Pup Eye Mate!

"Pup Eye Mate!!"

The day we were leaving Nanaimo, Baachin brought out this hat that she had stored away. The hat used to belong to a friend's daughter from about 20 years ago. Baachin kept it all this time. It's a little big right now but should fit Momochan in the summer.

Dining Out

"This is pretty neat...A, B, C, D, E, F, G..."

Momochan and I went over to Nanaimo on Saturday for a few days to visit Auntie Mako and Baachin. Jiichan was working again and couldn't get work done to come home and see us because of the wet weather. He even worked right through his birthday. Sorry Jiichan, we'll see you again soon.

While we were there, we realized that we had nothing to put Momochan in during her mealtime or when we were eating so I went out and bought her this booster style chair that straps onto a regular chair. This will stay in Nanaimo for when we go to visit. I didn't know at the time that I purchased it but it had a card inside that fits into the tray with the alphabet on one side and numbers on the other. It was a huge distraction for Momochan while she ate.

Eating In My New High Chair

Starting Solids

Last night was a rough night for the Pickell Family. Isabelle was pretty much up every hour wanting comfort or food and it was brutal trying to get her to go back to sleep every time. I thought that bringing her to our bed would help with the comfort but she just cried and cried. We can't figure it out!! The lack of sleep in the household caused us to miss a play date at Sarah's house this afternoon. I had baked some goodies too and we were looking forward to it but we were all very cranky today. Sorry we couldn't make it today...hope you all had fun!!

So, back to the sleep issues with Isabelle, we've decided that she could probably start solids now. She turned 24 weeks as of yesterday and although it says in the books that feeding a baby solids doesn't necessarily mean sleeping through the night, I figure as a last resort we'll see if it at least prevents her from waking up every hour to eat. She is so big that maybe she wasn't getting enough from me anymore, plus she was showing all the signs of being ready to start solids.

"We're going to do what???"

She ate her first teaspoon of rice cereal this evening around dinner time and she absolutely loved it. She polished off the whole serving!! Her face got pretty messy but she still managed to eat most of it. I wonder what veggies, fruit, and meat are going to be like for her. If she's inherited the Otsuji Family trait, she'll be a big eater. :o)

The first bite...

"Mmmmmmmmmm...look at the mess I'm making!!"

"Yay, that was yummy!!"

Mmmmmmmmmm...Cereal

Walking Daddy To Work

Stylin' with my shades, beanie hat, and soother.

Since it was such a nice day out today, we decided to walk Daddy to work this afternoon. We've discovered that Isabelle loves the carrier and we even wear it around the house sometimes. Now that the stroller is sort of an iffy thing with her, this is a good alternative. It's a killer on our backs though...it doesn't help when your 5-1/2 month old weighs close to 20 lbs!! It's like being pregnant again and carrying around all that extra weight.

Look Ma...Yoga!!

Computer Geek In The Making

Isabelle working hard again...maybe Pangaea should hire her instead of me.

"I'm going to be a computer geek just like my parents!!"

Miss Crabbypants

Isabelle sure woke up on the wrong side of the crib this morning!! It was a nice day for once and I thought that it would be great to get out and walk to the library for Story Time but Miss Crabbypants felt otherwise. I got her all dressed and we were ready to head out the door but she wouldn't stop screaming and crying when I put her in the stroller so we ended up just staying in. Instead we ended up baking some cookies and having several naps throughout the day. Oh well, maybe next time!!

Isabelle having her first nap about 5 mins after crying in the stroller. I guess she was tired.

Watching Mommy bake cookies. She seemed to be a little happier but this only lasted until the first batch of cookies were in the oven.

Play Date At Finley's

Isabelle and I went over to Finley's place today in the afternoon for a little visit. She was pretty tired but she still found the energy to enjoy Finley's Jolly Jumper. It was great to see Everyone after the holidays. Thanks so much for having us over, we had a lot of fun!!

Sharing A Moment

Two Peas in a Pod.

Isabelle and Kai sharing a cheesy moment...at least that's what it looks like.

Mother Goose

From Left: Benjamin, Cassie-Anne, Alexander, Sarah, Isabelle, and Kai.

Three's Company

Isabelle and I went to Mother Goose this morning for the first class out of our 10 week session. We sang songs and nursery rhymes and had a snack part way through (well, Mommy did at least). We even listened to a story at the end of the class but since Isabelle had missed her morning nap, she was out cold before the story even ended.

Sarah couldn't wait for snacks so she decided to have a little taste of Isabelle's arm. Ben looks pretty interested in whatever Sarah's having.

Mommy and Momomunchkin

Showing Signs Of Crawling??

I was watching Isabelle playing on her activity mat today and noticed something new that she is doing. When she reaches for her toys now, she's started to plant her face into the floor, lift her butt up in the air, tuck her knees underneath, and kick. She has always kicked furiously when she's on her tummy but this combination of things is very new. She doesn't really get anywhere except the usual rotating on the spot but perhaps it is a sign that she is trying to crawl.

Number Crunching

I just got confirmed on a temporary job starting near the end of next month working for Pangaea Computer Solutions. Isabelle's Grandma works for that company too. It's a job from home so I won't have to put Isabelle into daycare. As soon as we found out, she whipped out the calculator and was frantically crunching numbers to make sure it wouldn't take away from her time with Mommy.

"Let's see...take that and multiply by that and divide by this...hmm...that leaves about that much time for play time with Mommy..."

"Alright Mommy, I think it's do-able."

A Day Out At The Park

Isabelle and I decided to go out to the neighbourhood park this afternoon when the sun came out. It was beautiful after all this rain we've been having on the coast. The park is a short 5 minutes away (uphill in both directions), and she cried all the way there and all the way home. I guess she was sort of tired but she sure did like the swing at the park. It was her first time in it and she didn't want to leave when I pulled her out of it.

Hanging Out With Daddy

"Thanks Auntie Mako for the Peek n' Explore Apple!"

Most mornings when Daddy doesn't have to go to work or works later in the afternoon, he gets up with Isabelle and plays with her to let Mommy get some more sleep. She loves it because that's her special time with Daddy. Thanks Sarah and her Mommy for the great idea to use the breastfeeding pillow to practice sitting.

I Love My Water!

Cuddling With My Lovey

Isabelle just finished having her 3rd nap of the day.

We are trying to get Isabelle to sleep better during the day and at night. We read this book called The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley and we are giving it a try. One of the things it says in the book to help babies have comfort is to introduce a lovey that they can cuddle with when they sleep. So far, we've seen pretty drastic improvements in her sleep pattern and it's only our first week. Way to go Momomunchkin, keep it up!!

I Weigh How Much??

"I weigh how much??"

I took Isabelle to the Public Health Office to get her weighed and measured today. She was a whopping 18 lbs 13 ozs!! Maybe she should lay off the midnight snacks and do some push-ups and leg lifts!!

"I have 10 more push-ups to do!!"

"Can't forget my leg lifts either! 5 more, 4 more, 3 more... "

A Day Out With My Friend Sarah

Sarah and Isabelle taking up all the room at Starbucks.

Isabelle and I met Sarah and her mom at the library this morning to sign out some new books and then went out to the local Starbucks for a little coffee and a chat. While we were there, McKenna and her mom showed up to get some coffee so we had a little visit with them as well. McKenna is much older than Sarah and Isabelle though so she was able to enjoy a muffin with her mom. Afterwards, we went for a little walk around the local mall and did some shopping. What a fun filled day!!

McKenna enjoying a muffin.

YAY!! Baachin And Jiichan Are Here!!

Baachin and Jiichan came over for a short visit today. Momochan was so happy to see them that despite her lack of nap time today, she was in a pretty good mood. Of course she would be, they were here to spoil her.

Same Taste In Shoes!

Sarah and Isabelle holding hands.

We all went over to visit Sarah and her parents this afternoon. Isabelle and Sarah are so close in age that it's great that they will be able to play together as they grow up. I guess Isabelle and Sarah have the same taste in shoes because they happened to be wearing matching sets. At least it's not embarassing at this age when you're caught wearing the same thing...it's actually really cute!! We had a lot of fun, thanks so much for having us over. :o)

Cute matching shoes!!

-"So where'd you get your pair of shoes?"

-"Really? Me too!!"

First Library Card

Isabelle and I went out for a walk to the New Westminster Library today and she got her very own library card so that she can sign out books and get her Mommy and Daddy to read them to her. As you can see by the way she's holding it, she's very proud of the fact that she has her own library card.

Think I should go jogging?

Starting to Teethe

New Year's Resolution

Isabelle's got a head start on the rest of us fulfilling one of her New Year resolutions already. I thought that she would never roll but she decided rolling from back to front on New Year's Day would be the perfect way to start 2006. Now that she's got it figured out, I can't put her down on her activity mat for 5 seconds before she's rolling on to her tummy. I don't think she's really figured out front to back rolling but she's done it a few times by chance. Happy Rolling Momochan!!

Before...

During...

After

"I figured it out...now I can roll to grab my toys!!"