moving house

I decided to move to a more neutral url, that doesn't have my last name in it.
You can continue to follow us here: http://keirabean.blogspot.com
Please update your urls!

Poor Baby (my other baby)

Arwenn got into a scrap a few weeks ago. We never think much of it, because she fashions herself the "dog" police of our little complex. (seriously - she pounces on dogs. then lies in the middle of the road without regard for cars. she is an enigma).
but when we started finding spots of blood around the house, we investigated. and discovered a rather nasty gash on her tail. quite wide and thick. Off to the vets, where we introduced Arwenn to the wonders of the cone head. I don't think she was impressed with this new accessory:

Go Canucks Go!

Its that time of year again, Hockey Playoffs. After faltering in the 2nd round with Blackhawks, The 'Nucks pulled a great game yesterday and stayed in the series. We are now at 3-2, with 2 more must win games to come if we want to keep going.

Here is K providing her own moral support. I think it really helped. Who can deny that enthusiasm?

Keira is almost 17 months old and 2 of her favourite words are already "hockey" and "goal". I see smelly padding and lots of ice time in our future.

Bath Time Fun

Just some bath time shots to share with you.

K loves bathtime, but has developed a hatred of water in her eyes, which makes washing her growing-at-the-speed-of-molasses hair somewhat difficult. But we manage. She loves pouring water from cup to cup, "washing" her knees, ears and toes herself with a washcloth and singing our 2 bath time songs - "Rubber Ducky" (from Sesame Street) and the animated "Rain is Falling Down (splash)". She particularly likes the splash part. She likes it so much she gave me a heart attack yesterday when I stepped into the next room to grab a shirt (I know. terrible idea). I heard a few HUMONGOUS thrashing splashes and hightailed it back into the room with my heart in my throat thinking she was drowning in the few inches of water I let her have.. Turns out she was simply standing and holding the edge of the tub to provide more traction to her legs which she was furiously splashing behind her. And grinning maniacally while doing so. Oy vey. I plan to park my butt on the rim and not move more than an inch from her ever again.

Keira is 16 months old and it will be a miracle if I live through the next month without a heart attack

Then and Now, Keira style

It has officially been one year since I got my DSLR camera, so I am in the mood for a comparison shot.
Keira, April 2009:

and Keira, April 2010:

sniff sniff. My baby is getting so big!

Easter 2010

We had a really nice family weekend, and were able to visit with 2 of the 3 sets of grandparents (the third being a bit difficult right now as it would involve a nearly 8 hour flight one way. We do skype regularly, which is why K thinks that grandma lives in the computer. Often when we say grandma? she will point at the computer screen excitedly. Sooo cute)
Here are a few shots from the easter egg hunt the IL's set up for us. K got the hang of finding eggs very quickly. In fact, the next day I kept finding her checking under the rug and table for treats. Sorry K, just a mouldy cheerio to be had there. Chocolate she doesn't quite understand yet. She chose to squish the egg between her fingers until it melted, rather then actually eat it. I guess we should be thankful she hasn't figured out what a chocolate coma feels like yet.

 

Keira is 15 months 3 weeks old and I am in a chocolate coma.

Wanna Snag a Free Camera?

Sorry to my faithful readers who follow both my blogs. This is simply a re-post from Pile of Pics

You will soon be back to your regularly scheduled Keira Attention Whoring.

Or more to the point, does your 1 year old insist on trying to hold your treasured $500+ DSLR, or better yet, grab the lens with her peanut butter fingers, and you are sick of telling her "no, that is not a toy. That is just for mommy". And then handling the temper tantrum that ensues?

Ok, maybe that is just me. But hey, free stuff is good right? My dear friend Trina of Look at the Birds has an awesome giveaway going on right now for the Leapfrog Talking Digital Camera. So click her button below, check it out, leave your comments and you could win! But really I hope you don't. Because I need to deflect Peanut Butter Fingers from my lens like yesterday.

Life's little mysteries

Why is it that when I am in the kitchen and need to use sharp knives or cook on a hot stove, K refuses to let me put her down for even a second, but when we go for a walk outside she refuses to even just hold my hand on the street?
Just another anecdote pointing to the fact my baby is becoming a toddler.

Momma's Little Helper

Keira's recent forays into mimicing include not only questionable prompts from her daddy (douchebag!) but also a desire to do exactly what I am doing. Sometimes this manifests in wanting to eat what is on my plate, even though her plate holds the same goodies. Or she wants to "help" me vacuum or sweep (which usually involves sitting in the pile of dust, or shoving the dust across the floor with the broom handle).

But one area which has worked out for everyone involved is feeding the cats. She will bound into the living room and excitedly exclaim "KITTY?!?" This means she feels it is time to feed them. She will fetch their bowls and bring them to the ktichen, watch while we dole out each scoop, then carefully, like she is transporting extremely precious cargo,  carry each bowl back to its feeding place. Its adorable, and really, after 16 months, its about time she started contributing around here :)

What Does your List look Like?

I found this on my friend Mariluh's blog, and had to participate. I am a sucker for lists. So even though this has very little to do with miss K, I am going to subject you to it anyway. Things I have done are bolded:


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondla
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been inside an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone


78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
69. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (does a magazine count?)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (I am counting fish here)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90 Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Added by Mariluh's friend Gizmola:
100. Eaten lunch on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
101. Lit candles at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
102. Been stopped by the cops for making out in my car
103. Been threatened with arrest (for doing donuts in the snow at a local high school)
104. Had surgery

105. Played on the beach at Malibu
106. Been a bridesmaid
107. Caught the bouquet
108. Been engaged
109. Broken off engagement
110. Acted in a play
111. Directed a play


And added by Mariluh:
112. Been to Las Vegas
113. Been to Euro Disney
114. Been to Disney World
115. Been to Capri


116. Seen a snow capped mountain only from afar
117. Been to the Atlantis in the Bahamas

This is what I would add:
118. been given a kiss that makes you weak in the knees
119. participated in an international student exchange
120. kept a juicy secret for a good friend no one else knows
121. shared a juicy secret with a good friend you haven't shared with anyone else

How many can you check off? What would you add?

Inner Ramblings of a Toddler

I am taking this moment to forward you all to a great blog you most likely already know about. But if you don't, you should.
One of this week's entries over at BabyRabies literally had me rolling on the ground laughing this weekend. My husband thought I was nuts as I was still clutching the laptop when doing so :)
She wrote a post this week documenting what she could only imagine were the inner thoughts of her nearly 2 year old as the day went by. I could not have said it better myself:
Toddler Mood Swings by BabyRabies

And as a Keira related update to last week's post, I hit my limit again with parenting her to sleep since her teeth had broken through and she shook this cold (finally! a month later). She was sliding back to a point where she got upset if we tried to leave the room, would try to climb out of the crib if I came in to sit next to her (meaning only Regan could go in to check her and was sleeping on the floor many nights in a row), and refused to go back to sleep after about 5am. So I went back and did my sleep training checks, only going in every 10 minutes to pat her back and whisper "sssh sshh sleepy sleepy" (our inane, yet remarkable "sleep" phrase). The first time we did this it took her an hour to fall asleep. the next time, it only took 1 check. And pretty clear since then.  2 out of the last 3 mornings she has slept in until 7am! Praise be to baby jesus. Once again she is happier, easier to handle and goes to bed with very little fussing. We can hear her waking up 2-4x per night still, but now instead of screaming murder until we come in, she cries out for maybe 30 seconds, then fusses for a little while before falling back asleep. We are all happier and better rested.

I know I am overdue for some real updates and fun pictures. I have been having some uploading issues so I can't share any new photos with you. Suffice to say she is doing many adorable things lately, including taking over cat feeding duties, expanding her counting vocabulary, and working on her own version of the alphabet. Plus she likes to "drop it while its hot" to many a rap singer. Though a good ol' country square dance is also not outside of her expertise. Life is exhausting and grand all at the same time.

Keira is 15 months old

Sleep, perchance to Dream

I have written I don't know how many sleep posts over the past year, and never finish them. why? Because Sleep is still an illusive thing around these parts. When K was born, they told us "6 weeks is the height of the blurry period, and it all gets better from there". 6 weeks came and went, and Colic settled into our daily lives. We were up from 10pm-2am rocking her straight with an iphone blasting white static in her ear, or she screamed bloody murder. However, she was a great napper. So we counted our blessings and braced ourselves for the short battle to come.

Well then they told us "colic only lasts to 3 months 90% of the time." So we grit our teeth and made it to 3 months. She gave us some reprieve, moving her screaming fest from 10pm to 7pm. Now we still rocked her for 3-4 hours, but at least it was only until 10pm. In exchange her previously 2+ hour naps dropped and dropped until they were only 30 minute cat naps at a time. Then it turned out we had an overachiever who wanted to be in the top 10 percentile of colicy babies. If you are going to do something, do it 100 % I guess. So we kept on pushing through. the 4 month wakeful period came, where she wanted to wake up at 2am and play for hours on end. the colic did start to wane and by 6 months was gone. We thought maybe, maybe now we can get this under control.

Then they told us "most babies sleep through the night by 6 months." Well ours didn't like being told what to do, and instead decided to go backwards; she went from 5-7 hour stretches at night down to 2-3 hours, then down to 45 minutes at its shortest span. I was literally sleeping sitting up.  In amongst all of this we tried every conceivable sleep training method. They all worked for a few weeks, but then would regress to the point of me breaking my back by bouncing her to back to sleep every few hours. The naps remained 30 minutes long on the outside.

I came to a realization. They were wrong, They never told us not all babies are made equal; some are bad sleepers; some are restless; some simply don't need as much sleep as others. They were talking out of their asses as far as I was concerned.


We gave in to co-sleeping around 8 months, just to get some sleep. I relegated myself to the spare bedroom, where I spent many an evening with my arm propped on a pillow, K curled into my shoulder and my laptop on my lap until I could fall asleep my self. Yes I slept more, yes I got treasured mamma bear moments looking down at my innocent baby lightly snoring against my arm, and I felt giddy inside at those moments. I wouldn't trade them. But I never saw my husband. This was not a permanent solution.

So around 11 months, we thought, one last shot. We needed our sleep. We needed to not resent our child. We needed to start enjoying the daytime we had with her, instead of dreading the countdown to bedtime. To this day a baby cry anywhere makes my heart jump through my throat,  as it reminds me of the monitor going off at 2am, 2:30, 3:15. 4:30....you get my drift. Its my own personal version of Post Traunatic Stress.

We shelled out the bucks for a sleep consultant. She demanded we set up a strict routine throughout the day of designated eating, activity and sleep time. routine, repetition and consistency was key. For 6 weeks we were to go nowhere during nap times/bed times. No more car/stroller/carrier naps. No more pushing through just to get something extra at the store, or to catch the last hockey period at M&A's house. While we did not care for the demeanor of this sleep consultant, it did ultimately work....sort of.

We finally broke the bad sleep association habits Keira was so stubbornly holding onto. Some nights she even happily goes into her crib, grabs her lovies, roll overs and talks herself to sleep (more often then not this is still punctuated with crying, but at least its not constant). We still deal with, on average, 2-4 wakeups per night. Sometimes she just moans for a minute or two, rolls over and goes to sleep. Sometimes needs a check-in and she goes right back down; sometimes its a diaper change (she appears to be very sensitive to this); sometimes she is sick (like the past 3 weeks) or breaking a tooth ( all.the.time). Once in a blue moon, she will sleep straight for 10 1/2 hours, like she did in my birthday (and not since).

We tend to trade off now, and invariably at least 1/2 the nights in a week one of us will spend some time sleeping on the floor next to her crib. This is our cosleeping compromise. She can know we are there, but she has to sleep in her own space.

Sometimes she fights going to sleep really hard. Her naps are still erratic, ranging from 30 minutes to 2 hours; sometimes its 1 nap per day, sometimes its 2. She has a tendency to start waking up at 5am, even though we never get her "up" for the day until 6:30am.
Oddly enough, I feel zen about it though. I finally let go of the notion that she will sleep through the night anytime soon. And then it all became easier to handle. Without the expectation, I learned to roll with the punches. I guess that is what being a parent is, rolling with the punches. They don't come with instruction manuals, and that is in part why they are so awesome.

I alternate between laughing at clueless new parents who think their babies will be STTN by 6 weeks, and wanting to throat punch them when their babies actually do.

Here are a few things I picked up along the way:

1. whoever coined the term "sleep like a baby", didn't have one. Its loud, messy and sporadic.
2. the medical definition of sleeping through the night is five consecutive hours. Most normal people don't measure STTN this way. But it does mean when talking to other parents you never know what what their definition of STTN is. try not to compare yours to what little timmy is doing.
3. babies do not develop sleep habits until 4 months of age. So until then, do what you need to do to get them to sleep.
4. that being said, routine and consistency is key, so start early and start often.
5. practice the illusive "drowsy but awake"
6. some babies are good sleepers. some babies are bad sleepers. try not to compare your child to others. try not to beat your head against a wall if they don't respond to the popular sleep techniques.
7. I don't consider myself an "attachment parent". Heck I followed Ferber and other CIO methods, and to this day let K cry at bedtimes/naptimes if need be. But I beg of you, do not practice CIO on a child younger then 6 months. They are crying for a reason, not to manipulate you. It is their only form of communication. It means they need something
8. when you feel the need to throw your crying baby out the window (these days do exist), it is ok to put them in a safe place, step away and take a breather. This is not CIO; this is sanity building so you can go back and do what needs to be done without contemplating infanticide.

so let's end on a positive. A photo that looks peaceful and zen in its simplicity. Let's pretend K is this calm all day (and night) long:

Keira is 1 year and 3 months old

I think I am winning the bet

sorry for the hiatus. My camera was stolen, then 2 weeks later, my laptop literally fell out of the back of my car. I was in a pretty deep funk. Then we were hit with the stomach flu and cold to boot. I basically crawled into bed and hid.

back before K was even a glimmer in our eyes, R and I would discuss what our hypothetical children would look like. R wanted blue eyes and blonde straight hair, similar to mine. I craved blue eyes and a mass of dark curls, like his.
We both got the blue eyes (thank goodness, or I would have had some 'splaining to do, considering we both have blue eyes too).
But despite R's attempts to flatten her hair with water every 30 seconds and beat it into submission, I think I am winning the battle:

Two word sentences!

Keira said her first word sentence today! In response to "would you like to go upstairs?" we heard "yeah, alright" as clear as day. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Keira is 13 months, 4 weeks and 2 days old.

Random fun with Daddy

Just a series of shots I snapped a few weeks ago with daddy.
This is one of their favourite games, playing airplane:

Lookback: 1 year shots

Does this look like the face of a girl who got 5 shots only 10 minutes before?

Yeah, we didn't think so either :)

K got her shots way back on January 14th. Despite being the largest group she had yet, she took them like a champ and was delighting the nurses with her giggles and antics only a few minutes later.

Moments to live for

Last night I was sitting on my couch just grinning from ear to ear as I watched my daughter get her "purse", put a sock in it (and it couldn't be any sock - it was the same red with hearts sock each time), and wander towards the front door. When I asked her if she was planning to go for a walk outside with her purse, she said "Yeah! Bye-bye" and waved at me. Then she reappeared around the corner grinning maniacally and looking for hugs.

Later we played chase around the coffee table and it only took her two passes to anticipate which direction I was going to go and double back so she could catch me instead.

These are the good times and I don't ever want to forget them.

Some recent captures of little Miss Personality:

Keira is 1 year, 1 month, 1 week and 5 days old

Playing Catch Up Part One: Christmas Photo Shoot

In early December I decided I wanted to try and get some photos of Miss K to put on a Christmas card. I used our alpaca wool carpet as a backdrop, draped over my coffee table. This won't work again as she is now too tall and her head peeks over the edge. I need to breakdown and invest in some nice sheets that are easy to iron...

She was not super into it, but I managed to get a few good shots I think:

 

 

 

 

 

And a some I took outside with a different ball (which quickly broke on the concrete)

I really need to work on my editing. In the first group see how the whites are all over the place? I am not smart enough yet to figure out how to balance them all to the same level. I have to work on each photo individually for now. But I think I captured some fun moments. I also like how the 2nd group outside she looks like such a big little girl. This is right after she really mastered walking. She no longer needed to hold my hand to walk across the concrete.
here she is flying away from me:

And here is the final product I ordered, through one of Vistaprint's many freebie deals (50 postcards, free)

(The middle photo of all of us is courtesy of the ever talented Kyla Hemmelgarn Photography)

And because I love it and it was from the same day, sharing a secret with Grandma:

2009 in pictures

I know, I did it again. I let my blogging slide. I am sorry faithful reader (aka mom). But the beauty of a another year, there is always time to begin things anew.
I owe you some major blogging - K has been a walking, talking, signing, giggling machine. Not to mention Christmas and her 1 year birthday!
For now, let's look back at 2009 and 12 of my favourite moments caught on film:

January 2009 - who knew we would spend so much time in 2009 chasing this illusive image?:

February 2009:

March 2009 - my little gnome:

April 2009 - the emergence of my treasured Nikon d60

May 2009: K sits unassisted for the first time and the race to toddlerhood begins!

June 2009 - our first swimming lessons:

July 2009 - K's first boat ride:

 

August 2009 - lots of family togetherness. I don't think I can pick just one for this month:

K and Sophia chilling on the beach in Emerald Isle, NC

K's first golf game in Charleston, SC:

September 2009 - hanging with one of her many grandpas:

October 2009 - sunkissed baby:

November 2009:

December 2009 - nailing the money shot for our christmas cards:

Wishing everyone a great beginning to the new year!