When I decided I wanted to try the Bétta Carry me! baby carrier, I had been looking into baby equipment marketed in Asia. Many of the baby carriers marketed in the US were just were not comfortable for me. Problems included carriers being too long, too heavy, excessive leftover tail length after tightening, straps lying in uncomfortable places, waist-based types set too high if secure and just better positioning my infant to scream in my ear, etc. Being a shorter torso-ed Asian woman, I hoped that a baby carrier from Asia would suit my Asian body better. (A similar concept…
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In my most recent trip to Japan in 2023, I purchased baby cooling gel patches from Pigeon, a line of baby products made in Japan. These patches, typically used for fevers, are a somewhat popular item with Japanese mothers that can be purchased at most drugstores and some Don Quijotes. It is easy to pack away; the box is neither very expensive nor large and can be squished without issue. To further reduce weight/volume, one could consider taking out the contents— which are labeled— and trashing the box. The penguin-decorated gel patches are designed for use by babies (For those…
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Planning ahead is important, and I consider the Roth IRA a useful tool for every person who qualifies. That includes babies, who, like everyone else, should think about saving for their future. Because babies are not capable of comprehending what this is, their parent has to think for them. For the 2023 tax year, you can contribute $6,500 if under age 50 or $7,500 if age 50 or older. There are income limits involved, but I doubt any babies even approach it. Even a mere $300 per year for the child’s entire childhood, with no further contributions made past age…
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My roughly one-and-a-half-year-old (or 20-month-old for more precision) daughter got her new 1/32 violin. I began trying to teach her. I was honestly not expecting very much, and that is what I got. Of course, a violin session begins with having the violin not in the case. Small Sophie had trouble removing the bow from the case. It has to be pulled out sideways, but she became frustrated trying to pull it out forwards. After the instruments were all out, I began by playing a few melodies she likes, such as the Alphabet song and the Elmo’s World theme. She…
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In the year that Young Sophie was 0-1, or 2022, we chose to buy a season pass for Sesame Place and a membership for Longwood Gardens. We also considered the Turtleback Zoo (https://turtlebackzoo.com/admission-hours/), which gives free admission to those under 2. Sesame Place We chose Sesame Place for a simple reason that I am sure many other parents of children aged 0-3 understand: Our child likes Sesame Street. And Elmo. Sesame Place grants free entry to those aged 23 months and younger. The cost of one visit with two adults and one baby would total something like $50 Tickets x…
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At 17 months old, Small Sophie finally gifted me with a mess on a white carpet. (She thought it was a game to run away as I chased her with a diaper. I got tired and rested. She also stopped— and made her mess. And stepped in it. Yuck!) Until today, I had been fortunate enough that my daughter had only poo-ed out of her diaper once, and that was on hardwood flooring. Hardwood is easy; pick up the offending object(s), wipe the floor, and let dry. Carpet is different, and white is especially annoying to get stains on. Fortunately,…
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When Small Sophie first played with these round locking blocks at a little under 15 months of age, she did not know what direction to put them in. She understood that the round part aligned and accurately placed those—— but upside-down or right-side up? She had to try both if she first went with upside-down. By the second day, she understood that they go right-side up and consistently placed them correctly. However, she often left blocks halfway locked. We would help her lock the blocks now and then, else the towers would fall. (She put them back up if they…
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Right as Small Sophie turned 14 months old, I decided that it was high time for Young Sophie to learn to sleep in her own bed. 14 months is a large number! It has two digits! And I had endured many months of her rolling, flailing, and climbing on top of me throughout the night. Although she has had her own bed for the majority of her months alive, she was in the habit of rolling into my bed and on top of me every night. You see, her bed was placed next to my bed: In one easy motion,…
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At 14 months, Young Sophie does not have the height to reach interesting hiding places. Fortunately, she, too, can participate in egg hunting by picking eggs off of the grass. She surprised us all by picking us her basket and taking it to the eggs. We had thought we would have to carry the basket for her. I bought 2T and 3T outfits when she was a few months old thinking they would be good for growing into. The dress is 2T sized and fits fine now that she can walk. I actually had laid out a white onesie for…
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I was not an extremely early adopter of Bitcoin, but I owned some a long time ago. When the price rose to about $10 per BTC, I bought myself a collection of 1 gram metals from Amagi Metals. The collection is no longer sold— but now I can show off my 1 gram of lead and 1 gram of aluminum and 1 gram of… well, moving on. I unfortunately had some Bitcoin on MtGox when it fell. I still occasionally receive emails in Japanese to the email I registered with the site. A private wallet with a fraction of a…