Happy Half Year Birthday

Dear Frances, 

You, little pea, are six months old today. You are so full of life it’s hard to believe that it has in fact been only six months.

You are bubbling-over with baby energy. You want to see and touch (and chew) everything in sight. You will no doubt be a tour-de-force once your tiny body catches up to your great big ambition. You love to stand and have started to put one foot in front of the other when you dive and bound towards toys and kitties. 

After many months of practice you’ve mastered your hands. You can pick things up, turn them over and around, and send them flying across the room. You’ve got an unbelievably strong grip as evidenced by the handfuls of dad hair and cat fur you extract every so often. 

Your still put your whole self into your happiness – smiles are inevitably accompanied by bouncing legs and flailing arms. These smiles, especially the morning variety, are so big we can see your two tiny teeth from across the room. You also still put your whole self into your discontent - there is never any uncertainty when you're not enjoying yourself. 

You love your fur brothers to pieces, love looking at toes (your own and those of anyone else without socks on), still love your bird mobile, love the feel of tags and ribbon and love putting all of the above in your mouth. 

You are endlessly kissable, like to snuggle, and can turn even the toughest day around with a giggle. You’ve got big beautiful eyes and long elegant eyelashes and in six short months have carved a forever home for yourself in all of our hearts.

You are everything we expected and so so much more.

With love,

Your mom 

Ho Ho Ho

Look at the excitement in those little eyes. Could she be any more worked up about her very first Santa Claus parade? Probably. Despite the ho-hum face she did seem to enjoy it. Except for the horns on the fire trucks (aka every other float) which she hated. The parade was huge. Nice and long and the kiddies all around us loved it. But a little light on the marching bands. A parade can never have too many marching bands.

We're hoping to get a tree next weekend. Our very first tree! Although I've been picking up tree decor here and there this year will likely call for some creative ornament arranging and maybe even a little popcorn garland. But that's okay. That's half the fun - collecting ornaments each holiday season until one year the boughs are so heavy (and our memories so many) that we're propping them up with kitchen utensils. 

Sunny and Frances! After so much anticipation Frank's sweet little cousin Sunny (and her lovely mama Sammi) have arrived. We're all very excited and Sunny is pure perfection. Beautiful blue eyes, sweet little lips that curl into a big baby smile and so much charm. Buds for sure!

Oh hi. Nice to meet you.

(Photo by Sunny's talented Aunt Shauna)

No Pictures Please

The real reason she never naps on her own ... the mamarazzi.

Nom Nom

With Frank fast approaching the six month mark and with her being verified as tiny we decided to jump into the world of powdered cereals. Given the recent formula tantrums, we had staked out our corners and were prepared for battle. But she liked it. From the first bite she followed the spoon around with her mouth all seek and destroy. We've moved from rice onto oats and recently waded into peas (literally). It sometimes takes a bit of creativity to keep her focused, especially if her fur brothers bust onto the scene, but here's to the humble beginnings of an itty bitty foodie baby.

Airplane, what airplane? I don't see any airplane.

Bring on the bacon!

Oh wait ... let me show you how I can blow raspberries.

Back To The Drawing Board

Babies we probably won't be seeing in this years holiday ads 

(from owni.eu digital journalism).

Duckface

There is a very funny website dedicated to people who make silly duck (kissy) faces in their photos: www.antiduckface.com. Frankie officially submits the following: 

Weekend Dispatches

1. We decided to try to buy a radio for the living room. Just a radio. Something without an alarm clock, CD player or place to dock something else. It was a total fail but gave us a good excuse to visit the flea market.

2. Yesterday morning there was another baby market. I swear they're having them every two months now. Frank and I popped in and picked out some fun baby musical instruments.

3. I've been watching the two maples that lean into our backyard for the past month, waiting for them to drop the last of their leaves. This week the wind finished the job. I'd planned to spend today raking the yard clean but (fortunately) it started snowing at six o'clock last night and hasn't stopped yet.

4. We tried to have sushi out Friday night but we started much too late. We ended up having our pop at the restaurant and taking everything else home. Frank's been really good on our other dining adventures but absolutely expires in the late evening.

5. We made two trips to the new place this weekend - one just to visit and one to catalogue the work to come. I remembered the camera on the second trip but it was cold and the bug was starting to fuss so we didn't dedicate too much time to snapping photos. 

Although it will probably go (in favour of something newer and stainless steel) I'm kind of in love with this old basin sink

First floor apartment living room - the floors need sanding and staining 

but its going to be a really nice space

First floor apartment pantry - little and cute 

Lights, Camera, Action

Last Friday (oh my - a full week behind) we all got dressed up and headed to a movie premiere staring ... us! In the summer we spent a day filming our take on moving to and moving back to Cape Breton; part of a promotional video encouraging more people to move to and move back to this beautiful island. The premiere was lovely - delicious food, dignitaries and a delightful little bee decked out in the sweetest of dresses. 

Every once in a while I remember that we will get through this. That she will eventually sleep more than an hour at a time all night long. That she will eventually wake up in a pleasant baby mood again having finally gotten some good rest. Forest through the trees. Its all such a good feeling. 

When this sleep mess began I convinced R that we had to wait until she was at least six months old to let her cry it out. In saying this I never ever imagined that we'd be a week away from six months old and that she still wouldn't be sleeping. What to do now. She needs to sleep for more than an hour at a time. I need to sleep for more than an hour at a time. 

She is suuuuch an easygoing tot - what if letting her cry it out changes that? Can I get some kind of guarantee? Two weeks of suppressing all your mama-instincts = sleeping baby who doesn't suddenly fear the whole world. Anybody? Hello?

Are You My Mommy?

Babies learn things fast. We started her "sitting up" a little over two weeks ago and she's almost got it. Not enough to be left upright alone, since she hasn't learned the consequences of flinging herself backwards willy nilly, but enough for a quick photo shoot on a big soft bed.

I picked this doll out of the toy box yesterday thinking it wasn't something she had played with yet and that its arms and legs might help sooth sore baby gums (two whole nubs now). When I handed it to her she looked and looked at the face and the eyes - so cute. Every time I hand it to her she does the same thing - look at the face and eyes and wait for it to talk to her.  

Sometimes her newly acquired skills seem to edge out her not so newly acquired skills. That or she has a terrible time remembering her full skills repertoire. She went a few weeks without rolling over or blowing raspberries until yesterday; now she is forever mid-razz or roll. She's using these rolls now to get her closer to things that catch her eye (despite the fact that she still hates being on her belly once she gets there): part of  a new ambition to move and explore that outstrips her abilities to do so. This means that any time she's in your arms or on your lap SHE IS SO WIGGLY. She's fully a two-hands-on baby now that she tries to seek out every corner of everything without being able to stand or crawl on her own.  

Tomorrow we're off to our first pediatrician appointment. I can't believe I spelt that right on the first try. Our doctor still thinks the bug is a bit too wee. At five and a half months she's just thirteen pounds. But its thirteen pounds of bright, happy, milestone-meeting baby which makes me feel better about the thirteenpoundness. And then we're off to the bank to sign the last bank papers for the new house. Today we did the insurance. Yesterday the lawyer. Thursday the final walk through and then back to the lawyer. The bug has been such a trooper. And sensing that I couldn't take one more day off this paperwork epic after being up every hour all night yesterday she slept for six straight ones. Smart girl.   

Lucky Number Thirteen

Thirteen degrees on November thirteenth! So lovely! We walked downtown in the sunshine this afternoon to one of the biggest craft sales I've ever seen - an entire auditorium of slippers, carvings, homemade fudge and  tree ornaments. It was a bit of a challenge to get into the christmas frame of mind with the spring-like temperatures outside but I did pick up a few small gifts. Fingers crossed for twenty degrees on the twentieth! 

A pretty flowered headband from the craft sale from nanna.

If you look real close you can see the nub ...

Union and Park

R was off from work today and in the early afternoon the sun began to shine for the first time in almost a week. We jumped at the opportunity to get outside and explore a sweet little neighbourhood a short distance from us. Half an hour into our walk the bug was asleep and we were equipped with our coffee and soy hot chocolate (i love you soy hot chocolate).

When we first moved to Sydney our intention had been to rent an apartment for a year. This was the first and last place we viewed. In part because there were so few apartments listed and in part because the over-priced two bedroom unit in this house had wall to wall pink carpet and wood panelling. 

Brick homes are rare here. I think I know where all five of them are. 

Will brake for wrap-around verandas.



Most regal house in Sydney.

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy

Last night we expanded our fish family again and had so much fun picking which ones we'd take home. The pet store has walls of fish of every shape, size and colour. It was pretty overwhelming until I learned the fish tank sticker system: green = all please and thank you and excuse me, yellow = moody and red = probably going to eat everyone else in the tank. 

There had been a process involved with preparing the tank and so on our first few trips to the pet store we couldn't bring anything home. This process typically involves filling the tank with water and a heater and filter and leaving it to get warm and clean. For us it involved filling the tank, realizing we didn't boil the pebbles, emptying the tank, boiling the pebbles, refilling the tank, adding large rocks, crap we didn't boil the rocks, emptying the tank, boiling the rocks, and filling the tank once again. I know. 

This time around we picked out two red dwarf gouramis and three orange and black platys. Both are green sticker fish and so get along well with the danios and tetras already in the tank. These were the test fish we'd been advised to use to make sure that our aquarium was hospitable. It was - thanks to the fill, empty, boil, fill routine. The gouramis and platys are so bright and colourful and make me eager already for the next round of adoptions. There was a green sticker fish with the words parrot AND jelly bean in its name. Pretty sure I know who I'm picking.

A New Dawn

Our weekend in Iona was wonderful. The views were breathtaking, the food was delicious and the company kind and engaging. We were there so that I could take part in drafting a mandate for a new foundation, a new New Dawn Foundation, poised to confront some old and pretty complex socio-economic problems with a fresh new perspective. The mandate was completed (to lead the community in recognizing and supporting the critical elements of a self-reliant and vibrant Cape Breton) but so too was so much more.

In a tiny room overlooking the Boisdale coastline, unwavering determination and insight gave birth to a new sense of hope and anticipation. This energy in turn (in addition to making the tiny hairs on your arms stand straight up) made it impossible not to commit to the imminent launch of the foundation; a foundation that has until now been in the founding process for nearly a decade. 

And while I was tucked away imagining a bright new future for this beautiful little island, R and F were busy exploring. They had a lovely time and Frances was as charming as ever, passing out smiles like they were candy corn on halloween. She made friends with a sweet and bright three-year-old, delighted in clanging on the cutlery at dinner time, and let me escape (thanks to her amazing pa) for the most satisfying of grown-up conversations.

Our Morning View. 

Not every morning. But this morning - oh yes. We travelled to a different part of the island for the weekend and this was what we woke up to. 

A thousand times yes.

TGIF

Just when you think things couldn't get any busier they always do. We were convinced that we were busy people before Frances. Good one. Now we look back and wonder what we did with all of that free time. 

This last week may have set some sort of record. We bought another house and today the paperwork was finally signed, sealed and delivered. It was the deal of the century - exactly what we'd spent the last year looking for - and so even though I'm still home with Frankie we jumped right in. Foolishly, I was convinced that since we'd already played the us to mortgage broker - mortgage broker to lender - lender to insurer - insurer to appraiser (and back again) this time it would be a snap. Good one.

But its done. After bundling up a cranky baby and sitting (and jostling and bouncing and rocking) through an hour meeting at the bank this morning it's done. Woo hoo. We're pretty excited. We'd be really really excited if we weren't quite so exhausted. With a little rest and a little space between us and this wild week we'll be bouncing off the new walls. This afternoon we took a nice long celebratory (make baby sleep) drive and then indulged in some celebratory sushi. We were both a bit zombish through most of it but it was still just the escape we needed. We're off on a short trip this weekend and then next week should be back to our slightly busier than normal normal.

Under The Sea

When we brought Frances home from the hospital we knew as much about entertaining babies as we did about the grand pitcher hindu festival. More than once I found myself dangling something in front of her face and waiting for her to swat at it. Like she was a cat - which she was not. But now that she's five months old her interests do seem to be converging with those of her fur brothers. In fact I think they'd all have pretty similar Plenty of Fish profiles: must like watching printers printing and water running; must like sleeping in play pens and sitting in bumbos; must like bright flashing lights and ripping up paper. Dislikes: having face washed, loud noises, and not being allowed to sit on the table.

Apology Accepted

Today we took the next step in not letting Frank's lack of regular naps consume our days. Last week was our last class at the library. Just down the street from the library is a resource centre that hosts similar classes  twice a week. Initially, we hadn't thought about going because they started at ten and with Frank's erratic sleep we weren't even moderately rested until eleven. For the last week or so though we've been bright-eyed by eight. 

Instead of worrying about how long we'd be gone and what if she wanted to nap and would this set her up for a whole day of failed naps and what if this meant an up every hour nighttime baby, we headed out the door. It was a beautiful morning here! We walked up and enjoyed the sunshine and a steaming cup of chocolate raspberry coffee (me not Frank - she enjoyed licking her mittens). And just as she loved her babies and books at the library she adored this group. Up early and no nap annnnnd her first tooth peeping through the bottom gums and she was sublime. I think this is her way of apologizing for the up-until-now-nighttime-sleep-hell.

We'll be back next week and next and next. Until the snow falls and hoping that getting out while we can will make staying in when we have to a little less awful. 

Yep  - I totally just glossed over her getting her first tooth ... SHE GOT HER FIRST TOOTH. Or her first nub. It felt so monumental this morning when she bit down on my finger with it. We've been waiting and checking for so long (given all her chewing and drooling) and now its here. I'm sure when she's fussy and sad and unable to sleep - again - I won't be so excited but for now SHE GOT HER FIRST NUB!

Say Hello To My Little Friend

See that scratch under her left eye? It happened the day after I cut all of her nails so short she couldn't possibly scratch herself anymore. Apparently not. It also happened the day after halloween so we couldn't use it as part of a baby Alex DeLarge, baby Scarface or baby that scratches itself a lot costume. Poor bug.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from a little bee. She didn't mind being dressed up. She didn't notice that she was in fact dressed up only that the bulk of the costume gave her something new and bright to put in her mouth.

I'm starting to think that her love for putting things in her mouth is going to stunt her development. She's started to learn how to sit on her own until she sees something that she wants to chew and then the mouth goes towards this something (including things like your knee and the cat) and the body follows. Same goes for our attempts to read stories - the brightly coloured pages lure her in but them she wants to eat them. 

Anyways, I think we had a whole seven trick or treaters. Last year we had seventy. This means that we now still have candy for the sixty-three that didn't show up. I know it was a pretty miserable evening (rainy and windy) but kids ... FREE CANDY. Um. hello.