Scarlet's 10 Month update

Scar is crawling everywhere!  I can't believe how much more mobile she has become over this past month.  She is also starting to pull herself up and stand which totally freaks me out - partly due to the fact that I occasionally still see her as a newborn baby and also because I'm scared that she'll fall over and slam her head on the floor.  Her balance is wobbly when she 'stands' so I stay very close.

She is officially a beach addict!  When we were in Kauai, I was worried that she might be afraid of both the sand and the water because every time we put her near either one she would hesitate and get really clingy.  It took a few days for her to touch the sand and feel it in between her fingers.  One day on the beach we met another little baby named Lou from Sweden.  Lou is one month older than Scar and was totally in the sand crawling around, eating eat, rubbing it in her eyes and loving it.  Scarlet saw this and completely changed her tune.  She got right in there and started to play with Lou too.  So adorable.  They spoke 'baby' to one another for a good part of the afternoon.

 

She is feeding herself with both hands.  Sometimes her right and sometimes her left.  She likes bread and puffs because they're light and small enough that she can easily stuff them in her mouth.  We do lot's of fruit and veggies everyday and her only sweet 'bad' thing that she has ever had was a lick of my Mom's pineapple popsicle.  My Mom was so happy to give it to her, I was happy that she was happy.

I'm still nursing four times a day.  Unfortunately, around month nine I lost my milk.  I dropped a lot of weight and my body just didn't have anything else to work with so I knew that Scarlet wasn't getting much.  I worked on putting on few healthy pounds which helped, but even so, I could literally feel her sucking right to the back of my boob and then getting frustrated because nothing was coming out.  She would then bite me trying to stimulate the milk and I just ended up in pain with a fussy hungry baby.  So, I tried Mother's Milk tea first for about two weeks.  It helped a little.  The downside is, I really hate tea, to me it just tastes like dirty water and the other downside was that you had to have two or three big mugs of it daily.  Scarlet started getting a little bit more but it wasn't enough for her.  So, I went on medication called Motillium.  Worked like  a charm!  It really has been a lifesaver for me.  I'm thrilled with the results.  No side effects for me or Scarly and we have gotten back to comfortable nursing with no biting, pain or frustration.  I hope to nurse her till she turns one (and can drink cows milk without issue).  Until then, I plan on staying with the Motillium.

Sleeping is a dream!  She is still out for the entire night with the door shut and monitor on.  It is such a blessing have a few hours to ourselves before we hit the hay.  Nate and I give each other back rubs and talk or watch movies.  On the weekends we sip wine too!!!  It's soooo nice!Scar goes down somewhere between 7:30 - 8:30 depending on the day and will sleep until 8:00 the following day.  It's just so nice to have a baby that does this because over the holiday we ran into a couple who STILL have issues with their baby doing regular night wakes ups. UGH! I myself turn into a cranky zombie if I don't get at least 7 hours so Scarlet's sleep habits have been a gift from heaven.  We are still working on weaning her from the bouncy ball and I anticipate that it will take some time just because she has had it since she was born, but I feel that this one 'vice' is small in comparison.  

I'm looking forward to planning and hosting her first birthday party!  The theme is going to be the Beach.  Haha!

Plane tips for Moms with infants

What could possibly be more terrifying than childbirth?  I'll tell you.  Bringing that same child onto a plane for the first time.  Here are a few tips to help you on that dreaded flight.

I feel that since Scarlet has now been on six plane rides I can speak about some of the challenges that parents face on a plane.

The first is: other passengers.  You are now known as 'That-Person-that-brings-a-baby-on-an-airplane'.  Yes, the woman may smile at you while you walk down that skinny ass aisle but inside they're saying "Really? I can't have just one flight without an infant screaming?  This is supposed to be my vacation!"  And the men - they don't even smile because they're too busy chanting "Not beside me, please God not beside me, not beside me, not beside me. Go to the back, go to the back, go to the back".  But irritable people is something that you have to just accept and let go of.  If you think about it, we were all babies once, and we all screamed our heads off either on or off of an airplane, so those people can just deal with it.  If they have had kids, they know and they can shrug it off.

Challenge two: babies, like adults, get bored on airplanes really quickly.  Think about it - you're staring at the back of a chair for five hours and unless you have a movie playing in front of you, a magazine, a book, a sudoku, you're going to get antsy fast.  So is a baby.  Bring toys.  Lot's and lot's of new shiny toys.  Not in the budget?  Hide certain toys four weeks prior to going on your trip and bring them out on the plane.  

Challenge number three: ear canals.  The first flight Scarlet was on was slightly mysterious in a good way.  She didn't cry at any point.  Not during take off, not during flight time and not during the landing.  I was actually slightly concerned that she may have an issue with her hearing because I was told so often that the pressure hurts the baby's ears so I just prepared for tears during all of these times.  What I realized was in her fourth or fifth flight (where I was told that I had to hold her in a burping position) was that she wasn't nursing and hence more suseptable to popping ears.  I guess WestJet is more laid back concerning whether baby is held or not during these times which I absolutely did until I was told NOT to by Air Canada.  Providing your baby with something that she can suck on or drink is crucial.  Holding her in your arms in the burping position without anything in her mouth is bad news bears.

Challenge four: sleeping.  If you have a red eye, your baby will hopefully sleep, that is if other passengers and/or the airline are willing to shift, move, provide you with an extra seat.  As some of you know, babies under one are free, but they don't get a seat of their own.  You are left holding her, which isn't so bad if you have your partner/husband with you.  I did two flights just holding Scarlet on my own without an extra seat.  Hard.  Very hard.  She didn't sleep in my arms after around six months unless she was uber tired so forget any sleep on that plane.  If you have a red-eye flight, and an extra seat it can be wonderful.  Our last flight from Kauai worked well because she drifted off in my arms and then I was able to put her down.  We were forced to hold her during turbulence which woke her up, but eventually we were able to get her back down when the seat-belt sign went off.




Challenge five: eating and drinking.  Those little squeeze packets and small puff bites are allowed.  So is 100 ml of water is allowed.  Everything else is not.  Found this out the hard way.




I found that I got excited when I saw other parents with children.  I was on a flight where we were literally the only family with a child, so I knew I couldn't hope to blame anyone else when Scarlet let out her wails - and listen up - at some point your child will wail.  Get ready for the glares.  But honestly, it isn't that bad.  The positives are that the noise of the plane can put them right out, or the stewardess may have a new treat or game for your little one.  The first flight might be your most intimidating, but after that it will feel like a breeze.  Hope this helps some of the new mommies out there.

#Planetipsformoms

2014 RESOLUTIONS

Resolutions are fun to make up even though I usually only do them till March or April at best.  I have fond memories of my Mom asking all of us kids what we plan on accomplishing during the year.  So here are my goals for 2014.

1. Take Ballroom classes with Nate

After becoming obsessed with DWTS this season (my faves are Val for guys and Pita for girls) I swore that I needed to learn this dance discipline.  Teaching solo styles like Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Musical Theatre, Hip Hop has been my life long passion but it will be so neat to TAKE a dance class that I know nothing about - even if my husband is kicking and screaming.  He'll like it in the end.

2. Take Spanish classes

This is a repeat resolution.  When we were sailing on the boat a few years ago, this was my one and only resolution for the year.  I had the tapes and books and work-packs that I did everyday until about the end of March, and then I just quit, and/or gave up.  It was hard and I wasn't able to have anyone to practice with or tell me yes I was doing it right or no try it this way.  Well, now that we're a few years ahead I regret quitting and said to myself 'I could have been so much further along in my Spanish if only I had kept going with it!' So, I'm signing up for night classes asap.  I really really want to be able to speak another language.

3. Practice Piano five times a week

Piano and I have had a love hate relationship with one another for my entire life.  My poor mother had to deal with me as a teenager cursing the half and hour a day practice time that she used to make me do, until one afternoon, we had a screaming match about it and I 'quit' on the spot.  Now 10-15 years later I can see my Mom was right.  I SHOULD have kept going with it because I do love it, but thankfully, I was far enough along that I can read music well and I'm able to practice on my own.  

So there it is - in writing.  Exciting?  YES!  Doable?  YES!  Are we going until next December with these three very fun and manageable SMART resolutions?!  YES!!!

Scarlet's 9 Month Update

Oops didn't do an 8 monther because of the Mexican holiday.  My bad...

A few major milestones have happened this month for Scar.  Here they are:

• First plane ride and first big trip outside of Canada 
• First Christmas
• First teeth (Her two bottom teeth have erupted out of her gums)
• First success with crawling but she 'skoots' and rolls around to get where she wants to be much faster.
• First Unknown illness (about ten angry red face spots) thought they were zits (wrong) then Chicken pox (wrong) then contact dermatitis (still don't know if that's right or wrong)
• First rash (all over her torso and back)
• First fever (highest it got to was 38.5)
• First kiss from a boy!  Jaeger is her fave
• First reaction to something 'hurting' her.  She was holding a book upside down and dropped it on her face and really started to cry and reach for me.  So cute but so sad.
• ANNNND, always waving.  At everyone and everything.  The christmas tree, the cat, the t.v, strangers, herself in the mirror and the best part about it is that it's usually with her left hand.  

I only get extra excited about the last one because I am left handed and have always been put on the corner of the end of the dining room table at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Sunday night dinners.  I figure if Scarlet is left-handed too we can sit beside eat other at every meal.  I'm really rooting for that left hand.  

Whirlwind

It happened like this.

9:00 am Mom and Dad book a trip to Mexico the morning before they leave.

11:00 am They come over to our house to say goodbye and give Scarlet a squeeze.  They joke that Scarlet and I should join them - but we have no passport for Scarlet.

12:30 pm We all eat lunch and they leave.

3:30 pm Knock on the door.  Dude with a thick mustache hands me a mysterious package.

We have a passport.

4:00 pm I call my parents to tell them.

5:00 pm Nate gets home and starts making calls.

7:00 pm Scarlet and I are booked.

7:01 pm We pack

9:00 pm We sleep

7:30 am We're on a plane to Cabo.

Before - Calgary Morning 

First flight!  She was amazing.  NO TEARS!

4 hour flight.  No problem.

After - Mexico!

Antipasto

Kate, Scarlet, Auntie Kelsey, Gigi and Chris making the goods

Today we spent the better part of the morning making some delicious Antipasto to give as hostess gifts this holiday season.  There is a ton of chopping so the four of us thought we would tag team it and work together.  I ended up just doing the pickles and the green beans - two of over fifteen different ingredients - so I got off pretty easy.  I can imagine how hard it would be to make this on your own.  Nate and I now have ten small mason jars full of the delicious treat since we split the end result four ways.  Looking forward to giving them out!  Next up - Pfeffernusse (Peppernuts) the German treat that Mom and I do every year.

Chillin' in the fridge.

If you love shopping like I do, read on.

Forewarning.  This is a rant.  Don't continue to read if you don't want to be affected by how you spend your money when you shop.

I know... you're thinking about stopping.

But if you're at this paragraph by now, you might be curious.  So I'll get on with it.  Nate and I stumbled upon the documentary 'Death by China' on Netflix.  It was shocking.  I'm about to get preachy about it, but you HAVE to see it.  Seriously.

Basically it documents the communist Chinese government (NOT it's citizens) and the immoral economic manufacturing practices.  For starters, it's disturbing to see how children and the environment are most negatively affected by the government and how North America's relationship with them is spiraling out of control.  But, it made me sick after seeing it and I can't get it off my mind.  There are NO current laws on Chinese imports meaning every dollar that you spend on stuff MADE IN CHINA is going to their corrupt and ruthless government who use it to do too many scary things to talk about in one blog post.  But one of which is worth mentioning.  They pour OUR CASH into building their military in pursuit of domination.  Yah - GLOBAL domination.  I'm not over exaggerating.

What's worse is, after seeing it, Nate and I went shopping the next day partly because the poor boy needs some new duds, but also just to test this movie.  How hard would it be to purchase something without seeing the words Made in China on it?  Like really...  I had my doubts.  Turns out, it was near impossible.  Almost every single solitary item had these words marked somewhere.  I'M NOT KIDDING!  In fact, I can almost guarantee you that at least one of the items of clothing you are currently wearing was made in China by someone under the age of 10 and that worked a 12 hour day in a disgustingly dirty and unkept warehouse and then went home to a shack that locals nicknamed 'another cancer village' because of the horrible pollution.  This is unacceptable.

We even went to some well know 'Canadian' companies and the majority of the pieces were from China!!!  It was honestly scary.  I could barely find even one item that wasn't made there in some of the stores that I thought were tried and true.  How could a 'Canadian' company (that I will not name in this post) call themselves Canadian when the majority of the work and labour and composition is done in China?  It's like saying: "I want to bake my Grandma's bread.  But wait, I could actually get HER to do it and not thank her or pay her any money for it and then I could resell it for a big profit at my kid's school bake sale and claim that I did it all by myself!  100% family recipe made by me.  Oh, Grandma has been placed in a horribly unsafe environment for the majority of the day and night and is being threatened with various punishments if she doesn't keep making the bread for free?  No, those are just rumours.  I refuse to believe it.  I'm still good.  It's all still good.  There is a profit and everything is fine.  Grandma is fine.

Evil.

But it isn't just clothes!  It's EVERYTHING!  Like I mean everything.  Your microwave, your phone, your t.v, ALL of the electronic stuff in your car, your baby toys, your underwear, your bra, your shoes!  YOUR BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SHOES!!!  I know.  My heart is breaking too.

Now, this doesn't mean I'm going to run out and find every item in my house that is Made in China and burn it.  I would literally have very little left.  But I AM going to support and invest more of my money into Canadian companies and even American such as:   Mac, Marks Work Warehouse, LaCanadienne (look at their shoes, you will DIE), just to name a few pure bred Canadian shops that actually manufacture their stuff.  Yes, sometimes it can be more expensive and now I know why, but I now know it's worth it.  I'm also going to check labels.  I do it when I eat food and I'm going to do it when I shop.  I'm going to look and see what are countries and governments that are fair in their practices and purchase from those that I know are safe.

Prior to seeing this movie, I really didn't get it.  I also admittedly chose to look the other way and/or ignore when I heard anything about overseas manufacturing or the dangers of China.  I simply called ignorance.  Honestly, I thought it was because those people and the media were being racist.  I wanted to SUPPORT those countries by buying their products, but I was so so sooooo wrong.  With the Christmas season right around the corner I will try my hardest to purchase from the small businesses and local groceries, online websites such as Etsy where you can find adorable and beautiful handmade items.  I'll do this to support proper treatment of others, the environment and encourage our county's economy to grow - not the dictators of another.

Watch the movie, do some research and buy local.  You will have an impact.

There, that's the rant.

Also, if I go missing you'll know to find me in a prison somewhere in the far east.

7 month update

Lentils

Scarlet's 'sitting' is getting better and better.  Occasionally, I worry that she will fall back too hard on her head but thankfully we have carpet in the upstairs media room where she plays. It helps to soften the fall.  I like to practice with her sitting between my lower legs so I can grab her if she decides to do a 'backdrop', but she still isn't able to sit for longer than five minutes on her own.

Naps have changed.  We're now down to two naps a day and they are very hit or miss ranging anywhere from 30minutes to and hour and a half.  I hear that it's because she is just more aware of her surroundings so she wakes easier and suffers a touch of anxiety if we're not there.  We've been 'training' her to fall asleep on her own, meaning we will put her down when she's still awake rather than bounce her on the bouncy ball till she's out.  She has a pacifier (which we're both not wild about) but we were really REALLY encouraged by both my Mom and my Mother-in-law to try to get her on one.  I guess it's much more difficult weaning kids from sucking their fingers than it is getting them to give up the soother - but every baby is different.  My Mom put tabasco sauce on my fingers to get me to stop and now I can't even smell the stuff without cringing.  Now that Scalret uses a soother she likes to sleep with one but will wake up to play with it too.  We prefer having it out and keep it for emergencies when we're out or just not able to get her down.  On the plus side of sleeping she is still out for the entire night.  She goes down at around 8:00ish and wakes at 7:00. So happy about this.

Scarlet eats solids three times a day and breast feeds four times a day.  We've dropped the night feed completely (THANK YOU GOD).  I feed her breast milk before offering the solids.  She started off with Rice Cereal and was less than impressed so we gave her sweet potatoes and yams and she went gaga over food.

Scarlet is a very good eater. She loves Avocado and Banana the best.  Here is a list of all the foods that we've done so far.  The blender and ice cube tray have been my B.F.F's lately.

Meats:  Chicken, Lamb and Salmon

Veggies:  Peas, Yams, Sweet Potato, Turnip, Parsnip, Carrot, Spinach

Fruit:  Banana, Apple, Avocado

Other:  Egg yolk, Lentils 

I usually give her two veggies in the morn, egg yolk or avocado in the afternoon and rice Cereal mixed with prune juice (cause it clogs them up) and a fruit for dessert.  She eats it ALL and I couldn't be happier.

Scarlet has had her third immunization shot and didn't even flinch - I'm not making this up.  We were prepped for massive crocodile tears like the last two times.  I even made Nate meet me for moral support, but Scarlet looked at the nurse while the needle was going in and was like; 'HEY!  What the heck?' and then moved on.  Best reaction ever.  She is currently in the 45% for weight and 50% for height.  

Still no hair, still no teeth, still the sweetest in my eyes.

I call it Daddy n Dots bonding time - it's actually Mommy time.

Momma spying on Daddy n Dots time.

All mommas need a break and whether it's a weekend away with the girls (I wish), a day off to go for lunch and a movie with your Mom or just an hour to get to the gym, I totally believe that I'm a healthier person and mom to Scarlet if I have a bit of time away from her.  Every night, I try to get out.  I usually end up blowing off some steam at the gym, but I've also found myself at Shoppers browsing mags or Chapters drinking a coffee by myself and it is so flipping nice.  It's also a treat to come home afterwards cause I just feel more energized and excited to see my babes.  It is a great thing this time away.  

The truth...

After participating in the Gerber Canada contest, I was reintroduced to many lessons that I was thankful to re-learn.

#1. When someone experiences happiness or success, others too get to share in that joy.  Nobody is taking anything away from YOU by doing well.

#2. Support your friends in whatever they do.  Even if it's something you might be doing too.

#3. Be happy for the winner.  Genuinely really and truly happy.

#4. Don't be jealous of others - it's a complete waste of time.

#5. Enjoy the journey, not the destination.

I was so saddened to see a couple of my acquaintances flat out refused to support us.  It actually hurt me because it felt like there was this onesided competition developing for no reason.  That was the last thing I wanted to have coming out of this.  The 'votes' are beside the point, it was the feeling and the principle behind it for me.  You support your friends in whatever they do.  I know for myself, I would have been on that site everyday helping out a buddy, even if my kid wasn't involved - EVEN IF SHE WAS INVOLVED!!!  yah, it just made me think...

But there were also some wonderful surprises!  People that I hadn't talked to in YEARS were voting daily and sharing on their own personal home page.  It was such a wonderful treat to wake up to a message from various individuals just saying that they were backing us up, excited for us, wanted Scarlet's pic to do well.  That was so cool.

Let me re-iterate, for me, it was NOT the fact that these people were voting, in fact, I don't even know for 100% sure that they were, I only saw that they 'liked' Gerber Canada and therefore could potentially vote - it was the support and encouragement and excitement from them that made the world of a difference.

Ok - enough of this rant.  One last thing and I will let this go.  I will always and forever work on encouraging my children to resist the jealous ugly monster that will over-take their loving and positive true self.  Be happy for your friends, share in the joy and love one another.  Done.

FYI - the picture of Scarlet was #115 out of 87,157 pics.  Pretty darn awesome, but the best part about the whole thing were these lessons and how important I feel about teaching them to Scarlet.

Now I'm gonna go and make myself a peanut butter and banana sandwich.

Oct 18th

I will not be a stage Mom, I will not be a stage Mom, I will not be a stage Mom, I will not be a stage Mom, I will not be a stage Mom, I will not be a stage Mom, I will not be a stage Mom. I will not be a stage Mom, I will not be a stage Mom, I will not be a stage Mom, I will not be a stage Mom.

On that note... 

I entered a pic of Scarlet in a Gerber Canada Baby contest about a week ago just for fun. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a popularity contest because only the top ten get the 'right' to be judged (sheesh). But Scarlet's picture is really doing well and we have been climbing the 'ranks' quite a bit everyday. It really is a long shot to make it into the top ten, but I wanted to give it a try without being a total stage mom about it.

I also feel like the 'prize' is well worth the effort as we could win some RESP's. Non-taxable 

EDUCATION MONEY!!!  

Anywho, if you're in Canada and are feeling like you want to vote for her the link is:

https://www.facebook.com/GerberCanada

They don't spam you and she's really easy to find (Scarlet with one 't').

6 Month Update

It's been a jam-packed month full of new discoveries and as you can see new milestones!  Nate and I are just loving each day that we have with this little babe.  Here are a few of the latest and greatest updates...

Scarlet has discovered her 'sharp' heads, which is actually a dance term used when you want the dancer to whip their melon from left to right as fast as they can in as little time as possible.  Scar constantly does it when I'm holding her.  She is so curious about her surroundings.

We're still working on sitting her upright all by herself.  I notice little changes everyday - more strength, more confidence, less wobbles.

We don't do too much tummy time anymore.  She is sitting up in her exersaucer, jolly jumper and on the floor so often that I sort of skip it.  Occasionally, she will roll over onto her stomach to play with toys.  Neck strength is stellar.

She's sleeping on her side A LOT!  She even turns over onto her tummy and sleeps in that position which had me really nervous for a while until I was told (by my girlfriend who happens to be an ER doctor) that it's a really good thing at this point.  I guess it was drilled into my head over and over that 'Back is Best' - so I just have that notion that nothing else is good.  But Scarlet actually prefers her side and stomach now.

We're thankfully still at three naps a day - 10:30, 1:30 and 5:30.  They're about 45 minutes, 1 hour and 1/2 and hour.

Breast feeding has decreased to 4-5 times a day but we've introduced solids for the first time three days ago!  It was really adorable.  She took the food with fervor but didn't really know how to swallow it.  She would lean forward and open her mouth - she even reached for the spoon almost every time it came near her face.  But she is getting the hang of moving the food to the back of her mouth and swallowing.  A large majority just ended up on her face.  We started her out on Organic Rice Cereal which was iron-fortified since they begin to lose their iron stores at this point.  We understand that rice pablum may make a little one constipated but Nate had so many allergies as a baby that we were encouraged to start off with this.  Scarlet hasn't had any issues as of yet.   

Finally, the best and most wonderful update in a while - Scarlet has been sleeping soundly through the night!!!  Nate and I agreed that it was time to try her in her own room purely to see if we were all keeping each other up.  Turns out it's better for everyone this way.  Scarlet sleeps so well in her own bed (which is much bigger than the bassinet) and without our heavy breathing and moving around to keep her up.  It has been such a wonderful blessing and I have to say the days are easier because of the sleep I'm getting at night.  Monitor still watches her like a hawk and I wake up once in a while to check on her.  But we don't have the long 45 minute breast feeding wake-ups to deal with anymore.  Last night I didn't even wake once.  SOOOOO GOOOOOOD! 

New little update:  Just got back from the doctor's office and Scarlet is weighing in at 15.5 pounds or 7.04 kg.  This is a little under the 'average' for baby girls of her age - approximately 45th percentile.  I'm totally ok with this since she was in the higher percentile for the first 4-5 months...we're talking like 75% - 90% so it's good that she's growing into herself - if that makes any sense.  Also her head circumference is above average (because she's a genius) and her height is above average cause she's just perfect like that.  

MOMMY GOGGLES!!!

  

New family motto

GSD

(Get. Sh*t. Done.)

Sometimes, the hours in the day just absolutely disappear.  It can be 5:30 pm before I've even thrown a touch of make-up on.  Ok, full disclosure, it can be 5:30 pm before I even have 'real' clothes on.  It's amazing how little I feel I have accomplished in a day when all that I've done is run around.  Mommyhood is busy busy busy.  

It was getting to be really frustrating for a while because even though I felt like I was working, things didn't seem to be getting done.  Like, the laundry, or watering the flowers, or the dishes or getting groceries, or cleaning, or (GASP) my workouts.  

So, Nate and I have been using the motto: GSD for the last month or so to help us out.  It's been both really helpful and also a bit of a kick in the butt for us because at the end of a long loooooong day, we both feel the urge to chill out on the couch and watch Homeland or The Voice.  Instead we say to each other: GSD.  It mostly happens when Scarlet is asleep (starting at 8:30 or 9:00 depending on the day), or during her naps, or if I'm really lucky I can GSD myself while she's awake.  

Today was a prime example of the former.  I was feeling really 'fallish' with it being Oct.1st and the weather is getting cooler.  So I wanted to make a homemade soup for dinner.  So I GSD and did it.  

Homemade Black Bean, Tomato and Basil soup with Coconut milk and Quinoa.

It was extremely delicious and I'm totally going to do it again.  It was nice to cook a healthy homemade meal for the fam and obviously I'm proud of myself.  It's good to GSD.  

Check out W Diet for more of tasty meals that we've eaten lately.

  

Happy Hour

The white bear is telling the joke...

Scarlet says 'Hee hee hee HAHAHA!!  That's HILARIOUS!' 

 'wait, I don't get it...'

Definitely her Mother's daughter.

It's all a bunch of lies

Yah that's right Anne Geddes - you're secret is coming out RIGHT NOW!

All those sweet adorable baby pictures that you see all over the internet - I'm calling it...FAKE!  What I've come to understand is that taking a good picture of your child can take literally HOURS of painstaking hard work.  Lighting, outfit, puke, poo, camera charged up, naptime, feeding time all play into getting just one ok shot and those other baby pics make it look so easy, almost as if it 'just happened'.  Nope - long hours, hard work, many tears.

For example,  I was encouraged by my Mom to use the same cute little homemade cardboard circle in all of Scarlet's monthly updates to compare from month to month on how big she was getting.  I thought - fun idea, and have been using the same one up until yesterday.  It went like this:

Oooo!  Pictures?! OF ME?!  OK!!!

Wait what's this?  The number five?  Sweet...

You don't even know Mom, you don't even know.

Getting closer.

Going for it.

And - attack.

GET IT!  chomp chomp chomp.

A little scary how much she liked it.

This is when it started getting disturbing.

I took it away because there was tape on the back of the five and I thought it might become a choking hazard.  Gold medal - responsible mom.

Then this happened.

Not even Sophie (a ACTUAL teething toy) would help.

I WANT THE FIVE!

So I gave her the five for a few more minutes.

Poor thing.

Holiday fun in BC

Breastfeeding pit-stop

Traveling with a baby is intimidating for any new parent.  Luckily, Nate and I had the courage to take Scar up to the cabin a few times this summer so we were feeling confident enough to go a little further and do a few nights away in beautiful British Columbia.  I was super nervous about the 4.5 hour drive but we agreed that we would take as many breaks as we needed to - even if it would take us all day to get there.  The ride up turned out to be relatively easy and the ride home was even better because she slept the whole ride back.  It was wonderful.  This was a really great introduction to travel with a third member of the clan and we're looking forward to doing more this coming November!

A few shots of the view from our room

It got a tad cold out there so I was happy I brought a few warm items for our little lovebug. 

Our drive home - Rundle Mountain 

Of course, sunny Canmore/Calgary.  Even though we were somewhat rained out for most of the trip we still enjoyed it and are looking forward to Hawaii next!

Scarlet's five month update

I'm a little late in posting this latest update because our little clan took some time to travel to BC right after the long weekend.  We thought that since all the little kiddies would be back in school, it would be a fantastic time to hit up some of the busier spots like Windermere and Fairmont.  It was really great getting out of the city and Scarlet held up like a true trooper.  She slept the entire 4 hour ride home!  We were really thankful for that and we're now feeling a bit more confident about traveling to Hawaii for a longer period of time this winter.

So now that Scarlet is five months, I have noticed some major changes.  She is much more alert and aware.  In fact, I have to take her to a quiet dark space to breast feed or she'll pull away constantly and look around/smile/laugh/get totally distracted.  It's just easier on her (and on my nipples) if she has as few distractions as possible.

Really holding her head up on her own and occasionally sitting up by herself for a few seconds.  I'm always right near by.

Still excellent tummy time without as much fussing (15-20 minutes per day)

Jolly Jumping everyday for max 15 minutes at a time.  SHE LOVES THIS!

Still nursing 7-8 times a day although she is much more efficient and can get a lot of milk in a short amount of time.

Unfortunately, her sleeping habits have changed a bit.  She will wake up now two times through the night to feed (which is exhausting).  We took her out of her swaddle which is a big change for her, and we tried (unsuccessfully) for about a week to sleep train.  She just wasn't ready for it and caused a huge fuss.  We are taking a break from the sleep training and we'll try again in a few weeks.  Nobody was getting any sleep.

Still sleeping in our bedroom in the basinet and in her crib during the day for naps.  I'm still not ready for her to be away from me during the night.  

Naps two-three times a day 10:00ish, 2:00ish and 5:30ish usually 45 min, 1.5 hours, 1/2hour in the evening.

Smiling and now laughing all the time!  This is so wonderful and makes the hard nights much easier

Loving her Mommy and Daddy the best

Cooing, babbling, 'talking' and 'singing' everyday

Gets startled at loud noises and gets scared at certain new faces

Best demeanor ever.  She definitely gets this from Nate.  She is so chill and easy going.  It's so nice to be able to take her out and live MY life while still enjoying her sweet company.  LOVE!

I'm taking 5 month pictures today (two days late) so stay tuned for more cuteness!  

Sept 3rd

Work?  HA!!!

Major perk of having a baby... MATERNITY LEAVE!

But there are a few things I'm missing as I look at all the sweet kids going back to school.  I'm missing the students and my amazing colleagues.  I'm NOT missing the late late late nights, the marking, the weekend 6 hour rehearsals, the marking, writing IPPs, the marking and the nasty 35 - 45 minute commute.  May summer continue on as scheduled!!!  Hoping for warm weather this week ;)

Busy Summer

Wow - sorry for the delayed posts.  We've been crazy busy in our house.  Everything from travelling, weddings, weekends up at the cabin, baby showers, BBQ's with family and friends and many beach days, this is my favourite time of the year and we want to fit in as much as possible.

Lately, Nate and I have been hosting a ton at our pad.  We even have guests over on week nights.  Last night (Monday) my family came over for a massive BBQ.  Even though I taught a BodyStep class from 6-7pm, they still came over food in hand (including dessert) and played with Scarlet until I got home.  She is LUCKY to have such awesome uncles and a wonderful auntie.  She also has some amazing little cousins - Emma and Alex from London England.  Nate's sister Robin came over for 5 weeks with her two adorable little daughters and we just loved every single second with them.  I should say that Scarlet was totally enamored with these two sweeties.  She watched every move that they made and loved all their kisses and cuddles.  It was such a treat having these girls here and we even were lucky enough to get some adorable hand-me-downs in the process.

Emma, Scarlet, Grammy Weiland (Nate's Mom) and Alex.

In other news, Nate has finished building the first level of our patio in the back and it now holds our BBQ and a little bistro set.  I'm going to hold off posting pics of it until we have some nice patio furniture, a few more trees and the weeds wacked in our backyard...so wait fro them to be posted next summer.  haha.  This is just a fun pic with one of the many groups of friends we had over this summer. Note:  Patio not in view until it's done ;)

Laura, Ted, Jack, Dan, Ali, Mark, Nate and I.  (Scarlet was upstairs snoring).

We're loving this hot hot weather and hope that it continues well into September.  I LOVE SUMMER THE BEST!

Scarlet's 4 month update

Holding her head up on her own - still slightly wobbly
Excellent tummy time without as much fussing (15-20 minutes per day)
Still nursing 7-8 times a day
Sleeping through the night with at least one wake-up to feed
Still sleeping in our bedroom in the basinet and in her crib during the day for naps
Naps three times a day 9:00ish, 1:00ish and 4:30ish
Smiling all the time
Loving her Mommy and Daddy the best
Cooing, babbling, 'talking' and 'singing' everyday
Gets startled at loud noises and gets scared at certain new faces
Overall best baby I could ever ask for.  She is our sweet sweet love.