Gemma is ten months old!

 

It's weird how when I write the title of this post it seems so small...10 months. I fell like I have aged 10+ years. In a good way but older non the less!

This little one she's a steam roller that's for sure! She's started her tenth month on two feet walking with her walker and smilling the whole way! She's so proud of herself and it's adorable to watch. She's also got 2 new molars to help the eating pursuits which are close to her heart. This girls got a gourmet palate that's for sure!
Hmmm what else, a few favourites are messing up a fresh pile of laundry, knocking over lamps, climbing in drawers, slapping Sunny and smilling/giggling when I tell her NO!

I just can't believe we are getting close to a year already. I was chatting with another Mom today about our babies births and I think I'm finally gonna get that story written. Would you care to read it or TMI?

Love and Hugs

Gemma is nine months old!

We're still teething over here and expecting tooth #9 any day now.

 

There is also lots of dangerous standing

Hi guys, our little girl is 9 months old! And that means crawling! And standing! She's on the move and won't be stopped. I honestly can't believe how long she can stand for. All her waking hours are spent stading at her play shelf. I keep telling her to take a break but no she's a stading machine!

She's also spontaneously started playing peek a boo. I was doing dishes and glanced over and she was lifting her shirt over her head and then pulling it down and smilling. I obviously melted to mush. When she gets the notion to play peek a boo and I'm doing something else she grunts really loud to get my attention so we can play right now!

She's also waving and clapping. I don't know where she learned this, I don't think Vince and I wave or clap a lot to eachother but we must cause Gemma is waving and clapping like it's her job.

The other super cute thing is she hands me toys to chew on. Not in my hand but my mouth. It's the sweetest thing when we are playing she seems to think oh Mom would love a taste of this and stuffs whatever toy she has right in my mouth. Of course I oblidge her with a nibble.

Hmmm what's on the 'Not' list? Well she's gotten a lot better at getting her face washed but really really hates getting her diaper changed. All diaper changing is now happening on the floor with props ready to distract her and wipes all pulled out and diapers unfolded so we can get it done as quickly as possible. I honestly can't wait till Vince gets home just so he can help me with the diaper changes. Seriously.

Love and Hugs

Gemma is eight months old!

 I seriously can't stand her! She is just too too much! I almost left a hickey on her cheek today cause I wanted to eat her so bad!

Other than a little motherly cannibalism here and there the biggest changes this month has been her 8th tooth, her mobility and our big move. We've now renting a mansion (just joking it's a normal size house) in Cambridge to be even closer to Vince. Gemma just started army crawling a few days before the move so it was perfect timing for her. She's been all around this house and her favourite spot is definitely the dog food bowl!

She's still sleeping through the night and I am in complete disbelief. I honestly thought I was condemmed to a lifetime of being awake with my daughter every 1-2 hours for the rest of my life. This is awesome! The fact that she only naps for 30-40mins at a time is no biggie compared to 12 hours of straight sleep every night.

A few of Gemma's favourite things are the dog food bowl, crawling to the dog food bowl, the dog water bowl, sticking her fingers in the dog water bowl, licking the dog water bowl and oh the dog water/food bowl!

The only thing on the 'Not' list is getting her face washed. This is kinda new, she's usually pretty easy going about it but has lately been putting up a big fuss. She wants to leave her face dirty dammit!

I love you Gem!

Love and Hugs

Gemma is seven months old!

This month has been all about sleep! After a mini breakdown just before Easter I just couldn't do the every 1-2 hour night wakings. But I honestly didn't know what to do. I didn't want to let her cry it out but the no-cry solution wasn't working either. I begged Vince for help and he stepped up. He took the monitor and slept on the couch for 3 nights while he helped Gemma learn to sleep the hard way. He put her down in her crib awake and if she cried (of course she did) he went in to soothe her in intervals until she fell asleep on her own. The first night I balled and balled and she fell asleep in half and hour. The same the next night and the next. The fourth night she fell asleep in 15 mins and now it takes her maybe 2 mins?! But the best part is she is sleeping 11-12 hours a night with no feedings. If she does wake up in the night she fusses a bit but puts her self right back to sleep.

We are new women. She smiles all day and so do I! Now we are working on naps. That is harder but we have seen major progress there too. She hardly cries when it's time for her nap and falls asleep in 3 mins or less but she only stays alseep for 35-45 mins. :( The other thing is I'm having a hard time indentifying her sleepy signals. But it's all good, we're in it together me and Gem.

She's also getting better at drinking from a bottle. She takes an average of 3 full bottles a day now. I think she was refusing them before because she was so damn tired. She wanted my boobie for comfort. Now that's she's well rested she has the energy and enthusiasm to learn something new. It's wonderful!

Other than that she is now sitting up and has a total of 7 teeth. We're still doing Baby Lead Weaning and she is loving every minute of it. Dinner time is definitely her favourite.

A few of her other favourites are shaking her Bright Starts activity balls, pressing the buttons on her play smart phone and laughing at herself in the mirror.

And honestly there really isn't anything on her 'Not' list. She likes it all!

Love and Hugs

Is self care important to new Moms?

Remember that Times cover article intitled "Are you Mom enough?" Well even tough I never read it I understood it loud and clear. And after the first 3-4 months of Gemma's life I certainly wasn't feeling "Mom enough."
 As you know Gemma isn't a big sleeper and she also started teething early. (She has 7 teeth now at almost 7 months old) Of course I was and still am blissfully in love with her but taking care of her is another story. It's hard work and I was feeling pretty mad and guilty for not being able to do it all myself. But at the same time I was desperate for help. I started searching the internet late at night for anything and came along this article called, "A simple self-care contract for Mothers" on Babble.com. A bell went off. I asked Vince to come home earlier and stop going to the gym, I asked Mom and Dad to make the long drive to help on Wednesdays and Saturdays and finally I called these guys:

My neighbour was literally the Nurse Next Door. Her name is Victoria and when I was feeling over exhausted she was the first person I thought of. She came over the next day and we signed a contract for a nurse to come help with Gemma for 3 hours once a week.

And guess what? I got a massage and it felt damn good! Best thing I've ever done.

So I just want to know, am I the only exhausted Mom out there who couldn't hack it?

Love and Hugs

Have you been watching Olive Us TV?

It's the cutest! Here's a little movie they made of their youngest on how to be 2 years old. (They have 6 children!)

How To Be 2 from Olive Us on Vimeo.



If you want to see more of their movies go to Oliveus.tv. 

You'll get lost for hours! I know Gemma and I did!

Love and Hugs

Gemma is six months old!

The Roo with a mouth full of teethens!

Well holy moly 6 months! Gemma has 6 teeth now and she doesn't seem to stop. I keep thinking after a few days of hard teething that we'll get a month break until the next one and then nope a few days later another bastard tooth pops out. So I guess this is Gemma's pace, fast and furious.

I'm getting better at not blaming myself for her horrible sleeping patterns. I mean they are getting better but still she is often up every 2 hours. We'll get a stretch of 5 or 6 hours once a week maybe and I chock it up to teeth and development and just try to roll with it.

But honestly I am beyond exhausted. I had a few bad crying days a couple of weeks ago and decided it's time to ask for help. I need a break and 6 extra hands so I called in the big guns. Mom and Dad are coming over every Wednesday night after work and every Saturday to help with the little toothy beasty baby and I couldn't be happier. Hell I may even get a massage!

A few things Gemma loves are: jumping in her jolly jumper, smiling at people at the dog park, the moment she hears her Dad come home and her frère jacques music box.
A few things Gemma could live without are: Gettting her jammies on after the bath, laying on her back, being held by anyone but me, bottles, pacifiers, sleeping, napping or any down time at all!

Love and Hugs