Photo dump

It's been too long! I'm sorry for the stale blog, but this month has really been very busy. It's springtime!!!
Sapphie is huge and just keeps getting bigger. Major events this month: she rolled over (once), she started sucking her thumb regularly (and likes to do it intermittently while nursing), and she is grabbing things like crazy! She holds her bottle and her nuk, and is very proactive about putting them in her mouth.
Her talking is getting more frequent and she's added new sounds to her repertoire. Last night, I dreamed that she said her first word! It was "snowboard". As you know we had a great weekend in Newport for Easter, and have just come back from another wonderful trip to Massachusetts. Please enjoy all of the photos! xoxo

The last couple of weeks we have been busy with Easter in Newport followed by a great spring weekend in Burlington which was host to Soe’s 29th Birthday dinner at Trattoria Delia. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip to Newport for Easter. I hope these pictures tell a thousand words.

Super Close UP Mode

Not as close up but still super cute

Newport welcoming committee

Bullwinkle wishes you a Happy Easter and Passover to all his friends

Sapphire was really enjoying her time in the NEK

Happy Easter in our Sunday Best

Easter Weekend

This weekend, we went to Newport. I love going home so much. We went to church twice and enjoyed both services. We had really yummy dinners, fish one night and lamb the next. We relaxed. I pretended to feel guilty when mummy wouldn't let me help clean up. We relaxed some more. I went walking in the woods with mummy, Sapphie, and the 4 dogs. I read my book, then took a nap. I took a 1-hour bubble bath, followed by a shower, and didn't feel guilty. We watched Brit-coms. Papa told jokes. Kevin took naps. Sapphie laughed a lot. Thank you for a wonderful weekend!

The Easter bunny came!

Happy Easter, and happy spring!!

Stratton Fever (by Kevin)

Springtime is renewal of Mother Nature after a long cold sleep under her blanket of snow. The sun starts to shine longer and brighter in the North, the rivers start to soften up from their ice jams, maple trees become fountains of sweet stuff and the mountains become a real playground as the tulips try to peak out and Easter brings in the last of the ski and riding season. This year was a great year of skiing. I did not get in the days like I did during the 2007-2008 season thanks to a little someone by the name of Sapphire Elizabeth but the days that I did get in were probably the best days of the whole season. My ski log included entries of powder days with knee- and thigh-high skiing. I skied the days that counted; this year was about quality, and not quantity.
I had another great experience a few weeks ago while down in Peru, VT visiting with John and Lucy Maher, Emma’s aunt and uncle. We decided to hit up Stratton for a day of skiing. It was the ideal day to be at Stratton; 60 degrees with no clouds in the sky, and I was excited to spend time with Colin and Soe. We cruised the mountain all day and enjoyed what Stratton had to offer, including a great lunch at Grizzly’s Bar, which had an electric atmosphere that day thanks to the beer and bluegrass music.
I was taking in this great day with two great people (who, by the way, will be united in marriage next January in Stowe. Very fitting for them!). I wished Emma and Sapphire were there to take in the day with us but they were busy exploring Manchester with John and Lucy. Emma will be back on skiis next year with me. As I hung out with Colin and Soe all by myself, I really saw how much Soe adores Colin and Colin loves Soe. It is so evident in the way they play and interact with each other. These are two people that have truly found their lifelong partners. They balance each other in every way. They have the love and respect for each other that will get them through the ups and downs of a relationship and if one day they decide to have a family, they will be great parents. If you want to see love in works, and the balance a relationship needs with the complete support of on for the other, spend a day with Colin and Soe. I recommend spending the day on the mountain, like we did, enjoying the blue bird day. Emma and I are so happy for the two of them and want to see them succeed in everything they do. We will always be there to lend a hand, advice or to just listen to what’s on their minds. I am also very excited to have such a cool sister in law and soon to be brother in law.

I leave you with a few pictures and video clips of Soe and Colin from that day at Stratton.

Colin and Soe heading up the 6 pack

Colin is already testing next years soft good line hence the new green jacket. Sorry Colin I know Burton has a cooler name then green.

Soe and Colin shredding the snow together

Spleep?!

In one of my favorite episodes of Fawlty Towers, Basil discovers that Manuel has been keeping a rat for a pet (someone had tricked Manuel and told him it was a hamster). Because the Health Inspector would be visiting that week, Basil was trying to figure out how to get rid of the rat. Sybil suggested "maybe we should just have him put to s-l-e-e-p." Manuel, with a confused look on his face, slowly asked in his Spanish accent: "spleep?!" Don't get the humor? I guess you'd have to see it for yourself.
Anyway, I feel like Manuel these days. Did I used to enjoy sleeping? At least nine hours a night? If so, that version of me is long gone. I've forgotten the meaning of the word, and forgotten how to sleep, literally. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining! I am so happy with my little girl. Even in the middle of the night when she wants to breastfeed non-stop, I love her and can't help but smile. But here's the weird thing: on the nights when she's sleeping like a little angel, with no gas (thanks to my new diet with no dairy, broccoli, onions, asparagus, cabbage, oh, and of course, chocolate), I'm tossing and turning. I will lay there for hours just thinking of things to do, thinking about my baby and how cute she is, thinking about my loving husband and how great he is...thinking I need to pump or I'll wake up in agony, then I won't get up for another hour when I've finally convinced myself she's asleep for good. Every night at bedtime, I just can't seem to quiet my brain. Once I feel like maybe I've cleared my head, I hear Manuel say "spleep?!"
It's funny, but sleep just seems so foreign to me right now! I guess I'm coping okay, with the exception of my occasional "momnesia" as Brett and Elisa call it. What really fascinates me about this whole situation is the physiological changes my body must be going through to allow me to live on such small amounts of sleep; it's amazing!
Hormones, prolactin and oxytocin to be exact, make up the magic potion that gives mother's the ability to survive (and nurture their babies) even with small amounts of sleep. Interestingly, I've spent a large amount of my graduate studies learning about these 2 proteins. They are released every time you breastfeed, and every time you interact with or think about your baby. They are designed to make your entire body work for your baby, and ensure your baby's health and survival. In addition to our mammary glands, the action of these hormones is a part of what makes us mammals. Isn't that cool?

Sapphie's sound asleep. I think I'll hit the hay. xoxo

Hmmm...what's new with us? Well, Sapphie is growing like a weed, and talking more than ever. She's getting pretty strong and finally likes to lay on her tummy! Also, we started baby yoga and have gone twice already...I think I'll have to get some photos and blog about that on another day. Overall, we've had a busy couple of weeks! Here are some of my favorite new photos:

She's found her thumb!

Naked-y girl in mummy's office!

My favorite activity was last weekend. We went to Peru for a visit with Auntie Lucy and Uncle John. Kevin and I love going to see them. Our visits there are always so enjoyable, and very relaxing. They love to go with the flow, which is Kevin's favorite weekend activity. We arrived late on Friday, after a great roadtrip with Penelope and Colin. Mummy and Papa were there too, and Lucy had a yummy picnic spread ready for us to eat. John and I wasted no time starting up our first Dubie meeting in over a year! Colin was initiated, and Penelope was turned down on account of her fear of commitment. I love the Dubie Club.
Saturday, we didn't plan a thing, just had a great breakfast and decided we would just let the day decide our plans. Kevin, Colin and Penelope went up to Stratton for some spring skiing/snowboarding. Lucy, Sapphie and I watched a family video, then John took us out to lunch. We walked around in Manchester village, visited the Equinox. It was a fabulous afternoon, almost 70 degrees! Sunday, we had a huge breakfast and then we all went to the Vermont Country Store...then too Manchester, and then home! I hope we go back again soon. There are a few pictures in my slideshow, and even more on Penelope's blog. Enjoy!

New Motherhood

I still can't quiet grasp it. I'm a mom. A mom, yes, a mom. I say "Kev, this is our daughter. Our daughter. Our daaauuughterrrr.....and it still doesn't seem to sink in! Wait, is it really a girl? I was so sure it would be a boy. Yes, it's a girl, and she's so beautiful! Our eldest will always be a girl. 3 months today, and I'm still in awe. Will it always be like this?
For the last 2 weeks, I've been reflecting. What does motherhood mean to me? What are the important transitions, feelings, things to remember? Sapphie is having a nice nap now, so I thought I'd blog about it. To you all mothers out there, old, new, and someday to be, here is a summary of what I've learned so far based on my own experience and a little research.
When I was pregnant, I was talking to my best friend and mother of 3, Christina. I was commenting on how people seem drawn to me. Complete strangers wanted to touch my belly, and tell me their story. Friends and strangers alike were asking what I thought were totally personal questions: "will you breastfeed?" "if so, for how long?" "what type of parent do you plan to be?" "what is your birthing plan?" "are you going to go back to work?"...the list goes on. It was all so overwhelming! I didn't know the answers to half of these questions, and I felt like I was being judged already. Christina summed it up for me. "Being pregnant is just the first step, and once you have children, you are never your own person anymore." Christina, you were right.

If I'm not having wild and crazy nightmare-daydreams about all of the things that can happen to my daughter, I'm dealing with comments, suggestions, questions and advice from all angles. Things like "you should let your baby cry, it's a stress reliever!" (Actually, whereas crying relieves stress in adults, it is associated with increased cortisol in the circulation, increased heart rate and increased blood pressure in babies. In short, for babies it is a stressor. In addition, we are programed to respond to our babies' cries. It's evolution! Leaving your little one to cry on their own can have serious implications in the long run. Your baby needs to learn to trust you, and you need to learn to trust your instincts. Baby's cry for a reason. It's the only way they can communicate, and it is our job to respond. After they can use words, then the negotiations can start). "She sleeps in the bed with you??!!! Don't sleep with your baby, you'll suffocate her!" (Actually, I've reviewed the published research on this subject and guess what? Sleeping with your baby can actually decrease the risk of SIDS, because your baby takes cues from your sleep/wake cycles and never enters the dangerous deep sleep that can cause them to never wake up. And, as a bonus, you sleep better because you don't have to get in and out of bed all night. What's more, if it's something that feels right to you, what is more special than cuddling with your little baby all night long, and waking up to their beautiful smile in the morning? If you're obese, a smoker, or a heavy drinker, you should not sleep with your baby). "you're breastfeeding her AGAIN?! Geez, does she really need to eat that much?" Yes, she does. Why would you withhold food from a human being growing at an exponential rate?

Okay, enough of my venting. I realize that I'm not alone, all mothers go through this. And, the amazing thing is that most of the people who make these comments have great intentions! They just want to help, even though it can sometimes feel like they are judging, acting the expert, and making you doubt your motherly instincts. Christina handles it like a pro. I don't know how she does it! She just smiles and says "thank you." I'm definitely more outspoken and have a hard time not debating - I've been trained to debate and defend my point of view until the opposition has been beaten into submission. But you know what? We are all in the same boat. All mothers, all parents, are just trying to do the best they can. We all have different approaches to parenting, and that's okay. There is rarely one right way to do things. All you have to do is:

• Do your best. Trust your instincts. Whatever feels right to you, that is what is right for your baby
• Don't judge other parents. For the most part, we are all trying so hard to do what we think is right
  
• Don't waste your time arguing with people who you think are misinformed and giving you bad advice. Just smile graciously, thank them for their input, and, as Kevin suggests to me all the time, think to yourself "cancel cancel", and move on.

Look at that. In 3 months, I'm an expert on parenting! Anybody need some advice?!