a spot of tea?

I haven't mentioned it, but all week we've been giving Sara bum tea. What's that, you say? Well, let me tell you.... she got a nasty diaper rash, her first, after we switched her to size 3 diapers (Pampers Cruisers instead of Pampers Swaddlers). The weird mesh lining in the Cruisers is the culprit, I'm pretty sure. We learned that diaper rash is fast to set in, and can take forever to cure even though we switched to Pampers Baby Dry diapers. We tried Penaten, Zincofax, and some Sudocream samples from a baby show, but it just got worse to the point where our poor baby's butt had raised red patches that were almost raw.

Our pharmacist told us to make a combo of hydrocortisone cream (0.5%) and the Life brand of Canesten. Not to be gross, but apparently diaper rash can become like a yeast infection. Finally, progress was made and her skin started to heal! Strangely, the mix of the cream and the diaper gave Sara's bum an aroma that I can only describe as 'eau de chicken broth'.

But it was still red, so off we went to the doctor. His prescription was to brew some chamomile tea, let it cool, and dip unscented kleenex in it to use as a diaper wipe with every change (except the poopy ones). I was impressed with this old school style remedy, and lo and behold, this stuff is magic!! We noticed an improvement immediately, and after a couple of days, poof... no more rash.

So we've been calling this concoction 'bum tea', and since chamomile is one of my fave teas, my evening mug of it now has a new connotation it never had before... and chicken soup just might too.

p.s. For a week now, Sara has been rolling over -- both ways! I feel silly for getting worried before!

here little fishy...

Ian came with us to our Diaper Fit mom & baby swim class this morning and took some pictures at the end when we 'docked' the little boats. Some of the babies, like Sara, like having a towel behind them -- this is also perfect for drying off the toys because she puts everything in her mouth. She even tried eating the boat today!
She has fun until the end when most of the babies start to fuss a little. If there's time we go into the shallow warm pool afterwards. She loves being swished about in the water!

mmmm... rice cereal

So Sara's first bites of 'solid' food were not a resounding success, but they weren't a total failure either. We started by getting her used to the highchair, which she quite likes!
Then as I started spooning rice cereal into her mouth, we had some of these faces:
But we had a lot more of these faces:
She ate less than a teaspoon on Saturday, and about a teaspoon this morning. Part of the problem, I think, may be that I gave it to her after her bottle -- and both mornings she was full and didn't quite finish the bottle. I'm pretty sure I read to do it in this order at the beginning, but I think tomorrow I will try cereal before the bottle to determine whether she needs to get used to the cereal or if she was just full before. I don't know... more trial and error!

bring on the food

This weekend will be a big one in little Sara's life - and for us too, as parents - our baby girl is starting solids! I've been busy washing and sterilizing highchair trays, spoons, bowls, sippy cups... oh my. When we got these things at my baby shower, this stage seemed SO far away.

The box of Heinz rice cereal, chosen after much research and added confidence knowing it was once Pablum, is on standby on the kitchen table beside the highchair. Even though it's more work, I'm looking so forward to watching Sara try different foods... especially since food is a great love her dad and I share. I do plan to make her produce by steaming, pureeing and freezing it once a week. This is the perfect time of year to start too. We'll be making trips to farmer's markets to buy locally grown and organic produce like sweet potatoes, squash, apples... yum! It will be fun, but I'm taking what we feed her pretty seriously too. I'm not going to make strained meats (mmm, strained meats) but I think it's so important to make responsible food choices from the beginning.

Speaking of which... I'm realizing that we need to make greener choices for household cleaning products very soon. It's not because some celebrity is telling me so, it's because I don't want my little babe breathing fumes or having her hands and mouth touching surfaces that have been cleaned with harsh chemicals when she starts moving around more. So, it looks like we'll also be restocking our vinegar, baking soda and Borax!

I must admit I find the idea of changing from a strictly formula routine to breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack pretty confusing at the moment, but we'll see how it goes!

at day's end

I took this photo of Sara sleeping A) because she looks so cute, and B) because it was right before one of my favourite parts of each day... when I scoop her up and feed her a small bottle at 10pm, after she has been sleeping for a while. No matter how exhausted I am at the end of the day, this time fills my heart and sends me to bed happy. I love the sound of her quietly drinking her bottle cradled in my arms, and I really, really love the cuddles we have afterwards. I hold her on my shoulder and she nuzzles her head into my neck while she sleeps with her little hands wrapped around me.

This is our time -- time to bond, and for me to reflect on the day's funny moments and new developments. For example...

**Sara rolled over today, from tummy to back. And I missed it! She had spit up during tummy time and I went to grab a cloth. When I returned, she was on her back! Go figure.

**She has started flapping both arms up and down at her sides when she is excited. Too cute.

**She has discovered that one object can have two different sides. She started by staring at her hand and turning it repeatedly from palm to back, and yesterday she sat on my lap opening and shutting a book for about 10 minutes. I love how she looks up at me in wonder, as if to say "look Mommy, did you know this?!"

Since we're starting her on solids this weekend, it won't be long before we phase this last bottle out. I will really miss this time together, but I don't want to end up like the mom in 'Love You Forever' -- that classic book is a tear-jerker but let's face it, it does get creepy at the end -- so for now I will remember to cherish these moments and cuddles!

BabyLegs!

When Sara heard that Flashdance was being re-released on DVD yesterday, she insisted upon wearing her baby legwarmers...

on the go again

Just a quick post, following up the last one... things were back to normal over the weekend with Sara. She wanted to sit up again with support, and was trying to roll over (so close, but not quite!) She was loving her jumperoo as well, actually bouncing from one foot to the other for the first time and laughing as if it's the greatest thing ever. I feel silly for starting to worry, but I guess that's what makes us good mommies sometimes. I am learning that everything truly is a phase with babies and sometimes they have off days... just like adults. We were laughing at her crib gymnastics routine before each nap. Down on her back - roll over to left side and push feet against crib - onto back again and grab toes - roll onto to left side again - zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

New pictures are coming soon... we just got a dreamy new iMac because our old computer was past it's expiration date!

"Should I be concerned if ___?"

This is how one of a new mama's most commonly uttered phrases begins when talking to the doc, fellow moms, family members, play group members, or almost anyone who will listen, really. Usually it's in a casual, I'm-not-really-freaked-out-about-this-but-thought-I-would-just-mention-it sort of tone. We all want our babes to be developing 'normally' along the standardized chart of milestones. Despite disclaimers that every baby is an individual and the charts are meant as a guideline, it's impossible to read that your baby isn't doing something she's 'supposed' to and not worry...at least a little.

At 5 months and 1 week, I've been reading about the 6 month milestones and getting geared up to introduce solid food. By 6 months, Sara should be sitting on her own and rolling both ways. Hmm. So far she has only rolled once in each direction, with little sign of doing it again... She doesn't love being on her tummy yet, though she will stay on it for longer periods and reach for toys now. Usually I lie beside her saying things like "That's great, Sara... now just tuck your knee up under your bum... bring an arm around in front of you..." Yeah right, Mommy! She pushes up her arms and chest, or kicks her feet and waves her arms around, but no rolling. Ironically, she often rolls from her back onto her side in the crib now, but not while we're playing.

As for sitting, she does little curl ups all the time and usually when we pull her up to sitting she likes it. But suddenly for the past few days she stiffens her back and legs and pushes backwards. If I sit her on the floor in front of me with some toys, sometimes she plays for a short time while I support her lightly... other times, she arches her back and pushes backward again. The Bumbo? She tries to launch herself out backwards just when you think she is sitting calmly. The past two days have been really difficult - I've tried sitting her facing me, or sitting on my belly while I lie down... and 8 times out of 10 I get kicked in the gut/boob until I hold her standing up or against me instead.

She is certainly doing well with her her hands and coordination/reaching. And this kid is definitely strong - that much I'm not worried about! She has always been active, even if it's just constantly moving her feet in her chair or holding her toes when lying on the floor. Her head and neck are very strong, and bathtime, despite the rubber ducky, is not lots of fun. She starts out calm, sometimes sitting a little to play with her toes or a rubber ducky, but inevitably she arches back with superbaby strength and it takes two of us to hold her in for a speedy wash/rinse. Sometimes Ian has to hold her standing up, which she is quite content with. That's right, I said standing up...in her tub. Funny? Yes! Scary? Yes! She does like the pool though, so it's not a fear of water... our first trip into the pool this week was great fun, and she looked adorable in her ruffly Nemo bathing suit!

So what does all this mean? Is this progression typical? Do all babies start to learn new skills and then rebel for a while? Do I keep trying or am I pushing too hard? Is there something else going on? This is when I wish I had more friends on mat leave to compare notes with. I know that when she is wriggling away from me during a change or when I'm chasing her I'll miss the stationary days, but for now I just want to know everything is ok!

little miss perfect

"It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection."

Ever since I was little, I have been a bit of a Type-A kind of girl - conscientious, strong student, and always trying to be good at everything... if not "perfect". So it comes as no surprise that a quest for perfection sometimes eats at me now as a new mommy. Wanting to be the perfect parent, the perfect wife, look put together, have my own creative/professional achievements, and have the perfect home despite having an infant daughter. Now these things aren't top of mind daily, but they do sit under the surface waiting to jump out at me in weak moments. It is only just now, as a new mother, that I'm slowly learning it's ok to just be imperfect and clumsy on many days.

I would rather share a laugh with my baby than fold the laundry, and this kind of imperfection I can master. I love, love being home with Sara and watching her grow. But the days can be long with a baby sometimes, and there can be off days. If I struggle to find some creative time just for me, if I get frustrated with Sara when she is refusing to nap and crying out of fatigue, or if I just want to savour instead of gobble a meal, I often start to think... Am I selfishly choosing myself over my child? What kind of parent am I? This may sound extreme unless you know my issues over sharing a gene pool with my father, who checked out when I was a teenager after being so seemingly 'there' when I was a kid. Last week those emotions led to some tears on my part after Sara had her own crying session. She looked up at me with big bewildered blue eyes, still moist from her own tears, and stopped sucking on her pacifier to just smile at me. With pure love, my baby was trying to comfort ME. I was reminded in that moment how much I want to raise her to be a generous, loyal and loving person, to have a strong relationship with her, and to share the person that is "me"...imperfect, but full of love for her.

a snapshot of our weekend

From Friday night faux-hawk...
... to NFL Sunday: Week 1

last days of summer

I took a little computer break for the last long weekend of summer (and then some)... it was a great few days of family, friends and lots of fun. On Saturday I had a much anticipated girls day of indulgence -- shopping all day with my sis, followed by dinner with our mom-in-law at North 44! An incredible dinner of lobster bisque, bison tenderloin and risotto (yes, bison - delicious) and a raspberry chocolate dessert.

On Sunday our little fam hit the beach at Balsam Lake, visiting good friends who were camping all weekend. It was Sara's first trip to the beach! She enjoyed watching the waves and all the people, but dipping her toes in teh water was short-lived because the water was pretty chilly! She played with her toys on our beach blanket quite happily, and after all the fresh air she zonked out immediately in the car.

On Monday we relaxed at home, and then yesterday I made a special delivery... some of my small paintings are officially for sale in a lovely baby boutique called Belly Bumps and Babies. I'm pretty excited about this venture, and am so happy that the store owners like my work so much to buy it wholesale.
I also completed a large commission for a client who requested two birds on a branch. Sara's napping is back to short and sweet lately, so I hope to have more painting time soon!