Lily Update (months 7-9)

It's true (and obvious).... I've abandoned the whole monthly update thing. It's just not going to happen. Lily is approaching 10 months and I don't think I've done once since she was 7 months old. That's in no way indicative of her lack of accomplishments or our excitement about them, but more so our lack of free time to document them all, our lack of a good camera right now, and the busyness of life and relocation. And the more I thought about it, with each additional baby it would get monumentally more difficult to do them, so why not quit while I'm ahead? Or only slightly behind...

But some updates on the Lily front are here! This post is mostly for the grandparents and Lily's aunts and uncles (biological and honorary) so I hope it doesn't bore those readers who only read for recipes and DIY things... This post is SO not that :)

Lily. Is it fair to say we're addicted to you? Is it accurate to say you're our favourite person? Brad and I have asked these questions of her so often. I joke that the three of us our Best Friends Forever, which brad quasi-loves and quasi-resists since it's extremely sappy and ridiculous but also true if you count the whole BFF thing as the person/people you spend the most time with and who influence you the most. And she's only getting cuter and more fun as she ages.

Some of the milestones of late are clapping at basically everything, person, and situation, broadening her food tastes to basically all fruits, vegetables, grains (thankful she's not allergic to wheat!), many meats, and even eggs (another sigh of relief that she's not allergic to eggs... apparently it's more common than I'd thought, but we're clear for baking parties now!), and drum roll............. TEETH. Or should I say tooth? I can't really tell because she's a stubborn baby with a strong tongue and will to keep us away from them... unless we're allowing her to chomp on our fingers which is a lot more painful now that sharp hard object(s) are emerging.

Three days ago I noticed as Lily was chewing on my finger (note to parents and pregos: DO NOT waste your money on a $20 Sofie The Giraffe. It's essentially a chew toy available at any Dollar Store and they seem to always prefer something else - books, toys, limbs...) that there was something else in there. Just a glimmer of a tooth protruding from the gums but enough to really hurt. It was hard, sharp, and slightly jagged (as the very tops of teeth tend to be). Every day since it's been slightly more present, but the tooth or teeth are still really faint can barely be seen, especially with Lily's force. It's in the center of the bottom row of her gums, so it's hard to tell if it's one tooth or the two middle teeth, but we'll see soon I'm sure.

And one sad "milestone" - Lily's hair is now long enough and thus heavy enough, that it doesn't grow vertical like grass but downward like normal hair. We've tried brushing it up after baths and it just falls down immediately now. I'd say her hair is a good inch and a half now in some places, and the baby Mohawk is officially gone. RIP amazing hair. We loved you and we miss you. On the plus side, her hair is long enough for barrettes! Just in time to be the flower girl at her aunt Lisa's wedding this August :)

7 Months in...

Of course, as usual, about 1 month behind seems the new normal! Lily turns 8 months in a few days (and I'm determined to actually post near that date of her 8th month!) so I need to get my behind in gear and talk about her 7th...

It seemed the 7th month was a month of waiting. She was on the cusp of just about every milestone a baby can be at - her first tooth, crawling, sitting by herself, you name it. We went to sleep most nights sure she's wake with a tooth, and it never happened. Every tummy-time we half expected to see her crawl her way off her mat, and it never happened. and every time she was propped up against a pillow we wouldnt have been surprised if she sat independently, and it never happened. Which was fine of course, we're in no rush for our baby to grow up! We just couldn't help but wonder when these things would happen since she seemed to be, like I said, forever on the cusp.

One highlight for me was finding Lily a new pediatrician. Oh thank you so much for your prayers, for those who knew of our predicament! We were at a semi-private place that we LOATHED. Unfortunately at Lily's birth no local pediatricians were taking patients and the local CLSC doctor was too full of patients. So it seemed our only option. But we quickly noticed that when you have to pay a $10 fee for each visit, they seem to have no problem cutting appointments short or rushing through them, not to mention suggesting you come back frequently, when it seemed unnecessary. Meanwhile, the wait times were up to an hour per appointment, and the automated phone system would drive any sane person crazy. One woman I talked to in the waiting room said she called on a Monday (they assure they'll call you back within 24-48 hours) and didn't hear until the Friday about when she could come in, meaning she couldn't be seen until the next week! As luck would have it (or providence), my local CLSC called me, knowing I'd called before asking for a pediatrician, and invited me to have first dibs on their new family doctor. I asked if I could see him immediately (Lily was due her 6 month check up, a few weeks late) and they booked me for the very next day. I waited five minutes before seeing one of the most attentive and thorough doctors I'd ever met. He continued to ask me if I had any questions stating "I don't want you to have to come back tomorrow if you've forgotten, so do think if you want to ask me anything" - hilariously opposite from our experience at Tiny Tots! He also insisted that he personally look over Lily's ecographie from her 3 day-old heart murmur. Though the Children's Hospital has said it's nothing to worry about he said "I'll sleep better knowing I personally checked it too". I think I skipped home that day :)

We also started referring to Lily as the Big Sister this month which is weird and fun and exciting all at once. On the one hand, she's our baby. Shes too young to have the responsibility of being a big sister. What life experience can she offer? Isn't it too much to assume anything of a baby? On the other hand it's completely thrilling. Lily has been a joy and we can't wait to add to our family. It's exciting to think about her and another little one. How she'll react, what role she will take on, etc. And then on the other (yes, in my analogy I have 3 hands), it's bitter sweet. Our time as a family of three will be short. The sentiment comes out when we think about it not just being Lily and us again, though it's not negative. Just a season that was short and sweet coming to an end...

So that was her 7th month in a nutshell. In a few days you'll hear about the 8th, and that's rather fitting, because the months do seem like days right now. Whizzing past us all too quickly. Adding up before our eyes.

6 months in...

This is long over due! Can you tell the pregnancy is getting the best of me? I haven't blogged much this month and that's probably the biggest reason, but I do want to talk a bit about Lily's 6th month before it's too late!

Lily started eating solids like a pro and has enjoyed new flavours and textures all month. A huge relief for me too because it seemed like an up-hill battle for the first bit. Lily's totally got the hang of being a baby and we're having a blast as her parents. Her new favourite this month is her jolly jumper and the exersaucer that we call "her office". Her eyes seem to be getting bluer and bluer and her hair is still white and fluffy, growing upwards like a full-head mohawk!

Lily was dedicated at church this month which was a really important event for our family - dedicating our daughter to the Lord, committing before our church to pray for her and lead her in Christian values and the truth, and for our church to join us and commit to supporting us and her.  Another fun first was swimming with Lily. We only hit the poll a few times this month, but I can't wait to take her more when the weather is a bit nicer. So far she loves water and her giraffe bathing suite :)

We found out we were pregnant with our second baby this month and that made us really nostalgic with Lilypie. Thoughts that she's now an older sister, she could be our first and last baby girl, and that her infant days are rapidly passing are swirling around our minds. For now, we're enjoying her mild demeanor, especially with mom wanting to sleep a lot more than usual and having such less energy!

5 months in...

This post is REALLY late (can you tell Lily's getting busier?) and we're actually closer to Lily's 6 month celebration than to her 5 month celebration, but I did want to write a quick post and throw in some pictures of her 5th month with us. 

Her 5th month was a HUGE adjustment for us. We were on the road a lot and I'm not going to lie... it was hard. It's likely that our family, as it only gets bigger, won't make the rounds to every grandparent's house to celebrate Christmas on or near the actual date (this year we did 2 straight weeks starting at Brad's dad's in Montreal, then to his mom's in Toronto, followed by my parents in Niagara). It's just too many adjustments with babies/kids. Once they get comfortable and familiar, it's another long car ride (2-7 hours!), and another new place. But this year, with just one baby, we were able to do it. 

During that same two weeks Lily started doing two hours awake, two hours asleep instead of the previous 1 hour awake, two asleep. She also started eating a full 8oz at each of her four feedings, spending more time on her tummy, and the joyous process of teething. And I stopped breastfeeding for good, that was big. Not in transition for Lily, because I was already predominantly bottle feeding, more so for me. I'm glad I was able to, despite many obstacles, for five months, but wow, I'm loving the freedom of being finished!

In all, it was a very busy, transitional month!

4 months in...

Not a lot to say in this e-mail.
Except I LOVE LILY!!!

Man oh man, she is a beauty. We're getting to know her personality more and we're loving it. She has this amazing smile that she flashes when she hasn't seen me or Brad in a while (in the morning, after a nap, etc) that could end world wars. It seems a little flirtatious too, kind of a cheeky smile where she knows you're just as in love with her as she is happy.

Totally smitten.

Milestones for the Lilypad this month are:

1. bearing lots of weight on her legs (she basically stands on her own as long as we hold her hands)
2. keeping her head up (she she can sit in her Bumbo happily)
3. eating 5oz or more per feeding and sleeping through the night
4. squealing in delight and smiling in response to us and other's smiles
5. MAYBE teething (drooling a lot and loving touching her gums at all times)
6. touching everything, especially odd textures like her uncle's lingering Movember stash

Things she's been loving are (but not limited to) being naked, "walking" her across a table with her stick straight legs when she's "standing", receiving a thousand kisses on her belly, when you blow air on her face if she's bundled up, and sleep (unless we're on the road, in which case she likes to wake every 2 hours for no reason at all. yep.)

She's so great, we've set the timeline at this summer (or late Spring) to start trying again!
See The Baby Bump Blog for details :)

3 months in...

I'm in love!

With Lily.
With being a mom.
With babies in general.

3 months in and life is glorious. I can't say enough about Lily... She's mastered her scheduling and sleeps all night and naps on cue. Her smiles turn our hearts to mush. She's turning into the most beautiful baby we've ever seen.

Wow! When did I become THAT mom?! The mom who thinks every little thing her kid does is magic. The mom who bores you to tears going on and on about how much she loves her baby. The mom who will take up an hour of your time showing off pictures of that same sleeping baby, just in slightly different poises, from slightly different angles. Yes. Look out people. Because I'm THAT mom.

The more I bask in Lily's "good behavior" the more I'm certain those three horrible weeks of sleep training were SO WORTH IT.

Every time people congratulate me on having an "easy" baby I am taken back to those three weeks. Of crying. Every day. All day. Of heart-breaking seemingly-cruel parenting. Letting Lily cry for LITERALLY TWO HOURS STRAIGHT while she was taught that it was nap time, not sob fest 2010.

The reality is I paid my dues for having this nap-on-cue baby. She didn't seem so easy two months ago, that's for sure. And maybe some babies are that great from day one. Eating well. Sleeping soundly. Not fussy in the least. But that wasn't my baby. And it was hard work getting her to this current state of blissful babydom. But she's here. And I wouldn't change a thing.

I know there are about a million legitimate ways to parent and I certainly don't know what the top way is, but for our family, it was sleep training (Baby Wise). Leaving a crying baby not because you don't care, but exactly the opposite. Because you want her to be able to sleep well, and be anxiety-free, and not need a parent holding her to be happy. I had a VERY hard time getting to this point, and without my network of mom-friends (shout out Hailey, Erin, and Vanessa!) me AND Lily would still be crying, I'm sure. But honest to goodness, since we've arrived at the third month of Lily's life, we are SO THANKFUL we did it all.

Lily's been maybe a little TOO good, in that she already has us thinking about baby #2. That's one price you pay for having a good baby, I guess! Are we ready now? I doubt it. Although making a baby takes 9 months... But we're definitely open to whatever comes next. So far, I'm not pregnant and Lily is still an only child, but this past month has brought so much life back to our home and we want more!

Other things melting our hearts these days are her smiles and laughs, notably when Brad comes home after being away at work all day, and her noises. Lily currently does a great impression of a kitten and a baby monkey, and on occasion a baby opera singer. I'm serious. You've got to hear it. Oh and holding her neck up (most of the time). Go Lily! You've managed to do all these things this month, all the while, convincing us that we're ready for another baby. Well done.

2 months in...

one step at a time...
one day at a time...
one month at a time...


and just like that, wow. It gets a LOT easier. Anyone in the first few days/weeks/month of Motherhood, hang in there. Baby gets better at being your baby, you get better at being her mom.
Just like that.

This month was drastically different that last. I can't say Lily's first month was bad, it was what it was. But this month felt so much better. I'm getting the hang of things, and so is she :)

Lily's grown heaps since last month, now she's top of the class in the 90th percentile for height! That's 10cm more than when she was born...crazy. I knew something was up when her poor legs were perma-bent in her onsies even though she wasn't filling them out width-wise! She's like the rest of the babies in this town in terms of weight, at exactly 5oz {11lbs} in the 50th percentile. But that's boring, more importantly...

HIGH - Lily started smiling this month. Not necessarily on cue, but not necessarily gas-induced either. What sweet sweet moments that I wish I could freeze in time. Or even capture on camera. Why is it that every gorgeous smile that takes place my camera is either in the other room or out of batteries? WHY.

LOW - never having a camera for those ahhhhhhhhhh I'm in love with my daughter moments.

HIGH - Lily started on a schedule and is *kind of* following it. It is as follows:

7am - wake up, eat, play (WEP)
8am - nap
10am - WEP
11am - nap
1pm - WEP
2pm - nap
4pm - WEP
5pm - nap
7pm - WEP
8pm - BEDTIME
11pm - DREAMFEED
4am-ish - wake up to feed (rather, she wakes me up to feed her), and then again the next day!

LOW - did anyone else notice that her schedule allows for only like 6 awake hours in a DAY!? And she takes around 30 minutes to eat, so I only get like 3 hours a day to snuggle her and play with her. That feels REALLY SHORT. Why oh why does she have to sleep so much!?

HIGH - She sleeps so much ;)

LOW - I don't really know how to do life with this new schedule. Like, she's sleeping at 8pm onward. But friends invite us to go to their house... and we can't get a babysitter... but if we take her, she won't sleep... you get the picture.

HIGH - We have feeding down pat. Yes, I have chronic low-milk-supply. Who the heck CARES? I'm over it. I love Lily and I want what's best for her. Being full is best for her, thus formula with a healthy side of breast milk is best for her. Having a mom who isn't bogged down with shame for something she has no control over is best for her too.

LOW - This month FLEW by. The first one was the hardest (or so I hear, and so far I can accredit), so it was a tad sluggish. Plus I was spending many nights awake THE WHOLE TIME so days kind of ran together. This month, especially with scheduling has been so....normal. Days seem proper. Sleep takes place at nighttime. Eating and playing take place during the day. And the days are enjoyed, but so much so, that they disappeared and now are only a memory.

HIGH - it makes me want more babies and fast ;)

LOW - I'm still healing from Lily. I didn't think it would take so long. I feel fairly good, en forme, and all that jazz, but I'm not. Natural birth puts your body through a wild ride and mine's still on the coaster. Hoping to be 100% soon. Doesn't help that my 2 month postpartum checkup was schedule for tomorrow and was pushed back to next Tuesday either. Grrr.

HIGH - we started cloth diapering this month and it's going gloriously. Easier than I thought, and we're saving a bucket load of cash. diapers ran us about $50/month. In total my cloth diaper stash was around $300. In 6 months they'll have paid for themselves!

LOW - some of the money we're saving is going to formula. And breastmilk is free. Oh wells.

HIGH - slowly but surly, I'm fitting back into my pre-Lily jeans. HORRAY!

LOW - slowly but surly, she's growing out of hers (0-3m clothes). Which means no more bear suit. And no more brown leggings with ruffles on the bum. And I need to buy more onsies because her legs are so dang long. Why doesn't she just get her license and start dating guys we don't approve of?! She's literally growing up so fast :)

There you have it. A healing, establishing, and whirlwind month.
I think I'm getting the hang of this.
And I love it <3

1 month in...

Some would say we've passed a HUGE milestone.
Lily is one-month (not today, but was on September 20th!) old.
We definitely know more now than we did before she came, we can care for her as better parents, and can discern her needs with some accuracy (easier when there's only the gas-poop-food problems generally), but wow.
We have a LONG way to go.

I don't really know what to write these days because I have so many ideas throughout the days but then no time to clack 'em out, and thus no blog to read for you and no creative outlet for me. Nobody wins. Well, Lily does. Because she gets me whenever she wants right now :)

Can you blame me?
I still sigh when I look at htis picture even though she's beside me. Even though I took that picture. Even though I've seen it a hundred times.

So I guess I could start by recording the highs and lows of the last month. Sadly, it's too soon to write up "accomplishments" but we're proud of her anyway, every time we see a decent poop or hear a respectable burp.
Oh parents and their love for their babies!

HIGH - learning how to Breastfeed and that I CAN Breastfeed (some women in my family have not been able to in the past + I have undergone breast-reduction surgery = serious possibility of not being able to...)

LOW - learning because of said surgery I have chronic-low-milk-supply. Meaning I can BF 50% of the time but for the other 50% of the time, we have to supplement with formula just to have Lily be full. Was hard because I felt like less of a woman somehow, not being able to provide for my baby, but also a lot of it was pride I had to over-come. Being weak shouldn't surprise me. I'm human. I need help from time to time and I need to depend on God to help me be the Mom Lily needs, not on myself. So, in the end maybe it wasn't such a low.

HIGH - depending on God more for everything-parenting-related which is my life.

LOW - trying to schedule naps and feedings for Lily. To be fair, I barely tried... I mean I did wholeheartedly for 2 days, but with sleep-deprivation and an on-coming cold PLUS my husband being in an insanely busy period of work right now - I couldn't do it alone, it wasn't the right time. Worst two days of my life. Period. No sleeping and incessant crying. To the point where when she wasn't crying, I thought she was. Ringing in my ears that wouldn't stop... Yeah. A definite low.

HIGH - Resolving to re-start scheduling another time, maybe in a couple weeks, and having Lily sleep MORE last night than any other night when I was actually "trying"! She went down at 10:30 or 11pm, I gave her a quick feed during which she was basically unconscious at midnight, and then I didn't hear from her until 4:20am. If this keeps up, I'll let her schedule herself! She's doing a better job than I...

LOW - I'm not superstitious. I'm a woman of faith in God, not superstition. Then why, oh why, does Lily cry every time I finally muster up the courage to be relieved?! She'll cry, then be quiet for up to 5 minutes... wherein I'm sitting on a bed of nails desperately wanting to celebrate but terrified of the inevitable. And it always comes. The second I exhale and maybe even look at Brad and say "yesss!" we hear it. I hate how the whole scheduling thing brought that out in me.

HIGH - I love what else she's brought out in me (and Brad). People who are growing daily in selflessness. People who love their family and each other more than they ever did before. People who can more tangibly see that they need Jesus to get them through a day. People who say grace before a meal and actually MEAN IT because getting that meal done or being able to eat it in silence (baby silence, not each other silence... on the rare occasion she lets us) is something we're truly thankful for. Being people transformed by parenthood. Transformed by Lily. For the better and for God's glory.

I'll end on that note.
If I let myself really think about the lows, I'll think of too many. Because honestly, it's been a hard month. A rich month. A scary month. A thrilling month. A month we'll never forget, and sometimes a month we'll want to.
It's been everything.

But I'd rather end on that last HIGH because that's why we're parents after all. God has given us Lily, and he is glorified in our weakness, but not in our venting or complaining. But he is glorified in what is honest. SO there you have it.

A hard but beautiful month is how I'd sum it up.