Still here!

Now that E is 2, she loves playing with playdough, uncooked rice, beads, pasta, water, painting, coloring, and stickers. Some of her favorite “games” are hide & seek, tea party, color and shape bingo, babies and doctor.  She plays most of this everyday, and E always wants me to play with her so you can guess what a mess our house is in!  My sister & brother in law have graciously let me use their basement as an early-learning centre for E and also their girls.  So far we have just cleared out most of the toys in the basement, set up some mats and shelving and it already looks pretty good. The kids were already having a ball and playing with all the “new” toys as we were trying to clean up!  My plan is to set up “stations” where the girls can help themselves and hopefully clean up after themselves so they learn to play independently, and also together.

I found some really great resources online for young kids (2 & 3 year olds) that are Christian based.  I will follow them loosely and most likely choose bits from here and there that I think the girls would be interested in.

Hubbard’s Cupboard

ABC Jesus Loves Me

My main goal is to teach the girls character and self control and if we learn other things like the ABC’s great, if not then that’s ok too.  I found this article talking about what a 4 year old should know and it really speaks to me and I hope I will always remember that when I am with the girls.

Dear E, 10 months

In the past 2 months I can’t believe how much you have grown! Not in size or weight, but in ability.  Right now you are talking, standing, crawling up stairs, racing me to the dishwasher that I have left open to see what’s inside… you are curious and amazed by all that is around you.

You handled your first airplane ride in your usual character…sound asleep comfortably on my arm.  All the passengers around us were amazed by you, and probably relieved that you slept the entire way and didn’t make one peep.  You also learned how to crawl at Auntie Kathy’s place in San Francisco.  After you learned that, there was no stopping you, you were on to climbing up on anything you could get your hands on.  I think you enjoyed your first vacation, you got carried a lot in the new carrier we bought, which doubles as a feeding cover, so you could be fed and carried at the same time!  We did quite a bit of driving, which I occupied you by feeding you if you were awake.  (Usually you were asleep while we drove…must have got that from mommy)

You are learning all sorts of things, waving bye, feeding Emma a treat, SAYING emma, giving “5″, giving kisses, and clapping your hands and dancing when you hear music.   You are quite the chatterbox when you want to be, I can’t believe you learned to talk at 9 months.  You like to say “mama” sometimes “dada”, and you love saying “emma”  and you look to see where she is.  Sometimes it sounds like you are repeating what I say, I don’t know if you are really copying me or just babbling.  You have so much patience and love it when I read you books.  Your favorite is Little penguin, this tiny finger puppet book, and any book with different textures for you to feel and scratch.  You are also into doing squats.  You hang on to something and go up and down…and think it’s so funny.  I think that is one reason why you are standing unassisted already, because you are working our your muscles!  You are still into the scratching thing…sometimes you scratch so hard part of your fingernail flips over!  You like to play and then show us what you are holding by sticking it in our face.  I don’t know if you are just showing me or want me to do something with it.  You can sit still and play and examine your toys for quite a while…although somebody has to be nearby, or else you come and find me.

Eating is becoming a bit easier now that you have gotten used to it.  Still you don’t each much, maybe a few spoonfuls at each meal, but at least it’s an improvement!  You love yogurt, bananas, and anything I’m eating!

You still don’t have much hair, but you finally are getting your first tooth!  It’s not completely out yet, but I can feel it’s there.  I gave you a toothbrush to play with (to prepare you when I really have to brush your teeth!)  You seem to like chewing it, and of course examining and feeling and scratching the bristles with your fingernail.

We have another trip in a few weeks. This time a longer flight and it will be your first tropical vacation to Hawaii!  I can’t wait to see all the things you will see and learn (like swimming!)

Love,

Mommy

Dear E, 8 months

You have brought so much joy and happiness, I thank God every day for blessing us with you.  You smile so easily, and are quickly soothed by me when you are upset.  You will be 8 months old soon, and time has just flown by.  I can still remember your newborn hiccups and little gurgling noises.  Now they are replaced by very loud babbling, adorable fits of laughter, and the occasional squeal.  Something new you are doing is “talking” in a very high -pitched voice.  It kind of sounds like you are singing a song! Maybe you are trying to copy me  It is a welcome change from the low roars you used to do only a month ago.  I think you were frustrated you couldn’t move to what you were seeing, so you roared for help.  You sit well, although you still tip over backwards.  I haven’t let you fall over yet, so you probably haven’t learned it hurts.  You are so mobile now even though you can’t really crawl.  I leave you on the floor and then when I look again, you are off your mat, in the corner of the room!  A few rolls and a little scoot gets you where you want to go.

Your cousin E is a source of constant amusement for you, as well as our dog Emma.  You love to stick your hands in Emma’s face for her to lick and you giggle.  You think it is hilarious when Emma plays with her toys and tosses them in the air.  You always try to reach out to grab her fur, but Emma knows to stay away from your curious grabby hands!  In the past few months, you have become so interactive, and interested in what is going on around you.  You love to ride on Evangeline’s toy car and turn the steering wheel, you still love jumping in the jumper, although I think you are beginning to get bored of the toys, so you have discovered sucking on the butterfly.

Feeding you is becoming much easier now that you are opening your mouth when we feed you!  You didn’t like rice cereal or vegetables, but you love the sweet stuff!  Bananas, applesauce, sweet potatoes, butternut squash…sometimes I have to mix it in with the cereal to get you to eat it.  I tried giving you pureed chicken and another time beef, but you gagged.  I gave you a Farley’s biscuit and at first you didn’t quite know what to do with it.  One taste, and then your face lit up and then you grabbed it with both hands and tried to get the whole thing in your mouth!

Another thing you love to do is to scratch things, I don’t know if it’s the texture or sound, but you scratch everything!  The floor, your toys, the side of the carseat, my arm…I have to make sure your nails are short, although they are always sharp no matter what length.  You also like to kick your feet, you have kicked your feet so much on the hardwood floor while you are lying there playing that you have blisters on your big toes!

It has been a busy and fun first summer with you.  I love to take you everywhere, I usually bring both the stroller and the carrier so if you don’t like sitting in the stroller, you can be carried (which you love).  I still haven’t left you for more than 3-4 hours because we gave up trying to give you a bottle.  We’ve been to Lake Louise/Banff for your first trip, many weddings, countless trips to the grocery store, many walks outside, to the mall, to family’s/grandma’s house, church, the mom & baby class, and pretty much any where I go.  You are easy to take along because you usually don’t fuss and just love to watch what is going on.

We are going on a trip soon, and it will be your first airplane ride!  I think you are going to love it and I can’t wait to see what new things you learn next.

Love,

Mommy

Cake Pops

I make this for my baby sister’s bridal shower this weekend.  Not having baked anything for a while since E was born, I think I went overboard and made these cake pops, banana cupcakes, and chocolate cherry macadamia nut cookies.  Matt spent some good quality time with E this weekend  And now he gets to eat the leftovers! (Or take them to work)

I found the recipe for these online, they are chocolate cake in the middle and dipped in chocolate. 

She found her voice!

E told us that she was all “grown up” on Monday (which was her due date) when she started wailing and crying like crazy.  Our quiet, sleeps all the time baby is getting louder and more awake…  and Matt and I are now in for sleepless nights!

3 weeks!

Wow, I can’t believe E is already 3 weeks old!  I am feeling much better now, so today I even took out my “good camera” to take some pictures of E while she is still tiny. She also slept for 5 hours last night!  I woke up feeling well rested and thought it was strange, and when I checked the time it was 5 hours since E last ate, so I had to wake HER up to eat!

The only time Emma looks big.

Emma always loses fur around her eyes when she is stressed…so far she has been pretty good with E.  She never barked at the baby, just curious and I think jealous.  Emma always tries to sit as close to me (or Matt) as possible now, when before she liked to sit on her own.

Haha…this is our “family picture”!

Things to do on bedrest…

Good thing I’ve got almost an entire Michael’s store stocked up in my craft room! It’s hard to limit my activity when there is stuff to clean & things to move to the basement (We finally got the carpet installed!), but I don’t want to risk going to the hospital again! I got my blood taken 3 times and an IV put in last time, so I’d rather sit still for a few more weeks at home than stay at the hospital again. Matt has been great and doing all the cooking, vacuuming, doing the dishes, and getting me whatever I need!

Here is a fruit & veggie themed mobile that I sewed out of felt pieces:

I used a paper plate for the ring shape, so it’s kind of flimsy.  I’ll have to find something stiffer to use for the next one.  It’s hanging from the towel bar in the bathroom right now…

Upwards view, you can actually see the shapes better this way.  I find a lot of the mobiles you can buy in the store look good from the side, but not from below.

And another farm animal one that I’m starting…

I’m stuck on what to use for the pig’s tail.  Any ideas?

Things you can do with a lot of time on your hands and nowhere to go!

I’m going home today!

Matt’s going to pick me up after work, and then I get to boss him around for a few weeks

Back in the hospital!

Thanks everybody for your prayers and concern!  I’m doing fine, and the baby seems pretty happy still (that’s what the nurses tell me when they listen to her heartbeat.)  The bad thing is I have no idea how long I have to stay in the hospital this time.  Different doctors tell me different things from a couple of days to a couple of weeks!  I’m already running out of things to do in bed, although I found this internet connection!

Only light cleaning from now on…

I think I must have cleaned too strenuously on Saturday because Sunday I wasn’t feeling very well.  Since Matt wasn’t in town, I called him and he said to go to the hospital just to check things out.  They made me stay for 2 days! My first ever hospital stay, even though I felt fine, the doctors wanted to be on the safe side since my placenta is low and they wanted to make sure everything was ok.  I’m home now and on “limited activity” until the baby comes, which is way better than bedrest!