Fall is officially here!

Sweet Rina,

Funny how easy it is to fall back into our routine after a 2-week break! We got up this morning and said goodbye to your Dad for the weekend as he had to go to the mainland for a tournament. I chose to stay home with you in order to get you back into your routine. You’ve been waking up a bit earlier than usual (and so have I!) and I’d like not to break up your routine any more than it needs to.

Getting dressed this morning, I decided to try on my “skinny jeans”. You know, those jeans that have been in your closet for ever with the high hopes that you’ll one day fit into them again? Well, to my wonderful surprise, THEY DO FIT and with just minimal “muffin top” too! 😉 I can easily hide that with a long t-shirt and a sweater!

After your Dad left, we got some more groceries and it took me all of 15 minutes to get a split pea soup going in the slow cooker. I got everything chopped in about 5 minutes, thanks to my wonderful Vita-Mix! 🙂 Now, the soup is cooking and the house is deliciously fragrant! Perfect for a rainy day like today!

The rain let off late this afternoon and it was all it took for me to load you up in your stroller and go for a quick walk. I was getting a bit of cabin fever and needed to move, so off we were. The air was crisp and the fall colours were in full display. As we were walking, you could even smell some fireplace warming up the houses along the trail. We were also awarded the show of 3 flocks of Canada geese flying right above us. They were really loud and you were trying to figure out where they were going.

Fall colours along the trail

Cloudy sunset over Swan Lake

More fall colours over Swan Lake

We came back home, I put you to bed and I had a nice hearty bowl of chili for dinner and there is now a fire roaring in the fireplace. Yep, it is officially fall! Hopefully, it won’t rain too much this season so we can still enjoy being outdoors!

Love,
Mom & Dad Xxo

Better than yesterday!

Sweet Rina!

Swimming went a little better today. I dunked you 3 different ways in the pool and although you were crying, it was nothing like the drama of yesterday AND you even managed to relax a bit in the warm pool at the end of class. You were lying on your back with water at ear level and managed to relax your little legs. You even gave a few kicks in the water! Good for you!

Now, if we could only teach you to roll over from your tummy to your back in your crib. You’ve started rolling from back to tummy, but then go into a complete panic once you find yourself on your tummy (even though you know how to roll onto your back?!?) and start crying. I’ve had to wake up 3x last night to flip you over. Let’s not make this a habit please and go back to our old sleep routine very soon, mmmk? Although, tonight, you were so tired, you didn’t even want your bedtime bottle and fell asleep right away. Don’t worry, tomorrow will be an easy day with just us girls hanging out at home after swimming. We’ve been on the go  lot over the last 2 days and it will be good to go back to our routine.

Sleep well my angel.

Love,

Mom & Dad Xxo

Jan. 31, 2011 When you’re smiling…

Hello Rina!,

What a good weekend we’ve had! It is soooo nice to have your dad around! We managed to get groceries, clean up the apartment and we were also successful at our 1st dinner-party with you at a friend’s house! I was a bit afraid of how you would react to not having your bedtime routine, but overall, it wasn’t too bad. You got a bit teary around your bedtime and we had brought your playpen to put you down in it, but you decided you’d rather sleep in my arms instead! Once we got home, you woke up a bit when we took you out of your car seat, but fell back asleep quite easily. Your colics aren’t anything near as bad as they used to be, so much so that I am weaning you from the probiotics I was giving you. When you’re completely off them for a week, I’ll see if I can switch back your formula to the original one I was giving you (as I am currently giving you one with less lactose in it).

We had tons of fun with you over the weekend, snapping pictures and taking videos of you. You are quite the funny girl, you know! And when you give me a smile, you just make my heart melt… I’m in trouble already! Here’s what you look like when you crack that smile for your parents:

Her mother’s daughter: Rocking the hoodie outfit given by aunt Kel!

 

Remember a few weeks ago I was telling you about our visit to Myles and Leanne? Myles was born on the same day as you, just 2hrs after you and I work with Leanne. Well, Leanne and I were comparing the two of you as you were sleeping and we thought you looked somewhat alike. Leanne had said that of course you guys would look alike as you were made on the same day up in heaven. You can see for yourself here, as I now have a picture of the two of you sleeping.

 

As Leanne puts it so well: Same day souls (Myles and yourself, fast asleep)

 

There you have it! Our life in a nutshell lately! Things are getting easier on a daily basis as we get to know and love each other more!

Love,

Mom & Dad Xxo

Jan. 18, 2011: 6 weeks old and a routine?!?

Rina!

Today, you are 6 weeks old! How time flies! It seems like yesterday, we were coming home from the hospital. I am a bit scared of writing the following for fear of jinxing myself, but I think I’m slowly (very slowly) getting the hang of things. I’m still struggling to make food and get more than one thing done everyday, but I get things done every week! We might even have somewhat of a routine established!

 

On your last feed of the night (or your early feed of the day), you don’t settle back asleep unless we bring you back into our bed. Everyone can lash out at us for taking you to bed with us, I don’t care, I need those extra hours of sleep in order to face the very long day ahead of me. Once we are awake, I usually shower before your dad leaves for work and then have breakfast. Actually, it is more like a brunch as it usually nears 11am by that time. On the days that it is needed, I would then get started on laundry or a tiny bit of tidying around the house. Then, if we don’t have any plans to meet with anyone or a doctor’s appointment, I either put you in your stroller if we need to run errands or strap you to your carrier if we’re going for a walk. Upon our return home, you’re usually asleep and I grab this opportunity to make some important phone calls (because you’re not howling in the background 🙂 ), fold laundry &/or grab a quick bite to eat. If you’re still asleep by the time I’m done, I usually nap on the couch, if not, I play with you until it’s time to feed you again.

 

Like clockwork, you wake up screaming at 4pm. I can literally tell time because you become a bit fussier for about 1-2hrs. I feed you sometime in that window and try to calm you down/put you back to sleep. Once you wake up again, I bathe you (every other night) and feed you and then try to put you down. This process usually takes 1h – 1h30 as we play “plug the soother back into the baby”. Once I’m certain you’re asleep, I eat dinner and then hop into the tub for a quick relaxing bath. I have to say that for the past 3 evenings, I’ve managed to catch up on movies, my blog and TV shows I’ve missed over the past few weeks. I don’t know how long it’ll last, but I’ll take it! You usually wake up at around 10-11pm right when your dad returns home from work and he’s usually very eager to give you your bottle as he hasn’t seen you all day. He also gives you the next feed after that while I am crashed into bed! And that brings us to another day where we try and repeat pretty much the same pattern! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a routine stuck in cement and last night, you didn’t sleep well at all (we had to go soothe you pretty much every 30mins for the entire night!), but it’s all part of the game and there will be days (or nights) when the routine will be completely out the window and I can accept that. I’m just appreciating being able to feel like a person again and have some “me time” in the evenings instead of feeling like a run-down mom running around like a chicken with my head cut off1

 

We had a really nice visit with a friend of mine (we also work together) who gave birth to a gorgeous boy 2hrs after you came into this world. I won’t put their names on here as I haven’t cleared it with my mommy-friend, but she said something really sweet that stuck with me. As you and her son were asleep and we were chatting, we noticed you both share some similar physical features (you and her son) and the mommy-friend said: “Of course you’re gonna look somewhat alike, you were made in heaven at the same time!” Sweet isn’t it?!?

 

Good night sweet girl,

Love,

Mom & Dad Xxo