To amuse you...

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

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!

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

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

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

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...

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?

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

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

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?

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lil' Swimmer

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...