I've been tagged...

Now you'll have to read more about me than you probably care to know : )

8 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

• Addie's first birthday!
• lazy cottage days this summer
• swimming with Addie in the lake
• taking Addie to her first beach (do you see a pattern here?)
• going back to work (am I crazy?)
• having dates with just my hubby again (we found a local babysitter!)
• having a paycheque again : )
• being a mom to a toddler
  

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

• visited my friend P and her new wee baby, J
• laundry
• took Quincy for a walk with Addie in the ergo
• went to the grocery store, and the library
• watched some reality TV
• Cooked a mean pasta dinner
• spent some quality after-work time with Adam
• bought Addie a nozone sunsuit
  

8 Things I wish I could Do:

• Finish this #@!#$ book I started, oh, 3 years ago!
• be more spontaneous
• go on an amazing, decadent vacation
• carry a baby...in my uterus
• exercise in the morning
• watch less TV...but I can't, and I won't...
• sing
• find a genie in a bottle for 3 more wishes...
  

8 Shows I watch:

• House
• The Office
• My Name is Earl
• Y&R (pathetic, but true)
• LOST
• Grey's Anatomy
• Fringe
• And usually there's some kind of reality TV on the rotation...America Idol, The Biggest Loser, The Bachelor...
  

8 Favorite Fruits:

• Mango
• Pineapple
• Pomegranate
• Pink lady apples
• Peaches in season
• Summer strawberries
• Rhubarb
• Grapefruit
  

8 Places I like to Travel:

• Anywhere in France
• Thailand
• NZ/Australia
• Fiji
• Barcelona
• Scotland
• Ireland
• Italy
  

8 Place I've Lived:

• On a farm in Acton
• Rockwood
  
• Guelph
• Vancouver
• London, ON
• Toronto
• Toronto
• Toronto : )
  

But I have a dream of living in NZ/Australia for at least a year...maybe one day...

Tagging:

I would like to know more about everyone in my blog life! So if you have ever left a comment, consider yourself tagged : )

A post of updates...

Addie is going to be 1 in just over 6 weeks...WHAT?!?! How did that happen? How did we go from, "OMG, I can't believe she's here..." to "OMG, she's almost a toddler"? Time really does speed up. Everyone told me, but like so many things I've been told about being a mommy, you really have to experience it to believe it.

So what's life like at 10.5 months? Here are a few highlights/updates about where Addie Mae is at these days:

*Her diet is very varied and she loves to self-feed - she's tried everything from hummus (she loved hummus), to cinnamon, to mushroom, to lychee fruit...so far her faves remain the same: applesauce, tortilla rolled with cream cheese, cheese, and cereal bar (this last one is gone in the blink of an eye). Now I can't wait for her to get a few more teeth so I can worry less about the choking thing. The big things coming up in terms of food are cow's milk and eggs, but both we have to wait for until she's one.

*She's still doing just fine with formula, but likes to have it WARM. If it's isn't warm, and literally made moments before it reaches her lips, she pushes the bottle away forcefully. Not sure what we'll do about that when it comes to milk time but maybe it's just a formula thing...and I guess I don't blame her. Formula is DISGUSTING. Has anyone out there tasted it? GROSS, GROSS, GROSS.

*Now we get a lot of da-da-da in a sing-song voice, plus la-la-la, va-va-va, na-na-na, and occasionally ma-ma-ma (but mostly when she's upset). She also "talks" a lot in a language I don't even know how to translate into English : ) She has become very, very chatty. Very cute.

*Daycare has tossed us another challenge. The spot Addie is going to be taking is currently held by a kid who hasn't started walking yet - a requirement to move to the toddler room for that centre. Apparently she's quite delayed in her walking and they're not sure she'll be ready to move by June 1st. Ughh. So another hiccup in the whole daycare saga that we're trying to work out. Fingers crossed this little girl starts walking soon!

*Someone asked about the magical seahorse a while back...it's still pretty great, although maybe not as *magical* as that first time. She will often press its tummy to play the music while she hangs out in her crib. She doesn't always fall back asleep, but at least it keeps her occupied!

*Her nap times are still not great but are at least more predictable again. She's going through the whole separation anxiety thing at naptime, where she's tired and lying down in her crib with her eyes closed, but the moment she knows I'm leaving the room (or Adam), she's on her feet SCREAMING. Crying to the point where there is no sound coming out of her mouth. It's pretty sad but thankfully, very short lived. This usually lasts for about 8 seconds and then she lies back down, usually still sobbing a little, and is asleep within a minute. The key for me is to put her down and get out of her room as fast as humanly possible. Staying any longer than necessary only tortures her more : )

*The playpen is still a huge hit and she plays hard in there. She's gotten really proficient at standing, and can now stand on her own for 3-5 seconds sometimes. Often she does this without even realizing it, because she's let go of the side of the playpen to grab the toy in her other hand, and then a few seconds later she falls on her butt. But within seconds she's back up again. This kid is in constant, constant motion. She truly is never in one place for very long.

*I revisited the whole cloth diaper thing, going as far as buying a few different ones to test-run, but decided we aren't going that route after all. For one thing, the daycare won't use cloth in the toddler room (where she'll transition to at 15 months) because of time constraints, so that means we'd only have her in them for about 4 months. Doesn't make sense to make that investment for such a short time. I also did the math, and because I've managed to buy a lot of our diapers on major sales, the disposable route is actually cheaper than the cloth would be (especially when you add in the washing costs). Finally, I did some research on the whole potty training early with cloth thing, and most experts agree there isn't a significant difference between cloth vs. disposable diaper kids in terms of when they were potty trained. And as for the green issue, our green bin program here in T.O. does recycle at least parts of the disposables, so that's better than nothing.

*She loves her car seat, and the days of endless crying in the car are (thankfully) over. I can only imagine how much she'll love it when we turn her around forward facing...but she's going to have to wait probably another year for that. What a great surprise it will be!

*Addie is a great exercise buddy and we're having a lot of fun going for our runs a few times a week. As long as the sun isn't shining directly in her face, she's pretty happy in the running stroller and likes watching everything race by.

*She laughs all the time now, and has started this SUPER LOUD squealing/screaming thing when she's really happy. It's cute, but sometimes I practically have to plug my ears, she's so loud. She has definitely found her voice!

*She's just starting waving "Hi" but only does it when she feels like it, and not that consistently. I have gotten a glimpse into our future when she's a teenager...we are going to have our hands full. This is a kid who only likes to do things when it works for her...oh oh.

I suppose I could go on and on, but it's time to grab her out of the playpen and give her a little roaming time.
Happy Tuesday everyone!

Pictures.

I'm a little behind on my posts (I'll get back to it tomorrow!) but wanted to add a few pictures from the last week and a bit.

Normally, I love my duck...

Are you talking to me?

I'll show you!

Hanging with my friend, Ali.

Very chic.

Addie is laughing in this video because I'm chewing her cheerios...yes folks, sometimes it's that easy to make her laugh!

What's old, is new again.

I can't tell you how many times I've had grandmotherly types ask me if I use a playpen to "contain" Addie's exploring ways. It usually happens when we're at the doctor's office, or a grocery store, and Addie is trying to "escape" whatever I have her contained in. They usually finish the sentence by saying, "I don't know why you young girls don't use the playpens. That was the only way I could get a free moment to myself!" I know that's how my mom, and many other moms in her generation, made sure we were safe as they did laundry, or cooked a meal, or just took a much needed break.

But for some reason it seems like the idea of using the pack n' play for this purpose is out of vogue these days...maybe it's because of the widely-used exersaucer, which Addie has never really loved. Maybe it's because there's some guilt about putting your kid in a mesh cage. For whatever reason, it seems that no one from my generation really uses the pack n' play, for well, PLAY.

Addie slept in her playpen for the first 4 months of her life (she started in the cradle I used as a baby but that ended when Adam almost ejected her one night when he stepped on the rocker), and it has been invaluable when we've travelled anywhere for an overnight. But a few weeks ago I decided I needed to put it up to have a safe place to plop her on every floor - the exersaucer is upstairs for when I shower, need to make the bed, fold laundry...her highchair works great on the main floor, and now the playpen is in the basement. I imagined it would just be a place I would put her for a few minutes while I ran to the washroom or made a cup of tea. But what I discovered was just how amazing the playpen really can be! Our moms/dads/grandparents were totally on to something!

Addie loves it in there (90% of the time anyway). She loves to pull up on the sides and jump up and down while she hangs on. She likes to run her face down the mesh siding and try to stick her tongue through the tiny holes. She bangs her toys against the top rail and chats away. She'll sometimes lie on her back and "read" a book (or chew on the corners). She has learned how to fall on her butt, use her knees as a good resting position, and stand up only hanging on with one hand (and sometimes she stands with no hands!) I think it has improved her standing ten-fold, and she's so much more sturdy now. And the best thing of all, it tires her out because she is busy, busy, busy in there, but also safe, safe, safe. Love the pack n' play. Love it.

I love my mesh cage!

Funny face.

Teething.

Teething is blamed for everything. I think I've posted about this before, back around 6 months when Addie got her first two pearly whites. But here we are again, *thinking* there are more teeth coming. Yesterday she wouldn't eat lunch at all, not even her bottle, and was crying tugging away at her ears, her hair, her eyes. I took her temperature. Normal. I could still make her laugh by playing peek-a-boo, so I knew it wasn't anything too serious. Must be teeth. I tried looking at her gums, which is a near impossibility with a 10-month old (they just don't get "please open your mouth and say 'ahhhh' for mommy") and saw some raised red/white bumps which seem to be teeth about to erupt. So it looks to me like she's got about four teeth wanting to poke through any day now - poor baby!

So it became my goal yesterday to make her happy, to make her mouth feel better. We tried frozen mango in her food net. After a quick bite on it she tossed it to the floor. I gave her a wooden spoon to chew...better. Eventually I decided on a dose of tylenol and that seemed to do the trick. The other thing she's loving right now is her Dr. Bloom's Chewable Jewelry necklace - she gnaws away on that thing in her stroller, in her exersaucer, when she takes a crawling break, and when I'm wearing it (its intended purpose - for the mom/day/caregiver to wear as a necklace so the baby has a safe/non-toxic chew toy while you're holding them). The chewable jewelry was designed by a dentist, is BPA, lead and latex free, and can go in the dishwasher. It's awesome for me too as now my other non-baby-safe necklaces are not always covered in baby slobber!

I love my Dr. Bloom's!

Here's hoping those teeth come in soon, and then I guess we just wait for the next round. From what I hear from friends with kids older than Addie, it seems that teething goes on FOREVER, so we have a lot more of this in our future. Joy!

Photos.

I love sticking my tongue out these days!

Coach, Coach, Coach!

A long day.

Her favourite sleeping position...bum in the air, arms tucked under her tummy.

Blue eyes.

Love the bath, hate it when mom puts my hair in a faux hawk.

Naptime update.

Thanks for all the comments on Addie's less-than-desirable new sleep habit! I am happy to report that she does in fact know how to get back down (I don't actually think that was the issue as I watched her do it later that day without a problem...), but not happy that she has gone on a total sleep strike during the day. Yesterday she slept for 30 minutes in the stroller - ALL DAY. Would not sleep in her crib. She did play in her crib for 45 minutes in the afternoon (I had put a book and a few stuffed toys in there in the hopes that it would help soothe her), and luckily didn't really cry, but also never went to sleep despite being SO tired. This is not good. Not good for me, and not good for Addie. She still needs daytime sleep at this age, especially because she's only sleeping about 11 hours at night.

I still stick by our decision to let her cry it out - she's fine, I'm fine, and ultimately it worked that day. I realize this is where a lot of people will differ, on parenting styles and techniques, but for us this is what we've decided to do. I did try a couple of different techniques this weekend (all without much success) and think that Addie needs to work it out, while also knowing we're here for her. So what that looks like is the 5, 10, 15 minute technique. She cries for 5 minutes, I go in and lay her back down and tell her it's time to sleep, then leave. After 10 minutes of crying after that, I would go back in and repeat above. Then you wait 15 minutes to go in. Then you repeat the 15 minute time frame until she sleeps. It took us until the first 15 minute block for her to go to sleep, but she did and I didn't have to go back in. For sure it isn't pleasant, but I also don't believe that every time she cries I should be there soothing her. She isn't going to learn how to self-soothe that way, and we could get into a bad pattern. I make sure she knows I'm there, and that I'll be back, and reassure her without picking her up.

Ultimately I'm hoping this phase just passes quickly. It's making for a pretty long day for me, as she's still up at 5:30 generally every morning, and with no nap, there is NO break. Sigh. Being a parent is so not easy, but what a great challenge to take on : )

Happy bunny day!

We had a nice dinner at my mom's with the whole fam - brothers, sister, brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws, Opa, Grammy and cousins E&G...lots of fun! This was about the best we could do with the bunny ears. Addie didn't really want to have much to do with it at all but because she loves her mommy, she half smiled for this picture : )

Happy 10-months!

I know I'm growing up now that I'm 10-months, but I still like to play with my food...

And for comparison, here I am catnapping on Daddy's chest at 1-month...

"Houston, we have a problem..."

Oh, things were so good. SO GOOD. We were at a place where putting Addie down for naps/for the night was a breeze. We used to have to rock her until she was basically asleep, and then *carefully* lay her down, usually repeating the process a few times until she was out. For the past four months or so it hasn't been like that at all. At night she goes down usually without any kind of fuss - we'd put her in her crib after her bottle and book, she'd roll over onto her belly, give us a "goodnight!" kind of look and then close her eyes. Awesome. Naps were a little less predictable but lately they've been pretty easy too (when they happen of course...she seems to be on a morning nap sleep strike right now...)

Now that she's discovered her legs and how great it is to stand up, we're in serious trouble. She has been pulling up and standing up on things for well over a month now, but she just realized she can do it in her crib too - even confined in her sleep sack! At first, I thought it was cute. *see picture below. So cute that I said "good girl!" when I came in after her nap to find her standing, looking so proud, and took a few photos. Yeah, good job. I inadvertently reinforced this.


So now she wants to stand ALL.THE.TIME. She tries to walk too, even though she can't by herself yet, and we've had quite a few bumps and bruises in the last week or so. *Sigh*

Here's what happened today - first, she skipped her morning nap. Hmmm. Then we had a nice family walk, pancake breakfast, some good play time, and then lunch. Finally she was starting to look tired and it was time for her afternoon nap. I knew she would try to stand up but I was hoping she was just too tired. Wrong. I put her down, just like I always do, and in an instant she's on her feet crying - I didn't even make it out of the room before this happened. So I quickly escaped and let her cry. And cry. And cry. I let her cry for 25 minutes while I stood outside her door and watched through the crack. I didn't want to go in too soon, fearing she'd see this as a sign of weakness and totally pounce. But I really didn't know how long it could last before she'd get too tired of standing and just finally lie down.

Well, the problem really is that she doesn't know HOW to get back down. So once she's standing, that's it at this point. She's trapped. It got to the point today where she was alternating between wailing and falling asleep on her railing. I kid you not. She was sleeping on her hands on the crib rail - standing up. So, so sad. Finally I went in and lay her back down and within seconds she was asleep - snuffling like babies do when they've been crying for a long time, but sleeping nonetheless. I'm exhausted. It was emotional torture for me to watch her cry like that for so long, but I also don't want to get into a bad situation where she's suddenly reliant on us at bedtime again. Ah, the joys of having a baby without a factory included manual!

I hear this stage doesn't last long, that soon she'll figure out how to get herself back down, but it can't come a moment too soon. I am not looking forward to the upcoming days of this repeating itself, but I suppose that's all part of it. Wish us luck, and send some good learn-to-sit-back-down vibes to Addie please.

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's off to work I go...

Well, not *quite* yet but my time home with Addie is starting to dwindle. I'm going back to work in June, which is really only a month and a half away. Crazy. I remember when she was born thinking about this year, and imagining what it was going to be like to have this time with our daughter. It has been amazing - perhaps even the best year of my life. I don't know how they do it in the US, going back to work after 6 weeks. That is just so sad for both baby and mom/dad - doesn't seem right. I was thinking today that if I had had to go back to work after 6 weeks I may have missed her first smile. I'm so grateful I didn't miss that, or any of the other firsts that came after.

However, I am starting to get a bit restless if I'm being totally honest. There are days when I love, love, love being home with Addie and doing nothing but hang out with her and take care of her. Then there are days like this past Monday...the weather was C.R.A.P.P.Y (cold and snow/rain/ice) so we were mostly stuck indoors. Addie wouldn't nap, which made it a tough day for me because I really need those couple of small breaks during the day to recharge my own batteries. I was missing the variation of a work day - meetings, talking with a smattering of colleagues, unexpected challenges that come via email or phone, a quiet pre-work coffee while I clean out my inbox...

I am one of those people who does better when they have a lot on the go. When I first met Adam I was going to school full time, working contract with my current company and doing an internship at CBC television. I was BUSY. And I LOVED it. I function better when I'm juggling a lot of balls, and sometimes being a stay-at-home mom feels a lot like trying to juggle one big ball.

When I was visiting my friend Jenn last week (who is for the record an AMAZING stay-at-home mommy) we were talking about the whole being a mommy and working. She said she had a couple of friends who swear they are better moms because they work. I think that may be true for me as well. That means I can focus on my brain and my career during the day while Addie does the daycare thing (socializing with her little friends), and then we can have some really focused family time for after work/dinner/bedtime, and of course on the weekends. Maybe I'm being naive, but I feel like I can make this work. I guess we'll see...

Regardless, I will be going back to work and Addie will be going to daycare (did I mention we ended up getting a spot?) We will have to find a way to stay connected as a family, and to make sure that nothing, and no one, explodes. I'm going to have to be very, very, VERY organized : )

Our spirited, strong-willed baby.

I know I shouldn't be surprised. Adam is stubborn, and I may be even worse. Most people who know me IRL would probably say I can be a bit of a "firecracker" : ) So it shouldn't come as a shock that our little girl, who has inherited our genes (good and bad), is also just as spirited as her parents.

How this is manifesting itself these days is in mini temper tantrums - I really had no idea a 10-month old could have temper tantrums - I thought that was reserved for the "terrible twos". It happens mostly when she's tired, and usually because we won't let her do something she wants to or thinks she should be able to - like climb the stairs or stick her fingers in the outlets (yikes). How do you explain "danger" to a 10-month old? Not easy.

She does this bucking bronco routine, with some well-placed shrieks. Luckily it doesn't last long and usually I can distract her with a toy or some cheerios. I read in a baby book that one solution is to put them close to your chest in a teddy-bear style hug, and just hold them until they calm down. Ummmm....clearly these authors haven't met MY child. There isn't going to be any kind of "teddy-bear" hug going on, not unless I'd like to get my nose broken : )

So we're working it through. I'm trying to ignore the behaviour mostly, while distracting her when I can and being nice and calm, and we seem to be doing ok. But if anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears!

On another note, Addie and I have enjoyed running with the jogging stroller this weekend and I'm loving the exercise. I really have missed exercise, and it's great to get some fresh air and pass some time : ) And I have to give a shout out to the MimiTens mittens. They ROCK! Addie actually doesn't mind having them on, they stay put and keep her fingers nice and toasty in the cool spring air, and I love how easy they are to get on. Here's a pic of miss Addie enjoying her super-cute mittens before we went out for our run.

Spring has sprung.

Addie and I took the running stroller out for another spin today. The rain had ended, the sun was out, and it was warm enough that the air didn't burn my lungs. I'm loving that I can get some exercise in the fresh air, and I can do it with Addie. And she had a blast - chatting away while we cruised the neighbourhood. This is the third time this week we've gone jogging and I have to say, I'm feeling a little addicted to it. This in itself is a small miracle. I feel like my winter cloak has been lifted and it's time to get outside and get active.

As we're approaching Addie's 10-month birthday I can't believe how much she's changing. She's full-on crawling...fast. She's pulling up to standing on everything and anything she can get her hands on. She's actually standing on her own for a few seconds, and loves to "walk" while we hold her hands. She squeals with delight when Adam comes home from work, or when Quincy is chasing his ball. She's a happy kid, and curious, and I know we're really going to have our hands full with her : )

She's almost entirely off the pureed foods and is now eating a lot more stuff: whole-wheat tortillas with cream cheese (rolled up and cut in pieces), ground chicken, broccoli, potatoes, shredded turkey, cheese, cantaloupe, toast...she also loves to suck on my apple as I'm eating it, and taking sips of my soda water. She continues to be a messy, messy eater (she fingerpaints her yogurt and applesauce when it falls on her tray), but that's all part of the fun. We've also discovered a great new bib which has quickly become the only bib I'm using. It's made by Mally Bibs and is made in Canada. The bib is leather so the food doesn't stick to it, and it cleans up simply by wiping it down or running it under water. No more dripping bibs after washing off peas and carrots, and no more dirty, gross and stained bibs to deal with. It also closes with a magnet instead of velcro - so easy. I think this is going to become a shower gift staple for me from now on.

Addie's cool bib!

Judging by all the changes Addie has gone through in the past couple of months, I can't even imagine what's coming in the very near future...her first steps, her first words, her first day at daycare (gulp)...we have so much to look forward to.