look mom, I have toes!

Sara has found her feet! Her favourite thing to do right now is hold her toes at any opportunity... before/after a nap, during diaper change, or while just lying on her mat. Adorable! I call it her yoga pose, upward-facing baby.

She also has enough hair on top of her head now to warrant brushing it. Yesterday I got to brush my little girl's hair for the first time!

stroller fit

It's amazing how many things in your own community go undiscovered when you're working and commuting... yesterday Sara and I visited a small beach/lake a mere 10 minutes from our house, and today we went to a conservation area I had only driven by until now - and it's 5 minutes from home! It has fantastic trails, and I'm determined to get in shape and lose my mummy tummy, so I strapped Sara in the stroller and off we went.

Spot the sleeping baby...

We explored the maze of trails, and it's not for the rookie stroller pusher - the terrain is gravel and there are hills. Sara smiled happily as I huffed and puffed us along!

I felt great afterwards, and it's beautiful - we'll be going back often. It will be spectacular in the fall!

sitting around

I introduced Sara to her Bumbo chair this week, because she has been pushing her head forward to sit up almost anywhere else I put her! She's getting used to it in small spurts. At first she has fun, then she straightens her legs and uses all of her superbaby strength to push back and up...supposedly babies can't get out of these things, but if anyone can it's Sara... so we don't leave her unattended in it! Another new thing is how she thumps her feet in her crib. When falling asleep at night she lifts one leg and thumps it down, then both legs, and she's asleep... it's hilarious. She does the same thing to shimmy herself backward in the crib. We put her to sleep at one end, and find her almost at the other end in the morning! Getting good nap time during the day is still tough with her sleeping only 30-45 mins at a time, but I'm relieved to learn that another babe did the same thing at this age... and it got better at around 4 1/2 months. I much prefer her sleeping through the night if I have to pick one right now!

So the girls' night out last Friday was really fun and a nice break, although I ended up coming home after all... at 4:30am... S. had pink eye so I didn't want to stay at her loft and risk catching it. We started at the loft eating, playing some games (sexual Pictionary was good times, nothing like a room full of girls shouting out things like 'cock ring!!!'), and of course having some drinks before hitting the bar for dancing. It was fun until it got too crowded and we were right under the speakers, and one too many sloshy men approached us. Definitely a good night, but my other mommy friend and I agreed -- we don't miss the bar scene!

undercover baby

Sara is just big enough now to wear this adorable sunhat and matching shades, which we tried out the other day. She wasn't too happy getting them on, but then she liked her new look -- doesn't she look ready for going on a secret baby spy mission? This picture cracks me up every time I look at it.

She will be enjoying daddy/daughter time tonight and tomorrow while I have a ladies' night out for M's stagette, and then spend some solo time wandering around here tomorrow before coming home. He says they will stay up late eating pizza and drinking formula! Two of us are leaving our babes with their dads overnight for the first time, and laughed as we consulted each other on clothes... we haven't been to a bar in ages and don't exactly have copious amounts of bar clothes anymore! I'm sure I will have some entertaining tales next week!

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Just returned from Salsa Babies and had to share a cute story... Some little girls were watching us after finishing their dance class, and when I went to put Sara in her car seat, they all ran over and told me that she is their favourite baby! Six girls in leotards and tutus gathered around Sara, all talking at once, and told her that she will grow up to be a beautiful girl - they made me a very proud mommy! Maybe one day Sara will be a little ballerina too.

mall rats

The mall can be a new mom's best friend, but it's not without its challenges. It can be tough maneuvering around slow walkers, people who stop suddenly, and don't even get me started about store layouts... Many stores just cram as much merchandise as possible into every space, forgetting that the people who shop during weekdays - moms and seniors - can often just look from afar. I've bumped the stroller into displays so far, and driven Sara over the bottom parts of racks that stick out, and frankly I don't care if I knock something on the floor (as long as it's not breakable)... it's my form of protest. Today a smug little teen working in a clothing store refused to let me by twice, and gave attitude to another mom who just asked if any change rooms were big enough for strollers. I seriously considered running over her foot.

Today I decided to feed Sara at the mall while running errands, so I asked for a cup with a bit of boiling water from MMMmuffins to heat the bottle (the lady charged me 25 cents... argh). Well, the water was just hot an dafter 5 minutes had barely left cold status. Uh oh! I snagged a comfy armchair the mall has set up, beside another mom feeding. I was so worried Sara wouldn't take it cold, but she did! And, she was so interested in her surrounding that she didn't cry at all during burping! Nevertheless, next time I'll stick to adding the powder to room temperature water. Sara even attracted her own little fan club of admirers, giving big smiles to them all. That's my girl!