For a week and a half now, we haven’t had a poopy diaper. Not because Sophia hasn’t gone to poo, but because she has figured out how to poo in the toilet! I’m soooo proud of her (declared with a swagger of a proud mama). hahahaha She’s done it in the toilet six times in a row. I am hoping that this is not a fluke.
I learned about “elimination communication” (or EC) when Sophia was about eight weeks old and I decided to start trying it with her. I thought EC was a long shot and wishful thinking, really, but babies truly are amazing. That she can figure out that I want her to poo in the toilet instead of the diaper, at five months, is pretty amazing.
Anyway, I just had to share that and I hope I’m not jinxing my luck by doing so. I really hope Sophia has really figured it out and this isn’t just a fluke!
22 January 2011
17 January 2011
A challenging month
It’s been a challenging month. We (Ed, Sophia, and I) have been sick since Christmas eve with the cold. We were just getting over the cold the first week of January when it struck again. I couldn’t believe we got the cold twice in a row. We are just getting over the second one now. It’s so awful to have baby get sick. It’s not like she can blow her nose or clear her throat. Poor Sophia. And now I realize that getting sick takes on a whole new dimension because even when all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and drink some Nyquil to knock myself out, I had to keep on breastfeeding and caring for a baby. It was a blessing that Ed was home for the holidays because at least, there was another person who can look after Sophia while I napped for an hour or two during the day. I’m so glad we’re all feeling better now and I am hoping that we don’t catch another bug.
Christmas was pretty low key for us. My brother and niece were visiting from Edmonton the week before Christmas and it was such a treat to be able to spend time with them. I’m glad we didn’t infect them too badly with our cold.
When I was still pregnant with Sophia, I told myself that I wouldn’t be an anxious mom. The thing I realized the month of December was this is way easier said than done. I let myself worry about this little thing and that little thing and before I knew it, I was one big ball of anxiety. My baby was sick, my milk supply was going away, none of my clothes fit me, my Christmas shopping wasn’t done yet, the Christmas cards were late, etc, etc, etc. There were moments when I found it hard to breathe because I was so tense with worry. My shoulders were constantly up to my ears. I was teary. Is this the post-partum blues people have been warning me about? Or am I just exhausted and sleep-deprived?
As the new year came around, I too started to come around. I reminded myself that life (and my maternity leave) is too short to be living this way. When I found my shoulders hunched up, I would stop and breathe deeply and consciously drop my shoulders to relax them. I began to identify what was making me feel anxious, just to help me make sense of what I was feeling. I stopped pretending that I was fine and started to open up to Ed and to friends about how I was feeling and the support I received helped ease the tension I felt inside. My close friend Lizza reminded me that Sophia can sense the energy I give off and I don’t want her feeding off my anxious energy. I want to enjoy this time that I have with her, but if I am full of worry how can there be room for joy? So, I am making room for joy by letting the anxiety go. A challenging task but I just need to focus on my happy, smiley baby Sophia. She’ll pull me through this.
Christmas was pretty low key for us. My brother and niece were visiting from Edmonton the week before Christmas and it was such a treat to be able to spend time with them. I’m glad we didn’t infect them too badly with our cold.
When I was still pregnant with Sophia, I told myself that I wouldn’t be an anxious mom. The thing I realized the month of December was this is way easier said than done. I let myself worry about this little thing and that little thing and before I knew it, I was one big ball of anxiety. My baby was sick, my milk supply was going away, none of my clothes fit me, my Christmas shopping wasn’t done yet, the Christmas cards were late, etc, etc, etc. There were moments when I found it hard to breathe because I was so tense with worry. My shoulders were constantly up to my ears. I was teary. Is this the post-partum blues people have been warning me about? Or am I just exhausted and sleep-deprived?
As the new year came around, I too started to come around. I reminded myself that life (and my maternity leave) is too short to be living this way. When I found my shoulders hunched up, I would stop and breathe deeply and consciously drop my shoulders to relax them. I began to identify what was making me feel anxious, just to help me make sense of what I was feeling. I stopped pretending that I was fine and started to open up to Ed and to friends about how I was feeling and the support I received helped ease the tension I felt inside. My close friend Lizza reminded me that Sophia can sense the energy I give off and I don’t want her feeding off my anxious energy. I want to enjoy this time that I have with her, but if I am full of worry how can there be room for joy? So, I am making room for joy by letting the anxiety go. A challenging task but I just need to focus on my happy, smiley baby Sophia. She’ll pull me through this.
14 December 2010
December update
The Christmas festivities have begun. Ed, Sophia, and I attended my work Christmas party last Dec 3. Since I am on maternity leave, I have seen my coworkers only a handful of times since August. It was great to see everybody and have a chance to catch up with my colleagues. Sophia got passed around the whole evening and she was such a good sport about it. She didn’t cry or whine at all. She looked so cute in her lovely red polka dot dress. (Thank you to my Tita Baby for the dress.)
The following evening, we asked a friend, Kiran, to babysit Sophia so that Ed and I could attend his work Christmas dinner at Chambar. It was the first time we have left Sophia with somebody else. Kiran and Sophia had a very good evening together, thankfully! And it was such a treat to be able to sit and eat dinner leisurely, with adult conversation to boot. The food was delicious, too. Thanks, Kiran, for looking after our baby girl.
On my birthday, Ed took the day off work (the best gift ever!) so that I don’t spend the day taking care of Sophia by myself. He also gave me a lovely present - a beautiful Mikimoto pearl necklace pendant. We went to the Secret Garden in Kerrisdale for high tea. I am a big fan of tea and going for high tea is always a special treat for me. It was Sophia’s and Ed’s first high tea! Unfortunately, I brought the camera but forgot to put in the memory card (mommy brain!) so no pictures of us enjoying our tea. Boo.
Sophia is 4 months old now and she has started to grab things with her hands. I mean actually focus on something and direct her hands toward the object. She has also started to squeal and giggle and “talk” more. I think she has realized that the sound she is hearing is her own voice. She sucks on her fingers and “talks” to herself. Sometimes it sounds like she’s singing. So cute. She also makes a clicking sound with her tongue, which she plays with a lot. We have started to put her down and get her to fall asleep without being rocked and swayed. This is a big development for us! And she usually falls asleep on her own, with some crying and whining, but it doesn’t take her long to do so. She’s figuring it out. She still sleeps longer when I am holding her compared to when she’s sleeping on her own. But I’m sure as she gets more accustomed to it, she’ll sleep longer and more restfully on her own.
 |
| Sophia and her red dress. |
The following evening, we asked a friend, Kiran, to babysit Sophia so that Ed and I could attend his work Christmas dinner at Chambar. It was the first time we have left Sophia with somebody else. Kiran and Sophia had a very good evening together, thankfully! And it was such a treat to be able to sit and eat dinner leisurely, with adult conversation to boot. The food was delicious, too. Thanks, Kiran, for looking after our baby girl.
 |
| Sophia sleeping on Kiran. |
On my birthday, Ed took the day off work (the best gift ever!) so that I don’t spend the day taking care of Sophia by myself. He also gave me a lovely present - a beautiful Mikimoto pearl necklace pendant. We went to the Secret Garden in Kerrisdale for high tea. I am a big fan of tea and going for high tea is always a special treat for me. It was Sophia’s and Ed’s first high tea! Unfortunately, I brought the camera but forgot to put in the memory card (mommy brain!) so no pictures of us enjoying our tea. Boo.
Sophia is 4 months old now and she has started to grab things with her hands. I mean actually focus on something and direct her hands toward the object. She has also started to squeal and giggle and “talk” more. I think she has realized that the sound she is hearing is her own voice. She sucks on her fingers and “talks” to herself. Sometimes it sounds like she’s singing. So cute. She also makes a clicking sound with her tongue, which she plays with a lot. We have started to put her down and get her to fall asleep without being rocked and swayed. This is a big development for us! And she usually falls asleep on her own, with some crying and whining, but it doesn’t take her long to do so. She’s figuring it out. She still sleeps longer when I am holding her compared to when she’s sleeping on her own. But I’m sure as she gets more accustomed to it, she’ll sleep longer and more restfully on her own.
 |
| She's getting taller! |
 |
| Still small enough to fit in a pail. |
 |
| Touching Neo for the first time. |
 |
| Go, Canucks, go! |
21 November 2010
She's rolling!
We've reached a new milestone with Sophia; she is able to roll from her back to her tummy. And once on her tummy, she can wiggle and spin around. It is an awesome milestone, however, it means I can't just leave her on the change table or the sofa any longer. And it also means a more challenging time getting her diaper and clothes on her. She is a lot more active now and she loves to sit upright or be on her feet. I've started to put her in the Bumbo seat and she seems to enjoy that.
For a video of Sophia at eight and fifteen weeks, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/liezel/5196768997/.
A lot of development for our baby girl the last couple of weeks. People often comment on how tiny Sophia is (she's in the 5th percentile for weight) but as Lori, a paddling-mate said, Sophia is big in other ways.
A lot of development for our baby girl the last couple of weeks. People often comment on how tiny Sophia is (she's in the 5th percentile for weight) but as Lori, a paddling-mate said, Sophia is big in other ways.
12 November 2010
Living room
When we moved into our townhouse five and a half years ago, I said “no more Ikea furniture”. I love Ikea, don’t get me wrong, but I was done with the particle board furniture. I want real wood furniture. So slowly and little by little, we’d buy a piece or a set to fill a room. The biggest purchase so far has been our bedroom set. The downside of real wood furniture, of course, is the price. I’ve been wanting to complete our living room for years but based on my research, it would cost around $2500 for an entertainment cabinet and a bookshelf. Now that we have a baby, gone are the days when we can spend that kind of money on furniture. So, I decided to check out Ikea. I found the Hemnes collection which is made of pine wood. At least it’s not particle board! We bought an entertainment cabinet, a wall shelf and a bookshelf for $750. Ed, with little assistance from me, has assembled the furniture and finally, our living room is looking pretty complete! That only took five and a half years to do. I’m very happy with how it has come together. The furniture doesn’t even really look like it’s from Ikea. We’ve also created space for a play area for Sophia. I’ll post pics soon.
Next up, the dining room. Maybe by 2012 we’ll have that done too.
Next up, the dining room. Maybe by 2012 we’ll have that done too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)