Major Pain

What a rough day. It all started out on a bad note. When I went into Gemma's room to get her this morning, she had taken her pants and diaper off and peed on the duvet. Then, we went to Ikea and on the way there, she screamed the entire time. Once we got there, she had three meltdowns, to the point where she was rolling on the ground and screaming, each time because I had said no to something. It is so embarrassing to have become one of "those moms" whose kids throw tantrums in public. What could I do other than just walk away from her (though with her still in my sight)? She has never done this before, so I didn't really know what to do... I had enough of her fits and we headed home pretty straight away and while she was better on the way home, she still had a conniption. Ikea is about half an hour from my house and she began to slowly pass out when we were about 2 minutes away. Once she got home, she was so wide awake and trying to get her to nap was a complete nightmare - but I was not gonna give into her and she eventually went down for her nap, even though she only slept 40 minutes. 

She is turning two in 5 weeks, is really struggling with her last set of molars, AND she has a cold to boot. Probably going out wasn't the best idea and, I admit, I really struggled today to keep my cool. Once my mom came home from work, I had to get out of the house alone, just to keep from exploding. 

Now that I'm finally starting to feel like I'm getting the hang of things with Leni, Gemma is giving me all sorts of new challenges... but I guess that's what parenting is... always a challenge.

Leni's 100-day party/3-month appt

On Saturday, we drove to Edmonton for the first time since Leni was born to celebrate her 100-day birthday. We had a small family gathering of 15 of us at the Buffet Royale in Edmonton. It's always fun to get together with the cousins. 

Although the service was great and they gave us an entire side of the restaurant, I really don't think the food is worth $18 per person. Not a very big selection. 

Anyhoo, Leni did very well on the drive. In fact, it was Gemma who gave us the most trouble. It was also the first time driving the new minivan to Edmonton and so we even turned the DVD player on for her after Red Deer, but she still screamed for the latter half. I don't think it's that she is car sick, but just that she hates being strapped down. 

We received some money towards Leni's RESP. Poor thing, most of the clothes she received were Gemma's size, so she could wear them once Gemma was done with them. 

On Monday, we went for Leni's 3-month appointment, though by then she was nearly 3-1/2 months old. She weighed in at 14 lb 14 oz (HUGE!!!!). Everything checks out fine, though I inquired about a little dimple on her scalp, which I guess is from the scalp monitor clip during her delivery. It's likely that will be permanent, but at least it's hidden by her hair (or it will be when her hair grows back). 

All in all, my baby is growing like a weed and developing as she should, which is always great to hear. 

My Little Monk

I couldn't take it anymore. Leni's been losing SO MUCH hair and in the weirdest distribution and was starting to look really scraggly, especially since the hair on the top of her head was so long. Sure, Gemma lost hair too, but it never looked like this...

Koreans generally shave their babies' heads when they reach their 100 day birthdays (well, they used to - i don't know if it's so popular to do that anymore) in the hopes that their hair will come in thicker. So that is what I did. I took the clippers to Leni's head and oddly enough she enjoyed every minute of it. LOL. Now, she looks like a little monk! She is still very pretty, I think, and almost looks better now than she did before the haircut. It does seem to take some getting used to...Every time i look down while nursing, I can't help but be totally surprised!

Before

 

 

 

After

Playing Pretend

Gemma's been playing pretend for awhile, starting with the pretend tea and cake. 

Yesterday, I went to get her in the morning and while I was changing her out of her pyjamas, she looked at her bellybutton, said "bellybutton. broken. garbage" and threw out her pretend bellybutton in the garbage, giggling. She did the same for her ..nipples... LOL. I had to laugh.

How to take a compliment

Whenever I'm out with Gemma, I get tons of compliments. I am not saying this to boast, just stating a fact. Of course, every time I hear someone say something nice about Gemma, my heart glows and I can't help but to beam with pride... and I don't know how to respond to someone's nice words sometimes. 

On Monday, we were at the Toddler Time class and near the end of the class, everyone got together in a circle and sang a few simple songs - itsy bitsy spider, hokey pokey, twinkle twinkle, etc. Gemma's been on a huge alphabet kick for the last month or so and she was happy when they started singing the alphabet song. As soon as people were done singing and there was a moment of silence before the women started talking about what to sing next, Gemma started singing the ABC song. Everyone just got quiet and listened to her, some were looking at me (I was standing away from the circle, holding Leni), and everyone was really impressed with her ABCs (and oddly that time, she got it almost all right, except she missed O and P). 

After the songs were done, some of the moms came up to me and told me how impressed they were, asking how old she is, etc. I was extremely proud, but I couldn't help but to feel a little embarrassed as people complimented my smart little girl. I don't know why, but I always try to make it seem like "it's nothing" and tend to roll my eyes and say "thanks" when people say something nice, which, in afterthought, I think reflects very poorly upon me, like I'm saying "I know" or something rather than sincerely being grateful for their words. 

How do I figure out the balance between being proud yet coming off sincere when I say thanks for a compliment? Is it weird that this is even an issue for me??

Poor Penguin

Today, Gemma was playing at the bottom of the stairs with her penguin bath toy, dragging the poor thing up the railing, yelling "climb penguin, climb!"

Sweet Chariot

I swear, this is the last stroller I will buy. 

Yesterday, I forked out $1000 for a Chariot Cougar 2 and its strolling and jogging attachments. In a way it's like an early new year's resolution to be more active and just be a little less deconditioned than I am now. Next spring, I hope we can start biking as a family as well. 

 

Hey there, Gorgeous!

Like all babies, it seems, Leni has begun looking at herself in the mirror and squealing in delight. Seriously, she has the cutest little smile...

3 months

Yesterday was Leni's 3 month birthday! We don't see the doctor until later next week, so I don't have a weight or anything like that, but I'm sure she is in the 13 lb range, if not more. She is very long and 6-month sleepers are very snug lengthwise. She can hold her head up quite well and is liking tummy time more. If she gets frustrated, she just flips over on to her back. She sleeps about 10 hours at night now, from about 8:30 until 6:30, sometimes 7. She might cry out once or twice and we give her the soother and she is right back to sleep. Once she starts sleeping more solidly, I think we will move her out to Gemma's room. 

For the most part, Leni is a happy baby, as long as we're not in the car. She is happiest when she is held in someone's arms and actually putting her down for naps is still quite difficult - she only wants to sleep while held...

Sing Song

Lately Gemma has started to sing songs. She wanders around the house just singing to herself and even though I say "singing", the melody is lacking... I only know she is "singing" because of what she is saying... for example:

"tinko, tinko. liddo star, how i are. up above the" (and that's as far as she goes and then she repeats)

"abc..(and down to xyz).. now me mo my ABCs... with me"

so cute.

Thanksgiving 2011

What a great time! We had Jesse's family and my cousins over for the weekend. The house feels so quiet now with all the hustle and bustle over. I dunno if it's because I grew up with close cousins, but I really like it when we all get together. This is the first time actually that my cousins have stayed over since Gemma was born. Gemma loves to play with her 7 and 9-year-old cousins and she had more than enough attention from her aunties, uncles, and grandparents. 

Unfortunately, Gemma woke up with a cold last week and while she is getting better, Leni is now sick with her first cold. Poor thing has such a hoarse voice when she cries. Last night, she was so hard to put down, but once she fell asleep at close to 9, she didn't make a peep until 6:30 this morning. I, of course, was up hours before thanks to my boobs, which were ready to explode. 

Jesse took advantage of all the manpower and worked on the basement and the electrical is finished! Jesse and his brother also insulated the ceiling to make it more soundproof. We are pretty much ready for drywall!

Good company, good food. I am so thankful for all that God has blessed me with. 

Leni's BFF

Welcome, Vanna Reese, born October 8 (10 days past due date!!). Vanna is Maeve (Gemma's BFF)'s little sister, making it only natural that she and Leni will also be BFFs. LOL.

Roll!

I admit, I always thought Leni was going to be "behind" Gemma in terms of development. Gemma rolled over front to back just after she turned 2 months and when Leni turned 2 months old, I thought "there is no way Leni will be rolling over any time soon".

Well, bad mommy, having no faith in my baby girl.

Leni totally surprised me this morning when she rolled over during tummy time. I thought it was by accident, but still I was so excited that I called Jesse at work to tell him. Then, I put her back on her tummy and she rolled over again! When my mom came home, I put Leni on her tummy and she rolled over yet again! Every time she ends up on her back, the look on her face is so funny as she is staring at me acting like a crazy person, applauding and jumping up and down all giddy. 

So proud... so proud...

the return of baby & me

I braved Baby & Me today with Leni. Last week, we didn't make it as the morning was just too chaotic and I didn't get the girls ready on time to leave. 

It's a much bigger class than when I used to go with Gemma. Leni was one of the younger babies; most of them were 5-7 months old. Definitely didn't know anyone there and it always gets awkward when they want you to pair up for an "activity". Right. I forgot about those...

Toddler Time on Mondays is somewhat less "structured" and although we did sing some songs and stuff yesterday, it's mostly a free for all playtime for the kids and they sure seem to love it. I thought I'd take Leni to B&M so I could meet some new moms whose kids Leni will grow to be friends with, but then it just dawned on me that most of Gemma's friends have or are expecting younger siblings so they are gonna naturally be friends! I also thought I beat some of my social awkwardness and shyness, but that proved to be false. I found that it was still difficult to approach people, as especially most of them seemed to know each other. I don't know if I will actually go back...

We are going to a playdate this afternoon. I LOVE BEING ON MAT LEAVE! It is always fun to see everyone and have the kids play.

The Difference Between the Two

Gemma would rather eat than sleep (just like ME!)

Leni would rather sleep than eat (just like JESSE)

Cradle Cap

It's gross. Just look at the picture behind my blog title and you can see through Leni's hair all that yucky flaky cradle cap. Gemma had it too, but not to this extent, and I used to pick it off with tweezers and that worked wonders. With Leni, the scales are not fully detached or something and so if I try to pick it off, I feel like I'm actually ripping skin that is still attached to her head. I know you can do that oil thing and that didn't work very well with Gemma, but in desperation, I'm giving it a go now. I didn't really mind it or think it looked that bad until we were at Lowe's on the weekend and the fluorescent light made her scalp glow like the butt of a firefly.

I know it's harmless, but it sure looks gross. Thank goodness winter is coming and I can always cover her head if this oil treatment doesn't work... LOL.

Happy October!

Can you believe it's October already? Crazy!! I love how the leaves are turning all shades of yellow and orange, and the cooler weather is definitely welcome! I am not a summer person AT ALL. There is not a thing that I like about it - the bugs, the heat, the sweat, tanning, etc. I am so happy fall is here. 

My mom said to me the other day, "Gemma is going to be 22 months old soon"; to which I replied "yup". Then it hit me - 22 months! That means there are only 2 months until she is two. 

TWO.

What?? How is this possible?? TWO???? 

...sigh... 

October also brings Thanksgiving, Leni's 100-day birthday, and Jesse's 29th (eep!) birthday. 

For Thanksgiving, we are going to have a full house! I am making a turkey dinner for about 12 people, which is the biggest group i've ever cooked for! I love making turkey and its fixins, and I have the menu all planned out already. It's gonna be busy in here, but fun too. I am looking forward to having everyone here.