Putting us through our paces.

Our little dear has been testing us lately.

Our nights, since she was born were gradually getting better and better. Every night, her first stretch of sleep grew and grew in length until there was actually one night where she slept an entire 7 hours straight without waking! That magical night happened only once about a couple of weeks ago; but still she was consistently sleep minimum 5 hours a night until she would wake to eat. The change happened so gradually that we either (A) didn't notice or (B) started to take it for granted.
But something has happened and suddenly she's decided that she must wake up at least every 2 hours and even more frequently once we reach around 4 or 5 am.
Ugh.
It's been several days of this and we're pretty sleep deprived. We keep telling ourselves that things are bound to get easier. But it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when in the midst of it and blurry with exhaustion.
Hardest thing about being a parent so-far: sleep deprivation. Period.

On a positive note. Violet is a very happy baby when she's not sleepy or hungry. She smiles a lot and is doing her best trying to figure out how to laugh; yet all she's able to get out so far is the odd squeal or two. Very cute.

More pics from Rachel and Sam's visit.

I'm posting more pics from Rachel and Sam's visit. Some are from later and some are similar to earlier shots, but through the lens of Rachel's camera.

Happy Birthday Sam!!!

Cousin Sam and Auntie rachel come for a visit!

Violet's loving the attention and love she's been getting from her cousin and auntie since they arrived. Sam's very attentive and gentle with Violet, giving her lots of hugs and kisses. He's very good at put her soother back into her mouth for her when she pops it out.
Christine and I are off for a much-desired break and go out on a night on the town, thanks to Rachel and Sam.
Thanks to Ben for the great butterfly he sent for his baby cousin! We miss you Ben!

More pics, including some of our visit to White Rock to see our friends Renee and Jarrod.


-Jon

Hello from Vancouver

We're taking a few days away from home to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the big city with our girl. It's like organizing a small army of troops for a month in the jungle when packing with a baby. We're pretty much established that our little car is just a little bit too small these days. I had to break out the roof box to fit everything.
-1 stroller frame, folded
-1 stroller body/ bassinet (the size of tricycle)
-1 computer bag, pack full of absolutely necessary gear to see a closet geek through the next four days
-1 small bag with shoes and extra coats, as it will be raining the entire time we're here apparently
-1 very large and heavy suitcase, for V and C
-1 respectively medium-sized bag for me
-1 adapter frame thingy for the stroller so the stupid car seat will fit on the dumb stroller that's already got enough parts to it already and is taking up enough room that it might as well be hitched to the back of the car with its own registered plates
-1 diaper bag, full of everything and two diapers
-1 purse (big enough to include in this list)
and
-1 baby bouncer, that vibrates (and yes, this was an absolute necessity)

But it was worth it. It's always nice to get a change of scenery.
So far we've discovered that Violet loves the ferry; the low rumble over the light waves is too much to resist long heavy sleep. She also can't resist sleep in the stroller when we're walking on the busy streets of Vancouver - the busier, the louder - the more people, sirens, traffic, horns, engine revs, the better.

-Jon

PS: Witness Violet's first smile captured on camera. Heart-melting every single time.

7 Weeks

Hard to believe that Violet is already 7 weeks old. She is getting so big and strong. She is really holding her head up, making eye contact and following voices, smiling and laughing (makes your heart melt every time) and really playing with her toys.

She has had a really bad newborn rash on her face and chest for the past couple of weeks, thankfully it is starting to go away now. She is also dealing with her first cold, luckily it seems to be a minor one so we are hoping it will clear up quickly. The cold coincided with a growth spurt so she has been nursing constantly for the past couple of days. She is pretty cranky as she just isn't feeling well but Jon seems to be able to get her to smile from time to time :) She is also not sleeping as much as usual which is pretty exhausting but I think I am getting used to sleep deprivation because I feel ok for the most part.

We had a checkup with the doctor this week, Violet is 12 lbs 2 oz - in the 90th percentile for her age in height and weight!! The doctor is very happy with her development. I also had my last postnatal appointment and am recovering well.

We bought an amazing baby chair for little V. this week, it vibrates and has music and lights - FINALLY something she likes almost as much as being held by mommy or daddy. It has made a big difference in the past couple of days as we can set her down for a nap during the day.

Well she is waking up from her nap (in her amazing vibrating chair!) so best be off.

Lots of love to all of you from all of us, C.