Aloha, I'm Donna, known everywhere on the Internet as "Champuru." I'm a Christian, blissfully wedded to my perfect match (the yang to my yin) of 15 years and a stay-at-home mom to my miracle baby, born in October 2008. Living life in Hawaii, less than 5 miles from my hometown, seeking balance in her pursuit of family, faith, recreation, and rest. Read more on the About page.
Baby Champuru had already sprouted four teeth: two on the bottom, then two on the top. The top two are still making its way out, but they broke through recently without much fanfare. I was just telling Hubby the other day that we’ve been so lucky to dodge the bullet on teething problems with Baby Champuru. She doesn’t drool excessively, doesn’t get very fussy, and doesn’t run fevers while she’s teething. I should know that saying things like that is just an invitation for trouble.
Last night, it took her nearly three hours to go to sleep for the night. She was antsy and fussy, simply refusing to settle down despite being visibly tired. Baby Champuru is nothing if not determined — and last night, she was determined not to go to sleep. I tried everything short of valium. Finally, after crying herself into exhaustion, I was finally able to nurse her long enough for her to drift off to sleep.
Today, Baby Champuru took fussy to a whole new level. During one of her open-mouthed screaming tantrums, I peered into her mouth and saw another tooth peeking through the gums on the bottom. I suspect that it just broke through today. By the time I spoke with the doctor’s office to ask about administering Tylenol Infant Drops, she was taking her nap. When she woke up, she was as happy as can be. Night and day. Literally. Amazing what a little sleep will do. I think being overtired and uncomfortable created the perfect storm. And today, she was a Category 5.
As a reprieve, she fell sleep quickly tonight. Thank God. I needed some down time. Badly.
According to the nurse I spoke to today, the worst should now be over since the tooth has already broken through. I hope she’s right.
NOTE: The photo you see was taken by my sister-in-law with her iPhone at a family gathering on Saturday. It’s quite possible that Baby Champuru was already experiencing some discomfort at that point. She was unhappy in this photo because someone was trying to snatch her away from daddy and she wasn’t ready to socialize yet. It takes her a while to warm up to people. Here’s hoping for happy faces tomorrow!
My mail usually falls into two categories: junk mail and bills. But on the rare occasion that I receive something out of the ordinary, I get absolutely giddy.
Today, I received a box from my dear friend Jan in Spokane. She has been so wonderful and has sent me numerous packages and cards “just because.” When I tore through the Priority Mail box, I found a gold-wrapped box inside. I opened the envelope to find one of Jan’s beautiful handmade masterpieces and birthday wishes written inside in her delicate hand.
I should have stopped at the card since it’s not yet my birthday, but I am not a patient person, so I opened the box. Contained inside was a top that I could’ve picked myself, it was so perfect for me. I didn’t get to try it on yet (it’s been a crazy day), but it looks like it should fit. My post-pregnancy wardrobe leaves a lot to be desired, so this is a welcome addition to my closet! Many thanks, Jan!
My birthday, which is coming up in September, had totally slipped my mind. With so much activity, the busyness of daily life (and the stresses), turning a year older was the least of my worries. Taking care of everything and everyone leaves me little time to think of myself. Jan’s present brought a smile to my lips and reminded me that I’m not just wife, mommy, and daughter. I’m also Donna and it’s nice to be spoiled once in a while.
Speaking of being spoiled, Hubby is treating me for a staycation in Waikiki for my birthday. It works out perfectly since it’s also the weekend of the Okinawan Festival at Kapiolani Park. We’ll be in walking distance to the park, so it should be a great time. I am so loved!
Sharing with you a few of Baby Champuru’s favorite snacks. What kind of finger foods or snacks do you feed your baby? I’m always looking for recommendations. Please share them in the comments or send me an email via my Contact Form.
I vowed that I would never allow it, but here she is, Baby Champuru sleeping in our bed.
While I was still pregnant, we were talking to the owner of a certain baby store as I purchased a supply of cloth diapers in preparation for Baby Champuru’s arrival. Somehow we got on the subject of baby furniture, notably cribs. She revealed that she bought a crib for her baby, but ended up using it as storage and the baby slept with them in the bed. At the time, I thought there is no way I am going to allow baby to sleep with us. *ahem*
So, how did this happen?
I had been exclusively nursing Baby Champuru from birth through six months at which time she decided that she had better things to do than lie around for 40 minutes to nurse every two hours or so. At that point, I began bottle-feeding her during the day, but continued to nurse her at bedtime, in the morning, and in between if she woke up during the night.
But, let’s back up to the early days… Her modus operandi whenever nursing is to doze off. As you would imagine, this was very convenient — as I could almost always expect that she would nap for a little while after a nursing session. So, I soon gave up my nursing pillow and opted to nurse her lying down where she could comfortably fall asleep and I could read a book or play a game on my iPod Touch for a few minutes. It was a welcomed reprieve for a tired new mom.
Likewise, it was convenient for bedtime. I marveled at the sedative effect that nursing had on Baby Champuru. Our bedtime routine ended up being such that I would nurse her to sleep, then move her into the co-sleeper next to our bed.
She has always been a good sleeper, but routinely wakes up once after being put down for the night: usually around 4:30 or 5 am at which time I will move her into our bed to nurse her and she will fall asleep for another couple of hours before officially starting her day.
Periodically, she may wake earlier (sometimes as early as midnight or 2 am), and end up sleeping in our bed for the duration of the night — but this is not the norm.
I know there are those of you who are proponents of sleep training methods and independent sleeping who are tsk-tsking at me at this very moment. But before you read me the riot act about the dangers of co-sleeping and the risk of SIDS, you should read this article by Dr. William Sears. You may be surprised at what you read.
I’m a little torn about the whole issue of sleeping. In a way, I wish Baby Champuru could just fall asleep on her own when I put her down in her crib. But on the other hand, I know that this time in her life will not last forever and I cherish these moments of bonding and closeness with her. As a subscriber of (most) attachment parenting principles, I like the idea of co-sleeping, but I also like not having to worry that baby is going to crawl off the edge of the bed during the night. Oh, and having the bed to ourselves without a tiny foot in my face is a nice thought, too.
I’ll likely continue this modified sleep sharing arrangement for a while, at least until baby is weaned.
I’m curious to know your opinion on this. What do you do? What has been your experience with co-sleeping — and the eventual transition to independent sleeping? Please share them in the comments — or send me an e-mail via my Contact Form.
Thank you, Consuela, for capturing this photo of us!
As Baby Champuru grows older, her stranger anxiety appears to be lessening. It seemed to have peaked around 6 months and now at 10 months, it’s on the decline. I believe her exposure to more people in an environment that she enjoys has been a key factor.
Stranger anxiety is difficult to deal with, especially when the people my baby is anxious about are definitely not strangers. At least not to me. People like my in-laws, for example. Or one of my closest friends Joni, whom I have known for over a decade.
The only solution we could see to this dilemma is to make our loved ones NOT strangers to Baby Champuru by frequent visits. Of course, with everyone’s busy schedules, that doesn’t always work. The one thing that I have found to work was bon dancing. That’s right: bon dancing.
It has always been our desire to expose Baby Champuru to the cultures of her heritage: Japanese and Okinawan. Bon dances are perfect for that, as both cultures are represented there. Full of stimuli, bon dances entrall young ones with glowing chochin lanterns, upbeat music, lively dancing and crowds of people.
Baby Champuru loves music and movement. I have been exposing her to Okinawan music since she was in utero and I continued bon dancing during the last trimester of my pregnancy. Little else will console her when it’s past her bedtime, but when she’s at a bon dance, snug inside my Beco Baby Carrier, she’s a happy camper. She’ll even fall asleep in the carrier while I’m dancing the night away.
At the beginning of the summer, Baby Champuru wouldn’t let others carry her. Not long after, Joni was able to carry her around the bon dance circle in her arms – and even in the baby carrier. This was major progress.
As the bon dance season progressed, she was exposed to more people. Perhaps this also helped to settle her stranger anxiety. She seems a bit more relaxed now, allowing others to interact and carry her more readily. I don’t know if I can attribute it all to bon dance season, but I think having her in an environment that she enjoys (music, dancing, pretty lights!) helped put her at ease and allowed her to be more accepting of new people and experiences.
Baby Champuru had already sprouted four teeth: two on the bottom, then two on the top. The top two are still making its way out, but they broke through recently without much fanfare. I was just telling Hubby the other day that we’ve been so lucky to dodge the bullet on teething problems with Baby Champuru. She doesn’t drool excessively, doesn’t get very fussy, and doesn’t run fevers while she’s teething. I should know that saying things like that is just an invitation for trouble.
My mail usually falls into two categories: junk mail and bills. But on the rare occasion that I receive something out of the ordinary, I get absolutely giddy.
and opted to nurse her lying down where she could comfortably fall asleep and I could read a book or play a game on my 
for a few minutes. It was a welcomed reprieve for a tired new mom.
, she’s a happy camper. She’ll even fall asleep in the carrier while I’m dancing the night away.
