warrant any real punishment.  But now studies have shown that a victim of spousal verbal abuse can suffer some seriously traumatic mental anguish.  According to a poll, 1 in 2 people have reported having verbal relationships.  In some cases it can lead to depression and worse.  I am all for putting in work to make a marriage work, but a person in a relationship needs to know when they are being hurt.  And friends and family need to know the signs and symptoms of verbal abuse.  Some include

1. name-calling
2. abuse
3. offensive slights
4. insults
5. disrespectful slams
6. emotional snubs
7. verbal put-downs
8. indignity

The thing about this story that really alarmed me, however, was that the typical gender roles of abuse patterns were reversed.  The man was the victim in this case.  Many people in society do not accept the idea that a man can be the vulnerable one in a relationship, that he cannot be hurt, cannot cry, cannot be the one on the couch with the rocky-road ice cream watching Love Story.  But he can.  And he does.  According to a New York Times article, many men do not report when they are and are not being verbally abused.  This is a very serious issue that must be resolved.

I thought about saying something to the husband and wife but was too afraid.  I didn't want to embarrass either one of them or make matters worse for him.  Now I wish I had.  Then I wouldn't be so afraid that he's crying himself to sleep tonight.

Welcome to my Life!

Welcome to my first post! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  As my family was going around the table saying what we were all thankful for, I realized how much I had on my list.  I have been very interested in blogging for such a long time, and even started a few, but life just always seemed to get in the way and I would inevitibly get sidetracked.  I am at an exciting new time in my life, with a brand new baby boy... so what better time to truly share all my blessings with the world!!!

So... for those of you who don't know me... my name is Candice Diego.  A lot of people like my girlfriends and my hubby say I'm a sweetie pie, hence the name of my blog "Sweeter than Candice."  Because no one is! :)))  I am a proud mother and wife of two angle children.  My perfect husband, Danny, and I have been married for 7 prefect years.  Eight months and twenty three days and four hours ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Orwin.  His big sister Jennica could not be more pleased!

This past October, Orwin celebrated his very frist Halloween.  The spooky holiday was always a huge deal for me as a girl, so I thought I would celebrate the event by dressing him up in a different costume every day for the whole month of October.  It was loads of fun! Even though Jenn was a little jealous that he got all the attention, she helped me pick our favorite costumes of the month.  I finally just uploaded them (so technology challenged).  So cute!!

This adorable sheep costume was made by my wonderful mother, who the kids call Gigi.  Look how happy he looks! What noise does a sheep make Orwin? BAaaaaBaaaa

 A total Halloween classic, this Raggedy Anne costume actually belonged to one of Jennica's dolls, but we borrowed it because daddy was concerned that we were spending too much money.  But hey, theatricality ain't cheap!

 Orwin loves nerds! He makes the funniest faces when sucking on them! Let's hope this little guy gets some in his candy loot.  Thanks to Jennica for letting us borrow her old dance tutu! I glued the pompoms on myself! And to think Orwin's dad says I'm not handy around the house!








Orwin's daddy loves the Stars Wars movies, and he has special fondness of the Princess Leah character, so I thought I'd surprise him with this little diddly.



By the way if you were wondering about the genders of the characters I dress Orwin in, I can explain.  I strongly believe that as a mother it is my responsibility to impart a sense of tolerance to all different kinds of people of the world.  It is for this reason that I dress Orwin in clothes traditionally assigned by society to both genders.  It is up to Orwin to decide his own gender identity, and by giving him options, I am allowing him the ultimate route to self expression.

This was Jennica's favorite costume.  Orwin as a little Geico caveman! 

Funny story... I used my brown eyeliner to do the unibrow... walked away for one second to let the dog out... Orwin had eaten the whole thing. LOL!

Hope you all have a wonderful first day of December!