The world gets bigger...and so does the bumps and "nos"

Yep, we're still here! On the move and touring the house. While we've child proofed most of the house (yes, Gramma and Pops, we installed the gate at the stairs) the dog dishes don't have a better spot, and for some reason is soooo interesting! Alexiss is learning what "no" means when there's things around that the Momma forgot to put away, it seems like all I'm doing is moving thing out of her way or picking things up that she decides she doesn't need anymore.

Days are filled with touring the house and eating times between nap times. Alexiss, while not a picky eater, doesn't always feel like eating what's given to her, so eating usually ends up with me finding a few more things on the fly to give to her. From the time she started eating solids, she was holding her own spoon, but lately she's working on mastering actually using the spoon for food. Bath times have also increased since after a meal it's the easiest way to get her clean again.


Alexiss has a new nickname! Prunella! Thanks to Uncle Don and my inner need to keep Alexiss regular, prunes have become a staple food for at least one or two meals/snacks a day.

At her 9 month (which was actually at 10 months) doctors check up she weighed 21.13 lbs and measured 29 1/4 inches long. She's outgrowing her carry car seat so I shopped around and settled on a new big-girl car seat, it's still sitting in the house but she's loving climbing up and sitting in it. I keep wondering if she'll like it as much in the truck, since she won't be able to peep over the top to talk to me. Well, it'll only be a few months before she's allowed to be forward facing. I'm starting to understand when people say "they grow so fast", it really didn't feel like it was fast when she was a newborn, but since she's hit 9 months... she's really taken off.

There's so many new things, it's hard to list them all and remember little milestones, I really should pop in more and leave shorter updates to keep track. She wasn't very interested in walking until last week, I was trying to coax her having her face away from me, and I don't think she knew what to do, but last week I let her face and follow me... then the fun began. In only a week she's already more stable and enjoying it, so much that sometimes she'll crawl up to me and grab both of my hands to give me the hint that it's time to go a-wanderin.

Her coordination is improving greatly as well. She has now learned how to use both hands together to get something done, and has fun "putting away" her little piggy and cow into the soft barn, I say putting away in quotes because they don't stay put away for long, usually she doesn't even let go of them before pulling them out again.

Her rambles are usually one constant mumble for the day, but yesterday she started momomomom and dadadada, switching back and forth. She can also "ruff" and tries to "meow" and her mooo is more like mmmmmm, but she's working on it. It's still hard to distinguish when she's babbling or meaning to say something but I swear I've heard kitty in there too and a few more things.

It's not easy bein green!

Specially if you're a vegtable and on Alexiss's "try" list. Seems she's opposed to eating green. Peas are tolerable, but barely. Avocado is a definite make-your-body-quiver-and-make-you-yell-"ack" kinda way, broccoli wasn't a hit either. The nurse we saw on Thursday said to try things 15 times before deciding Alexiss doesn't really like it. I will try again...not so sure on the 15 time thing though. Squash was a big hit to my amazement! Banana's and apples with cinnamon are edible, the rice cereal and oatmeal are doing good, peas and carrots are okay but not a favorite. Oh! And water out of her sippy cup confuses her still, but she's liking it for the most part. She still gets all the nutrients she needs from her formula, this is more about learning and experiementing.. but now to balance it out with some protein. Today on the menu is garbanzo beans (chick peas)....well.... at least it's not green. *snicker*

We had her 6 month check-up and her 6 month shots this week on Wednesday and Thursday. All is good! She is 18 pounds and 26 inches!

Oh! I have to do a tooth check today, another one came out on the bottom and Mark thinks he feels one on the top. She's not a fan of showing off her new pearly whites yet!

I just went through her clothes again, the 6 month sleepers are juuuust fitting. It's wonderful that we had so many different sizes gifted to her, it's definitely helped and I haven't had to really shop for clothes yet. I did notice the summer stuff is out now though, I'll have to learn to shop ahead.... or knit really quick!

Mark's been getting tons of smiles this week, he must be more fun than me this week. heh. Sure sure, I take her for her shots, feed her, stick her in the truck two days in a row (she hates the sound of the doors shutting in the truck) and feed her....what's fun in that? heh.

Well, the house is sleeping, I've got soup starting and groceries to try a cheesecake recipe out. It's a challenge now to find a good cheesecake recipe that doesn't take like cool-whip jello pie! Gotta get moving!

HI Gramma and Pops!!!!

Our play dates on the weekend were great! Alexiss had lots of fun with Grace and Marv and didn't fuss too much, or not that they admitted to anyway. Alexiss has decided that she doesn't want to miss a thing and that sleep just gets in the way of that.. so.. she yawns and yawns and falls asleep for 20 min intervals in my arms but when I move to put her down and get something done... she rouses and *doink* opens her eyes. So that means I'm not getting much time to update the blog. Right now she's keeping herself busy, or rather keeping her monkey busy, on her playmat. Yesterday she visited him 4 times! But she seemed to want private time, so I removed the giraffe and parrot and left her alone with her beloved monkey for a bit.

She doesn't like me to get myself in order in the morning, it's hard enough to get myself a tea, but today I tricked her into letting me have TWO teas! While warming up her formula I snuck in plugging in the kettle and used a tea pot to make more in one go. muahahah

She also spends time in her high chair and visits with me while I do dishes in the kitchen and I talk non stop to keep her otherwise occupied.. hey, I'm not as cute as her monkey, I gotta do something.. She's got a big holey rubber ball thingee and a rattle to keep her busy too, she likes to hold them.. although she doesn't know to do much more than that yet. And when she tires of me and her toys, she sits and blows bubbles for awhile.

Alexiss must have overhead the doctor saying how big of a girl she is, she's decided at night to go from drinking 2 oz to 4 oz!

Today we have a special welcome to Gramma and Pops! And a special thank you to Uncle Turkey! (My parents are braving the online and computer world with my Uncle's help)

WELCOME GRAMMA AND POPS!

My little dance partner is so excited! She didn't understand at first, not sure if she was drunk or stunned that my parents would buy a computer, but she eventually understood and gave an approving smile!

Special thanks to Uncle Turkey.. she's a lumberjack, and she's OKAY!




Thanks to everyone for reading and keeping up with us! We really appreciate knowing and hearing on the phone that you are reading and enjoying the blog, that includes Nana!, Oma and Opa, Fran, Uncle Don, Aunt Gail and more!

Sleep is Bliss

The other night sleep was for sissies but last night I admit to love being a sissy. Following The Happiest Baby on the Block should be renamed The Best Sleeping Baby on the Block, Alexiss slept a staggering 9 hours last night! Yes, a straight 9 hours! To top off a great night of sleep she woke up not crying for food this morning and instead chose to stare at a wall for a bit.. that's my girl! Mom had taught me this skill well and I'm glad to see it running strong in the family. Nothing like waking to a blank wall for a spell to start a day out right!

We braved the Alberta winter and roads today to head into Strathmore for her 2 month check up. So I bundled her up in a fuzzy snow suit a few sizes too big for her, it looked so cozy though. I wonder why they don't make suits like that for adults, I don't care how many people would laugh at me, she looked so at home I was jealous. I'll have to remind myself next time to wear gloves, poor little thing had to deal with my cold hands as I undressed her and moved her to the scale. Let me tell you, she liked it not one bit! She's a staggering 10.95 pounds and is now 21.5 inches long. No wonder why she's not the tight little package she used to be!

Have you read Hop on Pop by Dr. Suess? Tonight was Muster on Mamma night. It started with the knitting, which Links takes as a hint to come and sit for a spell, add Alexiss and.. voila.. a great big cuddlefest! Multitasking at it's best. The movement as I knit actually lulls Alexiss! My left arm is getting mighty strong with all this jiggling and holding.



Another big day tomorrow. I'm so excited! Mark arranged for a neighbor to watch Alexiss while we go into town on a hot date! I think he just wants to get me out of the house and knows I won't do it without him egging me to do something. We chose to go and see the Einstein exhibit at the Telus World of Science. There's a Darwin exhibit too, but I can't see me tearing away from Einstein. I hope Alexiss and I can both behave ourselves and play nice with others. I don't know if Grace knows what she's in for tomorrow.

Well, this mamma is going while the getting is good, bed time for me! Night all!

The Happiest Baby on the Block!

I just have to RAVE about Dr Karp and the book The Happiest Baby on the Block. Well, I didn't get a chance to read the book, but Dr Karp is a smart man and made a DVD (with a CD of soothing sounds) too! Today I finally got a chance to watch it and I really wish I'd watched it sooner! It's literally magic and transforms babies into calm comforted bundles from wailing fuss budgets!

I'd heard about it and thought it sounded like nothing special, and nothing extra than what I've been doing. I was right, but he really shows you technique for things we already know calm babies and the result is that it takes less than 2 minutes to soothe Alexiss instead of hours or portions of hours. The video actually shows it working instantly on some babies, they go from wailing messes to fine at the snap of my fingers!



So it perfects swaddling, shushing and swinging (bouncing or jiggling) adds in the colic side or upside down hold and finishes it off with suckling (the five s's). I know, what's the big deal, right? Do all those things now and it helps a bit, but not enough? Well put away that gripe water and slap me silly, but by the end of watching the DVD it had already soothed Alexiss more than doing these things even an hour before, with his little finishing touches! Better yet, it's things I already knew how to do so it's not something total foreign that takes watching over and over and trying a few times to get it just right!

Sleep is for sissies

It's been a busy few days since I've updated, Alexiss hasn't given me much time to do anything outside of feeding, playing, holding her and preparing formula.

This week there was one night I didn't get to sleep at all. The worst part was having to go to the bathroom for hours and not being able to! I get stressed trying to keep her quiet and not wake Mark at night so he can get in a good sleep and be able to get in a good work day. By the time she finally settled I had too much to do. So there I was, at 1:00 in the morning, washing bottles and making formula! As I was finishing up she seemed to stir so I though, heck, I'd wait for her to wake up, no sense sleeping for 20 min and having her wake me... well don't you know, the little trickster slept like that, rousing and settling back in, for over two hours! I was still awake when Mark woke up for work at 4:00 am and in the worst of moods! If ever I was going to run away from home, that would've been it. Mark was so sweet the next night, he had Thursday off for Remembrance Day and stayed up with her all night Wednesday and let me get my first real night's sleep since Sept 17th when we went into the hospital to be induced! It was pure heaven and really boosted my patience level, even now, I'm feeling much more calm and able to deal.

The night awake and the night sleeping made me realize a few things. The night Mark let me sleep showed me that her crying isn't as obtrusive to sleep as I feared and stressed about, so I'll worry less about her waking Mark. When "on duty" I don't sleep very deep and am able to rouse as the slightest stir, this has given me a fear that she'll wake Mark, which proves untrue. By the time Mark does wake, I've been at it for hours. He usually sticks his head out to ask if I need anything. Me being me wants him to sleep, and even if I do need something (a bathroom break even), I'll say no and make him go back to bed! So we learned, if and when Mark wakes because of her crying, instead of asking, he'll come out and hold her while I take care of me for 5 to 10 min.

We all went (Mark, Alexiss and I) into Carseland for a Remembrance Day ceremony. Alexiss slept the whole way through and had two people very very interested in getting a peek. One little two year old boy was just enthralled with her and wanted nothing more than to get super close to her, it was so innocent and sweet. I think he was leaning in to kiss her when his mom (or aunt) stopped him. I couldn't help but let him go, it was so sweet and full of love and wonder, I'm finding I'm not as super protective with her personal space as I thought I'd be. I've had no fear of her being hurt. The other was a older great grandmother, she kept saying how precious Alexiss way and was outside of herself, again, the love and wonder shone through. If Alexiss would have stirred I'd have let the woman hold her for a short while, but Alexiss was sound asleep. This woman has 8 grandchildren and great grandchildren (not sure how many)and she seemed to be struck with a love and appreciation for the life Alexiss represented to her. From the very young to the older, I love that.

Just as I'm about to update the little cute monster stirs, lets out a weak exclamation that could be a lazy cry and falls back asleep, must be getting close to feeding time. What can I say, she takes after me in her unwillingness to wake once asleep.

She's been fussy the last few days. Notice I say days not nights and that's something I'm thankful for. Her eating process has been lacking, she's been lazy with it; with sucking, swallowing and burping. I think that's part of the reason for the fussiness honestly, but a little Corb tonight and she finally calmed enough to get a few hours sleep. She's been up all day and, believe it or not, not crying for all of it. We've had some play time, zone out time and happy time complete with smiles and her attempt at a laugh or coo of delight. She loves playing with me when I change her diaper, she loves having her diaper off and always brings her legs up so I can't put a new one on! Then we usually sing and act out "The Wheels on the Bus". I know, not very original, but she likes it and usually gives me a smile then kicks her legs for me to do it again.

Today I bought two girly frilly dresses and an adorable seasonal sleeper for her to wear for Christmas/Yule, I'm not telling what the sleeper is, you'll have to wait. I can't wait to put her in them and take some pictures! Maybe they'll be winners to put in with thank you cards, I have yet to get some good pictures to print off to send, let alone find the time to write the thank you cards. I feel horrible not sending them out but know I'll be able to soon and give it the proper attention instead of just mailing something that's not personal and heartfelt. I got her a dish and mug set too! They are Santas and meant for milk and cookies for Santa. I didn't think I'd see such a cute set again and it'll be fun to start with something she'll take out year after year.

Today while Mark was with her for some reason he said she blatantly asked for tummy time! Very odd since she's not been a fan of being on her tummy up until now and even more odd that Mark knew exactly what she wanted!

Ribbit! Hopped off to Moms and Tots.

Last night Alexiss decided that 2:30 am would be a good time for a feed and to stay awake for a bit, she finally let me take a nap around 5:30ish and I was happy we woke up in time to zoom into town to check out our local Moms and Tots program at the church. There were about six moms who have obviously been going for awhile. I was a little shy but Alexiss wasn't! I fear she's going to be a little social butterfly, she loves being held by other people and was awake and checking things out the whole time... we'll until she got cranky and hungry an hour later.

She's really starting to come into her own interacting and choosing what she wants to do with her awake time. I read an article the other day about lacking sleep and keeping control by a fellow Raveller that really put my attitude in check and honestly, I'm getting back what I'm giving. I remind myself she's relying on me to help her do what she can't do for herself and she's not doing it deliberately or to turn my life upside down. After reading it, it occured to me that times when it's hardest to love someone is when they need your love the most.

She's into some of the 3-6 month clothes now and the length is fitting her just fine.



She's starting to hold her soother! When it falls out of her mouth she tries to put it back in, but she usually ends up sucking on the rim. Her soother isn't an all the time kind of thing and she doesn't rely on it horribly. I'm thankful for that. I never understood giving kids soothers until Alexiss.

Mark decided after feeding her to turn her blanket into a pirate hat. She's so in love with him! As soon as he comes home she's all smiles and she stares at him in awe as long as he'll let her... or until she gets hungry.

Happy Birthday Gramma!

In honor of Gramma's Birthday, I'm posting a picture taken when Alexiss was born and my Mom came to visit.



It's hard being so far away, she's growing so quick! This past Thursday and Friday she was eating a LOT, so I decided to use the Wii to weigh her this weekend and she surprised us by weighing in at 9.5 lbs! No wonder why she was hungry! So, I've recalculated how much she should be eating and we're feeding our growing girl! The good news is that she's started to monitor herself and now doesn't seem to be gorging and overfilling herself. It makes it a lot easier to trust her when she tells me she's still hungry.

She's changing so much! The new cry is actually a cry to go back to sleep, so I bundle her up and rock her until she settles. I swear her real hair is coming in, you see, she's been bald for about two weeks or more with a fringe of hair along her neck... like an old man's mullet, lol, but now her crown is filling in with dark hair.

Today our music was Cat Stevens



..okay, this only took me two hours. lol Time to get her settled enough so "I can start dinner for once.

Jim Henson's The Storyteller - Stone Soup

It was a bit of a rough night, but after three good days and two good nights.. who's complaining! Certainly not me! Poor Mark though, I knew he wasn't working today so I enlisted his help, sometimes (okay, not sometimes.. usually) his aura is more calm than mine and it seems to calm her down a bit easier. She tends to feed feed feed at night to get ready for a good night's sleep, we try to space it so we can measure what she's eating and give her time to digest what she just had. Last night after she finished fussing and eating, she wanted juuuust one more, so I gave in, and you know she took three sips and quickly fell asleep! Then she slept for 5 1/2 hours! Of course, mamma doesn't get to sleep that long with getting her settled as she half dozes and getting things prepared for the next feeds, but it was a good sleep. I'm starting to love weekends with Mark home to help... once I gave up my need to control.... now I get one time a day on weekends to wake up without having to worry about Alexiss and what she wants before I can open my eyes and run to the bathroom. Today I am happy to say I picked up my knitting and knit a few rows instead of spacing out on the computer!

I swear in the past few days she's been trying to laugh! Tummy time is still a little rough going but we'll get there.



Today we watched Jim Henson's The Storyteller - A short story on youtube. The Storyteller usually puts a new spin on old favorites.. because that's what storytellers do. This one features the storyteller himself and tells a tale of his hard times, it also includes him making stone soup! I'm sad I can't embed the video, but there's always a magic link! Click click!

Two good (happy) days!

Two good days in a row! Not sure if it was the new bouncy burping method, the new Playtex VentAire bottles or the new "Good Start" formula. She's sleeping better and eating better. Today she actually stopped before gorging herself and filling her tummy up too much.

She's also mastered getting her thumb in her mouth. What a quick learner!

A little about Alexiss

Alexiss has become a Corb Lund fan! The tempo and Corb`s voice soothe her when she`s fussy, she loves when I tap out the beat on her bum. Here`s a sample of Corb.



Mark loves to sing her too, his choices are usually; Neil Diamond, a sample of his Christian favorites with groups like Needtobreathe and the song `Wondering Where the Lions Are`by Bruce Cockburn.

She`s starting to learn how to use her arms and hands; reaching out to the hanging toys and mirror on her play mat and the illustrations of her new book `Just the way you are`by Max Lucado. For some reason I find special delight watching her try to suck her thumb, when her hand just won`t move right, she moves her head and uses her other hand to help guide her thumb to her mouth.

With our new lease on life (thanks to Zantac) Alexiss has started to enjoy her waking hours and she thanks us with smiles! Mark got the first few smiles but I`m starting to get them now too. She`s also starting to move her head to follow us and watch us, yesterday I played `follow me`and she had so much fun! While she was in Mark`s arms I walked to one side and called her name and she smiled, then I slowly walked behind him to the other side and she followed me the entire time!

During our daily feed, awake and normal interactions I usually call her Bubba or Beauty, depending on my mood and her demeanor.

I love the little mmmuahahaha sound she makes when she`s verbal and just starts sucking on her soother or bottle. Sad to say it`s usually when she`s crying.

6 Weeks

A month of breastfeeding and fighting for proper latching and me not confident I was able to care for myself enough to give enough quality milk made switching to formula a hard and good decision. At 6 weeks she's eating approximately an oz and hour! Her cheeks are getting sooo chubby!

At her last Drs Appt on Oct 21, she weighed in at 8.1 pounds and had grown a full inch!

Alexiss had a really bad week, crying well over 12 hours two days in a row. Last appt we had at the doctors they mentioned that it sounds by her behavior that she could be suffering from acid reflux and if it got worse they could give her a prescription for Zantac. Well, on Friday I broke down and called them back to ask for a prescription. I've only been giving it to her since Friday and already she's a different baby! She played on her mat three times yesterday, usually she's too tired or cranky and would only play once every few days. She smiled more yesterday and was interactive with Mark and I. These are all things that she's done minimally in the past, crying takes a lot out of a girl, she was either awake and fussy most of the time or catching up on sleep because the reason for the crying was keeping her up.

Because of the acid reflux, she doesn't like to lie flat in her crib and we didn't have anything suitable to safely put her into, so she slept on my chest for a few nights, it was the only way she would sleep. We'd had a swing given to us, but it positioned her awkwardly. This weekend I went to WalMart and bought a swing/cradle combination that has a mobile, sounds and a seat that allows her to be rocked in two positions. Yesterday it was a success and she loved sitting in it and staring at the mobile, last night was an even bigger success when she slept in it and didn't cry and insist on being upright on my chest all night.

Introducing our little Starr

Alexiss Starr Faeth Anderson was born on Sept 21st at 7:59 PM. Four induction attempts over 5 days, 3 IVs, 2 epidurals, 3 attempts to see Resident Evil on hospital breaks, countless supportive doctors and nurses routing for us, one bout of jaundice, one week stay at the hospital and a C-section. Through it all she was strong and comfortable enough to give the doctor a run for his money. Her heart rate stayed strong and our faith stayed strong through the long ordeal and in the end we met eye to eye and beautiful face to face. She weighed 6 lbs 14 oz, 51 cm long.

The name Alexiss means to bring change with drastic outcomes, she overcomes adversary and is a confident woman with great storytelling ability. Starr is my grandmother's middle name, in her 90s this is her first (and maybe only) great grandchild. Faeth was added at the hospital, having faith became our mantra for our long hospital stay, we bought a plaque that read "worry ends where faith begins" and we kept saying "we have to have faith". The odd spelling is me putting a faery spin on it.