Baby Champuru’s party is less than two weeks away and I still haven’t decided on what to use for the centerpieces.  I have the beautiful Midori-dori wraps all set to go, but nothing to put inside of them.  My initial thought was to wrap some sort of snack jar from Costco.  When I last checked, they had the Island Princess Macadamia Popcorn Crunch ($8.89, 24 oz.) and the Local Style Furikake Party Mix by Cookies in Paradise ($13.99, 22 oz.).  However, I wasn’t completely sold on that idea.

When I was browsing my Facebook friends updates and saw a photo of a cute fabric bag containing a 5 lb. bag of rice that my friend was using for her son’s birthday party centerpieces.  GENIUS!  In Hawaii, rice is universally loved and a sure winner.  Often, at lucky number giveaways, you’ll see a 20 lb. bag of rice as one of the highly-coveted prizes.  And, in this economy, people are sure to appreciate receiving the staple.

Rice is an important part of our Asian heritage as well as local culture.  So integral to the Japanese diet, in Japan, breakfast, lunch and dinner are known as morning rice (asa-gohan), afternoon rice (hiru-gohan), and evening rice (ban-gohan).  Western cultures shower newly wedded couples with rice to wish them good luck, prosperity and fertility.  In Hawaii, having a plate lunch without two scoops of rice is simply unthinkable.  Rice is also one of Baby Champuru’s favorite foods.

This particular bag of Hinode Calrose rice was $6.79 at Safeway. Likely not the cheapest buy, but I was there and I wanted to see how it would look wrapped in a Midori-dori.  Hubby thinks one of the Costco snack jars would make a better centerpiece, but I’m not fully convinced. We’ll have to think more about it — and also see whether those jars fit inside a Midori-dori wrap.

So, Internet, what do you think? If you were to be a recipient of one of my fabulous centerpieces, what would you prefer?  (For a visual of the jars, check out my Posterous blog.)  Please leave a comment or send me an e-mail via my Contact Form and let me know.  Many thanks!

I’ve been told that the term “the Terrible Twos” is a misnomer.  It doesn’t start at age two.  It begins around the time your baby learns to walk.  I looked up the word toddler in the dictionary and found this definition: “a young child who is just beginning to walk.” *sob* Baby Champuru is no longer an infant!   (Does that mean I have to start calling her Toddler Champuru? It just doesn’t have the same ring to it.)

When your baby goes from quadrupedal to bipedal, you had better be ready for your life to change. Again!

Baby Champuru went from being an infant to a toddler at 10-1/2 months and sure enough, I’m starting to see signs of the Terrible Twos emerging.  So, remind me again… why was I in such a rush to get her walking?

At 11 months old, she’s flexing her independence muscles in ways that both amaze and frustrate me.

Lately, the battle fields are chairs of all varieties, diaper changes, and bath time.  Basically, any time we attempt to put her into a position (seated or lying down), chances are she’ll resist.  She will arch her back or make her body stiff as a board when trying to put her into a seat (high chair, swing, or car seat), making it impossible to get her in.  Bath time has not been the fun, relaxing bedtime ritual that it is meant to be.  Lately, she refuses to sit down in the tub, so we have to bathe her while she’s standing. (Hubby holds her and I lather, rinse, repeat. She’s not steady enough to allow her to stand unsupported in a wet, slippery tub.) Diaper changes were fine for a while, but occasionally when she’s not in the mood, lying her down to change her diaper results in the infamous screaming neck arch.

Of course, you can’t let an uncooperative toddler prevent you from getting business done.  I mean, really, that stinky poopy diaper needs to be changed regardless of whether she’s happy about it or not.  However, you cannot simply force your will upon your baby.  It just doesn’t work.  At least not for me.  My solution?  I’ve become the master at the art of distraction.

Baby Champuru could very well be called Dora the Explorer.  She enjoys discovering new things and she will study an object with such intensity and focus that I never thought possible for an infant toddler her age.  I have been using this to my advantage.  When I anticipate resistance, I grab an object that she has not handled before — or one that she seems particularly fascinated by — and offer it to her.  If she reaches out and grabs it, I’m in business. Her body relaxes while her mind is engaged with the item, and I can place her in the position she needs to be in without protest.  It’s magical, really.

I’ll be in trouble when she learns to multi-task.  That is, when she can concentrate on the object and do the screaming neck/back arch at the same time.  Another dilemma is that I’m running out of new objects.  Sometimes reusing an item that I’ve previously distracted her with results in her swatting it away or snatching it then hurling it at my foot.

As for the car seat, I’m playing into the “exercising her independence” deal.  I stand her up next to her car seat and encourage her to climb in.  She does and I simply seat her properly and strap her in.  9 times out of 10, this works splendidly.  The rest of the time, I resort to pulling things out of my purse for the distraction game.  When nothing else works, the holy grail of distraction is my iPhone and I will allow her to hold it (*gasp!*) — usually out of desperation or sheer exhaustion.

Although it would be nice to have a totally obedient and compliant baby, I know that would not be a reasonable expectation.  Although it sometimes feels like she’s giving me a hard time, she’s developing a valuable skill: independence.  Learning independence is part and parcel of being a toddler.  Understanding what is age-appropriate behavior at each stage helps to shape my expectations and deal with her accordingly.  So, for now, I’ll use my distraction method for as long as it works.

I still have not found a solution to the bathtime quandary.  No amount of trickery or distraction will get her to sit down in her tub.  If anyone has a remedy for that one, please share your secret!

It’s only been a week, but it feels like it’s been forever since I’ve updated.  With 2-1/2 weeks before Baby Champuru’s first birthday bash, I’ve been busy planning and preparing.  After the party, I’ll likely do a blog series on party planning.  I’d like to keep it a low-key gathering, but somehow things like this can easily get blown out of proportion – and EXPEN$IVE! I’m trying to scale things back now, but I’m hoping it won’t be too mellow that the kids in attendance will be bored.  I’ll do an “after action report” and share the pitfalls with you. What worked, what didn’t.  Maybe it’ll help someone in the future with their party planning?