Adventures of Snobmama

Starting back

2007-06-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

I'm jumping back into the world of blogging. I miss it too much. BUT... I am changing sites. I think I need to. I need a new start.

I would like to know who is joining me though. I know it sounds weird, but this blog was given out so much when Aubrie was a baby, that I've lost track of the readership. I know that family, friends, work collegues etc may still be reading (most have lost interest due to my lack of posting though). I also know I have lots of blog-land friends who understand the "therapy" of blogging. PLEASE come join me, even if it's an initial hassle to find me...

Send me a quick email at cari001@gmail.com. I'll send you to the site from there :)

Greetings!

2007-06-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

From my girl who is growing up WAY too quickly...

Sometimes, they really make you wonder what they're thinking, don't they?

To blog, or not to blog...

2007-01-28T10:14:00.000-08:00

I've been debating for a long time whether to post another blog entry. Why? Because if I do, it tells people I'm coming back. And, well... I can't really guarantee that. I will try... but I have a lot of things on my plate right now. We'll see how it goes.

I spent much of December preparing for the inevitable - my return to work. Christmas was great (I hope to post some pictures soon), though Aubrie had a nasty cold over Christmas. Unfortunately, Christmas was also a sad time as both of Chris' grandparents were in the hospital. His grandmother is recovering quite well from her stroke, but his grandfather passed away shortly after Christmas.

I went back to work at the beginning of the month. Aubrie doesn't seem to mind when I'm gone, but is acting differently when I'm around. That is something I didn't really expect. It's challenging when all I want to do is spend some nice time with her, but she's acting up due to me being gone. Pair that with the frustrations and stresses of work, and it's just not all it's cracked up to be! But, perhaps I'll leave that for another day...

She's doing very well. She had her one year check up and vaccinations. She's 19lbs 6oz and 29.75 inches long. She's not walking yet, but loves to cruise around furniture and walk while holding hands. She's very tentative about standing on her own. She loves to throw things now, especially when they make a loud noise when they land (ceramic tile works best for this). She also loves to share her toys. I'm sure that won't last long! She's loving books a lot more these days - not just for chewing. Many nights I have had to put her to bed with the book of the evening. She eats pretty much everything, though not every day is the same. She hates left-over anything. She drinks milk now, only in a sippie cup during the day, but gets the one bottle at night. She LOVES that bottle!!!!

I hope to be around more often. I can't promise anything... but I'll try. Here's a picture of Aubrie on her birthday in her new Canucks jersey and in her wagon (which she LOVES!)...

So quickly

2006-12-11T07:09:00.000-08:00

Everyone keeps telling us how much Aubrie has aged in the past few weeks. It's true... it's like she's aged 2 months in a matter of weeks. I think it's just something that clicked in her brain. All of a sudden she's in to totally different things, investigating objects differently, trying so many new things. It's like she understands things perfectly now. She will try to work her toys the way they are supposed to work (instead of just licking them), she tries to carry on conversations, she "calls" me whenever I leave the room (by "call", I mean AAAH AAH AAH AAAH at the top of her lungs). We have a little person on our hands now.

I'm sad to see the baby go... but so excited for what the next few months brings.

Ooh, and if you're wondering why I don't post many pics any more... this is why...

Christmas is coming

2006-11-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

So... I finally got the tree decorated. It's been up since Saturday, but took this long to get finished. Presents are almost all bought. It's time to get into the Christmas spirit.

So, thanks to Emma for this great Christmas meme!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate..... Totally hot chocolate. I REALLY do not understand the whole egg nog thing. Ummm, ewe....
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? He sets them all up by the fireplace.
3. Coloured lights on tree/house or white.... WHITE!!!! And, if it's colored, it better follow a theme... none of this "random" stuff.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope
5. When do you put your decorations out? After my birthday Nov 21. Sometimes it takes awhile though. Lights aren't up yet... too much snow - aack!
6. What is your favourite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Perogies!
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: It's sad... but I don't really have one. I really enjoyed Christmas' that we went to Saskatchewan and stayed with my Baba and Gido. I always enjoyed all the games my Baba played with me.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I totally don't remember. Maybe I just always knew.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Uhm... a gift??? Try all the gifts!!!
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Silver, white and purple, all matchy matchy.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Dread it!!!
12. Can you ice skate? Have you ever fallen on the ice? Yes, I can ice skate... though I haven't done it in AGES. Have I fallen? Probably... don't remember though, so it couldn't have been bad.
13. Do you remember your favourite gift? Uhmmm, no.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Faith and family.
15. What is your favourite Holiday Dessert? Shortbread
16. What is your favourite holiday tradition? All the Ukranian cooking
17. What tops your tree? An angel, given to me by my Baba
18. Which do you prefer... giving or Receiving? Giving, though receiving is a tight second!
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Angels We Have Heard on High. I have no idea why.
20. Candy Canes? Mmmmm, candy canes....

Preparing

2006-11-29T21:22:00.000-08:00

I've been putting it off... but I can't any longer... I need to start preparing for work in January. It's daunting, but it needs to be done. I keep approaching it in spurts, thinking it will make it easier - but it doesn't. I'm completely overwhelmed at the thought of condensing my previous 60-80 hour work week into something that I can manage and still have time for Aubrie. I love my job... but let's face it... I love Aubrie a heck of a lot more.

That's why I've been sparse lately. I want to blog... I really do... but on top of it all... well... it's daunting too.

My 10 month sweetheart

2006-11-24T08:26:00.000-08:00

I love this new pic of Aubrie, taken a few days before her 10 month "birthday". Enjoy!

10 months!

2006-11-23T19:55:00.000-08:00

Wow, time flies!

Aubrie is moving around a ton these days... super fast at crawling and cruising. She has started to attempt to stand on her own, but it always seems to frighten her!

She sings a LOT. Other babies her age babble a lot, but she's always singing instead! She's started copying "uh oh"... but it sounds more like "uh aaaaaaah" in a sing-song voice. And, she does it all the time - go figure! I guess it suits her sensitive personality!

She LOVES to wave, and has it down to a fine art. She has her different waves for different occasions. The "super excited" wave (whole arm moving), the "not so sure" wave (arm up, hand moving ever so slightly) and the "I have better things to do" wave (a la Queen Elizabeth). She also loves being chased and tackled.

Eating has changed a bit... she now shows clearly when she's done. She seems to prefer her own finger foods. She's now really like pasta and broccoli pieces, perogies were a HUGE hit. She's even tried some tofu chicken burgers, tofu chicken nuggets, and a variety of other tofu products. Cheese toast is a favorite - mozarella over cheddar though!

Sleeping has been challenging lately, but mostly due to the onset of ANOTHER cold. Yuck! And more teeth. She's broken the top two out now. She may be working on a few more.

She did so well with our trip to Palm Desert. I'm sure she'll be excited for the next trip in April!

Oh, and she LOVES to rip up paper, so Christmas should be a real treat!

The time is just passing too quickly :(

I'm getting there

2006-11-21T09:14:00.000-08:00

Promise... an update is coming soon! I've just been so bogged down with so many things (and won't bore you with all the details).

But, I'm asking a HUGE favor of all my favorite readers (you're all my favorite... cuz you keep coming back despite the fact I never seem to keep this blog up to date!!!!!). If you get the chance, can you pop over to my scrapping blog and let me know if it's working for you? I had major issues when I added flickr to my last version of the blog. So, I've simplified it and added flickr back, hoping (fingers crossed) that it's working for everyone now. Particularly anyone who had trouble with viewing the old version (Emma?).

I promise to repay you all with some REAL updates soon! ;)

PSA

2006-11-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

Seriously people... if you have a pumpkin still sitting on your porch, it's WAY past time to throw it out. There is no time that it is at all appropriate to use rotting produce as a decoration. If I have to walk by another pumpkin with mold oozing out of it, I will not be held responsible for what I do to it! EWW people, EWW!

The switch

2006-11-17T09:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, sorry I've been MIA again. Things are just getting so hectic with preparations for going back to work and the likes. But... don't wanna talk about that right now.

I need to post Aubrie's 10 month update, but I'll likely do that later this weekend. I'm so shocked at how fast time is flying these days.

Her sleeping has now gone ALL over the map. We're fighting the urge to start the day at 4am, and it's resulted in a totally irratic schedule. I'm a schedule girl, so it's driving me a little batty... but I guess it's to be expected!

Oh, but my main point of saying hi today is to say that I'm quite excited about this new switch of blogger over to google. My life is now totally googleified (yes, it's a word!). Email, calendar, now blogs... all on my homepage. I'm loving it. Hopefully blogger stops flaking out on me so frequently. I haven't been able to post to my other blog much, as it keeps rejecting my flickr entries. AACK! So, if you've been wondering what's up with that blog... that's what's up! I hope everything sorts out soon, and that I can get my blogs a-flowing!

Greetings from the desert!

2006-11-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

Aubrie is having so much fun, she's not sleeping! It's been such a struggle since we got here yesterday to get her to sleep properly. Of course, the traveling took its tool... then she was over-tired and woke up VERY distraught last night. And today, just wouldn't take an afternoon nap. But, look how much fun she's having!!! So it's all worth it!

She discovered the water park and boy does she love it! The ground is made from spongy material, so it's great for crawling on. Plus, it's shaded, which is also awesome!

The weather is awesome, but could always be hotter (I love the heat!). We're hoping to get to the zoo sometime soon, and of course, some shopping!! I hope to update again soon (hopefully with more pictures!)

Too fast!

2006-10-30T21:53:00.000-08:00

Aubrie needs to slow down!! Seems every day now, she's doing something new (and, more often than not, quite reckless!). She *finally* started waving, which is quite enjoyable. She's also started doing the cruise-and-transfer, actually walking along furniture and then changing pieces of furniture - AACK! It's way too early for her to be putting us through this, lol! So far, she's only bailed once... which actually resulted in me going out to buy the furniture guards I said I'd NEVER get (I'd rather teach her the danger of things rather than rubber-padding our entire house). But... I did only rubberize her play room... everything else in the house remains danger ridden, just the way we like it.

I really started to notice her tendencies today when my mom's group got together. All the other babies played nicely on the floor, crawling a little here and there. I, on the other hand, got to constantly chase after my little girl who was crawling over the stone fire place to get to the cords and electrical pieces behind the stereo system. Fun times!

In other news... I'm seriously considering switching my blogs to another site. I seem to be having one issue after another. Not that I seriously believe all those issues would disappear... but it's worth a shot, right? Any opinions on this?

We leave for Palm Desert on Thursday, so we're busy guetting ready... but I do hope to update when we are there (wireless internet - YAY). And, catch up on some blog reading too... I'm soooo far behind (in case everyone's wondering why my comments have diminished!).

Belated 9 month review

2006-10-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

Go figure, I come to blog… and blogger is down for maintenance! So, at least I’m getting the blog written, and I’ll upload it later tonight.

I STILL haven’t done a month 9 review! And Aubrie is almost 2 weeks into her tenth month. Oops! Really, it doesn’t seem like that much has changed. But, looking back on her 8 month review, I guess it has! She’s really motoring around these days. She crawls really quickly, pulls up on everything and anything, can cruise a little, and walk while pushing things (mainly chairs… we don’t particularly like this little habit, as it generally ends with baby on the floor). She’s really, really cut down on how much she throws up, which is truly a blessing (especially for the carpets and laundry!).

She’s still eating much of the same foods. She’s started drinking a little juice too, though I don’t like to give it to her too often. We started mainly due to her first cold, which she is just getting over. She’s also eating cheese, cauliflower, Brewer’s Yeast and kelp in her cereal (that stuff is soooooo disgusting, and yet soooo nutritious, she doesn’t seem to really care about either though!). We need to start her on more finger foods, as she really loves them.

Sleeping is the same. Who would have thought 7 or 8 months ago that she would turn out to be such a fantastic sleeper?!?! I’m so thankful every morning for that!

Oh, and one more tooth. Not sure exactly when that little guy came in. I keep thinking she’ll get the top two as well, but no luck yet.

She still LOVES giving big, open mouth kisses (can’t seem to teach her to keep her mouth closed!). She especially loves chasing the dog with her mouth open and laughing hysterically when he licks inside her mouth – YUCK! Poor Java, we keep telling him no, and then she chases him down and taunts him to do it again. He’s trying so hard to behave!

She’s also a great peek-a-boo player these days. She’ll initiate it herself. Though, she doesn’t quite understand that simply bowing her head and looking up isn’t really peek-a-boo… we can still see her, though we pretend we can’t. She’ll keep doing ANYTHING over and over and over and over again if it gets a cheer. Should make potty training quite easy down the road!

Hmmm... where are my flowers?

2006-10-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, is it just me... or did my entire blog template vanish? Is everyone else just seeing a boring ocean-blue screen? Where did all my pretty graphics go?

I guess I know what I'm going to be trying to fix this weekend....

First cold

2006-10-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

Well, we are officially on the mend from Aubrie's first cold (and my first cold since she was born). I'm almost 100%, she's probably about 75%. I'm probably just as happy to get it over with as she is! Now that she's getting better, she's back to being in to everything. She LOVES to stand, she's starting to cruise around furniture, she can tackle a few stairs if there's something she wants... in short... she's determined!

We're looking forward to next week and being able to get back into things. This week was spent mostly at home... and it got pretty boring!

Ok, boring post... sorry... just wanted to update!

On my own

2006-10-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, now that Les Mis song is going to be stuck in my head all day. But that's neither here nor there.

I tried to post yesterday, but blogger seems to have hit a glitch. My blogs were also a little screwy. Which reminds me... if you have trouble seeing my scrapping blog, it could be because you are using an old browser. Update your IE, or switch to Firefox (loooooove it... and it's free... and I am in no way affiliated with them... they just rock).

Ok, on to my post. Yesterday was my first full day with Aubrie by myself. Isn't that weird?? She's almost 9 months old! We've had the odd day here and there, but most of the time Chris is around (he was working from home before). Now, he's working at a new job (that he is VERY excited about), so we're on our own. Yesterday was actually quite nice. I got way more done than I had anticipated, which was fabulous. Aubrie's been very tired lately too, which helped (cuz she slept... a LOT). Today I woke up with a bit of dread though, as I'm doubtful she will be as easy as she was yesterday. But, hopefully it will all go well. I'm actually finding that it's easier to get things done now, as I have to find tricks to get everything done with her around.

BUT, she also manages to get into more trouble with just me around. So, off I run... before she swallows mouthfuls of the tissue paper she is currently playing with!

I leave you with a new pic. Isn't she adorable (I'm not biased or anything)!!!! Little boys, WATCH OUT!

It's up, it's up!

2006-10-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

I finally got my scrapbooking blog up and running. Go look! http://scrappysquared.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

Aubrie seems to be cutting another tooth... and hopefully soon! She's a challenge these days! But, also lots of fun in many respects. She's into everything - which sounds daunting, but it's great to see life from her perspective. It's so exciting, even the little things! She just started to pull up on things, and is giving up lots of mini panic attacks throughout the day. She's turning into a little daredevil.

Well, I'm actually blogged out from getting the new site up and running. I hope to continue both of them equally. So, don't give up on me yet! ;)

She's alive

2006-10-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still hear! I do realize it's been awhile since my last blog... things have just been, well... I don't even know. It's not that I'm all that busy. Aubrie keeps me busy, and I'm out and about a lot... but I guess I just haven't felt like blogging lately. So, rather than blog about nothing, I decided not to blog. Guess that was a mistake, 'cuz I got three emails from people wondering what happened to me! So, here's my blog entry about pretty much nothing.

Well, I guess not nothing. Chris got the job he interviewed for. He starts after the long weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving, wow, that crept up on me!) and he's really excited. It's with a *major* video game company, though I'm not sure I'm supposed to say which one. He's very very excited (I said that already, didn't I?).

With it, though, is the reality that he will now be *leaving* the house to work. I'm sure this is going to hit Aubrie and I very hard at first. It's wonderful to have him around. But, on the other hand, I think it will also be great for him to have that special "home-from-work" time with Aubrie (and great for me too). It'll be an adjustment, that's for sure.

It also means buying a second car. Hmmm, that's another blog.

In my news, I've decided to start as a consultant for the scrapbooking products I love. I've finally gotten around to doing a good amount of scrapbooking, and thought this would be a great reason to do even more (and spend even more, hahaha). I hope to start a separate scrapbooking blog to share some tips, techniques and layouts. But, we'll wait till I'm up and running first. Hopefully soon!

Aubrie is going, going, going these days. Everyday she seems to gain speed, and she hates to be in the same place for long. She's definitely in a fun phase right now though! We're really enjoying it.

That's it... told ya... boring. I'll try to keep everyone posted more often. And a big shout out to everyone who I haven't had a chance to check your blogs recently. Or, maybe I have, just no chance to comment. I'm still here, *waves*.

To wake, or not to wake

2006-09-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

Aubrie is STILL sleeping. It's almost 8am. This is unheard of. And yet, it's a great thing, because I can get stuff done. But, on the other hand... will it mess up her regular schedule? I hate always questioning myself on everything. I'm thinking of letting her sleep and seeing what it does. We have no big plans today (I have some appt's, but my mom is coming by... so that doesn't matter).

I swear, she so reactionary (I don't think that's a word) these days... it's tiring her out. She'll do something, and if it gets a reaction (cheers, laughs, looks of surprise) she will keep doing it and doing it and doing it, laughing hysterically in the process. She's so happy, you can't help but continue your reaction... and yet... it gets really tiring after awhile! But, it's adorably cute!

In other news, Chris has a major major interview today. We're talking 4 hour or so interview with about 5 different people. It's somewhere he would really love to work. So... if it's your thing, keep him in your prayers. If it's not, just think lots of positive thoughts for him.

I'm off to take advantage of this morning mommy time!

Month in Review

2006-09-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

What a boring title. I can't believe I'm posting about Aubrie's 8th month. It's amazing (and sad) how quickly time is flying. I apologize in advance for how boring this post is likely to be. But, alas, I love to have a record of things... and blogging is the way to go these days (considering how behind I am in my scrapbook!!).

This month, she went from the crawling position, to creeping along the floor, to all-out-full-fledged crawling in the past week or two. It's crazy how quickly that happened. She's now powering along at way-too-fast of a speed. It wouldn't be challenging, really, if it weren't for the sheer multitudes of vomit that she also manages to produce (see last post). But, it is a lot of fun. It's great that she can go explore the things she wants to see. I love to see things through her eyes. She's a pro at sitting, and moving to and from the sitting position. Aside from pulling up and cruising/walking, she's got pretty much everything down pat.

She still loves to eat. She's been a full-fledged formula baby for awhile now (we tried to cut back to one breastfeeding session... that didn't work... so fully weaned a little earlier than planned). She eats 24oz a day. Plus, her three meals. Generally fruit and oatmeal at breakfast, yogurt (she finally likes it) and/or egg yolk at lunch, and veggies and rice or barley at dinner. We also tend to do lots of finger food at dinner, so that it's easier to eat dinner all together. She eats cheerios and Gerber puffs, as well as whole wheat toast, pasta, she's even tried hashbrowns and home-made fries. Other new foods include asparagus, cottage cheese (still learning to eat that), mango... I think that's about it.

Sleep is GREAT! As long as she gets it, lol! She really likes to have her naps in order. She sleeps about 2 hours in the morning (9-11) and about 1 hour in the afternoon (2-3)... sometimes more. She goes to bed closer to 7pm now, and sleeps through till about 6:30am. She's generally up earlier, but she's content on her own till 6:30.

She's trying to wave, I'm sure she'll get the hang of it soon. She tends to wave to herself the most. She's always giving kisses now if you are holding her. She's also a better snuggler than she has been in the last few months.

Oh, and teeth... she cut one tooth that is still pretty small. Another tooth is REALLY close, but I don't think I can officially call it there yet. The way she attacks food though, she doesn't even need 'em!

Most days, she's so easy!! It's hard to believe how far she's come! And sad that it's all happening so quickly!

Again, sorry for the boring post. I'll try to come up with something exciting next time...

Ewe... seriously... E.W.E.

2006-09-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

First of all, yes, It's Saturday night. Yes, I'm blogging. I don't have a problem with that.

I had every intention today of writing a post to do the "8 month update" on all of Aubrie's new feats this month (as she is now 8 months and 2 days). But, well, then life happened. That post will have to wait for another day.

Because... ewe. There I was, relaxin on the couch, watching me some Mad TV (and, I mean that in the sense of the actual show, I'm not trying to be all gangsta-cheese on you, sending out my mad props te y'all.... wait, gansters don't say y'all... ah darn it). When, what do I find... but vomit... in... my... hair. EWE.

Now, I've spoken about the Aubrie vomityness (yes, I know that's not a word), but I've not clarified all the glorious stages of Aubrie vomit. Yes, there's the "after bottle spit-up". This is not at all gross, just a pain in the arse. Then, there's the "I had a bottle a few hours ago spit-up" which is slightly more gross in it's curdled glory, but still not heinous. Then, there's the "food that was recently eaten" full-on vomit... which is gross only in the sense that it's usually very chunky, and very colored, and often stinks, and is still a pain in the arse, as are all the stages of vomit. Then, there's the "this has been in my gut for who knows how long and has gathered all the glorious yucky stomache acids and REAKS" vomit. Yes, that's the vomit I found in my hair. Stomache acids and all. E.W.E. A large chunk of it. Eeeewwwweeee.

And, I don't know what's worse. The fact that I had NO IDEA how long this vomit had been in my hair. It could have been anywhere from about 3 hours to about 9 hours (ya, 9 hour vomit... ewe... and let me say again... ewe). OR, the fact that I seriously considered NOT washing it out with a full on scrubbing-in-the-shower. I actually tried to just rinse it out in the sink first. EWE.

Let me explain though. It's not that it wasn't truly gross (which it was), but I had already washed my hair today. And, I have very few "free" hours in my day... so that was one reason I considered trying to avoid a shower. I had better things to do. But, more importantly... is the fact that washing my hair more often than every 2 or 3 days is a complete disaster these days. Why? Because after the "hair gets RIDICULOUSLY thick during pregnancy" followed by the "hair falls out in RIDICULOUS clumps post-pregnancy", my hair is, well, ridiculous. It's frizzy, and horrible, and has teeny tiny pieces everywhere that are growing back in. Seriously, if I pull it back all the way, it looks like someone had a HUGE mishap trying to cut some bangs. I have a huge row of 1 inch pieces. This leads to serious frizz issues if I wash it too frequently. Plus, there's the time required to deal with all this frizz... that's not fun at all. And I was planning on quickly running the straight iron through it in the morning so that I could run out to the grocery store to buy all the things I need to make the AWESOME cheesecake (diet?? diet?? who said that?????) for the scrapbooking party I'm having on Monday because tackling the grocery stores around here anytime after 8:30am on a weekend is sheer suicide.

But, alas, I couldn't handle it. I guess I'm just not the mom I thought I was quite yet. I had to scrub it clean.

Uhm.... ewe.... (just one last time for prosperity).

TV to the rescue

2006-09-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

AAACK... I just squelched a major baby melt-down with tv... I don't know what I dislike more - the fact that I use it, or the fact that it works.

It's not that I'm against tv - heck, I watch enough of it to, uhm, hmm... can't think of an analogy. I watch a lot of tv. I guess I just don't want her to grow up and watch as much as I do. Or, I'm worried about the quality of tv in 5 years (heck, I'm worried about the quality of tv now... nothing near as wholesome as the days when I was a kid).

But on days like today, I just have to take a pass on caring about it.

Testing blog accountability

2006-09-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

So... here's the test... how well will blogging something keep me accountable? I figure, the more people you tell about a goal, the more incentive you have to stick with it, right? Let's hope so...

I've been trying to lose the final weight from my pregnancy for AGES. I'm just not giving it enough effort. I've always been a good half-ass dieter... never a good dieter though. I last about a week max. I'm not fully sure why I always end up quitting, but I do. I'm hoping this time I can stick to it.

I've tried many diets. Most are difficult to follow because I'm a vegetarian. I've tried weight-watchers twice... I'm not about to try a third time. I'm thinking my best bet is good old exercise and watching calories. It's probably the easiest route as well.

Aside from just plain giving up, I'm worried about hitting the afternoon slump. I hit it every day right now. I have energy to do things in the morning, but as soon as Aubrie's second nap hits, I have no energy at all. No motivation. Sooo, with my workouts taking up the entire morning nap (to include a shower... still no time in there to actually dry or do my hair or anything... guess it's pony-tail till I've dropped the weight), I worry about getting everything ELSE done. I need to make use of every minute of my time, or else I'm doomed. It's a very daunting prospect.

Plus, I always get major major headaches... usually in the afternoon. I'm hoping that eating better will help curb those.

Ok, this is turning into a ridiculously whiney post.

So, I'll leave it at "I've said it". I'm determined to drop the weight. I have 18-20 pounds that needs to go before I head back to work.

Aubrie's up... guess that's all I can say about that.

I meant to be serious

2006-09-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

Really... I had every intention today of writing a deep, thoughtful, serious post. I've been meaning to do it all week. Somehow, everyday life just always seems to get in the way. I'm sure we all know what that's about.

I still can't believe that in the midst of 9/11 reflexions and school shooting tragedy posted all over the news... the only thing on my mind to blog about is vomit. Seriously... ridiculous, frustrating, annoying amounts of vomit. So, does that make me a normal mommy, or does that make me a bad citizen? Or maybe just a bad blogger. Hey, I'm still new to this (ok, not really... but new enough that I still can't get my act together to blog daily).

But, really... if you saw the amount of vomit that leaves my child on a daily basis... you'd be blogging about it too. It's especially difficult these days with the crazy amount of crawling that it's paired with. I seriously don't know why people with non-vomiting babies consider crawling a more challenging phase. Crawling is seriously inefficient moving... though faster than one would think, it's still quite easy to catch them before in the midst of danger. Now, to catch them before they vomit all over the carpet for the 10th time in the hour... that's challenging. And frustrating.

That's not even including my latest frustration with laundry. Seriously... pair the ever-vomitting baby with cloth diapers (either one alone would be fine... but together... AACK)... *sigh*. And, even the amount wouldn't be frustrating right now if it wasn't for the fact that I've just realized that the ones I *thought* were clean (put in drawer/closet) are now stained with the mysterious "after-cleaning" yellow or bleachy vomit stain. So, when I went to put away her clothes that no longer fit (I've finally decided that even though they fit, putting 0-3mo clothing on an 8 month old is just mean), I realized that essentially all of them are stained beyond belief. I don't dare go look at the stuff I've already packed away. It's just depressing.

I've tried immediate soaking (and soaking till wash time), I've tried oxy-clean, spray'n'wash, that dual power stain treater... nothing is helping. It seems that every solution I've been given by those who say "it works like a charm for little junior's clothes" obviously don't have the vomit-queen herself messing up the clothes. It's a talent...

At least she's not picky about foods. So... the days I decide I can't handle it and only feed her white or very light colored foods... at least she can cope!

Home sweet home

2006-09-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm half asleep as I'm writing this... but somehow 8:45pm is way too early to go to bed, so I figured I had to kill some time, why not blog?

We got back today around 1:30pm from our trip. We had a FANTASTIC time! It was so great to have a vacation with another similar family. It's great to be able to go by Aubrie's schedule, and not worry about how that's affecting plans. It was great to have the girls play together all day long. It was great to have 4 adults to 2 babies. It was great to drink wine and play games and chat when they went to bed. I highly recommend the dual family mini-vacation to all!!!

The downside... the trip home was absolutely MISERABLE. Aubrie was in such a state. She slept the first 30 minutes or so (she usually naps 2 hours in the morning). Then, she was up, and unhappy the rest of the trip. She fell asleep for maybe 5 minutes, but then woke up in that crazy screaming-without-actually-waking-up phase, which finally woke her up completely. We think she's probably cutting her next tooth. At least we know it's not likely to be a lengthy grumpy phase. She's a good little teether like that!

She seemed so thrilled to be home though. Despite her episodes throughout the car-ride, she calmed down completely the second we walked in the door. Despite being way over-tired, she just wanted to enjoy her toys, her pets, her surroundings before she would settle for a nap. Thankfully, though, she's asleep now, and is probably likely to have a good long sleep tonight (something her mommy and daddy REALLY need!).

So, that's about it. I've thought of so many things to blog about on my various vacations lately, so I'm hoping I remember them throughout the week so that I can post something other than updates!

But for now... a nice long bath is calling me!

Bidding adieu (again)

2006-09-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

We're on our way today up to Kelowna and the always lovely Manteo Resort. I guess I forgot to say good-bye before I left for Saskatchewan, so I figured it was only fair to give you a heads up this time! I will be gone till Saturday, so it will likely be awhile before my next post. I'm looking forward to enjoying some of this gorgeous weather (well, minus the smoke from forest fires...), spending some time in the pool, and watching the girls have a blast together. We're going with our walking buddies (and gym buddies, and class buddies... heck, we see them almost daily!) Zoe (9 months) and mom Shawna (a wee bit over 9 months, lol)... oh and her husband Corey (who would probably be mad that I almost forgot about him... let's hope Shawna doesn't let him see this!). It's bound to be a great time!

In an hour we're also headed to our first baby-signing class (then we'll head out on the road after). I'm quite excited about that too! I never thought I'd go the "signing" route... I'm a little sceptical about it, but I just wanted another outing for Aubrie to enjoy (she loves seeing other babies, and it's good for her to get used to lots of new people. Although I've heard otherwise, I worry that it might delay her speech if she can sign. But... I guess we'll see. I'm looking forward to learning more about it!

Minty fresh

2006-09-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

Guess who is now going to bed with minty fresh breath? That's right... Aubrie's joined ranks with the rest of us and is getting her tooth nub brushed (I can't even call it a real tooth, it's so small!). She didn't seem to mind it much at all, though I can't be totally sure how well it actually got brushed... but it's the attempt that counts right now!

I can't believe how fast she's getting the hang of crawling. She can move mighty quick these days. Watch out Java and Kahlua, she's coming after you two first! It's so funny how she still only uses one leg. The other one she puts in the air. How odd. But, apparently, it's quite common (at least for those that post their videos on youtube). We have a video, but I just haven't gotten around to uploading it. Soon...

Our mini update

2006-09-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

I don't want to call this an "update"... just a mini update. Coming back to blogging after you've missed a chunk is so daunting. You feel like there has just been so much missed, and trying to catch up with it all is tricky. You feel like no matter what, you're going to miss stuff. So, that's why I'm doing a "mini update". So... if I miss things, or take a few days to update everything, that's ok. Mini-update it is...

We just got back yesterday from our trip to the prairies. It was a fun time, and great to see family... but also quite exhausting. I'm the type of person that just likes the regular comforts of home. I don't like things to be too disrupted. I think Aubrie is similar. She was ok as long as we kept to her schedule. The travelling was tricky in that sense. She was fine with the plane ride... it was the lack of her usual nap time in a quiet place that seemed to get to her the most. All in all though, it wasn't too bad. Well worth the effort!

We leave for Kelowna in a few days with friends. I'm excited about that. I think it will be a great trip. The weather is supposed to be nice, so we're looking forward to some time in the pool (which Aubrie LOVES).

Aubrie broke her first tooth right before we left for Saskatchewan. Good timing eh? Her teething was never really that bad, just a little cranky. I was surprised at the whole process of teething. For some reason, I just expected that one day, a tooth would be there. Not sure why... it makes no medical sense. But, that's how I envisioned it. Instead, her gums were cut first, with no sign of a tooth. Then, it took a few days for the tiniest amount of tooth to pop through. She still only has a tiny little tooth "stump", but it's definitely there. Yay teeth!!

She's also moving around like crazy these days. She's totally mastered the commando-crawl (pulling herself on her belly). She gets into the crawling position well, and can go backwards a bit, but she lacks control in that position. But commando... watch out! If she wants something, it only takes a second for her to find a way there! I'm so glad I baby-proofed her play area early. The other day, I left her in her play area for a minute (in the center of the room). I came back to find her clawing at the covers on the electrical sockets! Good thing they were covered!! I was amazed how quickly she got over there.

Unfortunately, with her crawling about, it leads to major issues for our carpets. Aubrie has STILL not even slowed on the vomit frequency. It's super frustrating. It's amazing how much she still "spits up" (the term doesn't even make sense now that it's full-on food vomit). We keep hoping it decreases... but no luck. The doctors won't do anything unless it's green, or violent, or she's losing weight. SOOOO FRUSTRATING. We've tried everything, and nothing helps. And it bleaches the carpet. Fun. At least it will be a good excuse to replace all the carpets in the future.

Anyways, tons and tons to get done these days, so I know my posts will be short. Hopefully though, I'll post a little everyday to keep things updated over here. Thanks to everyone who has stuck by the "drought"!

Friday, seriously?

2006-08-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

I can't figure out where the week went! I meant to blog every day, but every day, something came up. I never seem to get the time in front of the computer anymore.

I missed my 100th post. Can you believe that? I'm about 12 posts too late. I meant to do the standard "100 things" for my 100th post... but alas, I missed it. Oops. I guess I'm going to have to come up with 200 things for my 200th post. Yikes!

Aubrie has become a soother snob. She's sensitive about many things... sleep, people, schedule... but generally, anything in her mouth she shows no preferences. Any bottle is fine, any formula is fine, any food is fine (even if she makes a face, she keeps eating it!). But she's finally started to snub all her soothers except for the coveted MAM's. I bought these soothers one day because I needed some larger soothers, and the avent and nuk soothers had hideous designs. I didn't like them much because they had to handle to attach it to her clothing. So, she got them in her crib. Now, heaven forbid if I put her in her crib with any other soother. If the MAM is there, she will pluck out her current soother and pop in the MAM. She definitely prefers them. So, I'm off today to get some more of them. She's teething these days, so what Aubrie wants, Aubrie gets.

I did notice on the website that you CAN buy tethers for them (they attach with stretchy plastic over the knob). Only, what are the chances that I will ever find one in Canada? Probably slim. Too bad they are from the UK.

Sorry...

2006-08-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

I hate when I miss a chunk of time in the blogging world. It really does feel like I lose touch with old friends (despite everyone being relatively new friends, who I've mostly never met in person!). Plus, I always forget about all the little things I've thought to blog about, so then they never get blogged, and that's sad. They're generally not very important, but it bugs me that I forget them!

Things have been pretty crazy here lately. I've been attacking those "lists" with such vigor that I'm totally exhausted now. I'm heading to burn-out mode, so I better slow down this week!

I went to a scrapbook party on Thursday, which was tons of fun and now I'm more motivated to work on that book of mine. I got some done on Friday, but still haven't made much of a dent.

I'm doing LOTS of painting. I didn't realize just how much work it was going to be to paint my upstairs area. I spent about 5 hours yesterday edging, and I haven't even done the first coat of edging!! I hate doors! I have managed to finish all the residual trim throughout the house that I wanted to paint, and Aubrie's play room is now done. I'll get to posting some pics sometime soon.

Aubrie is now officially weaned. It's kind of sad, but I knew it would have to come some time. Plus, I figure that it's going to be even harder if I wait several more months. I didn't fully plan to wean her yet... but my body had other plans. I didn't fight it though. I'm so glad to finally be getting my body back to myself after more than a year!

I guess that's all for now. A little boring, but at least I'm here! Like I said, I'm pretty exhausted, so not much for witty banter.

Happy Monday everyone!

Sucker for lists

2006-08-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

That's me... I'm a sucker for lists. I don't actually write them down (like my dad has ALWAYS done, I'm sure that's where I get it from), I keep them in my head to torment me on a daily basis. Maybe if I wrote them down, they wouldn't stress me out so much. Hmmm, it's a thought.

So, I've had this ridiculously long lists of things I want to do while on mat leave. Cuz, when am I EVER going to get these things done when I go back to work (in 4 months - AAAAHHHHHHH, that's another post). I've been trying to make a dent in them lately, but it's not working very well. I want to have Aubrie's scrapbook done... I've finished ONE page. I want to get the upstairs painted... still working on picking the colors.

We tried to get lots done this weekend, but it just didn't work out that way. I feel like I need another weekend. I spent Saturday at my brother's new and amazingly gorgeous place painting. Why? Because I'm such a loving sister (read... I'm ridiculously selfish and jumped at the chance to spend a day sans-baby while baba baby-sat, even if it meant painting all day, which, I actually quite enjoy). Then, Sunday I got a lot done, but not nearly enough. I'm still catching up on housework. *Sigh* if only we had about 20 more hours in a day. Oh, and that's assuming babies slept that 20 extra hours.

So, I continue on with my list in tow, letting it forever haunt me. I'm hoping to at least get all the colors picked for the upstairs this week, and maybe one more page scrapbooked. There's more on the list, but I won't bore you with it all. Hopefully, I can share as I cross things off it!!!!

Review of month #7

2006-08-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, today Aubrie is 7 months old... so I figured, for pretty much the sake of my own records (since I haven't been keeping track of her milestones very well), I would do a quick post reviewing her 7th month (that way of counting still takes getting used to... though I guess it makes sense cuz we have to count those first 30 days or so as the 1st month eh?).

So, this month started off with some shakey sitting that was usually followed by plummeting all 14 inches to get to the ground. She got the hang of sitting pretty quickly, and now she's a pro (unless she tries hard to reach something in a strange location). She also started getting up into a crawling position and can rock back and forth really well. She lifts one leg as if to crawl, but doesn't actually move it forward. She does manage to push herself backwards quite frequently. Once, we caught her in her crib in a sitting position... not sure how she got that way, but she's never done it since. She can now get into a crawl position from sitting (without banging her head... that's talent).

Food-wise, not too much new. She still eats solids twice a day. We tried 3 times, but the vomitting got to bad, so we went back to 2. She seems to like 2 times. Generally, she eats fruit and oatmeal in the morning and a veggie and rice or barley cereal in the evening. She's now at only one breastfeeding session a day (before bed) but that's fairly new. She doesn't seem to want to keep that one at all, so we might phase it out in the next few weeks. Other new foods... hmmm, I think we started squash this month, carrots, peas, pears, applesauce, prunes, yogurt (not succesful), and I think that's about it. We also started on a few finger foods - she loves organic teething biscuits (they taste disgusting), rice husks, veggie puffs, but not a fan of Cheerios.

Sleep-wise, we had some rocky moments this month at the beginning... but they've gotten better. Now she takes some pretty solid naps at around 9 and 2 (usually 2 hours). We've managed to push her bedtime a little later (around 7), so she's managing to stay content in her crib till 6am most days (yay).

I guess that's about it. Sorry for the boring post. I'll try to update about our crazy weekend tomorrow...

Count with me folks

2006-08-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9..10.......

Does it occur to me what comes after 10? No... not yesterday, when I knew it was the 10th and I proceeded to make tentative plans to go out for drinks today with my friend Shawna. And then today hits... it's the 11th. Ya, that would be my 5 year anniversary with the world's greatest husband. So, uhm... now I feel like a tool for even thinking of making plans to ditch on my motherly duties for a night out... without said husband.

We already had our celebration. We spent 7 hours out on our own (no baby) to enjoy a Cirque du Soleil show and a lovely dinner (oh, and some shopping). It was a great day. We've never ever been ones to make a big deal of our anniversary. I guess we don't really see it as any big accomplishment to have spent another year enjoying each other's company. Best friends' don't celebrate each passing year, do they?

But, I think we both reflect on how lucky we are (or, at least... I reflect, and I sit and hope that he does the same). I get to spend every day with my best friend in the whole world... and he cooks most of the time too. He also puts up with my every mood swing, bad day, rambling rants, whining ongoings... I'm sure that list goes on. I could never have asked or dreamt for more.

I wish I had a pic from our wedding, but alas, it was pre-digital-camera-days. So, a pic from someone else's wedding will have to do...

Another Wednesday

2006-08-09T16:17:00.000-07:00

And so comes Wednesday confessions. Yes, I know I'm not very consistent with these... but at least I'm trying! Plus, there will come a time, believe it or not, when I just might run out of things I am willing to confess to the entire internet community. Shocking, I know.

Today's confession is all about mommy ineptitude. I have a theory that EVERY mom has at least one mommy-skill that they are totally and completely inept at. For some, it's the baby bath, for others... swaddling, or getting a diaper to stay on well every time, or... I'm sure the list goes on. I'm sure I have a few that I could use some work on, but lately I've been noticing that I am completely and utterly incapable of getting shoes on my daughter. I don't know why I can't get them on. Doesn't matter what socks she's wearing, or no socks, or the type of shoe. I just can't get them on her. If I do... it's a fluke. It's not becuase they are too small either. Quite the opposite. She has yet to fit into her 0-6mo crib shoes, and is still far from a size 2 shoe. (Do they even sell size 1?? I've never found them). I don't know what it is about those silly shoes.

If anyone has some age-old tricks... do pass them on!

And yay, I finally got around to changing the look of the blog. Do we like???

What now?

2006-08-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

It's sad when it's been so long since you've been regularly blogging that you forget your own weekly rituals. Was it confession Tuesdays, or confession Wednesdays??? And don't you find that after a long weekend (yay BC day) it's impossible to figure out what day it is. I'm pretty sure I have to leave my confession till tomorrow though.

So, today, instead, a thought (and perhaps a well-needed lesson in punctuation... I'm a chemist... I don't get punctuation... obviously). All you moms know what I'm talking about here - I hate the dreaded "what now" moment. You know the one... you've rushed to get everything done in the time you have (whether baby is sleeping, playing, whatever) and now you've got like 5 minutes. It's not enough to do anything useful... so you generally end up wasting it on whatever. It's not like you can do the dishes, or even get some quality "mom time". It's such a totally useless portion of time. And then, you wonder, at the end of the week... man, if I only could have "banked" those "what now" times. Imagine if you got them all at once. A whole weeks worth of "what now" times. Ahhh, the sweetness.

Are you there God, it's me, Cari......... please???? (Oh dear, I'm referencing Judy Blume... it's time for sleep)

FINALLY!

2006-08-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

Yes, I finally did it... I updated the blogroll!!! It's been ages that I've been meaning to do it. Now that I have, I'm sure it's obvious why I never seem to get around to commenting on all the blogs I frequent... there's just so many of them! There are actually a few more that I read too, but they aren't on my RSS feed, so maybe I'll add them another time (wait, how long did it take me to update the first time????).

But, alas, I'm always a sucker for more blogs to read. So... if you've got one I'd be interested in and don't know about, feel free to let me know.

And yes, I will do an "Aubrie update" soon. Just not today, I don't think, cuz I'm really tired and not quite thinking coherently. Aubrie, what Aubrie? I have a daughter somewhere?? Oh ya, she's sleeping. I should be sleeping. Nothing at all to do with Aubrie, I just couldn't sleep last night. Blah....

Oh so very coherent....

Tagged

2006-08-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok... I know... I have TONS to catch up on now that I have my computer back. But, instead, I shall reply to a tag that I missed due to the lack of computer situation (sorry Randi, I would have replied had I seen it earlier!).

So, without further ado, after being tagged by the very handsome Landon...

3 Things

3 Things That Scare Me:
Toppling over when sitting
Slipping around in the bathtub
Hmmm... that's about it

3 People That Make Me Laugh:
Mommy
Daddy
Baba

3 Things I Love:
Walks in the stroller (especially with Zoe)
Having my hair/head rubbed
Eating

3 Things I Dislike:
Being kept awake when I'm sleepy
Anyone turning off the tv when I want to watch it
Sitting still

3 Things I Like To Play With:
Anything made of fabric
Anything made of leather
My toy phone (or real phone, or remote controls of any sort)

3 Things I Don't Understand:
Why I can't eat all the time
Where things go when I throw them
Why I can't pull Kahlua's fur

3 Things On My Dresser:
CD player
Pickles the Giraffe
That's it (unless you count the change table as a dresser... then there's lots of stuff)

3 Things I'm Doing Right Now:
Sleeping (hopefully)
Dreaming
Sucking on my soother

3 Things I Can Do:
Sit up
Sing
Throw things

3 Ways to Describe My Personality:
Sensitive
Inquisitive
Intelligent

3 Things I Can't Do:
Crawl
Talk
Eat or drink anything without throwing up a large portion of it

3 Things I Think You Should Listen To:
My singing... I sing all the time
Mommy and daddy's singing, they sing all the time to me (probably why I sing all the time)
Once Upon a December (my current favorite song)

3 Things I Think You Should Never Listen To:
My baba singing (sorry mom)
My wail when I realize my mom's not around (mom hears this when she comes to get me from the church nursery)
Old Macdonald done by Sesame Street on our cd that Zoe's papa made us... something is wrong with it and it keeps repeating the intro... it's very creepy

3 Absolute Favorite Foods:
Bananas
Sweet Potatos
Cereal

3 Thinks I'd Like to Learn:
How to crawl
How to get up to a sitting position
How to talk

3 Beverages I Drink Regularly:
Mommy's milk
Enfalac formula
Water

3 Shows I Watch:
Blues Clues
Dora the Explorer
Global News (I love the weather)

To amuse you...

2006-07-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

A quick video to keep you amused...

Aubrie still hasn't gotten over the taste of yogurt. Though, she'll eat it (she'll eat ANYTHING)... after 5 days she still makes a face. We'll try again in a few weeks.

Update

2006-07-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update as to where I've been...

My computer died. Apparently, it was recalled awhile back, but we never found out till it died just recently. So, much less blogging for awhile. I have Chris' computer... but it has that new fandangled Dvorak keyboard (all the keys are different), so it makes blogging (or anything really) quite frustrating.

Pair that with our crazy ridiculous heat wave, horrible current sleeping habits (possibly a result of the heat) and a very very fussy baby... I'm sure you get the picture... and I'm sure you'll all be patient while I take a little blogging world break.

Oh... but Varekai (Cirque du Soleil) was AMAZING!!!!! Made the whole week that much better. Plus, we found a new dining room table (more baby friendly than our old glass trendy one that is going to my brother and sister-in-law). So, there have been many good things this week.

I'll just keep reminding myself of that...

Never say it!

2006-07-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Never ever say that baby is sleeping better. Inevitably, that will be the end of it! Aubrie was up 4 times last night. And, it took almost 2 hours to get her to sleep to begin with. It was a looooong night. There doesn't seem to be any reason for it, so that makes it a little frustrating. Plus, it's throwing any schedule we were starting to get into for a loop. This is starting to be the predominant trend of the last week or so. At least I'm starting to get used to it. It's always tough when things have been going really well and then you have a bad night. It's more just because you aren't used to the lack of sleep. Fingers crossed that this is just a quick little growth spurt.

I know I had more to blog about, but my mind just went blank. So, I'll leave you with a picture of Aubrie's new skill...

New stuff

2006-07-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

Well, as of yesterday, Aubrie is managing to sit on her own. Not for long, mind you, but a good 15 seconds or so at least (before tumbling over). I'm sure she'll get good at it fairly quickly. Everyone tells me that sitting goes like that... just when you think they are never going to sit, all of a sudden they are doing it like they've been sitting for years! So, that's a fun new accomplishment.

She still seems to recuperating a bit from the shots, or teething, who knows (I'm pretty sure she was never getting a cold). She's better, but still easily irritated. Sleeping better though, which is good!

With the help of my mom today, I managed to get my craft room cleaned out. It really wasn't that big of a task, but I kept finding myself going in there and staring at the mess for several minutes, before giving up on it entirely. It has kind of been a dumping ground for a few months. But, it only took about an hour, and now it's fit for use. Which means I no longer have any excuse to get started on Aubrie's scrapbook. Now, if only I could get my pictures in order and printed!

Also, I find that I didn't keep track of early milestones very well. I totally know why... Aubrie was very challenging for the first 4 months or so. I have all the milestones from then on. But, it's sad to know that I don't really remember or have a record of her first giggle... just approximates. I'm so glad I kept this blog, because I can track a lot of it that way. It's also so hard to pick an exact date when things started happening. I know the first time I saw her roll... but then she didn't do it much for months. With smiling, I know she started smiling here and there in the early weeks - but you never really know if they are genuine smiles until they start returning your smiles. It's just not so cut-and-dry, know what I mean?

Anyways, enough rambling. Sadly, it's only 7pm on a Saturday night, and I'm already thinking of what would be a reasonable hour to go to bed. Know is not reasonable... but maybe 9:30?? *yawn*...

Conditioning

2006-07-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

Ya know, I really hate it when companies advertise something that just isn't true. Like coffee bags that the more expensive coffees come in (we're on the west coast, we like our coffee). They say "now with easy pull apart bag". Ok... no... not when you are tired and desperately need your coffee. They aren't easy to pull apart at all!

Which brings me to conditioning. My body is really good at conditioning itself to sleep patterns. When I was working, I would always wake up a good 15 minutes before my alarm (despite it going off at 5am). Now, I always wake up around the time Aubrie is due to wake me up. Of course, this is a good thing most mornings. Not the mornings you want to sleep in. Not the mornings that Aubrie was up really really really late and is still sleeping and you could be sleeping too, especially since you only had about 5 hours, but no, you can't sleep, you are conditioned otherwise (wow, what a long sentence).

So here I sit, waiting for my coffee to brew, awaiting Aubrie's call, not knowing if she's going to be better today. We aren't sure if it was her shots, or a brewing cold that had her miffed yesterday and last night. It's so sad to see her that upset, 'cuz it just isn't like her anymore.

But a happy 6 month birthday to her!!! I can't believe she's already 6 months old. AACK time flies!

Quick update

2006-07-12T21:30:00.000-07:00

Ok... this'll be a quicky cuz I have an incling that Aubrie is going to be up a lot tonight. Today was her 6 month shots (yuck!), and it was probably the worst set of shots thus far. That, paired with a cranky girl to begin with (last night wasn't too great for her).

The nurse today was useless. I had hoped to ask several questions, but it was obvious at an early point that she knew less than I did, so I bailed on most of my questions. In the end, I know I'll just figure it out on my own and do what I feel is best anyways, so I don't know why I bother sometimes.

Aubrie's growth is probably not quite what it should be, but no-one (dr or nurses) have said anything, so I'm hoping that means just forget about it and don't worry (easier said than done). I swear they screwed up her length today though. Either that, or they screwed it up last time cuz 0.25 inches in 2 months seems ridiculous. At any rate, she's at 14lbs and 25". That's 10% (down from 25%) in weight and 25% (down from 75%) in length. The 25%/75% was what she was born with, so I was all good with that... but I'm a little concerned about slipping. Mind you, the 75% length seems like a total fluke anyways... neither of us are particularly tall (hahaha), but we're not really 25% tall either. Come on 50%...

Anyways... why are we always so concerned about baby weight and height anyways. She's growing. If she starts shrinking, I'll be a little more alarmed.

Shawna come home...

2006-07-11T09:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's only day 2 of my neighbor-mommy-friend, Shawna, (and baby Zoe) being gone to the island... and already *insert whiney tone* I'm bored!!!!! We tend to see each other every day during the week - walks, coffee, aerobics classes. So, it's tough to have all that gone. I'm having to find things to do all on my own. I'm sounding quite pathetic here!

Sure, I have other local mommy friends... but none that I really just call up at ridiculously early hours of the morning to just suggest a random outing. And I'm not driving to North Van again this week (sorry Megan!)... so I'm stuck!

Today, we're gonna head to the mall with my mom. Yesterday we filled the midmorning with a long walk. Tomorrow... who knows.

But, alas, there calls Aubrie. I'll have to remember to recap my fun-filled weekend later!

Who needs a professional?

2006-07-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

I keep getting asked by various people why I haven't had professional pics of Aubrie done. Well... several reasons. First of all, it's stressful as anything. It's hard enough making sure she's in a good mood for any outing, let alone an outing where she HAS to be happy because we've paid to get pictures of her happy. Not my idea of a fun day. Second, it's expensive. Third, they usually look ridiculously cheesy. And finally... when you've got a digital camera, you are bound to get a few great pics to savor...

Case in point...

Why can't I have eyelashes like that???

Feeling MIA

2006-07-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

I keep meaning to blog, and then stuff happens... go figure! Aubrie has had a rough few days - just being "off". Pair two nights that we were late getting her to bed (family dinner, then ridiculous 2 hour traffic) with possible teething and/or growth spurt... you get the picture. Tonight may have gotten us back on track though (hurray). Now that I've said that, we all know what's going to happen!

Tomorrow, we're actually having some friends over. Can you believe it? Real people, after 6pm, and not just to hang out with Chris. I actually don't think that's ever really happened since Aubrie was born. It is pretty tough when you have a baby that has a horrible evil twin that comes out if you keep her up past her usual bed-time (which is very early to begin with). Other moms keep asking me how we function with such an early bedtime. It honestly has never bothered us. In some ways, it's fantastic, because it leaves us with the evening. But, it also leaves us in our home all evening. But we didn't go out much before Aubrie either. We're more of a movie-at-home type of couple. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to it.

Ooooh, and we booked tickets to Varekai for our 5 year anniversary!! I'm totally excited! Just a couple more weeks, then a whole afternoon and evening out!

No more excuses

2006-07-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

For all the non-commenting lurkers out there (you know who you are... and I know who you are... but ya just never say "hi" so I'm ratting you out!), I just checked to ensure that yes, you can post comments even without a blogger account. So, for all those who read my blog on a regular or semi-regular basis... stop in and say "hi". All you have to do is click the "anonymous" button, post your bit, click "login and publish". You aren't really logging into anything. So mom... Megan... I'm waiting, lol! (Bueller??? Bueller???)

Not that I AT ALL expect everyone who stops by to comment on every single boring blog I write. Just a "hi" every now and again. Gosh, I can barely keep up with the blogs I read, let alone comment every time. I just try to get a few words in weekly. So, no judgements by me on the regularity of replies.

Which reminds me... boy do I have to update my blogroll!!!! My apologies to all the blogs I read and aren't posted on my blogroll. I'll get to it soon! Honest!

Can moms be too relaxed?

2006-07-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

This has been my question since Aubrie's check up this week. I didn't have any questions or concerns for her doctor, so the visit was really really quick. He didn't even check much (no length, or head measurements)... which may have been due to my apparent lack of concern, or maybe because Aubrie didn't like him much and screamed the whole time. Who knows. Aubrie weighed 13lbs 5oz... only a 1 pound gain since her 4mo shots. But, we know she's a fairly petite girl, so it wasn't much of a concern there either.

Don't get me wrong, I worry about Aubrie all the time! Especially at night, when I'm not right next to her. My head is constantly full of worries. That is why I don't fret about the stuff that doesn't seem too important to me. I know she's growing, I know she's healthy, so I'd just rather not dwell on the millions of "what ifs" or stress about every little *possible* sign of something looming (which there hasn't really been). As a result, I often get people commenting that I'm an "unusual first-time-mom". Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?

I also don't fret over germs. Germs are around. We can't possibly get away from them. Some germs are good. I can't keep Aubrie from putting every little thing in her mouth (though, I do try if it's sharp or swallow-able), so if she picks up a toy with a little dog hair on it, so be it. Or, if she picks up a friends toy, or touches a friend's slimy drooled-on hands... no big deal. I keep a clean house, and I figure that's enough. I stopped boiling all her water and sanitizing every toy and soother quite some time ago. Some moms think I'm crazy. But she's never had as much as a sniffle, so I figure her immune system is doing its job, right?

Why is it that everyone expects first-time-moms to be so concerned about all these things. Is it bad when we aren't? I don't know. I just know I do what I have to do to stay sane. And that's a good thing.

Drama queen

2006-06-27T18:48:00.000-07:00

It really shouldn't surprise me that our little fussy baby has gotten over the fussy stage and is now entering the "baby-temper-tantrum" phase... and yet, when a cute little baby makes that much of a stink... it really does never cease to amaze.

Aubrie has recently begun to object strongly when things don't go her way. Like with her exersaucer - there's a little plastic flippy book on it. She thoroughly enjoys it for the first 10 minutes or so. She's great at flipping it - open, closed, open, closed (yay, what fun). But, then she decides it must go in her mouth. Well, the flippy book isn't meant as a chew toy (like the 5 or so other chewy toys on the exersaucer), so she can't reach it. Well... as soon as she realizes that, it's a race to get her out of the exersaucer before she hits maximum melt-down phase. And, this happens EVERY time she goes into the exersaucer. She reachees for the book, smiles, then we count the minutes till she realizes it again.

Then, tonight is a great example. In her bath, she was really tired. She was playing with the little plastic fish/water scooper we have in the bath. She started rubbing her eye, with the toy (of course). So, I take it away (we were about to end the bath anyway). Holy cow!!!!! She was sooooo majorly p.o'd. Absolutely nothing would please her at that point... so we continued on with the bath routine. She screamed at the top of her lungs, kicking and punching like mad, until we finally got to the pre-bed nursing routine.

You can't do much... and yet I find myself trying so desperately to hold back the laughter. I feel bad, because she's obviously just trying to learn to express herself... but it's just darn hilarious.

I'm sure my thoughts on that will change when she starts it revving in places like the grocery store!

I know, I know...

2006-06-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

I'm slacking again on the posts. I just haven't had much to chat about lately, and have been pretty blah all-round. The heat here is REALLY messing with things - with Aubrie's sleeping, her mood, my sleeping, my mood. We have a little portable A/C unit, but it's really not cutting it. Just when things were starting to get into a groove, we're now back to going with the flow... which I guess is pretty normal.

I'm super excited that my Baba is getting a computer for the first time! It's on its way back to Saskatchewan as we speak (well, it's actually probably already there). My uncle and cousins were here to visit and took it back with them. They'll set her up with internet for the first time. I can't wait to be able to share pictures with her, email her, and just keep in touch in general. I've always been TERRIBLE at anything to do with the phone. I'm surprised we still have a phone at our house. It really is a waste! We don't much like using it. So, I'm so thrilled to be able to keep in touch with her more via computers. I've always felt a close connection with her, as I think she's the one in my family who I am most like. Despite growing up thousands of kilometers away, I know she knows me! And now it will be fantastic that she will be able to see more of Aubrie as she grows up.

Today, despite not feeling like it, I'm headed to the gym for my workout for the SOUL reason of getting cool and out of this stuffy house!!! Plus, Aubrie really likes the mom&baby workout classes. This week is our last week of those. Then, they shut down for the summer, which is sad! We've had such a social calendar for the last few months with activities, and now they are all dieing down. We're going to have to find other things to keep our week going at a good pace. Especially if this heat keeps up... sitting around a stuffy house is NO FUN!

Happy Monday everyone! Enjoy the week!

The joys of strata-living

2006-06-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

Today is a bit of a rant. I spent over an hour yesterday trying to track down paper-work (fire insurance proof) that my bank wanted for my mortgage. They ask for this every year, and every year, I have a heck of a time tracking it down. Then... to top it off, I get so frustrated doing it, that the next year, I have blocked it from my memory and can't remember how I tracked it down the previous year. All I rememember is that it pissed me off.

We live in a single-family house, but it's in a strata community. Has it's bonuses (though they start looking meeker every year), but it also has tons of annoyances. Like tracking down paper-work. Paper-work that is SUPPOSED to be given to us when it arrives, and yet every year, they wait till the AGM to pile it all on us. Well, the AGM is next January, and I can't wait that long to get this paper-work.

So, I call the strata property manager. She transfers me to the forms people. Forms people tell me to fill in a request. In filling in the request, I see that they are going to charge me $60. For something I should have been given already. That's crazy. I get mad. Forms people refuse to answer any questions until they get their request.

So, I call the bank... really mad at this point. I think the lady recognized that, because she just had me email over last year's paperwork, and said she'd track it down herself.

Now, do you think next year, I can fake the frustration to the bank, and they will inturn do it for me again? Without actually getting frustrated. I hope so.

At least now I have a record of what I did this year.

What's with all the new paragraph starts?

Aubrie tried bananas yesterday. She didn't seem to be a fan (made a horrible face every time). But, as usual, she ate it regardless. Neither full belly, nor distaste, will prevent her from doing what she loves to do - EAT!

Blank

2006-06-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Ok... all weekend, I've thought of things to blog about. Now that I have a minute, my mind is completely blank. Isn't that how it always works?

The weekend was good. We got tons done on Saturday. Chris is able to help out a bit now, so that makes things so much easier. It's nice to have gotten so much done! Plus, as an added bonus, my parents baby-sat so we got a nice lunch out! It's been awhile! It was nice to have some time together on Father's Day weekend. It helps me remember just how truly lucky I am to be married to such a wonderful man! I never ever ever could have imagined a better dad for our little girl.

Sunday was a bit of a bust... Aubrie had an "off" day, so unfortunately for Chris, I needed a little extra help! I had very little sleep the night before, and Aubrie wouldn't nap much... so it made for a challenging Father's Day. We went to my parent's place for a bbq. Chris got his present last weekend (a new bbq), so he just got a little present from Aubrie (a daddy mug... REALLY big, for lots of coffee!).

Wow... boring eh? If only I could remember all the witty things I meant to post over the weekend!

Panic

2006-06-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today, I got an email from my dept chair. It had the tentative schedule for the Spring semester. The semester I'm supposed to be back into full time work. It made me feel so ill. I can't even imagine going back right now. I'm sure I'll feel a little more ready in a few months... but right now, it was heart-wrenching. Particularly, the thought of having a day when I don't see Aubrie AT ALL awake. That would be Monday, on my new schedule. It makes me totally panicked. It's not set in stone, so we'll see what changes get made... I'm still uneasy about it. I don't even feel like talking about it.

In other news, Aubrie has totally taken to eating solids now. I tried again yesterday, and she seemed to enjoy it. Then, today, she couldn't get enough of it. Literally!!! I finally cut her off at 3 tsps of dry cereal. She wasn't happy about that. She's a little carb-addict, just like her mom! It HAS seemed to cut down the spit up a bit, so we'll stick with it... but in a relaxed way until 6 months.

We also got to the movie theater today. Aubrie's first movie! She loved it. It was a little difficult to concentrate on the movie, with the multitude of screaming babies (it was a "movies-for-mommies" showing)... but it was still a good time. It's nice to find a variety of things to do.

Morning confessions

2006-06-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, not sure what happened to my "Wednesday Confessions". Actually, I do know... I never really remember what day of the week it is... so I rarely remember when it's Wednesday, let alone to remember what to blog about. You'd think with all my weekly activities, I'd realize what day it is... but not really.

So, my confession today... I'm now addicted to Sesame Street. Aubrie has been an early riser. And I mean, EARLY riser! She's usually up around 5:30, so we do our first feed around 6 (I try to postpone it). She likes to snuggle on my lap awhile, so we started watching Sesame Street (which she really seems to enjoy - it's the puppets!). Now, I find myself turning it on, even during her feeding (when she obviously can't watch it). I used to love it as a kid, and I still quite enjoy it!

What's your favorite kids show?? I encourage you, today, to watch it just for the heck of it. Even if your little one(s) is/are sleeping or not around. Enjoy!!

Try, try again

2006-06-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

Well, looks like it'll be awhile before we can curtail Aubrie's spit up volume. I was hoping that introducing solids would help (as I've been told it strengthens the eosophogas). I wanted to wait till 24 weeks to introduce solids, but because we are doubtful that allergies will be a problem, I thought we could try it earlier. No go... Aubrie wanted NOTHING to do with cereal. So, I guess we'll give it a go in a week or so. Till then, it's LOTS of clothing changes, bibs, spit-up cloths... fun times!

The sleep training is going well, though not perfect. It still often takes her a good 10-20 minutes to go down for a nap, and sometimes as much as an hour for bed. I often have to return to her room several times. BUT, it does have lots of bonuses. I love the fact that when she cries, no matter how hard she's crying, all I have to do is return to the room and put my hand on her head, and she's quiet and her eyes close automatically. It's awesome to know that she finds that much comfort in my presence. Though, I guess that's going to be a difficult habit to break down the road! I also love that as she falls asleep, I rub her hair... when I stop, if she isn't asleep enough, she starts rubbing it herself, as if to tell me not to stop. Now, she will also start rubbing her hair if she's tired and we are out and about. It's her way of saying "sleepy time mom!".

I also love that she's adoped a new sleep position. She lays partly on her side, partly on her back, and just TOSSES her head WAY back. It looks ridiculously uncomfortable, but I know that when she turns to that position, she's DONE. She wants no more comforting, she just wants me to leave so she can sleep.

It's so wondeful to finally be at a time when I can really read Aubrie. She can't talk, but she has enough skills now to let me know what she wants. It makes things so much easier.

Now, if only she could keep her food in her belly!

The roll

2006-06-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

Chris edited this with music... I laughed so hard I cried!

Lil' Swimmer

2006-06-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Aubrie's first day at the pool. She had a great time! I wish I had of had a camera with me. We went with Shawna and Zoe, and the two girls had a great time playing. We'll probably start making it a weekly event.

I haven't felt much like blogging lately... just not much to talk about. And, well... too many other things to tackle. I really hope Chris' shoulder heals quickly!

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend! Sorry this entry has seemed more like a pathetic grade-school diary entry than a blog...

It makes my day

2006-06-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

I love it when moms tell it like it is! Thank you Amy, for this wonderful blog today. Every mom knows your pain. I wish more moms would express ALL sides of motherhood... not just the sugar coated ones. And the great thing is, that I think most most would agree... even the "non-sugar-coated" days, we still end up going to bed thinking about how much we cherish our children. That's a wonderful thing.

Doubt

2006-06-06T09:10:00.000-07:00

WARNING... this post is bound to be a serious downer. If you are in a good mood, feel free to come back another time. I take no responsibility for ruining a perfectly good day with my ramblings.

One thing I never ever expected about motherhood is how incredibly stressful living in self-doubt can be. Everything else about being a mom, I don't find nearly as stressful as I thought I might. But, the self-doubt... it's a killer. When I start feeling stressed about things, usually mundane things, I realize that I'm not stressed about them at all, I'm stressed about all the unresolved doubts I currently have. They eat away at you.

My list is long... but I'll name a few. I'm currently really doubting this sleep training method. I'm totally inconsistent. Consistency really is a key to sleep training. But, sometimes I stay in the room, other times I HAVE to leave (for my own sanity, or to get things done) then come back when she's cried awhile. I really doubt whether I'm doing any good here. It feels like I'm doing more harm. It's really frustrating. I could go on...

I'm constantly doubting my decision to try to get out. I know that I need to attend all my exercise classes and mommy groups... but is it screwing up her schedule more than it's helping me? Is it worth it? I want her to be adaptable... but?? I could go on...

I'm still debating whether to stick with breastfeeding, or switch to full time formula. My health has been suffering a LOT lately. But... will my health continue to be bad even if I switch to formula? Some say it will... others say it won't. She's also very frustrating to breastfeed these days, so rather than it being a good bonding time, I often find myself getting annoyed at her. But then the cost of formula feeding... not pleasant. And the guilt... oh, the guilt. I could go on...

I think you see my point. I constantly toss these battles around in my head. No wonder I've been suffering from head aches virtually every single day! My poor brain.

What a pleasant start to an otherwise beautiful day.

She has the skill...

2006-06-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

She just chooses not to use it!! Aubrie rolled back to front today for the first time unassisted. She's been rolling front to back quite a bit, which became more regular last Tuesday. But... she never really uses the skill much. I don't think she really values it much. She would much prefer to spend her time dancing, which she does very well. Never thought I could see someone dance so well laying on the floor. Yes, it's a talent.

The dedication went well today, despite the fact that she was an absolute bear that morning. Not a happy girl at all. But, she made it through church no problem, and did very well at the front. Pastor Wayne held her the whole time, and she just stared up at him. It was quite cute. I think she was mesmorized by his cordless head mic. Go figure. The combination of the service, and lunch with family afterwards, however, really threw her off. I'm hoping she will jump right back into the swing of things tomorrow.

And why is it, that despite my constant desire to blog about non-baby things... every blog still remains about Aubrie? I DO have other things in my life, honest. They just all seem very dumb in a blog. *Sigh*

Day 4

2006-06-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that we've been at this sleep training thing for three full days now. It is getting better... though there were many times yesterday I was wondering why the heck I'm doing it. I could get her to sleep soooo much faster just by bouncing/rocking. Friday was really quite good, but then yesterday wasn't quite as good. Then, this morning, for her nap, she was REALLY fussy. I tried picking her up a bit (mainly because her dedication is today, so she HAS to nap before church), and I actually found she preferred the crib soothing this time. She went to sleep within 5 minutes once in the crib. So, all in all, it's going quite well. Though, I'm stressed about keeping all our commitments this week in amongst the sleep training. I'm hoping that the training we've done so far will be enough to get her through a couple disruptions this week.

I can't BELIEVE we just passed Aubrie's 20 week "birthday". 20 weeks... holy crow!!! I guess that's 5 months (according to the health clinic nurses, anyways). I was folding her clothes this morning and thinking I'm going to have to retire her 3 month clothing soon. It still fits, but I know it's only a matter of time. So sad. She had some really cute 3 month clothing.

Oh, Chris just got out of the shower, so I better go get ready for Aubrie's dedication!

Blech!

2006-06-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm not liking this sleep training thing! I'm not liking this at ALL!!! It is the most frustrating thing... even more frustrating than when Aubrie cried hours on end. But, I know she has to learn it... so I'm trying really really hard to stay strong!

We never ended up trying it this afternoon, as I REALLY needed to get out. We went for a walk with Shawna and Zoe, and Aubrie just slept in her stroller. I figure, at least I'm not rocking/bouncing/etc her to sleep.

Tonight, it took an hour and a half. I'm still waiting to see if she's *really* asleep. Again, I ended up having to hold her hands and rub her head to get her to doze off. It's a very awkward position to have to lean over the crib that way. I really need a better set up.

I'm *hoping* that once she learns to fall asleep in her crib with the soothing, I can slowly ease off the soothing. Please tell me this makes sense. The crying thing just soooo does not work with her. We tried it tonight, and after thirty minutes, she started vomitting - a LOT. I felt so bad coming in to see her in a pool, a very large pool, of her vomit. How is one supposed to fall asleep like that? Sheesh. And then, of course, I didn't want to really wake her up by changing the sheet, so I just picked her up and wiped her off, then shuffled her down the crib. I guess she's gonna need a bath in the morning. I still feel so wraught with guilt.

*sigh* (again)

I'm off to a great big bowl of sherbert and a tall glass of wine.

I hope tomorrow is better.

Day 1...

2006-06-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

Well, after several hours of frustration last night (again) trying to get Aubrie down to sleep... I've decided that it's time she learns how to go to sleep on her own. The rocking/walking/bouncing to sleep thing just isn't working well these days, as she really thrashes about and fights it. So, today begins the battle...

We tried at the first nap today at 9:30am. It didn't work so well... I wasn't sure whether I wanted to do the cry-it-out/check-and-console method, or the stay-in-the-room method that Tracy Hogg recommends. I started with the C&C method, but moved to staying in the room. After an hour, I thought that it just wasn't going to work. But, finally, after about 15 more minutes, she fell asleep. It required some head rubbing and a hand on her tummy, but she did eventually go to sleep without rocking.

I fear how long this will take to "catch". I fear that I won't be able to stay consistent. I fear the loss of my sanity. I know it's something she needs to learn, and I know that it's better to do it sooner, rather than later... but man am I not looking forward to it!

So... if I'm absent for a few days, you'll all know why! Wish us luck!

Wiggle dance

2006-05-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is a test to see if I can get my camera videos to show here. Here's a quick shot of Aubrie doing her famous wiggle dance...

Man down

2006-05-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Again, sorry for the few days sans-blog... Sunday afternoon Chris ended up in the ER with a separated shoulder, so I've been getting used to a little extra work around here lately. It's his right arm, so there are quite a few things he can no longer do (including holding Aubrie) for the next 6-8 weeks. AACK!

It has helped me realize just how much he does around the house. Since Aubrie's birth, he has cooked most of the meals, usually cleans the kitchen (without being asked - a huge bonus!), helps with some of the chores, watches Aubrie while I get house stuff done, takes out the garbage... I'm sure there's even more! Essentially, all things he can no longer do one-handed. All I can say is thank GOODNESS this happened now, and not 10 weeks ago!!!! At least now, Aubrie doesn't mind a few minutes in her swing or exersaucer!

In other news, I'm TOTALLY excited that I'm now starting to fit into my old clothes (well, the pants, anyways). I hit another "10-lb transition" and now am up to just over a 30 lb loss. YAY! I'm just so excited to have some of my wardrobe back. I can even get into my size 4's! Though, they still went back into storage, as they are not at all comfortable! Ain't nothin wrong with size 6 for awhile longer!

Intelligent kids these days

2006-05-28T15:15:00.000-07:00

I was out walking Java and one of the neighborhood boys (who always has to pet Java) came to talk to me. He insists on calling Java "Jaba", as does his entire family. Today he seemed to somewhat clue in...

Little Boy: Hey Jaba
Me: It's Java (I've corrected him sooooo many times)
LB: Hey Jaba (and yes, he's old enough to pronounce Java)
Me: Java, with a V
LB: with a B?
Me: No, with a V, like Violet
LB: His name is Violet?
Me: *Sigh*...
LB: Why do you have a dog and a baby?

WHAT A GOOD QUESTION!!!!!! Especially today, after Java pranced right up to Aubrie's play mat and peed on it. Fantastic.

Anyone want a dog?

We had a horrible night last night. I think it mainly hit me because I'm not used to it these days. Aubrie woke up at midnight and took over an hour to get back to sleep. Then, up at 3am... and pretty much cat-napped the rest of the night (read: I got no sleep from then on). I'm feeling quite deprived. She's a bear today, as am I. It's a house full of cranky women... fun times.

Blame it on lack of wires

2006-05-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

My silly wireless internet connection was on the fritz again. I had a post ready on Thursday, but I lost it due to the connection and well... just haven't felt like dealing with the on-again-off-again connection, so I've stayed away from the computer all together. Chris seems to have fixed it again, so hopefully it stays put for a few days!

Now, of course, I can't even remember what's new or blog-worthy! Probably not much. I was pretty excited about season 2 of "So You Think You Can Dance" on Thursday... until I saw it... enough said. I ran some errands on Friday and went to the gym. Today my parents came by, then I went to go see baby Marcus (he's just over 4 weeks old) and visit with good friends Tom and Jamie (and 2 year old Simon).

Aubrie was grueling today at bedtime (can you use grueling to describe a person??). Just over 2 hours till she was asleep. I think it has somewhat put a damper on my blogging abilities. In the end, I had to forgo her usual swaddle. And yet, she has a strange addiction to fabric (future fashion designer??). She grabbed my shirt for 20 minutes, when I finally got it out of her hands, I had to replace it with her swaddling blanket. It's the first time I've let a blanket into her crib without it being wrapped tightly around her. I tucked it into the mattress, but I must say... it still makes me ridiculously nervous. I know she won't stay asleep without it though. Seems that fabric in the mouth is 10 times better than a soother or a hand. Go figure.

Well, I'm off to go get some reading in. I'm reading "Memoirs of a Geisha" and thoroughly loving it. I want to get through it quickly so that I can watch the movie. I just can't wait to see how they translate it onto screen. I didn't think I'd like the book, because it was originally recommended to me several years ago by a fellow grad student I had little respect for (long story). I'm glad I picked it up though!

Ok, sorry for the bland blog today. Maybe tomorrow, Aubrie will do handstands and I can post about how exciting that was.

Confession Wednesdays...

2006-05-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, so some bloggers do "self-portrait Tuesdays". I suck at posting pictures and taking pictures, transferring them, blah blah blah... so I'm starting "Confession Wednesdays". Feel free to join me!

Today's confession - I don't make my bed. I feel quite guilty about this. I was taught to make my bed. My parents still make their bed. Why don't I? Well, it all started around grad school, when I would leave much earlier than Chris... so I couldn't make a bed with a husband in it. Then, when I started working... same problem. And well, boys don't make beds. So now, I just haven't gotten back in the habit.

I really want to teach Aubrie to make her bed... but I honestly can't figure out why!!! Can someone tell me why it's so important? I did a search, and all I could come up with was why it's important NOT to make our beds - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4181629.stm

Yikes!!!

I hate the messy look of an unmade bed (hence I shut our bedroom door everyday), but I can't manage to get into the habit, and now I'm stressed over yucky bugs. AACK!

It's A Winner!

2006-05-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

We ended up buying Aubrie and exersaucer yesterday, and she absolutely loves it!

I'm sure she'll love it even more when she is able to manouever in it a little better (she's still a little floppy, and can't quite master the turning). She had a great time. I had just as much fun putting it together... I love putting together baby stuff! Yay!

What is it with new moms and non-fat vanilla lattes? Why is it that it seems that EVERY new mom chooses that as their drink of choice? Maybe it's just a west-coast thing. After the exercise class today, the Esquires Coffee Shop (conveniently located in the gym) was packed full of the new moms. We ALL ordered the same thing. So weird. I've noticed it elsewhere too. The only difference was that lots of moms also got sugar-free. What the heck? How is it syrup if it's sugar-free? What's the point?? Syrup = sugar... that's what makes it so darn good! They mistakenly gave me the sugar-free variety today. Let me tell you - sooooo not the same!

And ok... blech! What is with my internet connection these days. It just died, which means I'm going to have to copy and save this post, reboot the computer, log in again, and repost. I lose my silly connection all the time. Man... I hate wireless! The magical power is in the wire - take away the wire and chaos ensues.

And AAAHHH, car alarms - make them stop!!!!!!!!! (As Aubrie wakes up... this is turning into a frustrating evening!)

Blah weekend

2006-05-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

Which is why I haven't posted much... there just isn't much to post about! Aubrie hasn't been napping very well this weekend, so it has meant that I haven't really had time to finish the housework, or anything else I wanted to get done this weekend (namely, so reorganization of my office closet - which is a mess!). As a result of not finishing much, I've been feeling very blah (I hate to not accomplish things I set out to do). I would like to get to the gym today, but I just can't seem to find the energy. I know I'll feel better if I go, so I will try to go after Aubrie's next feeding.

I've literally sat here for 5 minutes, wondering what I could possibly blog about (without going on and on about how blah I feel... I could do that all day). Not much has happened in the last few days. I'm very anxious to get Aubrie's new stroller, which we bought through ebay, so we have to wait for it to arrive. Plus, the ebay lady keeps screwing up the tracking number, so I can't even check to see where it is. Phooey. We got a nice small Maclaren to make trips to the mall, etc a little easier. It's funny how I get so excited about new things for Aubrie. I'm dying to go out and buy her a jumperoo and an exersaucer... I just haven't made a decision on either of them, so I've been stalling. It seems crazy to shell out another $200 plus for activity centers for her, despite knowing that she will probably love them. Maybe I'll try to make a decision on one of them and go pick it up today - that would be fun!

Ok, I'm rambling quite aimlessly here, but I wanted to make sure I got a post in. So... let me leave it up to you:

Jumperoo, exersaucer, or both?? What's your take?

New name, and other ramblings

2006-05-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

Ok... so I've decided that I REALLY need to switch up the name of my blog. See, it was cute and funny before I had a baby and knew lots of other new moms - but now that I see that snobby new moms really do exist... and are really unpleasant... it's not longer funny to refer to myself as one, even if it is in jest.

The name did have a basis... you see, the vast majority of my friends will admit that before they knew me, they thought I was quite snobby. Not because I ever did anything mean, but because in general, I tend to be very quiet at social gatherings. But, not the "shy" kind of "wallflower" quiet. Apparently, it's the kind of quiet that makes people think that I think I'm better than their conversation. I still don't understand the difference, but anyways... They all agree that I am, by no means, a snob. I just don't feel the need to interject into conversations unless I have something important to say. Now, that is true in larger social circumstances. Around my family... so not the case!!!! No one's been able to shut me up since I started talking. I guess it all balances out. Funny thing is, "snobpapa" is the same way (minus the talkative with family bit...), so people often think the same thing about him before they know him. Put the two of us together, and we can often come across as the world's most snobby couple. So, the blog name made sense at one time. Now, not so much.

So, I need help! Help me come up with a better blog name!!! Or, convince me that the current name is not absolutely terrible.

I've also decided that it's pretty pointless to continue to not mention names on my blog, considering how I mention my daughter's name and post pics of her as well. Plus, many of my blogging friends post their names... even bloggers who have HUGE readerships and get paid for blogging (which reminds me, I REALLY need to update my blogroll - there are so many other fabulous ones that I read!). So, let it be known that my name is Cari, and my husband's name is Chris. From now on, I will cease to refer to either of us as snob-anything! Oh, and the dog is Java (though I haven't mentioned him in ages... and often forget to feed him these days).

Grocery shopping yesterday went very well. Aubrie seemed to quite enjoy it. It's a relief to know that I don't have to find someone to watch her every time I need to do the groceries!

This morning, however, I left her at home with Chris so that I could do a little shopping for myself. It's very difficult to try things on with her in tow. She didn't do so well at home... and then when I came home... she was equally as pissed off. Everything made her scream. I finally got her to eat and go for a nap (yay), which I'm sure she desperately needed. So, hopefully we have a happy little girl upon her awakening.

Speaking of shopping, today was the dreaded (DREADED) purchase of a new swimsuit. EEEEEEKKKKKK!!!!!! Just when you think you are on your way back to your old self... Let's just say it wasn't fun! I was able to find a really cheap swimsuit, so hopefully I will not have to wear it long and I'll be able to buy a smaller one that I don't feel so awful in. I'm hoping to start taking Aubrie to the pool next week (we may even start a mom&baby aquasize class), hence the need for a new swimsuit.

My apologies for the somewhat disjointed and rambling post. I thought of breaking it into separate posts... but nah.

Off to go get some housework done while Aubrie enjoys her nap. Then, time to enjoy the LONG WEEKEND (yay!).

Nekked toga

2006-05-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

I mentioned the toga look the other day, and this morning she woke up the same... so I grabbed a picture of it!

(And yes... we're still using cloth diapers, just not at night. I'm too scared to mess with her sleeping these days!)

Why do they do this?

2006-05-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, so after our appointment for shots yesterday (complete with the full weigh-in), I was quite baffled when I went to dress Aubrie this morning in a 3-6 month sleeper and it barely fit. Then, I look on the tag, and under the "3-6 months" it says 12-17 lbs and 22-26 inches. Yikes! Why do they make the clothing like that? Aubrie is just barely over the 12 lbs, but is gaining quickly on the 26 inches. So, she's bound to outgrow all her 3-6 month clothing while it's still ridiculously baggy on her. Phooey! I just wish SOMETHING would fit her well, for once. On that note, I wish SOMETHING would fit me well too - but that's another post!

Today I hope to venture out to get groceries. This is still a task we have yet to accomplish with baby in tow. She doesn't do well on those types of outings (mall trips are not fun). We can stay really darn busy with various baby activities, that she loves... but the second you try to do something that isn't focused around her, she has a little fit. Go figure!

No kidding...

2006-05-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

Gotta love this conversation:

Mrs. Other New Mommy I'll Never Chat With Again: So... how long has Aubrie been rolling over for?

Me: Uhm... she's not

Mrs. ONMINCWA: Seriously, not even front to back?? (FYI - her baby is younger than Aubrie)

Me: Nope... nothing yet... maybe a little back to side action

Mrs. ONMINCWA: Wow, really?

Me: Yes, really.

Mrs. ONMINCWA: Have you taken her to the doctor yet?

WTF??? Seriously???? Sorry, but my baby is too busy teaching herself differential calculus to be worried about rolling (lol). How often do you roll on a daily basis (not counting in bed)? Is it that necessary a skill that it requires doctor's supervision? Can I help it if my little girl is more into problem solving and fine motor skills? I think that will be much more usefull in general life - but did I say that to other said mom - no!!! Nor did I say the many other things that ran through my mind at the time. Sheesh!!!!! (Grumble grumble grumble)

On another note... Aubrie measured in at 12 lbs 6 oz today, and a whopping 25 inches. Where she gets that height from is beyond me!!! And the four month shots - total cake-walk! Yay for baby tylenol!

Whadya know?

2006-05-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

I already missed a day! Go figure! I really did mean to pop by yesterday and say hi to the blogging world... but once Aubrie was asleep, it was just TOO DARNED HOT to spend any time anywhere else but our nice cool basement. You see, here on the west coast of Canada, where it usually rains, it is not common at ALL to have central a/c in homes. So, when it gets hot (like yesterday), our house gets very very very hot. On the main floor, it was 32 degrees celsius (that's just shy of 90F for all you Americans). And on the top floor... even hotter (no temp gauge up there). Luckily, we have one portable a/c unit, so we used it to cool Aubrie's room down somewhat before she went to bed, then it went into the master bedroom so that we would be able to sleep also (if it wasn't ridiculously loud, we would have kept it in Aubrie's room... but that just wasn't feasible). On the up side, Aubrie really seemed to like the naked sleeping arrangement. She slept through the night again (yipee) and woke up around 5:45am. I shoulda taken a picture when I went in to get her. She had her swaddle blanket all wrapped around her tummy only in a toga style, and was all giddy like "look at me, I'm nekkked!". Seems it's a hit with her.

Oh, and the "baby power" class is just as difficult as the "strollerobics" class. Yikes my legs and arms hurt!!!! And today another mom and I had planned on walking the beach after Mothergoose... I'm gonna need a wheel chair! And some new pants - cuz the maternity pants I'm STILL wearing look absolutely ridiculous! Not to mention that I have no pants lighter than cords or jeans, which is not very helpful in today's heat!

And no, I don't spend ALL of my non-mommy time watching tv... but can I just say, for all of you AI fans out there... I do NOT understand the hype about Elliot. Aside from the cool name, I find no redeaming qualities about the guy. I can't even watch him sing (yay for PVR's, I can just skip over it). The guy is just really really odd looking, and not that great of a singer. It's very rare that I ever think someone is unattractive. Yes, some people are more attractive than others - but I always find that at least 99% of the general population has some attractive characteristics. Elliot, not so much. Oh how I miss Chris. But... I can't say too much, cuz I'm not that much of a fan that I actually vote. But if I did... I would have voted for Chris. Sniffle sniffle...

Hehe...

2006-05-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

This picture always makes me giggle!

Let's see...

2006-05-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

Let's see how long I can keep up blogging on a more regular basis. Why? Because I keep thinking how terrible it is that I won't have any record of what life was like in the first year of my daughter's life. All these things that I *meant* to do (including blogging, getting a scrap-book started, continuously adding to said scrapbook)... well, they ain't happening these days. I feel kinda bad. So, here's to trying to keep up with one of them. Plus, now that I've got more going on in my days, the blog is less likely to be "all-baby-all-the-time-a-la-the-cheesy-new-tv-station" (which is so wrong, on so many levels, IMO).

So, as Aubrie finishes up her nap (which I swear, will end while I'm in the middle of this post, cuz that's how she rolls)... I'll do my best to be witty (however, the art of witty has yet to fully return to me post-baby... or maybe I never even had it... funny how being a mom allows you to see a WHOLE new side of yourself eh?).

Speaking of things that being a mom allows you to see - I never really had a good idea of what mother's day would be like. I thought it would be all about taking time to myself, enjoying a day with less to do, getting waited on, etc etc. But... when it all came down to it (although I REALLY loved my gift, and REALLY loved having extra help), it turned out to be more of a day when I got to think about how much I absolutely adore being a mom! I enjoyed every minute I spent with Aubrie yesterday - even the 1/2 hour that she absolutely SCREAMED because heaven forbid I try to give her her regular pre-bed bath when she was really tired. The bath lasted about 30 seconds, followed by lots of wailing and the "how-could-you" cries until she was fed and asleep in her cozy bed... where she continued to sleep from 7pm till 7am... WOW (and no... that doesn't happen often! Total fluke). Ok, where was I?? Oh ya, loving the time with baby - I really really do love my time with Aubrie. She's finally getting to the point where her crying makes sense (as in, we generally know why she's crying and how to fix it), so it never phases me. And, she cries much less these days and has a blast when she's not. I wish I knew how to enjoy life that much. Really... if a little rattle or a mirror could make me squeel with glee... imagine what a new car might do? If I could burst out in uncontrollable laughter when someone smiled at me... imagine if I watched a comedy? WOW! It's so fun to watch her enjoy life so much. The things we could learn from babies!

On a "non-baby" note - why didn't everyone vote for Terry? I know he wasn't in the final two... but couldn't people vote for him anyways? Wouldn't that have made for a great ending? There must have been something in their contracts or something. Sheesh.

And on a "semi-baby" note - who knew that something as pansy-sounding as "strollerobics" could be such a tough work out!!! I figured it would be a minor work-out - just something to wake me up a little in the morning. Holy golly am I sore!!! Today was Strollerobics Monday. It gets followed by "Baby Power" Tuesdays (a strength training workout using baby as a weight... I'll let ya know how it goes, it starts tomorrow). We then give our body a break with Mothergoose Wednesdays (though this is our last week - I'm gonna miss the cheesy songs). So far, that's all the planned activities we've committed to, and we really enjoy them!

Hope everyone had a great Mother's day! We're off to enjoy the weather when sleepyhead wakes up!

Monthly update

2006-04-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

Seems like I'm working my way down to only monthly posts here. I do wish I was able to blog every day... but it just never happens around here! But, I also want to have some record of Aubrie's accomplishments and the like... so I continue coming back on the occasion. My apologies to readers who keep coming by dissapointed by the lack of new posts! And... I don't know why the link to my photo diary isn't working, it should be... and it is on my end... not sure what to say, just make sure you copy the whole link into a browser and it should, in theory, work.

So, the news on the little munckin... she started grabbing toys and holding toys full force this weekend. Now, she must hold EVERYTHING and put EVERYTHING in her mouth. She got royally peeved the other day playing in her bouncy chair because she grabbed onto the hanging toy and pulled, and it wouldn't reach her mouth! This new discovery led to some pretty rough nights (she just didn't want to be asleep), followed by a FABULOUS night last night, where she slept from 7:45pm - 5:45am. YAY! This is the first time she has managed the WHOLE night (in my opinion... I refuse to call 5 hours at a stretch sleeping through the night, as the books say!). It may be in part to me turning off the monitor last night. The last few weeks, she's been waking around 1-4am and just making noise (not really demanding food or anything), so it's led to me feeding her because I need her to sleep so I can sleep!

I know that this accomplishment will be short lived... I probably will not get another night like that in awhile... and then they'll dissappear altogether with the arrival of teeth... but for now, I'm enjoying it. It's led to a very lazy morning for me! I've been so "on-the-go" for the last few weeks, I decided to take the morning to myself - no rushing, no plans... just sittin in my pj's till I feel like accomplishing something! (Paired, of course, with caring for Aubrie... but she's already down for a morning nap!). *Sigh*... life is good!

day in our life

2006-04-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

It was suggested to me to do a "day in the life" photo diary. So... we did it! It was kind of a pain, but I'm so glad that we have it now, and can't wait to do another in a few months (to see how things change). It's kinda boring... but, well... that can often be the life of a newborn, haha! Hope you enjoy!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbMmTlk5cuXJA¬ag=1

Changes

2006-03-31T16:30:00.000-08:00

It's been tough to blog lately. I've found that every blog seems to be repeating the same thing... it's boring even me! But, lately we've had some changes, so I figured I'd come back to "blog land".

Nights have started to get better again. Aubrie's typically sleeping 8pm-3am, then up for a feed, then back to sleep till 7am. We've had 3 nights like this... and though I know it could change any day (and probably will), I've been enjoying it! It makes the days so much easier.

Naps are also getting better... particularly on days when we follow a usual routine. Aubrie's not a fan of change! Today, she's slept 2 naps in her crib (both about 45 minutes), plus her usual nap while on our walk. Definitely an improvement. She's so much happier between naps when she gets them in!

She's also starting to hold things more. She's always grasped fingers (and held on TIGHT), but now she's holding onto small toys with the same enthusiasm. She doesn't quite know that they are there, but it's a fun start!

And, she even rolled over the other night. May have been a fluke, but she was on her tummy after her bath (she's finally getting used to a little tummy time here and there), and boom... she was on her back!

That's all for now... she's calling me, so I'll have to keep this short! Hopefully I'll be back with more updates soon!

Magical pj's

2006-03-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

I swear we have found ourselves some magical pj's. I didn't have any clean pj's to put Aubrie in last night that fit her well (tsk tsk), so I put her in the ones from the previous night, as they were still spill-free. Well, last night she slept 7 1/2 hours in a row, and woke up only once. The previous night it was 9 1/2 hours (yipee) 8 till 5:30 (then back to bed till about 8 or so). It has been fabulous. So what did I have to do tonight? I had to wash the pj's so she could wear them again. It's a sickness... it's like a play-off ritual. They aren't even cute pj's - they are polyester (which I hate, cuz they don't breathe well, I prefer to use cotton on her) and they are blue (my mom seems to think girls need colors other than pink), but hey - they work!!!

Days are still a little challenging, but I'm fighting through them and trying to get out more. After meeting several new moms in my area, we went out for a walk Friday and ended up being out for over 3 hours (stopped at a coffee shop and couldn't stop talking). It felt great to be out of the house, and the day FLEW by. Saturday I ended up feeling really cooped up in comparison, so today I took Aubrie to the mall. It wasn't entirely succesfull, but not terrifying either. I hope we can get out lots this week! Thanks so much everyone for all the positive thoughts and prayers. I'm not sure that her fussiness is decreasing much, but she does seem to be getting on more of a schedule (we're finding she can't be awake for more than about 45 minutes at a stretch), and we are coping well.

Ok, this was supposed to be a short post, as I should be heading to bed. Let's all cross our fingers for those pj's to do their trick!

It's not us!

2006-03-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

For the last few weeks, I've struggled with lots of feelings that I'm just not cutting it very well as a mom. I knew motherhood would be tough, but hadn't quite expected what we've experienced thus far. Well, finally, yesterday... I got some "answers" as to why it is seeming so difficult. Here I thought that maybe I was just complaining too much... but no... apparently, Aubrie ranks up with only a "handful" of babies that a nurse of 35 years has ever witnessed. Meaning, only a few others have been as difficult as her! This nurse spent about an hour with Aubrie, while I was in the "mom's group" at the local Public Health Unit. It's just good to know that I'm not over-exaggerating things in my head, and that it's not just us - she's just a stubborn little strong-willed girl. And that, we love, even though it causes us hours and hours a day of angst and generally means that we can't take her out anywhere.

So, for now, we're working hard on forcing sleep on her (which seems to be the biggest problem - she just doesn't ever want to sleep, and she pushes herself past her limit and has melt-downs), trying to get a schedule (yikes, emphasis on word "TRYING") as the nurse felt that she would be the type of baby that would thrive on a schedule, and just basically coping day by day. It sucks that we have had to put so much on hold (I would love to go out shopping and what not, even run some errands), but hopefully it'll only be a few more months and things will improve. Oh, and that was the down-side of the chat with the nurse - she says that because it's not really typical colic, it won't get better at 3 months. Yay for us!

Her final check up with the midwife was good. She's up to 9 lbs 14 oz. We're also attemting chiropractic care for her, to ensure it's not a back strain issue (common with newborns).

Aaah, but the smiles are so worth it. Although we haven't yet gotten a picture of her "big" smiles (she tends to like to move a lot when she smiles, so none of the pics have turned out yet), we do have some little smiles to share...

Awww, how cute is she???

Mom worries...

2006-03-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know I have officially become a mom when I lay WIDE awake at 2:30am because I can't figure out why my baby hasn't woken yet! Plus, it was the first 5 1/2 hour stretch of sleep I've gotten in about 3 months... and I felt like I had slept a year (and couldn't fall back asleep). She fed at 8pm, asleep by 8:30... slept past 2:30am. YAY! I actually had to go into her room to check on her cuz I was so worried. She was half awake at that point, and spotted me. She grinned, closed her eyes to go back to sleep, then opened them again, grinned, closed them, opened them and WAILED. Not sure if that was when she finally realized she was so stinkin hungry, or if she wasn't really awake the first two times, or if the whole process woke her up and she was mad. Doesn't matter! I fed her, she slept again till 5am, ate and went back to sleep, and now it's 7:30 and I still have a moment to blog before she's up for good. YIPEE.

So, I had started a blog yesterday about how horrible I'm feeling about her scream fests. I was coping so well, then I went to our "mom and me" class at the health centre, where they (being the nurses) really made me feel that it wasn't normal and that I should be having difficulties coping. The power of persuasion... yuck! So, I had a bit of a melt-down yesterday. But today I'm back to coping well. She screams sometimes... that's ok... she's a little high-strung. I've gotten about 10 different "analyses" as to why she's doing it and how to fix it (which really stressed me out, so please don't give me any more advice), but in the end, despite all the recommendations (many of which were totally unreasonable) I still know in my heart she's going to have really bad fussy times sometimes. I can accept that, and I love her anyways... so what does it matter!

Also, for those that think their baby is fussy... I heard on Tuesday what other mothers think fussiness is... I think I may need a new term for Aubrie's fussiness (cuz the other babies don't come close). I'm almost finding now that it's a bragging right - "you think your baby is fussy, listen to this!" (which shocked many other moms on Tuesday, as Aubrie screamed and screamed). It's kind of humourous. If you can think of a new, more violent term than fussy, do let me know. I'd love to use it!

Anyways, it looks like we're back on track for tough days and easy nights. I fully know that she will likely have more bad nights and stretches of bad nights, but I'm ok with that if I get the odd 6 hour stretch like last night! And here's hoping her excellent sleep will contribute to a happy baby today!

Darn

2006-02-27T11:56:00.000-08:00

Ok... spoke too soon. She had a terrible night, and is having a not-so-fantastic day today. Somehow, it's like she knows the weekends I have help... and the weekdays, she returns to her normal self - fun times!

6 weeks a charm?

2006-02-26T15:11:00.000-08:00

We're probably speaking too soon, but after a week filled with lots of screamy days, it seems like the 6 week mark has been a bit of a turning point for our little grumpster. The last two days she has been very content - just eating, some happy awake time, and lots of sleeping (much more than usual). We also successfully moved her into her crib (YAY). Nights have been pretty good! Still a ways probably from a full nights sleep, but definite progress! She still won't use her crib for daytime naps, but in time I'm sure she will!

Her last check up was also good. She knows how to put on the weight! She's already at 9 lbs 2 oz!! WOW!

I'm still in a bit of a haze from the last week, so this is just a quick hello! If all goes well, I should be able to update more this week! Fingers crossed!

Could it be?

2006-02-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

Is it really possible that maybe, just maybe, Aubrie is getting used to her crib? She's been in there, perfectly happy and asleep for a whole 20 minutes now. This is a record!!! We've been trying so hard lately to get her used to it, but usually she'll stay in there, asleep, for 5 minutes tops before screaming. Today, I moved her co-sleeper into it, and put a light blanket on her, and she seems to be taking to it. Unfortunately, I was about to change her diaper and take her for a walk... but them's the breaks. I'll take the nap! Hopefully we'll get a chance for a walk in a little bit.

In other news, she has also started to genuinely smile now! At 4 weeks, 1 day... several HUGE grimaces that we were able to coax her into (you can tell they are "real" smiles if you can initiate them, and if their whole face smiles). We also found out she has dimples, just like her mommy! YAY!

We also got to go out for the first time last Friday. Babasnob and gidosnob babysat for us (and she was an absolute angel for them, go figure!). We went out for dinner, and grocery shopping (how romantic). It was great to get out.

Then, Saturday I also got a break to go shopping. More out of necessity... I'm so sick of maternity pants, and have finally acknowledged the fact that I may never get to wear any of my old wardrobe again (sigh). So... I got one pair of pants... I'm still not willing to accept that this size will last much longer, so I'm gonna see how long I can last with one pair of jeans (sad, but true).

Speaking of the weight-loss struggle... I'm amazed that this is probably my biggest source of frustration and tears lately. Not the fussy times, the sleepless nights (which are getting more frequent), the increased laundry requirement of cloth diapers... no, all those I knew were coming, and was somewhat prepared for. I was not prepared for how depressed I would feel about my size. I even had to "give up" my mommy message boards that I used to love going to for advice and support because they are so full of mommies that lost all (or close to all) their pregnancy weight in the first month. I can't deal with it.

Which is why I'm so totally TORN about the fact she is sleeping well in her crib right now... cuz we could be out walking! Sheesh, the things that run through my head! I guess I should go use the time wisely to catch up on some much needed sleep!

Just when you think you've got it down...

2006-02-09T16:05:00.000-08:00

That's when babies like to throw you a loop! I was finally starting to think I was getting the hang of things, and that maybe we would be able to accomplish minor tasks throughout the day... but lately, it just hasn't been working at all. I find that the only way I can shower, dress, eat, etc, is to let poor Aubrie scream - and I so hate doing that! I try to go for a daily walk, but it's always a toss up - will she enjoy it and have a good nap, or stress me out by screaming the whole time? You never know. And the sleeping... it was good... now it's touch and go. She has decided that somewhere between 3am and 4am is her favorite time to be alert. She's never really fussy (yay - good girl!), but it means lack of sleep regardless.

It is amazing how her personality is starting to slowly come out though. When she's upset - she's REALLY upset (kinda like me). When she's happy - she's REALLY happy and easy going (kinda like her dad). Sometimes, she prefers to just be left alone (kinda like both of us) and she's an early riser (like both of us). Every day, we learn something new about her. We may have even seen a dimple the other day... she's starting to get more smily (though it's still a toss up as to whether it's a "real smile"... babies aren't supposed to smile for "real" until about 6 weeks).

She's also gaining more weight now, so we aren't as worried about her eating habits. She was 7 lbs 14.5 oz on Monday - a 10.5 oz gain in a week!!! It amazes me that she's STILL smaller than many babies when they are born! Crazy!!

Better run... she's fussy again (despite being in the Snugli, which she normally likes). I hope things settle soon, so that I can blog more and keep up to date with all her happenings.

What was I on?

2006-02-02T20:54:00.000-08:00

Ok, I just re-read my last post. Enjoying fussy times?? Really?? What was I on?? I must have been really low on sleep. Or maybe I was asleep. Who knows.

I guess fussy times aren't that bad, when they are fairly short lived. The other day (not sure which... not sure what today is either), we had a doozy. Seven straight hours of terrible screaming. She only stopped momentarily for eating. Luckily, she started at 4... so she was asleep by about 11:30 and slept a good solid 4 hours, then another 4 after a snack. We finally ended the scream-fest at around 11 by feeding her a bottle of my milk (yay for moo-cowing). I have a theory that maybe the stress, lack of sleep, etc etc made my milk scarce that night, so even though she fed every 2 hours, she was probably still hungry. Hopefully, that tactic works well in the future and we can cut down the hours of screaming.

Then, I dared to go to the mall the next day. I needed some tops, as none of my old clothes fit. That's a whole other rant though (so sad...). She SCREAMED pretty much the entire time then too. Aack. It's so stressful to hear her cry so much. It just tears me up. I never understood when people would say that you react to your own baby crying differently than other babies crying. It's totally true. Your own baby has a magic ability to rip out your heart every time she cries.

And of course, top it off with what we think is a growth spurt. She was up and feeding every 90 minutes last night. Do the math... every 90 minutes = 30 minutes or so of feeding, 20 minutes or so of soothing, 10-15 minutes to destress yields about 15 minutes of sleep. Blech!

So off to bed I go. Hopefully Aubrie will do the same! She's so precious when she's asleep! Makes me totally forget the hours of screaming.

Keep your fingers crossed that we are not entering the beginning of the land of colic.

The challenges begin...

2006-01-30T15:24:00.000-08:00

Well... nothing too serious, but just when things were starting to feel like they were getting into a rhythym we could manage (we're getting really good at dealing with fussy times now). I found out today that likely my milk supply is too low. We were so proud of little Aubrie for sleeping so well, and it turns out that we're probably not getting enough feeds in to keep my supply up to her demand. She gained a bit of weight, but not much. She's up to 7 lbs 4 oz (ideally, she'd be closer to 7 lbs 10 oz). So, now I go into pumping mode - not only do I have to do regular feedings, but in between I have to do "moo-cow feedings" (that's what I call them, cuz pumping makes you feel like a cow). Plus some herbal remedies, and waking more often for feedings. Hopefully it will get things going and we can continue with the breastfeeding. Her tummy has issues enough without having to introduce formula.

Aside from that, like I said... we're getting much more adept at dealing with fussy times, and they don't throw us as much as they used to. I actually find myself enjoying some of the fussy times. She sleeps pretty well at night (most nights... last night was not one of them). All in all, we can't complain. In fact, quite the opposite... every day, when we think we can't love her any more, somehow we manage to fit some more love in.

And that... deserves another pic...

Lacking the super powers

2006-01-27T10:29:00.000-08:00

How do people do it? How do so many new moms blog so frequently? It baffles me!! When RSM, Miss Zoot, and Amalah (some of my most favorite bloggers) had their little ones, they blogged every day. I kept thinking… having a baby can’t be that hard then, can it? I can’t fathom how they’ve done it. I think they must just have super powers (or babies that sleep in cribs and whatnot). Even CC (whose little one is even younger than Aubrie) is managing to do it thanks to a Boppy pillow. With which comes super powers I tell you… super powers.

So now, I’m trying the “blog on word… then transfer over” type thing. That way, I can blog a sentence at a time. And you all can read my blog and say “darn… that makes no sense… it was like she was writing it one sentence at a time”. To which I say “yes… and with minimal sleep”.

And… I’m getting a cold. A COLD, darn it! I need a cold like I need a kick in the head. Fun times.

In other news… Aubrie’s yucky cord stump thingy fell off yesterday. That’s good times. Cuz those things are really quite gross you know! We’re pleased it dropped so soon.

Oh, and yes… the pic on her site says it all… Aubrie is now using pacifiers. The midwife (although she doesn’t recommend it) did say if we wanted to we could go for it now. Considering Aubrie uses me as the human pacifier, we thought we’d give it a shot. So far, so good on the paci.

And today marks day one of the attempt at cloth diapers. We’ve been putting it off for awhile now… but it’s finally time to give them a shot. We’ll see how it goes.

Perfect timing

2006-01-26T09:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, so posting has become much more difficult these days. Primarily because Aubrie really doesn't like to sleep anywhere but in people's arms (namely, mine). This is making things quite difficult. Some days, I wonder if we are ever going to get back to a place where we can lead a normal life (normal as in being able to shower, eat, sleep, clean up the house). I know it will come, but it seems a long way off these days.

So, at night... we've resorted to letting Aubrie sleep in our bed for part of the night. Just enough of the night so that I can be moderately coherent. Last night, for instance, she joined me in bed at around 10 or 11 (can't remember now), and slept till 3am. That's a good solid chunk (one that is only achieved when she is with me in bed). But then, she needed to eat. No problem... we're getting good at that. So, I fed her. Thing is... she never "quits" the eating. I keep thinking I should try to let her eat till she quits (rather than cut her off at a certain time, mainly cuz I don't know what that time should be). So, I let her keep eating and eating last night. For a solid hour she ate. Then, I figured there was no food left, so I cut her off. Brought her to bed for awhile, till she was good and asleep (about an hour). Then, did the transfer over to the Pack n Play (beside the bed). Not 2 minutes after that, she erupted!! Spit up flew the entire length of the Pack n Play (that's a long distance). We just laughed and said... at least it wasn't the bed.

Ok... she's crying again... time to cut it short. Hopefully there will be more posts soon (meaning she'll spend more time sleeping on her own, not wailing)

Sigh

2006-01-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

That's my sigh of relief. Aubrie had another check up today with the midwife. She has now gained back all the weight she lost after the birth. She was down to 6 lbs 6 oz on Wed, and today... up to a whopping 7 lbs! YAY!! That's our little piggie eater!

She had a particularly daunting binge last night, when she decided she didn't want to sleep at all that night, and wanted instead to be up either feeding or fussing. It made for our first really terrible long night. I'm sure we'll have more, I'm just hoping they aren't tonight!!! What can we say... she's a weekend partyier.

My brain isn't functioning enough to write much more, so I leave you with another adorable picture. How she loves her daddy...

Oh please, please...

2006-01-18T10:14:00.000-08:00

Doesn't this picture look like Aubrie is praying? It's so cute.

She's saying "Oh please please God, let me sleep and not be fussy tonight". Actually, she's been pretty good through the nights. The first night in hospital was tough (lots of fussing, and I was by myself), but at home she's been pretty good. She feeds a lot, and is often awake, but is totally happy being awake and often just lays in her bassinet-type bed, or in our bed, and stares at things (especially us).

She's getting fussier and fussier in the day though. Usually sometime after noon... then doesn't let up till after dinner. Makes for tough afternoons. I'd rather that, though, than tough nights! We are holding up well regardless, and loving all the time with our little girl.

She had her first bath at home today (had one in the hospital). She wasn't too fond of it, but seemed to enjoy being clean afterwards. Definitely not something we want to be doing all the time though!

We're still "adjusting" to some sort of schedule (or lack-there-of), so I'm not sure how often I will update... but I will try for lots!

Ok... the news

2006-01-16T09:50:00.000-08:00

She's here!!!! Bear with me as I type with baby in tow. Aubrie Anne, our pride and joy arrived Sat Jan 14th @ 10:30am. Weighing 6 lbs 13 oz, and 20.5 inches. Our perfect little angel!!!!! We are so in love!

Some pics for you... http://aubrie.shorrockin.com. Snobpapa likes to take pics!

The labor was long. 57.5 hours long upon the start of active labor. Owch! I'll spare most of the details for now (though I'm getting better at the typing). Prelabor started Wed day... then progressed to more active labor at 1am on Thurs. Midwives suggested to labor at home, which we did all day Thurs. It progressed a lot Thurs night. Throughout day and night contractions ranged from every 2 minutes to every 10 with varying intensity (though many very strong) so it was a difficult day and night. Water broke Fri morning. Midwife came by... only 2-3 cm dialated. Labored more at home with our wonderful doula. Midwife came by again in the afternoon to come with us to the hospital. We had to wait for a room, so labored more at home than I would have liked. The car ride around 7pm was TOUGH! Arrived at the hospital. Finally was worn out, and had to opt for the epidural. The anesthesioligist was in surgery, so that took awhile and I got some drugs to help (ok, it made me feel good between contractions... but really... doesn't do much for the contraction!). Thoroughly enjoyed the epidural. But, around 5am?? (I think) it started to wear off. More importantly, I developed quite the fever. The combination of transition sans-epi and fever made for a very rough time. I was also ridiculously ill (poor snobpapa!). Also, still only about 8 cm!!! All this time, I was also on pitocin to speed things up (which luckily, I was very sensitive too, so it helped tons). I don't think my body would have managed without it :(. Finally, the anesthesiologist was able to return to top up the epi. My fever started to level off a bit, so talk of c/s diminished.

Finally, at around 9:30 I was ready to push. All the hours of labor made her super low. It didn't take much. I pushed for about 10 contractions, then her head was visible. We thought it would be several more pushes. Then.... out she SHOT. Our little crazy canninbal. Resulting in a lovely quick second stage of birth, and a lovely well-shaped beautiful baby... but a very torn up mommy :(. After looking it over, the midwife decided to consult the OB surgeon. A little late... as I had bled a LOT. The repairs were grueling and took a long time. I missed out on a lot of time with my darling girl, but loved watching snobpapa bond. After the repairs... I was a little worse for wear, and passing out. That meant a longer stay in the hospital than I would have liked, too many blood tests, and too long on the IV drip. But, we're home now and in LOVE. It is so worth it. I'm anxious for a speedy recovery to enjoy our daughter. Please pray for some quick healing! (And no more trips back to the hospital!)

Update

2006-01-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well, still at home, no midwife here yet. We did call her (but held out till 6:30). She seemed to think it was early labor, but sent me for a soak in the tub, some gravol, and an attempt at sleep. The tub went terribly... I had two contractions and they hurt very badly! I did manage some sleep, but the contractions that woke me up out of my gravol stupor were tough ones. Now, I'm up, having a bite to eat, and the contractions are back to their sporadic selves. I'm really hoping they pick up so I know what's going on. It's the whole not knowing that sucks (oh... and the bad contractions aren't a picnic either!).

I'll stay updated as much as I can...

Perhaps...

2006-01-12T05:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I think we've decided to call the midwife soon. I started having contractions yesterday evening, and they've progressed through the night. If I'm up and busy, they come every 2-4 minutes and last about 20-35 seconds. If I lay down, they come 4-7 minutes and last up to a minute. Weird pattern... but who knows.

Likely, this is a false alarm. I think it's a general rule that all first time moms have at least one of those. That's why we're trying to hold out to a more hours (to call at a relatively decent hour).

I just woke snobpapa up recently (around 5am). We keep saying... let's see how the next few go. Hopefully, we'll know the scoop soon!

Final pics

2006-01-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

Ok... so I finally got the courage to take the final belly pics. Here they are, 39 weeks in all their glory. I'm not taking ANY MORE!!! (Until after... when I've lost 50 pounds).

And, if you're wondering... yes, I DID touch up the bare belly shot. I know photoshop, and I'm not afraid or ashamed to use it!!! I didn't shave off any of the belly, or elsewhere (though now that I think of it, my legs and butt could look better)... just touched out the horrific stretch marks. Who said that whether you get them or not is based on heredity is full of crap. My mom never got them, and I got screwed big time. But no, I'm not bitter.

In other news, chiropracters are wonderful people! I went to my first prenatal chiro appt today. Why, oh why, did I wait so long to go to one? My midwife recommended it on Monday so that an adjustment could increase the room in my pelvis and encourage good positioning of the baby. She didn't say how absolutely wonderful it would feel to have 10 minutes on my tummy (yay for special pillows) with massage and very gentle back adjustment. Or having all the muscles and ligaments gently stretched. Wow... it felt great! I can't wait to go back on Friday. I was picturing the very jarring, somewhat frightening adjustements I've had in the past. But prenatally, chiro appts are much much different and much much better! Highly recommended!

Doing better

2006-01-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

But then, of course... I never was able to post a blog to say that I wasn't doing well. But who cares, because I'm doing quite a bit better! I had a few days where all the medical issues of late pregnancy got the best of me and I was on bed rest, but I'm doing much better now, and that's all that matters! But I tell ya... had labor hit on Saturday, I would have said NO THANKS. Now that I'm feeling a bit better - bring it on! Still not 100%, but who at 39 weeks is???

I had a great meeting with the midwife today. Baby has turned to the side now (neither posterior or anterior) and she gave me more things that should help ensure a lovely anterior presentation (including a chiropractic appt, and an herb... no clue how the herb will help, but we're willing to try anything!).

I also get to start taking her concoction of "mother's cordial", which contains some herbs that will strengthen contractions and regulate them. Apparently though, it tastes horrible. I'll let ya know after dinner when I take it!

Now that I'm up and about more, I'll try to keep updated so y'all know when labor hits. So far, no sign though! I'm guessing I've got at least a week to go at minimum!

Hmmm...

2006-01-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

Guess it's time for a color change??

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything.
You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey.
You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?