Eight Months Old

The month in pictures

This was the big month that I went back to work and Daddy got his turn to stay home with Adelaide.  The transition went as smoothly as we could have hoped, and Adelaide adjusted quickly into a new schedule.

Daddy and the Bug found their rhythm and routine very quickly, and he was actually able to get her on more of a schedule that I had been able to.  She started taking 2 regular naps per day, and having a more regular bedtime. I still cherished my time with her after work, and cuddled her to sleep in our bed each night.

We worked hard to continue breastfeeding, and I pumped for most of the month and was able to continue EBF (nursing all but one bottle of EBM per day) until she was just shy of 7 months at the end of January.    After that, we started topping up my short falls with formula and eventually transitioned to one full bottle of formula per day, while the remainder of her milk was direct nursing.

Other than that, it was a month of winter walks and a new round of swimming lessons with Daddy. A happy, quiet, uneventful month.

February 4, 2013 - 8 months old

Seven Months Old - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas Morning... Bug's first stocking :)

Visiting with Great-Grandma Doris 

Sitting up in the tub! Bath time suddenly became a lot more fun!!

She loved meeting Santa for the first time. A girl after my own heart.

Christmas Eve 2012

Last session of her first round of swimming lessons (December 10th)

New Year's Day 2013

In the space between Adelaide's 6th and 7th month birthdays Adelaide lost a lot of her "baby" and really started developing into a little girl.

She finally mastered the fine art of sitting on her own. While she'd been working on it for a while, she became quite proficient at it this month, learning to reach out and turn around. She started reaching and grabbing and moving back and forth.

She found her voice and babbles away. We explored lots of new food, and found little (if anything) that she didn't like.  Her favorite foods are definitely sweet potato and applesauce, but she's happy with anything by spinach so far.

Christmas was hilarious fun. She was a rock star with all the attention she was receiving, and at all of the events we had to attend.  She was ready for a break by December 27th, but she enjoyed the season and I think that she'll love it as much as I do. It was a very special Christmas for us, and we can't wait for many more.  There's something different about Christmas with babies and it's going to be so great.

We spent a lot of this month just hanging out and preparing for my return to work. We laid together for naps almost every afternoon, and snuggled to sleep every night. It was just a matter of soaking up my last few weeks at home with her, and we just enjoyed quiet time together.

Adelaide Ruby - 7 months old

Our baby is "half" (a late post about Adelaide's 6th month)

Adelaide's Sixth Month in Pictures

Relaxing on our second trip to Cranberry resort

Always smiling.

Hanging out in her activity center... her favourite way to pass the time.

Christmas photos!

Playing outside in the cool fall air

Her first "solids"! Homemade brown rice cereal.

Santa Claus Parade

Practicing sitting by herself

Ready for her first snow!

Our sweet girl had a big month! I'll see if I can sum it up quickly, since I'm so late posting this. 

-She's up to 11lbs 7oz as of her 6 month well-baby visit. 

-We had a followup with the pediatrician who is no longer concerned, and told us to followup with her at the end of March (yay!)

-She started solids (first with rice cereal, then avocado, sweet peas, bananas and peas).  She LOVED it right away, and knew what to do immediately. 

\-She loves to play in her play center and bounce in her jolly jumper (which she's really got the hang of now).  She's content to entertain herself for hours in them.  

-We had some sleep regression at the beginning of the month, but that seems to have sorted itself out and we're back to 9 or 10 hours per night

-She's also taking more and longer naps, but probably because I make a point to lay down with her every day.  We really enjoy that time together (and it will be the thing I miss most when I go back to work).

-We went to her first Santa Claus parade and she stayed awake for most of it, falling asleep just in time to miss Santa. Poor thing.

-She's definitely not a fan of the cold weather right now, but if she's anything like me, she'll start to love it soon.

-She's got pretty good at sitting on her own over this past month, but still lost her balance if she tried to reach for a toy, or turned too far backward.

-She spent the evening with Daddy (the longest she's been away from me) while I went to an exam. They Christmas shopped and had dinner in front of the fire, and I think they both really enjoyed it! It was good practice for January.

I'm still is awe of how much I love her, and I can't believe that I seem to love her more every single day. She's just so happy and full to snuggles and smiles.  My favourite times with her are when we can cuddle in bed and just be together. She's amazing, and I can't imagine life without her now.  I'm scared about being away from her, but I know that she's in good hands with her Dad.

Adelaide Ruby - 6 months old

Five Months Old

Adelaide's Fifth Month In Pictures

Pre-Thanksgiving Nap

All tuckered out from her first Thanksgiving dinner at Ma's

First time in her Jolly Jumper. She was very proud of herself.

One last warm day in late October.
Outside soaking up the sun and feeling the grass on her bare feet for the first time/

New play centre! She's not heavy enough to  get her feet to the ground, but she LOVES it.

Road trip with Ma! (Girls weekend in Cambridge and St. Jacobs)

A girl and her dog... again. :)

Swimming at the hotel in Cambridge

Our water baby

Baby's first Halloween... shirt and booties from Auntie Karen.

Our little cupcake (the cherry on top just kills me)

Boy has our girl changed this month.  She's reaching for everything and anything in front of her. She thinks she should eat, chew or suck on anything that she can get her hands on (this includes toys, my face, her books... etc.) She's successfully rolled from her back to her front a few times, she plays and plays in her activity center,  with her toys, with her books... she's just doing so much more.

Her first Halloween was great. She had a visit from Auntie Karen, watched Charlie Brown's Halloween special (a gift from Auntie Karen) and then got into her costume and went out to see Ma and Pa, Papa, and Grandma.  By the end of the last visit, she was done being a cupcake, but she did great for the most part and looked sooooooo cute!

With no more weight checks, we've been able to relax a bit more where feedings are concerned. She's growing (she's evening wearing some 3-6 month stuff, although it's a bit big) and the doctor gave us the go ahead for cereal if we want (though we're holding off until 6 months I think).

I've given up on trying to get her to nap on her own and each day we curl up together in our bed and she sleeps for a while. Sometimes I nap, sometimes I read, and my house hasn't been properly cleaned in weeks, but I get a good snuggle with my girl and I have to say that I don't feel any guilt about it. She's only going to be this little for a while, right?  She sleeps in her crib at night, though often doesn't make it there until after I've had a cuddle with her, but she's still sleeping pretty darn well.

She's definitely still a major Mama's girl and I'm the only one that can calm her down when she's really upset. While this should bother me, and while it can be inconvenient sometimes, I have to say that a big part of me enjoys it still. I know it won't last long, so I'm just soaking it up while I can. And who wouldn't want this sweet face around all the time?

Adelaide Ruby - 5 months old

Stopping Time

Yesterday morning, before the sun was even up, I woke to Adelaide's big blue eyes and her big, beautiful (albeit toothless) smile just inches from my face, while she quietly cooed and stroked my cheek. It was the sweetest moment we've shared since she was born, and I was totally overwhelmed with joy and love. Everything else fell away and I would have given anything to freeze time and live that moment over and over. 

No matter how hard my days are, or what struggles are bouncing around in my borderline crazy totally overactive mind, she manages to be a constant bright spot. She's always making me smile, even in those moments where it's all I can do not to cry.

Four Months Old

Adelaide's fourth month in pictures

Learning to hold her own bottle.

We're not supplementing anymore, so she's not getting any further practice, but it was cute while it lasted.

Snoozing her way through Nana's 80th birthday party

Getting pretty good with those little hands.

Last trip to the beach for the summer... winter's on the way.

First swimming lessons! (Daddy wasn't allowed to take anymore pictures after this one)

Silly girl

getting stronger

First night sleeping in her own room *sob*

Four month update



I feel like Adelaide has changed like crazy in the last month.  She's suddenly become this little girl... not just an adorable little newborn.  She laughs more, and smiles all the time. She is still a happy, happy girl in the morning, and still has cranky time in the evening a lot of the time, but we can handle it.  She's not quite rolling from back to front, but she gets onto her side no problem, and still rolls front to back easily. She's much better with tummy time now and  lifts right up onto her arms with her head all the way up. It's coming much easier to her lately.  She's also grabbing, holding and passing toys (especially her "rings... cheapo multicolored links that have become her absolute favorite toys). 

Unfortunately, and fortunately, she's become totally attached to me. While she loves spending time with her Daddy, there's a point in the day where no matter what's going on and who's around, she just wants to curl up with me. I have to admit there is a little part of me that secretly loves it, but a big part that worries about it too. I am (hopefully) going back to work soon, and Daddy will be home during the day. It would be nice if she could learn to depend on him for snuggles and comfort too... he's more than willing to give it!

On the day of her 4 month birthday, we had a weight check and she was up to 9lbs 13oz.  At her 4 month well-baby (which was about a week later) she was finally up over 10lbs, at 10lbs 7oz!!! She's still growing at her own slow but steady pace, and we don't have to go back for weight checks any more. She's still wearing size 0-3 months, but we're fine with that as long as the doctors are satisfied, which they are. We're really blessed, with the help of some herbs and domperidone, to be back to straight nursing every 3 hours. No pumping or EBM supplementing required! Such a relief. 

Cloth diapering is going GREAT! We absolutely love it and I am so happy we made the choice we did. I don't see us switching back any time soon.

We made the switch from bassinet in our room to the crib in her own room the day after her 3 month birthday. I hadn't really made a plan of when to do it, but since she was sleeping through the night I thought it was time. It made me sad, but she did really great right from the first night.  I may not do quite as well as she does... I sneak in to look at her 3 and 4 times before bed, and sometimes in the middle of the night. I miss her, but she's fine. Most mornings I wake up before she cries. I head in to peek at her and she's wide awake, entertaining herself, usually sucking her fingers (she's totally off the pacifier now).  As soon as she notices one of us, her face lights up with the biggest grin... it's a really nice way to start the day.

Her first swimming lessons went... well, swimmingly! hardee har har.  She was totally comfortable in the (very warm) water, and we even put her under in her second class. I know that starting her this early is controversial, but she loved it and I'm not doing anything I don't think she's ready for.  She splashes and smiles, and is so busy looking at all the other babies and sights that she doesn't ever make a peep.  She's always exhausted at the end of class and I'm lucky to get her fed before she zonks out for a nap. I think we'll start having lunch at the pool (in the change room of course) so that she can comfortable fall asleep in the car on the way home.   

I really have no complaints about this girl, although it would be nice if she took some longer naps through the day. I'm lucky to get 20 minutes here and there, and usually only when I'm holding her, but if that's my biggest complaint, I'll take it. She's such a sweetie, and I still can't get over how lucky we are and how much I'm in love with her. 

"Buggy" at 4 months