Happy Birthday lil one!

Whew, no time these days to update, but I DO have some pictures and videos of Alexiss's first birthday and lots of thoughts.

I look around at the few 2 year olds that I know and I'm awestruck knowing in only a year Alexiss will be doing the same. The beginning of the year didn't go quick, but it picked up speed at around 7 months. The first 7 are now a blurr of being tired, overwhelmed and just keeping up. At the time I thought it would never end, but now I see just how short that time was..even if it didn't feel like it while I was living it.

She's standing! Uncle Gerry and Aunt Jacqueline bought her a toy that she stands at, and lo and behold, she forgets to hang on and before we knew it.. she was standing. I don't think she's caught on yet though.. shhhh.

Oma and Opa are here visiting and helping out this week. They've been working hard and I'm sure they'll need lots of naps on Saturday when Mark and I are home before heading for the mountains!

I'll try to find some time this weekend to share some bday fun with you.

Ahhhhh, weekend!

This week of work was a lil rough, rougher for Lee-Ann though. She was up sick all night Monday, so Alexiss and I stayed home on Wednesday, and it was a good thing, Alexiss wasn't feeling up to snuff herself and kept me hopping and cuddling all day. Tuesday night it continued, Alexiss wouldn't sleep, I finally got her to sleep around 3:00 on the Momma Pillow.

Mark, the sweetie, stayed home with us on Wednesday since we were both a lil bit of a whiny tired fussy mess. But! All is back to normal, including Alexiss taking after the Momma for sleep habits. There's a few things I was hoping she'd take from Mark, sleeping being one of them. Mark gets tired and NOTHING can keep him up! But it wasn't to be, so I'm left with two insomniacal people in the house. Once I get Alexiss finally settled, then I have to work on getting me settled. At least I understand and know some things that help me sleep, to help her sleep.

We're off to Calgary today, Mark's work is hosting a BBQ for employees and family. I figured after all they've done for us with Alexiss that we could at least let them meet her face to face instead of Mark and I always meeting requests to see new pictures. Of course, we'll take some pics today too!

I've had an idea mulling around for a business in the area and my internal clock is telling me now is the time. Funny, I didn't have any kind of biological clock for children, but I do for business. I guess some of the drive for me is the long days at work and being away from Alexiss. I think, with some help, if I can get it going, in a few years I'd be able to stay home...or at least bring Alexiss to work with me. We'll see, the idea has been around for a few years and I've put it off, I'm hoping I can make it further than just thinking about it this time.

Home Today

Sunday night (Monday morning) Alexiss woke me up for a midnightish shnack, so I survived a Monday with what I am starting to call naps, even though they are at night.

Lee-Ann was up sick all night, so today Alexiss and I stayed home. No napping for me though!

I managed to get a teaser picture of her halloween costume though! The other picture is her and her "hat".






Gotta run, she's been up from her 15 min nap for awhile and is calling.

Back to work!

As I sit here, Alexiss napping and me eating the one harvested tomato out of the garden, I feel thankful.

Alexiss and I both had a good week. I found waking her up in the morning the hardest part of our new schedule but Alexiss was a trooper. This morning she was a bit of a clingy suck, but I enjoyed it.

Still no news on the job posting I applied for, but I've got patience, in the meantime I'm doing small things to help people out and get things off of their desk.

The first day back was easy, ignorance is bliss, right? The second day Alexiss and I both put up a bit of a fuss in the morning, but Lee-Ann (the woman taking care of Alexiss) texted me all day to keep me up to date, she even sent me a picture of Alexiss and Ryan (Lee-Ann's 2 year old) out for a wagon ride.

You know.... I didn't change one poopy diaper all week!

I do start stressing out near home time, hoping the day isn't too long for Alexiss and wanting to get back home to her. Mark worked a bit of overtime so I picked her up two of the four days. She really is a cutie!

Yesterday I ran around all morning trying to catch up on housework, and Alexiss refused to take a nap. I got lots done, which reminds me.. I should be doing something, shouldn't I?

Krazy for Kits!

We're home from Vancouver (Kitsilano), everyone is tucked in and I'm not far behind but I wanted to pop by quick to give a short version of our week.

Alexiss loved all the cuddles and attention and barely played with the toys we brought. She was too busy climbing stairs, up she goes, down she goes, up she goes, down she goes. Uncle Garnet and Aunt Shelley came everyday for their dose of the cuteness that is Alexiss. She was loved and spoiled (all three of us were spoiled) by Aunt Jacqueline and Uncle Gerry and we were treated to a super cuddly visit from Aunt Patricia, Uncle Nick and Cousin Laraine!

I was baffled by a geocache at the end of the street, but was determined. It took Mark bravely touching something that made me squeamish.... a ugly lotsa legged grossly opaque colored disgustingly huge bug key-chain. I had seen it (and a hairbrush, an empty yogurt container among other things) but wasn't convinced it wasn't real and dead.

There were tons of walks to Kits beach! Alexiss loved swinging on the swings for the first time and dipping her toes in the ocean for the first time.

While Alexiss stayed at home with Uncle Gerry and Aunt Jacqueline; playing in the sink/tub and introducing them to her favorite Baby Einstein movies, Mark and I even went out on a "date", we brought a new card game and sat at a restaurant to eat and play.

I'm so grateful for the opportunity and the time, the memories we made this week will be talked about fondly for years to come.

..and it starts

Alexiss has picked up (on her own) what to do with the food she doesn't want... leave it for Rex of course!

*sigh*

Worst day... ever.

Alexiss has increasingly gotten crankier and less willing to cope. I suspect all the "iron fortified" baby food and formula is the root of the problem, add on the mini heat wave we've been having and neither of us are sleeping well. Alexiss gets in this horrible cycle of not pooping, not eating, not sleeping.

This morning she woke at 5:00 and wouldn't settle back down, the reason.. she was finally going to push through and poo (thank goodness!). She finally settled back in around 7:00 and slept until 10:00, which really put any kind of schedule out the window. So again, we cycle through trying to sleep, not sleeping, not eating, not drinking a bottle. She's been crying and cranky since 11:30, when she was getting tired and ready for another nap.... NOT! Instead she was cranky and it was getting later, so I thought at 12:30 to try lunch.. NOT! After having food spit out at me and her cranky and tired, it was natural to try to get her to nap again... NOT! She finally fell asleep again at 1:30. Now I'm tired and cranky and don't want to do jack. I'm forcing myself to update the blog when I'd much rather drink tea and play silly little brainless games, I should be taking a shower or something, but ya know... I really don't feel like it at all.

So, I'm left wanting to go and get new formula and cereals that don't have as much iron in them and not being able to. What a frikken day. Alexiss won't give me a chance to get anything extra done to help her out. *sigh*

Thank goodness my phone locks when closest or someone in China would've gotten a garbled text.

Alexiss and Links finally had a bit of a confrontation. I'm really thankful it wasn't worse than it was, boy was Alexiss surprised! Oh, that reminds me...Alexiss has been saying "cat" and "dog". As soon as I can I'm going out to buy Links one of the cat tree house/scratch post things. He's been scratching at the carpet and pulling up the fibers, not a good thing when Alexiss helps clean all the things up on the floor by putting them in her mouth. And this way he can have some of his own space free from little hands.

My cousin Rhonda is getting married this weekend, so my Aunt and Uncle are here to celebrate. They came over last night to visit. Alexiss loved them! They loved Alexiss! All was good, until it started getting really hot in the house and a day of not eating, sleeping and pooping caught up with Alexiss. All the pictures I took are fuzzy, but I'm hoping my cousin will send me copies of pictures she took.

Okay, whiney mess is awake and... whiney. Gotta run.