Sunday, June 21, 2009
Daddies we love you!
Happy Father's Day to all daddies out there who tolerate controlling & obsessive mommies and screaming kids 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They sacrifice TV/computer/games/play time to take care of their kids and fight for every ounce of energy they have to make their family happy. We love you Dads!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Leaps and Bounds
We're less than a week away from the 8 month mark and I just couldn't wait to report on Sofia's development. Another week and who knows what else she'll be doing (bit scary actually).
She is a moving machine! Just on Saturday, she discovered that if she wanted something badly enough, she would literally grab and pull her way FORWARD towards it. She had received a musical Winnie the Pooh snowball and she was determined to get a closer look at it. We all watched in an amazement how she would reach one arm and her legs would push at the ground. She also grabbed at our shaggy carpet to pull herself forward. Since that day, she has progressed to propelling herself forward using her legs (almost like a plank position). She can lift her tummy and even bum in the air but has not quite figured to balance on her knee yet. I have found her on the edge of the rug and stuck with her legs under the sofa a few times already. Yikes!
Just today at Cherie's place, she grabbed a hold of Megan's bouncy chair and tried to pull herself up! We are definitely lowering her crib this weekend even though she hasn't tried that in her crib yet.
Not only is she a little mover but just today, she started drinking from a straw. I was being adventurous this morning so stuck a tiny straw in her mouth to see what she would do. She started biting on it and to my surprise, there was water dribbling out of her mouth! In fact, she had a funny expression on her face from being startled by the water in her mouth. And other times, she sucked so much water that it all dribbled out of her mouth or she would choke from all the water. Later in the evening, we tried the straw again and she faired much better in knowing how to control the amount of water into her mouth. Now if only I could get her to drink milk from a cup/bottle and not just from me!
Looking forward to a busy weekend ahead with celebrating my birthday and Father's Day with our dear daughter.
Happy Daddy's Day!
She is a moving machine! Just on Saturday, she discovered that if she wanted something badly enough, she would literally grab and pull her way FORWARD towards it. She had received a musical Winnie the Pooh snowball and she was determined to get a closer look at it. We all watched in an amazement how she would reach one arm and her legs would push at the ground. She also grabbed at our shaggy carpet to pull herself forward. Since that day, she has progressed to propelling herself forward using her legs (almost like a plank position). She can lift her tummy and even bum in the air but has not quite figured to balance on her knee yet. I have found her on the edge of the rug and stuck with her legs under the sofa a few times already. Yikes!
Just today at Cherie's place, she grabbed a hold of Megan's bouncy chair and tried to pull herself up! We are definitely lowering her crib this weekend even though she hasn't tried that in her crib yet.
Not only is she a little mover but just today, she started drinking from a straw. I was being adventurous this morning so stuck a tiny straw in her mouth to see what she would do. She started biting on it and to my surprise, there was water dribbling out of her mouth! In fact, she had a funny expression on her face from being startled by the water in her mouth. And other times, she sucked so much water that it all dribbled out of her mouth or she would choke from all the water. Later in the evening, we tried the straw again and she faired much better in knowing how to control the amount of water into her mouth. Now if only I could get her to drink milk from a cup/bottle and not just from me!
Looking forward to a busy weekend ahead with celebrating my birthday and Father's Day with our dear daughter.
Happy Daddy's Day!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tooth alert!
I believe a teeny wee bit of tooth has broke through the gums. I was giving her some water when I heard clang clang noises on the cup. Sure enough, when i checked her bottom gums, there is a slight ridge protruding, not a full tooth yet but i'm sure very soon.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Sofie-mobile
At 7.5 months, Sofia is no longer a baby-at-bay. She is one squirmy wormy with strong neck, back and leg muscles that allow her to do head tilts, back arches and leg kicks. She can maneuver from a sitting position onto her tummy; roll from front to back, back to front; scoot backwards on her tummy. I can find her 1-2 ft away from where I left her which isn't too bad. I really need to think about cleaning up the clutter and baby proofing the house!
Other recent developments:
-along with the increase in mobility, Sofia now hates having her diaper changed and clothes put on/off. I try to distract her with toys but all she wants to do is roll onto her front and if I resist it, she'll throw a fit.
-trouble with raspberries. I know it's cute to see a baby blow raspberries but not so when they associate it with wanting something or tantrums as well as when they are excited. Now the raspberries come with lots of drool and spit so we have had our share of spit on the face. Mealtime means trouble. She would blow raspberries if we weren't feeding her quick enough or she didn't like what she was eating or didn't want anymore. I thought about introducing some sort of negative association (flicking her cheek) so that she would know to stop but I just don't think she's old enough to understand that or is she? I've tried it but it only makes her do more of it because she's upset. I don't care that she does it but just don't want to be rude when we are out for dinner.
-Games: peek-a-boo. Throw a blanket over her head and she can pull it off. Hide her toys under the blanket and she'll try to look for it. Likes to play pat-a-cake. knows to make "aowaowaow" sounds when I use my hand to tap her mouth.
-Sofia loves to eat. She has no issues with texture and lumpy foods at all. She has successfully eaten little bit-sized cooked pieces of carrots, apples, yams, meat shreds. She can't pick anything up with her fingers just yet. Recently, she's tried blueberries, egg yolk, pork, chicken, zucchini/broccoli (not a huge fan) and barley.
My fav photos of the week:
Other recent developments:
-along with the increase in mobility, Sofia now hates having her diaper changed and clothes put on/off. I try to distract her with toys but all she wants to do is roll onto her front and if I resist it, she'll throw a fit.
-trouble with raspberries. I know it's cute to see a baby blow raspberries but not so when they associate it with wanting something or tantrums as well as when they are excited. Now the raspberries come with lots of drool and spit so we have had our share of spit on the face. Mealtime means trouble. She would blow raspberries if we weren't feeding her quick enough or she didn't like what she was eating or didn't want anymore. I thought about introducing some sort of negative association (flicking her cheek) so that she would know to stop but I just don't think she's old enough to understand that or is she? I've tried it but it only makes her do more of it because she's upset. I don't care that she does it but just don't want to be rude when we are out for dinner.
-Games: peek-a-boo. Throw a blanket over her head and she can pull it off. Hide her toys under the blanket and she'll try to look for it. Likes to play pat-a-cake. knows to make "aowaowaow" sounds when I use my hand to tap her mouth.
-Sofia loves to eat. She has no issues with texture and lumpy foods at all. She has successfully eaten little bit-sized cooked pieces of carrots, apples, yams, meat shreds. She can't pick anything up with her fingers just yet. Recently, she's tried blueberries, egg yolk, pork, chicken, zucchini/broccoli (not a huge fan) and barley.
My fav photos of the week:
Monday, June 08, 2009
Sleepover at Grandma's
For a few weeks now, we've noticed Sofia has been so much more comfortable being at Grandma's place by herself. No more crying if I wasn't around and Grandma had no problem putting her down for naps. We had a wedding to attend this past Sunday so thought it would be a good opportunity to have her stay overnight at Grandma's. Then we could enjoy a nice evening out and come home to bed without worrying about a child (aka sleep like non-parents do!)
There were no calls from Rob's parents (always a good sign) so we went home and went to bed. Did we get the precious sleep we wanted? Ahh..well...no...
I woke up in the morning, looked over and Rob wasn't in bed anymore. I thought, "wow...I had slept past 8am and he's already gone to work!" But that wasn't the case because when I looked over to see what time it was, it was only 5:30am! I found Rob downstairs on the computer and found out that he had trouble sleeping (wired from all the desserts at the wedding). We both went back to bed and in no time, I heard snoring next to me. Unfortunately, I was still awake. It always takes me longer to fall back asleep. I usually have no trouble getting to sleep but to fall back asleep is much more difficult.
It was very odd to not have the baby around in the morning. It felt like something was missing, not right. It turns out Sofia was an angel at Grandma's. She went to bed at 10pm and woke up around 6:30am. The only trouble she gave Grandma was she refused the bottle at night but in the morning, the little monkey was hungry enough that she drank all the milk. Phew! We are definitely glad that it all worked out.
So when's the vacation without baby going to happen? =)
There were no calls from Rob's parents (always a good sign) so we went home and went to bed. Did we get the precious sleep we wanted? Ahh..well...no...
I woke up in the morning, looked over and Rob wasn't in bed anymore. I thought, "wow...I had slept past 8am and he's already gone to work!" But that wasn't the case because when I looked over to see what time it was, it was only 5:30am! I found Rob downstairs on the computer and found out that he had trouble sleeping (wired from all the desserts at the wedding). We both went back to bed and in no time, I heard snoring next to me. Unfortunately, I was still awake. It always takes me longer to fall back asleep. I usually have no trouble getting to sleep but to fall back asleep is much more difficult.
It was very odd to not have the baby around in the morning. It felt like something was missing, not right. It turns out Sofia was an angel at Grandma's. She went to bed at 10pm and woke up around 6:30am. The only trouble she gave Grandma was she refused the bottle at night but in the morning, the little monkey was hungry enough that she drank all the milk. Phew! We are definitely glad that it all worked out.
So when's the vacation without baby going to happen? =)
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Obama Obama I admire you
It all started last night when I switched on the TV. NBC is airing a 5-part series on Inside Obama's White House, an inside look at the new Obama administration, the Obama family and the White House. I was instantly hooked like this was reality TV minus the cheesy dialogue, cat-calling trash you see on TV nowadays. I was intrigued. The Obamas seem so authentic; opening up their home to viewers across the nation (yet protecting their children from the public/media); speak with such eloquence, and from the heart; passionate with objectivity; highly educated and credible to do the work bestowed by the American people
Interesting facts:
-Obamas have planted a huge garden on White House grounds. The veggies from the garden are used by the chefs in the White House as well as given to communities and neighbourhoods to use outside the White House.
-A big outdoor playground was constructed just outside the White House for the Obama kids to play in but the President also hoped that this could be used by any of the Administration Staff's children to use as well, since staff put in long hours and sacrifice family time to work in the White House.
Today, President Obama travelled to Cairo, Eygpt for his first speech to the Muslim world. Rob and I watched him speak with awe. What an amazing address to Muslims around the world. Having travelled and lived in different places around the world, I truly believe that countries like the US and Canada CANNOT parade into lesser developed countries with no respect nor knowledge of their culture, religion and history. I am disgusted with expats that think they are better (smarter, more educated etc.) than the locals. It was such a relief to hear President Obama using "we" instead of "I", talk about better dialogue and greater understanding to address issues in the Middle East and most of all, he related to Muslims (recited verses from the Holy Koran!)
Parts of his speech that were just plain awesome!!
Speaking of East vs. West
"So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, those who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. And this cycle of suspicion and discord must end."
"But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek common ground."
"When innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our collective conscience. "
and I could go on and on...
Here's the link to watch his speech:
Once again, I'm proud of Americans for electing such an innovative and provocative President. I look forward to so much more from Barrack Obama.
Interesting facts:
-Obamas have planted a huge garden on White House grounds. The veggies from the garden are used by the chefs in the White House as well as given to communities and neighbourhoods to use outside the White House.
-A big outdoor playground was constructed just outside the White House for the Obama kids to play in but the President also hoped that this could be used by any of the Administration Staff's children to use as well, since staff put in long hours and sacrifice family time to work in the White House.
Today, President Obama travelled to Cairo, Eygpt for his first speech to the Muslim world. Rob and I watched him speak with awe. What an amazing address to Muslims around the world. Having travelled and lived in different places around the world, I truly believe that countries like the US and Canada CANNOT parade into lesser developed countries with no respect nor knowledge of their culture, religion and history. I am disgusted with expats that think they are better (smarter, more educated etc.) than the locals. It was such a relief to hear President Obama using "we" instead of "I", talk about better dialogue and greater understanding to address issues in the Middle East and most of all, he related to Muslims (recited verses from the Holy Koran!)
Parts of his speech that were just plain awesome!!
Speaking of East vs. West
"So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, those who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. And this cycle of suspicion and discord must end."
"But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly to each other the things we hold in our hearts and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn from each other, to respect one another, and to seek common ground."
"When innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our collective conscience. "
and I could go on and on...
Here's the link to watch his speech:
Once again, I'm proud of Americans for electing such an innovative and provocative President. I look forward to so much more from Barrack Obama.
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