days like this one

You know that friend you have you who is ridiculously organized and does everything perfectly? She always has her pictures in nice frames (not in a file on her desktop called "to develop"), her bathroom smells nice, she's impeccably dressed, and everything she cooks looks like it just fell out of Gourmet magazine? Well, when that friend throws you a party, let me tell you, it rules. A lot. I'm lucky enough to have two such women in my life, one of them threw me a baby shower (mad props Spankie) and Kate took over in the wedding department.

Gorgeous hand-painted sign courtesy of the lovely Elise Quarmby, artistic genius.

My dear friend Katie threw me an "unbridal shower" today and it was just lovely. We all got together and had tea and played games, and open presents (even though I told them not to bring any), and then they all kicked my ass at croquet. In my defense, I was winning before I put a very sleepy, grumpy Leila is the front carrier and obstructed my view of the ground. The funny thing was, I noticed a number of my favourite songs playing in the background and thought, "hmm that's funny, how the hell would Kate have got a hold of The Weakerthans, Flogging Molly and Blondie?" Just as I sitting congratulating her in my head she told me that my lovely friend Jeff Wint had made a play list as his contribution to the afternoon. Awesome.

But I digress. It was so nice to spend an afternoon with my favourite girls. It was also lovely to have a whole bunch of other willing hands to hold Lise while I went to the bathroom or opened my presents. I feel very lucky to have such wonderful friends. I know this post isn't really about my baby, but sometimes I get so wrapped up with her I forget the rest of my life and today was such a lovely reminder of the great people I have in it. So thanks everyone, you guys are great.

Kate & Me, oh and that baby too.

(Photos taken by Cindy Bouchard, thanks!!)

solid(ish) foods

I know you're supposed to wait until babies are six months old to feed them solids. However, almost everyone I know has started earlier and their babies seem to be fine. So after Leila made yet another mad grab for my cereal this morning I was all: "fine, I'll get you some." And she was all, "thank god woman, I've only been asking for a month."

I was expecting her to be really bummed on her rice cereal with breast milk combo that looked like something a momma wolf would regurgitate for her young, but Leila was surprisingly into it. She grabbed the spoon right out of my hands and attempted to feed herself, which worked to a degree, but she hasn't yet mastered the refilling concept. We'll have to see how her stomach handles it over the next couple days, but so far she is stoked.

"Woman, I can do it myself!"

"Please, Sir, can I have some more?"

five monthday (only a few days late)

Dear Leila,

This past Saturday you turned five months old! We were at your grandparent's house on Pender Island hence the belated letter. You had fun there though. You've decided that with enough introduction people who aren't me or your dad are ok and are allowed to hold you. We left you alone with them for a couple of hours so we could go canoeing (we would have taken you, but you hate your life jacket and cry the whole time), and I was so worried about you we came home early, but when we got back you were all smiles sitting on your grandad's lap.

It's so strange to see my parents with you and get the smallest of insights into what it must have looked like when I was your age. I feel like I am saving up all these anecdotes that will become the stories of who you were as a baby, stories you will carry around the rest of your life, but that you will have no real memory of.

You're doing all sorts of cool baby things these days. You can sit on your own for a few minutes now. You're also really really excited about your jolly jumper and bounce away happily until you're bored and need to move on to the next activity. You still don't sleep all that well, but we're working on that. You've actually started doing this somewhat cute somewhat frustrating thing where once you're asleep you wake up as soon as I put you down in your crib, so I have to pick you back up and hold you in my arms until your as limp as a noodle and then I can carefully put you back in your own bed. It's a little hard if I need to get something done, but there's something really lovely about your solid warmth in my arms so I try to have a book handy for those extra couple of minutes it takes you to fall deeply asleep.

You've really turned my world upside down little girl, but I love you so much more than I ever knew I could. You're a rose, you're a pearl, you're the spin on my world.

Love you always,

Mom

Sitting with Sophie!

interspecies relations

Norton is currently Leila's very favourite toy. He's not so sure how he feels about this.

i can see for miles and miles

I can see two sets of fireworks right now. The ones in Coal Harbour and the ones right below the Lion's Gate Bridge. Somehow watching fireworks by yourself seems like the lonelinest thing in the world to do.

I didn't know how lonely having a baby would make me. How it would make me tied by this invisible string to my child. Some parents can leave their babies with friends, or relatives. My baby screams if she's with anyone but me and sometimes her dad. But still, mostly me. So I'm at home, alone. Because she's a asleep and the dog is too young to babysit.