Let her eat cake!

Since we had left over cake from Baby Bear's smash cake, we tried again with cake.



She had a little bit but most of it ended up on the floor. I guess Baby Bear just doesn't have much of a sweet tooth (very unlike her mama, so guess who ended up eating the rest of her cake. It was very yummy!!!).

Presents, presents, and more presents

The day after the birthday party we opened presents. I guess with over 100 people you will get a lot of presents. Luckily, Papa Bear and I took separate vehicles. We put all the presents in his work van and that was all he transported back home:



At first, Baby Bear was a little overwhelmed by all the presents.



Then she got excited when she realized it was all for her.







Everyone was so kind and generous. Baby Bear got lots of toys, clothes, and books. She also got money to put into her savings account and some gift cards to get some clothes and toys. Baby Bear will be styling in her new clothes. She loves books and is excited about some new toys to play with' she was ready to graduate to toddler toys. Thank you to everyone!!!

It's my party!!

Photo by Leslie

The month of June has just been a big birthday month for Baby Bear. We started the month with a a trip to the zoo on her actual birth date and we wrap up the month of June with a big birthday bash.

We celebrated with a big party this weekend. We had over 100 people and kids!! We celebrated her jungle themed birthday party at the park so that we could accommodate that many people (plus the playground would help keep the kids busy). I think that everyone had a great time!!



The first birthday is a big deal in my family, especially with Baby Bear being the first grandchild for my parents and Papa Bear's parents. So I knew that we would have to go big. On top of it all, I have a large Filipino family and so it was going to be big no matter what.

We had tons of food, we had a taco cart to cater food. But we didn't stop there. My parents insisted that we also have Filipino food, so we did. We had to have pancit since it was a birthday party, the noodles are for long life. We also had to have lecheon, roast pig. I remember my birthday parties with the pig and the pig's head on display with an apple in his mouth. My parents wanted a pig at their only grandchild's first birthday party. At first my daddy put the pig's head away. When Papa Bear asked him why, my daddy said that some people (I think he was implying some white people) don't like it. Papa Bear told him to put it out. I am lucky that my husband embraces my heritage (plus, he thought the pig was cool, LOL, if it wasn't for Papa Bear we wouldn't have any photos of the pig).



Here are a few pictures from the party that we had a chance to take. I was so glad to have my friend, Leslie, photograph the day so that we did not have to worry about it. Can't wait to see them all.

The park playground and sidewalk chalk kept the kids pretty entertained. We also had a bubble and balloon lady. I think the kids enjoyed making giant bubbles.





Baby Bear enjoyed watching the older kids make bubbles.



After bubbles came time for cake. Baby Bear was not too into her cake, she really didn't want to have anything to do with it. Oh well, she had no idea what she was missing.





Baby Bear may have been overwhelmed by all the people and was pretty exhausted by that time. She fell asleep on Papa Bear not too long after cake. Luckily, we were getting ready to wrap up the party. We had hoped that she would have taken a nap before the party, but she did not nap that morning while at Grandma Bear's house. Even without a nap, she was great throughout the entire party.

More to come when I get pictures back from my photographer.

Dinner time conversations

We have been pretty busy planning Baby Bear's birthday party. It is coming up this Saturday. I've made and bought decorations, put together party favors, and baked 9 dozen cupcakes. We've ordered food and I am making a Costco run during my lunch break today. My friend who is a photographer is coming to capture the party and we have entertainment/activities booked. It should be a really fun first birthday party. I may have gone a little over board on things, but it is her first birthday and I love planning parties!! Plus, that is just my way. I think most everything is ready (although I may come up with some last minute things to make as is my Sherthebear style). We are really excited about it. Baby Bear may not remember it, but we will.

People are still sending in their RSVP and it look like we are going have 100 people there!! Yikes!! It will be a blast.

In the mean time, here is a little short clip of Baby Bear during dinner time:

More from the Zoo first birthday

Look at those monkeys go. Hopefully, Baby Bear didn't pick up any new tricks.

Our little walker

Baby Bear is getting better and better at walking. She is still a little wobbly, but look at her go.

My tiny baby

I recently discovered this picture on my flash drive. I think my friend took it. Baby Bear was not even a day old here. Oh my tiny little baby.

12 month well visit

It is Baby Bear's birthday month and I am still in awe that I have a one year old. We will be having a fun filled jungle birthday party in a few weeks (we are having it later because of the availability of the park we wanted). Baby Bear can do so much now that she is a year old. She is becoming a great walker and has the most amazing personality. Her smile just makes me so absolutely happy. This Baby Bear is the best thing in my life. It is amazing what a difference a year makes.



Baby Bear had her 12 month well visit with the pediatrician today. She weighs 17 lbs 7 oz (4th percentile) and is 27 3/4 inches long (12th percentile). She is a petite little monkey bear. I try not to worry so much about her weight, but I think that a normal part of being a mama bear is that I worry. She is just not a great eater, we give her all kinds of finger foods but she just does not eat a whole lot. She is also resistant to try new foods, it is just a slow process with her. She is nothing like her mama. I love to eat (maybe if I were more like her then the last 5 pregnancy pounds would come off). At least she eats and she is growing and meeting all her developmental milestones. I can't complain, she is healthy and happy. What more can I ask for.

The fact that she is not a great eater explains why she is not sleeping through the night quite yet. She is hungry at night and still nurses 3-4 times a night. I have thought about sleep training but I am able to deal with it at this point and she really needs to eat. I don't want to deprive her of what she needs.

Trials and tribulations of breastfeeding.

No one ever really tells you how hard breastfeeding is. I took a breastfeeding class when I was pregnant and read up on it, but none of that really prepares you for it. It is interesting that something so natural can be so challenging, but then again having a baby is no walk in the park. I am very fortunate to have been able to breastfeed for a year. I met my goal and it was not an easy task.

I count myself as being very fortunate to have had a lot of support during this breastfeeding adventure. In the beginning, it was absolutely exhausting and Baby Bear was feeding constantly and I was a bit discouraged. Luckily, I was able to use the feeding clinic near me and see a lactation consultant on a regular basis (for free!). I started off going to the clinic a few times a week until I got the hang of it and then weekly for weight checks and support. I had a lot of questions and having that support and resource available to me really helped me out. It helped me as I worked on introducing the bottle to Baby Bear before I returned to work. That was another huge struggle. They helped me as I dealt with my clogged duct. They helped me as I prepared to return to work and pump while at work.

I know how hard it is to breastfeed and even after a year it is still a challenge. Two weeks ago, I developed a milk blister and it was so painful to nurse. I believe I might have developed an infection, because I had a fever and chills a week later, which I think had to do with the milk blister.

I have met my goal and now I am at the point where I am considering my next steps. A few weeks ago we introduced whole milk to Baby Bear and I started to supplement her daycare bottles with whole milk. Although I still have a freezer supply, it is slowly being used and my milk supply has been decreasing. I also got my period back which has impacted my supply, although I have been quite irregular. I hope to stop pumping at work. Pumping is a lot of work and I certainly won't miss that.

So I have set some new goals for myself: I am going to reduce my pumping schedule from 3 times a day to 2 times a day for this month and then to once a day in July. That will make a huge difference. I plan to eliminate all pumping by September.

I'll continue to give Baby Bear half expressed breast milk and whole milk until I have no more breast milk to give her. That will probably be through the summer. I would like to wean Baby Bear from bottles during the day and get her onto sippy cups. I plan to continue to nurse at night and in the morning for a little longer. I haven't decided how much longer, we will see how it goes.
Since Baby Bear is not the best eater of solid foods and isn't taking to keenly to the sippy cup, this process may take awhile for us. We just have to take it one step at a time.

First Birthday at the zoo

For Baby Bear's first birthday we took her to the San Diego Zoo. We had a blast. Baby Bear really seemed to enjoy it and Papa Bear and I really had a great time. Baby Bear loves animals and her favorite bedtime story is Goodnight Gorilla, so we thought she would love the zoo. And she did!!





Baby Bear is all ready for the zoo, she brought along Sophie the giraffe to see the animals with her.



We first went on the monkey trail.



We had the most fun watching the chimpanzees. They put on a great show for us and Baby Bear loved watching them play. We are hoping she didn't learn too many tricks from them.







The polar bears were fun to watch as well. One polar bear was playing around in the water with his ball. Baby Bear really enjoyed watching a bear!





We had to bring Sophie the giraffe to see her relatives. They were way bigger than Sophie.



The koala didn't want to be bothered by us. We were getting tired too.



The birthday girl had a great time. What a great way to spend a first birthday!!

The first year month by month

Month 11





Month 10






Month 9





Month 8





Month 7





Month 6





Month 5





Month 4





Month 3





Month 2





Month 1

How old are you?

We have a walker

Baby Bear has officially take a couple of steps. Just days before her first birthday and we have a walker!! I can't believe it. She is not consistently walking but she can definitely stand up and take a few steps. It is a matter of time before she is running!!!!