Throwback Thursday: My Baby Pictures a.k.a Communistic Baby

These are just a couple of photos I happen to have scanned and stored on my computer, but trust me, there's more and I am going to dig them all up for you as soon as I arrive in Poland at the end of this year :) 

I joke when I say "communistic baby", of course. Kind of. Well, I was born in 1985 and during that time period Poland was a communistic country, but I don't actually remember much of it all. I have heard stories from my mom and grandma, and if that's something you'd be interested in, I'd be more than happy to tell you. One day. 

Today, let's just laugh at that chubby little kid with her Dumbo-the-Elephant ears (a lovely feature of mine that caused lots of insecurities in the years to follow). Isn't she adorable? 

Swimming With Your Baby | Biggest Tub Evah!

     Last Sunday, we finally made the decision to take Victoria to a swimming pool. Our local YMCA has an amazing facility for children, with a separate pool that is just perfect for introducing your baby to the biggest tub evah. It was a hot, sunny day. We were all exhausted and annoyed by the heat, and Victoria was getting her usual "I'm too hot" crank on. What could possibly be better than relaxing and splashing around in cool water? We bought the swimming nappies, packed all the necessary things, and off we went! And it was awesome!

     Victoria is an Aquarius. She just loves water. She won't go to sleep without a long, relaxing dip in her WashPod. Still, I was a little bit worried how she'd react to being in a pool, surrounded by bright lights, lots of water and laughing kids, but thankfully, she really loved it. She wasn't even all that surprised to be honest, she was splashing around like it was her daily routine. 

     Hubby came along, and so we took turns holding Victoria and swishing her around. Because it was our first time taking her to YMCA, we didn't want to overdo it, so we only stayed for about 15 minutes, but next time we'll definitely be spending more time in the water! 

     For those of you who are about to take your little ones swimming for the first time, here are some tips that you might find helpful.

What to bring with you:

- First and foremost - Swim Diapers (You'll have a choice of either getting the reusable ones or a package of disposable ones from, say, Pampers [Splashers] or Huggies [Little Swimmers]. They're more or less in the same price range, so it all comes down to your preference)

- A towel or a towelling dressing gown - and don't forget to bring it to the pool area, you want to keep the baby warm after leaving the pool.

- A couple of your baby's favorite bath toys - it'll make them feel more relaxed.

- Food for the baby, because, you know, babies get super hungry after swimming! Either a warm bottle of formula, or - if you're breastfeeding - account for the extra 10-15 minutes for nursing.

- A bag with: changing mat, change of clothes, either a lotion or baby oil (pool water contains lots of chlorine, so it's really necessary to make sure baby's skin gets the extra pampering it'll need!), diapers, baby powder.

-  If your spouse is coming along, you can also bring a camera to take some adorable pictures of your little one's first swimming experience.

- If it'll be just you and the baby, bring your baby's carrier / car seat. You'll need a place to put the baby down while you're getting dressed.

In The Pool:

- Take it slow, let your baby get familiar with the new surroundings - after all, it's the biggest tub evah!

- Hold your baby close, keep an eye contact and talk to your baby in a soothing, cheerful voice.

- Once your baby gets used to being in water, try splashing a little or swishing her around. Try playing with toys.

- If your baby is old enough, play some fun water games. Encourage her to kick around while you hold her head  and back up in a horizontal position.

Garlic Butter with Dill | Recipe

We decided to try and make our very first Garlic Butter with Dill today and it turned out beyond wonderful! It's such a simple and quick recipe, and the butter can be used for many different meals - from garlic bread toasts to steak! I highly recommend trying it out - you will be in food heaven! 

Ingredients: 

2 sticks of butter, softened

2 tablespoons minced garlic (fresh, not the jar kind)

2 tablespoons chopped up dill

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

1) In a bowl, combine softened butter, minced garlic, and dill. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Mix until smooth.

2) Wrap the garlic butter in a foil wrap and roll to shape it. Refrigerate until hardened (about 30-40 minutes).

Use within 3 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks.

Serving idea:

Steak strips with garlic butter, young potatoes and salad. Yum!

The Christmas Spectacular Blog Hop & Giveaway: My Earliest Memory of Christmas

Hello lovelies! :)

Today I'm taking part in the Christmas Spectacular hosted by the lovely ladies at One Chocolate Box, Simple Moments Stick, The Spot Where The Lemon Rain Drops and Hello, Sweetie!

 The theme for day one of the hop is: My Earliest Memory of Christmas.

Now, I have plenty of Christmas-related childhood memories, as it was always such a magical and special time at our house. My grand-grandma would come spend Christmas with us, and she would bring chocolate and pineapple with her.. Now, I know what you're thinking... what's so special about a pineapple? Well, you should know that I grew up in a post-communist Poland, and getting a pineapple at that time (or any other kind of fruit, really) was a HUGE and borderline impossible thing. 

When my grand-grandma would bring that *holy* pineapple with her, we would put it up on the shelf in the living room about a week before Christmas, and it would stay there until the Christmas Day, when it would finally be consumed. Hahah, it sounds so silly when I think about it now, but it was really quite a special thing for all of us. Can you imagine? Waiting the entire year just to get a taste of that juicy (not-really!), magical (bah!) pineapple!? Now that I think about it.. I don't even like pineapples all that much! 

My mom, grandma & I. I think I was about 6 months old here :)

But the memory that is the most vivid in my memory is.. being chased by our ginormous Christmas Tree :) Yup, you got that right!

See, during Christmas time - after we'd decorate the Christmas Tree (and that would happen about a week before Christmas Day) - I would make it my mission to get up as early as possible to steal some candies from our beautiful Christmas Tree. I would sneak up to the tree and try to grab at least one chocolate piece... at least one candy cane... And yes, I felt like some sort of Christmas Tree Ninja! 

At least until my brilliantly sneaky (or so I thought) plan backfired on me :) That day, my mom decided to get up early, too, and she sneaked up on me trying to reach a chocolate piece that was hanging just out of my reach. I was stretching, trying hard to grab that piece of chocolate and just when I touched it, she entered the room, scaring the living soul out of me. That caused me to lose my balance and pull on the chocolate a bit too hard... Next thing I know the Christmas Tree is chasing me - threatening to fall right on top of me! I was fast enough to move out of the way of the poor, falling tree (barely!), but all the beautiful glass ornaments that my parents and grandparents were collecting for years got smashed to pieces. 

Now, when we think back to that day, we all laugh, but trust me when I say, at that time my family was not very happy with my 5-year-old-Ninja-self. If the presents for me haven't already been bought, wrapped and placed under the tree, I doubt I'd get anything from Santa that year! :)

On the left: Santa Party at my Elementary School (if you're thinking that Santa looks creepy, you're damn right!).
On the right: Me getting ready to play in the snow! 

Now, for the fun part...

Giveaway:

What's your earliest memory of Christmas?!
Leave a comment sharing your Christmas memory with me, and enter to WIN a book of choice from Book Depository or $15 Paypal Cash - your choice!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

And be sure to check out the Christmas Spectacular Blog Hop! It's so much fun!

Darien Lakes State Park, Buffalo NY - Small yet surprisingly pleasant!

This Sunday we decided to explore our area a bit. We wanted to find a dog-friendly park around Williamsville, NY, that would make for a nice hiking / relaxing spot :) And we scored!!! 

Darien Lakes State Park is a really small but cozy park that - in addition to some hiking and horseback riding trails - has a large campground, nice little lake (with a beach!) and really well-maintained picnic area. 

We will definitely be coming back here in the Summer time for a short camping trip with Wilson and Victoria :)  

The terrain of Darien Lakes State Park is described as "hilly with woodlands, ravines, streams and 12-acre Harlow Lake". 

I am not sure about the hilly part, as it is mostly flat, but it might be just my skewed perspective (having lived in Vancouver, Canada for three years, I am used to REAL mountains and hills). 

It's definitely green and beautiful, though. The lake is very picturesque with a small island connected by a bridge. 

The campground is equipped with electricity. There are also heated comfort stations with showers and flush toilets (you can't appreciate these enough until you spend some time in Candian Rockies, where many of the toilets are just a step above a hole in the ground). 

In Winter, many of the trails are open for hiking, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling - fun!

While pets are welcome, there are some restrictions.

As specified on the Darien Lakes State Park website: "Household pets only; caged or on a leash not more than 6 feet. Proof of rabies inoculation. Not allowed in bathing areas, cabins or Darien Lakes day-use area. For campers, if your site allows pets, there is a two-pet maximum."

For more information visit Darien Lakes State Park website!

Bottom line is: We had fun looking around the Darien Lakes park, Wilson enjoyed the walk and we found a new great spot for family picnics and Summer weekends! :)