Ah choo! Abner's first cold

There's been one "first" that I have been dreading - the first cold. I even contemplated making TDSH sleep in the car when he came home with a cold last month just to avoid passing it on to Abner. While we did manage to dodge that cold, we couldn't avoid the inevitable.

Abner and I both got colds this week. For me it means a miserable achy body (but that could also be because I'm out of shape and aquafit kicked my ass on Monday), stuffy head and runny nose. Abner just has a bit of a runny nose and a cute little cough. Well, it's a cute little cough until you hear it at 2 a.m. followed by the inevitable cries of a suddenly awakened little baby. So far she doesn't seem to be suffering too much and I must confess I think she sounds adorable when she snarfles away during feedings.

I debated whether or not to go to music class today because of our colds. I generally think that I am pretty relaxed about exposing Abner to other kids who are sick, but I know not all mothers are like that. In fact, I know some moms who are down right militant about keeping their kids away from germs. However, seeing as we paid for the class and Abner loves it so much, we took the risk and went for it this afternoon. Judging by the number of babies who were away, we weren't the only ones who were sick. Let all you other mothers be warned - it looks like another cold and flu season is here.

Annual Pumpkin Slaughter Party

Every year, my brother and his family host a pumpkin carving party in the weeks leading up to Halloween. I think when we started it way back when, there was only one kid in attendance. This year, there were eight little cuties running (or rolling as the case may be) around in costume.

TDSH was against buying Abner a store-bought costume (he is a man of principles) so we had planned on dressing her in clothes she already owned (her baby legs and a onsie) and saying she was an aerobics instructor. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to dress up my little girl for the holidays, I pulled rank and insisted on making her a costume. Below is a picture of the resulting Pebbles costume. Not bad for a little bit of animal print fabric, a dehydrated sponge for a bone, and her own booties. Isn't our little cave baby cute? This also marks the first time she's had her hair done up!

Pumpkin carving was a blast too. I wisely waited until all the little kids had finished up so that I could focus on my pumpkin in peace. My efforts paid off as my Scooby Doo pumpkin (on the right) won best carving (narrowly beating out my brother's Gizmo pumpkin).

In the interest of full disclosure, we do use templates. Still a very good result though.

Here are a couple more shots of the little ones at the party. I love this sequence of Mark the Pumpkin coming after Abner and tipping her over while Batgirl Maryn just watches it happen. All the while, Abner's looking at me taking the photos saying to herself, "Mom, a little help here?!?!."

My daughter the odd-ball

These first six months of parenthood have been filled with many remarkable events. There was the first time Abner started holding her head up by herself, standing on her own (okay...with our help a bit), rolling over, sitting without help, picking up toys with one hand, sleeping through the night. Actually, we're still waiting on that last one, but you get the idea.

As remarkable as each of these events are, every kid will eventually do these things at some point in their development. What I find truly remarkable are the things she's starting to do that are uniquely Abner. Her personality is starting to develop and to be quite honest, it has some quirks to it.

For example, we've always known that Abner is a sucker. TDSH and I spent the first two months of her life with one of our finger's in her mouth until we finally broke down and started using a soother. While sucking is perfectly normal, it's what she chooses to suck on that I find a bit odd. Check out the photo below.

That's right...Abner's new favorite sucking toy is my chin. Lately it seems like anytime she gets withing a few inches of my face she turns into a little leech and suctions onto my chin. The worst part is that she bites. Hard.

Another oddity is her favorite word. She absolutely loves this word. Say it when she's crying and she stops almost immediately. Repeat it several times in a row and she giggles her head off like you've just told the funniest joke ever. This magical word...the word of all words...her favoritest word in the world iiisssss...stick. Weird, I know.

I also question her taste in music. When I was a kid, I remember listening to Raffi; Sharon, Lois and Bram; Charlotte Diamond and Anne Murray (There's a Hippo in my Tub rocks!). While I do play some of that stuff for Abner, she seems to have taken a particular liking to Stevie Wonder. Now, don't get me wrong, I really like Stevie Wonder's music, but it seems a bit unusual for an almost six-month-old. TDSH and I had her entertained for five minutes the other day serenading her with Sir Duke and Superstition. She's even started doing this head swaying thing we've dubbed "the Stevie" since it reminds us of Stevie Wonder. So cute!

First Aid is important people!

I finally signed up for a first aid course only to find out that it may not run if we don't get eight people registered. As of yesterday, there were only four. The course is supposed to emphasize accident prevention, but also covers choking, CPR, basic first aid, etc. Here's the info in case any of my loyal readers would like to join me:

Save That Child
St. John Ambulance
2058 Alpha St. (at Lougheed, across from Brentwood Mall)
November 9, 8:30 - 1 pm
$46 plus tax
Call 604.294.1980 to register.

Swimming, swimming, in the swimming pool

Abner checked off another activity on her list of firsts this week - swimming. I signed us up for Baby 'n Me Aquafit a number of weeks ago. Since then, I had been meaning to take Abner for a trial run to see how she would react to the water. The Dear Sweet Husband and I finally got around to it yesterday and she LOVED it!



Preparing for the first dip in the pool was a bit like orchestrating a black ops maneuver. TDSH and I strategized about when we should arrive at the pool (we should have waited until a few minutes after swimming lessons were over - bit of a zoo!), what should Abner wear (she wore her little cousin's suit), what items to pack (don't forget the swim diaper!), who would get changed first (TDSH did), whether we needed a locker (we got one but didn't really need it), and what to do if Abner poohed in the pool (grab the baby and run).



We all had a great time splashing around in the water. We dunked Abner under the water a few times and while she didn't exactly squeal with delight, she didn't cry either. The cutest moment was when she sneezed and her face went in the water. You'd be amazed at how quickly an almost six-month-old can whip her head back above the surface! The look on her face was priceless.

We only spent about half an hour in the pool - with every passing minute I got more and more worried Abner would poop in the pool. She really does have an incredible knack for pooping at the wrong times...like when she projectile pooped on me during a weigh-in with the midwives, or when she pooped all over me in a tiny Italian restaurant with no changetable in Montreal, or, well you get the idea...poop happens.

The outing didn't go off completely without a hitch, she did manage to pee all over the changetable. My apologies to whoever had to use the changetable after us (we did clean it up, but still...that's gross).

I know this much is true

Within hours of giving Abner a bath, she will poop her diaper big time, thereby negating the effects of said bath.

The first night after Abner's sleep sac is washed, she will spit up on it, forcing us to live with the smell of sour milk until the next time we do laundry.

Though we may be out for an hour-long walk/drive, Abner will only fall asleep in the last five minutes of the trip.

The week after I breakdown and buy new onsies for Abner, she will go through another growth spurt rendering said onsies too small.

The moment I settle down to write a new blog post or watch my favorite TV show, Abner will wake up crying.

Know anyone with a B.O.B. stroller?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I absolutely love my B.O.B. Revolution stroller (well, it's Abner's really, not mine per se). TDSH and I picked it out months before it would ever be needed. I would love to say we did a heap of research into the matter, but to be honest, it was the only one we could figure out how to collapse without the assistance of a salesperson.

I am happy to report that we made a fantastic selection since we use it practically every day. I love it so much, I recommend it to expecting parents every chance I get. I've also bought pretty much every accessory available: infant carseat adapter, handlebar console, diaper bag, warm fuzzy liner and rain shield (essential for West Coast rainy season - known as Fall, Winter and Spring to the rest of the country). The trouble is that the one accessory they don't seem to make is a cozy sleeping bag to keep lil' Abner snug as a bug in a rug now that the weather has gotten cooler.

Well I got my creative juices flowing over the weekend and solved this problem with a bit of fabric and four little snaps. May I present to you...the all new...completely custom...one-of-a-kind...B.O.B. stroller sleeping bag!

I used a Japanese printed corduroy as the outer fabric and synthetic sherpa material for the inner, fuzzy liner. The bag is contoured to follow the shape of the footrest so that it won't interfere with the front wheel but still provides plenty of room for Abner to kick her legs around even as she gets bigger. The bottom securely attaches to the store-bought "warm fuzzy liner" with four snaps so that it can't be kicked off like a regular blanket yet can be removed for washing or once the weather warms up again. The top part opens up nice and wide making it easy to get Abner in and out of the stroller.

If anyone is interested in getting one for their own B.O.B. stroller (or as a gift for a friend), just let me know.

Victoria bound

I figure I better document my recent trip to Victoria before it completely becomes old news. The week before Thanksgiving, Abner and I took a quick trip across the Strait to visit some friends I haven't seen in ages and to give TDSH a bit of quiet time to get some work done. Our two-night stay at Chateau Gramada was lovely! Good food, a little shopping, a bit of sightseeing, beautiful scenery, great friends and a lot of casual downtime make for a good trip in my books. Abner had a blast being poked, prodded, hugged and kissed by her new friends Sam and Molly. Sam made sure that Abner became an expert in all things orca and motorcycle (his obsessions of the week) and Molly showed her how to rock pigtails (once she grows out her mohawk).

Maybe it was hanging out with older kids for a couple of days, but Abner seemed to make a few significant developmental leaps shortly after our visit. She's now pretty much mastered the art of rolling, sitting by herself and she is down to just one feeding a night (hallelujah!).

Travelling alone with a baby means there's no one else around to talk to so I wound up taking a tonne of arm's-length photos to keep myself entertained. Grandpa C. will be happy to hear that she loved hanging out on the deck of the ferry and no longer seems to hate the wind - we may make a sailor of her yet!

If all movies had cellphones...

...they would be very short, but very funny as this video proves.



These guys have a bunch of hilarious videos on Youtube. I particularly like the Font Conference.

And in other Abner news...

It's a good thing I don't work for Reuters or something. I am crap at getting Abner-related news up in a timely manner. For such a wee little girl, she sure does keep us busy/entertained with the developmental changes and her constant need to be entertained.

A few weeks ago we started getting Abner ready for solid foods by moving her to her own chair at the big table for dinner. This has also meant that TDSH and I have had to stop eating dinner in front of the TV and actually clear off the table for the first time in years! Abner absolutely loves sitting in her new booster seat and contentedly munches on her favorite ducky and giraffe night after night. Occasionally she plays with the little bowl, spoon and spork we got her as well. We opted for a booster seat instead of a high chair for a couple of reasons: 1) it was cheaper, 2) way more portable, and 3) doesn't take up much space in our getting-cozier-by-the-day apartment. Besides...see how cute she looks in it!

Abner has also finally mastered the art of rolling. Actually, she started rolling way back in August, but she'd only roll from her front to her back when she felt like it - and that wasn't very often. All of a sudden, she's discovered that she can actually get to toys that are out of reach or even just make her way to the other side of her mat if she wants. She's even become a master at rolling from her back to her front too! No more putting her down on the floor with the expectation that she'll still be in the same spot when I get back.

As I said above, Abner's need for entertainment is insatiable! Our activities range from the truly silly... like posing for mommy in the bathroom sink...

...or letting mommy play with her hair...

to the much more serious... like checking out Medecins Sans Frontier's Refugee Camp in the City exhibit at VPL...

...or visiting the Parliament buildings in Victoria...


Hopefully, all of our efforts will lead to Abner being a very well-rounded little girl.

Abner and I are famous

The rain has arrived so that means Abner and I have had to find fun things to do indoors these days. For me, fun things indoors usually involves shopping and today was no exception. After a rousing half hour of stories and music at the library, we headed off to Coquitlam to kill a few hours at IKEA and Baby's World (Miranda and Jamie...that's your cue: "Baby's World. Party time. Excellent.")

Anyhow, IKEA was a blast (as usual). We picked up a little wooden toy (see image below), plush soccer ball and a bunch of plastic dishes for Abner and some boxes to make my meals in the mail packages, new oven mitts (long overdue), and a new set of shopping bags for me. Since we were in no rush, we (and by we, I mean I) had a leisurely lunch of Swedish meatballs and mac 'n cheese. Yum.

Then it was off to Baby's World which is where Abner got her big break! A film crew from the W channel's Smart Cookies program was filming some footage of moms shopping for baby stuff for an upcoming episode of the show (well, really...what else could they be filming on a Friday afternoon at Baby's World). They asked me and Abner to be in it! They followed us around the store for about five minutes. I have no idea when the episode is airing, but it was pretty cool. Abner was less impressed - she fell asleep.

Walking at five months. You be the judge.

It looks like Abner might just skip crawling altogether and go to walking. What do you think? Not bad for a little girl who just turned 5 months yesterday. I swear, I was just helping her keep her balance...she was doing all the work. We're so darned proud of our little girl!

Baby signing: The experiment

For no reason in particular, I decided to try signing with Abner last week. The Dear Sweet Husband (TDSH) trekked to the library to help me pick out some books (yes, I know I could learn the same things from the Internet, but there's something very satisfying about holding paper in my hands and I really do enjoy visiting the library). So far, I've made it most of the way through Baby Signing for Dummies and have picked up about 20 or so signs so far.

From what I've read, the idea is to work on 5-10 signs to start and add more as your baby begins signing back. It's important to be very consistent in working on signs so it's a good idea to chose signs for words that you use often in your day-to-day activities. Here's the list we're starting with:

1. EAT
2. MORE
3. MILK
4. DIAPER
5. BED
6. MOMMY
7. DADDY

I have no idea if it will work, but it will be so cool if it does. Besides, I'm really enjoying learning the signs. TDSH is threatening to make up his own signs though (I think he's a bit skeptical about the whole thing). If I catch him at it, I'm going to teach Abner that this is the sign for Daddy!