Ina's Hideout

The other evening we jumped the gun on Christmas a little bit and let Ina open one of her gifts (and by that I mean, Didz and I have no self-control and we wanted to play with it, so we opened it and assembled it for her)...

It's awesome. 

Yesterday was a gray, rainy day, so we brought some blankets, pillows, stuffed animals and books and spent the entire morning hiding out. I have a feeling we'll be spending a large portion of our weekend in there, too.

Thank you, Santa!

Weekend Bits

This post could more appropriately be titled "Adventures in Sleep Training"... because that's what our weekend consisted of. Ina's been a champion sleeper since the early days - to the point where I'd feel bad admitting that she sleeps through the night to other parents I'd talk to who were getting up multiple times every night for months and months on end.

But...

She relied on us to fall asleep. We'd walk with her and bounce her and "shhh" her and sing to her... some nights she'd fall asleep quickly, other nights we'd be bouncing and "shhh"-ing for up to an hour. But she's getting big, and heavy, and would squirm in our arms trying to get comfortable and it was getting hard putting her down. We knew it was time to sleep train, but that's a hard step to take, knowing that it would involve a few nights of A LOT of crying and, honestly, what parents want to sit back and listen to their baby scream? It's torture.

It sucked. She cried. I curled up on the couch and ate a lot of chocolate. The first night she cried for 50 minutes straight before falling alseep. It was heart-wrenching and miserable and we nearly gave up a few different times in that hour. But she fell asleep, and woke up happy. We did the same routine with her naps during the day, which meant we stayed close to home all weekend and let her sleep dictate our outings. The second night, I settled in on the couch with a box of cookies, prepared to eat them all... and I barely got through a couple of them, before....... *silence*...... she fell asleep after only 12 minutes of crying. It was amazing.

So we'll see how the rest of the week goes, and hopefully this new routine will open up new possibilities of date nights (a babysitter can put her to bed! we can go out on the town!) and spending time together in the evenings instead of one of us pacing back and forth with Iny for an hour.

Way to sleep, bug!

I hope all of you slept well this weekend, too. Have a wonderful week, friends!

ugh

Hey Iny.

Today is not our day. We went for our daily walk to get my coffee and you were fine. But once we came home nothing was going your way. You refused to eat your breakfast, choosing to throw everything on the floor instead. You didn't want to sit in your high-chair. You just wanted to be held. You cried when I tried to give you a toy to play with. You cried when I tried to give you snacks. No matter what I did you just screamed. And screamed. And screamed. Nothing I did worked. You were inconsolable.

So I put you down for a nap a little early and went to take a shower. The rumbling garbage truck must've woken you up, because within minutes of going down, you were up and screaming again. Trying to finish showering in a hurry, I lathered my face with conditioner instead of face wash. I turned the water off, got out of the shower... and just stood there. Dripping. Unable to muster the energy to go soothe you. Instead, I cried.

When your father called to check in, I cried some more. He told me to open the bottle of champagne that's sitting in the fridge and drink it.

Tempting.

But it's only 10am and we still have a lot of day ahead of us.... So now, you're crawling around the living room, destroying everything in sight. Pulling all the pillows off the couch, scattering your toys and books and my shoes all over the place. There's shopping bags and wrapping paper, sweaters and cheerios littering the floor. And I'm not doing a damn thing about it. Because as long as you're not screaming, we're ok.

We're ok.

Let's go for a walk. Some fresh air and sunshine will do us both good. Plus, Mama needs another coffee.

Lately

While Didz is away in Belgium, I've been trying to document my days with Ina so he wouldn't miss out on a single moment... Here's a few glimpses of our days lately:

1. To ensure we don't get too sad without him, there's been a lot of tickles:

2. I've been teaching our daughter to act like a cat:

3. And finally, she's turning into a real person - STANDING UP! Woah:

We miss you, Papa! Come home soon! 

And she's off...

The bug and I had a great long weekend up in Toronto with Didz and his family, but we're back in Cohasset at my parents house while Didz is in Belgium taking care of some unfinished business for a couple weeks. We miss him so much, and I wish so badly we could all be in Belgium together. It feels like we've been back from our European adventure for an eternity already, and even though I'm so excited for what's ahead for us (CALIFORNIA!), I truly and wholeheartedly miss our little Belgium. It's moments like this that I'm so glad I started writing this blog so many moons ago. I'll always have our photos and our stories to look back on. It's the next best thing to being there... 

While I'm here, Ina is keeping me busy. This new crawling stage she's entered is definitely keeping me on my toes. She's a quick little bugger - I turn my back for two seconds and she's BOLTING across the room (usually chasing after the poor cat). It's great... but woah. 

Time to do some babyproofing around here. 

Homemade Apple Sauce

Step One: Peel, Core, Chop Apples

Step Two: Simmer, and Puree until smooth

Step Three: Enjoy

We're heading back to Toronto for the weekend - we can't live without Didz a minute longer. Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I hope there's some good BBQ and cold beverages on your agenda these next few days!

Cruisin'

After a long week, the bug is finally feeling better. Yesterday, she took her first ride on her new trike. She LOVES it (which of course makes her bicycle-enthusiast grandfather very happy). 

I'm not mentally prepared for the day we remove the "mama handle" and she can pedal around herself. Next thing we know she'll be backing the car out of the driveway and driving off. But for now, we're enjoying our little outings around the neighborhood together. 

I mean.... come on, right?? It's pretty much the cutest thing ever. 

Seven Months

Dear Didzette,

Another month has flown by, sweet little bug, but we're not celebrating today. You've been sick all week with a nasty flu - it's your first time being sick and my heart has just been breaking for you. I feel so helpless, and wish so badly I could kiss it away. You've been so miserable, and I hope you feel better soon. I miss my happy girl. Not much makes you smile these days... except for one little thing. If I show you a picture of your daddy your eyes light up and you give me a BIG smile. It's the sweetest thing, and I know you miss him so much while we're away.

I miss him, too.

Even though you've been sick, we've had a nice visit with your grandparents. They try to cheer you up with silly songs and your darling grandmother taught you how to pull ALL the kleenex out of the box - it's become your favorite game (thanks a lot, mom).

Let's go wipe your nose (you HATE it when I do that), and get you all better so we could play and giggle and practice crawling and do all those cute baby things you do best.

xo,
Mama

A Very Happy Half-Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated Ina's half-birthday. It might not seem like an occasion worthy of a celebration like a first birthday or a sweet sixteen. But around here, we're all about celebrating the little moments. They pass by so quickly, and when we turn on the news and hear about senseless bombings and shootouts, we can't help but squeeze our little bug a little tighter and promise to enjoy every moment we have together.

So we ate cake. And sipped bubbly. And danced in the living room. And smooched her fat cheeks so much... because she's only 6 months old once. And we think that's something to celebrate.

***

We're glued to the TV watching the news today, hoping this nightmare ends soon (and peacefully). Sending lots of love to friends and family in Boston... Be safe! We're thinking of you!

6 Months

Dear Didzette,

Wow. Half a year has gone by since you came into our lives... and every day is sweeter than the one before. You've grown so much in six months - long gone are the quiet infant days where you just slept and ate and slept some more. Now you want to play, and wiggle, and giggle, and explore every bit of world around you... You're not crawling yet, but you're getting so close. You've mastered this little shimmy move where, if you're on your belly and want to reach something, you wiggle and kick and hoist yourself forward and rotate your body and stretch out long until you can reach it, and ultimately put whatever it is into your mouth. You particularly love reaching for the dirty fringe on the edge of the area rug. If I'm in the kitchen, or even if I'm sitting right next to you and turn my head away for 10 seconds, nine times out of ten when I look back over to you, you will have shimmied yourself off your blanket onto the hardwood floor and I'll catch you sticking the dirty rug fringe into your mouth (yuck). You're so curious - I hope you never lose your sense of wonder and always continue to explore and learn and be surprised by the world.

You have a tooth! Two days of inconsolable fussiness over the weekend, and lo and behold, a little tooth broke through on Sunday. I nearly started crying - you're growing up so fast. Pretty soon you'll be eating sushi and cheeseburgers - but for now you're perfectly content munching on your toes. "Bug! Your socks are all wet!" gets exclaimed at least once a day around here. I even had to go buy more baby socks the other day because we can't change and dry them fast enough - you just love eating (and slobbering all over) your toes.

I think my favorite thing you do these days happens when you get really excited about something (most often when you're naked - you looove being naked). You start flapping your arms wildly and kicking your legs and laughing hysterically... which usually leads to either me or your daddy kissing your belly and tickling you, which makes you laugh so much more. And the more you laugh, the harder your arms flail, and you're just so excited and having so much fun, it's like you can't release all that happy energy at once. Sometimes I worry you'll just spontaneously combust.

You're pretty great, bug. Keep it up.

xo,
Mama

5 Months

Dear Didzette,

Between all the packing and moving and traveling and adjusting and unpacking and all the rest of the hullaballoo lately we nearly forgot to acknowledge that you're five months old today! You've been such a trooper during this hectic transition - smiling at flight attendants and strangers in airports, sleeping in new places, meeting new people and getting passed around to many sets of arms. It's pretty incredible how well you've been handling it all, actually. You've gotten through all of this in much better shape than both your daddy and I. So thank you, little bug. We promise one day soon we'll settle down and you'll have a room to call your own with a proper bed, and the travel crib you've been living in will go into storage.

Now, it might be because all this change is too much, or it might just be cause you love me, but the past couple days you've been super clingy. Yesterday you wouldn't even let your daddy hold you. You strained your whole body with arms outstretched to get back into my arms and nuzzle your head into my neck and let out an audible sigh of relief. I know how you feel bug, sometimes all I want is my mama, too. I'm 30 years old, and there are still times when all I want to do is snuggle up with her and know that everything will be ok. I'm sure there will be a phase during the dreaded teenage years when you'll be embarrassed to be seen with me, but I hope you always know you can rest your head on my shoulder and know it'll all be alright.

Because it will be alright, bug. You don't have to worry about a thing. I know you miss napping in your stroller along the bumpy cobblestone streets, and the familiarity of our tiny little Belgian apartment. And you really don't like being put into your new car seat and your grandparents' little dog chewed up your stuffed chicken toy. There's a lot to take in - new sights and smells and people. But as long as the three of us stick together, we'll be ok. Hang in there, it'll get easier. For all of us.

These past five months have been the happiest (and the hardest) five months of my life. Every day brings something new, and every day we love you more... and more... and more.

xo,
Mama

Our Parisian Getaway

We spent the past five days in Paris. It was so good. It was good to get away from our mess at home, clear our heads, eat croissants, drink wine, take long walks, and just hang out together without the worries that have consumed us lately. It was refreshing, to say the least. 

This trip, of course, was very different from past visits. There was a tiny human dictating our days, so there were no fancy dinners or evenings at bars. Instead there was a pizza picnic in the living room and evenings curled on the couch watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle (Ina was MESMERIZED by the sparkle!). There were afternoon drinks and early bedtimes. There were long walks, and long naps. It was perfect. 

Here's a glimpse:

 

I am forever grateful to our friends who let us stay in their beautiful flat while they were away - you guys are the best. We'll miss you... and that view!

I was sad packing up to head back home - but Didz promised we won't stay away too long. I'm already looking forward to our next trip... and doing some casual apartment hunting :)

Just us.

Our friend Pieter is a very talented photographer. A few weeks ago he invited us over to his place for a little family photo shoot. He managed to capture some great shots of the three of us in about 15 minutes before Ina had a complete meltdown and we had to run home to put her down for a nap. It was short and sweet - but here are a just a few of my favorites:

Ina spent most of the time with her fist in her mouth and drooling down the front of her shirt. But she gave Pieter a few sweet smiles - they have a pretty strong bond, those two (I think it's because they were both born in Belgium, so they understand each other:). Pieter was also the first person to come see us at the hospital when Ina was born - so it was extra special to have him take our family pictures. They're the perfect keepsake to bring home with us... Thank you, Pieter! 

Weekend Bits.

Somebody discovered her toes the other day... and spent the entire weekend trying to put them in her mouth. 

16 Weeks.

Dear Didzette,

Sixteen weeks have flown by, and you're getting cuter every day. You're the cutest you've ever been, if I'm allowed to say that. Of course, you were adorable as a newborn, so tiny and sleepy and precious... but now you're smiling and coo-ing and wiggling and rolling and doing so much more.

You started giggling the other day... and oh man, it almost made me cry. I was holding you up and kissing your fat belly and suddenly you erupted with laughter! At first I thought I had upset you and scared you with my smooches and you were crying out, but I looked up and you had the biggest smile on your face and you were laughing! Since then it's become our little game - I give you kisses on your belly and your chubby little cheeks and on your fists (which are constantly soaked in drool), and you just laugh and laugh and laugh. It's the best.

Yesterday we went out to lunch to our favorite little cafe and got a table right by the big picture window. You sat on my lap quietly just watching the world pass by outside - letting me and your daddy have a nice meal and a chat. You were so interested in all the people passing by on the tiny cobblestone street - the old couple walking arm in arm, the young woman pushing her baby in a stroller, the old man and his dog. Sometimes I really wish you could remember these little moments of your life in Belgium. But don't worry bug, I'll remember them and I promise to tell you stories and show you pictures and remind you of this wonderful little dream life we got to live during our first months as a family of three.

For now though, you just keep doing what you're doing... and we'll keep soaking in these precious memories.

We love you more and more every day.

xo,
Mama

12 Weeks

Dear Didzette,

You just rolled over! Just now! Twice! It's a very good thing your daddy was right there to catch you, otherwise you would've rolled yourself right off the couch. Twice. Whoops.

I was going to start by saying how much you've changed in just a short month, but you rolling over just perfectly illustrated my point. It's really amazing to watch. You're getting so strong, trying to sit up by yourself, holding your head up more confidently each day. Didz calls you his little bobblehead doll... because you'll be holding your head up high, then it'll start to wobble, wobble, wobble... and then sometimes it just flops right over. You're really trying, though. And it's really cute.

You've been drooling. A LOT. I'm talking non-stop leaky faucet drool. Like a St. Bernard puppy. Some days we don't even bother dressing you because you just soak right through your shirt in a matter of minutes. But I think you prefer to be naked anyway. Whether we're changing your diaper or changing your drool-drenched shirt, you always smile that big beautiful smile when we take your clothes off. I hope your enjoyment of being in the nude isn't foreshadowing future career or lifestyle choices... :)

A couple weeks ago you discovered your fist. It was flailing around in front of you, and suddenly it became the center of your world. You love your fist. You try to stick the whole thing in your mouth, and the whole thing just gets soaked in drool. You watch it, you lick it, you suck on it. You have absolutely no idea that it is attached to your arm, which is attached to the rest of your body, but you'll figure it out eventually.

The biggest, most wonderful change happened right around Christmas... when you started to consistently sleep through the night. Oh bug, you make us so happy when you sleep all night. Waking up at 6am isn't nearly as painful when we aren't getting up every couple of hours. Your daytime naps have been becoming more regular, too (though we're still working on those), which makes you a pretty happy baby when you wake up, and makes me a very happy mama.

You're such a sweet bug. Keep it up. We love you.

xo,
Mama

8 Weeks

Dear Didzette,

The other morning, when you woke us up bright and early (or rather, still dark and really early), and we weren't ready to get out of bed yet, we brought you into bed with us. I sat there, in bed with my two favorite people in the whole world, completely in love and completely in awe of how much you've grown in just 8 weeks. You're almost like a real person!

To be honest, though, this week hasn't been your best. Don't get me wrong, you're still cute as the Dickens, but you've been a little bit of a brat this week. You wake up so happy and smiley, and it just goes downhill from there. By late afternoon you're one cranky little bug. I know you're going through so much developmental change, it must be really overwhelming for you... you're taking it all in, trying to figure out what the heck is going on, growing and learning. I don't blame you for getting a little cranky.

You're still sleeping well (7 whole hours in a row the other night - whoop!), so please don't go regressing there. And you're eating pretty well - though when you're cranky in the afternoons you're totally anti-boob and will only eat if your daddy gives you a bottle. But all in all we're doing alright. You'll get over this little phase soon.

Just as long as you keep giving me those huge toothless grins first thing in the morning, we'll be ok.

xo,
Mama

Two things

1. The bug is losing her newborn baby hair (especially in the front), making her look like an old man with a comb-over. By far the cutest comb-over I've ever seen... but still...

2. Women always make a big deal about losing the baby weight. I've decided to keep mine. Because if losing the baby weight means losing her favorite snuggle spot, I want nothing to do with that...

That's all.

Gray Day

Six Weeks

Dear Didzette,

You're six weeks old today, and are soaking up your last cuddles and lullabies and dances with your grandparents. They leave tomorrow, and it will break my heart a little to see them go... and you might not know what's happening, but I know you'll miss them, too. You've had so much fun dancing with my dad and listening to his crazy made-up stories and songs about hunting hippopotamus. My mom has a magical touch that calms you down when you're fussy and she's been buying you the cutest little outfits (like our favorite green polka dot pjs). They've gotten to see you smile and cry and wiggle around and sleep so sweetly, and I know they'll miss you terribly. We'll be sure to chat with them over Skype as much as possible so you wouldn't forget them... and we'll plan to visit them as soon as we can.

You're such a sweet little bug. We're loving every minute with you - even the long, sleepless nights (though let's work on those, ok?)... now let's get back to snuggling.

xo,
Mama