Sunny spring day

It was so beautiful outside; the sun was shining and it wasn’t very cold at all.  So I laid out a big sheet onto the grass in front of our townhouse and enjoyed the sunshine with Sophia.

She's wearing a hand-me-down Lululemon jacket (thanks, Joshie and mommy Yvette!). The hat is a hand-me-down, too.  Thanks to my girlfriends for helping dress my baby in such cute outfits.  :)

SAHM

The use of acronyms in baby forums is quite common, so much so there are websites that explain what these acronyms mean. DH = dear husband, DD = dear daughter, BF = breastfeeding, BM = breast milk, and so on. The other day, I saw SAHM in a baby forum and couldn’t figure it out so I googled it. SAHM = stay at home mom!

It dawned on me that I am currently a SAHM (ha, I’m using the acronym!). I have not thought of myself as such because I am on my year-long maternity leave and the Canadian government is paying me to stay home. But my days revolve around caring for my baby, at home. So I guess that makes me a SAHM.

The first six months of Sophia’s life, there wasn’t much predictability to our days. We loosely followed a 3-hour cycle for feeding and sleeping but we didn’t get out of bed or go to sleep at a specific times. The length of her naps would vary quite a bit, too. I’d wait for Sophia to start whining or crying to tell me when she’s hungry or sleepy and I responded accordingly. I would also get out of the house often and take Sophia along. She napped in the baby carrier, car seat or stroller and I fed her whenever she got hungry, wherever we were.

When she turned six months, we trained Sophia to fall asleep on her own and established a routine for her. Nowadays, this is how our routine usually goes:
- wake up at around 7am
- around 8am, feed her cereal and fruit, then it’s playtime
- around 9:15am, time for morning nap (usually an hour long)
- playtime or a quick trip to the supermarket down the street then around 11:45am, lunch is served
- more playtime then around 1:30pm, time for afternoon nap (around 1.5 to 2 hours)
- go outside for a walk or play inside when rainy, then between 5:15 and 6:00 (depending on what time she woke up from her nap), dinner time
- between 6:15 and 7:00pm, start bathtime and bedtime routine
- between 7:15 and 8:00pm, bedtime and lights out

When we were starting to establish this routine during the sleep and nap training, it was me who had a hard time accepting it because it tied me down to the house too much. Sadly, I stopped going to the baby story time at the library down the street and the mommy/baby group sessions at our local community centre because they conflicted with Sophia’s nap times. But I’ve come to accept that for now, fitting our excursions around her nap times and following the routine are best for Sophia. The length of her naps are finally getting consistent. I realize too that I only have a few more months before I go back to work and I should just enjoy the time I am at home with her. My days of being a SAHM will be over too soon. Unless we win the lottery....

Here are photos of Sophia enjoying meal time and playtime:

Sophia at 7 months

While we were in Trinidad, Sophia learned to get herself from the laying down position to the sitting position.  I woke up one morning and found her sitting up in her crib.  When she saw me looking at her, she smiled at me and clapped her hands.  At first, she wasn't very good at getting herself back to the laying down position.  One day, she sat up in her crib, got sleepy and just folded over to fall asleep.  So cute.

Here is a picture with granddad.  The main reason we wanted to visit Trinidad was for Ed's dad to spend time with Sophia.

By the time we left Trinidad, Sophia had begun to crawl and pull herself up to standing.  Once we got back to Vancouver, we had to install baby gates in our house right away.  I've been teaching her how to safely get down from standing but she usually hangs on for dear life until I come and help her down.  I'm sure she'll figure it out soon.

Tobago

Last week, we enjoyed four days in Tobago with Ed's aunt Maureen and her son Ben.  Auntie Maureen took such good care of us!  Thanks, Auntie Moy!  We stayed at her timeshare unit at Sandy Point Beach Club.  The beach there wasn't that great so Auntie Moy took us to Canoe Bay, which has very gentle waves and shallow water.  It was perfect for babies and Sophia had a great time playing with the sand and water.  It seems that Sophia likes the taste of sand; she kept putting it into her mouth.  Our baby girl is definitely a beach baby.  We had such a fun time at Canoe Bay that we went back there the next two days.

Ed and I spent many hours chatting and laughing with Auntie Moy.  One night, she and Ed talked until 3am.  This was very special for Ed because he doesn't get to spend much time with his aunt, who he is very fond of.

The time we had in Tobago with Auntie Moy and Ben is definitely a highlight of our vacation.  Here are some pics...

At Sandy Point with Auntie Moy

Crawling around Canoe Bay

Showing off our polka dots

With Ben

Auntie Moy and Sophia

Greneda

We spent four days in Greneda, staying at a hotel situated by Grand Anse beach.  Greneda is lush and hilly.  The area we stayed in was pretty quiet and relaxing.  The beach was quite nice, although I expected the water to be more calm than it was.  The Grenadians were very friendly, always saying hello as they walk by you along the road.  We didn't do much, just hanging out at our hotel room, the pool, and the beach.  We made a few trips to the supermarket, which was a 15 minute walk from our hotel.  We had one day where it rained all day, so we stayed indoors and kept Sophia entertained on the king size bed.

The trip had a bit of a rough start.  When we arrived at the hotel, we were informed that there was a mix up with our reservation.  The studio we reserved (room with a kitchen) wouldn't be available until the following day and we will have to stay in a standard room for the first night.  Annoying!!!  Later that afternoon, we were having an early dinner in the restaurant by the beach.  It was nice at first but when dusk came, mosquitoes started dining on us!  I literally shoved my food down my throat, picked up Sophia and ran out of there.  The next day, Ed suggested I go back to the restaurant by the beach to enjoy a late lunch while Sophia napped.  I had about an hour before I had to be back in the room to nurse Sophia.  I was excited to enjoy a leisurely lunch, which is such a treat for me. I ordered my lunch, sat back, and gazed out to the ocean, enjoying the breeze and the sound of the waves.  I waited and waited.  It took 45 minutes for my food to arrive and by this time, my mood was pretty sour.  My leisurely lunch was not to be.  I was so upset that I asked for my food to be packed up and I refused to pay the bill.  They messed up my room reservation and now they have messed up my treat.  To top it off, the manager phoned our room to apologize and the phone ringing woke up Sophia.  Thankfully, after all this, things went smoothly.  The manager even offered a complimentary dinner to make up for all the earlier debacle.

This was our first time staying at a hotel with a baby.  I didn't even think about this when we were planning the trip - when Sophia goes down for a nap, the room has to be quiet.  So Ed and I whispered and tiptoed a lot during the four days.  Next time, we're getting a suite with a separate bedroom.

Here are some pics from our stay in Greneda...