Oh Canada...Baby!

Well, she's here! On December 21st we welcomed our little dual citizen to the family! "Bella" joined us at 2:24 PM after we patiently waited for her arrival...and she was only 6 days late! As I am sure I will be posting about her as much as her older sister, "Bugga", I'm going to continue with my little blog nicknames to have a little fun with my kiddos' names without putting them out there before they have an opinion on the topic.

Things are going great with us, and I have to say, as much as I didn't want my poor kids to have holiday birthdays, it is definitely nice to have my husband home for some extended time from work so we can navigate these crazy baby and toddler waters together until I can get my Mom act together to get back to doing this on my own during the week.

If Bella had taken much longer I was scheduled to be induced on Christmas Day, which I was NOT excited about! Fortunately she found her way out a few days prior and we were all able to spend our first Christmas in Calgary home in our cozy living room, fireplace going, snow coming down outside, and one exSTATIC 2 year old...it has definitely been a Christmas to remember!

Happy holidays to all, and I wish everyone an exciting and prosperous 2014!

Your Child's Milestones

I am by no means a stickler for keeping up with the Joneses as far as what my children can or cannot do compared to the next kid. That being said - er, written - I still want to know when I can expect different abilities and personality traits to appear. This also helps me to know what I can help her to learn, since she might be developmentally ready.

As I read magazine articles and websites, or talk to other moms, I will collect what I learn in this post, so I can always have it as a reference for what fun stage will come next!

0-2 Months

• Lifts head when lying on tummy (1 month)
• Responds to sound (1 month)
• Stares at faces (1 month)
• Smiles and laughs (1 month)
• Can see black & white colors very well (1 month)
• Notices hands (2 months)
• Gurgles and coos (1-2 months)
• May roll over on their own (back to tummy) if baby is on the lower side of the scale, but will likely lose this ability until closer to 4 months. (2 months)

3-4 Months

• Visually tracks moving objects (3 months)
• Recognizes your face and voice (2-3 months)
• May be able to roll over from tummy to back (3 months)
• Turns toward sounds (3 months)
• Can bat at toys (3 months)
• Can bear weight on legs (4 months)
• May cut first tooth (4 months)
• May imitate sounds (4 months)
• Can grasp toys (4 months)

5-6 Months

• Plays with hands and feet (5 months)
• Recognizes their own name (5 months)
• Can rollover both directions (6 months)
• Can sit without support (6 months)
• Ready for solid foods (6 months)
• Turns toward sounds and voices (6 months)
• Passes an object between hands (6 months)
• May start crawling (6 months)

7-8 Months

• Starts to exhibit stranger anxiety (7 months)
• Can wave goodbye (7 months) 
• Can stand while holding onto something (7 months)
• Can pull to a stand (7 months)
• Combines syllables or jabbers (7 months)
• Understands object permanence (7 months)
• Crawls (7 months)
• Can say "mama" or "dada" but not necessarily to anyone in particular (8 months)
• Points at objects (8 months)
• Cruises around furniture (8 months)
• Enjoys peek-a-boo (8 months)

9-10 Months

• Can drink from a sippy cup (9 months)
• Eats with fingers (9 months)
• Says "mama" or "dada" to the correct parent (9 months)
• Can pick things up with pincer grasp (10 months)
• Crawls very well (10 months)
• Gestures to communicate (10 months)
• Can stand alone for several seconds (10 months)
• Puts objects into containers (10 months)

10-12 Months

• Some babies can take a few steps at this point (11 months)
• Understands "no" (11 months)
• Can squat from standing position (11 months)
• May say another word besides "mama" or "dada" (11 months)
• Imitates others (12 months)
• Can say two words besides "mama" or "dada" and uses them well ("hi" or "bye") (12 months)
• Capable of going up and down stairs by themself (12 months)
• Can walk alone (12 months)

13-18 Months

• Can bend over to pick something up (13 months)
• Can hold out their arm when you are dressing them (13 months)
• Loves looking at their reflection in the mirror (13 months)
• Can roll a ball back and forth to you (13 months)
• Starts to imitate other people (14 months)
• Can point to one body part when asked (14 months)
• Can respond to basic instructions (14 months)
• Initiates games (14 months)
• Uses 3 words on a regular basis (15 months)
• Walks backward (15 months)
• Able to scribble with a crayon (15 months)
• Tries to "help" around the house (15 months)
• Can put finger to mouth and say "shhhhh!" (15 months)
• The "no"s begin! (15 months)
• Can turn book pages (16 months)
• Temper tantrums due to frustration begin (16 months)
• Becomes attached to a soft toy/blanket (16 months)
• Starts climbing on everything (16 months)
• Can stack 3 blocks (16 months)
• Starts to use a spoon/fork (16 months)
• Has learned the right way to use objects (telephone, spoon, books) (16 months)
• Can take off one piece of clothing without help (16 months)
• Switches from 2 naps to 1 nap (16 months)
• Uses 6 words regularly (17 months)
• Has fun pretending (17 months)
• Throws a ball underhand (17 months)
• Can feed a doll (17 months)
• Likes riding on toys (17 months)
• Able to speak more clearly (17 months)
• Sorts toys by shape, color, or size (17 months)
• Able to kick a ball (17 months)
• Dances to music (17 months)
• Will sit down and "read" board books alone (18 months)
• Can scribble with a crayon (18 months)
• Can create two-word phrases (18 months)
• Can stack 4 blocks (18 months)
• Brushes teeth with assistance (18 months)
• Throws a ball overhand (18 months)
• Showing signs of toilet readiness (18 months)
• Takes apart toys and puts them back together (18 months)
• Able to understand simple instructions (though will need repetition) (18 months)
• Understanding "I am my own person" - leads to running away when in public! (18 months)

19 Months - 2 years

• Able to run well (19 months)
• Understands up to 200 words (19 months)
• Recognizes errors (when you say "up" but mean "down") (19 months)
• Washes and dries hands with help (19 months)
• Takes off own clothes (20 months)
• Learns 10 or more words per day (20 months)
• Can go up stairs standing up (20 months)
• Can stack 6 blocks (21 months)
• Can name pictures in a book (21 months)
• Follows 2-step requests like "please pick up that toy and bring it to me" (22 months)
• Can do simple puzzles (22 months)
• Can draw a straight line (22 months)
• Can name several body parts (22 months)
• Can put on loose-styled clothing (22 months)
• Might be ready to transition from a crib to a bed (22 months)
• Understands opposites (22 months)
• Uses 50-70 words (23 months)
• Can open doors (23 months)
• Can sing basic tunes (23 months)
• Has interest in playing with other kids (23 months)
• Asks "why?" (23 months)
• Talks about self (likes/dislikes, wants/needs) (23 months)
• Can name 6 body parts (24 months)
• Can speak in 2-3 word phrases (24 months)
• Can go down stairs standing up (24 months)
• Can arrange items into categories (24 months)
• Learns how to jump (24 months)
• Understands gender differences (24 months)

2-3 Years

3-4 Years

• Understand how to take turns, share, and follow directions (3-4 years)

4-5 Years

• Schools expect children to recognize uppercase letters, rhyme, and describe a basic plot; (start of kindergarten)
• Should know how to count to 20 and identify simple shapes (start of kindergarten)

5-6 Years

• Learning to tell jokes, but not quite understanding the concept of a punch line (5-6 years)
• Learning to use exaggeration ("school-age")

6-7 Years

7-8 Years

• Understanding punch lines in jokes (7-8 years)
• Start requesting privacy (7-8 years)

8-9 Years

9-10 Years

10+ Years

Activity: Baby Chatter

This is an easy one: talk to your baby. All the time. No matter what it is about. I have heard this advice here and there, and let me tell you, it does WORLDS for your child.

Here's a little secret of mine: before Bugga came along, if I was home alone or in my car - I talked to myself. I could call it "thinking out loud" but honestly, I thought I was my own best listener, so there ya go. Well now my first born is my audience, and my constant chatter is actually GOOD for her.

I pretty much just narrate our day, and make an effort to ask her questions all the time. Even if she's working on her independent play and running around the living room with her toys, I am constantly asking her, "What color is that ball?" or "Do you want Teddy to sit in your chair?" just to see if she's listening.

At 13 months, she doesn't do much talking in terms of coherent words (although if you are around long enough, you can hear "Dada", "cheese", "bath", "ball", "shoes", "tissue", "dog", "kitty", and "milk"*) but she babbles incessantly. And I know she's listening: the other day I asked her if she wanted to go for a ride (in the car) and she responded by climbing onto her rocking horse. Since she still only has two teeth, we are just now starting tooth brushing but when I suggest a tooth "brush" she puts her hand to her hair for hairbrush. This kid GETS IT.

So I will continue to chit-chat with my toddler until she's old enough to say, "Give it a rest, Mama."

*Notice "Mama" is still not on the list yet. Sigh.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

Last week I posted about our issues with separation anxiety, and I am happy to report they are getting much better. Though now that I'm more confident in what it takes to get this to work, I'm scared to rock the boat (read: different daycare lady on Fridays/weekends that doesn't know our "process").

So here are some of the factors that play into my child being happy enough to leave in the gym daycare for 90 minutes:

1. Transitional item: This was the best piece of advice I received from my mom friends when I posted our daycare drama on Facebook. (We are all guilty of venting on Facebook once in awhile right? This is actually, in my opinion, one of the primary reasons to have it - a quick way to get personalized advice from those who have been there, done that, and know you. Anyway...) The transitional item suggested was a snack, which might have worked great, but since this is just a gym daycare and not a full-blown regular daycare, I wasn't really comfortable with her having food in this place (they probably felt the same way). So instead we brought in a small white bear, "Baby Bear", as her friend to keep her company.
2. Someone to play with: We go to the gym in the morning, which is the only time that works with our nap schedule and the daycare availability. Not to mention the rush hour shift (5-8pm) can have two dozen kids in there with ONE adult. No thanks. A CUTE little boy started going to the gym daycare in the morning so it seems to help if there is a little friend for Bugga to play with when she gets there.
3. A special toy: My daughter has developed an obsession for purses. No joke. Not sure if she's just mimicking Mommy or just NEEDS to have something slung over a wrist, but she takes a purse everywhere. And the gym daycare has one for her to carry around too. Oh and the daycare lady also hands her a little baby doll wrapped in a blanket which Bugga promptly tosses into a grocery cart and pushes around the room. But I digress.
4. Leaving: OK I am still waiting for all the above distractions to keep her happy long enough that I can back out of the room. I am scared to say good bye at this point, just to remind her I am leaving and start the tears. It helps to know that she is fine when I leave now (I peek), and when I come back to get her, she lights up when she sees me, and blows kisses to the daycare lady as we head out. So she is clearly having fun in there.

We've made a LOT of progress in the past week, and I am very proud of my little kiddo. It would have been so much easier to just give up and work out at home when she naps and not put her through all this, but then what kind of parent is THAT? Obviously I can't keep her at home with me forever (I wish!) and the benefit of staying home with her is I have the flexibility in my schedule that I can be patient with her need for adjustment time. I feel it is my job, and honestly my preference, to help her through this.

The gym uses one woman most of the week (Mon-Thurs) for the morning daycare, and then Friday and Saturday are two different women. And right now, this is reason enough for me to not have to workout on Fri-Sat because I'm scared to rock the boat this week! Maybe next week she'll be established enough to have a new variable in her morning plans. Kids love a routine, so I just need to stick with it.

Separation Anxiety Hits Our House

We are currently going on Day 5 (including a weekend) of my husband having to go back to Alaska for a work emergency. I suppose the weekend part is irrelevant, but even a stay at home mom looks forward to the weekend when we can finally do things as a family. Oh, and split the kiddo duties.

Things have been going relatively well with the exception of my brilliant plan to get back into the swing of things again with our daily morning visit to the gym. This worked perfect for us October/November after we first got back from Alaska, but we took off several weeks for a family vacation and some holiday travel.

Oh what a mess we have now. Today was the third day I attempted to drop my 13-month-old off at the gym daycare. She was NOT havin' it. Not one bit. The separation anxiety is apparently at the top of her development milestones right now and it is kicking us in the face. I tried everything, distraction, staying for awhile and playing with her, sneaking out, doing the "I'll be back soon!", etc. If I made it out the door somehow, I would lurk nearby where I could still see and hear, but was out of view of my daughter.

This kid would just WAIL. The poor daycare lady would try to distract her with all the new toys that filled the room, and she would take a breath for a second and look, but then start right up again. I hear about these other children that cry only when their parents are around and then they're fine. Not mine, these three days anyway.

So my workout plans for 2013 are still pretty elusive. I ended up working out at home during nap time, which is nice to have that option, but it isn't quite the same.

Anyone go through this? Any advice? My approach is to keep trying and hope she gets used to it. But in the back of my head, I'm worried she's learning that this place makes her cry. Period.

Milestone Mania

If you are a parent, then you are more than likely familiar with the child comparison game.

"Oh, your son is so cute! How old is he?"
"Ten months."
"Oh wow! You are so lucky he isn't walking yet! Mine was walking at nine months and she got into everything!"

On the surface that is a simple conversation. But what it is beneath that surface is a parent bragging about how much earlier their child conquered a popular milestone versus another child.

People here is the reality:
It all evens out in a couple years. If your child is progressing along the development scale, it will all happen in time and it matters NOT when your kid masters something versus the kid next door.

So relax and just enjoy the thrill your baby gets from each new experience.

Baby Schedule (8, 9, 10 Months)

I thought it would be a good idea to share our latest schedule. I think the last time I posted about the details was way back when I was first planning on being a Stay at Home Mom. Well, to say the least, things are different now. For one, my kiddo is 5 months older. (WHOA! I've been doing this for FIVE months already?!?) Also, I was a little clueless as to what was realistic as far as scheduling goes. So if you want a good laugh, please check out how I thought we'd be spending our weeks.

We've hit a good stride lately, and as long as we stick. to. the. schedule. everything is great. WOW do babies need a schedule. We've tried to put her to bed a little later some nights when we are caught out of the house when a family activity runs late, and we pay for it. The biggest problem ends up being a cranky baby - but the worst result has been a baby that is overtired and either will not go to sleep until several hours later, or wakes up several times throughout the night.

I know that some baby experts recommend that babies be eating 3 meals of solids a day at this age (several others leave this open-ended as "food is for fun, until after one"), however we are still just at 2 meals a day. Honestly - we spend sooo much time nursing, eating solids, and napping that there is hardly time for anything else during the day. As it stands, we pretty much have time to leave the house once a day, so we have to use our errand/activity time wisely. If we are out somewhere for lunch during the day (that does not involve a drive-thru) I have Cheerios handy to keep Bugga from turning green from food jealousy. And they make for easy cleanup.

Also, we are currently on two naps, with the longest one being in the late morning. The second nap is a little harder to come by, and lately it's usually done in the car on the way back from somewhere. My formerly very "green" self has vaporized in order to keep my child napping, and since she wakes if I try to move her, I have spent a lot of time sitting in my garage (door open!) with the air-conditioning/heat running.

I feel like it would be useful to post our schedules from previous months, and since I am still logging everything in my Total Baby app, I will go back in the next week or two and pull the schedules from Bugga's previous ages.

Nom Nom Nom (Baby Food!)

Now that Bugga is 5.5 months old we are getting close to a very fun time - solids! She has only tasted breastmilk so far in her short life, but she is VERY curious about everything we are eating. Her neck is strong and she can sit pretty well on her own so hopefully our first attempts will go well.

I am traveling to a wedding in a week and a half, but once I get back, I plan on trying this out.

In the meantime, I am trying to do a lot of research on how to approach this. I thought that another benefit of me staying home with her would give me a chance to put a lot of care into what she will be eating. I now have the time to shop for organic fruits and vegetables, and prepare them myself so I know exactly what she is consuming. However, I just learned of a new food introduction method called Baby-Led Weaning (BLW). I'm not completely sold on it, so the jury is still out on this end while I read up.

Please let me know what route you took, and if you have any great resources, please post the links! Thanks!

May Successes

• 5/1: Bugga is sitting quite well on her own now and I am SO proud! Not bad for 5.5 months!
• 5/2: Today Bugga took a nap ON HER STOMACH. Up until this point we had rigged up a blanket system in her crib that kept her from rolling onto her belly since once there, she would cry in frustration.
• 5/3: Vacuumed the dust off of the ceiling fans. Uh yeah, this is a success.
• 5/4: The baby is rolling back to front repeatedly like a little wind-up toy. She is getting so strong. Actually have all the ingredients for a Cinco de Mayo feast of champions for tomorrow - Corona Light included (gotta watch those calories you know).
• 5/5: (bonus weekend inclusion) We have dropped the use of the pacifier at night and last night Bugga slept from 9:50pm until 7:52am - with only 3 minutes of crying at 6:02am! Typically we'd have jumped right up to get in there and provide the pacifier, but we waited to see what she'd do and she was back off to sleep in no time!
• 5/6: Off
• 5/7: My birthday was today, so I promised myself a gift of no baby stress, which I accomplished. Our big success? Getting a night out with my husband for a grown-ups-only dinner, while Bugga spent the time with friends of ours. It was actually easier than I thought it would be!
• 5/8: Today Bugga napped for a solid 2 hours!!! Nevermind that it was on my lap...at least my email account is a lot cleaner. 
• 5/9: Baby got up way too early for my preference today which really started our day off on the wrong foot...but she then took TWO naps for almost 4 hours of daytime sleep, which is unheard of in this house.
• 5/10: Decent napping again, which allowed me to straighten up the house enough to be presentable. Since we just gave our landlord notice we will not be renewing our lease (we bought a house!), he is bringing potential tenants through this evening. Don't get me started how inconvenient that timing is, but whatever.
• 5/11: My husband worked from home today, and with Mother's Day this weekend, took Bugga off for some "errands" with him so I could sleep. Love him. Relationship success for sure.
• 5/12: Off
• 5/13: Mother's Day - SO off. (Happy Mother's Day everyone!)
• 5/14: Kicked Monday's BEhind! Hit up Whole Foods for organic vegetables to make for Bugga's first foods (avocado, butternut squash, and sweet potato), she catnapped her way through the day but still logged over 2 hours (which is a success in my book), and I even found time to do the dishes, straighten my bedroom, and...wait for it...WORK! OUT! WORKOUT! I actually got on the elliptical today while Bugga exersauced on the new exersaucer. Record day. Especially for a Monday. 
• 5/15: Must have been tired from the workout - can't remember!
• 5/16: Worked out again! That is TWICE in one week. Sigh. That used to be no big deal.
• 5/17: This one seems to have fallen off the radar...
• 5/18: Closed on our new house today! TOTAL success!
• 5/19-20: OFF
• 5/21: Hmmm. Today my success is that I got out of bed today. And only because I had to. Yep, it was that kind of day.
• 5/22: Another tough one. Made an attempt at sleep training naps this week in case it wasn't obvious. Oh! Bought a lot of great fruits and veggies at the grocery store today to get my diet turned around already.
• 5/23: After a really rough night (thank you, nap issues) Bugga and I still woke up with best intentions and survived the day together!
• 5/24: Really enjoyed today with my daughter. She is smiling at everything and I love watching the joy in her face as she figures out she needs to learn how to go forward instead of backward when she wants that toy in front of her.
• 5/25:
• 5/26:

Success Story

When I was in the professional world, every role I had involved some sort of an annual review to track my performance in that position. So now, as I stay at home, I am no longer required to document such accomplishments, however I still feel I can benefit from seeing all that I have accomplished on a regular basis.

I would like to start tracking what I feel are my successes for each day "on the job" at home with my daughter. These will likely be random things that might not seem like a big deal to outsiders, but might be something I have struggled to find time for while raising a newborn. 

Maybe this will be something that will give you an idea for tracking your successes to help make the transition to being a stay at home parent even more rewarding!

I will start with the month of May, and try to do this every weekday (at least!)...

Rolling Over

When Bugga mastered rolling from back to front, all of us were SO proud. That is, until later that night when we found her in her swaddle flipped over onto her stomach against the slats of the crib at 5am. Which of course resulted in hysterics. Not on my watch, buddy!

OK fine, so no more swaddle. She has always been a Baby Houdini and managed to get at least one arm out, so we figured she could handle a regular sleep sack. Except while we thought the problem would be her hands getting in her face, that was not the primary challenge. After mastering this “half roll”, you could not stop her from practicing. We would lie her down on a quilt, and up those legs would go to throw herself over onto her stomach. And then she was stuck because she couldn’t roll back and eventually she would need to put her face down (gasp!).

We spent several hours early one morning repeating a frustrating (and yet somewhat adorable) cycle where I’d lay her on her back in her crib, she would roll right away onto her belly, doze off on her stomach, then stir about 20 minutes later and realize she was on her face, panic, and then scream.

So after scouring the internet at 3am for a fix to this (what DID we ever do without the internet, seriously) my husband and I rigged up a blanket that was tucked into the crib mattress that we would place across her legs, low enough so her hands couldn’t find a way to yank it free. For bonus points, we rolled up a second blanket and placed it by her legs on the side she rolls over on (only one so far!).  After this, she SLEPT. This child looked so cozy, and her four-month regression issues with waking in the night for no reason pretty much evaporated with this. Fist bump. For now anyway.