Ms. Crankypants

Day 2 of my "cherish the weekends!" weekend did not fare as well as yesterday. Sarah had the fussies which started bright and early this morning at 5:00, with a cry for help from her room. Now as you know, Sarah is normally very calm and pleasant so it was extremely unusual for her to be Ms. Crankypants pretty much the entire day. I even had to give Sarah her very first time-out in the playpen when she continued to whine (and break out into big tears) each time I put her down from my arms! She obviously did not like that I did not cave in and after the time-out, she improved a bit, though she remained cranky and pouty for the rest of the day.

Despite the attitude, Daddy and I still took Sarah out this afternoon. Again, our plans were changed when the neighborhood water park we went to sprayed the most icy-cold water you could imagine. However, we were able to break out the wading pool that we had in storage back at home so not all was lost.

Sarah most enjoyed splashing in the water and was content until the party had to end since it was nap-time. Hmmm...I wonder if it is the heat that is bothering her? Anyway, 1 out of 2 good days isn't bad and I am sad that the weekend is already over. Back to work I go tomorrow!

Trekking To Buntzen Lake - Part Deux

As my good friend Homee says, cherish the weekends! That indeed was my mantra today and I truly enjoyed every minute today.

With some last-minute planning, we headed out to the beach for a picnic in the early afternoon with Sarah's aunties and uncle. While we had planned originally to go to Belcarra, the navigation system in my head directed us to Buntzen Lake instead (oops!). Anyway, we were lucky to find the beach not completely full so we were able to find a spot right on the beach overlooking the incredible view. The last time I was there, it was just under two months ago and boy was the experience different now that Sarah is walking. Daddy and I had so much fun walking along the water with her and I especially enjoyed getting my feet wet and building a mini sand-castle. Had I thought to wear my swimsuit, I certainly would have jumped into the lake even though the water was cool :)

TGI Friday!

Again, my apologies for not sharing about my adventures more often but truthfully, there hasn't been a whole lot worth mentioning now that I am back to work.

I live for Fridays! Absence does truly make the heart grow fonder and I got to spend one of my 2 days off with Sarah. She has been such fun to be with now that she is walking well (yay!) and has definitely developed her character. She continues to be very confident and social and only has 'off-moments' on the rare occasion.

Anyway, the day started off with breakfast for two. I really enjoy this meal with Sarah because not only do we give each other our undivided attention (no telly believe it or not!), but I have lots of fun letting her feed herself. Breakfast foods are way less messy so it isn't too stressful for a self-proclaimed former neat freak! Sarah is getting better at feeding herself by hand and while she still prefers to use her left-hand, she can pick up small items...

Following a quick brekkie, we went to the neighbourhood elementary school where our government has actually provided funding for a *free* program that is geared toward the 0-5 crowd. For once, it feels like I am getting a direct benefit from our elected leadership :) Sarah really loves going to the class and has already tried out your stereotypical kindergarten-esque activities, such as finger painting, drawing and playing at the sand table. She is certainly no expert when it comes to chalk and felt-pens but I still have high hopes that she will inherit my penmanship ;)

So that was the morning. Whew. In the afternoon, we needed a respite from the sweltering heat so we went out for a Superstore run that got us out of the house for nearly an hour. Since Sarah stays up longer (i.e. 3 hours or so), I certainly don't feel too rushed to get stuff done with her so it's nice. She enjoys sitting in the shopping carts but unfortunately doesn't quite feel the same about her stroller now that she wants to walk so until the novelty of toddling wears off, we will just have to stay away from the mall for the time-being!

And one last thing. Remember how I expressed that babies really do know more than we give them credit for? Well, in the oft-unglamorous life of a mommy, you really lose all sense of privacy. I find that since I have a little girl, I have to look forward to sharing a bathroom stall with her, not to mention all the other stuff. Not fun but that's life. Anyway, this girl happens to know where people do their business. I will admit that I have been letting her follow me around even to the bathroom and this has obviously helped her 'pre-train' for her potty-training days! Funniest part is that she will even copy me by sitting on the floor! Okay, way too much information but I just had to share because it is pretty neat don't you think? :)

Toddlers & Tiaras

First off, sorry for the lack of blog entries of late. Working part-time with a little kid at home has been taking a toll on me and it feels as though I have two full-time jobs!

Well, Sarah's first birthday came and went in the blink of an eye and now we have a toddler. I always say it but I'll say it again. Time flies. It is incredible how fast the year went by and until you experience it for yourself, it is almost impossible to fathom how fast it really is. Just look at the picture - Sarah doesn't even resemble any of the 'baby look' that she had not too long ago. Sigh.

Daddy and I enjoyed seeing everyone at Sarah's birthday party and are overwhelmed by all the kind wishes and great gifts that were bestowed on our little girl. Anyway, one of Sarah's current oft-used gifts (among others) happens to be a Radio Flyer wagon from Carina Yee-Yee. The timing could not have been any better, for Sarah was starting to get really tired of sitting in her stroller and we certainly were not going to carry her around until she got comfortable walking!

Speaking of rides, Sarah loves going on them. No need for fancy schmancy rides however - when we are at home, Sarah goes for rides in an empty diaper box, laundry basket, Rubbermaid bins, you name it! Funniest part is that she would actually crawl into the box herself and summon one of us to push her around. By "summon", picture a little girl pointing at you to move the box, all the while rocking away in it to will it to move! :)

Anyway, I finally had a day off that didn't require me being in the kitchen so off we went to the park with Jestina & Lainey this afternoon. The outing was a milestone in itself, for I finally got the courage to let Sarah walk around the park on her own. She of course took a few minor tumbles but at least it was on grass so no tears were shed and our little girl is quite tough ;) My new neighbour friend Emily and her daughter Eliana happened to also show up there with her trike, which the kiddies got to test out. Sarah had a blast with it and loved sitting on it and pushing it around like a shopping cart. Yet another toy/ride to add to the ever-growing list! ;)

Where The Wild Things Are

Why oh why did*'t Sarah choose to pry apart a*other key i*stead? This 'modified' keyboard is drivi*g me completely *uts a*d it's taki*g me so much lo*ger to get my blog thoughts o* the scree*! Sheesh! Oh well, e*ough ra*ti*g...

It just felt like a few short days ago when I last blogged and now it's already Friday. And it's not just any Friday either, for it's the last weekend before I revert back to the status of office worker bee. I am hopeful that I won't miss Sarah terribly, think about her too much or call home for updates every half-hour :)

Anyway, we enjoyed a good walk this afternoon around the ol' neighbourhood as we always do. This time, I remembered to bring Sarah's trusty shades with me. I could tell that she wasn't too comfortable with them but she complied for a short while. Asians wearing bridgeless shades = what was I thinking? :)

I am continually amazed by how a regular jaunt on the same route can bring new surprises each time. Today, for one, was no exception. Sarah and I stopped to get a Slurpee before heading over to the tot's playground, where we were met by none other than a lone coyote.

With another mommy at the park and no sign of a pack of coyotes, I wasn't too freaked out although I did feel a wee bit like Little Red Riding Hood. Wait a sec - that was a wolf wasn't it? Either way, I did feel wary about being in close proximity to a wild animal so our time on the swings was cut short. Not to mention that it didn't help that some little girl named 'Gracie' kept telling mommy that she was scared and wanted to leave N-O-W!! ;)

Back at home, Sarah continued to practice walking and this time I finally got a good video clip to prove it to my 3 (publicized) faithful followers.

Sure it isn't the most steady of steps but it's still amazing isn't it? I'm so thrilled that Sarah is starting to become even more independent but at the same time sad that she is really no longer a baby. Why does time have to pass by so fast!!

You Are My Destiny, I Can't Let Go, Baby, Can't You See

After 51 weeks of true maternal bliss taking care of a little one, I can't believe that the final week before my return to the office is now upon me. It wouldn't be so depressing were it not for the fact that I am having so much more fun with Sarah now that she is approaching *gasp*...toddlerhood! Of course, the fun does not come without its additional exercise however. Now that Sarah has perfected the art of crawling up the stairs, I have found myself going up and down our three levels a gazillion times throughout the day. Not only is she becoming more adventurous with this new-found skill, she is also moving fast and taking lots of baby steps, which explains the lack of publish-worthy pictures of late. Here's an example of the calibre of our recent photo shots - we so need to get a new camera!

In addition to the cruising/crawling/walking, Sarah has become quite vocal over the past several days. About a week ago, Sarah had started to point at things and get us to carry her to look at and/or touch whatever she finds interesting. That was fine until she figured out that pointing = communication. Now she "talks" to us by pointing at an object and one of us immediately afterward, e.g. "Dad, please get me the toy/thing on the table/bookshelf/etc." The most hilarious (and humbling!) part is that when she does this, it resembles a queen summoning her subject to fetch something for her. Funny but true! Anyway, we 'vermin' succumbed to her cute antics and let her baby-handle our beloved Blackberries. Yes, we are suckers for that innocent face of hers ;) That's how the "N" key on our laptop managed to get pulverized...those darn prying fingers!

Anyway, Day 1 of my 7-day back-to-work countdown was a great one. Even if it were less than stellar, I am most definitely living up to Homee's Twitter advice to cherish these last few days! :)

Up And Away We Go

Well, she finally did it. Sarah had first started crawling up the stairs back in December but lost interest soon afterwards so I'd thought it was the end of that. This week, however, she wanted to get back to doing it again and lo and behold, there she was crawling up the stairs without any encouragement! Since she hadn't been working on this movement regularly, we were needless to say very shocked that she was able to get up each step so quickly and she wasn't even scared to be up so high (unlike her initial attempts)! Guess she wanted to perfect her new skill before showing off! LOL :)

Now that she is comfortable going up the stairs, Sarah has found herself some new play areas in spaces that used to be off-limits. Our mealtimes have become even more interrupted now, with us taking turns following Sarah up the stairs - time to put up another gate asap! :)

As for walking, Sarah continues to toddle about with some support and has progressed to taking up to seven steps on her own before gravity takes over. She is getting stronger and more confident with each day so I am hopeful that she will be walking well by the time she hits the big "1" mark in a couple of weeks!