The Life of a Modern Mom

A Gym Tale

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:53:00 +0000

Joe and I enrolled Bethany in the Enchanting Chrildren Program (10 - 16 months) @ A Gym Tale last September. It was a 14-week program, every Saturday from 8am to 9am. The one-hour program includes circle time, nursery rhymes, free play, parachute (Miss B loves the parachute... and she always loves the parachute and enjoys being under the parachute! If I let her, she would probably stay there for an hour or so!) and bubbles (I guess all babies / toddlers love bubbles... the fascinating look on Miss B's face when she saw bubbles is just priceless!)

http://www.agymtale.com/programs.htm

Miss B had a lot of fun in the ball pit (she spent most of the free play time there... and even when we all gathered around for circle time... she would still crawl (for the first 7 weeks) and walk (for the last 7 weeks) back to the ball pit.

When the program ended in mid December, Joe and I, without any hesitation, enrolled Bethany in the Wee Wonders Program (16-24 months), which runs from January till April.

Where was I the last 6 months?

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 02:48:00 +0000

I can't believe the last time I blogged was almost 6 months ago! Seriously, where was I?

My maternity leave ended in mid August, and I took two weeks vacation right after my maternity leave, so I went back to work, full time, the second week in September. Transitioning from a full-time mom to a full-time working mom was beyond challenging in the first little while. I was gone from my job for 13.5 months so I was pretty "lost" the first two weeks when I returned to my old position.

For the first month of so, there were days that I was sitting at my desk, working on reports, while questioning myself repeated if I should stay home with my child? There were also days that I was fighting the urge to call the daycare provider and asked if Bethany drank her milk in the morning, had cheese and crackers for lunch, napped in the morning or got along well with other kids at the daycare. I was lost in my identity... the concept of "working-mom" was so foreign to me!

莫文蔚-忽然之间

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:34:00 +0000

August...

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:31:00 +0000

It has been almost a month since I last blogged! I can't believe time flies!

A lot of things have been happening this month:

1. Miss B turned 1 on Aug 17!
2. Miss B and I ended our two-month vacation in Vancouver and finally came home on Aug 15! (Traveling with a one-year-old alone was t.o.u.g.h.! I have never realized my daughter is a biter until we were on the plane! )
3. Miss B uttered "Pao Pao" the first time a week ago!
4. Miss B's b-day party was a great success!

Our Etsy Shop

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:22:00 +0000

After a few weeks of serious thinking, numerous discussions and tremendous over time in preparation, my mom and I have decided to open our very first Etsy shop!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheHappyBabyShop

The Happy Baby Shop -- Quality items for the tiny and trendy!

Miss B's first hair cut!

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:13:00 +0000

Joe and I took Miss B for her very first hair-cut last Thursday! Miss B hair was uber long that the hair cut was long over-due! Miss B was sitting on my laps to get her hair cut, while Joe was taking pictures! Joe got a tad emotional (and yes I saw tears!) when the first strand of hair fell on the ground!

Before: (hair was super long and out-of-control! Miss B hates it when I try to put a hair clip on her head!)

After:

Bethany and Elmo

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:28:00 +0000

Elmo is a 14-year-old Schnauzer and he loves Bethany! It took both of them a few days to adjust to each other... and now they are friends! It is amazing how babies and dogs get along!

My daughter is a monkey!

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:19:00 +0000

I can't believe Bethany is 10.5 months old! Ever since she turned 10 months old, she has hit a lot of milestones. She spends most of her waking moments crawling, pulling herself to stand and climbing. Diaper change is nearly impossible these days! I seriously think that my little girl has somehow turned into a monkey!

Bethany can now stand in her crib!

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Not sure if it is Miss's age (10 months) or the change of surroundings (staying at Gong Gong and Pao Pao's), Miss B has experienced a lot of firsts since this past Monday:

1. she has mastered crawling (no more army crawling!)
2. she has said "Mama" repeatedly and clearly!
3. she can give "high five"!
4. she babbles a lot... and I think she is doing about 10 different sounds!
5. 1/2 hour ago, she has stood up in her crib!

Bethany h.e.a.r.t..s Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Coldplay

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 20:11:00 +0000

Bethany said "Mama"!

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 19:38:00 +0000

The first time Bethany said "Mama" was about a week ago, when we arrived at my parents' house! She was crying hysterically and cried "Mama". A day or two later... she said "Mama" uber clearly!

Bethany's First Plane Ride

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 19:41:00 +0000

We have been planning this trip to Vancouver for almost 4 months. Traveling with a 10-month -old is a challenge. Packing means "fitting everything Miss B needs in a suitcase or two!" Traveling "light" does not appear in my mommy-dictionary. On board entertainment means singing lullaby repeatedly for "I-have-lost-track-of-how-many-times" on the plane to keep Miss B amused and entertained.

We were on the 7am direct flight from Ottawa to Vancouver. Miss B had to wake up two hours earlier than usual. I thought she would be cranky and would have a meltdown, surprisingly, she fussed for less than 5 mins when I woke her. After her uber early breakfast, she was all happy! We left the house at 5:30am and arrived at the airport at 5:45am. Check in at the Executive Class counter was a breeze. We were allowed to gate check our Uppa Vista (and I was relieved as I did not need to worry that the stroller would be damaged!). Going through Security was a also easy-peasy! They did not ask me to empty my diaper bag, which contains two outfits of Miss B, one pack of Mum-Mum, a container with formula for two feedings, two bottles with pre-measured water, numerous disposable diapers, sunblock, hand-sanitizer, diaper cream, numerous teething toys for Miss B... and many more stuff! (I find that my diaper bag is a treasure box these days....)

Pre-boarding was not as difficult as I expected. An Air Canada staff offered to carry the stroller and my diaper all the way to the cabin for me. I had Miss B in the Ergo so folding the stroller was easy.

The Executive Class was not full, so Miss B ended up having her own seat -- Seat 1A! She was such a good girl that everyone in the executive class adored her and took turn waving at her! :-)

Miss B had two naps on the plane. One was shortly after the plane took off, so I managed to enjoy the breakfast while she was sleeping sideway on my laps. The other nap was when the plane went through some turbulence, and she had an hour nap and I managed to enjoy two episodes of Two and A Half Men!

I am surprised and at the same time, amazed that Miss B did so well on her very first plane ride!

Seat 1A AC 163

First Time Bethany pulled herself up....

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 19:27:00 +0000

Being first-time parents, Joe and I find it uber rewarding and exciting to see Bethany hitting yet another milestone.

Two days after Bethany pulled herself to a sitting position from lying down, she managed to pull herself up by grabbing onto Joe's fingers!

She did it a day prior to Joe's birthday... and this was the b.e.s.t. birthday present for Joe!

Bethany is an active crawler!

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:48:00 +0000

Miss B is an active crawler! She has been army crawling for what seems like f.o.r.e.v.e.r.! On Father's Day, she decided to progressed from army crawling to real crawling. It took her only a few days to master the crawling department!

Annoyed and offended...

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:56:00 +0000

Let's get to the point! I am slightly annoyed and mildly offended!

... and all because of Facebook!

Bethany is not a fast-track baby, but she hits all her milestones, so far, according to her age / month. I have a copy of "What to Expect in the First Year" and I have been referring to it as the baby-bible.

Three days ago, she just started sitting up from a lying position. At first it took her a bit of a time to figure out how to place her little hands and feet to pull herself to a sitting position. It took her less than a day to master it. As first-time parents, watching Bethany accomplish yet another milestone is rewarding and exciting!

Two days ago, while I was out grocery shopping, Bethany managed to pull herself up from a sitting position by grabbing onto Joe's fingers.. I was only out for 1.5 hours, and Bethany, once again, hit another major milestone. Same as all other first time dads out there, my husband posted this piece of joyful news on Facebook!

Fast forward to this morning, I had coffee with my mommy friend and her 8-month-old son. Her son is two months younger than Bethany, and he seems to be hitting the milestones faster than Bethany. For example, he managed to pull himself to a sitting position before Bethany did. He has been cruising the furniture while Bethany is perfectly happy army-crawling!

My mommy friend: "Remember a few days ago, your posted on FB that Bethany is able to sit in the crib? My husband and I had a discussion about you. You know you are so competitive and you want to make sure Bethany hits those milestones before anyone does."

Me: "Yes I am competitive in nature and it is in my blood. But Bethany DID sit up in her crib!"

My mommy friend: "Hahaha! This morning as soon as I posted that my son is standing in his crib. I told my husband "Wait until Louisa sees that. She is going to post right away that Bethany is able to stand in her crib too! Hahaha!'

Me: (speechless for a few seconds... and this was what went through my head, " Ok this is not funny hahaha! At this point, I was annoyed. Was she implying that I "lied" when posting on Facebook to make myself and Bethany look good")

Me (put on my normal face though I was upset): Bethany did pull herself up by grabbing onto Joe's fingers wednesday night!

( I was out grocery shopping when Bethany pulled herself up! Although I did not see it with my own eyes, I am sure my husband would not, in a million years, lied about Bethany's achievement !)

My mommy friend: Joe knows you are competitive and I am sure you must have rubbed some of your competitiveness on Joe as well.
(Seriously... I was beyond annoyed at this point. So I admit I am competitive and I have been secretly compare Bethany with other babies at her age to see if she is slow, fast or normal in achieving milestones! As much as I would like to see Bethany on the fast-track, I am relieved to know that my little girl is normal! My husband and I would NOT lie or post un-truthful comments on FB about Bethany just to make us look good! And this is not what parenting is about! Plus... babies do not lie! They can either stand or not... !)

Somehow we moved onto a different and lighter topic. After coffee, we went to a friend's house for mommy & baby's playdate. While I was sitting on the floor, chatting away with other moms, watching Bethany sitting happily on the floor, clapping her hands, the conversation I had with my friend earlier at Starbucks kept replaying in my mind. Being competitive is one thing, but lying about Bethany's achievement is another thing and I do not see a correlation in those two at all. The comments she made left a very bad taste in my mouth and I was not enjoying myself at the playdate. At the end, we left early so that I could come home, take a deep breath and collect myself.

The bottom line is, I am a.n.n.o.y.e.d. and o.f.f.e.n.d.e.d.!

Let the f.u.n. begin...

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:06:00 +0000

When I was pregnant, I "waddled" to Chapters and got a copy of "What to Expect in the First Year". This book has been my "go-to" guide for the last 10 months.

According to the book, by the end of 9 months, a baby should be able to push herself up to a sitting position when lying down. I have been waiting patiently for Miss B to do this, and with only one day shy from being 10 months old, I began to have doubts and worries.

... and this morning, I put Miss B in her crib for a morning nap and then went to the kitchen to get my caffeine fix. Then I went back to her room and with my own eyes, I saw this:

One week from today...

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:31:00 +0000

One week from today... Miss B and I will be vacationing in Vancouver at my parents' home!

... but before that... I need to figure out how to pack B's Jumperoo in the suitcase!

Let the c.o.u.n.t.d.o.w.n. begin!

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:20:00 +0000

15 days till Bethany and I fly out to Vancovuer!

My parents will be uber happy to spend the entire summer with Bethany! :-)

Bethany's First Boat Ride

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:02:00 +0000

Joe and I have pretty much visited all the tourist attractions in Ottawa. Since Miss B is "new" in Ottawa, we figure we should be her tour guides and show her around in Ottawa.

We took her to Dow's Lake for the Tulips Festival two weeks ago. and other than a bit of a meltdown in front of the flowers, she did pretty good.

Last weekend, Bethany had her very first Ottawa River Boat Ride. The ride was 75 minutes and she did amazingly well (of course, with the help of cheerios and rice puffs) and did not even fuss once!

Bethany is a crawler!

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Fri, 28 May 2010 13:52:00 +0000

A month ago, I made a point of blogging everyday, or at least, every other day. I would sit Miss B on her playmat, and then I would be blogging like a mad person while she is happily chewing on her Sophie! This works great for a few weeks until she decided that sitting at one spot is no fun anymore.

Miss B has been "scooting" for the longest time I can remember. She would "scoot" underneath the jumperoo and be happily playing "under" the jumperoo for half an hour. She would "scoot" so close to Bee and then pull the poor dog's tail.

One day, out of the blue, her little mind decided that "scooting" is no longer fun, and then she started army crawled. She was in the slow army crawling stage for two weeks (before she turned 9 months old). This week, she has progressed from the slow army crawling stage to the super duper fast army crawling stage. She crawls so fast that even my dog looks at her, from a distance, in pure amazement!

Though it is uber cute to watch Miss B crawls on top of the dog, over her toys, underneath the chairs... it could possibly cause serious accidents in the house...

... and hence... B.A.B.Y.P.R.O.O.F.I.N.G.!

Bethany has cut her first tooth!

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:09:00 +0000

Miss B has been teething (so I was told) since she was 4 months old. Everyone has been telling me that a tooth or two should be on its way anytime soon. Well this "anytime soon" has turned to a 5 months wait. During this waiting "game", I got discouraged a few times, after seeing babies younger than Miss B, had cut their first teeth before Miss B did. There was a time that I began to worry that Miss B would be a toothless baby.
Yesterday, Miss B was 9 months and 4 days old, she cut her very first tooth!

Bethany's OALASWI!

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:17:00 +0000

For those who do not know the mommy lingo: OALASWI = Out As Long As She Was In!

Well this day has finally arrived! The day that my sweet little baby girl has been out as long as she was in! It has been a wonderful yet sometimes hectic 39 weeks. It has been truly amazing to watch her grow, watch her laugh, watch her chuckle, watch her roll, watch her jumping happily in the jumperoo, watch her sitting up un-assisted, watch her babble "Hey da..d", watch her sign "More" & "Eat" and watch her army-crawl. Most importantly, it is very rewarding, as first time parents, to watch my daughter grow up happily and healthily.

My love for my daughter grows everyday, every hour, every minute and every second. Bethany is a sweet chunky monkey and there are so many things I love about her and her developing personality. I truly hope that she will be as close to me as I am to my mother in the years to come!

Here are some pics of my precious sweetie pie:

At Birth -- Birth Weight 6 lb 15 oz

First Picture with Daddy in the Recovery Room at the Hospital

First Picture with Pao Pao in the Waiting Area at the Hospital

7 Days Old

One Month Old

Two Months Old

Three Months Old

Four Months Old -- in her bumbo and with her Sophie!

Bethany's First Christmas

Five Months Old -- Tummy Time!

Six Months Old -- eating a huge chunk of banana

7 Months old

8 Months Old -- First Time sleeping on her tummy

First Easter

First Tulips Festival (picture taken the day before OALASWI)

The very first Mother's Day Gifts

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Sun, 09 May 2010 15:08:00 +0000

It is not even noon yet and I have been uber spoiled by my husband and my daughter. They made me a yummy breakfast this morning and showered me with flowers, cards and gift!

I love being a mom...

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Sun, 09 May 2010 14:42:00 +0000

I love being a mom...

I love the way my daughter smells.

I love her little hands and little toes.

I love the way how her little hands touch my face.

I love the way how she smiles when I walk into her room in the morning.

I love the way how she holds out her arms when she wants me to pick her up.

I love the way she babbles, yells, shouts and screams.

I love the way how she army crawls (well, only backward though.)

I love the way how she signs "more" and "eat".

I love watching her personality develop.

I love watching her experience new things for the first time.

I love that she is making me a better person, more loving, more caring and with loads of patience.

I love that I am her world and she is my world.

I love bragging about my daughter to strangers or family members who have not seen her in a while.

I love that strangers come up to me and tell me how beautiful my daughter is.

I love knowing that with a simple diaper change, her world is perfect again.

I love knowing that there is no other being on earth that is more loved that she is.

I love knowing that my daughter is healthy, happy and simply just perfect.

I love all my mommy friends! I have met a lot of awesome friends from being a mom!

I love watching Joe's love to our daughter grow everyday! They sure have a strong daddy-daughter bond!

Happy Mother's Day to all the G.R.E.A.T. moms out there... especially to my mom, Bethany's Pao Pao!

Bethany's first sushi experience

noreply@blogger.com (ANMB) — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:40:00 +0000

Yesterday, I had lunch with two of my mommy friends and their sons! We had sushi for lunch. I have been giving Bethany "human food" * since she was 6 months old. As a lover of Japanese food, I decided to give Bethany a piece of avocado roll... and she loved it!

* By "human food", I mean real food that we, adults, eat. I started giving Bethany home-made purees when she was 5 months old. At 6months, I noticed that she was not too crazy about the smooth texture of purees. So I gave her mostly finger food instead. The other night, she had pasta with tomato sauce for dinner!