She Wore An Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny...

As you already know, one of Sarah's current favourite activities is being chauffeured around the house in her little ride-on car. Seeing that she sits up very well now and knows to hold on to the car's handlebars, we took her out this afternoon to try out some rides to prepare her for Playland this summer. Luckily we had brought our stash of quarters, loonies and toonies with us because it cost us an arm and a leg for a 1-minute ride. But it was so worth it because Sarah had a wonderful time ;)

In case you were giving us the benefit of the doubt, no we didn't return from our afternoon empty-handed. Honestly, it is very difficult to guess how big Sarah will be so we shop often to buy clothes that fit her current size. Plus it also gives me an excuse to re-live my mall-rat days :)

Anyway, my hunt for a bathing suit for Sarah ended today with a purchase from Children's Place. Yay! Daddy actually approved of (and picked out) this one and when we got home, I absolutely had to try it on her. Call me biased but she looked so unbelievably cute in it, especially when paired with the matching terry cover-up that we could not leave behind ;) Apologies for the blurriness but our camera has not been able to keep up with her constant moving... :)

To finish off the afternoon, Sarah passed out in the car within two minutes of us leaving the mall. She still prefers not to sleep in her stroller and stayed up pretty much all afternoon. Sweet dreams Sarah!

PS. Hugs and kisses to Homee and Capital M for the wonderful baby news. We can not wait to meet the new addition!

Snow To Usher In Spring Perhaps?

It was indeed a wacky Wednesday in our fair town, with snow falling outside. Come on already, it is late February and we are still not cleared of the white stuff! Anyway, this was the view from our patio. Yuck.

Sarah was obviously also not impressed nor pleased that Mother Nature had wreaked havoc on us yet again.
Thank goodness, however, the snow was short-lived and we did not have to dig ourselves out as we did in the heart of winter! :)

Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing, Baby

We were treated to one last gorgeous day of sunshine so off we went to the local Japanese restaurant for cheap and good sushi (there is such a thing, if you don't mind mediocre customer service). Anyway, Daddy took Sarah home afterwards while I went off galivanting with Christina for the afternoon. But enough about me...

Sarah has become more 'vocal' about her likes and dislikes, throwing a mini-fit here and there when she doesn't get her way. She is however such a well-mannered baby 90% of the time that her tantrums are not really worth complaining about nor even be considered as such. Anyway, Sarah has shown a definite interest in going for rides in her car around the living room and will even try to get on it herself. Daddy has been getting a good workout 'driving' the car while she sits proudly as though she were on a parade float :)

Another one of Sarah's big likes right now is watching The Wiggles and other music videos on YouTube at the computer. She enjoys it so much that she will sit still on our lap with her mouth wide open, while watching the four grown men sing and dance to her delight. I don't mind singing along and doing the actions with Sarah but oh how I would love to sleep without having one of these darn songs in my head the entire night!

And finally in toy-related news... Daddy is a tech-toy junkie so you can imagine his excitement when he learned that LeapFrog is introducing a Blackberry for babies! I have a good feeling that Sarah will have one in her hot little hands as soon as it gets released. So much for playing with the real thing!

It's A Beautiful Day, Don't Let It Get Away

It's another gorgeous day so off we went for a good long walk after lunch. Despite having full-on sunshine in the middle of February with nary a cloud in the sky, it was still quite chilly in our alpine neighbourhood so I was glad I had Sarah bundled up good. It is pretty ridiculous though because the playground still had enough snow that deterred us from staying for a little swing time.

Our stroller walks are starting to become more interactive nowadays. As you know, we took Sarah out for walks as soon as we got the Baby Bjorn shortly after her arrival, but while there was the obvious close physical bonding, there was not much else in terms of true 'learning' opportunities. Now, whenever we go out, I will point things out to Sarah ("Look, Sarah, that is a tree/dog/etc.") and she will reply in baby-talk. It is very cute and makes talking to her that much more enjoyable now that there is a response coming from the other end ;)

Anyway, I positively can not wait until the weather warms up so that I can get Sarah into a bikini (Daddy-permitting) for a swim at the local pool. Now that will be loads of fun for our water-loving little girl!

Let's Get Loud

It's Wednesday so off we went to see my folks for our weekly dose of dysfunction and loud ruckus. It truly isn't all that bad and I honestly enjoy the buzz of activity and conversation since the other days of the week tend to be much quieter. Anyway, Sarah was intrigued by Toffee this week and was even bold enough to try and pet him while having her afternoon snack. Ahhh, how I long for those innocent days :)

Speaking of Toffee, Sarah's vocabulary continues to grow at a fast pace. Just today, I pointed Toffee out to her and she immediately caught on (no joke!) and could point to the 'doggy' when I asked where he was. I also made her a photo album with pictures of our family and I think it has helped her to identify who is who and she will look at the right person when we ask where is 'so and so'. It's really amazing how fast their little brains absorb information!

Finally, as you know, Sarah is not shy about trying different foods and today was no exception. 'Po Po' made our little piggy beef stew for dinner tonight and I also got to take home a big batch of it for freezing, which is great because that means less time spent slaving away over the stove for me ;)

Partying It Up At Play Paradise

With my dreaded return to work just around the corner, it is time for me to think about Sarah's 1st birthday party. In my search for a possible venue, we went to a playcentre in the area after lunch today. It was unbelievably quiet there, with only a handful of kiddies playing. Apparently it is normally a lot busier there but I guess with it being Valentine's Day, most families are out doing other things. It was perfect for Sarah though, since she got to play with whatever she wanted. Anyway, the centre is pretty much a kid's playroom or living room on a large scale, complete with sofas, magazines and food for us big people. Sarah had a great time as usual and Daddy and I wanted to jump into the bouncy castle with her but she isn't old enough for that yet ;)

It's Raining Cats And Dogs

It's Friday so no cooking for me! Sarah and I met up with Daddy at the super-mall this evening for some healthy food-court fare instead. Come to think of it, we have never been out with Sarah this late other than meeting with family for dinners so it was a real treat for us. Sarah was again really well-behaved in her stroller - she didn't even fight to get out even though she enjoys being mobile so much. Yessss!! This may seem like small potatoes but this is a major victory for someone who used to madly rock or marathon-walk the stroller to get baby to quiet down or sleep. Hmm...that explains why I didn't take her out much in the beginning ;)

Tomorrow marks Sarah's first Valentine's Day! To celebrate this occasion, I picked up a few gifts for her. She enjoys playing with those bead-chaser toys so I bought a ball-version from Fisher-Price. And of course, every Asian girl must have her very own token Sanrio doll, so we made a pit-stop at Build-A-Bear. Thirty dollars later, we left with a Hello Kitty doll, complete with her first outfit. Believe it or not, my sister did not find anything Sanrio when they were in Hong Kong but for some unknown reason, Hello Kitty has made a serious come-back here. Who woulda thunk it?

No shopping trip with Sarah is complete without a visit to the pet store, so we stopped there before heading home. Now I am strongly against getting a pet from the pet store - dogs and cats anyway - even though I am a two-time culprit myself. Oprah's show on puppy mills will have you feeling the same. The next time I ever think about getting a pet, it will most definitely come from the local SPCA shelter. And now that I got that out...

We had the camera ready in case Sarah would break out into laughter again from seeing the puppies. That didn't happen. This time, the birds really caught her attention (she would wave 'hi' to them) and she was mesmerized by the fish in the large tank outside the store.

Anyway, we had a great evening out and I look forward to taking her out more now that I know she doesn't get over-stimulated by the sights and sounds. Have a good Valentine's weekend y'all!

Babytime At The Library

Surprise! My blog was looking a little tired so I decided to give it a fresh coat of HTML, courtesy of The Cutest Blog on the Block, and cleaned up the extra stuff that I had added to the original layout. The design part is really what I enjoy most about having a website, although the write-ups are a close second ;)

Anyway, now that Sarah is older - a 'pre-toddler' as they call it - and stays up longer during the day, we have more options available for things to do outside of the house. Admittedly, I had been reluctant to go out with her during nap-time following her sleep-training so you can imagine my delight to see that Sarah can stay up for close to 3 hours at a time. However, it is still difficult to find something that works around Sarah's nap schedule and isn't too far to get to. Luckily however, I found a weekly Babytime session at the library so that was where we headed after lunch today.

The verdict? Well...while Babytime isn't anything special, it is really good for Sarah to socialize with other babies her age since she spends the bulk of her time with us big people. Sarah thoroughly enjoyed herself and even made a couple of new friends while playing with the bead-chaser toy. I think this class is a keeper! :)

PS. On a health-related note, Sarah has finished her antibiotics and the coughing and sniffles are now gone. Yippee!

Girl, Put Your Records On, Tell Me Your Favourite Song, You Go Ahead, Let Your Hair Down

Today was a good day. I took the afternoon off and went for lunch with a couple of girlfriends. With the 3 of us being new-ish moms (including one who is expecting #2 in the coming weeks), the conversation was inevitably centered around babies and life as a mom. It is nice to know that we all have similar challenges and I am not alone in thinking that this gig is not as easy as it may seem to some!

Anyhow, we did a little shopping after lunch to find more cool things for our little ones. As usual, I did not disappoint and returned with a few items including a new bath toy for Sarah, who is now using the full big-girl tub (yay!). Thanks Mal for finding us those neat placemats too - another thing to add to the diaper-bag but I can't wait to use it the next time we are out.

Of course, all good things must come to an end and so it was with my time away from mommy duty. No regrets, however - as I was pulling into the driveway, Daddy was just getting little Sarah up from her nap so I got to surprise her.

That's our girl! In addition to waving "hi", Sarah also knows how to go "yay" (2 arms up) and knows where her foot, Pooh Bear and truck are by either grabbing the item or looking at it or in the general direction when we ask. She is also starting to 'dance' when she hears a favourite song. Learning is tough - no wonder she is so beat by the end of the day!

Sleep 'Til You're hungry, Eat 'Til You're Sleepy

Mother Nature played a cruel trick on us today, giving us a taste of spring even though that is still some months away. Sarah and I did not mind this slight stroke of luck and took advantage of it by taking a short walk after lunch. As usual, Sarah enjoyed being outside and was clearly upset that I had stopped to take a few photos :)

Speaking of lunch, I am spending a lot of time in the kitchen these days, even more than before. Now that Sarah is almost fully established on solids and eating more, I have been making different meals for her. Aside from the congee staple, I have so far made beef stew, carrot & butternut squash soup, macaroni with chicken & carrots (thanks mom!), banana pancakes, and cheesy squash & potato mash for Sarah, among other things. She loves trying different foods - her favourite so far is tofu - and has not been fussy with eating or allergic to anything, which is great. Unfortunately however, our own meals have sometimes taken the back-seat but Daddy has been very understanding. Let's just say that those take-out menus have come in really handy for us ;)

Anyway, off I go back to the kitchen to do some more cooking. Ta-ta for now!

It's A Small World After All

We are officially the parents of a 9-month-old baby/toddler girl as of today. WOW. I know they say time flies but this is honestly way faster than I had imagined or hoped. That means I only have about 3 more months to go before my time off comes to an abrupt end :( Ugh - I am dreading the thought as I write this.

Speaking of Sarah's age, it dawned on me the other day that she looks a fair bit younger than how I had 'pictured' a 9-month-old to look like. What do you think?


Aside from looking younger, Sarah is also quite tiny, attested by the fact that some of her clothes (depending on the brand) are still sized 3-6 months. Add to that, she is only just now starting to fit into her 6-12 month clothes better. Just for fun, I plugged in some numbers on a baby height calculator that I found on one on my regular website visits. Turns out Sarah is estimated to be a whopping 1-inch taller than Mommy. Oops, sorry Sarah!

Anyway, happy 9-month birthday, little girl - we hope your bronchialitis clears up soon so that we can celebrate with some cake! ;)

Root Root Root For The Home Team, If They Don't Win, It's A Shame

It's Superbowl XLIII!! What better way to watch it than with the boys. Sarah showed her support for the Cardinal underdogs by wearing their team colours, but it did not work out for us in the end. Nevertheless, we had fun watching the big game and Sarah watched with intense anticipation, all the while snuggled up with Uncle Rog ;)

We also took Sarah out for a shopping trip on Saturday. While she is still fighting her cold - which now includes a bad cough (poor thing) - getting some fresh air was really good for her and we noticed that she did not cough as much while we were out. Hmmm...I wonder if I should take her to the mall more often for the sake of Sarah's health :)

Anyway, this one's for Homee. Sure, we can not mistake who is Sarah's daddy but you have to admit that she is starting to look a bit more like Mommy here! LOL