What I couldn't live without....

I'm starting to feel like a seasoned mom. Stella has grown into an incredibly sweet, content baby, which of course makes me feel like a super mom. But every mom has secret weapons that help them get through the day, so here's my top list. Just in case you have a baby shower to attend this weekend and you haven't thought of a gift yet.

1. Mesh feeder. Fruit goes in, fruit gets squished out through mesh into Stella's mouth. Baby distraction rating 8 on a scale of 1 to 10.

2. Kangaroo carrier. I'll say it again. Saved. My. Life. Stella lived in for the month of December. She slept in it on all the flights to Georgia. It's still fantastic to throw her into it and scoot up the street to the store. Thank you Leslie, super mom of three. Moms know best.

3. Books. You can never ever have too many. Always buy a new baby a book.

4. Fuzzy blankets. Stella loves a good fuzzy blanket. She schmooches them against her face when she's falling asleep, she loves the texture.

5. Baby Swing. A wonderful hand me down. The one thing we will definitely buy for baby 2.0. Stella was the fourth baby through this particular swing and it is on it's last legs. Maybe cause we used the heck out of it. It just last week took up it's spot in the basement, the first of many things that Stella will grow out of it.

We have so many other things that we've used, and many things we thought we couldn't live without and have barely touched. We have pjs to outfit an army of babies, but Stella doesn't really wear them anymore (sleep sacks rule).

Cherry Scones and the reasoning

Today was a day to bake. I'm supposed to ration how much I bake, because I/Jeff tend to eat what ever the baking project is. But I decided today was a day to bake. So I'm going to provide the reasoning....

1. My eye is exploding. I've had a red eye on and off for weeks and I keep putting it off and making excuses (it's my contact, it's just dry etc etc etc). But last night there was no more avoiding it, so "someone" put their foot down and said I had to go to the doctor. Appointment booked for 2:30. But it still hurts so baking was needed.

2. I had left over cherry pie filling in the fridge. I'm just being thrifty and making sure it gets used up.

3. Jeff bought me a fancy new rolling pin last weekend. It's marble. I feel like a movie star baker.

4. Stella went down for an hour long nap with out a fight. Solid foods, vacation and being 6 months old has changed this kid's life.

So Cherry Scones it was. And they're delicious. Too bad it was just a thrown together recipe so I could probably never duplicate it. They're light and fluffy and perfectly cherry. I can't wait for cherries to come in season in Ontario cause I promised my mom a cherry pie when she gets home.

Separation Anxiety and Baby Knowledge

While we were on vacation in Georgia, my parents took Stella for a night and Jeff and I had a night of baby-freedom in Savannah. We drank margartias and strolled along the riverfront, had a cocktail on the rooftop patio of a swanky hotel and ate waaaaaay to much at one of the top restaurants in Savannah. A great grown up evening, that we had been looking forward to for weeks. But, that didn't mean there weren't a few tears shed before we left (me, not Stella). It's so difficult to walk away from her not knowing how she'll handle things, or if her caretaker will be able to understand what she needs.

Stella did fantastic of course. Her schedule has gotten so much more predictable that it's much easier for me to tell baby sitters what to expect. She feeds the same way everyday and even naps have become vaguely the same. But so much of her day is knowing her signals and anticipating her needs. It's all become instinct now and we've got a good thing going. I can't even begin to explain the "way" I do things. The ritual of mealtimes, naptimes and bathtime are intrinsic and happen between us like clockwork. I know when we've waited too long for naptime and we have to pull out the big sleep guns. Our days flow and are over in the blink of an eye.

Which leads of course to the daunting task of finding a daycare, or care provider for next year. As pointed out so sadly, we're in the second half of our first year, which if the day to day pace continues, I'll be on my way to heading back to work before I know it. I've been putting it off for months, but due to the horrible daycare situation in Toronto, it's best to get on waiting lists frequently and early. We've got a couple options laid out, and today I added our names to 2 more daycare centres in the neighbourhood. There's so many pros and cons to contemplate; locations, nanny vs centre, costs, and of course what works best for Miss Stella. It's an inevitable, and I know many many mommies have gone down the route before me, but I would still rather remain in a blissful ignornant dream.

Today is a Good Day

Today is a good day. It's a good day for slow wake ups and shared breakfast. A good day for slow strolls and long coffees. Today is a good day for picnics in the parks with friends and laughs in the sunshine. It's a good day for sitting on the front porch and flouncy skirts and dresses with polka dots. A day to enjoy flowers and naps and doing absolutely nothing at all.

First Family Vacation!

For our first family vacation we flew down to meet my parents in Savannah, Georgia. The 10 days were full of so many firsts, Stella's first flight, her first night sleeping away from home, her first time at the beach and her first swim in the ocean.



We stayed in the MoHo on Tybee Island, a beautiful little town just outside of Savannah. It was a little challenging to sleep all 5 of us in the small space, we figured out a game plan after the first couple nights that worked well. Most nights Stella ended up sleeping between Jeff and I after her feed. It was like a little sleep vacation for her. We don't do it often, but it was nice to have cuddle time every morning.

Travelling with little Stella was definitely a new challenge, but we were well prepared. We had a game plan for the flight and I definitely packed "enough" for her. Things that we couldn't have done with out:

1. Stella's stroller/car seat combo. So handy to be able to plop her in and out of the car. We checked her car seat at the gate we had her stroller all ready when we got off the plane to whip through the airport.

2. My kangaroo carrier. Stella slept in it when we went to the baseball game and when I was travelling by myself.

3. New toys, we busted out brand new toys on the plane that she hadn't seen before. Kept her amused. And they were all washable, cause airplane carpet is just plain old gross.

Stella's favourite part of the trip; swimming! She's a little waterbaby now. By the last day she would dunk underwater without a peep.



Jeff's favourite part; the seafood! Oysters and Crab that we de-shelled and scarfed down ourselves. With lot's of beer of course.



My favourite part; spending time with family and of course the shopping!

Water Baby

Just a hint from our trip, which is still in progress. Stella is a swimming machine. She doesn't roll over or stand, but put this baby in the water and she starts kicking her feet! We've been taking her to the pool everyday and she gets more and more comfortable in the water. Apparently I was the same way, swimming at the Y with the waterbabies! More details from vacation to come!

Trapped

This blog is some randomness when trapped under a sleeping baby. We've had a giant jam-packed day, up at 730, some tidying up in the morning, mommy lunch and then a little trip across town to visit with Leslie, Sam and Mae. Our next door neighbour is re-roofing so it's hard to convince Stella to nap in her room. She was so tired that she finally conked out on me. She' sound asleep with her pacifier hanging half out of her mouth and i'm getting a treat of watching Days of our Lives.

So for now I'm trapped.

Yesterday was stella's half birthday, I wish that someone had told me that the first 6 months would be insane but that we would finally get it. There's a horrible myth that it only takes six weeks. I never believed all the parenting books that said I would learn her cries quickly and instantly know what she needed. I finally do but it's been a long process. Mothering doesn't come easy but it does eventually.

I think there's a lot of pressure on moms to do things the right way and what's best for their child. Over the last six months I've met some amazing moms and while everyone has different mommy styles the most important thing is howuch they love and nurture their
babies in conditionally. There is no wrong way to mommy when you love them with your whole heart.

Sorry for all the typos and no pictures..... That's what happens when you're trapped.

Sweet Potatos for a Sweet girl

Stella's food week has continued with sweet potatos this evening. Other foods this week have been rice cereal, avocado (which was hit when mixed with breastmilk, but not when mixed with formula), oatmeal (big hit), melon and sweet potatos tonight.

We mixed up the sweet potatos and froze them in a great covered ice cube tray I found at the dollar store. We also bought her a mesh feeder:

www.munchkin.com/products/detail.html


We've been checking out this amazing website for recipes and tips as well:

www.wholesomebabyfood.com


Only 6 more sleeps until Stella can eat breakfast with Nanna and Poppy.