First family vacation

We're in Trinidad currently, spending time with and introducing Sophia to Ed's family here. It was a long journey to get here (we had to stay overnight in Edmonton) and I was worried about how Sophia would handle it. She was awesome! She didn't cry at all and was amiable the entire trip. Once we arrived in Trinidad, I stripped her down to her onesie. She didn't seem to mind the heat, thankfully. We also got her sleeping and napping based on the local time as soon as we got here. She hasn't had trouble falling asleep for her naps but she had a couple of nights where she took longer than usual to fall asleep. But other than that, she's adjusted fairly well to being here. I love dressing her up in little summer outfits that she got as hand-me-downs from my friends. Her arms and legs are always covered up back home, so seeing them bare is a treat for us.

With Auntie Christine

We've been spending this past week just hanging out at Ed's dad's house, and we've really enjoyed it. We sit in the patio, enjoy the breeze, have some cool drinks. So relaxing. Sophia eats her meals in the patio, too, and she's so relaxed sitting on my lap. Yesterday, we hung out at Ed's uncle's house. Sophia got to go in the pool for the first time ever. She loves to kick her feet and so being in the water was really fun for her. Of course, being the anxious first-time mom, I got her covered up from head to toe! She looked so cute with her hat on. Surprisingly, she didn't tug or pull at the hat. I got to wear my new one-piece with tummy control swimsuit. It's been a long time since I wore a one-piece swimsuit while on a tropical island and it's definitely the first time I've had to worry about tummy control. Life after giving birth is so different on so many levels! hahaha

First time in a swimming pool

Next week, Ed, Sophia and I are going to Grenada. This is our little family get-away. We are staying at a hotel right by the beach. I'm quite excited!

Here are more pics from our vacation so far...

First plane ride!

Cool dudette in a jolly jumper

Sophia's going to start crawling real soon.

Mosquitoes love me.

Our cutie pie.

Sleeping in Vancouver

We are twelve days into Sophia’s sleep training and I am happy to report that she is doing superbly. She’s sleeping through the night now in her crib, in her own room (we were co-sleeping before). Also, she is going to sleep on her own (we would rock or bounce her before). We have a wind down routine to get her ready for night sleeps and naps, then we put her down in her crib while she’s still awake. Sometimes she cries but more often now, she doesn’t. Usually, she is asleep within ten minutes of being put down. We’re very proud of her progress! We’re still working on lengthening her naps, which apparently takes a while to learn.

We are working with a sleep consultant, Dawnn Whittaker (www.cheekychops.ca), and I have to say, she’s been soooo worth it. Having somebody knowledgeable to guide us through this process and to phone or email to ask questions is a huge weight off my shoulders. Readings books are fine but I can’t phone up the author to ask for clarification when my baby doesn’t respond exactly as outlined in the book.

I do miss sleeping with Sophia snuggled right beside me. I miss laying in our bed just gazing at her sleeping face and listening to her breathe. I miss waking up to see my baby watching my face intently, as if willing me to wake up and play with her. The best part was when she realized that my eyes were open and I was looking at her, she would flash me a huge smile. Waking up to that beautiful smile was the best!

Having Sophia go to sleep at 8pm and wake up at 7am means I am getting a full night’s sleep now. It took about ten nights of sleep before I stopped feeling utterly exhausted. I am so happy to be sleeping uninterrupted again. So happy! I’m sure Sophia will have nights when she’ll wake up but at least it won’t be the norm any more. I think Sophia is enjoying sleeping through the night, too.

Half way there

Sophia is six months old today. That also means that my maternity leave is halfway done. It’s crazy how time flies!

At six months, Sophia is rolling to and from her back and tummy. Once on her tummy, she can spin clockwise. She’s getting quite mobile and has, on a few occassions, managed to wiggle her way off her play mat and onto the hardwood floor. And on one occassion, she managed to roll herself off our bed. Yikes! That was pretty traumatic (more for us than her). Thankfully, she didn’t hurt herself. Not even one bruise. It was quite the eye-opener for me and Ed. We definitely underestimated how mobile she was!

She has started to sit up on her own. She’s still wobbly but she has figured out how to stick out her hand to stop herself from falling over to the side. She still does a face plant or a backward dive from time to time. It’s just hilarious when she turns her head to look at something (like our cat walking) and she starts to tilt slowly until she is completely on the floor.

Sophia is an easy-going and good-natured baby. She’s always alert and keenly observes the world around her. It’s so fascinating to watch her discover new things everyday. Babies are truly amazing! That she can do all these things now, just six month after her birth, is remarkable.

As for me, six months later, I’m still not working out, paddling, or running. I still can’t fit into my clothes. I’m still eating like I’m pregnant (I’m nursing so I’m allowed!). I’ve learned a lot about being able to function when one is sleep deprived. I’ve learned that I really need to let go of my need to control everything. I’ve learned that to enjoy this experience of being a mom, I do need to just go with the flow and not worry too much about what’s coming next.

Just as the last six months have zoomed by, I know that my year off will be over before I realize it. I’m so excited to see Sophia grow and develop. She’s so much fun and I’m so lucky to be part of her life.

No fluke, I hope

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!

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.