Chatty Cathy!

She's officially found her voice.
I have to admit, it was in the back of my head about how she hasn't really made any of the Consonant sounds up to this point. I wasn't really concerned, but I was wondering if she should be there yet. Well no more wondering. Over the last few days she was consistently saying Mama, and then yesterday she started Dada. It seems Dada is her favourite sound cause she won't stop! Its so funny to listen to her "voice" I've got it on video, and if I get a moment to figure out how to get it on here I will.

Right now she tends to say Dada when she's playing and happy. Mama/Nana/Baba comes out when she's upset. Not sure why, but thats the way things are right now. Its just funny how much she likes making these noises. My husband and I have been laughing so much at her for the last couple of days!

On the feeding front, things have once again changed...surprise! haha. She's eating more again, and isn't skipping the snacks anymore. Although she tending to want to "snack" on the bottles. Eat a little, play, then eat the rest later. It's kind of a pain, but I guess it can't hurt??

Brrr, its cold out, so we've been hunkered up in the house for a few days...looking forward to getting out this upcoming week!

2 weeks of Heaven

I was wondering why I was starting to feel a bit better today, in terms of emotions, and feeling more like me again. Now I have my answer.... AF just arrived :) So in a couple days, if my evaluations of late are correct, my hormones should be evened out, and I'll be in an overall good mood until ovulation time.

On that note, today was a good day. Went to the baby/aquafit classes today. It has been a while since we made it there, so I was glad to have gone. Little OHHH seemed to handle the cold better then the last time, and was able to last the entire class. It was also a great workout today!

Then we went to Ikea. Oh how I wish I had money to spend on all things Ikea, but still it was nice to look! Then I took little OHH to another petsmart. Again, she was in love with the birds.

Well it's game night/American Idol watching with the step kids again today. These Tuesday nights have really been a great bonding time with them!

Well, till next time!

Full of beans!

Well, the feeding schedule must have been enough for little OHH, cause she slept through the night. Not 12 hours, but at least she didn't wake up to feed. Just woke up several times cause she soother fell out (we're thinking of trying to wean her off, but not sure right now) so we had to go in to give it too her several times.

Plus, OMG she is so full of beans for the second day in a row. Seems she's got a whole lot of energy the last couple of days. She's not happy anywhere but on the ground crawling around, and trying to get into trouble. (as in chasing the cats around!)

I don't know if its possible, but I think she might be starting to grasp the word no. When she tries to grab something she shouldn't I first tell her no, and seems the majority of the time she stops. Sometimes she'll go back to trying after looking at me (hope this isn't an early sign of defiance haha), in which case I move her away. Other times she'll turn around and go somewhere else.

Well gotta go, shes on the move!

Feeding change-up

Here is little Ohh's new feeding schedule. We'll see how long this lasts for.

Im needing to change it because she's been just snacking a couple oz of a bottle at a time, and then waking up a couple times during the night to eat.

It seems she really doesn't want to drink her bottles lately. I was a bit worried, but after doing some research and talking to some other moms at Mother goose today, it is quite normal when they are eating more solids, and they are more interested in crawling around and discovering the world then eating.

*note I offer 6 oz, but rarely does she eat all of it, more like 4 or 5**

AM - 6 oz bottle
Cereal and Fruit
- sometimes she'll eat like a champion at breakfast, other times not so much.

Snack - I think we now skip this. I had been pushing this on her, but today, we skipped it, and she did just great.

Lunch - 1 6oz bottle
Veggies and fruit
Because of skipping the snack, she did much better at eating almost the whole bottle at once.

Snack - I think this might be hit or miss if she wants a bottle. She drank it today, but I was forcing her to stay on my lap for a movie, so it might have been more out of boredom then hunger - since she did puke most of it back up. I think I will try not to offer her this bottle unless she is protesting.

Supper - This is her favourite meal I think, as she'll drink a whole bottle, and eat a lot of the other food.
6 oz bottle
Meat/veggies mix
Fruit
1 triangle of laughing cow cheese ( I just started this yesterday. I know, you're not supposed to give cheese til later, but the soft cheese is the better choice, and I hear the high fat content is good for brain development. If nothing else she LOVES it! And it's slowly helping me get over my fear of her choking, since she can practice biting of little pieces and it essentially just melts in her mouth.)

Bedtime - 6 oz bottle
Tonight she didn't really want too much, but she did go to sleep at 8 ish.

So the test will be...will she wake up to feed in the middle of the night cause she's hungry tonight?

No news...yet

Well no real information from my Dr's today, but glad he took me seriously and has sent me for some bloodwork. Then I am to get a referral to the OB that delivered my baby, too discuss my concerns in more detail. Now I'm not quite sure why. I thought she was just a baby Dr. (and usually just for high risk patients), and not for this kind of thing, but I guess I'll find out when I go. Plus I have an appointment with a nutritionist in a couple of months. Was hoping it would be sooner...but oh well at least I got the ball rolling.

He did kinda have me a bit worried with all the health problems that can be caused by PCOS. Any metabolic diseases, like Diabetes is number one. Also high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease along with kidney disease etc etc...well you get the point.

I'm in that 2 week time before my period, and I can totally feel it. Almost had road rage today over something stupid, getting super mad at my husband for nothing really. Just waiting for the big crying fits to come on sometime within the next week.....Blah!! Can't wait to get this sorted out.

On a positive note though, had a good day with OHH today after my appointment. Tomorrow will be another busy day. Mother goose, then off to stars and strollers.

I will blog soon about her changes in eating and sleeping lately. It's changed once again, and I have to find out what will work for us again.

k, off to spend the night with the step kids...it's game night!

Happy 101!

I have given a blog award by one of my new mommy friends. Basically I was tagged and need to list 10 things that make me happy. You should check out her blog here at birds on wire. I love seeing her wonderful photographes and artwork. Her blogs are always inspiring me to be more crafty, and to also to observe and enjoy the simple things in life.

This is perfect timing for me. In the dead of winter things can get very gloomy so it's a great time to remind myself of all the things in my life that I have that make me happy!


Little Ohh
She is obviously the thing that makes me the most happy. I can't imagine my life without her now. Her smiles and laughs are so contagious. Isn't she just the cutest thing ever?! :)




My husband.
It took me a long time to find him, but boy am I glad I did. He is the only person I feel like I can totally be myself around. He is an amazing man! I can't imagine having a better caring loving husband as him. (ok so remind me of this when I'm in the mist of PMSing...but it really is true!)




My mom
She is amazing. She raised me (pretty well I have to say) after my dad died when I was just a baby. Now being a mom, I can't even imagine what a traumatic time that was for her. But she made it through, and although we had some rough years when I was a teen, she really is my best friend now. My mom can cheer me up, no matter what is going on.

Step kids
As they are getting older, I feel like I am getting closer to them, especially the girl. They have taught me a lot about child rearing and the patience needed. My only regret is that they were my guinea pigs. Sorry K and M! I still love you!

Family
Family seems even more important to me, now that I have my own daughter. I don't have any family in the city that I live, and I am really bad at making phone calls and visiting, but they are always in my mind and in my thoughts. I really do love visiting them, and need to do it more.


Genealogy
I guess this kind of goes along with family, but I think more so this quenches my need for investigative work. It is something I recently have gotten back into, but that I hope to continue and hope to increase my knowledge of. Here is just one of many pictures/documents I have been uncovering.




Home
By nature, because we are both rather shy, my husband and I are homebodies. We are both happy to just be spending time in our home together.


Mommy Friends
This might seem to contradict the above comments about being a homebody, but I have found this great group of ladies with whom I just love getting together with. It great for our babies, but right now, more so for the mommies. Knowing that there is a network of super nice women available to talk to has been really helpful. It makes me happy just to think of these babies growing up together, it's like they are all little cousins!

Animals
I don't do this now because I'm not working. But ever since I started Vet Tech school in 97, and my subsequent jobs in a vet clinic and a research setting, I have been taking care of sick animals. I like the idea that I have played a part of making an animal get well, or even simply helped to make an ill animal feel more comfortable through my nursing skills. Although I really do not want to go back to work, that part of my job is very rewarding, and it makes me happy to see a happy animal.


Computers
I know I'm a nerd, but my computer makes me happy. I'm not sure that it's the actual machine, or the tasks that I can perform on them. As mentioned earlier I like to investigate things. So
mr google has been my favourite tool. Sometimes I think I am addicted, but it does make me happy ;)


So now, I would like to award the following people with this award. Just copy, and paste the Happy 101 picture and post it on your blog. And start to think about makes you happy!

HapEllyEverafter
Motherhood

What is it?

What is it that I need to figure out exactly.

I have been putting off dealing with any personal health issues over the course of the last 2 years due to trying to have a baby, and then being pregnant and having one. But now I think I need to focus on me a bit.

I am trying to get myself sorted out before I go back to work.

So I'm having some pretty extensive dental work/surgery done sometime in the next few months. Not something I am looking forward too, but something I need to do. (thanks goodness for insurance!) Basically it's due to bad home care, and years of not flossing. Bad Bad me! So they'll end up cutting my gums and reattaching them. 4 hours of surgery, and needles in my mouth, and a liquid diet for a few days after, and some tylenol threes. Oh Joy...I can hardly wait!

I am trying to lose weight, and exercise more. Yuck! I am getting better at not eating junk, and trying to walk more...but still need to work on this.

So now I've made a Dr's appointment to talk about some things. But what exactly do I need to talk to him about. I really have the feeling that I'm not going to get anything that will help me out, so is there any point really?

1. Going to ask for a referral to a nutritionist. Maybe she will have some advice for a good diet when you have PCOS, and you are afraid of getting diabetes. (Mom was just diagnosed) I bet they will just say to follow the Canadian food guide.

2. Going to ask if I need any treatment for my PCOS. I think the only tx he would offer is going on the pill, and I don't think that is a good idea. I get so emotional on that.

3. Going to ask if there is anything I can do for my stupid PMS. I really need to get it under control. PMS is driving me crazy. I'll have to write a whole blog on it! Am I the only one who hates the 2 weeks after ovulation?
Again, I think the pill (specifically YAZ) will be suggested, but again, I've tried that, and it was awful. I've also tried antidepressents, and well, I don't want to be all spacy, and that just made my libido crash!


4. Which brings me to a decreased libido. Yes I admit it, my libido sucks. It has for a long time. But I really want to get it fixed. But not sure that there is any magic pill out there. I think its because of my PCOS??

So other then #1, I'm not sure if there is any real point to asking about the other 3. And talking to someone about low libido, especially my male Dr, feels kinda strange for me. But I think I should. Hmm, I keep changing my mind, even as I type this.

Got some thinkin to do.

Update # 2

Just a quick update...

Thank goodness. Oh is much better today.
Only 2 poops, and the last this evening was totally back to normal.
Now just to clear up the diaper rash. That too is looking better...yeah!

Oh boy....my life is revolving around poop! so sad! :)

Update

Well, I think she is on the mend..slowly... but getting there.

It's strange...while she was at the height of her explosions we noticed that she wasn't spitting up/puking like she normally does. But now, she's started again, and for some reason it's telling me that this means she's getting back to normal. To anyone else this probably sounds ridiculous but I guess its because the puking is "normal" for her.

I think now the biggest problem is her red bum.

Her bum was really red again all morning, but when I just changed it, it was looking better, with no poop...so fingers crossed it will continue to get better. I wonder if it's because I used a different Zinc oxide cream instead of the penatene?
This morning after her bath, I let her crawl around in her room for a little bit naked to let her "air out". So cute really. She really enjoyed it I think. Too bad I can't leave her like that more often. I should have gotten a blackmail picture.




Oh no..as I write this, I can see that look on her face! So maybe it's not over yet.
CRAP! Literally! haha

P is for.....

If you are squimish or don't like the talk of poop...please move on, I might be rather graphic. (there, that is my disclaimer ) :)

It's day 2 of my little girl having the poops. I feel so bad for her, but I'm not sure what else I can do.
In the past 30 or so hours she has had about 6 poops. She normally has 1, maybe 2 a day. Not all are the normal full amount, but some are just like water or pretty runny. She never seems in pain while pooping, I don't even know she's done it half the time until I smell it. It's when I change her diaper that it really bothers her.

I still think it's the oat cereal which I have obviously stopped. Today is day 2 of no oats, so I am hoping this will end soon. My understanding is I don't need to worry unless she gets dehydrated. She's still eating/drinking and is happy as long as she has a dry bum, and I'm not trying to change her.

Her nether regions are so very red. She never gets diaper rash so I can only imagine that this is unbearable too her. It looks so sore.

This is what I've been doing...but if anyone has any suggestions on how to make her more comfortable, I'm all ears!

• Change her diaper as soon as I notice it's wet (even her going pee seems to be hurting hurting, it must be burning?) So it's been at least every hour, or more frequent as needed. I almost want to wake her up while she's napping right now to keep her dry, but I've learned, that would just be stupid! :)
• Put penetin cream (hmm, can't be bothered to see how to spell it at the moment) on after every diaper change.
• I gave her a bath to get her nice and clean (she was happy in there, but within 15 min of getting out of the bath she had a poop)
• At the suggestion of my mom I've put a warm cloth on the redness the last couple diaper changes for a few minutes, then patted it dry.
• My mom suggested using cornstarch and airing it out. I haven't tried that yet. Will need to get cornstartch, and how do you air it out when you know she'll pee everywhere? I guess I could put her on a towel..but she loves to crawl around, I doubt she'd stay put!
• We gave tylenol last night. I haven't given any today, but if she gets bad again tonight we may do that again.
  

Fingers crossed that the worst is over, and she'll be on the mend now!

What a good girl

On Saturday we went to the Mandarin buffet for my husbands daughters 18 birthday. (Yes, he can't believe it either that he has an 18 year old and a 6 month old!). It was the first time we had taken little Ohh to a restaurant since she was very little, and when all she did was sleep. We were all a little nervous of how she would behave since we were going right smack in the middle of when she should have been napping, and she was oh so tired.

But yeah! She was such a good girl. She was asleep when we got there, but then woke up, so oh no we thought. But then she sat in the high chair for a good amount of time before I had to put her on my lap.
She (as always) was mesmerized with all the people, and was giving everyone smiles. The elderly ladies walking by were all stopping to say hi. The ladies next to us commented on how happy she was, and how good she was!

Way to go little OHH!!


On a yucky note....
I tried giving her oat cereal again for a few days. But nope, she can't tolerate them. Once again she got the poops. 4 times today! And her bum was so red and sore. She was in so much pain. Thank god for some tylenol, cuddling and now some sleep to get her through. So its back to rice cereal to get her back on track.

Family Tree

Can I just say I am loving the site Ancestry.ca!

I was into genealogy many years ago, and have just gotten back into it. I am loving researching and finding all this information about my ancestors. Seeing their names on old census's or birth records is fun. It's like solving some type of mystery and following the clues you find with each new document. I should have been a detective! :)

So far I have being using the the internet for my research, and I can't believe what I have found so far. I am sure that if I go to the local library I will find even more since I have found out that part of my family was actually from this area. Very strange since I didn't grow up here, and just moved here about 5 years ago.

Last spring I dragged my husband to a cemetery in a city we were visiting and I took pictures of relatives graves. Once this spring hits I plan on taking him and Alexis on some cemetery runs so I can find out more information.

Do you think it would be too creepy to take a then 9-10 month old to a cemetery? Maybe she's too young. hmm, I'll have to think about that. It might be a solo event.

So if anyone wants something looked up on the site about your family let me know, and I will see what I can find for you!


Back to some searching!