Teething Can Bite Me...

My poor monkey has been had a couple days of intense teething. Yesterday was a tough one, she cried and slept all morning. Finally I decided it was time to try the Anbesol and within 30 seconds life was better again. The Pharmacist who gave it to us had put a fear in me, and seemed to be disappointed that we would even consider using the infant formula. We hardly use it, but it's a miracle when we need it. The slightest amount seems to take that edge off and she can enjoy her day again.

The poor little girl, it hurts as a parent to see her in so much pain, especially when there is not much you can do. I'm dreading the first Flu, Cold, and bad injury, but it will come and go and we will all survive.



Until then we will deal with the teething with snuggles, juice, Dora the Explorer, and the random dose of Tylenol and Anbesol. It's days like these where I am grateful to be able to work from home. I snuggle her in my lap as long as I can and power through emails, curriculum, and assignments. I've been doing this awhile now so I feel like I've been able to be pretty successful.

Last night, Daddy cured all ails while he played and giggled with her. He eventually brought his guitar down and let her strum with his pick. It was the sweetest thing to see her little bum bouncing to the music and her arms flapping excitedly when Daddy showed her how to make sound come from the large contraption. Someday Zoey will be able to appreciate how special it is to have a daddy that is more concerned about time with her than a potential scratch on a guitar. Not to say that we aren't learning the words 'Gentle' and 'Don't Touch', but moments like that are a beautiful thing.



Teething will someday end, and until then we will do our best to comfort and savor each precious smile!

I Wouldn't Change A Thing...

So I recently grabbed myself a new app. Henry got me a iTunes gift card for Christmas and I have been savoring every penny. Something about having that little chunk of change just for me is fun! I started with Bruno Mars' album, Zoey and I dance around to those tunes all day :)

The most recent purchase was a camera app. It takes pictures with my iPhone but turns them into vintage photos. I'm not much of a photographer, but I know what I like the look of and honestly, Zoey can't seem to take a bad picture! I think she gets a lot of that from her daddy.

I thought I would share some of the pictures I have taken. My gorgeous little girl with those big blue eyes, takes my breath away.

Trying To Do It Right...

Henry and I were chatting last night about Parenting. Man, I think of it as being a Mom is way easy, but Parenting, that's hard! That's just my personal spin on it :)

I've been thinking a lot about the pressure that parents put on ourselves and that we get from others. We were talking about how we all have pretty intense opinions about what we think works and what doesn't, but the one size fits all concept only works if all children are exactly the same. And anyone who has more than one child or has worked with children, knows that simply isn't true.

So the take away, we welcome advice from people in the know, I love to hear what worked for you, but when it comes to the decisions we make for our children, this club of parents needs to become a little more accepting. I know for me, I was a very attached child. I had a great deal of anxiety over the idea of having to be away from my parents or family. It was just how I was hard wired. I have to thank my parent for never forcing the issue with me. They were very understanding and in a way accommodating. I don't remember feeling embarrassed or pressured with my family to get over it and separate myself from them. One could have been very concerned when your 7 year old daughter is panicking over the idea of leaving for college. But I remember my mom just smiling, giving me a hug, and saying, "I promise when that time comes you will be ready, but you don't have to pack your bags anytime soon." The reality for me ended up being excitement when it came time to move to College. No tears were shed and I loved the years I spent there.

So when it comes to a daughter who has a little bit of separation anxiety, Henry and I are very unconcerned. My goal is to make sure that she knows she is loved, and is always able to come to us. Family is supposed to be a safe place to go and feel comforted and honestly I would be concerned if it was any other way. So I will not be pushing her to cut the cord, but over time I am completely confident that she will be able to strike it out on her own and grow into a fabulous and confident young woman and I can't wait. But until then I will hold on to my baby girl and let her feel safe in my arms.

Baby On the Move!

I've been trying to upload videos and it's just not working! So I am very sorry about that and I will keep trying!

Zoey is crawling all over the place! She is stunning! Over the holiday she really started to move and it was amazing. We really think she is going to be walking anytime now. She pulls up on everything and she wants to move even more. The little girlie gets so frustrated when she can't sit down on her own. She'll be standing and turns her head and half cries. So we are trying to help her realize she can sit down on her own and she'll survive. I'll hold my hand out and she holds on tight and plunks down. I want her to know that no matter what mommy and daddy are there for her and while we know she can do stuff on her own, we are right there for her, always.

It's daunting watching her grow up. It gives me so much joy but it all happens so fast that sometimes I just want to hold on to those moments. She sleeps so well in her crib now for naps that sometimes I'll cheat and just hold her. I've been struggling with feeling a little anxious about the whole weaning process...but I have resolved to give myself a break in that area. We have decided to continue at least to a year, it's healthy for her, and since it's working so well why not?



Work is going pretty well actually! I was anxious about how teaching and prepping was going to go after the holidays. Zoey is napping well for me and I'm getting a lot of work done and class is going great! My sister is coming over after she finishes work to watch her until Henry can get home which is awesome! So I feel like things are going well that way. I'm definitely tired at the end of the day and I'm always very much looking forward to the weekend. The Christmas holiday was fantastic and it was a holiday that for once when it ended it wasn't with grief it was with a feeling of, "Wow, what a great holiday!". We got a lot of things done and just enjoyed hanging out and Henry really enjoyed spending time with Zoey. It was lovely :)

Finally we are looking into some allergy issues with Zoey. Shes had a consistent runny nose for months and she also has the tell tale signs of red rimmed eyes and dry scabs behind the ears. I'm taking her this week to talk to the doctor and start talking about a plan. We've been using the humidifier, saline drops, Tide Free, no smoking, cleaned carpets, etc. So we will figure this one out :)

Sooooo Far Behind!

I am very sorry it has been forever since I have posted anything! I realized this past week that the last post says, "7 Months!" and well, Zoey is almost 9 months old now! A lot can happen in the short amount of time.

The teething has finally taken a break. The poor girl was teething for almost 2 months straight. In that time 7 teeth popped through! It was a painful time for her, but she handled it like a champ. Since the teething has stopped she is really starting to take better to the cereal. I think it also helps that we are being diligent about feeding times with it. Before it was a little scattered when we would attempt it, but now, Lunch and Supper start with a little bit of cereal. She's doing really well. She has her 9 month check this week so I will be asking what other foods to introduce. We are excited about seeing what sorts of things she will like.



Zoey has also started crawling! Time to get my running shoes on :) She doesn't get very far yet, but she is definitely mobile. It's crazy to see how these things happen. I've been working in Early Learning for years now and it never ceases to amaze me how these little bodies just know how to progress. It's even more amazing to see in your own child! We are starting to work on BabyProofing the house. The gates with go up, moving furniture, covering outlets.....so much that needs to get done! Christmas holidays are definitely going to be full in the Duiker home.

Last night we also had our first night out with Zoey staying with a babysitter. Auntie Bailey came to watch Zoey at our house while we went to an Elders Christmas Supper. It was great! I was obviously a little sad about leaving her but I knew she was totally fine. She hasn't been going to bed any earlier than 9:30 lately so we had time to be with some good people from the church. It's nice to know that she is fine if we are out for a few hours. So we are hoping to ease into that a little more here and there :)

We are very excited about Zoey's first Christmas! Christmas is my favorite holiday of them all! It's just fantastic and makes me very happy. We can't wait to see her open some of her gifts. We know she is going to be VERY spoiled this year :) But I think it is more for all of us rather than her, since she would usually prefer the box or paper it was wrapped in!



I will update you all after the holidays, fingers crossed :)

Wishing you all the very best and a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

7 Months!

Such a sweetie pie :) A lot had happened since the last post! Zoey is not 7 months old and working her way quickly to 8 months! I know it's cliched but they do grow up so so fast! I am soaking up all the time I can with her and enjoying the cuddles and quiet time along with the sweet moments of her exploration. I adore watching her focus so intently on something new in her hands. Her little mind is taking in all the new sensory information and her tiny hands try to control it and examine the objects.

I've been talking to Henry about the fear and joy that comes with realizing you are responsible not only for this baby to keep her safe, healthy and loved, but you are responsible for turning a little baby into a good child, a well adjusted adult. Some days I feel dangerously under qualified! But in talking to other parents I think that comes with the job. On the flip side, how could a child as sweet as she is be anything less than a sweet and wonderful grown up. I just keep praying that we raise her the way God wants us too.

In the past week or two I've been struggling to get on the treadmill or outside for walks. It was eating away at my self esteem. While I know that in the broad scope of things I've done okay post pregnancy, however, its those pesky final 10 pounds that make your jeans not fit and everything you wore before pregnancy look ill shaped. The fact that my boobs are obnoxiously large from breastfeeding sure doesn't help things either. So I've come to the place where I realized I don't get to complain about my body if I'm not doing anything about it. So once I realized that trying to run during the day or at night really doesn't work for me I am now getting my runs in the morning. Sometimes she sleeps till 8 which works great for me, or I'll try and get up at 6 which does happen, or after Henry goes to work I'll bring her down and put her in the jumper (which is now downstairs) and she'll play for the 20 - 30 minutes that I need (start slow :). So far it's been great. Those few minutes I take for me and it starts my day off right. I am being proactive and it's helping me mind and body. And in return Zoey gets a mommy who is more well adjusted and present and Henry gets a wife who is less cranky and has more energy (going to bed at 8:30 is embarrassing!).

Zoey is eating more cereal and we are working hard with her on that one. I hit a point the other day where I thought, 'I am going to be nursing her forever!'. The reality is (after some research and levelheadedness) she won't be nursing forever, it may be a tough transition (for both of us) when the time comes. I have committed mentally to a year of nursing but we are all hoping that in a few months she might be doing half cereal/solid and half nursing soonish. The teeth that have come in have surprisingly not complicated things...so far! There is a top tooth that is causing a little bit of grief lately and I think it's fixing to come through hopefully soon. This teething thing is awful! The fact that they go up and down this much is sad! Babies go through a lot that way.

That's all for now :) Time to get some work done!

God Bless

Six Months and Back to Work I Go!

My baby girl is 6 months old and I cannot believe it! She is growing so much everyday and her personality continues to develop and we love it! This is a really fun age for us. She plays more and interacts in brand new ways.

So new things that she is doing! She is sitting up all on her own now! I still prop some pillows up against the hard items around her (just in case she tips over which does happen). We are letting her tip over since we want her to know that she is okay if she does tip over but we are always right there for her and nothing too hard around her. Common sense stuff :)

Also she has been able to roll over from back to tummy very well for a little while now, but has been pretty resistant to rolling back from tummy to back. However, in the past few weeks she is learning that she can do that. She will pull herself by tugging on blankets or mummy and daddy. She can also do it purely through leverage. Very exciting.




The past few days she has been tilting her head when she looks at people which is unbelievably hilarious and adorable. As well, we finally found some rice cereal that she likes but apparently she only wants daddy to feed it to her :) She is very smitten with daddy! When she hears that door open she gets very excited and has a huge grin just for him.



Little girl is awake now, but I will mention that October 12th I will be returning to work. I work from home so I am very fortunate to still be with her during the day but it will be a challenge to figure out how to get my work done during the day and still make sure she feels engaged, loved, and happy :) I have my work cut out for me but we will figure it out!