Keep On Truckin' Along

Ever had a day where things just didn't go right and nothing you did to help could make it better? Sarah certainly had one of those days.

While Sarah woke up earlier than usual and didn't take her bottle well, the day itself started out just like any other day. The drama really started to pick up after lunch. We had stepped out to the mall to do a little shopping where Sarah started to fuss and didn't want to be in her stroller, resulting in a quick end to our outing. Luckily, we were close to home so we were able to put her down for her afternoon nap. An hour later however, things still hadn't improved. Sarah woke up crying and did not stop fussing right up until bedtime. While she clearly wasn't having a good day, it certainly did not help matters that Mommy and Daddy both found it rather amusing and had to snap a few photos to remember this rare occasion :)

What could it be, you ask? Well, we don't know for sure although it could be the lack of good afternoon naps the past several days or even possibly some anxiety issues from the imminent goal of walking. Anyway, we hope the rest of the long weekend goes smoothly for us - fingers crossed!

Just Visiting

What luck! We were spoiled to yet another gorgeous day of sunshine in this grand city of ours. Sarah and I had not planned to do anything today but with the fabulous weather, we had to get outdoors again so off we went across town to visit my co-workers at the office.

Bringing a baby to work is very much like attracting bears with honey. You can get nary half your body past reception before getting swarmed by umpteen 'oohs' and 'oh my goshs' from the ladies (and some of the guys too!). It is like they can smell the scent of baby from a-far! Anyhow, a full two hours later, we saw most of the people we had hoped to see and Sarah did extremely well, even allowing herself get passed around to endless people.

Given that it was now well into Sarah's nap-time, the next question was: do we pay a visit to Daddy's office? I hadn't planned on staying at my office for so long but his office is along the way home so I made the decision to stop by there too. Poor girl - she had just fallen asleep in the car when we arrived but she was a dream child again and was very pleasant even though she only had a 5-minute catnap (if you can even call it one) :)

Anyway, Sarah and I are exhausted from all this visiting and I'm glad that I got to see everyone before returning to work in a couple of weeks! :(

Trekking To Buntzen lake

Snacks for mommies. Check.
Snacks for Sarah. Check.
Diapers, wipes and other toiletries. Check.
Clothes for if it's warm. Check.
Clothes for if it's cold. Check.
Jackets for if it's warm & cold. Check.
Baby sunscreen. Check.
Baby sunglasses. Check.
Baby sunhat. Check.
Bedsheet. Check.
Wallet and keys. Check.
Camera. Check.
Baby Bjorn in case we go for a hike. Check.
Water. Oops.

Whew. One large heavy backpack later, I was finally all packed to go for an afternoon outing. You would have thought with all the stuff I had packed that I was going to some far-off locale but it was only Buntzen Lake. With all the stuff I have to lug with us every time we go out, I should really invest in some good rolling luggage :)

Anyway, I enjoyed good conversation with my new mommy friends and Sarah equally enjoyed playing with Lainey, Hailey and Evan. Speaking of playing, you wouldn't believe the attention these kiddies paid on Mum-Mums. Not the crackers themselves mind you - they passed around the crinkly wrappers for a good several minutes!

As soon as Sarah was no longer interested in playing, we went down to the water's edge so that I could dip her toes in. While she seemed fascinated by the feeling of sand at her feet, she did not care for the cold water. That's okay though, I'm sure that we'll be back again in the summertime when the water temperature is comfortable :)

PS. Jes: Thanks for saving Sarah and me from being housebound today. We had fun!

Swim Like A Fish

It's the weekend! As promised, we took Sarah to the neighbourhood pool this afternoon for a dip. Being a water-lover myself, I was very thrilled that Sarah turns out to have an equal affection for water! She already loves baths but I just wasn't 100% sure that she would enjoy the pool so it was a very nice surprise for us. She loved watching the older kiddies play in the wave pool and didn't even complain with all the water splashing on her face. In fact, she encouraged it and even did it herself :)

Unfortunately, we had such a great time that we couldn't get ourselves out of the water enough to take a few photos. What happens at the pool stays at the pool they say! haha

Weekend Day #2 was not as exciting as our swim day but we did get out for dim-sum and then to the play centre to hash out the details of Sarah's birthday party. Again, the centre was quiet thanks to the good weather so we were able to snag a ride on the Thomas train :)

And as if our weekend wasn't packed enough already, we went out for a family dinner that included lobster done right (Chinese-style of course!). Aaahhh...a perfect end to a perfect weekend. Have a good week everyone!

Splish Splash, I Was Taking A Bath

Sarah is 11 months old today!! I will say it again - the time flew by so fast and I can not believe that the curtains are closing on my time away from work. Anyway, the morning started out pretty good even though Sarah woke up 45 minutes earlier than usual. I am not sure why that happened but in any case, she wasn't grumpy and was happy to get her day started. Guess there's lot to do for an 11-month-old that can't wait! ;P

Sarah is starting to become more comfortable standing and we have seen her toddle about for a few steps at a time. She will even stoop down from standing to pick up a toy - amazing! As you can imagine, things are going to get more interesting once she starts walking about. I hope we can all keep up with her :)

As much as Sarah wants to stand and try walking, she still enjoys crawling and cruising though it gets her into trouble every so often. Here she is peeking out from under the desk...

...right before she bumped her head as always :)

With all this moving and bumping, it is no wonder that Sarah loves bath-time every night. Nothing like lavender-scented bath bubbles to soothe kiddie growing pains :)

Anyhow, we are going to take Sarah to the pool on the weekend to celebrate her 11-month birthday so stay tuned for pictures!

Rain Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day

Fridays are sacred for me as I try to stay out of the kitchen and start my weekend a bit earlier. However since it was rainy today, I broke that rule and made some more food for Sarah and even went as far as doing a load of laundry, vacuuming the house and re-arranging the living room to make room for Sarah's stash of toys. Sarah tagged along and was a good little helper the whole time but she did get into some trouble, particularly while playing in my closet where she found my purse collection. She's definitely a girl with her bag fetish! Mommy might pass them down to you if you're good, but hands off the Gucci!

Sarah also continues to be afraid of the vacuum cleaner but I think she seems more scared when it's turned off than when it's turned on. Strange but true! I don't know what it is but somehow it must appear more ominous when it's towering over her? Here she is crouched low on the floor with her usual look of concern while I was vacuuming.

Here's hoping that the weekend will be brighter since I don't have much more housework to do! Hmmm...the bathrooms could use a little scrubbing though (hint hint to Daddy) :) Until tomorrow, Mommy owww-ttt!

More Sweets And Treats

The birthday celebrations continue with yet more eating, this time with my family. I must admit that eating out with someone hankering for your attention takes some time to get used to, but it is still enjoyable to take Sarah out for meals nonetheless. It is a luxury nowadays to have a bite to eat with Daddy at the table together, as we usually take turns eating while feeding Sarah her dinner. Thank goodness the people around the table gladly offered to take her to play with cousin Matthew and explore the fish tanks while Daddy and I enjoyed a few minutes of eating together in reasonable peace :)

Thanks everyone for the great presents, dinner and of course the volunteer babysitting!

When we got home, I snapped a few more photos since it is a rare occasion to see Sarah in a dress (I am a bit paranoid about her getting sick). This is her 'private schoolgirl' look complete with a pair of Hello Kitty tights from H&M. Isn't she just so squishably adorable? :)

Hopefully the weather improves really soon because I want Sarah to model a few more dresses that I have saved in her closet! ;)

Homee and M: Better start saving up your pennies. Not only will you need diapers but you are also positively going to go broke from buying all these clothes for your little girl as we are! LOL!! :)