Discovery and Balance

Emily has developed a great deal this summer.  She has enjoyed being able to crawl around with no problem and has picked up some speed, pulling herself to her feet and cruising along the furniture.  Standing and getting back to a seated position are done quickly.  She is starting to grasp the floor and then sit, as far as standing on her feet solo usually happens with a bit of a crash.  I have become a gymnastic spotter and am moving more quickly than I ever have before.  Minor bumps and bruises have occurred but she is getting more stable everyday.

A wake of toys develops in her path.  She is into everything and loves to look at books, make noise on the piano and play with her dollies.  The Little People Dollhouse is her newest discovery, she is very interested in flushing the toilet (it makes noises), and driving the little car around.

Emily with be one year of age next month.  Where has the time gone?  I have been in super mommy mode that I have not been keeping track of the days.  We will have a cake and prezzies for her, while visiting with family and friends.  Should be allot of fun for all.

Four teeth have now appeared and the fifth one is on its way.  We have been brushing and she will suck on her toothbrush while I am trying to teach her the importance of it. Her teeth have been giving her a little grief, but nothing out of the ordinary.  Some days are better than others,  she eats allot and others not so much.  Sleepy days to being restless.  Happy go lucky sometimes turns into weepy and cranky.  She is mostly such a delight to have and I have been trying to relive some symptoms with Baby Tylenol or Camilla Teething Holistic Solution.  She is eating things like Cherrios, Toast, Biscuits,  some soft fruits and veg (chopped).  As well as water and juices.  I do fill her tummy up with strained and junior foods due to she has a strong gag reflex and the whole foods frustrate her and she will want to stop eating.  I am in no rush to hurry her along and know she is doing the best she can with only 4 teeth. Soon she starts on Homo Milk and I can stop buying formula.  Already she has had small amounts of yogurt and peanut butter and I found no reaction to it.  She is fond of spaghetti and likes to eat home made stews (pureed).  I do admit she has enjoyed the occasional spoon of cheesecake or ice cream.  But sweets are kept to a minimum and only happened on a holiday get-together.

Everyone that meets Emily loves her and says what a wonderful girl she is.  We love you cutie!

Many Milestones

Emily is doing well these days.  She is eating wonderfully and sleeping through the night 4 out of 7 days a week.  Her smiles in the morning make me melt and we start the day off with fun and games.  She is clever and has figured out how to say mumma and dadda, Maple comes out sounding like mabba and grandma...gabba.  Hi and yea is her response to questions. She also waves with her hand turned around in an Italian way.  We have the arrival of 2 front bottom teeth.  She has been chewing on everything and I warn family members not to stick there fingers in because they are very sharp.

She is full of sunshine when she smiles.

Emily got weighed today and is 22 lbs.  She is an impressive 74 cm long.  Her feet are almost a size 4 and she is wearing size 18 month clothing.  The doctor says that she is larger that the average baby, but nothing to be concerned about.  She is a very good size for her frame.  In 2 weeks she will be 8 months already (time is flying by). 

Her hair is red with blond highlights and her eyes have stayed blue.

She is easy to entertain but loves to be active and play so much that it is exhausting.  I can see a little frustration in her that wants to take to her heals and get running.  She is still tyring to figure out how to crawl.  It is either her head up or the other, but not at the same time yet.  She can log roll to the toy that she wants or dose a sort of inch worm on her back.  It surprises me how fast she can move like that.  Singing and rhythm is improving and dancing is starting to happen with a little nod of her head.  Today she was singing a song about dadda and had one word in the lyrics...dadda...dadda...dadda, I think there was an "oh yea" in there too.  Her grasp is improved greatly and she can hold on to something and twirl it around in her fingers like a baton.  Every day she has something new or is practising her skill.

She is a wonderful girl.

I am  so happy to finally be a mother.  The heavens opened up and delivered us this perfect little girl.  She is a happy, beautiful baby.

Patience is a Virtue

Jungle gyms are an easy way of keeping her amused.

Emily is growing leaps and bounds lately.  She hasn't been weighed recently, but I am sure that she is about 20lbs.  She has started baby food and we are having no trouble with it.  Bananas seem to be the favourite right now.  Meat is another story.  I don't think that it is as smooth as cereal, fruit or veg.  The baby bullet can turn a chicken breast into pate.  It seems to be the only thing that she wont eat and having to watch her gag and make the face is unberable.  I have also started her on Good Start 2, with added iron and calcium, omega 3 & 6 as well as Probiotic cultures.  She loves her bottles, and I have a sippy cup ready in the cupboard for water and juice when I feel she is ready for it.

On the floor is the best place to put her now that she is rolling over.

Maple is warming up to the idea about having a baby and is amazed about her.  Emily also watches the dog a little and has reached out for her a couple of times.  Maple is still keeping out of arms reach from her.  Just as well, although soon I will have to watch for first contact and make sure that nothing happens when Emily grabs a fist full of hair. 

She plays with more than one toy at once and flings them away to grab another.

Play time is a must and she is funny to watch.  She loves new toys and they seem to keep her occupied a little longer than normal.  She puts her tongue on everything and has to make sure if it is edible or not.  Her daddy loves to get her toys and he also loves to press the buttons on them at the store (as many of them as he can..lol).  We are having a wonderful time being parents.  Some days are more challenging than others, but we still work though the tough part and have a nap.  Patiences is a virtue!

This is a normal occurance, she plays till she falls a sleep still holding toys.

Hoppy Easter

Emily and I are doing well.  She is up to 18lbs and at 71cm long she is shorter than mum by 3 feet.  This monday Emily will be 23 weeks already.  Time flies!  She can sit up and stand on her own breifly, only getting stronger by the day.  Some cereal and fruit are being eaten, but she still likes the bottle best.  Cereal seems to be palatable, we have tried a couple of spoons of apples and pears, they didnt go over so well. 


She looks to be worried of the ears on
her head.







I am dealing with a little fatigue.  She can only sleep about 6 hours with out getting up again.  I am used to getting atleast 7hours of uninterrupted.  It really isnt just sleep that is slowing me down but a sore back and wrists are giving me trouble too.  Lifting and holding her is a challenge to do all day long and makes me put her down to rest.  I can't help myself, she is so cute. 








I couldent resist a picture with maple too.



Sitting, Singing and Sight

Emily and I sitting on the couch discussing current events.

Emily is getting stronger every day.  She has no trouble sitting up and holding her head strait for quite a while.  She dose get a little silly and wiggles around until she is comfortable.  Some times that position isnt always the right one for posture, but whatever (insert giggle).



Drool flows constantly and is only to increase upon the arrival of teeth.



Conversations can last until she falls asleep.  She will babble and coo to me, and make funny faces then have a little chuckle about the whole thing.  She is very alert and loves to hear music and tries to sing along. 



She dose get tired of sitting and I get one of these looks. 
She is as if to say I had better hurry up and get her out of the chair.



She is going to be a social little girl.  When we are in the mall together, she is very aware of who is around and people watches with me.  It is fun some of the goofy looks we get from people when they see her.  I just wonder what I look like when I am entertaining her.  I caught my self singing on the buss.  I just happen to look up and almost everybody was looking at me (insert giggle).  I was a little embarrased but who cares she is only going to be a baby once, so I am going to have fun and enjoy it.



Family Visits.

Having time with her daddy.  We hope to have a family picture taken of the three of us soon.  I would like to get my old maple in a photo with her.  Emily was in good humour most of the time.  We had a real little tummy giggle from her for the first time tonight.  She has really been working on trying to roll over.  With a little help she did and was pleased.  Thank goodness for digital cameras that can take many pictures.  I dont want to miss a thing and keep all my recorded memories special.  

It was exciting to see my aunt Debbie and uncle Paul today.  It was a must to get out this weekend on such a nice day.  I couldn't think of any better reason than to familiarize Emily with loved ones.  We also had a visit from her uncle Tim tonight.  It was good to see that he is very taken by his new niece, and is a good uncle.  This week we will get to visit with aunt Jackie.  She will be at moms along with my sister and two nieces.  I cant wait for them to meet Emily and watch them fall in love with her as quickly as I am.  In one glance she can turn me to a pile of mush.  They say that "you would jump the moon for your children" and now I know why.

Daddys Care

Todd and Emily are having quality time together.  He is very good at settling her down for naps and keeping her happy with toys and bottles.  I so enjoy the time that I get to accomplish tasks, while she is in his care. 

They are so relaxed around each other.  Todd is a natural at being a father.  We are blessed to have a family together.  I love you both so much.  I couldn't be happy without you both.

Tub Time

She is in the tub for a splash with all of her marine life.  This little tub is great.  She is still small enough to wash at the table, soon I will have to put it in the big tub for fear of overflow.  It has a plug in the bottom that will drain without having to lift it.  She dose enjoy the water and bubbles.    This is one of those pictures that has to be saved for her wedding up on the big screen.  Have fun my sweetie!


All clean and ready to start the day. 
Shortly after this happy picture she fell asleep.



Whinnie the Pooh's Cousin

This is her new layette outfit.  It came with toque, bib, gown and booties.  I love it because it is a little to big (size 9 mnths), but it is a gown so that really isnt an issue.  The open bottom gives her room to kick and bicycle and allows me to change diapers easy and quick.  It is 100% cotton and has silky embroidered bears all over the front of the pj's. 


I told her that I think the pink bear was Whinnie the Pooh's cousin.
With that smile, I think she belives me.



Bumbo Chair

Here is Emily sitting in her Bumbo Chair for the first time.  She is a little wobbly, but did enjoy her time there. 

She is feeling a little better with eating more and coughing less.  She did still have a bad spell last night but that was the only one all day.  I am  keeping the humidifier working full time and we spend 15 minutes in the bathroom with a warm, fog.  I am also to give her 10 ml of warm water or apple juice to try and soften and break the mucus up, while I am in there with her.

Update:
This afternoon she had a bad coughing spell.  I packed her up and went to see the Dr.  He has given us antibiotics and said that she should be feeling better in a couple of days.  Thank goodness!



She was very happy to sit up on her own.



It was pretty neato being able to see her runners.



Traveling Bottle Warmer

We had gotten this bottle warmer last week from Babys R Us.  It is Prince LionHeart brand and costs about 16 dollars.  All you do is snap the metal disk inside the gel pack and it starts to crystalize and throw off heat.  Then just wrap it around your bottle and place inside the carrier.  I love it and Emily likes the warm bottles to go.  It will stay warm for about 3 hours.  When done using it, I place it in boiling water for about 15 minutes and it returns back to a clear, fluid state.  I was chatting with a lady on the bus, and she showed me it.  Two Thumbs Up!

New Ways To Lounge.

Here she is all proped up like the Dr. suggested.  We had a trip to the Emergency on Saturday night.  They observed her for a couple of hours and sent us home.  She was coughing so hard that she kept loosing her breath and then would vomit.  Poor baby! 

We got a cute little toddler bed from friends of ours.  Not that she is going to spend the night in it any time soon.  But it is a spot that I can put her down in her room to change her clothes or just to play with toys and read books.

The Cold

Emily has a little bit of a cold today.  She is coughing a little, no fever or runny nose.  She is eating well and is happy.  The weather is not co-operating for us to go to the Dr's.  We are going to wait until tomorrow and zip across the road to the walk-in-clinic (its not open today).  I have given her a little bit of Infants Tylenol.  It has made her sleepy and hungery.  Most importantly I am keeping her clean by changing her cloths and bibs frequently and making sure she is dry and warm.  Get well soon my sweetheart!

Update:  Monday, January 30, 2012
We have been to see a Dr.  She has a viral cold, that it.  There is no medication that she needs.  I am to keep an eye on her temperature.  If she starts running a fever, I am to take her back in to the Dr's office for medication.  I guess we just have to let this run its course.  Hopefully this week it will be gone. 

Emliy's Portrait

Emily had her portrait taken.  There was a dozen of her in lovely poses and costume.  She did her best to keep interest and beauty through out the sitting.  Unfortunatly the packages were very expensive.  We still have plenty of other pictures that find her comfortable and relaxed.

Baby Gadgets



Sterilizer and Bottle Warmer

  I have aquired some baby gadgets that have made my day to day easier.  No, they are not top of the line.  With a low income they are products that still get the job done and dont break the budget.  My sterilizer has cut time in half.  Just pour in water from a little cup located at the top of the center column.  And turn on, the whole process take about 5 minutes.  I then just remove the trays and let stand till dry.  The bottle warmer has a little vial on the side that you fill with water pour in.  Place the bottle in and in a minute it is warm.  It will also do baby food jars. Easy Peasy!



Wipes Warmer

This is my wipes warmer.  Inside is an antibacterial pad that the wipes sit on.  This pad has to be moistened with water every couple of days.  Not doing this will burn the pad and will have to be replaced before its time.  I do find that she likes a warmer wipe rather than one out of the plastic box, there is less kicking and wiggling while I am trying to get the diaper on.

Diaper Genie 2 Elite

 The good old diaper Genie.  Finally I have one, I should have gotten one earlier.  It is so easy to use.  The foot pedal opens the lid and as it closes it drops the diaper into the bottom of the container.  It is a relief having one because I dont have to take a hand off of her while she is on my changing table.  It is also good at holding in the odor.  Her room is now smelling better and I feel safer changing her up on the dresser.  Yeay!

Heated Throw

Yes, I have a heated throw.  When I get up with Emily in the mornings it is nice to snuggle under with a bottle and the tv remote.  We are both comfortable and relaxed without a shiver.  I find that it is also nice to use when we come in from winter outside.  I do put a blanket over Emily and then the heated throw.  It is a sure way to settle her down and get her to sleep.

Cozy Sweater!

A sweater that I had knit for my nephew, but found that It was too small.  Emily has been wearing it and always falls asleep.  It is an easy hoodie, with a single cable up either side of the button band.  Easy and Inexpensive to make.

Ready for Winter

Emily and I have been working on a Heads, Hands and Toes pattern.  She spent most of the day sleeping and only getting up to eat or change.  I however had my nimble fingers sewing and folding fabrics to make this sweet little ensenble.

Todd has been visiting this weekend and has helped free up some time to accomplish a couple of things that have been on the back burner. 

Although I have had little time to myself I am liking mommyhood and know that it gets better the harder you work at it.


Update: Sunday March 4th, 2012

Emily's socks have been finished. I still have enough wool to make a larger leg warmer that would travel over the knee.  I am quietly working on a Pram Suit, made with peach Denim from Sirdar.  Emily is doing well these days and has grown tremendously.   She is a contented baby though we do have some water works when she feels tired.  I am having the time of my life with her and will enjoy the new milestones.