Brandon's 1st Birthday

Brandon has just turned 1-year old on September 26th. I held a BBQ party at our place and invited a few close friends and family over. Everything went smooth and everyone had enough to eat. The weather held up with good sunshine, but it was somewhat breezy.

It's late at night now, Brandon is asleep and I finally get to write or do my online work. It's kinda like working graveyards for me. I don't have much time to write a lot since Brandon's night awakenings are unpredictable.

Overall for Brandon's birthday party, everyone had a great time and Brandon got lots of gifts. Brandon was really excited for the new toys. I want to express thanks to her friends for coming over. I took some photos and I've uploaded to my online album here:

MyPhotoAlbum. Enjoy (and feel free to commment)! :)

If you like to view a video I made, click on the play button.



Linked from my YouTube account.

Pampers Codes & Huggies Codes

If you collect Pampers "Gifts to Grow" points or Huggies "Ride The Rewards" points, here are some codes that I thought I'd share. Bonus points for ya! Enjoy!


PAMPERS:

JUSTBECAUSE2009 (1 point)
JOINTHEFUNGTG09 (1 point)


HUGGIES:

BBWSJ TDHDT PTPGB (1 point)
PLWGF ZRJNX FWPGB (5 points)
BCRQB RMLXS BJPGB (5 points)
BBWTN CMZRL PPPGB (1 point)
GWMGG PJXKF LLPGB (5 points expires Nov 30/09)
BBWXT CCRXZ TQPGB (1 point)
BBWZZ RTRRH SKPGB (1 point)
BCXWH SFFSF ZSPGB (1 point)
BBWSJ TDHDT PTPGB (1 point)
QRNXW HLQGC PPPGB (1 point)
BCRLQ TQFXS KCPGB (5 points)
MLXRC CNRWK KWPGB (5 points)
NBDKD QZGDT FJPGB (5 points)
PWZLK XCQNS QSPGB (5 points expires Nov 30/09)
BBMKJ CWQWD GZPGB (1 point)
ZXLRK BTBBM NNPGB (5 points)
HKNZJ ZGMDN KBPGB (5 points)
XZRSS FHSQG FLTMN (5 points)
DDCHK GCBLZ DSPGB (5 points expires Oct 31/09)
KCPBH XMNRB TDPGB (5 points)
JXBQX LWHPP HPPGB (5 points)
BCRRN DTQKC WPPGB (5 points)
BCBCK PXQNK KGPGB (1 point)
BCBHC JXSNF TWPGB (1 point)
BBXJG QPMKN NQPGB (1 point)

More Giveaways from Mom Central

Week 3: September 14-27

Win a Sienna Lights Hurricane from Partylite (Open to US)

Win a LeadConfirm At-Home Lead Test (Open to US and Canada)

Win Cranklz Straps for Crocs from Monkey Lisa (Open to US)

Win a Clorox Gift Set (Open to US)

Win a Barbie and The Three Musketeers DVD (Open to US and Canada)

Win Glow Gluten-Free Cookies (Open to US)

Win a $50 Gymboree Gift Card (Open to US and Canada)

Win Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes (Open to US)

Win a Child's Belt from MySelf Belts (Open to US)

Win a Nintendo DSi (Open to US and Canada)

Win a Fisher Price Trio Building Set (Open to US and Canada)

Win a Copy of MozyHome File Backup (Open to US and Canada)

Week 2: September 7-20

Win a Twill with Scotchguard Sofa Slip Cover (Open to US and Canada)

Win an AT&T Dual Handset Answering System (Open to US and Canada)

Win V8 V-Fusion Juice and an L.L. Bean Tote Bag (Open to US)

Win Kid Kupz (Open to US and Canada)

Win a Jishaku Game (Open to US and Canada)

Win a Customizable Shainswear Eco-Friendly Bracelet Set (Open to US and Canada)

Win a Play-Doh Coco-Nutty Monkey (Open to US)

Win an Omron Pedometer (Open to US and Canada)

Win a Children's Lunch Pack from Built (Open to US and Canada)

Win Stacy's Chips (Open to US)

My Winning Prize from Evenflo

Recently I participated in Mom Central's Summer Giveaway Bonanza and I found that I won two boxes of the Evenflo's Comfort Select Nursing Pads. I was pretty excited when I received the news because I've never won anything online.

It would be nice to try a different brand to see how it compares. I am still nursing Brandon and currently using the La Leche League brand. I have tried other brands such as Gerber and Lansinoh, but I didn't like it as much because the gel crystals would come out and stick onto my skin or my clothing. Sometimes it would leak if I have too much flowing.

The Evenflo I am trying is actually nice and soft and makes no mess. I really like them. It's just as comfortable as the La Leche League brand.


Hope to win bigger prizes such as a new toy for Brandon to use too.

Not Ready to Wean from Breastfeeding

I was about to make my decision to wean Brandon off breastfeeding after he turns 1-year old. I've been trying to sleep train so he can soothe himself to sleep, but the only way he will fall asleep is by nursing during afternoon naps and night. After looking for information online, I came across an article on a website that made me think. Here's the link to the article: Reasons not to Sleep Train (Breastfeeding, Evolution, Safe Infant Sleep & Psychology).

Since I don't feed him formula, I think it is important for Brandon to continue to get all the nutrients he needs from breastmilk. And if he is ready to wean, I will let him make his decision. I hope I can keep up with my supply for the next few months.

Cousin Michelle's Birthday Party

We were invited to our cousin Michelle’s 5th birthday party. Our little Brandon would call her 2nd cousin. The party was held at The Kid’s Adventure Zone at Granville Island, Vancouver. There were lots of toy shops, rides, and a huge play area. Too bad Brandon was still too small to go and climb inside, but he still had a great time. Just a few photos to share…

Brandon's got New Clothes

It was early sunday morning when Brandon and I woke up and the Hubby decided to go cross-border shopping/road trip the very last minute. It was also the long weekend so there was a Labor Day weekend sale. We bought mostly clothes and a pair of Nike shoes for Brandon. Brandon is about size 5, but we bought size 6. So by the time he starts walking, he'll grow into them. He's got big feet! We were lucky to find a size 6 WIDE. There was the only one left. I am happy with the purchases as I got a great deal. Carter's had a 50% off entire store sale; plus I got an extra 20% off (with my online coupon I printed) since I spent over $50.

These are such cute shoes.


And Brandon got to ride in those car rides in the mall with Garfield.

MomCentral's Back to School Giveaways

It's the final weekend before school starts. For some great stuff, check out Mom Central's "Back to school Giveaways" for these awesome prizes.

Win a Baby-G Watch from Casio

Win a Children's Place Gift Card

Win an all-in-one printer from Lexmark

Win a Jeep Travel Anywhere Booster Seat

Allergy to Breastmilk?

Brandon was having bad eczema (again) about a month ago. It was mostly around his mouth with some on the cheeks and under the chin. I wasn't sure if it was the heat wave that just passed or something he ate that caused him to have an allergic reaction.

Brandon uses medicated cream. We've been using Cortate hydrocortisone 0.5% cream, but didn't seem to be working. I went to another family doctor that my husband's family go to. He wrote me a prescription to try 1% hydrocortisone. It is working much better. I don't really like using too much medication for Brandon. When his skin looks dry, I try to put on moisturizer (doctor recommended Glaxal Base). I also give him aloe gel to sooth the itchiness. The problem still somewhat exist because he rubs his face occasionally in the middle of the night, even though I put mitts on his hands.

What I suspected that caused his allergies or eczema to flare is my breastmilk that he has been drinking. I have eliminated cow's milk in my diet for almost a week now and Brandon's eczema allergies got better. Eliminating dairy products means I need to avoid milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc. for at least 2 weeks. Another thing I have to watch is keep him from rubbing or scratching his face.