Happy New Year!

It's Ena's first New Year's Eve tonight. We won't be doing anything special - most likely we'll all be in bed by 9 o'clock. Still, there is something festive about the day.

This afternoon we took Ena grocery shopping. She doesn't often go to the store. Usually E or I go shopping alone, trying to be as efficient as is possible with a baby. When we make it a family affair it really just means that E - wearing Ena in the wrap - socializes while I gather the groceries. Living in a small town there is no going to the store in anonymity. We always see people we know. E is far more social than I and, as a teacher, knows many more people. We ran into another teacher in the bakery department - Ms.W, a kind and generous woman who gave Ena a lovely set of clothes when she was born - and E hardly moved beyond the bread aisle. After chatting with her he ran into one of my library co-workers and then another friend and then a student....

Ena was so good. She just watched everything. No crying. No fussing. I was, of course, paranoid the whole time. The H1N1 virus (and my doctor) has me on edge and I was looking at every item, object, and person as if they were infectious.

Now safely home, I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year. May we be easy on ourselves and each other this coming year. May we grow and learn. May we laugh and love.

Mezmerized

A Steady Head

Little by little Ena is getting a stronger neck. She still doesn't like being on her tummy but she has learned to lift her head up quite high when we do lay her on her front. The last week or so she has been doing a lot of "air-planing" while on her tummy - lifting her arms and her legs off the ground at the same time. And, just in the last few days she has started trying to get up on her knees, too. It's amazing to see her learn and grow.

Cutting a tooth

We have suspected for a bit that Ena was teething - she's been grumpier, sleeping less, drooling a lot, chomping on anything she can get into her mouth - but because she is only four months old we weren't certain. Well, yesterday we noticed that one of her bottom teeth has actually broken through her gum! It's not yet a full tooth but it is well on its way. When she chews on my finger now she actually has bite.

Christmas is over...

We had a lovely, if hectic, first Christmas with Ena. I usually do up the house with Christmas decor and make a big feast for E & I on Christmas day but this year we've all had to resign ourselves to the fact that what we could once accomplish we no longer have the time to get done. So, we put out a few decorations earlier in the month, managed a pared down Christmas dinner, and took two days to open our presents instead of rushing things Christmas morning. Ena got some lovely clothes from her grandparents, great granddad, aunt, and friends in England. From Father Christmas she received a teething rattle inspired by the Hungry Caterpillar. From E & I she got a bunch of supplies for solid food (freezer containers, glass storage containers, bowls etc.).

That it was Christmas has made little impact on her, she is so young, except that Dad has been home more during the day and she's had some colourful paper to stick in her mouth. We both look forward to seeing her enjoy the holiday as she grows older and hope that next year we will have family visiting us.

It's Christmas Eve!

Happy Solstice!

Sleeping better, squealing more

The holiday season has kept me from making blog posts as regularly as I would like. Every week there are changes in Ena. She has begun sleeping for longer periods at night again. She gets herself back to sleep at night after she has woken up. E has had a cold the last five days or so and she was startling every time he blew his nose but now she takes it in stride. Yesterday E heard her let out a sound of shock or surprise when she was awoken from her nap by a noise he had made. She sucks her thumb more regularly now. She likes bath time. She has gotten better at putting things into her mouth. She squeals more. And she is putting more effort into her vocalization.

Though I am still very tired I woke this morning with an overwhelming feeling of love and thankfulness for Ena. She has changed our lives completely, made it impossible for us to get anything done, and caused us to be constantly overtired (which in turn has made us each as grumpy as can be!), but there really is nothing better in the world than having her.

Beginning to laugh

We've been waiting for Ena to start to laugh. Over the past couple of weeks she has started to squeal but hasn't quite perfected the sound. It's delightful to hear but happens only sporadically at the moment. Many of the baby websites mark learning to laugh as a 4 month old milestone. I have been expecting her to start making laugh-like noises but had so far been out of luck. Until today. Twice today I heard her make a distinctly laugh-like sound. I had a wet cloth and was washing her hands. As she held on to the cloth I tugged it away from her and she produced quite a nice little laugh in surprise. I hope she makes one again soon!

4 month check-up

This morning we went to the Dr.'s for her 4 month check-up. All is well. She weighs 12 pounds 14 oz. with her clothes on and measures 24 inches long. Her head size is in the 75th percentile.

She was pretty good while at the Dr.'s. She only fussed just at the very end. E & I were very impressed.

She still has not returned to sleeping through the night. She will usually sleep for 5 hours then wake for a feed and return to sleep for another 3 or 4 hours. During the day she has stopped taking long naps. She is awake for longer periods, which is good, but she still gets fussy because she is tired. I can manage to get her to sleep (in the swing) but she will often wake up after only 20 or 30 minutes. I am growing concerned that she is not getting enough sleep. I just trust that she is doing what she needs to to keep well.

Ena's favourite activities

The past two weeks Ena has been fascinated by:

Her feet. She has been diligently working to get them into her mouth. This is a particular favourite of hers, especially good to do while on the change table.

Talking. Every day she seems to have new sounds to share with us. She often wakes up in the morning talking away.

The mirror. She likes to look at herself in the mirror. She seems enthralled by her own face reflected back at her and loves to touch the mirror as she looks at herself.

A weekend without Dad

This past weekend E went away to visit his Granddad in Surrey. I was all for the trip - his Granddad is 88 years old and E should spend as much time with him as he can - but it left Ena and I alone for the weekend. I am so used to having E home in the evenings to give me some relief from the work of caring for a baby that I didn't realize just how draining it would be. On top of the extra work - being the only one to change her diapers, her clothes, bathe her, feed her, look after her - she was fussy and I was having problems of my own. Although she slept for eight or nine hours each night (with a feed in the middle) I couldn't sleep at all. I was so exhausted when E came home I couldn't even form coherent sentences.

Well, we are all glad to be together again. E had a great weekend with his Granddad and our nephews, O & L, and also had time to visit with his Mum. I am really looking forward to next week when E's Christmas holidays begin. Maybe I can get some naps in while he's home. And, more importantly, maybe we can catch up on some housework!

A Christmas Foot Grab

Ena discovers her feet and gets her shots

For the last few days Ena has been playing with her feet. This is incredibly cute but does make changing her difficult. She holds on to her toes and won't let us put her diaper on or close the buttons on her pants!

Her feet are so wonderfully soft and small. I love that she is learning to explore her body. She has become so tactile - feeling everything that she can reach (and putting it into her mouth when possible).

This afternoon we went to the health unit to get her four month immunization done. She was very good. A wonderful public health nurse, Dawn, who helped us with advice when she was first born, administered the shot. I think this helped calm Ena. She only cried when the shots were given. Dawn had a little bell that she rung right after the injections and Ena got distracted from her tears and soon settled down. What a change from the last time!

Chatty Kathy and other things

About a week ago Ena began to make new vocalizations. We were putting her to bed while her grandparents were here and suddenly she began to make these loud 'talking' noises - hi, ow, huh, eial. The last four or five days she's been making them several times a day. The same noises, in exactly the same way. You can see her concentrating on it. She gets a very focused look on her face and moves her tongue very deliberately to create them. It sounds so wonderful. It really is the sweetest thing. E managed to record some of them so hopefully we can share the sound with his parents and other people who love our Ena.

We had another busy weekend. Friday night was the PR Arts Council Christmas party so we all bundled up and carted ourselves off to M.H.'s house for the evening. The party started pretty much when Ena should be going to sleep so I didn't have high expectations for her behaviour. But, again she surprised me. She did really well, was awake and alert for a time, only fussed a short while and then fell asleep in the wrap while E was carrying her.

We spent Saturday at home and finally got our guest room restored to a den/movie room. We moved the bed out, returned the desk and TV and set up the Christmas tree. It was one of the best days we've had as a family. Ena was very good and we got work done around the house as well as had time together. We also got to watch an interesting (but not well acted or produced) movie that evening - Make the Yuletide Gay.

Sunday was the PR Library's Christmas party so we again bundled ourselves up and made our way out for festivities. The party was in the multipurpose room at the library. The room normally has very little in the way of good atmosphere but it was nicely decorated by some of the staff and so managed to feel comfy and cozy. Last night Ena slept for 9 1/2 hours. I am hoping that this signals a return to longer nights after the past 10 days of little sleeping but only time will tell.

Looking forward to all her new developments - and to our first Christmas/Solstice together.

Beautiful!

Learning to squeal

Ena is 17 weeks old now. About a week ago she began to change her sleeping pattern and is now waking up one or two times a night again. We are not sure what is happening. It may be that she has begun to teethe. It may just be that she has changed what she wants. The first few nights of this new pattern she made a lot of whimpering noises while sleeping and woke up every couple of hours. The last two nights have been better - less whimpering and longer stretches of sleep - but we are getting exhausted. I hope that things continue to improve.

On to more exciting developments now, Ena has begun to learn to squeal. A few nights ago she started to get more vocal. She is really focusing on our mouths when we speak and has tried to move her mouth and tongue in deliberate ways to make sounds. She has managed to make a few squeals of enjoyment during this process and today seems to be getting the hang of intentionally making them. I am looking forward to this development.

Nanny & Granddad visited

We were very lucky to have E's parents here for a few days this past weekend. They haven't seen Ena since she was born and it was great to have her spend time with them. She took to them right away - she seemed to love listening to Granddad talk and smiled easily for both of them. Having them here also meant a break for E & I. We tried to get some work done around the house but we also took a couple evenings to ourselves for dinner out. What a treat! I wish that they lived closer to us (or we closer to them) so that they could be a bigger part of Ena's life. I don't want them to miss out on her growing up.
One of the negatives of Nanny and Granddad's visit was that our schedule was disrupted. A small price to pay, I know, but all the change meant that Ena was sleeping less. She spent very little time sleeping during her naps and became increasingly stubborn about resisting them (tears, yelling and all). At night she woke more often - one night she fed three or four times! - and slept for shorter periods. They left this morning and I am hoping that we can get ourselves back on track tonight. I really was enjoying those 7 to 9 hour stretches of sleep at night!

Ena can roll over!

Like most new parents, we have been reading the parenting books to find out about developmental milestones. We knew that Ena might learn to roll over at 3 months old but because we hadn't given her very much tummy time it seemed unlikely to us that she would. Ena doesn't really like being on her tummy. She will occasionally tolerate it for about 5 minutes and then she fusses until we turn her back over. A couple of weeks ago we began making a more concerted effort to have her spend time on her tummy. In not too long at all we could see that she was growing stronger, but it still seemed as though rolling over was not to come soon. Well, on Friday (Nov.27) Ena surprised us and rolled from her front to her back. It wasn't a quick or a graceful roll, but it was a roll nonetheless. Even better, Ena's grandmother, Nanny, was here and able to see Ena do her very first roll. Over the weekend Ena honed her rolling technique and can now roll over in a matter of seconds - quite gracefully I should add. What will she learn next?

That vibrating chair thingy

Ena loves her vibrating chair. Given to us by Joanna, a very generous teacher whose daughter had outgrown it, the chair not only vibrates it also has flashing lights, sound, dangling animals and pop-up characters. Ena has been fascinated by it lately. And, what once seemed incredibly gaudy to us now, because of Ena's interest, has become an object of admiration.

The adventures we have.

The last few days have been quite out of the ordinary for Ena. On Thursday one of E's co-workers offered to babysit Ena at the last minute. I was reluctant but E encouraged me and so Ena headed off to be babysat and E & I went out for tea. We didn't really know what to do with ourselves. Alone together at last, we found ourselves talking about her. Worrying about her. And feeling as though we had best get done everything that needed doing that we can't seem to do when she is around. Thus, we found ourselves soon leaving Cowpuccinos for home to fold sheets!

On Saturday night we took Ena to her first party. Gary Coons, our MLA and a former teacher for SD52, retired from teaching this past year so some of his co-workers decided to hold a retirement party for him. We took Ena with us and she was very well behaved (mostly) and well received by the party-goers. I was nervous the whole time but she did well and while she likely didn't have a good time she did seems to be stimulated.

All this last week she has slept well at night. I know it won't stay this way, and I am trying to prepare myself for the change, but I just feel so lucky that she has been sleeping such long nights. I am also extremely proud of her because part of sleeping through the night is being able to soothe herself when she wakes up during the night. It is lovely to see her growing and learning and becoming more independent.

Ena is 15 weeks old

Ena is a fabulous 15 weeks old today. Last night she slept for 9 hours without waking. Amazing. Of course, we didn't sleep that long. We were up worrying about her, checking on her, taking pee breaks, thinking about all the stuff we need to be doing....

Today she had a good day, too. When Auntie Lorna was here in the summer she bought Ena a chair for babies who can hold their heads up but aren't yet strong enough to sit up on their own. Today Ena sat in it for the first time. It went pretty well, but maybe she needs another week before she's really into it.

Ena also learned how to make the sound go on one of her toys on the new activity mat. I thought it would be sometime before she figured it out because you have to spin a ball. But, always surprising me, Ena quickly learned what to do. Whether she repeats it tomorrow is another matter.

A Charles Hays baby

All the staff at Charles Hays Secondary School have been so kind to us since Ena was born. In fact, pretty much everyone we know in Rupert, but most especially SD52 staff, have gone out of their way to help us now that we have a baby. Virtually everything we have for Ena - from toys to clothes to bedding - comes from them. Here is a lovely picture of Ena wearing her CHSS onesie - she may be a little young for school spirit but I think she looks fab just the same.

Ena and her Da

New toys and a poo update

Ena had a good weekend. She is sleeping pretty regularly at night now. The biggest effect on her sleeping through the night seems to be gas. If she has gas and has to poo she will wake up and then not settle back to sleep unless she is changed and fed. Her poos don't seem to bother her quite as much as they used to but they will still wake her up.

She received some new toys on the weekend. She now has another activity mat - this one has a jungle theme and has lots of hanging bits for her to grab - and a vibrating chair with sound, lights, and pop-up objects. We have been so lucky to get toys from friends whose children have outgrown them.

Right now she is being a reluctant napper. I think the batteries on her swing are running out and so she is having difficulty staying asleep. I just hope they can last till E gets home and one of us can get to the store to buy more. It is snowing at the moment so I don't want to take Ena for a walk to the store to get them myself.

Rain. Rain. Rain.

It has been raining pretty heavily today. This is not surprising, given that we live in Prince Rupert, but I cannot help but comment on it just the same. Ena has really taken to watching the rain today. We've been spending a lot of time standing at the window looking out as the rain pelts down and the wind whips the trees around. Days like today I am so glad to have a home.

We had some pretty exciting tummy time today. Ena is lifting her head more often now and is even trying to raise her chest up off the floor. The biggest news of the day is that Ena has learned how to do the raspberry with her mouth. E and I have been doing this to entertain her for sometime now, not thinking that she would try to emulate us. It just seemed to entertain her and, as you can guess, we are very interested in keeping her entertained! Well, on Tuesday night E told me he thought that Ena was trying to figure out how to make the sound with her tongue. By Wednesday night she had it down pat and all day today she has been doing it.

I can't wait to see what she learns next!

The cutest thing ever.

Ena has had a difficult day today. Not because of her own issues but because her parents are trying to get construction work done around the house. Unable to sleep at home, M took her for a walk during her nap time. This worked for a bit but unfortunately Mom had to return home to use the washroom and the noise woke her up and she just wouldn't settle again. Enter feed time.

Once she was fed she was happy again. She had some playtime on her activity mat and went through two sets of clothes because she pooed and it shot straight up her back.

Right now it is her nap time again and she is sitting in her swing watching a mobile on her crib as she rocks. Her head is moving in little circles because she won't take her eyes off the mobile as she moves back and forth. Her eyes keep threatening to close but she forces them back open with a start and continues staring at her mobile (a monkey, frog, and bird). Her face is so adorable. Is anything better than this?

Lovely girl

Ena enjoys her bouncy chair

Ena had another good night last night. She fell asleep (without too much fuss) to Harry Potter. Then she slept from 9pm until 5:25am. We are both amazed by her.

Today she has been in a very good mood. She has been enjoying her bouncy chair, grabbing things, playing with her froggy, and making noises with her tongue. Her rain cover for her stroller finally arrived this morning and now we can go for walks in the rain.

What a pair!

Ena's exciting weekend

On Friday afternoon Ena went to see the doctor. She was not a very happy girl since the visit occurred during nap time. Daddy was supposed to meet us at the office but unfortunately the car broke down and he was late. With no car, we all had to walk home in the rain. It was not a good start to the weekend!

Fortunately all the excitement did not stop Ena from sleeping and she did an impressive 7 1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep that night.On Saturday E took care of Ena & the had lots of time to play. The highlight of the weekend, at least as far as Mom and Dad are concerned, took place Sunday night. Ena slept nine hours without waking up. Lets hope she keeps this up!

Who has a turtle on her chest?

Getting dressed after her sponge bath. Ena is wearing her toque to keep warm and a new onesie. How cute.

Ena's big belly

Today Ena is having a good day. She was up for a feed at 2:30am and then at 7. After she ate this morning she had some playtime with Daddy on her activity mat. After her 10:30 feed she had a sponge bath and seemed to really enjoy herself. Lots of babbling and cooing! (Can you tell by the photo that she just ate?) She went down (in her swing) for a nap fairly easily. I hope she does as well when we go to the doctor this afternoon. I prepared a bottle of breast milk for her in case she gets fussy at the doctor's office. It will be the second time she has had a bottle though so I'm not sure how well it will go. Two days ago we gave her her first bottle. At first she rejected it - she was hungry and wanted the real thing. But after I fed her we tried again and this time she took it. It will be great if she can get into feeding this way. It gives E a chance to feed her and me a chance to have more time to myself.

Family resemblance

Can you tell they are father and daughter?

Three months old

Ena is now 3 months old. Today, to celebrate, she has decided she doesn't need much sleep. She has woken up early from all of her naps and is now struggling against her body to stay awake. Lots of eye rubbing, head nodding, and blinking happening. Only strumming the guitar will put her to sleep.

We had lots of play time today. She has been on her tummy some, played with her activity gym, watched her mobile, and stared in great enjoyment at the pictures of babies in one of her books.

Everyday she seems bigger and brighter!

Ena has a pumpkin!

13 weeks!

Ena is now 13 weeks old. She is changing so quickly. The last three nights she slept seven hours straight. It was so nice to finally get some rest. She has learned how to bat at toys on her activity gym and is just starting to grab hold of things. She still won't sleep during the day unless she is in her swing or her wrap - but who's complaining?

She makes a lot of cooing noises and 'agoo' seems to be her favourite word at the moment. She has gotten better at taking a bath - no screaming anymore - but still is not a big fan of tummy time.

We've had to move her into the 3-6 month old clothes (when we brought her home I couldn't imagine her ever fitting into those, she was so small). On Halloween we dressed her up in a pumpkin costume that one of our friends had given us when she was born. I never thought that it would fit her but it was just a little big. She looked so cute!

On Friday she has a doctor's appointment and we can't wait to find out how much she weighs now.