Day 58: Remembering Why

What a day it has been today! Samantha was up basically all night and the night before and the night before that. So not only am I completely sleep deprived but I'm pretty sure Samantha is going through another growth spurt. That girl eats as much food as a housewife about to go on a diet! Oh who am I kidding, I'm pretty sure Samantha is in a perpetual growth spurt!

Generally, the no sleep thing isn't much of an issue because I've learned the fine art of the morning nap. But today, Samantha decided that she wasn't going to have a morning nap and that is a crucial part of me getting to nap too. It took almost 2 hours and she just would not sleep, not even for 5 minutes! She would just babble away and talk to Mr. Monkey. So, out of the crib she came and an hour later she finally fell asleep.

Now here's the other problem with Samantha not having a morning nap; her entire daytime schedule was now off. Instead of waking up from her 2nd nap of the day at 430pm, she woke from her 1st and only nap of the day at 3pm, therefore becoming very cranky before bedtime. On the plus side, she was so tired that bedtime was a breeze! Fingers crossed she sleeps longer than 2-3 hours at a time. Mama needs a good nights sleep.

The next best thing to a good nights sleep though is the reason why I started 99 Days of Laughter, the sound of Samantha's laughter. Lately, it has been really hard to get a good laugh out of her, but it finally happened!

While I was performing a sleep deprived puppet show for Samantha, I accidentally dropped one of the toys. I find it absolutely astounding how such a simple thing can be so hilarious to a baby. YouTube is full of them - Mommy's Nose is Scary, Laughing Quadruplets and Ripping Paper Baby just to name a few. Go ahead, view the videos, they're hilarious! Well, now we can add Samantha to that list...nothing better than a baby's laughter! Well, maybe a good night's sleep...

Day 56: Cover Model

Ok, Ok, I know, it's been quite a while since my last blog post, but we have been so busy these last few days. There's been swimming, momstown, sleigh rides and visits with Nana! And if the last 56 days of my blog have proved anything, they have certainly proved that time flies when your a mom.

In my last post, Samantha had discovered the stairs and we talked about different types of fear. Well, I know that this blog is supposed to be all about Samantha's laughter, but I hope that you agree with me when I say that is has certainly evolved into something more. I am still obsessed with making Samantha laugh everyday though and thankfully succeed almost every time. But this little girl can be so serious. Either that or she thinks I'm absolutely crazy.

Tonight, my crazy mom side came out and I got down on all fours and started to crawl around on the floor with Samantha. She thought it was absolutely hilarious seeing Mommy like this. She would crawl after me and then we would play "Crawler Chicken" and crawl straight for each other. Thankfully no one was hurt in this "dangerous" game (he he) as I would simply crawl right over top of her and keep on going only to have her chase me down the hall again.

Today, really was a great day! We had a fun mock birthday photo shoot for Samantha. I know... you're probably thinking "There is still 4 months until Samantha's birthday". Insert the word "only" and you have my thoughts though!

Actually, the reason we had the photo shoot was because Today's Parent is offering to have your child's picture on the cover of their June issue! I'm completely serious! So, how could I pass on this offer to have my child finally get the opportunity to model and get the cover of a national magazine? The best part is that this is a limited edition of Today's Parent and only I will get a copy! How cool is that?!

I think every child should get this opportunity, so if you're a subscriber to Today's Parent (hell, even if you're not, pay the $16 and get it and a year's worth of magazines) and brag to your friends about how your baby is a cover model! I know I am!

Day 51: Fear

I have to be honest, I was terrified to put my first blog post online. I was just another mommy blogger talking about her kid, nothing overly special or unique at all. What would people say? Would other people read it? What if I was too honest...or not honest enough? So many thoughts and questions rolled through my mind as I clicked the "publish" tab. Then the feedback started to come in, people were reading my blog and actually enjoying it!

Well, today showed me a few different types of fear. The first fear happened at Baby Basics this morning, while I was chatting to the group about our craft, Samantha had crawled away from the toy she was playing with. My heart jumped out of my chest as I realized she was no longer in front of me playing. She was just there 2 seconds ago. Where is she? Is she hurt? She's not crying? Why can't I can't hear her? Is she choking, hurt, gone? So many questions overwhelmed me in the split second it took for me to find her. Thankfully, she had only crawled a few feet away into the playroom, but I have never been so scared in all my life.

Once my blood pressure went back to normal, we had a great morning playing with all the babies and making footprints! Samantha is such a social girl and she was just gabbing away to whoever would listen. That's my girl, Chatty Kathy, just like her mom! Let's hope her mouth isn't quite as big.

The second type of fear involved Samantha and the vacuum. Apparently, vacuuming around a 2 1/2 foot 8 month old can be a bit terrifying. That terrible black monster was growling at her and sucking up anything in its path! Even her loyal side-kick Sadie-dog was scared. Ya, OK, that can be a bit overwhelming. Well, out came that big 'ol bottom lip, down came her brows into a scrinch and she started to cry, well it was more of a whiney cry, not a crocodile-tear cry like she's been known to do. So, I picked her up and with the vacuum still running showed her what it was and set her back down. She instantly started to whine again, so I just started to vacuum the hallway instead.

This is when I was SO proud of Samantha. I watched her as she poked her little head from around the couch and stared at that black monster. Then slowly and surely she inched her way closer to the vacuum and touched it! She overcame her fear, stepped out of her comfort zone and looked at something in a new light! Go Samantha!

Well, apparently she also saw the stairs in a new light and decided today was the day that she would climb them. Hello Fear once again as I watched her climb up the first step while holding onto the railing, just like Mommy and Daddy do. I keep saying she is growing up way to fast and this just proves it all over again.

Lastly, the award for Mother of the Year goes to...bah bah bah bah... Momma Laur for leaving a muffin cup on the coffee table. Samantha thought that it would be a delicious bedtime snack...yup she actually ate it! Well, only a portion of it, but the second I grabbed her to get it out of her mouth, she was like "I don't think so" and SWALLOWED it! There's that fear once again as she started to choke on it. I instinctively grabbed her, threw her on my knees and swatted her back so hard I thought I'd break her ribs. Thankfully, no ribs were broken and no faces went blue but that is going to be one interesting diaper to change...

Needless to say, as I sit hear reliving all this fear, I think I'm going to make myself a cup of tea and go to bed. Tomorrow is another day and dang nabit I just know it will have it's own set of challenges. good night my dear followers, good night Samantha. I'll see you all in the morning.

Day 47-49: Family

The absolute best thing about having Samantha in my life, is that I can now call ourselves a family! Sure, we were a family before, but now I feel complete, like somehow that last puzzle piece was found. Sure, I think there is space for a few more puzzle pieces, but that's a whole nother blog post...

This Family Day long weekend really showed me what being a family is all about. It's about having fun, being silly and making memories. It's about listening, being patient and about love.

Where should I begin, first I guess will be with the memories! We had a super fun weekend playing together in the snow. Samantha absolutely LOVES being outside and playing, even if it is a tad chilly. On Saturday we went to the Waterloo Fest Ice Dogs Festival in uptown Waterloo. Samantha could not stop "oowing" and "awing" at the skaters and the dogs. Then she saw a gentleman carving an ice sculpture with a chainsaw and was absolutely hypnotized. When I tried to walk away she cranked her neck so much, I swear she was like the child from the Excorsist! So, we stayed a little bit longer.

When we got home, she even "helped" Daddy shovel the driveway! The two of them were so adorable together and every time Josh bent over to shovel she smile cheek to cheek and squeal with laughter. I know I've said she's growing up way to fast, but I really cannot wait for her to start walking around and "helping" us and playing with us. Those will be some amazing family memories that I am so excited for.

Sunday, was a bit of a stresser. Samantha was pretty fussy most of the day, even at swimming lessons she was super unhappy even cried! Needless to say, she went to bed super early and Josh and I had a quiet and yummy dinner together. It was really nice to enjoy our time together that night. We talked and were actually able to have a serious conversation.

Today was certainly the cherry on top though. We ventured out to the Waterloo Region Museum and saw Circus! Science Under the Big Top. Samantha was pretty over stimulated as there was a lot going on, but had a lot of fun! I think my favorite part, was taking her picture holding the dumb bells (she's just SO darn cute) and I think her favorite part was the looking at everyone from upstairs. She would lean forward, bonk her head on the glass and then just giggle. No fear in this girl...just no fear!

With half our day still open and the sun shining brightly, I think we'll head on out again and go for a toboggan ride before dinner. I love being a family, I love doing things as a family and I cannot wait to create more family memories!

Happy Family Day everyone! I hope you're sharing it with those you love!

Day 45: Loving You

Yesterday was Samantha's first Valentine's Day. I really hope that when she grows up, she will find someone to love her enough that there is no need to celebrate this "holiday". I hope she finds someone who will tell her everyday that she is beautiful, that she is special and that they love her. In my personal opinion you shouldn't need a holiday to remember to tell the person your with that you love them and to buy them some flowers and chocolate. (But I'll also be the first to admit, that it sure is nice.)

Either way, yesterday was a day full of love, laughter, stress and tears...

We started off the day with a trip to Chapters for Tales for Tots. That's when meltdown number 1 started. Samantha kept putting the Thomas the Train in her mouth, so I kept taking it out and putting it down. With the number of little fingers that touch Mr. Thomas on a daily basis, the last thing I need is for Samantha to catch another bug. Well, she DID NOT like that I kept taking the train out of her mouth and she put on a full out scream! Oh, I'm sorry Little Miss Think-You-Can-Get-What-You-Want ...well I put an end to that and we left the train set all together. Sure, sure she's not even 8 months old...but she knows that word "No" and I'm certainly not going to let her be the boss. I didn't yesterday, I'm not today and I'm certainly not going to tomorrow. Get used to it kiddo.

Next on the agenda was a fun play date with Tina and Violet, just in time for meltdown number 2! I have never heard her scream and fuss and throw herself like that! All I could do was try and "hold" her so she wouldn't hurt me or herself and just laugh...I keep telling myself that she's teething, she's teething, she's teething, but these darn teeth are not cutting through, so I sure hope this is not just her trying to get her own way (place picture of mother in denial here)

After some quiet time, we broke out the cameras and had our own mini Valentine's Day photo shoot! The girls were SO adorable and actually fairly well behaved. But, I certainly understand why agencies only allow their baby models to work for 20 minutes at a time. Goodbye attention span, goodbye smiles, goodbye bright eyes and hello tantrums, hello tears and hello stressed out Mommy!

All in all, it was a pretty good day. I got some snuggles from Samantha and I got some movie time with Daddy and some beautiful pictures to last a lifetime! And although we had a lot of fun today, I'm sure glad the tears and stress are over for now!

 

Day 43: Making a Splash

Photo: Bob Vrbanac

Last summer, while I was 7 months pregnant, I joined efforts with Daisy Arseneault to make Lions Lagoon in Waterloo Park free. It didn't make sense that almost every splash pad in the tri-cities was free except for this one. Sure there was a fence and change rooms, but really there was nothing overly unique about it to charge families $2.50 per person to use it. That was the other thing that bugged me, why were parents and grandparents paying an entry fee when they really weren't using the splash pad.

So, Daisy and I went full force ahead and were able to get the final day of summer free for all users! With a 2 month old Samantha in hand and the weather perfect, almost 700 people splashed that day! The turn out was amazing, the feedback was inspiring and the people were supportive! We raised over $200 and created a beautiful "hand made" poster to give to the Mayor at our next council meeting with them.

From that day, seeing the joy and excitement on the children's faces; the thrill of saving money on the parents faces, and the excitement of those around us I knew this was the right thing to do.

We campaigned, we fundraised, we contacted the media, we contacted the politicians, we did everything we could to make our voices and the voices of Waterloo heard! We raised over $2500, we were in the media almost monthly and were loud on Facebook and Twitter! After a lot of hard work, planning, media exposure and help from the City of Waterloo, it was finally time, time to vote, time to see if we had been heard, time to see if we had made a difference!

And...it was unanimous...a unanimous vote all in favor of not only making Lions Lagoon free for 2013, but for the next 3 years! I was in utter shock, I was proud, and I was so happy!


As a mother, I think it is my goal to make a difference. Make a difference in Samantha's life and the world around her. Well, last night I can honestly say...I made a difference. I want Samantha to make a difference, to speak out against injustice, to take a stand for what she believes in. It will not always be an easy task and there will always be barriers, hurdles and people who don't want her to succeed. But, that is just life. And as long as she stays true to herself, her beliefs, morals and values, I will be proud.

But for now, I cannot wait to hear Samantha laughing as she runs through the sprinklers this summer at Lions Lagoon with all the other children!

Day 40: Snow Day!

OK, so it's been a few days since I've posted, but it has been a crazy busy time with Samantha. Recently, I read about "How to Miss a Childhood" and it completely changed the way I spend time with Samantha. When I first started 99 Days of Laughter, it was to try and make Samantha laugh every day for 99 days. Something that turned in to a very difficult task! But, then I started to realize that 99 Days was more than just getting Samantha to laugh, it was about being with her, being present with her and spending quality time with her. "How to Miss a Childhood" gave me another revelation. I don't want to be that mother that is always stuck behind her computer or stuck behind the camera and viewing life through a lens. 

So, yesterday when Snowmageddon ended, Samantha and I went and played in the snow! We both bundled up and we jumped in the snow. We made snow angels. We went for a walk and I took a few pictures. 

Though Samantha was a bit chilly, (look at that cherry nose) she was amazed at all the snow. She couldn't stop looking around going "Ooooh" "Awwww"! It was definitely a short play in the snow and when Josh gets home from work this afternoon, we're going to go enjoy the blues skies and fresh snow outside again! Maybe make a snow family, more snow angels and go for a toboggan ride!

Yesterday also proved to me that we live in an amazing area. Watching neighbours helping neighbours made me proud to live in this area, proud to be raising Samantha here and I can only hope that one day it will be her shoveling her neighbours driveway, pushing their car down the street or helping a stranger in need. 

It also made me incredibly excited for when she is older. I cannot wait to build a snowman with her, push her down a snow hill on her toboggan and build a snow fort together! I promise, although yes I will be taking pictures of these events, I will not run to my phone when it dings, I will always put you first and I will always be present in your life, ready to through on my snow pants and jump and laugh in the snow with you! 

Day 38: Once in a Lifetime

Tonight was full of laughter, though it wasn't Samantha laughing...
Samantha got to experience something that I think may only happen once in her lifetime...She had a conversation with a dog, a bird and saw a baby kangaroo! I am completely serious! While at my moms for dinner, Samantha and Maya (my moms German Shepherd, not the baby kangaroo) had quite the conversation. Nothing like that baby and husky video, too cute, but had us all laughing as Samantha kept trying to get Maya to speak.

Then, I found out that tonight there would be exotic animals at No Name Wednesday at TheMuseum. A limor, kangaroo, owl, parrot, hedgehog and a huge snake were all there! I must say, I never truly appreciated what this children's museum had to offer until Samantha was born. She has experienced and discovered so much there, and tonight was no exception. It has been truly an amazing adventure to rediscover life through Samantha.

When the elevator doors opened to the second floor, the sound of the parrot's voice was the first thing we heard. The look on Samantha's face was priceless! She sat straight up and was looking everywhere for where this crazy sounds was coming from. From there, the two of them were inseparable and had a very in depth conversation. OK, so Samantha hasn't quite learned the art of conversation, but that parrot was all "Hello" "Whatcha' doin'" and "How are you" and Samantha was all "Gaaa" "Baa Baa" and "cough cough cough". Those fake coughs that sound like she's clearing her throat or possibly choking on her own drool had that parrot laughing and laughing and laughing, all in which made Samantha "cough" more and more and more.

Had I had the video running instead of asking a stranger to take her picture, that video would have gone viral! Must remember to get those videos...and keep them running!

All in all, tonight was certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity for both me and Samantha. When will Samantha ever have the opportunity to "speak" with an exotic animal again...and when will I ever be able to see that spark of curiosity in her eyes as she conversed with him. I honestly hope that this was not a once in a lifetime experience. But if it was, I'm happy I was there to rediscover life again with her!

Day 36: Bedtime Battle

This bedtime battle routine is really starting to wear me out. Last night, I made the mistake of letting Samantha have a late nap. When I went to wake her at 6pm, she was out cold snoring away. Mommy mistake number 1; thinking "well she's had a really busy day at TheMuseum with Daddy so maybe she'll sleep the rest of the night". Boy was I wrong about that. She loudly woke up at 8pm (her regular bedtime) and didn't fall back to sleep until close to 11pm. Mommy mistake number 2; thinking "well at least she'll sleep the whole night now". Yup, I was wrong about that too. She woke up at midnight, 2am, 4am and 5:30am. At least one of us was bright and cheery at 9am this morning...

Thankfully, tonight wasn't quite as hard as last night, but nap time as almost become nonexistent! Morning nap has gone from at least an hour to 20 minutes and afternoon nap has become half an hour of playing in her crib. Maybe it's a growth spurt...maybe it's her teething...or maybe her cold...all I know is I am starting to lose this bedtime battle. It doesn't matter how tired she is or how busy of a day she's had, she just fights the Sandman with all her might.

I must say though, once Mr Sandman wins and she's asleep, she is so beautiful, so innocent and so serene. This afternoon, was one of those moments.

After chasing the cat, exploring the stairs and chewing on an ice cube to try and numb her gums, it was time for some quiet time. I figured she probably wouldn't nap, but still needed some time to relax and be calm, even if it was only for 5 minutes. So, we cuddled on the rocking chair and I slowly and lightly drew circles on her cheeks, over top of her eye lids and across her eye brows, while she snuggled against my chest staring up at me. After about 15 minutes she was sound asleep and snoring away. By far one of my favorite mommy moments, so I just held her and rocked her and lightly kissed her forehead.

The sound of her laughing, is by far my favorite sound in the entire world, but the sight of her asleep and the sound of her snoring in my arms is a pretty close second!

Day 34: Down the Yellow Brick Road

Those of you who know me, know that my mother and I have not always had the best relationship. It has been something that has been trial and error for a very long time. Having a daughter of my own now, it breaks my heart to think about some of the things I did and said to my mom. My mother may not be perfect, but she did everything possible to make sure that my brother and I were provided for.

Now, we are best of buddies and I look up to her in ways I could never have imagined! We can barely go one day without at least speaking to each other over the phone. I truly hope that this is the relationship Samantha and I have in 20 years. I hope that we are still laughing, sharing stories and are best of friends, they way my mom and I are today.

Last night was a perfect example of this. Mom and I had a night out together and laughed all night long. Now, I'm sure that the martini's and wine certainly made things a tad more funny than what they really were, but either way, we had a great time. 

My mom's absolute favorite movie of all time is The Wizard of Oz, so we traveled down the yellow brick road together and saw Andrew Lloyd Weber's production of it at the beautiful Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto. It was a perfect night! No traffic, delicious dinner and plenty of laughter! That lion was simply hilarious!

Watching the actors and performers on stage was stunning and the entire time, all I could picture was Samantha dancing and singing on that stage. I wonder if she will be into the arts? Josh is quite a talented musician (though he'd never tell you that himself) and I love everything about theatre. The music, the set, the dancing. Obviously our passions will have an influence on her, but I hope that she follows her own heart and her own passions and does what she loves, no matter what it is.

 

As I have previously posted, I want to give Samantha as many opportunities in life as I can. And I will do whatever I possibly can to open those doors for her, just as my mother did for me. And who knows, maybe someday it will be Samantha on that stage singing "Over The Rainbow" or maybe she will be sitting next to me in the audience memorized by the beauty of the production. But until that day comes, I will continue to hold her and teach her and sing to her myself. 

Day 32: First Words

Holy heck it happened! It finally happened. Samantha said her first word!

Every morning, before I jump in the shower I hang Samantha in her jolly jumper in the bathroom door, that way I can still see her and hear her. Well, just as I'm about to jump into the shower, clear as day, she said "Mom"! Not "ma-ma" or "da-da", but Mom!

I literally couldn't believe my ears! I turned around so fast, I almost slipped on the floor and fell on my arse, looked at her and said "Mom" back to her. She got super excited and started to jump up and down in her jolly jumper, but wouldn't say it again. Obviously, I didn't get this on video, but I just keep replaying it over and over again in my mind.

Then, while at Baby Basics, later that morning she said it again for everyone to hear! Yay Samantha!

First, I have to say it; "Na, na, na, na, na...she said mommy first"!

Ok, now that that is out of my system....I am so proud of my little girl. She's barely 7 months old and growing up and learning so fast. And I have to admit, I'm feeling pretty proud of myself for helping to raise such an intelligent and beautiful baby. When Josh and I decided that we wanted to have a baby, we were so excited. But as the day drew nearer and nearer, and my belly grew bigger and bigger, deep down I had this terrible nervous anxiety. I had no idea how to be a parent, how to be a mother. This baby was going to depend on me and the decisions I made for her. I read every book you could possibly think of about every topic you could possibly think of, and there is no step-by-step Mommy Manual.

But, I guess I'm doing a pretty good job. She's happy, she's smiling, she's laughing. She's growing, she's crawling, she's talking. I cannot wait to watch her grow up into the amazing woman I know she will be. But for now, it's OK to take your time and move one step at a time!