Cute Stuff to Remember

Trying on Mama's vest

Baby is developing so quickly these days I want to indulge a bit here and record all the amazing, cute, funny things she's been doing lately....

• SO many new words! I wasn't expecting her language to take off this early but she learns a new word every few days it seems. A lot of them are still 'half words' but still very recognizable. And she looks SO happy when we understand her.
• I've had a cold that has turned into an annoying hang around cough. Baby asks for a tissue and holds it up to her mouth and 'coughs.' Sad that she is modeling this particular behavior of mine but so cute too.
• Mama's little helper! She loves helping out. She sets the table! Everything ends up on one side barely on the edge but still a great accomplishment! She also loves finding the smallest possible crumb and showing it to us and walking with us over to the garbage can to put it in. She also wipes up the floor, the carpet, her toys if she finds a little cloth. Neither of us are neat freaks at all so not sure where this is coming from!
• Dancing machine! She LOVES to dance and gets SO excited when music comes on....asking for 'more' when her favourites end. She picks up a crazy small sticker of a teddy bear and dances to the song 'dancing with teddy'...and only for that song. So clever, this girl.
• Every bug is currently a 'bee' and she finds the smallest ant or fly when we are out for a walk and is so excited to yell out 'bee!'
• Stacks blocks super high...very impressive, steady hand.
• Asks to go for a nap by clearly saying 'nap' and doing the sign for it...also very cute.
• Very particular about her footware and coats....must were certain shoes inside and out. We basically let her choose now.
• Loves to make us laugh. Does funny walks, makes funny sounds and laughs along with us. She also likes to 'hide' things and does the sign for 'all gone' and then pull the thing out when we exclaim 'hmmm I wonder where it is??'
• Puts diapers on her dolls and stuffies...not very well but the good intention is there!

What an amazing human being she is.

Sick Days & Easter Fun

I have a cold. One of those colds that feels like it is never going to end. I've had a smashing headache for 4 days, a cough that seems to get worse every night and I can't sleep because of the cough so I'm not getting any [much needed] rest. I think I've been sick 3 times already this year. I don't usually get a cold or flu more than once a year. My immune system seems to be a bit shoddy at the moment. C'mon, body. Work with me here.

Wool eggs & chicks

Other than being sick though, I'm happy to report (a little late) that we had a lovely Easter this year. On the Saturday we went to Stanley Park and went on the Easter train. The train is super cute and it's a lovely little ride but it was hilarious to see all the little stuffed bunnies sitting with the headstones or beside a scary black cats. Clearly the Ghost Train ride is a much bigger attraction. But the weather was beautiful and it was very festive and we all had a great time.

On Sunday morning we woke up at the usual time and brought Baby out on the upstairs balcony in her pjs, jacket and shoes. Poor thing was half asleep. S had hidden some little stuffed bunnies she had gotten from a previous show she worked on and we had also bought some felted wool eggs and chicks from a local mom. Baby played along with us and found everything. She loved the little eggs and chicks. Unfortunately, our cat did too so we had to keep putting them away when Baby wasn't playing with them. They are now safely tucked away for next year.

Sans egg that Baby crushed

Later in the morning we painted some hard boiled eggs. Baby didn't really get the concept in terms of doing it herself but she liked to watch and was very encouraging as S and I used crayons, nylons and food colouring to create our masterpieces.

After nap time, we packed up the fixings for an amazing Easter dinner and went over to enjoy dinner with some friends (and watch the hockey game!). Dinner was a big success, Baby had lots of fun, and even though the Canucks lost, it was a great day and night.

I'm happy to report that we had a chocolate free Easter celebration (well, Baby did anyway). I had mixed feelings about even celebrating Easter as we are not a Christian family. However, we decided to mark the day as a tribute to Spring and time spent with good food and good people.

Comfort and Love

A former co-worker, and friend, of mine passed away yesterday. I wish so much for his wife and children and the rest of his family and close friends to have comfort and love during the unfathomably difficult times ahead.

www.penmachine.com

Update on sleep, food and everything related

Baby @ less than 24 hrs old - photo courtesy of Auntie A!

It's been quite a while since I discussed sleep on my blog so I thought it was time I gave an update to those of you who have been staying awake at night wondering if Baby and I are getting any sleep.

As you may remember, Baby and I went on a strict elimination diet for 28 days. We saw some immediate and sometimes significant results. At the end of the month I decided to slowly add back in some of the things we had cut out. I started with dairy. Unfortunately, within a couple of days, it seemed to affect first Baby's sleep and then, more significantly, the "small dry spots" on her arms and legs started to turn into a more obvious form of eczema. A mild case but getting to the point where Baby was bothered by it and started scratching. We backed off of dairy but unfortunately sleep didn't improve again. So, we went back to a time when Baby was waking every hour or so.

I cried.
I complained.
I worried.
I cried again.

I decided to take Baby back to our family doctor and ask her opinion again. She had another look at Baby's skin and also listened to my experience with the elimination diet. She agreed that it sounded like food allergies and suggested we see a pediatrician that specializes in nutrition. That's where we're at right now. We have an appointment in a week and a half. I have no idea what to expect from this so-called nutritional expert who is also a pediatrician but I'm going to try and keep an open mind and hear what he has to say. I do have to say though that if he tells me to stop nursing Baby or to start feeding her meat I'm going to lose it. I'm just warning him in advance. Ok, I'm glad I got that out. S thinks I'm jumping to conclusions and being unfairly judgmental on this one. She might be right. Oh, and in case you're wondering why we don't just get her tested for allergies, we were told (and I've researched myself) that standard medical testing for allergies on kids under 2 or 3 are often false negatives or false positives.

I am hoping, hoping, hoping she grows out of this.

On the bright side (because I do truly believe that there is always a bright side...and I always find it!), Baby slept for 4 interrupted hours last night. It was heavenly.