Hannah is 11 months old today!!!

Wow! Another month has already flown by and Hannah has changed and grown in more ways that I ever could have happened to my little sweetie! She changes and learns things daily!!!

Also, in this last month Hannah and I have really gotten our groove on. We're on a bit of a schedule, at least enough that works for us and besides that, we've begun attending a few 'Mommy and Me' things that are great!

Our day normally begins sometime between 8:30 and 9:30 am when we wake up and spend some fun time playing together in mommy's bed for about an hour. Just hanging out, chatting, reading stories and slowly beginning the day together. From there it's time to brush our teeth/gums, a diaper change for Hannah and we head downstairs for breakfast. Hannah is now eating stage 2 and 3 Heinz cereals and are either flavoured oatmeal or rice cereal which I add apple sauce to. This morning I introduced plain yogurt to the menu. You can see here what she thought of that!

Lunch normally consists of baby food veggies (sometimes with meat) and fruit and then an 8oz bottle of formula. She normally eats about 1/3 of a small jar of each at each meal. Supper is very similar to lunch although I've reduced that bottle until 4 oz. as she was often spitting up in the evenings. It was 2-3 hours after her bottle so not sure what was causing it but reducing the amount of this feed has helped some. I must admit to being surprised that Hannah is still sick almost every day but the doctor says it's nothing to be concerned about. This morning she had great aim as just as we were ready to go out she coughed a bit and then lost most of her cereal right down mommy's top and into her bra. Mmmmmm....that was a treat! ;o)

Our day normally ends with a bath, stories, bottle and bed. This month we began to really enjoy some of Sandra Boynton's books. 'Moo, Baa, La La La', 'The Going to Bed Book', 'Barnyard Dance' and many more! Some we own and others we are borrowing from our local library.

Our other book that we read as our final story each night is my favourite! It's called 'Mommy's Best Kisses' and is written by Margaret Anastas. It's a great little book talking about animal mommies and the precious little places they kiss. Hannah and I act it out and it leads to mommy placing kisses on her little love`s hands, belly, neck and soft hair. Highly recommended to all!!

Hannah at 11 months: ¸
Height: 30" (she's grown 3/4 of an inch in the past month and is still somewhere between the 90-95 percentile for height)

Weight: 18.12 lbs. (she gained 1/2 a pound this month and is around the 20th percentile for weight.)

Teeth - One!!! Hannah has a tooth!! It was cute...the first day the tooth was there she played with her tongue all day long trying to figure out what this new little thing in her mouth was all about! She knew something was different but didn't have a clue what it was.

Long and lean is my little love and still wearing size 2 diapers (Pamper's Swaddlers) but we may need to move to the 2-3 Swaddlers soon simply because the size 2's are beginning to leak sometimes.

We were at the doctor's the middle of the month for her check-up (he's seeing her each month for the first while we're home) and she received her 2nd set of immunizations. After re-reading some of the information I've received from my agency and talking with Auntie D, the doctor and I decided together that we would begin her immunizations from the beginning but fast track them a bit. There is concern that even though her immunization records were filled out when I received her, there have been problems in the past with those immunization either being expired or not properly stored so not always effective. Better safe than sorry when it comes to immunizations in my books. Doing what I believe is best for my daughter based on valid information provided to me.

Hannah's 10th month was monumental when it came to changes!!! Monumental to say the least! She went from laying down to sitting up on her own (January 10th)
sitting to hopping, hopping to crawling,

and crawling to pulling herself up to a standing position!! What's not seen in this video is me tossing the video camera aside and diving to protect Hannah from the fireplace! I suddenly realized how close she was.I'd say the toughest week we've had in some ways was the week she learned how to stand up but wasn't too effective at getting down. The first few days she felt falling backwards onto her back and head was the best option and I was often found diving to catch her and protect her from hurting herself. It was also a challenge when she was in her crib as she would try to stand up over and over again but she was crashing into the bars if I didn't lay her down so I just kept laying her down. For 3 nights I did my best 'Supernanny' impression and just sat in the dark and kept laying her down every time she stood up.

Eventually she learned to sit down and we've had far less bonks since then. They still happen but not nearly so often and she's much, much better now at not crashing her precious little head

This month Hannah's very first tooth also made it's appearance!! It's her lower right in the front and first broke through around January 7th. We brush it faithfully each morning although I think she's more interested in chewing my finger that has the little toothbrush thingy on it.


Hannah did really well with the tooth and didn't display any of the signs that I thought she might. She wasn't cranky; didn't drool or have messy diapers and her cheeks were only a little pink. Wonder if the rest will happen in a similar manner? What also surprised this first time mommy is how long it takes a tooth to come up once it's broken through! It's now 3 weeks later and it's still only about half way up. No signs of any others yet but I have a feeling this month we'll see at least one more. Will it be the other bottom tooth or one of her top ones?

This month my little love also became discerning about her bath. She loves the bath but saved her pee pees for after the bath! 3 times this past week she's gone as I've had her wrapped in her octopus or rabbit towel and was heading to the change table. Being the one who shares the tub with her I must admit to appreciating this discernment. :o)

We also began a few classes and are really enjoying them! Tuesday morning is, 'Books and Bounces' at our local library.
Thursday is swimming lessons (Sorry, no pool pics yet. Cameras are ¸only allowed week 6 of lessons so my photographers are booked to capture pictures and videos of all our splashing fun! Auntie Joy may also come with her camera so Hannah will have her own little poolside p*parazzi. )
Friday's we go to a music class with Auntie K1, Chick and Pea.
We had very little snow for January which meant we could go outside for walks a couple of times each week. Hannah normally slept and we both enjoyed the fresh air!
The amount of TV she watches is extremely limited as she loves to play so why sit her in front of the TV? That being said, about twice a week when she's taking her time waking up from a nap or we're just enjoying a little cuddle time together, I'll turn on an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that I have recorded on the PVR.` Hannah really enjoys it and it`s a fun, educational little show that is fun for both of us to watch. Besides, it`s never too early to introduce my little love to Mickey Mouse!!

Hannah tried a few new foods this month as we`re slowly broadening her options. I`m thinking more teeth will help this. This month she was introduced to: rice, pasta, yogurt, watermelon, cantaloupe

Here are some of my favourite pics taken over the past month.

Playing horsie with Grandpa Ryan


Watching the snow fall
Finding new ways to play with the exersaucer
Visiting with Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma
Playing the piano with the help of Grandpa Perkins
Distraught by the amount of laundry! Oh Hannah, I understand this feeling completely! Mommy only wishes she could kick her feet and cry about it too!
Meeting her new little friend Alyssa
Visiting friends with mommy
Occasionally trying sleeping on her tummy until Mommy notices and moves you back onto your back. You sleep very still and normally don`t move from your back or the spot you fall asleep for the entire night! Only your little head rolls from side to side occasionally and your arms and feet may move but basically you stay in the same position for 10-11 hours! Mommy fidgits at night and wishes she could sleep so still!
You get pretty excited when you find Mommy`s video camera or regular camera to play with!
The beautiful face that melts Mommy`s heart many times each day!

Yup! I'm a Mom!

Sometimes I find myself saying things that just make me laugh and think, 'Yup! I'm a Mom!' One of the things I find myself calling down the hall a couple of times each day is...

'I'm just going pee pees. You can hear me if you listen!'

Heh...I love this mommy gig!!!

Crawling and Standing !

January 11th - Just starting to crawl


January 26th - Crawling like crazy....except today since mommy put me in a dress!


Hannah's new found mobility was also really good for mommy. I finally found the time to record the last of the shower gifts and get most of them put away.
Hannah was amazingly blessed to have 8 showers in her honour and I wanted to record all the gifts in one place to make writing thank you notes easier...someday. Sometimes the gifts stayed in the hall longer than I liked but since she could now reach them it was an encouragement to get them recorded and put away. Unfortunately/Fortunately Hannah has made it very clear that mommy's computer time should be regulated so she fusses if I'm here for more than ummm....a minute! Thus, blogging normally happens after bed!

I love my little active girl and watching her explore her new world is a treat! I love nothing more than to just sit and listen to her precious little voice chat away to herself and her toys. Such sweet, sweet music!! This video features her adorable sneezes and....I love, love, love how her face breaks into that huge grin when our eyes meet!

Little Places for Little Faces

Now that Hannah's crawling a whole new world has opened up to her. I giggled this afternoon as she played for about 20 minutes under her high chair!
Trying to stand up
'Um Mommy. A little help here please!'
Off for more adventures.

Squeaky Pooh

My sweet niece Rebecca and I have had the awesome pleasure of visiting Disney World 4 times together! On our very first trip was in May of 2004 when she had just turned 5 years old and she found a cute little Pooh bear that squeaked the very first day we were there. Squeaky Pooh I (the first) joined our trip and went to the parks with us each day and made an appearance in almost every picture we took.

When we prepared to return home that trip Squeaky Pooh even went through security in Orlando, for a ride on the luggage belt and filled out a Canadian Customs card on the plane on the way home. Squeaky Pooh I was officially Rebecca's little buddy!

We returned to Disney World in December of 2005 and one thing Rebecca was really looking forward to was finding a new Squeaky Pooh as the first one had been lost during an adventure. We started our trip at the Magic Kingdom and were excited to buy a new Squeaky Pooh so SP II was born. Once again he travelled to the parks with us each day until we accidentally left him in a washroom stall and when we went back 5 minutes later he was gone. My little sweetie was so sad!! We checked lost and found a few times but alas Squeaky Pooh II was gone. Unfortunately it was our last day at the parks and since this particular Pooh is only available in the store attached to the Winnie the Pooh ride in Magic Kingdom we weren't able to replace him. We went home having had another great trip but Rebecca was sad to be without Squeaky Pooh II. This was before I knew anything about eBay so I tried calling the Disney Store but I wasn't able to replace him for her.

Our next trip was in December of 2006 and once again we looked for Squeaky Pooh but this time the store didn't have any. She found a cute little Piglet that was a treat to carry with her but she just wasn't Squeaky Pooh. We looked in every store we could find but Squeaky Pooh III was not to be. You can imagine our excitement when we found a Squeaky Pooh on the last day we were there! Squeaky Pooh the III was once again with his little friend Rebecca! (Can't find a picture of that happy reunion.)
In January of 2008 Rebecca and I had another great trip to Disney and this one was super exciting as we were both had our best friends with us! Victoria and her Grandma (my friend Sharon) went to Disney with us and we had an amazing trip together!! The girls collected a number of stuffed animals that trip including a Squeaky Pooh (IV) for Victoria. They also quickly decided that Hannah had to have a Squeaky Pooh of her own so Squeaky Pooh V was purchased for her and tucked away in a bin until she came home.
I was going through bins the other day and found this cuddly, fuzzy little Squeaky Pooh and introduced him to Hannah. He's the perfect size for her and she immediately planted a wet sloppy kiss on him and now he's one of the first toys she reaches for in the morning. Before going to bed I make sure Taggie and Squeaky Pooh are near her and it's not unusual for me to wake up to her holding and talking to Squeaky Pooh. Too cute!!

I hope to have Rebecca and Victoria over for a sleepover this spring and I'm guessing it might just be a Squeaky Pooh Reunion weekend!!

How Do You Know When It's Time To Get Out of the Bath??

When the baby poops in the tub!!!

Hannah and I were at my parent's place for supper tonight. As the evening wore on I decided to give her a bath there. My 10yo niece Rebecca and I donned our bathing suits and Hannah donned her bir1hday suit!

We hopped into the jacuzzi tub and even though there was only 8" of water we had a great time hanging out; Rebecca and I chatting and Hannah playing with new toys. All was well until...Rebecca went to move her foot and felt something squishy! At the same time I noticed little floaters in the tub. She jumped out laughing and screaming while mommy just sat there and laughed!

We all got out, laughed histerically at the poop stuck to mommy's bathing suit and then after a quick shower it was pj time with a blog post to prepare!

Now, off to put my little pooper to bed!

This Picture Just Makes Me Smile

Hannah and I were invited to spend a day with Ava and her Mommy Liz and we had a great time! We drove into a part of Toronto with a large Asian population and enjoyed a yummy lunch of dim sum. This picture makes me giggle as you can see how much stuff there was on the table but also the wide berth of open space within Hannah's reach! :o)


After lunch we wandered around the mall purchasing children's chopsticks and also a decoration for Chinese New Year.

Thanks for a great day and introducing us to a new shopping mall Ava and Liz.

My Little Cheerio Tease!

Hannah began feeding me Cheerios yesterday! I had truly never thought about it but she was sitting on my lap rather than in her high chair and suddenly Hannah was feeding Mommy Cheerios! I guess all those I've fed her over the past couple of months gave her the idea to share some with me too.

I grabbed the video camera later that night to capture it on film and this cute video is the result. Oh how I love her giggles!!!

Cool Baby Gadgets!

I love all the neat things that are available today for babies!!

Car seat cover which means Hannah can still be snuggly strapped into her car seat even in frigid temps and only need a hat, a blanket or two and this great cover! Another bonus is that if she falls asleep when we're out (which happens often) I can just remove the cover when we're back in the house and she remains asleep. The other thing that means the most to me is that the car seat straps are right against Hannah's clothing rather than having a coat or other cover that could compress during an accident and compromise the effectiveness of the seat.

Hannah doesn't mind the cover and often smiles when she sees it coming. When we were first home she'd reach her little hands through the top but now she just laughs at the top and pushes it open for a better view. LOL! If it's really windy I hold it closed but normally just laugh at her when I see her pop it open. These covers are available at Walmart at a cost of about $19.

Nuby Nibblers As seen in the watermelon post, these little nets with an easy-to-hold handle are great! Since buying them last week Hannah has been introduced to cantaloupe, honeydew melon and watermelon. Watermelon was by far her favourite! I had another one of these net things made by a different company but the handle wasn't as easy for her to hold and it was also nearly impossible to open. I would recommend the ones by Nuby hands down!! I purchased Hannah's at the Superstore and paid around $8 for two.

Exersaucers Hannah has two exersaucers. One downstairs which she enjoys playing in and a second one upstairs which she enjoys and mom finds priceless! I can grab a shower, put my makeup on and get dressed all while she's playing safely in her exersaucer. I put it in the hallway outside the bathroom door so she can see me wherever I am. (On a side note, someone (can't remember who) recommended I install a second shower rod with a clear shower curtain on it and it's been a huge help!!! Hannah can see me, I can see her and there is never any concern about her crying and me not hearing her. She enjoys playing in her exersaucer and mommy gets the shower she needs!)

Baby Carriers We have 4 different baby carriers and it is not unusual for her to spend time in each of them on many days. The one we used most in China and still use the most is the Baby Bjorn. I can't begin to add up the hours she has spent in this wonderful carrier and how much it has meant to our attachment and bonding. It is still our favourite and when she's having rough moments and just needs some Mommy time all I need to do is pull out 'Mr Snuggles' and she calms immediately!

The other 3 carriers are all helpful too and can be used at different times. The sling is helpful when doing dishes or making bottles as Hannah can easily see what's going on without having to twist around.
The only one I don't have a picture of us using is the Baby Hawk so this old pic when my cousin Bridget was teaching me how to use it will have to do. It's a comfy, sturdy carrier which can be worn comfortably for long periods of time.
My newest addition (thanks to the one Bridget loaned me and I since purchased one on eBay) is the Moby. It's a comfy, cotton, snuggly wrap and Hannah easily falls asleep in this one.
Bridget and I are both sold on the benefits of baby carriers and the benefits they offer to both baby and mommy. I am so thankful for these carriers and the way they allow Hannah and I to spend quality time together every day!

Sleep Sack A sleep sack is a wonderful cover that you zip baby into for sleeping and it means they can't kick the covers off and stay warm all night long. I'll be honest and say that tonight is the first night Hannah has actually tried out her sleep sack but as of 1:45am so far so good! Hannah loves to sleep with her ladybug blanket covering her from her chin to her ankles but don't let it cover her feet thank-you-very-much! If anything covers her feet she kicks and kicks unti it's off. Because of this I've been hesitant to try the sleep sac but after taking this pic tonight I decided to see how it goes. She really doesn't seem to mind it and I think I'll sleep better as I won't be checking a few times each night to ensure she's properly covered. (I remember my friend Jo Anne showing me a sleep sac she'd brought from France over 13 years ago and I'd never seen then here but thankfully now they're readily available)

Portable High Chair Hannah's portable high chair normally stays at Grandma and Grandpa Perkins as my parents have one at their home but I've also been known to take this high chair to restaurants with me when the ones they have don't work for Hannah's age. Right now the wooden ones with little support just don't work for her as she needs more support but more importantly, there isn't a tray in the front of them and the table is at teeth level. Ouch! Much happier to take my own.
There are two others which Hannah has since outgrown but they were the Bumbo seat and activity mats. Both great for younger babies!

I'm sure there are other wonderful gadgets that I use but I just can't think of them right now. What are some of your favourite baby gadgets that are fairly new on the market?