A few days to go until Christmas, and I am super excited! Last year, Isla was just a newbie, so although it was a very special Christmas, I think she may actually have some fun this year! We are headed up North, and it is definitely looking like a white Christmas, so sledding, skating and hot chocolate it is!
Isla is 13.5 months old now. We are into the full swing of daycare (although because she had a fever yesterday, we are getting some quality bonding time today... and I am finishing up some Christmas errands), and work. I am loving Kindergarten and Isla is loving daycare as well. She is getting so big now and loves to say her few words: hi, bye, dad, mom. She also has a few little made up sentences that she yells at the cats. She will wave her finger and them while yelling the same sentence if they are sitting at the table... pretty sure she is telling them to "get down", since that what I am always saying to them! She has also start shaking her head no... literally, her entire head goes side to side if she is saying no. pretty cute.
Her latest fun activity is climbing. Climbing up onto her birthday chair, attempting to climb the couch, into the bathtub or onto the bed in the spare room. Luckily, she is still in a sleep sack, so that leg can't quite get over the edge of the crib. We would definitely have a runner on our hands!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Post- mat leave
Whew.
We are surviving. I think. We are going onto Week 4 of me being back to work, and Isla being at daycare. The beginning was tough! I felt so awful for having to send her there, and at the fact that it wasn't me that was spending every day with her. Luckily, we seem to be getting into a groove.
Sean drops Isla off in the mornings, which is the hardest part. For the first few days, she would cling onto his leg and cry these big, round tears. Thank goodness I didn't have to do drop off, because I am sure I would have been sharing those exact same tears the entire day. The past couple days, she has been leaving him fantastically, and on Friday, she even smiled!
I get to do pick up, which is always a highlight of my day. I love going into the daycare and seeing her through the window. I love when she is so preoccupied with playing, that she doesn't notice me at first. Then, as soon as she sees me, she gets this massive smile and runs over to the gate for me to pick her up.
As tough as it was at the beginning, and as last-minute we were in finding her a place, I am thrilled with her daycare. They are absolutely wonderful there. She gets such yummy food everyday, and she seems genuinely happy. woohoo!
The week before last was our first run in with any sort of fever for Isla. A late night at orangeville emerg, a daddy day at home, and a day with Grandma, and she was quickly on the mend. Poor kiddo. At the exact same time, she was having a slight reaction to her one year immunizations as well as cutting her first molar... talk about a week. I am very glad that is over, and Isla has been in the happiest mood lately that I have seen in awhile!
Isla has been perfecting her "hi", "bye", "mom" and "dad" lately... Sean's friend Yuki came from Japan last week and brought her a super cool toy phone. Since then, she has literally been picking anything up off the floor and using it as a phone. She will pick it up and say "hi" in her cute, little voice.
She also has a few more signs- banana, ball, sleep... and others that she can totally do, but doesn't ever use unless she is watching the signing video. She still sticks constantly to her trusty "milk" and "more" signs though... one day I am hoping she is going to pick up "please" as she is pretty demanding! haha. Everyday after daycare, she runs to the corner cupboard above the sink and points while signing "more".... totally wanting a mini chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. Of course, how can I not give her one when she is that cute! But it happens again, and again... haha, and then she will get upset if I say "all done". :)
The other day, Sean and I were sitting in the living room and looked over to find Isla on her pink car... totally got on all by herself! We were both so thrilled and cheering and clapping for her (she has always needed a little help just to get that leg all the way over the top)- so of course, she claps as well. So far, she can only push herself backwards, but I imagine it is only a matter of time before she is propelling herself forward on that thing!
Yesterday, we ventured out to Rudolph's Tree farm and cut down our first Christmas tree- I have never done it that way before... always just picked out one we liked from the nursery... but I loved it! It was so fun to get the wagon ride and find the perfect tree.... then they put it on the shaker machine to make sure no squirrels are living in it... and tie it all up! Our tree was so mini that it actually fit in the trunk of the accent!
I am super excited to have this Christmas with Isla as last year, she was so tiny... I think she will absolutely adore ripping open presents!
We are surviving. I think. We are going onto Week 4 of me being back to work, and Isla being at daycare. The beginning was tough! I felt so awful for having to send her there, and at the fact that it wasn't me that was spending every day with her. Luckily, we seem to be getting into a groove.
Sean drops Isla off in the mornings, which is the hardest part. For the first few days, she would cling onto his leg and cry these big, round tears. Thank goodness I didn't have to do drop off, because I am sure I would have been sharing those exact same tears the entire day. The past couple days, she has been leaving him fantastically, and on Friday, she even smiled!
I get to do pick up, which is always a highlight of my day. I love going into the daycare and seeing her through the window. I love when she is so preoccupied with playing, that she doesn't notice me at first. Then, as soon as she sees me, she gets this massive smile and runs over to the gate for me to pick her up.
As tough as it was at the beginning, and as last-minute we were in finding her a place, I am thrilled with her daycare. They are absolutely wonderful there. She gets such yummy food everyday, and she seems genuinely happy. woohoo!
The week before last was our first run in with any sort of fever for Isla. A late night at orangeville emerg, a daddy day at home, and a day with Grandma, and she was quickly on the mend. Poor kiddo. At the exact same time, she was having a slight reaction to her one year immunizations as well as cutting her first molar... talk about a week. I am very glad that is over, and Isla has been in the happiest mood lately that I have seen in awhile!
Isla has been perfecting her "hi", "bye", "mom" and "dad" lately... Sean's friend Yuki came from Japan last week and brought her a super cool toy phone. Since then, she has literally been picking anything up off the floor and using it as a phone. She will pick it up and say "hi" in her cute, little voice.
She also has a few more signs- banana, ball, sleep... and others that she can totally do, but doesn't ever use unless she is watching the signing video. She still sticks constantly to her trusty "milk" and "more" signs though... one day I am hoping she is going to pick up "please" as she is pretty demanding! haha. Everyday after daycare, she runs to the corner cupboard above the sink and points while signing "more".... totally wanting a mini chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. Of course, how can I not give her one when she is that cute! But it happens again, and again... haha, and then she will get upset if I say "all done". :)
The other day, Sean and I were sitting in the living room and looked over to find Isla on her pink car... totally got on all by herself! We were both so thrilled and cheering and clapping for her (she has always needed a little help just to get that leg all the way over the top)- so of course, she claps as well. So far, she can only push herself backwards, but I imagine it is only a matter of time before she is propelling herself forward on that thing!
Yesterday, we ventured out to Rudolph's Tree farm and cut down our first Christmas tree- I have never done it that way before... always just picked out one we liked from the nursery... but I loved it! It was so fun to get the wagon ride and find the perfect tree.... then they put it on the shaker machine to make sure no squirrels are living in it... and tie it all up! Our tree was so mini that it actually fit in the trunk of the accent!
I am super excited to have this Christmas with Isla as last year, she was so tiny... I think she will absolutely adore ripping open presents!
Friday, November 9, 2012
One Year Old!
We made it! I am feeling very accomplished today... looking back at a year ago, and what was about to happen. Isla was born one year ago at 1:32 pm, so in 24 minutes if I am going by the clock on this computer. To have survived this year is nothing short of amazing, so I am pretty proud of Sean and myself today :)
Isla woke up bright and early this morning, came to play in the big bed, ate some breakfast and got down to opening her presents from Sean and I. She really enjoyed ripping the wrapping paper and taking a look at what was hiding inside.
For about a month, I have been working on Isla's birthday book. I was inspired by pinterest, and wanted to make this special soft book for Isla to enjoy. I finally finished it a few days ago, and I think it turned out pretty well! Next time, I would definitely think ahead and make the pages double-sized so that it just requires me to sew one seam down the middle to bind the book instead of having to create the outer cover, but I think it ended up looking pretty nice. Isla has enjoyed looking and pointing at all of the pictures. She loves pointing at Sean and yelling "DA"- super cute.
It is crazy to look back at the pictures and videos to see how much she has changed. Recently, I have noticed a massive change... just the last couple weeks. She started her first few days of daycare and is really enjoying it, so maybe it is that which makes her seem a bit older. There are other things though:
- Running! Isla has not only mastered the walking skill, but she is determined that she is ready to move onto running. Last night she was flying around the house, but her little legs can't always keep up just yet. Hence, her first bloody lip yesterday from falling on a ball.
- Chasing after the cats: This goes along with the "running", but Isla's new favourite game is to chase Miso and Pierogie around the house screaming. They aren't such fans of this game, but play into it by running away.
- Signs: Isla is super proud of herself about being able to sign, say and point to a picture of a ball. There is a picture of a ball in her bath book, and she will flip the page to it and shout "ball", while doing the sign. She also learned how to sign "kitty" recently and loves to point to the cats and sign at the same time.
- Laugh: Sure, she always smiled and giggled a little bit, but recently it has been a louder, more intentional laugh. She will run around laughing, and thinks it's funny if she gets you to laugh with her. Tickle her, and her laugh becomes uncontrollable. So cute!
Isla's official birthday party is tomorrow, so I will post all of her birthday pictures then!
Happy birthday sweet little girl- I love you!
Isla woke up bright and early this morning, came to play in the big bed, ate some breakfast and got down to opening her presents from Sean and I. She really enjoyed ripping the wrapping paper and taking a look at what was hiding inside.
For about a month, I have been working on Isla's birthday book. I was inspired by pinterest, and wanted to make this special soft book for Isla to enjoy. I finally finished it a few days ago, and I think it turned out pretty well! Next time, I would definitely think ahead and make the pages double-sized so that it just requires me to sew one seam down the middle to bind the book instead of having to create the outer cover, but I think it ended up looking pretty nice. Isla has enjoyed looking and pointing at all of the pictures. She loves pointing at Sean and yelling "DA"- super cute.
It is crazy to look back at the pictures and videos to see how much she has changed. Recently, I have noticed a massive change... just the last couple weeks. She started her first few days of daycare and is really enjoying it, so maybe it is that which makes her seem a bit older. There are other things though:
- Running! Isla has not only mastered the walking skill, but she is determined that she is ready to move onto running. Last night she was flying around the house, but her little legs can't always keep up just yet. Hence, her first bloody lip yesterday from falling on a ball.
- Chasing after the cats: This goes along with the "running", but Isla's new favourite game is to chase Miso and Pierogie around the house screaming. They aren't such fans of this game, but play into it by running away.
- Signs: Isla is super proud of herself about being able to sign, say and point to a picture of a ball. There is a picture of a ball in her bath book, and she will flip the page to it and shout "ball", while doing the sign. She also learned how to sign "kitty" recently and loves to point to the cats and sign at the same time.
- Laugh: Sure, she always smiled and giggled a little bit, but recently it has been a louder, more intentional laugh. She will run around laughing, and thinks it's funny if she gets you to laugh with her. Tickle her, and her laugh becomes uncontrollable. So cute!
Isla's official birthday party is tomorrow, so I will post all of her birthday pictures then!
Happy birthday sweet little girl- I love you!
Saturday, November 3, 2012
First Birthday Quiet Book
So awhile ago, I decided that I wanted to make a quiet book for Isla's birthday. I wanted it to be special, and have messages from family in it so that it was a neat thing for her to look back on when she is bigger. Right now, she LOVES looking at pictures of herself and people she knows, so I think she will really enjoy it.
After lots and lots and lots of sewing, I have finished all of the individual pages as you can see below:
After lots and lots and lots of sewing, I have finished all of the individual pages as you can see below:
You will have to just tilt your head to the side to get a good idea, since I am not sure how to rotate pictures on Blogger!
So, now that I have the individual pages finished (I still have to stuff them with filling), I am trying to decide how on Earth I am going to bind them together. I am not keen on grommets or tying ribbons as Isla is just small and put everything in her mouth. Ribbons would come undone, and I hate the idea of her sucking on cheap metal.
Any ideas of how to sew the pages together???
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Pitter-patter
And the little feet are on the move! Isla has started to piece together that she can stand up.... and move. Slowly, she is starting to get a bit braver with taking steps on her own. She has actually gone quite far on her own, but she has to be balanced without holding onto us first. It is pretty cool to see her doing this all by herself!
Last week was incredibly hectic as I attempted to figure out what to do for Isla's daycare situation. We had something set up which I thought was going to work really well, but discovered that Isla needed to be a bit more independent in order to go there. Such a shame, as it really made me so sad that someone didn't want her at their home everyday- such a cute, bright smiling face. I was pretty bummed out for a bit, and had the "I-am-staying-home-forever" melt down, but I think we came out of it ok. We literally had home daycare visits everyday. It got to be pretty funny, as I felt that I was just taking Isla to random people's houses to play for an afternoon and pass some time, never to see them again. I definitely saw what I didn't want to send her to, and I saw some that seemed decent. The thing I struggled with, was how do I leave her with someone I don't know. The few choices that I had ended up being the daycare providers children, and Isla- no one else. No other parents to talk to about their kids or to find out what was happening. How would I know what she really did during the day, or how she was really treated. When they are so small, I felt that I really needed to know who I was passing her over to.
We decided to send her to one of the local daycare centres. It definitely cost more (almost double. yikes), but it is regulated, there are other kids her age to play with... and they document so much that I literally know every single minute of her day. She is so small and important to me, that I would rather pay more for her safety and my sanity at this point. I really wish we had found a home daycare with someone I trusted, where she could spend hours outside watching birds and playing on climbers, but it just wasn't happening. I think this is just more incentive to have another so that I can be home with both of them :)
Isla has been learning some cute new things lately:
- She can say Dad. Today at lunch, I put Sean's school photo in front of her. Isla smiled, said Dad and waved... and then offered him a piece of her grilled cheese. Priceless!
- Her favourite song is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star- she will look at you and put her hands in the air, waiting for you to sing... with actions of course.
- She tries to copy if you tilt your head and smile with her. She hasn't quite figured out how to get her head tilted to the side like that so it kind of goes back and up and she gives a really big smile
- She can blow kisses
- She loves when you crawl and "chase" her. She will stop and let me catch up and then smile and throw her head back just waiting to be tickled... and then do it all again. My jeans are now all covered in holes in the knees from this game!
Last week was incredibly hectic as I attempted to figure out what to do for Isla's daycare situation. We had something set up which I thought was going to work really well, but discovered that Isla needed to be a bit more independent in order to go there. Such a shame, as it really made me so sad that someone didn't want her at their home everyday- such a cute, bright smiling face. I was pretty bummed out for a bit, and had the "I-am-staying-home-forever" melt down, but I think we came out of it ok. We literally had home daycare visits everyday. It got to be pretty funny, as I felt that I was just taking Isla to random people's houses to play for an afternoon and pass some time, never to see them again. I definitely saw what I didn't want to send her to, and I saw some that seemed decent. The thing I struggled with, was how do I leave her with someone I don't know. The few choices that I had ended up being the daycare providers children, and Isla- no one else. No other parents to talk to about their kids or to find out what was happening. How would I know what she really did during the day, or how she was really treated. When they are so small, I felt that I really needed to know who I was passing her over to.
We decided to send her to one of the local daycare centres. It definitely cost more (almost double. yikes), but it is regulated, there are other kids her age to play with... and they document so much that I literally know every single minute of her day. She is so small and important to me, that I would rather pay more for her safety and my sanity at this point. I really wish we had found a home daycare with someone I trusted, where she could spend hours outside watching birds and playing on climbers, but it just wasn't happening. I think this is just more incentive to have another so that I can be home with both of them :)
Isla has been learning some cute new things lately:
- She can say Dad. Today at lunch, I put Sean's school photo in front of her. Isla smiled, said Dad and waved... and then offered him a piece of her grilled cheese. Priceless!
- Her favourite song is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star- she will look at you and put her hands in the air, waiting for you to sing... with actions of course.
- She tries to copy if you tilt your head and smile with her. She hasn't quite figured out how to get her head tilted to the side like that so it kind of goes back and up and she gives a really big smile
- She can blow kisses
- She loves when you crawl and "chase" her. She will stop and let me catch up and then smile and throw her head back just waiting to be tickled... and then do it all again. My jeans are now all covered in holes in the knees from this game!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
11 months old
My beautiful baby girl is 11 months old today. One month shy of her first birthday- seriously, where did this year go? I am in the process of making her a birthday book (wait for the post... this will literally take until her first birthday, but I am determined to accomplish it) and have had a great time looking at all of the pics we have taken this year. It is crazy to see the pictures and videos of when she was only a month or two old. How is it possible that I almost forget it already??
Isla is continuing to grow every single day- all of a sudden her 6-12 month pants are more like capris, and even her 12 month footed sleepers seem too short for her to move comfortably. Not sure where she gets the length from as Sean and I are exactly tall! A few more teeth have come in and we now have four top and four bottom... I am positive there are likely a few more pretty close, but I don't dare stick my finger in there as she chomps it immediately. Isla is walking all along and between furniture if it is close enough. The other day she actually took two steps towards me, but that is fairly rare. She is pretty good at standing when she wants to, although she doesn't stay in one spot long enough to really stand for very long! Isla can cruise along behind her walker with more of a run since it moves pretty quickly on the hardwood. She loves showing off her walking skills to anyone around and will look back and smile at us while doing so.
As my last month of mat leave winds down, I am trying to sit back and enjoy every minute that I can with her. Even when she whines about getting her face washed, or having to get changed, I am vowing to smile through it and really be thankful for this time that I have had to spend. I would not have traded this year with Isla for anything in the world. I have been so fortunate to be able to watch her grow and learn every single day.
Happy 11 month birthday, Isla :)
Isla is continuing to grow every single day- all of a sudden her 6-12 month pants are more like capris, and even her 12 month footed sleepers seem too short for her to move comfortably. Not sure where she gets the length from as Sean and I are exactly tall! A few more teeth have come in and we now have four top and four bottom... I am positive there are likely a few more pretty close, but I don't dare stick my finger in there as she chomps it immediately. Isla is walking all along and between furniture if it is close enough. The other day she actually took two steps towards me, but that is fairly rare. She is pretty good at standing when she wants to, although she doesn't stay in one spot long enough to really stand for very long! Isla can cruise along behind her walker with more of a run since it moves pretty quickly on the hardwood. She loves showing off her walking skills to anyone around and will look back and smile at us while doing so.
As my last month of mat leave winds down, I am trying to sit back and enjoy every minute that I can with her. Even when she whines about getting her face washed, or having to get changed, I am vowing to smile through it and really be thankful for this time that I have had to spend. I would not have traded this year with Isla for anything in the world. I have been so fortunate to be able to watch her grow and learn every single day.
Happy 11 month birthday, Isla :)
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Happy Golden Birthday to me!
Today I turned 30... on the 30th... so it was my Golden Birthday! woohoo! My parents came down this weekend and Sean and I took full advantage by zipping out to a nice solo dinner on Saturday night. We didn't stray far, just down the street to Allegro, but it was perfect. We really don't get any nights out, let alone just the two of us, so it was a nice change.
Isla's present to me today was the perfect mid-day nap from 12:15-2:15. On Saturday, I took my parents to Orangeville to Philadelphia's Kitchen (great Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches) and some shopping, so I gave her a morning nap in hopes that she would last through the full day and snooze on the way home. We left Orangeville just after 3, so I thought for sure she would be out. Well, I look in my mirror to see her in the backseat doing everything that she possibly could to get my mom to look and smile at her. Such a little comedian. Needless to say, she didn't sleep! When we got home, my mom took her for a wee walk and she ended up with a pretty late afternoon snooze causing havoc on bedtime.
Two naps just won't fly for this little kid anymore. So today we went shopping for a bird feeder (Birds are Isla's FAVOURITE so I though we should get one to attract them to our backyard instead of snooping around other people's), went to McDonalds (since I never get to go with Sean... it was my birthday!), a little shopping, and then home for nap. Perfect. Let's hope this is starting a trend and Isla is realizing that one nap is where it's at.
Lately, Isla has figured out her walker... it is one of the cutest things ever. She used to attempt to stand up with it, but the wheels go so quickly on the hardwood that it would always escape. I guess she is really starting to master balance because now she cruises all over the house. She will get going at a good clip, and then look back at you and smile.
Isla has also started standing on her own for a few seconds at a time. Today, she was sharing Sean's piece of birthday cake, and was loving it. She would go to sign "more", and need two hands, so would let go of his knee and sign over and over until she got more cake.... not even realizing that she wasn't holding onto anything! The other day I was cooking dinner, and came around the corner to see her standing at the fridge with a picture in her hands...when I said "yay" she looked at me and fell over. oops. Anyway, we're getting there! She will be 11 months in a week and a half... so no doubt she will be fully standing (and hopefully close to walking) by a year!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Dropping naps
I must say that I have been super fortunate with Isla's napping since she was about 3 months old. It took work ( a lot of it) to get her napping, but she did and has been really good about it. For the past few months she has been on two naps a day: one at 10 and one around 2. Generally, she would sleep for an hour or so for each one. Recently, she starting extending her morning nap to 2 hours (sometimes more). This is great because I enjoy the "me" time and the chance to shower and quickly organize the house a little bit in the morning. However, she has decided that she is not sleepy at all for an afternoon nap... I can't blame her! So tomorrow (she woke up early today so I decided to give her 2 naps... not a good choice as I have heard her playing for the last 40 minutes) we start transitioning to one nap.
I am going to attempt to do it gradually, as I think I will get a battle if I attempt to all of a sudden keep her awake until 12:30. I will keep her up until 11 or 11:30 tomorrow and then go from there... move it in small increments every couple of days and see how she does.
Hopefully, this is what she needs and it works out!!
I am going to attempt to do it gradually, as I think I will get a battle if I attempt to all of a sudden keep her awake until 12:30. I will keep her up until 11 or 11:30 tomorrow and then go from there... move it in small increments every couple of days and see how she does.
Hopefully, this is what she needs and it works out!!
Monday, September 10, 2012
10 months old
Yesterday, Isla turned 10 months old. Only 2 months away from being a year- crazy! She continues to be a ball of energy and is such a smiley and happy kid every single day.
I had the opportunity to head back to work as school started up last week. With two Grandmas who were very keen to come and help out, I took the offer and went back to the classroom teaching French for a week. Tuesday (the first day of school), was a pretty tough day as it was the first time that I had ever left Isla for more than a few hours. If I have to leave for any reason, I usually time it during a nap, so she doesn't really ever notice. It was a really long day, but I survived and she did wonderfully. My work week is over and I am back home with her now, but let's hope that daycare start up goes as smoothly in a few months.
On the topic of daycare, we have (almost) secured her daycare spot for November. I need to run over the paperwork and deposit at some point this week. My only worry is that our provider is pretty insistent that she is walking when she goes... that means we have two months to practice, practice, practice. As Isla is a busy little thing, I am hoping it won't be a problem at all. At the moment, she loves walking holding onto our hands, can walk (holding on) along the couch, and can stand if holding onto something. The other day I did see her stand on her own for a few seconds when she was playing at her music table. I have my fingers crossed that Isla makes this an easy milestone and picks up walking quickly on her own!!
Here are some of the new things that Isla has started doing recently:
- Giving "kisses" and "hugs" to Miso and Pierogie.
- Playing peekabo on her own
- Drinking homo milk (organic goats milk... homo cows milk hasn't gone over well so far)
- Loving the slide at the park
- Actually putting the balls in the right hole in some of her toys
AND we almost have another new tooth on the bottom. So far we have four on top and two on the bottom, but I guess this new one makes three! I can see it and feel the tip, so it won't be long now.
Happy 10 month birthday Isla!
I had the opportunity to head back to work as school started up last week. With two Grandmas who were very keen to come and help out, I took the offer and went back to the classroom teaching French for a week. Tuesday (the first day of school), was a pretty tough day as it was the first time that I had ever left Isla for more than a few hours. If I have to leave for any reason, I usually time it during a nap, so she doesn't really ever notice. It was a really long day, but I survived and she did wonderfully. My work week is over and I am back home with her now, but let's hope that daycare start up goes as smoothly in a few months.
On the topic of daycare, we have (almost) secured her daycare spot for November. I need to run over the paperwork and deposit at some point this week. My only worry is that our provider is pretty insistent that she is walking when she goes... that means we have two months to practice, practice, practice. As Isla is a busy little thing, I am hoping it won't be a problem at all. At the moment, she loves walking holding onto our hands, can walk (holding on) along the couch, and can stand if holding onto something. The other day I did see her stand on her own for a few seconds when she was playing at her music table. I have my fingers crossed that Isla makes this an easy milestone and picks up walking quickly on her own!!
Here are some of the new things that Isla has started doing recently:
- Giving "kisses" and "hugs" to Miso and Pierogie.
- Playing peekabo on her own
- Drinking homo milk (organic goats milk... homo cows milk hasn't gone over well so far)
- Loving the slide at the park
- Actually putting the balls in the right hole in some of her toys
AND we almost have another new tooth on the bottom. So far we have four on top and two on the bottom, but I guess this new one makes three! I can see it and feel the tip, so it won't be long now.
Happy 10 month birthday Isla!
Friday, August 24, 2012
End of summer...
Really?? How on Earth has it come to be almost the last week in August?? Isla and I have been totally spoiled having Sean home every day, and it is going to be such a change when he needs to return to work in a week and a half! Isla will definitely miss her daddy during the day, but hopefully I will be able to amuse her enough to fill the time.
We have noticed such big changes in her recently:
- Her top four teeth have come in, and as soon as this happened, Isla started to make these funny smiles. It is super cute! She smiles so that all of her teeth show and gives a little laugh. What a monkey.
-She is now pulling herself up to absolutely everything. She loves standing and then letting go and falling to her bum. She will do in 10 times in a row- luckily her big cloth diapers protect her little bum from the hard floor! Not only has she started standing, but attempts to climb onto things. She will get her little feet up on the bottom drawer of her dresser and try to get up to the very top shelf for a book or toy. The other day she actually almost did a chin up when we were visiting a daycare as she really wanted into the bin of sponges!
- Isla waves hello (or goodbye) to absolutely everyone and everything. The moose clock in her room gets a wave when we pass it. Her pictures on our dining room walls get waves when she looks at them. Sean's poster of Jamling at the bottom of our stairs is her favourite and gets a massive smile and wave everytime we pass.
- She has started clapping... we haven't quite mastered the coordination as her hands don't always meet up and she doesnt make any noise... but the intent is there :)
- Isla signs for milk and will ask anyone in the vicinity of the fridge to get it for her! She can also sign bird and loves looking for birds and ducks outside. We can get her to sign more if we really encourage it, but usually just get a point.
- She loves giving "kisses", which involve her coming at you with a wide open mouth
- Isla is starting to like the slide at the park. She used to be solely interested in the swing (and eating the woodchips), but really likes going down the slide now. She will sit at the top, grab a hold of the sides, and launch herself down- we have to be pretty careful that we don't look a way for a minute or she will definitely try it on her own! For now, one of us has to get a good grip on her while she pulls this stunt.
We have finally almost figured out the daycare situation. We go on Wednesday for a visit and will make a final decision then, but we have a spot that came highly recommended from friends. It is such a stressful thing and hopefully it will work out that Isla really enjoys going to this spot!
It has been such a fast and amazing summer. I am so glad Sean had two months off to spend time with Isla- I love being able to sit with him and just watch her. She amazes me every single day.
We have noticed such big changes in her recently:
- Her top four teeth have come in, and as soon as this happened, Isla started to make these funny smiles. It is super cute! She smiles so that all of her teeth show and gives a little laugh. What a monkey.
-She is now pulling herself up to absolutely everything. She loves standing and then letting go and falling to her bum. She will do in 10 times in a row- luckily her big cloth diapers protect her little bum from the hard floor! Not only has she started standing, but attempts to climb onto things. She will get her little feet up on the bottom drawer of her dresser and try to get up to the very top shelf for a book or toy. The other day she actually almost did a chin up when we were visiting a daycare as she really wanted into the bin of sponges!
- Isla waves hello (or goodbye) to absolutely everyone and everything. The moose clock in her room gets a wave when we pass it. Her pictures on our dining room walls get waves when she looks at them. Sean's poster of Jamling at the bottom of our stairs is her favourite and gets a massive smile and wave everytime we pass.
- She has started clapping... we haven't quite mastered the coordination as her hands don't always meet up and she doesnt make any noise... but the intent is there :)
- Isla signs for milk and will ask anyone in the vicinity of the fridge to get it for her! She can also sign bird and loves looking for birds and ducks outside. We can get her to sign more if we really encourage it, but usually just get a point.
- She loves giving "kisses", which involve her coming at you with a wide open mouth
- Isla is starting to like the slide at the park. She used to be solely interested in the swing (and eating the woodchips), but really likes going down the slide now. She will sit at the top, grab a hold of the sides, and launch herself down- we have to be pretty careful that we don't look a way for a minute or she will definitely try it on her own! For now, one of us has to get a good grip on her while she pulls this stunt.
We have finally almost figured out the daycare situation. We go on Wednesday for a visit and will make a final decision then, but we have a spot that came highly recommended from friends. It is such a stressful thing and hopefully it will work out that Isla really enjoys going to this spot!
It has been such a fast and amazing summer. I am so glad Sean had two months off to spend time with Isla- I love being able to sit with him and just watch her. She amazes me every single day.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
9 Months
Recently, Isla celebrated her 9 month birthday. What a month it has been!
Some new things this month:
- Isla now has 3.5 top teeth (the 0.5 is one that is ALMOST there.... I can feel a little bit of it before I have to yank my finger out so that I don't get it taken off!)
- She is now pulling herself up to standing on every piece of furniture/leg she can find. She especially loves the dressers in her room because they have handles made just for this purpose. I came into her room the other day to find her with one leg up on the lowest drawer, all set to climb up to the top. uh oh)
- We dropped the mattress in her crib to the bottom level. I have yet to come in and see her standing (she usually has her face pressed to the bars) but I didn't want to risk it!
- She waves goodbye and hello to everyone she meets. She also makes a "hhh" sound when she does it....pretty sure this is her saying "hi".
- Isla can sign bird. She absolutely LOVES birds, and bird watching in the back yard with daddy. She will sign bird if you do it too
- Grilled cheese sandwiches and blueberry pancakes are her fave foods
- Sitting up and reading her bath book are favourite parts of bath time... no more reclining in the baby bath. It is either sitting or standing!
-Isla is still doing her version of an army crawl. If she comes to an obstacle on the floor, she will get up onto her knees and do a proper crawl over top , and then go back down. Silly kid. She is pretty quick. I am pretty sure that she will just go from this to walking...skip the in between stuff.
We are loving every minute of watching her grow!
Some new things this month:
- Isla now has 3.5 top teeth (the 0.5 is one that is ALMOST there.... I can feel a little bit of it before I have to yank my finger out so that I don't get it taken off!)
- She is now pulling herself up to standing on every piece of furniture/leg she can find. She especially loves the dressers in her room because they have handles made just for this purpose. I came into her room the other day to find her with one leg up on the lowest drawer, all set to climb up to the top. uh oh)
- We dropped the mattress in her crib to the bottom level. I have yet to come in and see her standing (she usually has her face pressed to the bars) but I didn't want to risk it!
- She waves goodbye and hello to everyone she meets. She also makes a "hhh" sound when she does it....pretty sure this is her saying "hi".
- Isla can sign bird. She absolutely LOVES birds, and bird watching in the back yard with daddy. She will sign bird if you do it too
- Grilled cheese sandwiches and blueberry pancakes are her fave foods
- Sitting up and reading her bath book are favourite parts of bath time... no more reclining in the baby bath. It is either sitting or standing!
-Isla is still doing her version of an army crawl. If she comes to an obstacle on the floor, she will get up onto her knees and do a proper crawl over top , and then go back down. Silly kid. She is pretty quick. I am pretty sure that she will just go from this to walking...skip the in between stuff.
We are loving every minute of watching her grow!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
8 months old!
This post is a few weeks late- but better late than never! Isla turned 8 months old recently... that is starting to get us pretty close to a year. Crazy!
We have been out and about the past few weeks visiting Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents. We spent a week in Wyevale with Sean's family visiting with cousins Anna and Liam. Isla had a fantastic time swimming in Georgian Bay... I totally thought it would be too cold for her, but she absolutely LOVED it. Then we headed up north to visit with my side of the family and spent two weeks there. It was the perfect timing as Melody only had two day trips to Sudbury planned, so we got to spend a lot of time with her which Isla really enjoyed. Isla was showered with kisses from Melody the entire time. So cute! We went swimming in the lake a few times, went for a paddle boat ride, enjoyed the carousel and train in North Bay and just spent a lot of time outside by the lake.
We have really noticed how busy and active Isla is, but she truly loved the outdoors- she could be bouncing around and screaming one second, but the minute that you take her outside she is calm and happy. I really like that she enjoys it so much.
These few weeks of traveling have also given Isla a chance to really grow. She has all of a sudden grown out of a bunch of clothes and shoes, will now sit on her own for a decent amount of time (she has been able to sit for awhile, but was too fidgety to stay that way for longer than 5 seconds!), can wave hello and goodbye, loves to copy people with funny sounds, signs "milk", loves playing with the baby in the mirror, has one front tooth and has moved into her big girl car seat!!! What a month!!
Isla is also developing quite the little appetite. She is able to eat a lot of different things now and her current favourite are the veggie nuggets that I whipped up the other day. Most food ends up on the floor at some point, but every little bit of these nuggets make their way into her mouth. They are super easy to make and just have broccoli, cauliflower, apples, breadcrumbs and a little oil. I am going to try some different variations of them using some different vegetables and see how they go.
After all of that traveling, it was really nice to get home yesterday and go to sleep in our own bed (with Isla in her own room!). The past few weeks she has been waking up more often during the night... a mixture of teething and us sleeping beside her... so I am hoping that she can get back into the habit of sleeping on her own through the night. She woke up around 4 am last night, but managed to put herself back to sleep without us going in, so that is a good start!
Here are a few of our monthly pics and some others as well:
We have been out and about the past few weeks visiting Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents. We spent a week in Wyevale with Sean's family visiting with cousins Anna and Liam. Isla had a fantastic time swimming in Georgian Bay... I totally thought it would be too cold for her, but she absolutely LOVED it. Then we headed up north to visit with my side of the family and spent two weeks there. It was the perfect timing as Melody only had two day trips to Sudbury planned, so we got to spend a lot of time with her which Isla really enjoyed. Isla was showered with kisses from Melody the entire time. So cute! We went swimming in the lake a few times, went for a paddle boat ride, enjoyed the carousel and train in North Bay and just spent a lot of time outside by the lake.
We have really noticed how busy and active Isla is, but she truly loved the outdoors- she could be bouncing around and screaming one second, but the minute that you take her outside she is calm and happy. I really like that she enjoys it so much.
These few weeks of traveling have also given Isla a chance to really grow. She has all of a sudden grown out of a bunch of clothes and shoes, will now sit on her own for a decent amount of time (she has been able to sit for awhile, but was too fidgety to stay that way for longer than 5 seconds!), can wave hello and goodbye, loves to copy people with funny sounds, signs "milk", loves playing with the baby in the mirror, has one front tooth and has moved into her big girl car seat!!! What a month!!
Isla is also developing quite the little appetite. She is able to eat a lot of different things now and her current favourite are the veggie nuggets that I whipped up the other day. Most food ends up on the floor at some point, but every little bit of these nuggets make their way into her mouth. They are super easy to make and just have broccoli, cauliflower, apples, breadcrumbs and a little oil. I am going to try some different variations of them using some different vegetables and see how they go.
After all of that traveling, it was really nice to get home yesterday and go to sleep in our own bed (with Isla in her own room!). The past few weeks she has been waking up more often during the night... a mixture of teething and us sleeping beside her... so I am hoping that she can get back into the habit of sleeping on her own through the night. She woke up around 4 am last night, but managed to put herself back to sleep without us going in, so that is a good start!
Here are a few of our monthly pics and some others as well:
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
My little graduate
Isla had her first graduation today: swimming lessons! She (and Sean) passed with flying colours. She can go fully under water for 5 seconds, dive under water, jump into the water, kick her legs, float on her back and roll over. Pretty impressive for an almost eight month old!
We decided not to sign up for summer classes as we likely won't be around much, and will probably just do lessons in Bolton come September. Brampton lessons were fab, and highly recommended, but it is a bit of a trek for the little one. Wednesday night bedtimes have been routinely horrendous. Isla's normal bedtime is 7pm... that means ASLEEP at 7pm. By the time we get home from lessons and have a bath (must clean off the chlorine/salt water), it is closer to 7:30 or so. Either she is so tired from a) swimming and b) it being way past her bedtime, or she ended up sleeping on the car ride home (like tonight as I was on my own and unable to continuously poke her while driving), that she is a mix of over-tired and wired. Going to lessons that are literally 30 seconds from our house will be much less chaotic!
Here is a pic of Isla and Daddy... she came such a long way during the lessons and I just LOVE how much she enjoys it. I smile the entire 30 minutes :)
We decided not to sign up for summer classes as we likely won't be around much, and will probably just do lessons in Bolton come September. Brampton lessons were fab, and highly recommended, but it is a bit of a trek for the little one. Wednesday night bedtimes have been routinely horrendous. Isla's normal bedtime is 7pm... that means ASLEEP at 7pm. By the time we get home from lessons and have a bath (must clean off the chlorine/salt water), it is closer to 7:30 or so. Either she is so tired from a) swimming and b) it being way past her bedtime, or she ended up sleeping on the car ride home (like tonight as I was on my own and unable to continuously poke her while driving), that she is a mix of over-tired and wired. Going to lessons that are literally 30 seconds from our house will be much less chaotic!
Here is a pic of Isla and Daddy... she came such a long way during the lessons and I just LOVE how much she enjoys it. I smile the entire 30 minutes :)
Monday, June 25, 2012
DIY Fabric Tutu
So I am a bit of a Pinterest addict. I absolutely love all of the cute ideas, especially the DIY category. It always gets me thinking, "I can totally make that"... and then I don't do it. Well, this morning, I came across a pin showing how to make a scrap fabric tutu. Easy enough and looks absolutely adorable!
I went down to our basement and grabbed the box of fabric that I had purchased months ago for DIY baby shoes (which I also saw on Pinterest) that I never actually got around to making. I had to be honest with myself, I would never get around to making them... too much work... but this tutu, I could do!
I cut the fabric into long strips and threw it all into a pile- I didn't want to have a pattern to my skirt, so I wanted to be able to just grab a piece of fabric and put it on.
To make the waistband, I just used elastic which I grabbed from the dollar store. I busted out the trusty sewing machine to make sure it would stay put. Keep in mind that the elastic totally stretched as I made this... definitely should have cut it on the smaller side!
Next, I stretched my loop of elastic over one of my kitchen chairs in order to have a good working space. This made it super easy to attach the fabric with a simple loop.
And once it was all finished... tada!!
I am super impressed with how it turned out. I will post pics of my little niece wearing it once I give it to her. I think she will absolutely love to twirl in this!
I can't finish my post without posting one more pic of my cutie. She will be eight months in 2 weeks, and is developing such an amazing personality. She cracks me up on a daily basis. We really are blessed to have such an incredible being in our lives.
I went down to our basement and grabbed the box of fabric that I had purchased months ago for DIY baby shoes (which I also saw on Pinterest) that I never actually got around to making. I had to be honest with myself, I would never get around to making them... too much work... but this tutu, I could do!
I cut the fabric into long strips and threw it all into a pile- I didn't want to have a pattern to my skirt, so I wanted to be able to just grab a piece of fabric and put it on.
To make the waistband, I just used elastic which I grabbed from the dollar store. I busted out the trusty sewing machine to make sure it would stay put. Keep in mind that the elastic totally stretched as I made this... definitely should have cut it on the smaller side!
Next, I stretched my loop of elastic over one of my kitchen chairs in order to have a good working space. This made it super easy to attach the fabric with a simple loop.
This was a super easy tutu to make. I mixed in some tulle and pink ribbon along the way to jazz it up a little bit. I had two trusty helpers... although Isla helped a lot more by going down for a nap shortly after I began!
I can't finish my post without posting one more pic of my cutie. She will be eight months in 2 weeks, and is developing such an amazing personality. She cracks me up on a daily basis. We really are blessed to have such an incredible being in our lives.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Month 7
Isla turned seven months old yesterday! That means that we are now closer to her being one, than we are to when she was born. Time sure does fly!
Isla seems to have mastered the army crawl. She is surprisingly quick if there is something across the room that she is interested in. I used to have my mom "skype sit" her for a minute or two so I could run to the washroom or get her a bottle ready. This involved Isla lying on the carpet and my mom singing to her. Worked out very well :) Now, Isla realizes that this is her time to escape and she shuffles away from my mom as soon as I'm gone. hehe. Silly little girl.
She is also getting really good at eating on her own. She loves to pick up fruit and puffs- and is quite good at actually getting them into her mouth. We are working on peas, and she is pretty cute when she is that focused in her high chair.
Over the last little bit, Sean and I have definitely remarked about how "energetic" Isla is. There is no doubt that she is an active little baby. We will definitely need to channel that energy into sports and activities when she is a bit older!
As for activities, Isla is still swimming once a week in Brampton. She is such a little fish now, and has the greatest time. I am looking forward to the summer when she can enjoy the lake and little baby pools. We will definitely make it a habit of going to a public pool at least once a week so that she continues to be comfortable and enjoy the water.
It is getting towards the end of June, and I am super excited for our first summer as a family. Sean got onto the volunteer fire department in Bolton, so many of his weekends until mid-July will be taken up by training. The beauty of being teachers, is that we are off- so it doesn't really matter. We will likely be spending lots of time between here, North Bay and Wyevale. Sean's parents live just up the road from Georgian Bay and the beach is beautiful. Hello sandy diaper!
Last week we finally got some air conditioning installed. As our second floor is essentially a converted attic, it gets incredibly warm up there. I felt pretty bad expecting Isla to sleep in that heat, and it was only going to get worse as the summer began. They still need to finish up some of the duct work- so at the moment we just have holes in the ceilings and floors, but the air itself is going and is pretty decent. It is supposed to feel like 41 today (flashback to days in Qatar), so I am thankful that this is in!
Here is a cute pic that I just had to share. It may be one of my absolute favourites. I am a lucky girl :)
Isla seems to have mastered the army crawl. She is surprisingly quick if there is something across the room that she is interested in. I used to have my mom "skype sit" her for a minute or two so I could run to the washroom or get her a bottle ready. This involved Isla lying on the carpet and my mom singing to her. Worked out very well :) Now, Isla realizes that this is her time to escape and she shuffles away from my mom as soon as I'm gone. hehe. Silly little girl.
She is also getting really good at eating on her own. She loves to pick up fruit and puffs- and is quite good at actually getting them into her mouth. We are working on peas, and she is pretty cute when she is that focused in her high chair.
Over the last little bit, Sean and I have definitely remarked about how "energetic" Isla is. There is no doubt that she is an active little baby. We will definitely need to channel that energy into sports and activities when she is a bit older!
As for activities, Isla is still swimming once a week in Brampton. She is such a little fish now, and has the greatest time. I am looking forward to the summer when she can enjoy the lake and little baby pools. We will definitely make it a habit of going to a public pool at least once a week so that she continues to be comfortable and enjoy the water.
It is getting towards the end of June, and I am super excited for our first summer as a family. Sean got onto the volunteer fire department in Bolton, so many of his weekends until mid-July will be taken up by training. The beauty of being teachers, is that we are off- so it doesn't really matter. We will likely be spending lots of time between here, North Bay and Wyevale. Sean's parents live just up the road from Georgian Bay and the beach is beautiful. Hello sandy diaper!
Last week we finally got some air conditioning installed. As our second floor is essentially a converted attic, it gets incredibly warm up there. I felt pretty bad expecting Isla to sleep in that heat, and it was only going to get worse as the summer began. They still need to finish up some of the duct work- so at the moment we just have holes in the ceilings and floors, but the air itself is going and is pretty decent. It is supposed to feel like 41 today (flashback to days in Qatar), so I am thankful that this is in!
Here is a cute pic that I just had to share. It may be one of my absolute favourites. I am a lucky girl :)
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Woombie-free!
When Isla was a few weeks old, we discovered the miracle baby product known as the woombie. Seriously, I don't think there is anything better. It is my TOP, TOP, TOP must-have baby product as it literally saved our lives. When Isla was a newbie, she would only sleep on our chests. The minute she was placed onto her back, she would wake up very unhappy. I totally thought that I was going to have an 8 year old child that was still sleeping on me.
Then we attempted the woombie. She slept. On her own. Without us. To me, that is a miracle product :) Isla has become a pretty good sleeper I would say. She usually is in bed by 7 or so, and will wake about 2 times a night looking for a soother. When she wakes up around 6, I will normally feed her and then put her back to bed. She has been in this routine for awhile now, which is working pretty well for me. She is napping about twice a day, with her naps being between 1-2 hours in length... on our days with only hour naps, she will usually sneak another cat nap in somewhere along the way.
Recently, I moved her into her own crib, in her own room. Sigh. She is getting big! For the most part, I kept her in our room as I could not stand the thought of having to get out of bed and cross the hall in the middle of the night to replace a fallen soother. Call me lazy, but it is so much easier to lean over, pop the soother back in, and fall back into bed...not even really having to wake up. Oh well, the time had come. I figured if I didn't start getting her into her own room at this point, then I really would have an 8 year old sleeping with me. She is doing wonderfully, and seems to enjoy her new space. There have definitely been some times in the middle of the night when I am less than enthused to go find a soother, and I have come to the realization that now it is super important to actually put her toys away since I have bashed many toes in the dark.... but it is working.
Our most recent milestone, was the weaning of the swaddle. So back to our woombie. Isla has used it for every nap and nighttime since she was a few weeks old. As soon as I would put her in and zip it up, her eyes would start to close. However, our first summer in the house has arrived, and it is hot! With no AC upstairs, Isla's room is really warm. I felt pretty bad about having to wrap her up tightly, even if she was only wearing a diaper underneath. Also, she can roll. Very well. The good part about the woombie is that it doesn't restrict her arms, so she was able to lift her head right up off the bed, as well as her shoulders. I didn't have any concerns about her not being able to breathe, but I felt that she wanted to be able to move around a little more at night without being limited. The last reason was that she is really good at putting her soother back into her mouth. If I give her arms back to her, maybe she will start doing that in the middle of the night instead of me having to go and do it for her.
So yesterday, I decided to go cold turkey and go woombie-free. No, one arm in, one arm out deal...just a normal aden and anais summer sleepsack. Well, I couldn't have been more proud of my little bean. She was awesome. Her first nap was 2.5 hours!!! Second nap was 1.5... and then she went to sleep on her own. Two wake ups (that just required soother replacement)....but I will take it! The tears were VERY minimal. I gave her a stuffed sheep and an aden and anais security issie to play with in bed and then scattered three soothers around the bed...hoping she would find one when needed. I did hear soothers drop, and for her second nap I had to go in as she was screaming, looking at the soother on the floor. As soon as I gave it to her, she was out like a light.
All in all, we are on day 2 of no woombie and things are going well. I guess she was ready. So, farewell woombie... it was a great ride. I definitely couldn't have made it 6 months without you. I will get you out of the storage when baby number 2 decides to come along :)
Then we attempted the woombie. She slept. On her own. Without us. To me, that is a miracle product :) Isla has become a pretty good sleeper I would say. She usually is in bed by 7 or so, and will wake about 2 times a night looking for a soother. When she wakes up around 6, I will normally feed her and then put her back to bed. She has been in this routine for awhile now, which is working pretty well for me. She is napping about twice a day, with her naps being between 1-2 hours in length... on our days with only hour naps, she will usually sneak another cat nap in somewhere along the way.
Recently, I moved her into her own crib, in her own room. Sigh. She is getting big! For the most part, I kept her in our room as I could not stand the thought of having to get out of bed and cross the hall in the middle of the night to replace a fallen soother. Call me lazy, but it is so much easier to lean over, pop the soother back in, and fall back into bed...not even really having to wake up. Oh well, the time had come. I figured if I didn't start getting her into her own room at this point, then I really would have an 8 year old sleeping with me. She is doing wonderfully, and seems to enjoy her new space. There have definitely been some times in the middle of the night when I am less than enthused to go find a soother, and I have come to the realization that now it is super important to actually put her toys away since I have bashed many toes in the dark.... but it is working.
Our most recent milestone, was the weaning of the swaddle. So back to our woombie. Isla has used it for every nap and nighttime since she was a few weeks old. As soon as I would put her in and zip it up, her eyes would start to close. However, our first summer in the house has arrived, and it is hot! With no AC upstairs, Isla's room is really warm. I felt pretty bad about having to wrap her up tightly, even if she was only wearing a diaper underneath. Also, she can roll. Very well. The good part about the woombie is that it doesn't restrict her arms, so she was able to lift her head right up off the bed, as well as her shoulders. I didn't have any concerns about her not being able to breathe, but I felt that she wanted to be able to move around a little more at night without being limited. The last reason was that she is really good at putting her soother back into her mouth. If I give her arms back to her, maybe she will start doing that in the middle of the night instead of me having to go and do it for her.
So yesterday, I decided to go cold turkey and go woombie-free. No, one arm in, one arm out deal...just a normal aden and anais summer sleepsack. Well, I couldn't have been more proud of my little bean. She was awesome. Her first nap was 2.5 hours!!! Second nap was 1.5... and then she went to sleep on her own. Two wake ups (that just required soother replacement)....but I will take it! The tears were VERY minimal. I gave her a stuffed sheep and an aden and anais security issie to play with in bed and then scattered three soothers around the bed...hoping she would find one when needed. I did hear soothers drop, and for her second nap I had to go in as she was screaming, looking at the soother on the floor. As soon as I gave it to her, she was out like a light.
All in all, we are on day 2 of no woombie and things are going well. I guess she was ready. So, farewell woombie... it was a great ride. I definitely couldn't have made it 6 months without you. I will get you out of the storage when baby number 2 decides to come along :)
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Happy May 2-4
This weekend was Isla's first May 2-4 celebration. It was a weekend full of neighbourhood fireworks (which I have grown to despise with a sleeping baby), bbq, swings and beautiful sun. It was absolutely perfect weather, and Isla enjoyed every single second of it.
I was pretty impressed with Isla for managing to sleep through the loud fireworks each night. She only ended up waking once last night- I am not sure whether it was due to the really loud bang, or the fact that her room was a mini sauna. Poor nugget went to sleep in just a diaper and the woombie but it was pretty hot. We have started to look into what options we have for air conditioning in this house. If it were just Sean and I, I think the heat would be totally manageable as we could just sleep in the main floor bedroom where it wasn't so bad. However, things are totally different now as I have to think about this little being that can't really be shuffled from sleeping spot to sleeping spot every night. I want to make sure she is as safe and comfortable as possible- so we will see what comes of this!
Yesterday, Sean and I took Isla to the beach for the first time. The splash pad at Albion hasn't opened just yet, so we decided to just go and relax at the beach. We dipped Isla's toes in the water, played on the blanket and enjoyed the swings. We only stayed about an hour as we picked the hottest time of day to go, but it was fun. She really loves being outside which is fantastic. I will have to pick up a little wading pool for her to enjoy in the backyard this summer.
Here is a pic of her enjoying the swings:
I was pretty impressed with Isla for managing to sleep through the loud fireworks each night. She only ended up waking once last night- I am not sure whether it was due to the really loud bang, or the fact that her room was a mini sauna. Poor nugget went to sleep in just a diaper and the woombie but it was pretty hot. We have started to look into what options we have for air conditioning in this house. If it were just Sean and I, I think the heat would be totally manageable as we could just sleep in the main floor bedroom where it wasn't so bad. However, things are totally different now as I have to think about this little being that can't really be shuffled from sleeping spot to sleeping spot every night. I want to make sure she is as safe and comfortable as possible- so we will see what comes of this!
Yesterday, Sean and I took Isla to the beach for the first time. The splash pad at Albion hasn't opened just yet, so we decided to just go and relax at the beach. We dipped Isla's toes in the water, played on the blanket and enjoyed the swings. We only stayed about an hour as we picked the hottest time of day to go, but it was fun. She really loves being outside which is fantastic. I will have to pick up a little wading pool for her to enjoy in the backyard this summer.
Here is a pic of her enjoying the swings:
Monday, May 14, 2012
Happy Mother's Day!
Yesterday was my first official Mother's Day :) We were in North Bay, celebrating Melody's third birthday, so we got to spend the entire day with family. Isla apparently didn't get the memo that she was supposed to sleep in to give mom a little break, but that's ok because seeing her gigantic smile in the morning is the greatest gift she can possibly give me.
Now being a mom, I definitely have learned to appreciate what my own mother has done for me. It is a lot of work! Being a mom is tiring and frustrating at times, but the pay-off is that you have an amazing child who you love so much. Isla has truly been a blessing and I can't imagine my life any other way!
Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there :)
Here is a pic of Isla and I celebrating Melody's rainbow birthday party and our first Mother's Day:
Now being a mom, I definitely have learned to appreciate what my own mother has done for me. It is a lot of work! Being a mom is tiring and frustrating at times, but the pay-off is that you have an amazing child who you love so much. Isla has truly been a blessing and I can't imagine my life any other way!
Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there :)
Here is a pic of Isla and I celebrating Melody's rainbow birthday party and our first Mother's Day:
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
6 months old
The past week, Isla has decided that she needs to wake up around 4 or 5 am. I will feed her and try to put her back to sleep, but that just doesnt seem to cut it. The other day I decided to bring her into bed with me (Sean was sleeping downstairs waiting for a supply call) and it seemed to do the trick. She did her little tilt the head to the side and snuggle down. I love that little move. She fell right back to sleep as that was exactly what she wanted. So when Isla woke up again last night at 4:30am, I skipped the feed and just put her into bed with me, and we both slept peacefully until 7:30. Waking up beside this little nugget is one of the best feelings and I absolutely love these few morning hours to cuddle with her. I know they won't last forever, so why not take advantage of it now?!? Habit or not, I am under the impression that you need to live for the moment with babies and love them every second... that can never be wrong in my opinion :)
Today, Isla turns six months old. That is proof of just how fast time flies and how I need to treasure every little minute I have with her when she is this small. Isla has started to become a very energetic and active baby to say the least. She loves her carpet time to roll absolutely everywhere and begin to crawl. So far she is able to get her bum in the air and push herself forward. She is very determined when she sees something that she wants, and she will get it! It is a combination of rolling and pushing to get from one end of the carpet to the other, but she can do it. I can't leave anything around the living room anymore, or she finds it! I love her determination and energy, and the budding sense of humour that she is starting to develop.
Isla is also loving her food. So far she has had cereal, bananas, apples, pears, sweet potato, avocado, squash and mum mums... not sure mum mums really count as a food...but they keep her entertained in her high chair long enough for Sean and I to eat dinner usually :) This week I picked up some prunes and peaches to try out. I think that she will enjoy those!
Last week, I took Isla to the park with her friend Cameron. I had put her into the swing awhile ago, but she just kind of hung there with a confused look on her face. This past weekend, she absolutely loved the swing. She had a gigantic smile and even let out a few laughs. I had to bring Sean back to the park with us after dinner so that he could see how much she enjoyed it!
Swimming has also started to go really well (keep your fingers crossed that the same happens tonight). The past few weeks have brought little to no tears, and even some smiles and "happy kicks" (when Isla is really happy, she does these cute kicks with her legs when you pick her up... one of my favourite things). She can go under water and do little dives- quite impressive at such a young age. The car ride home is usually a different story as she is tired and it is bed time, but I usually give her a free pass on that one.
This weekend, we are headed to Melody's third birthday party. It is rainbow themed, and Isla has a cool new rainbow dress to wear that she picked out. It is also my first real Mother's Day. Every day pretty much feels like Mother's Day as I am so lucky to have Isla in my life- truly a little miracle :) I know that she had a few ideas for gifties that she was telling Sean to pick up for her. I wonder what she decided on. haha. Truly, the only gift I need is the little smile and gurgle that I get every morning when she wakes up :)
Happy 6 months, Isla!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Happy Five Months, Isla!
It is hard to believe that Isla is now five months old. When I post her new monthly pic to her album, I always like to look through and see the changes from her as a newborn. Adorable!
This months pics turned out really well- I managed to get a few smiles out of her, which I love. Isla has her two bottom teeth and so she can give this really cute, little toothy smile that is absolutely contagious.
Here are a few of my faves:
She has become a pro at rolling both ways now. Every time I look at her she is in a different position. She has also started rolling a bit in her sleep. I am sad to say that I am now faced with having to begin the process of sleeping swaddle-free (yikes) and possibly a move to her crib. She seems to enjoy the extra space and when given the chance, will wiggle around in her bed. I think she has now outgrown the bassinet, and as soon as I work up the courage to go without sleep for a few nights, we will go swaddle-free in the crib. yikes.
This past weekend we celebrated Isla's first Easter. I enjoyed many chocolate eggs and jellybeans on her behalf, and she celebrated by wearing a cute outfit.
This months pics turned out really well- I managed to get a few smiles out of her, which I love. Isla has her two bottom teeth and so she can give this really cute, little toothy smile that is absolutely contagious.
Here are a few of my faves:
She has become a pro at rolling both ways now. Every time I look at her she is in a different position. She has also started rolling a bit in her sleep. I am sad to say that I am now faced with having to begin the process of sleeping swaddle-free (yikes) and possibly a move to her crib. She seems to enjoy the extra space and when given the chance, will wiggle around in her bed. I think she has now outgrown the bassinet, and as soon as I work up the courage to go without sleep for a few nights, we will go swaddle-free in the crib. yikes.
This past weekend we celebrated Isla's first Easter. I enjoyed many chocolate eggs and jellybeans on her behalf, and she celebrated by wearing a cute outfit.
Another big milestone in month five is introducing food. I was thinking to hold off until 6 months, but I decided to go along with the cues that Isla is giving, and she is all about eating solid food. She watches every single thing that goes from our plates to our mouths. She literally steals food off of our plates and really wants to try everything. I started her with rice cereal (she was not a big fan) and have now moved onto oatmeal, which has been a bit more of a hit. She still isn't completely sold as I think she knows that I am holding out on her. She has tried avocado, and is still deciding if she likes it.
So far, her most favourite food has been banana. Sean was eating a banana one day and she grabbed it and put it in her mouth- I figured, why not? It is one of the early foods that is ok to start, and she really enjoys being able to hold onto it and eat it herself. She spits out the big pieces, but really enjoys it. I decided to give her a banana mum mum today and I literally had to tear it out of her hands as she was trying to eat it so quickly. She loved it!
We are taking it pretty slow and will likely stick with oatmeal and the odd banana thrown in here or there for a bit. She has awhile to go before I really need to think about giving her real meals.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
New shoes
Just this week, I remarked to Sean about how much Isla has grown up. It really just happened this week and it seems, overnight.
All of a sudden, she has two bottom teeth (and is starting to work at one on top) and can roll front to back as well as back to front. She is staying awake for longer periods during the day, and is beginning to fall into pretty consistent sleep patterns.
With Isla becoming easier I decided that I really needed to start doing something. I realized that the longest I have been away from her was for a couple hours to get my hair cut back in February. Other than that, I have literally spent every single minute with her. I definitely wouldn't have it any other way and I treasure every single moment I get to spend with my baby, but I also decided that perhaps it would be good for me to have a few moments of "me" time here or there.
So today, Sean, Isla and I ventured to Caledon Hills Cycling, and Sean bought me some sweet Salomon trail running shoes.
All of a sudden, she has two bottom teeth (and is starting to work at one on top) and can roll front to back as well as back to front. She is staying awake for longer periods during the day, and is beginning to fall into pretty consistent sleep patterns.
With Isla becoming easier I decided that I really needed to start doing something. I realized that the longest I have been away from her was for a couple hours to get my hair cut back in February. Other than that, I have literally spent every single minute with her. I definitely wouldn't have it any other way and I treasure every single moment I get to spend with my baby, but I also decided that perhaps it would be good for me to have a few moments of "me" time here or there.
So today, Sean, Isla and I ventured to Caledon Hills Cycling, and Sean bought me some sweet Salomon trail running shoes.
They are super cute and since we have a hiking trail pretty much in our backyard, I thought this would be the perfect solution for some "me" time. It definitely helps that perhaps I will be able to shed some of this leftover baby weight that is lingering! I enjoy running, although I am not blessed with running feet, and I found road running (anything over 5 km) absolutely destroyed my feet regardless of which shoes I wore. I am thinking trail running will be a little more interesting and hopefully, will affect my feet differently.
Let's hope!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Isla's First Swimming Lesson
The highlight of this week was Isla's first swimming lesson at Making Waves in Brampton. I signed Isla up for the parent and tot class with the intention of alternating Sean and I to accompany her each week. As I was terrified of having to dunk her underwater, I made Sean go first.
It turns out, they didn't have to dunk the babies at all. They just started teaching the cue: 1, 2, 3, under... so the baby will learn to close their eyes and hold their breath. Only their chin went under the first week :)
Isla started out with a few little tears at the beginning- unsure that she really wanted to be doing this. After some songs and games, she came around and did really well. We are going to keep going with Sean swimming with her each week, as it's something fun for them to do together... and let's face it, public pools are not my thing. It was pretty cute that there were 3 other dads in the class as well, with moms on the pool deck snapping pictures. They must all think like me!
I am super excited for her next class- Here are some pics:
It turns out, they didn't have to dunk the babies at all. They just started teaching the cue: 1, 2, 3, under... so the baby will learn to close their eyes and hold their breath. Only their chin went under the first week :)
Isla started out with a few little tears at the beginning- unsure that she really wanted to be doing this. After some songs and games, she came around and did really well. We are going to keep going with Sean swimming with her each week, as it's something fun for them to do together... and let's face it, public pools are not my thing. It was pretty cute that there were 3 other dads in the class as well, with moms on the pool deck snapping pictures. They must all think like me!
I am super excited for her next class- Here are some pics:
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