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.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Thursday, December 5, 2013
The bottle story
Once upon a time there was a little girl. Her mother had to go to her master's class once a week, during which her father and/or grandmother would take care of her. Since she was a breastfed baby, her mother pumped her milk during the class' scheduled break time and always ensured she left a good supply of breastmilk at home. From the time she was three weeks old until she was approximately two months old, this worked very well. The little girl had no problem with the Medela Calma nipple, which claimed (as did most nipples) that it was the most breast-like nipple EVER!
And then one day, she woke up. The newborn baby girl had become a REAL baby girl and did not like fake nipples. "You can't fool me" she thought. The following weeks were harrowing for her father. Instead of nicely drinking breastmilk from a bottle and drifting off to sleep, she cried and cried and cried. She would become red in the face and her father would try to calm her by saying, "There is nothing else I can do, you have to drink your milk from this bottle. I have no breasts." But the little girl would not listen.
Her mother became increasingly worried about leaving her, knowing that she would cry so much and that both the little girl and her father would suffer when she left. So it was decided that different techniques would be tried out.
First, her parents tried changing bottles, which seemed to work, for about a week, but that was the little girl's trick. She just wanted to keep her parents on their toes and make them realize that she would change her mind as often as she wanted.
Second, her parents thought they would try while her mother was at home. This idea was quickly abandoned, as her screams were so intense her parents thought the neighbours would hear.
Third, her mother tried feeding her out of a cup, which was an idea she had found on the Internet. This seemed to work, but the little girl was just playing around and spitting out most of the milk. The mess she made was not worth the tiny bit of milk she had ingested.
Fortunately, her parents have very good friends and family who were all willing to help. Remember the little girl's grandmother? She was able to give her a bottle once, with a fair amount of screaming, but still, she succeeded. Another couple of friends encouraged the girl's parents by saying their son had had a similar experience and that they should just keep trying different bottles until they found the right one. This is when the girl's mother decided to do THE GREAT EXPERIMENT.
THE GREAT EXPERIMENT began like this:
Every single bottle was tested by her mother, who made a little game out of the bottles. She tricked the little girl by feeding her when she really wasn't very hungry. She first gave her daughter a few sips of milk from the real breast and then would quickly switch to the bottle. She proceeded to do this with all eight bottles, automatically deleting the ones the little girl refused.
After the first round, there were approximately five bottles left in the running. A few hours later when the girl was somewhat hungry, her mother tried again. She refused the first two quite vehemently, but then became more interested in the third, to the point where she eventually sucked and gulped from the bottle rather than just playing around with it. Her mother was ecstatic, but did not want to count her chickens before they hatched.
A few hours later, her mother continued her routine: a few sips from the breast, a few sips from the bottle, going back and forth until the little girl had successfully drank half an ounce from the bottle.
Even later, her mother decided to try with a full once of milk. At about this time, the little girl's father came home from work. He decided he wanted to try too. The little girl kept drinking until the full ounce was gone! It seemed like the parents had a winner with the Avent bottle!
Since the little girl's parents now know that she is a trickster, they will continue to try the bottle once in a while, to ensure she continues to take it, because they know that what happened yesterday may never happen again...
And then one day, she woke up. The newborn baby girl had become a REAL baby girl and did not like fake nipples. "You can't fool me" she thought. The following weeks were harrowing for her father. Instead of nicely drinking breastmilk from a bottle and drifting off to sleep, she cried and cried and cried. She would become red in the face and her father would try to calm her by saying, "There is nothing else I can do, you have to drink your milk from this bottle. I have no breasts." But the little girl would not listen.
Her mother became increasingly worried about leaving her, knowing that she would cry so much and that both the little girl and her father would suffer when she left. So it was decided that different techniques would be tried out.
First, her parents tried changing bottles, which seemed to work, for about a week, but that was the little girl's trick. She just wanted to keep her parents on their toes and make them realize that she would change her mind as often as she wanted.
Second, her parents thought they would try while her mother was at home. This idea was quickly abandoned, as her screams were so intense her parents thought the neighbours would hear.
Third, her mother tried feeding her out of a cup, which was an idea she had found on the Internet. This seemed to work, but the little girl was just playing around and spitting out most of the milk. The mess she made was not worth the tiny bit of milk she had ingested.
Fortunately, her parents have very good friends and family who were all willing to help. Remember the little girl's grandmother? She was able to give her a bottle once, with a fair amount of screaming, but still, she succeeded. Another couple of friends encouraged the girl's parents by saying their son had had a similar experience and that they should just keep trying different bottles until they found the right one. This is when the girl's mother decided to do THE GREAT EXPERIMENT.
THE GREAT EXPERIMENT began like this:
Every single bottle was tested by her mother, who made a little game out of the bottles. She tricked the little girl by feeding her when she really wasn't very hungry. She first gave her daughter a few sips of milk from the real breast and then would quickly switch to the bottle. She proceeded to do this with all eight bottles, automatically deleting the ones the little girl refused.
After the first round, there were approximately five bottles left in the running. A few hours later when the girl was somewhat hungry, her mother tried again. She refused the first two quite vehemently, but then became more interested in the third, to the point where she eventually sucked and gulped from the bottle rather than just playing around with it. Her mother was ecstatic, but did not want to count her chickens before they hatched.
A few hours later, her mother continued her routine: a few sips from the breast, a few sips from the bottle, going back and forth until the little girl had successfully drank half an ounce from the bottle.
Even later, her mother decided to try with a full once of milk. At about this time, the little girl's father came home from work. He decided he wanted to try too. The little girl kept drinking until the full ounce was gone! It seemed like the parents had a winner with the Avent bottle!
Since the little girl's parents now know that she is a trickster, they will continue to try the bottle once in a while, to ensure she continues to take it, because they know that what happened yesterday may never happen again...
Friday, November 15, 2013
Three months!
She'll be three months tomorrow. Baby Z now:
-drools everywhere
-has discovered her mouth, in that she plays with her tongue a lot (pre-teething signs maybe?)
-has discovered her hands and likes to open and close them and grab objects
-has the most beautiful voice ever (better than Celine's! haha) and says things like 'ahhhh-ooooh'
I absolutely adore her!
-drools everywhere
-has discovered her mouth, in that she plays with her tongue a lot (pre-teething signs maybe?)
-has discovered her hands and likes to open and close them and grab objects
-has the most beautiful voice ever (better than Celine's! haha) and says things like 'ahhhh-ooooh'
I absolutely adore her!
Monday, November 4, 2013
All bundled up!
Though I am not receiving compensation for the product placement in this blog post, maybe I should contact the companies and let them know I'm doing this. Today I am going to tell you all about how I keep my baby warm when we go outside. I take the dog out for a walk every single day at around 4pm, so not having warm clothes and gear for Baby Z is not an option. I have three different alternatives depending on our mode of transportation.
1. My favourite way to get around is to walk and take the metro. With all of those stairs, the stroller becomes cumbersome and I prefer baby-wearing. When Z was little and it was still warm outside, I'd wrap my her up in the baby carrier (I have a Chimparoo Mei tai) and off we'd go. Now with the cold weather settling in I had to think of a different solution. There are various baby carrier covers out there, but the one I chose is very versatile since it does not zip into your jacket but clips onto it. This means that I can wear it with any jacket and daddy can also use it! It is waterproof and also has a down insert for when it gets really cold! Here is a picture of the Hatch Things:
2. The stroller also comes in handy for longer walks. I bundle Baby Z up in her Baby Gap snowsuit (which is still big on her) and clip her into her stroller and off we go. If it is too windy, or rainy or snowy, I also cover the stroller with the plastic cover. Here is a picture of the snowsuit and of Z in the stroller:
3. Finally, we do sometimes use the car to get around, and therefore use the car seat. We have a car seat cover from the Cou Lou company and we got a very cute penguin one. It is made to go down to -25C weather! We actually have to be careful not to overdress Z when we use this one as she could overheat in her car seat, the Cou Lou cover is so warm! Here is a picture of that one:
Finally, with all of these three things, I usually add a hat to Baby Z's normal outfit so it is very uncomplicated to get her dressed to go anywhere!
1. My favourite way to get around is to walk and take the metro. With all of those stairs, the stroller becomes cumbersome and I prefer baby-wearing. When Z was little and it was still warm outside, I'd wrap my her up in the baby carrier (I have a Chimparoo Mei tai) and off we'd go. Now with the cold weather settling in I had to think of a different solution. There are various baby carrier covers out there, but the one I chose is very versatile since it does not zip into your jacket but clips onto it. This means that I can wear it with any jacket and daddy can also use it! It is waterproof and also has a down insert for when it gets really cold! Here is a picture of the Hatch Things:
 |
| This is an official picture, those people are not me. I found the picture at: http://www.bumpbrooklyn.bigcartel.com/product/cold-snap-from-hatch-things |
 |
| Yes I definitely blurred out my kid's face. |
 |
| That's me with the orange tights and green stroller - the other stroller is my friend's. |
 |
| The striped blue and orange you see there is her tuque peeping through the Cou Lou cover's hole. |
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Two months!
At two months, I am amazed that baby Z can already:
- roll from her tummy to her back
- hold a conversation (her end sounds a lot like grrr, areuh, aaaah and pffff, but she does wait her turn to speak)
- hold her head up
- hit objects hanging above her with what seems like intention
- smile so big it makes your heart melt
Here is a picture of the beautiful fall weather we've been having, take it as an offering to compensate for my gloating.
- roll from her tummy to her back
- hold a conversation (her end sounds a lot like grrr, areuh, aaaah and pffff, but she does wait her turn to speak)
- hold her head up
- hit objects hanging above her with what seems like intention
- smile so big it makes your heart melt
Here is a picture of the beautiful fall weather we've been having, take it as an offering to compensate for my gloating.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Z's baptism week
Our last pair of visitors left this morning after a little over a week long celebration of baby Z. She is lucky to have such a wonderful family, so many people flew in from Mexico and New Jersey to see her.
First to arrive were her aunt S and fiancé. Last Monday, we went to the Old Port with them. We walked around the quays and the cobblestone streets and ended up in Les 3 Brasseurs for poutine and beer. We then went to the Quartier des Spectacles.
On Tuesday, Z's abuelo and abuela arrived as well as her godmother and cousins M & L. L was running a fever, so we just stayed home and enjoyed spending time together.
Wednesday was shopping day. We went downtown and ate at Ruebens, then went to the Eaton Centre and spent two hours in Gap Kids! The kids are now outfitted for the fall/winter. We then went to my parent's house for dinner and Z threw a fit in the car! We had to stop on the side of the road for me to breastfeed her.
That night was quite challenging, so I decided to stay home the next day to rest, while the family headed out to Saint Hubert street in hopes of finding nice material for Sophie's wedding. Z's aunt C also arrived on that day.
On Friday, S and abuela were sick! S felt better and went out to the museum of fine arts with her fiancé, my husband and Z's abuelo. Z's godmother, her two sons, C and I went to Melons & Clementines, a breastfeeding store, to look for a dress I could wear to the baptism and nurse in (by the way, if you know of a place I can get a fancy dress for a wedding that I can nurse in, please let me know!). We went to my parent's place for dinner again, and the car ride went smoothly that time.
Saturday was such a beautiful fall day! We went to Mount Royal for a family picnic with everyone (except abuela who was still feeling sick), and walked to the lookout point and then to the cross. That evening we went to Bevo restaurant in the Old Port.
Sunday was the big day! Z did so well during mass, she didn't even cry when they poured water on her head! I was sure she would wake up screaming! Afterwards, my parents had the reception at their place. As I've mentioned before, Z is truly blessed to have such an amazing family. My aunts and uncles and cousins were all there to meet her!
On Monday, C, the abuelos and I all went back to the Eaton Centre for some shopping. I had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon so I couldn't do that much. That evening we went to O Bico for dinner, a great little portuguese restaurant.
That pretty much sums it up. It was a blast and I'm hoping I didn't forget anything important!
First to arrive were her aunt S and fiancé. Last Monday, we went to the Old Port with them. We walked around the quays and the cobblestone streets and ended up in Les 3 Brasseurs for poutine and beer. We then went to the Quartier des Spectacles.
On Tuesday, Z's abuelo and abuela arrived as well as her godmother and cousins M & L. L was running a fever, so we just stayed home and enjoyed spending time together.
Wednesday was shopping day. We went downtown and ate at Ruebens, then went to the Eaton Centre and spent two hours in Gap Kids! The kids are now outfitted for the fall/winter. We then went to my parent's house for dinner and Z threw a fit in the car! We had to stop on the side of the road for me to breastfeed her.
That night was quite challenging, so I decided to stay home the next day to rest, while the family headed out to Saint Hubert street in hopes of finding nice material for Sophie's wedding. Z's aunt C also arrived on that day.
On Friday, S and abuela were sick! S felt better and went out to the museum of fine arts with her fiancé, my husband and Z's abuelo. Z's godmother, her two sons, C and I went to Melons & Clementines, a breastfeeding store, to look for a dress I could wear to the baptism and nurse in (by the way, if you know of a place I can get a fancy dress for a wedding that I can nurse in, please let me know!). We went to my parent's place for dinner again, and the car ride went smoothly that time.
Saturday was such a beautiful fall day! We went to Mount Royal for a family picnic with everyone (except abuela who was still feeling sick), and walked to the lookout point and then to the cross. That evening we went to Bevo restaurant in the Old Port.
Sunday was the big day! Z did so well during mass, she didn't even cry when they poured water on her head! I was sure she would wake up screaming! Afterwards, my parents had the reception at their place. As I've mentioned before, Z is truly blessed to have such an amazing family. My aunts and uncles and cousins were all there to meet her!
On Monday, C, the abuelos and I all went back to the Eaton Centre for some shopping. I had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon so I couldn't do that much. That evening we went to O Bico for dinner, a great little portuguese restaurant.
That pretty much sums it up. It was a blast and I'm hoping I didn't forget anything important!
Monday, September 16, 2013
One month
My favourite things about baby Z at one month:
1. She actually smiles at me (and at daddy)! These are 'for real' smiles, when she is wide-awake and not dreaming and looking at me straight in the eye. And yes, it is the single most wonderful feeling in the world. I hadn't experienced anything like it until now.
2. My husband thinks it's mean, but I really like her poop face! haha... She purses her lips and her eyes go all worried-looking and it is the cutest thing.
3. Her eyes. I think they will probably always be my favourite physical part of her. They are truly mesmerizing.
4. The way she is hypnotized by her mobile. I can play that thing for 20 minutes straight and she doesn't get bored! (I get really annoyed by the repetitive music though).
5. That she can (though doesn't always) sleep for 5 hours at a time. More of that would be nice.
I feel like Z is huge compared to when she was born! It's like her growth is visible to the naked eye! I'll post the monthly pictures on Facebook eventually. The lighting was off today when I took them.
1. She actually smiles at me (and at daddy)! These are 'for real' smiles, when she is wide-awake and not dreaming and looking at me straight in the eye. And yes, it is the single most wonderful feeling in the world. I hadn't experienced anything like it until now.
2. My husband thinks it's mean, but I really like her poop face! haha... She purses her lips and her eyes go all worried-looking and it is the cutest thing.
3. Her eyes. I think they will probably always be my favourite physical part of her. They are truly mesmerizing.
4. The way she is hypnotized by her mobile. I can play that thing for 20 minutes straight and she doesn't get bored! (I get really annoyed by the repetitive music though).
5. That she can (though doesn't always) sleep for 5 hours at a time. More of that would be nice.
I feel like Z is huge compared to when she was born! It's like her growth is visible to the naked eye! I'll post the monthly pictures on Facebook eventually. The lighting was off today when I took them.
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