Our Little Athlete

Just another day :)

My lucky charm

Today we celebrated St. Paddy's (Patrick's) Day to honor Mr. Fliz and Micro's Irish blood. It's been beautiful weather as of late, so Micro and I have been spending plenty of time outdoors. And what's a St. Patrick's Day without a little soccer. After all, Micro is part Irish. Micro loves kicking a ball around. It's one of his favorite activities right now-apart from his fascination with all things in the "transportation" department--meaning trains (oh yeah, his #1 favorite activity is to watch "choo choos" go by), cars, trucks, and buses. 

We are looking forward to enrolling Micro in a lil kickers soccer program once he turns 18 months. Of course Mr. Fliz is looking forward to spending time with his son and doing all the sporty stuff. But that doesn't mean I'm excluded--hey I'm fairly athletic! Though it's been hard at times with Micro's boundless energy, I'm glad we spend a fair amount of time outdoors doing stuff--even if its difficult. 

Continuing with our St. Paddy's Day celebration, I brought home some corned beef and cabbage so Micro can taste a little Irish goodness. Unfortunately, he wasn't interested and was more concerned with playing with his fork and smashing the boiled carrots, potatoes, and cabbage till they were pulp. Nonetheless, a whiff of that stuff was enough "celebratin' the Irish-ness in me" for Micro. 

One day, it would be nice to take a trip to Ireland--perhaps kiss the infamous 'blarney stone.'  Til then, Micro will remain my "lucky charm."

Looking for that perfect stroller

 image from growingyourbaby.com

C'mon, does the perfect stroller really exist? I mean, I'm sure there are several moms and dads out there that have formed love-hate relationships with their strollers. But isn't something always sacrificed when building the most perfect contraption to transport your wee ones from point A to point B? 

Now that Mr. Fliz and I are anticipating another baby this Fall, we've begun looking around (and asking lots of questions) about finding a reasonably-priced, compact, safe, durable, and comfortable stroller for a toddler and an infant. Surprisingly, there are not that many strollers out there that can accommodate a baby and a rambunctious toddler (ok, available to us in the U.S.). Of course, I was against the whole--"What, get a double stroller? Eww, no thanks. I don't want those oversized tanks to lug around in the back of my car and in the malls."

Micro won't exactly be two once the baby comes and he's in full toddler mode. I may be kicking myself in the behind if I don't have something on hand to handle a baby and a wandering toddler come time. I just thought I could get away with putting the baby in a bjorn or a wrap and using my single stroller with Micro. Then those smart mommies made me think otherwise. Was I fool to think it would be easy? Mr. Fliz and I are still working out the pros and cons. Let me remind you, we currently live in a small two bedroom apartment in which every possible nook and cranny is brimming with "stuff." 

This past weekend we paid a visit to Lullaby Lane-in the hopes of them schooling us in the wonderful world of double strollers. Surprisingly, the two men who assisted us were not only very kind with their time, but knew a whole lotta information about the strollers themselves. I mean, the one guy called himself, "stroller geek." Love it. 

For Mr. Fliz and I, finding a suitable stroller is no easy feat. With each stroller model they showed us, there were pros and cons we found. Perfection comes at a price, that unfortunately, no one has discovered--or is it impossible? In any case, if you have found yourselves in the same predicament we're in, please weigh in and let me know if you happen to have found your perfect double stroller. Or somehow magically figured out how to manage two babies under the age of two without resorting to pulling out your hair, or constantly wondering if chanting, "Calgon take me away," is ever going to work. I'm not talking about mommies of multiples that use two infant strollers--strollers specifically made to grow with your family. Right now, I'm hoping Micron will be that quiet, always sleeping, never utters a cry in distress, tiny darling when he or she comes. Dream on.

Make Room!

Wow, this blog is about to get a wee bit bigger. No, I haven't made it into the "Top Mommy Blogs" category, but maybe one day in the distant future. I'm talking about, making room for a new member of my family--Mr. Fliz and I are happy to announce that we're expecting a "Micron."

That means, Micro will have a new sibling come September. A pleasant and blessed surprise for us all. So you will understand and forgive me for my slack on posts and such on this blog. I have been trying to manage my morning sickness. Thankfully, it seems its subsiding.

However, Micro has been enjoying saying the word "baby," and kissing my tummy. It's so sweet. He's even learned to come rub my back when I'm hovering over the toilet (tmi?) and ready to puke. I'd post a picture, but would that be gross? Anyhoo, it's weird to be pregnant the second time around as most of my focus is still Micro. I know he'll make a wonderful older brother.

Another blessing. Mr. Fliz and I weren't sure of what to make of 2010, but this surprise is hard to beat. 

Micro has taken to calling his Lolo and Lola as, "Le-lo." He refers to his ningang as "Nene." Ok, so the kid can't pronounce things perfectly, but he's working at it. It's cute and entertaining to watch him play with Mo (our dog) and loves to run around any open space--whether it be the park, the mall, or even the tiny corner over at Linguini's.