Sitting Pretty

As Sarah's small legion of followers already know, Sarah has been crawling commando-style for about 2 weeks now. While she is still making her way around the house that way, it seems that she is wanting to by-pass crawling altogether and try to stand instead. It is so cute the way she pulls herself into the downward dog pose and stays that way for a few seconds. Aside from wanting to stand, Sarah is starting to get the hang of sitting up on her own and even tries to pull herself up to sit up from the crawling position. She often misses and tips over but she's very determined and keeps trying. Daddy played 'handyman' again and put up baby gate #2 today so we're getting even more prepared for the eventual milestone of crawling up the stairs and walking! :)

A "Hair-Raising" Tale

Sarah's hair is finally growing longer and the bald spot on the back of her head is slowly being replaced by fine, wavy hair. I can hardly wait until I can put her hair up into pony or pig-tails for what to do with her current 'do is a mystery to me. I've been looking for ways to do her hair, but have only had moderate success with a funky mohawk look (which looks pretty cute if you ask me), but it doesn't really suit her. Guess I'll just have to patiently wait until the hair on the back of her head grows out before I get more options. Anyway, here is a shot of her current 'hairstyle' while checking out daddy's BB...maybe I should hire a personal stylist for her like all the Hollywood babies! ;)


On another note, we went out on a l-o-n-g overdue 'date night' sans Sarah for the first time since Sarah's arrival (sad but true)! Sure, it was just dinner at a local sushi joint followed by a shopping run at Superstore but it was nice to be out without watching the time too closely. A GAZILLION thanks to Auntie Pat & Wendy for coming by to babysit Sarah - I'm really glad that she wasn't too difficult and didn't totally scare you guys off! :)

PS. Teething Update - Sarah now has two teeny weeny baby teeth that are surprisingly razor-sharp (as witnessed by Auntie W) so watch out all you fingers! :)

Catnaps & Meals On Wheels

Since her birth, Sarah was never one to fall asleep easily outside of her bed so imagine my surprise to find her fast asleep in my arms after her morning bottle today. Usually she plays by herself after finishing this bottle while I clean up in the kitchen, but she seemed content this morning in my arms so I just let her be while we caught up on the morning news. I had just happened to look down and there she was, passed out peacefully in my arms. It was so sweet!

In other news, we took Sarah out to the mall for dinner this week, where she got to try out the communal high-chairs offered in the food court. We normally leave her in the stroller for her meals but it turns out she did better while sitting in the high-chair, although she kept following the conversation at the table beside us :)

I'm Comin' To Getcha!

Daddy installed a baby gate for us this afternoon, officially making Sarah a permanent resident in our home ;) While we weren't able to find any gates that fit our design aesthetic, it is good timing because Sarah is now getting really comfortable on all fours and getting even better at crawling the proper way. Now that we have some form of protection from the stairs for Sarah, I am not as worried whenever I look up from the kitchen and can't find this little girl of ours. Now if only I can find a way to keep her away from the Christmas tree :)

Sarah's View Of Her World

Baby-proofing requires more effort than I had thought. I mean, I thought that all we really needed are some plug covers and quick-thinking action, right? I am so wrong. While Sarah has not fully mastered crawling yet, she has discovered a way to move ALL around our living/dining room to explore everything that she can get her little hands on.

For instance, she found a new interest in the cable box, daddy's beloved PS3 and everything else in that corner...

She also found a bag full of coin wrappers that were apparently quite tasty...

And she found the sound from her fingers scratching the shredder box to be equally entertaining!

Now that she has officially taken over the main floor, daddy will have to consider erecting an electric fence around his prized TV and mommy will just have to temporarily live with a non-designer-inspired home! ;)

First Everythings

Having a kid allows us ample opportunity to capture all sorts of milestones, from their first smile to first tooth to first word etc. etc. My friend's friend has even continued this tradition into her kid's teenage years, snapping a photo of her son with his date at their first Grade 8 dance (poor guy)! Anyway, as another first for us, we took professional family photos with my friend Melissa at Voth Photography and I just received the proofs today. Thanks Melissa & Sean - we are thrilled with how they turned out and especially LOVE the ones of Sarah smiling for the camera :)

Mrs. Dress-Up

It has been a long time since we had dinner with my family at a restaurant. Come to think of it, I think it was the first time since Sarah's 1-month dinner so that made it extra-special for us - I even wore boots instead of my trusty sneaks! ;) Anyway, I thought it was an opportune time to get Sarah into a dress, which is a very rare thing in itself. Daddy bought her a Hello Kitty sweater dress that we paired with a pair of tights and some stylin' booties. Surely no-one can mistake her for a girl now! Anyhow, I had lots of fun playing dress-up with her and I think more dress shopping is in order now that the holidays are fast approaching :)

Fall Days At The Park

Another event today - Sarah is definitely becoming quite the social butterfly, albeit slowly. Daisy Yee-Yee and cousin Matthew stopped by for an impromptu visit today. Since we were lucky to get a rare break from the countless days of rain and yucky weather, we took Matthew and Sarah to the park after finishing a quick lunch. It was getting dark again so it was only a short jaunt but Sarah got to try a swing for the first time and enjoyed it even though it doesn't look like it. You'll just have to trust me and I blame the camera shutter speed for that. Hmmm...a Christmas wish perhaps? ;)

Alo-ha!

It is astonishing just how much extra stuff is needed to bring a baby out and about. I may have mentioned that the trunk on our mini-SUV was practically full before we left for our US road trip. Well, it is apparently no different for the casual family function. We had dinner with Sarah's daddy's family tonight and just for that, we had to lug with us her diaper bag, dinner and a Thifty Foods bag chock-full of toys to keep her well-entertained. Needless to say, we are very glad that we bought the new car for the additional space is priceless!

Anyway, Sarah is becoming much more social these days and I think she thoroughly enjoyed the company at dinner. To make this weekly event more special, Auntie Wendy and Uncle Kevin brought back a bunch of goodies from their vacation to Maui (we are so jealous). As usual, Sarah scored big again - she received her very first lei, a Hawaiian print dress that will be perfect for a day at the beach, a Classic Pooh cordoroy jacket and a second summer dress. Mahalo Auntie Wendy & Uncle Kev!

Your Crib Or Mine?

Our friends, Mal and Donald, happened to be in our neck of the woods today and stopped by for a visit with their new baby. It was really nice to hold a wee one again - it feels like eons ago when I experienced that myself :) Rylan is a pretty good baby, very easy-going and actually doesn't mind his car-seat - if we only knew what that was like! ;) Anyway, Sarah seemed quite intrigued with her new friend and I think they will enjoy some great times together!

Order Up!

It has been another uneventful week, except for a visit to see Sarah's doctor for her 6-month shots. That little girl of ours is a real trooper. I was warned that by around this time, Sarah would learn that doctor equals ouchies and that we should be prepared for some tears. But she surprised us yet again. The doctor administered the first shot without any protest or crying from Sarah and the second shot only caused a slight whimper. No tears whatsoever! That is really good because it makes these visits less stressful for mommy and daddy.

In the food department, Sarah continues to eat solids very well. I am giving her lots of variety for her meals and have been giving her cereal mixed with fruit for breakfast, veggies for lunch, and veggie combos and fruit for dessert at dinner-time. Today, I made some congee with chicken that didn't go over too well - guess it was too bland for her. Anyway, I'll try again and make it a little differently next time. I totally feel like a Chinese kitchen short-order cook but it beats buying cans of jarred food for her ;)

Lastly, I may have bluffed earlier but I really believe now that Sarah is a few short weeks (if not days) away from perfecting her crawl. Not only has she got the position down now, but she has also learned to turn and reach for toys by lunging toward the items. By the way, one of her new favourite toys isn't a fancy light-up electronic toy but an empty tissue box...go figure!

PS. On an unrelated note, I was watching Ellen the other day and noticed that Stryker has been replaced! What's up with that?

Half-Birthday Bumps

It truly is a wonder how unbelievably fast time flies when you are having as much fun as I have been so lucky to have. Sarah is 6 months old today. Already! Where has the time gone? It honestly feels like it was just yesterday that we brought Sarah home from the hospital and now she is all "grown up" sitting in a high-chair, eating solids and doing all the other 'big girl' things. Before we know it, she will be tearing through the house and we will have to resort to using a baby leash just to keep some sort of tabs on her! As for celebrating, we don't have anything special planned but I will be treating Sarah to her first taste of apple juice for lunch. Yippee! It's the simple things that matter... :)

Teething & Tantrums

To get Sarah used to eventually brushing her teeth, we had been diligently washing Sarah's gums every morning since Day 1. Anyway, daddy was 'brushing" Sarah's gums on Friday when he felt a piercing sting on his finger. Sarah's first tooth is starting to come out and boy is it ever sharp! So far she has been pretty co-operative with this strange new sensation, for it didn't even occur to us that this was even happening. But that is where the good news ends for now. I think the teething pains are coming on stronger - she is not wanting to eat as much again (preferring the bottle) and is getting a little more testy with us. The fussiness actually doesn't bother me so much as it is quite entertaining :)