Piñata & more

Hello hello! Long time no see! Between throwing my daughter her first birthday party and going back to work, I haven't had much time to blog. I have a few minutes ahead of me between folding laundry and the time she'll most likely wake up from her nap to try to update you on what's been going on around here.

Although her birthday was rainy and we had to hold the party indoors, I still think it was a success.

I really REALLY wanted to share with you the step by step process of making a homemade piñata, but #1: daughter just woke up and #2 I can't understand iPhoto... so I guess this was more of a tease than anything else. Oh dear. Who knows when I'll be able to blog again?

Daycare...

I feel like saying "Nobody told me it would be this hard" but that would be a lie. The truth is, they told me, I just didn't listen. Actually, I just thought I was immune. I had this. I had sent baby Z to drop-off daycare before, she'd been babysat a bunch of times, she just spend 8-2 for two weeks with her abuela, therefore we would both be pros at 'real' daycare. 'Real' in the sense that this is a 7-4, 5 days a week thing that will last as long as the school year. Oh boy. Thankfully I gave us two weeks integration time to adapt to the new schedule, new daycare, new everything.

To moms who have not been through this yet, what I can best describe it as is a terrible break-up. You know, when rationally you know this is the best decision, but emotionally it feels like your heart has been torn to pieces and stepped on? That feeling. It is AWFUL! Similarly to a break-up situation, I have cried, I have found it hard to concentrate, I have wondered if I had made the right decision, and I have mourned the time we spend together. It is very, very weird to go from seeing someone 24/7 to not seeing them for big chunks of the day.

Today is day 3 of integration and overall, things are going well. Today was the first time she had her afternoon nap in her crib at daycare. She has been eating well. Yesterday morning she began playing with the other babies. I feel so much better knowing that I can trust the daycare we chose for her - everyone who works there is amazing!

On the plus side, I have a ton of free time now and I don't have to worry about what to pack in the diaper bag before I leave my house. It is very liberating. Let's hope this journey continues to be positive!

11 months - late!

I let blogging fall a bit behind this month because I took a two-week intensive course to finish my Masters and I'm not finished my final paper. I promised myself I would only blog once I finished my final paper, but it looks as though I'm breaking that promise. Anyway, this will only take five minutes (or less).

Baby Z is going to be a year old in a few weeks!!! She has evolved into this wonderful little person who is witty and funny and whom I love beyond words. She starts daycare next week (wish me luck!) and I'm sure that will be a whole new adventure.

She isn't walking yet... but she does stand unassisted for a few seconds (3 Mississippi's is her best so far). She's been learning animal sounds, thanks to my mother-in-law who stayed with us and watched her while I was in my intensive course, and she's got the lion down! Her roar is the cutest thing you'll ever hear (I may be biased). She doesn't do any of the other ones on her own, but we're working on the horse, cow, cat, and dog. Speaking of dogs, she absolutely loves Taco and has figured out how to feed him, which is really bad because he has a weak stomach and throws up whenever he eats human food! She also has a few more words and hand gestures, such as 'bye' with a wave. Sleep is inconsistent, last night she woke up what felt like a bazillion times (teeth?) and the night before that she slept straight through from 7-7! Who knows what's going on with that!

I have to make good use of nap time and my five minutes are up! Next month post will be the birthday one!!!

Trip to New Jersey

We had a fun-filled five-day trip to New Jersey! The main event of the trip was my nephew's third birthday, which was a huge success, but we'll get to that.

First of all, before I left I realized I had a mild case of hand-foot-mouth disease, which is a childhood illness similar to chicken pox in that a virus infects you, you get spots (but only on your hands, feet, and mouth, hence the name), and there isn't much you can do about it. Luckily, I got a mild case, as I've heard it can be pretty terrible. I had very few spots and the most discomfort I felt was a loss of appetite. I didn't even get a fever. Our guess is that baby Z had it before me, though her case was pretty mild too and her spots were mostly around her diaper, oddly enough. Anyway, all this prelude to say that in order to lessen the chances of contaminating my nephews and the rest of the family, we decided to spend the biggest chunks of our days outside of the house.

Spots on my hands

On the drive down, there was a major downpour! At certain points during the drive, we could barely see the cars in front of us. At another time, we were listening to the radio and there was an emergency broadcast to say that a tornado warning was in effect in our area! Scary! We had to pull over and wait it out a few times, but we made it slowly but surely. Z was pretty good in the car, she slept most of the way, and when she started getting cranky, we'd stop. It made the drive that much slower with all the stops, but it beats having a crying baby in the car!

The next day we decided to take the train to NYC! It was Baby Z's first time in the big city and I think she loved looking at all of the different people! We walked from Penn station to Central Park and then went to the zoo. She absolutely loved the animals, it was fun to see her get excited! We then went to F.A.O. Schwartz (a big toy store) and I was surprised that at 10 and a half months old, she already wanted all of the toys that she saw! She would cry when I walked away from a toy, but then she would get happy a second later because she saw more toys, it was kind of funny and kind of annoying too! We walked back down 5th avenue towards Penn station and got home in time for a delicious dinner. Baby Z's abuela and tia had arrived from Mexico at this point and we had a great evening catching up. They say NYC is the city that never sleeps, but it sure tired out little Z, she slept like a log that night!

Our next day trip was to the Jersey shore. We went to Point Pleasant. I had never seen a beach like this before; it was just like in the movies with the boardwalk, the arcade games, the rides, the snacks and everything! We had a lot of fun watching Z find seashells in the sand. She didn't like it when the waves touched her feet, as the water was cold and I think it surprised her each time. We walked up and down the boardwalk and Z enjoyed people watching once again. She saw so many new things on this trip! We accidentally missed our exit on the way back, so the one and a half hour drive turned into two and a half hours... it was good to come home to family and a delicious dinner once again.

First time in the ocean!

As I said before, my nephew's birthday was a huge success! He turned three and to celebrate, my sister in law and her husband had organized a party at a farm. We got there and got to enjoy meeting his friends and the picturesque scenery (exactly what you'd imagine a beautiful farm to look like). Then we ate (pizza, fruits and veggies) and had cupcakes. Then we all got on a tractor ride up to see the animals. The children each had a bucket full of carrots to feed the animals, it was the cutest thing! There were pigs, rabbits, chicken, goats, poneys, sheep, and maybe more that I'm forgetting. Baby Z especially liked the rabbits. There was also a playhouse, a huge sandbox, a water play area, and a play tractor area! Basically, it was a kid's dreamland! Z loved the sandbox. We then got a train ride, which was super cute as my nephew absolutely loves trains! We headed home afterwards and hung out and watched a world cup soccer game.

Having a blast in the sandbox

The drive back was pretty uneventful. It was hot and our air conditioning broke, so we let the windows down and had the wind blowing through our hair pretty much the whole way back. It was an amazing trip but I was sad I didn't get to play with my nephews more because of the virus... oh well, hopefully they'll come up for Baby Z's one year birthday party and we'll make up for it then!

10 months

I just re-read the 9 month post and not much is new... oh but she is talking more!

She can say:
-ba (which sometimes means ball, balcony, bath, park, etc.)
-maman (melts my heart every time)
-papa
-ta (for Taco, our dog)
-na (for no, obviously)

She can sign:
-milk
-all done
-more
-sleep

She also claps, waves and points.

She sometimes sings, which is cute! The screeching is not so cute.

It is really fun to be able to communicate with her more and more!

Father's Day craft

This post is a few days late but I wanted to share the father's day card my baby helped me make. This was how I envisioned the process:

1. She would enthusiastically help me tear pieces of paper.

2. She would help me spread the glitter glue.

This is how it actually went:

1. She ignored the paper and looked for everything else she could get her hands on.

2. After I showed her repeatedly how to tear the paper and gave her a few pieces she just held them in her hands and then tossed them aside. 

3. She got angry because she wanted to hold the glitter glue and did not help me spread it.

I love my feisty little girl! She has a mind of her own, is determined, knows what she wants and isn't afraid to get it... watch out world - she's growing up!!!

See how she tried to steal the glitter glue?

I think my husband enjoyed his first father's day - he appreciated the card and the framed picture I got him, the breakfast I made and the day spent together. We went to one of Baby Z's friend's first birthday party and it was really fun to watch all of the babies interact! 

9 months!

OMG time is flying by! I actually cried a little the other day as I watched my daughter push a walker across the room... will she be walking soon? I don't know if I am ready for this!

Baby Z turns out to be a little motor and loves to move around and explore! She can now:
-crawl
-crawl and sit and crawl and turn, basically, she can get around and get into things...
-pull herself up
-cruise around while supporting herself on the furniture
-walk with the help of a walker
-play ball with our dog Taco (CUTEST THING EVER!!! - she throws it and he gets it)
-initiate 'peek-a-boo' by hiding behind a blanket/book/something like that and then pulling down so we can see her again
-throw tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants (I thought this was supposed to start at 2 years old?!?!)
-sleep through the night (it's happened 4 days out of 7... I might be pushing my luck on this one, but I'm hoping it sticks!)

She also just had her first fever ever yesterday & today (started last night and lasted all day today). She seems fine otherwise so we're not too worried. Maybe we'll see more teeth soon? She only has the bottom two so far! Oh and she still eats like a champ! I'd say her favourite foods are fish, bananas, black beans, avocados, and berries.

We may have found a good daycare for her, I'll keep you updated about that!

Finger painting with an 8 month old

Oh what an adventure! My wise sister-in-law had cautioned me against doing finger painting and play-doughing too early, she said it would make a mess and Baby Z would just end up eating everything. Even so, I was all together too excited to let the opportunity pass me by, especially because I thought the finger painting project could be turned into a Mother's Day present for my mom, so why not try?

Of all days, I chose the day I had to bring the car to the shop to get the tires changed (here in Quebec we change from winter tires to summer tires and back every year and it is against the law not to do so!). It was very eventful because I couldn't find my summer tires in my parent's garage where they were supposed to be. I finally got hold of my mom who told me they were under the deck, and was able to drop them off at the shop and all was well that ends well.

But I digress. All that to tell you that while looking for the tires, I was also making home made finger paint for the first time in my life using this recipe:
http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2011/06/squeezable-homemade-finger-paint/

It worked out really well actually, I liked the texture of the paint and the fact that I knew exactly what was in it so I wouldn't mind too much if Baby Z ate some.

The project I had in mind for Mother's Day was found on Pinterest:
http://deborahgilbert42.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/capris-valentine-craft, and instead of writing 'LOVE', I spelled out Z's name using tape, which actually turned out to be fairly time-consuming.

Once we (I) got everything ready, we got started! I set the paper in front of Baby Z, put a spoonful of finger paint on the paper and showed her how to smear it around on the paper. She did not want to play nicely with the finger paint. Oh no! She did want to eat some of it, but mostly, she wanted to pick up the piece of paper, rip it, and then eat it. I figured I would remedy this situation by giving her a blank piece of paper she COULD rip, not the beautiful work of art we would later give my mom, but no no no, she had her mind set on the piece of paper with her name on it. Once she realized I wouldn't let her rip THAT piece of paper, she started howling! So much so that my dad came in wondering what had happened. Oh not much, just that my 8-month-old daughter won't cooperate with my art project for my mom.

I'd like to say I've learned my lesson and that there won't be a next time and that I will listen to my sister-in-law's recommendations, but I know myself. I know I like projects way too much to give up this easily. Anyway, I do have some of Baby Z's finger prints on the paper, of the times she tried (and failed) to grab and rip the piece of paper, so all in all, I won the battle and my mom will receive a beautiful piece of art for Mother's day. Maybe next time we'll try to make homemade play dough?

Easy DIY baby toys

This past week has been full of easy DIY baby toys so I thought I'd share!

First, at my daughter's development class we made different texture booklets. To do this, you need to:
1. Find a few cool textures (we used: a cut up squishy ball, a cut up bath mat, a cut up stuffed animal (for the fur), a few sparkly stickers and foam)
2. Punch a hole in each item
3. Secure them together with something
4. Voilà!

Then, it was Easter so I bought colourful plastic eggs for Baby Z's first Easter egg hunt. I just hid a few of her toys in the eggs and she really enjoyed it. But the next day, I had a brilliant idea! We could make shakers out of the eggs! This is a really easy toy to make. All you have to do is:
1. Find a small container (ex. a plastic Easter egg)
2. Fill it with something you think will make a cool sound (we used: rice, lentils, and corn)
3. Shake it!
4. Voilà!

I have a few crafty projects in mind for the coming weeks so I will keep you updated on how those go!

Diaper wrangling

This should be a new Olympic sport, but who would provide the babies? haha! What I'm referring to here is the diaper change when baby just wants to crawl away. I'll take you through the steps:

1. Baby begins on her back

2. Baby twists and turns and arches her back, finally ending up on her stomach

3. Baby crawls away

This is great news for her motor development, and I'm glad she has mastered all of these skills. However, diaper changing has never been harder! So now here are some tricks I've discovered/stolen from other mommies:

1. Change baby on the floor (this should be obvious, as a baby crawling away from a changing table would be a serious hazard)
2. Give baby a toy/clean diaper/soother/anything to keep his hands and eyes busy in the meantime
3. Change baby near a mirror (those little egocentrics just love to smile at themselves)

*Oh my goodness tonight was the worst ever! She just kept running (crawling) away and I had to call for reinforcement (husband) to help distract her while I got the diaper on!

8 months

8 months already! It is scary to think of how fast time is going by. I feel like it definitely speeds up exponentially after the 6-month mark! Probably because Baby Z has changed so much in two short months and also probably because this means I only have 4 months left of maternity leave! Ah!

Baby Z can now:
-crawl on all fours (watch out Taco!)
-pull herself up to stand with assistance
-eat pretty much anything we give her (with certain exceptions, of course!)

Also, she has a tooth!!!! I have been waiting this tooth since she was 3 months old, I even bet my family she would have it before Christmas - boy was I off! I also predicted she'd be a boy... oh dear, my intuition seems be be off lately! She also has more hair, which I can't wait to be able to do fun stuff with, like pigtails, ponytails, and umbrellas. She also has a silly face she does where she scrunches up her nose. It is the cutest thing ever!

I have been really discouraged about finding a daycare... I have visited quite a few and none have seemed quite right yet. I'm hoping we won't have to settle for a mediocre daycare and/or pay millions of dollars for a great daycare.

I feel like I'm forgetting things, but I will keep you updated!

Dog & baby similarities

I know I should't compare my baby to other babies, but nowhere does it say not to compare your baby to your dog... when you do, the similarities are uncanny!

They both:

• love balls
• walk on all fours
• pant when excited (my baby might be weird)
• love squeaky toys
• love going outside
• love tissue and toilet paper (playing with and eating it)
• love getting into the dog food and water bowls (there has been no eating of the dog food by Baby Z ... yet!)

Public vs. private

OK so I just re-read this and it's a very long post! I guess I had to get some stuff off my chest!

I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which is a great place to live. I've already posted about how much I love the multicultural vibe this city has, and so many things to offer: museums, restaurants, shows, etc. I am so grateful to live somewhere that is safe and peaceful and have an amazing quality of life. Of course I know that isn't true for everyone, but as far as cities go, this one does a pretty good job of helping the less fortunate. Now I'm going to get into the public vs. private debate today, because there are many things that have been brewing in my mind for quite a while. I'll start off with the negatives to end on a positive note.

The roads here are ridiculously bad. They are notorious for having cracks and potholes, and often you'll hear people say it's because of the weather (side note: there is currently a huge snow storm and it's March 30th... no spring yet here!). You only have to cross the border into Ontario or New York or Vermont to know that the weather thing is a huge lie. They have similar weather conditions and their roads are amazing. So what's the problem? There is a huge construction mafia here, the government actually had to make a public inquiry to try to catch the 'bad guys' of the construction world. And even if they catch a few, my guess is that generally speaking, the situation will still be bad. As I understand it, government officials give contracts to 'friends', who then 'fix' the roads... with the worst kinds of materials so that they'll have to fix them again next season... So that's the first bad publicly managed thing here in Quebec.

The next few are very similar. A two-tiered system has been set up and I'm not even sure that's what the government was going for when it started. I'm a teacher. I would love to teach in a public school, however, if I want to have a job security and know where I am teaching a few months in advance, I have to wait 5-7 years for a permanent contract. During those years, I would have to substitute teach and hope for maternity leave contracts to build up my seniority. When Paul and I decided to move back to Montreal after living in Mexico, this was not an option we could afford, as he was not able to work because of his immigration status. There was no way I was going to be the main bread winner not knowing if I had a job from day to day. So I applied and got a job in a private school. Five years later, I have moved to another private school where I am sure I will have a job next year, most likely in Kindergarten, which is my preference. In the public sector, you can teach grade 1 one year and grade 6 the next, which means a lot of planning and a lot of new experiences. When you stick with the same grade for more than one year, your expertise builds up and you become a more confident teacher. Why the public sector has not figured this out is beyond me!

The health services are pretty similar. It is very common for people not to have a family doctor here, because there just aren't enough doctors (due to many factors; among which are salary and language). I luckily have a paediatrician for my baby, who is the same doctor who followed me during my pregnancy, so I can ask her about any little ailments I might have. My husband and I do not have a family doctor, which means we have to go to a drop-in clinic if/when we are sick. What tends to happen is that we don't ever go to the doctor when we are sick because who wants to sit in a waiting room with other sick people all day? The other options here are to go to the emergency room at the hospital or to pay to see a private doctor. We have tended to just not go anywhere and wait until we get healthy again, but this seems like a fault in the public system. I think preventative care would be best, and having incentives for doctors to stay in Quebec would probably be a good idea too!

In a similar vein, the daycare situation is a nightmare. Now there is definitely a silver lining, in that public daycares in Quebec cost 7$ a day - yes you read that right: 7$!!! Which is amazing IF you can get a spot. What I have heard is that is normally takes 4 to 5 years to get a spot in one of these public daycares, which is ridiculous, because at that point your baby will be going to preschool or Kindergarten. I am on waiting lists for three of these public daycares and am hoping to get lucky, but I also have looked into home daycares and private daycares which are subsidized (oh I forgot to tell you about private subsidized schools, which seems so paradoxal!). I'm also on waiting lists for about 10-15 private daycares, but as you can understand, they are all FULL! Finding a good daycare is a nightmare! And imagine if you were on welfare, it would make more sense to stay home on welfare than to look for a daycare.

Ok enough with the Debbie Downer stuff... here comes the positive aspects of paying a lot of taxes. Here are some things we get out of it:

The swimming pool, community center and hockey arena by my house are free! Completely free! Which means that even before becoming pregnant, I would go swimming once or twice a week to keep in shape. I love swimming laps. Since January, I've been going with my baby once a week. The pool also offers swim classes, but I was confident that I could teach my daughter how to enjoy the water, so I just go to the free swim time. It makes a really fun activity for baby and mommy completely free.

In a similar vein, the public library across the street from where I live is AMAZING! And free, of course. For kids, story time for 0-2 year olds is held every two weeks, the book and toy collection is amazing, and there is free computer access as well. For adults, the book collection is pretty good, and there are also CDs and DVDs to borrow. The quiet workspace has proven to be a haven for me every week in order to get my Master's readings and homework done.

While I do my readings and homework in the library, I am able to leave my daughter at a drop-off daycare. It is a subsidized daycare, so it only costs 4$ for a 3 hour chunk of time. I absolutely LOVE the daycare workers and trust them completely with my baby. I so wish that daycare could be full-time, but it is ONLY a drop-off daycare, open Monday to Thursday, and you can send your baby from either 9-12am or 1-4pm, but not the whole day. At this same place, workshops and development classes are offered and are completely free! I go to a mommy/baby group one a week with my daughter and am able to do different activities and meet different specialists (dental hygienist, nutritionist, etc.) all for free!

There are also breastfeeding groups every two weeks at the community clinic where moms can go to talk about various issues they are having and can find support.

And here comes the most amazing aspect of public support: how am I able to do all of these free activities every week? I am on paid maternity leave for a year. One whole year! Not only that, I was on preventative leave for 9 months because of the high risk of catching childhood diseases which could affect my fetus when I was working with young children in Kindergarten. So there may be many things that need improvement, but in general, I'm happy to live in a society that has chosen to respect mothers (I should say parents - dads get 5 weeks of paternity leave and then the maternity leave can actually be divided between parents if that is the couple's choice) and babies. This makes paying taxes A-OK for me. The roads may be bad and the healthcare and education situation may not be ideal, but in general, I think we have it really good here!

7 months

This past month, we've hung out with many different friends and had lots of playdates. My husband and I joke that baby Z has more friends than we do! Other than the occasional pacifier steal, Z plays really well with her friends.

She has also "played" in the snow for the first time. We do go outside every day, but she had never sat  and laid down in the snow.

As for milestones, there actually isn't much to report...
-she sits unassisted
-she eats well
-she is still pushing herself backwards but not moving forwards nor rolling very much
-she gets up on all fours sometimes and rocks back and forth
-she just started stringing syllables together this morning (ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, which her father automatically assumed was 'papa')

I am very happy to have a healthy baby!

6 months

Wow! Half a year has gone by... and I *only* have another 6 months with my little baby before I have to go back to work... They really do grow up quickly!

Baby Z can now:
-push herself backwards (she gets really frustrated when she wants a toy and is moving AWAY from it rather than TOWARD it)
-sing herself to sleep (so cute!)
-sit unassisted (but she falls once in a while)
-pet the dog gently (OK OK, the occasional clump of hair comes out once in a while)

But the biggest news is that SHE STARTED EATING! We do a mix of baby-led weaning (you can read up on it here) and purées and she has a great appetite. The only thing she didn't like so far were black beans (uh oh! This is a bad sign for a half-Mexican baby... thank goodness she loved avocado, right?).

We've been keeping busy with different outings. We went to the Biodome, McCord Museum, skating, swimming and to different playdates and mommy/baby classes. It is so much fun, but I won't lie, there are definitely tough moments too. The toughest are when I need to sleep and she decides she doesn't want to sleep and is just being a grouch. Those suck.

A guess at her personality tells us that so far she's fairly easy-going, but when she's mad, boy is she ever mad! She can also be a bit of a drama queen at times, especially when she wants to be picked up. It's like it's the absolute end of the world! I guess if we look at that on the bright side, she knows what she wants and is very perseverant about getting it!

I love that I have this blog to look back on and see how much she changes every month! Oh and on a totally un-related note, this is my new favourite song:

Out the door

Five months of going on daily walks with a dog and a baby later, I can now tell you my tips on how to get everyone ready to go. It still takes between 10-15 minutes to get ready, but I now have a system, and it works pretty well. 

First: get the dog ready, since he is the most patient of all three (maybe that should be me, right?) and also, he won't overheat in his collar! haha! Basically, I just snap his collar on hold on to the leash. 

Second: get self ready, since I don't mind being boiling hot while I get my daughter ready, and the opposite is definitely not true. We all learn from our mistakes. In order to get myself ready, I need to get everything I need close to me so that I can put my boots on and not make a mess in the house by putting them on first and then looking for things. Again, I learn from my mistakes. So once I have Baby Z's things and my things close by, I put my boots, jacket, hat and scarf on. Oh and I tie the dog leash diagonally across myself so that I can have both hands free.

Third: get baby ready. As I've mentioned above, the timing is crucial here. Go too quickly and she'll wait while I lock the door and get the stroller, go too slowly and she'll already be overheating inside the house. So I put her mitts, boots, hat and snowsuit on. 

Fourth: get out of the house. I grab Baby Z in one hand, open the door with the other, tell the dog to go out and wait for me (did I mention how well he listens? If you forgot, you may want to read about our dog training experience again). I then get my keys, phone and mitts and walk out the door. Just so you know, we are still on the third floor here, we aren't actually outside yet. Then I lock the door, grab the stroller with my free hand (Baby Z is still in the other), and walk down the three flights of stairs, and assume the dog will follow (he does). 

Fifth: Open the stroller with one hand (yes, my stroller is amazing - thank you City Mini GT!), place baby inside stroller, cover her up with the plastic cover because it is somewhere between -10 and -20C outside, clip the dog's leash to his collar, open the door and somehow manoeuvre all of us out the door. 

As I've said, if I manage to get this done within a 10-15 minute time period, we've succeeded and are off for our walk! If it takes longer, we still walk, I just feel tired and discouraged when we leave. It has never been more efficient (unless someone else helps me, obviously), but I hope with time we'll at get better at this - oh and with warmer temperatures it will also clearly be more easy. 

5 months!

I'm using the last minutes of nap time to try to get you caught up (she's already been sleeping for two hours so who knows how long this will last).

Baby Z:
-can sit (with help)
-can laugh (eating her toes causes her to chuckle)
-can roll (but only when she really feels like it, like once every two weeks or something)
-is experimenting with gravity (i.e. throwing all toys on the floor)
-can drool like it's nobody's business
-thinks everything should be tasted
-loves to smile
-loves to talk/sing
-loves the water & "swimming"

For her 5-month birthday, I dropped her off at daycare for a few hours in order to get some of my masters assignments done (this is probably the crappiest gift she'll ever get - oh you're older, here let's drop you off with strangers and see how you like it). I'm happy to say it went really well, she even drank from the bottle (remember the bottle story?). I also got my readings and reflections done for the week!

What else is new? We spent about a month in Mexico, during which time we went to 3 weddings, celebrated Christmas, New Year's Eve and Three Kings day. We spent time with family, in the pool and watching The Sound of Music more times than I can count. We ate SOOOOO well (and I surprisingly did not gain weight - breastfeeding WIN!). Oh we also did not get stomach sick - we got a cold for a few days, but nothing major. We saw lots of good friends.

Ok, this is probably the crappiest writing you'll ever read, but I'm saving the good stuff for the Masters, OK? OK.