Island Boy

Pics of Jonas during his first two years - taken at our house on Quadra Island....

Birth Day Eve

Jonas will be 4 when he wakes up tomorrow.

4 years ago tonight I was in labour for the first time and I can still feel the excitement and giddiness of it all. How safe and cared for I felt in those hours leading up to Jonas's arrival.

Back labour, in childs pose, for hours and hours at Grandma Janet's house - first in the spare room, then her bedroom and finally her bathroom. I will forever remember driving myself to the ferry, sipping tea and chatting between contractions with Janet and waiting for Jordan to come back from falling. He must have been so tired at the end. Actually maybe he was just doing some survey work in the forest that day. Regardless, I had left a note for him that I would be heading into town because I was in labour!

It all went by so quickly and then Jonas arrived with his calm little body and the owl noises he made when he looked up at us and those first moment he came out - I was sitting on Jordans lap as he came out and when he was immediately brought up to us, we both laughed so hard and I don't know how often that happens just moments after birth, but Jordan's parents were waiting downstairs and they said they could hear us laughing.

And after some ohhing and ahhing Jordan had to hold Jonas because I bled a little too much and was soon whisked off to the hospital for observation although I was stable before I even left the house. Better to be safe. Luckily Jonas was snuggled in nice and close for all of the transport.

I guess I am a little nostalgic tonight. Right now, Jordan is putting Jonas to bed, Karina already sleeping since 7PM and I am baking mini vanilla and pumpkin/choco cupcakes for Jonas's classmates for tomorrow and also a little cake for our dinner with Uncle Soren and Andrea tomorrow evening. He will have his party at the Gymnastics club on the weekend. Lots of fun!

10 Months

Time, as always, has flown by. No longer a baby, but a toddling toddler, Karina is on the brink of walking. She stands on her own and shuffles from our arms to the couch to the chairs. She is such a joy to have around. I love having both a boy and girl - such a balance of energies! Karina has this beautiful voice that we all really enjoy when she hums and sings. The only 'class' we have really stayed with over the past 2.5 years has been the Music Together program. Its really fun for all of us and the CD's we receive are quite good. Its right here at our UniverCity community on Burnaby Mnt and we gather with 10 other families with kids between the ages of a few months to 4 years old and we sing, dance and play instruments. We have had the same teacher since the beginning and we just love her. Jonas is beginning to lose interest but Karina LOVES the class. She is so vocal whereas Jonas was much more into the instruments and movements.

We night weaned Karina a month ago and she easily began sleeping through the night consistently. It was such a necessary change for all of us and we all benefit ted with the extra sleep and energy. But then the kids got colds and Karina had a cough and 2 more teeth popped out and I chose to nurse Karina throughout the night because she had began waking up again. There was no way I was going to deny her the comfort and nutrients she so badly needed during those weeks. Her food intake almost totally ceased so we got into a new routine of frequent nursings. So now we are back at square one and she wakes up all night to nurse. Of course I knew this would happen but its all part of being a mother with a young toddler and for me this is what is right. I also know that there are always so many set backs and I am sure this sleep regression will happen again and again. Mothering takes time and all too quickly Karina will be in her own room and no longer so close to us. It all happens so fast and I am holding close this precious time with Karina because this precious time changes far too quickly.

Winter Photos from Christmas

Jordan and Karina

Jonas and I dug the car out of the snow

The awesome view of Mnt Washington from our place

Sleep

Sleep is a common topic among parents of young children. We wonder if our children are getting enough; if we are getting enough.

Sleep was so much easier with only one child. Jonas slept with us and nursed all night until he was 1.5 years. It worked out just fine. We bonded so strongly and I slept so sweetly in our bed. I napped once a day with Jonas in his 'bedroom' on his floor bed. Then at night we all slept upstairs in the loft in our bedroom. When we moved to Vancouver we started Jonas in his own room with his floor bed and the transition was seamless. Except that he still nursed a few times through the night, which meant that I went in after midnight and fell asleep with him. When Jonas was 2 we finally night weaned him - his dad took over bedtimes and he began sleeping right through the night within a week. Since then Grandma J bought him a special 'big boy' bed which he was so proud of and he has slept in ever since. He is an excellent sleeper and I wouldn't have changed a thing! I would never trade our sleeping and snuggling together for the first years of his life - nor would Jordan! Jonas eventually self weaned at just over 2.5 years and by this time I was pregnant and was not very comfortable nursing so it was somewhat mutual. Since our night weaning Jonas has slept well through the night. The usual routine for the past year has been bath, snack, perhaps a cartoon and then brush teeth, pajamas and then 2 books if he has been a good boy. Less or none if he misbehaves. Jordan or I then turns out the light and lay next to him. Usually he will chat for abit and we will visit for a few minutes in the dark and then we say its time to sleep and goodnight. We lay with him for a few minutes to half an hour sometimes and when he is asleep we sneak away. He loves to sleep in until 7:30ish. Recently, I am questioning, though, whether his 8:30/9:00 bedtime is too late. Perhaps more about that another time.

Now that we have our second child and yet another personality in our family, we have made a shift in our sleeping patterns. Karina is not so into the whole nursing and sucking for self comfort - she is somewhat, but nothing like Jonas who LOVED to fall asleep on the breast. She is busier with other things on her mind, such as being close to Jonas and watching his every move. For a few months I even had to wear one of those nursing shawls around me in order to get her to stay on the breast and nurse. Otherwise she was pulling off at every few sucks to check out the scene around her. If anything, those shawls draw more public attention to the nursing mother than just a low profile casual bf session. I definitely felt on display when I had to hang the shawl around my body and keep peeking through the hole to look and play with Karina while she fed.

Karina has also slept with us since she was born because it was natural and easy. The nursing, snuggling and loving was the continuation of the bond we created when she was conceived. The hours spent sleeping together and getting woken up to Karina's quick breaths and little purrs against my body are embedded in my mind forever. And we always reasoned that this short time shared with our babies would be part of the building blocks of their lives and relationship with us. Both Jordan and I have deeply valued this time with both Karina and Jonas. When I think about the timeline of my life, this particular time with small children is so very short and I want to do everything I can to be present and still and enjoy its simplicity and innocence. Soon enough the kids will begin to have their own independent lives and the slow separation from us will ensue and I hope to look back on their babyhood and the beginning of our family with fond memories.

Which brings me to the present. As a mother of 2 children with coursework and volunteer work, I need more energy and no longer have the time to nap like I did with just Jonas. Last month I finally realized how tired I had become - my attitude was going downhill fast, I got sick, I felt frustrated frequently and I was becoming quite foggy mentally. Also, I was missing Jordan big time. Although he was physically nearby much of the time, we were both too busy or too tired to be together. Going hard from dusk till dawn and then drop to sleep in total exhaustion is what life felt like in Nov and Dec.

We decided to make some big changes beginning in Jan. Together, we decided to begin using the crib as a bed for Karina and not a play area. Also we decided to night wean. Intuitively I knew it was the right time and it had to be done for the greater good of the family. On Sunday night I slept on the pull out couch in the family room. I gave Karina a nursing at 8:00 and then another at midnight and then again first thing in the morning at 6AM. Jordan went to her everytime she woke up and he rocked her back to sleep. Its now Friday and although she still wakes up through the night, she no longer nurses. Once at bedtime and then again at 6AM when she wakes up for the day. At that point Jordan gets to sleep in until 9 or 10AM and I am with the kids in the morning. For the next part of the plan, we will need to encourage Karina to be able to soothe herself back to sleep without depending on Dad to rock her. I think we will start that on Sunday night. I am hoping that she will learn quickly and that night wakings will stop.

I am feeling better as the days go on and I have the nights to myself. I have not had more than a 4 or 5 hour stretch of sleep myself as I am so accustomed to waking up at night, but even with these short (long to me!) stretches I am feeling much better. I highly doubt any parent of a young child ever sleeps through the night. Often I go into Jonas's room at 3AM to turn him 180 degrees and put his blanket back on. I know other friends who get up to take their 4 year old to the bathroom each night - its just part of being a parent and its normal not to get the sleep you had before becoming a parent! I know that eventually I will catch up and sleep as much as I need!

For now, its about being a well balanced person, my emphasis being: health, happiness and engagement. As a woman and mother I will strive to hold close all that gives me true health, true happiness and true engagement and now I will truly let go of all the rest. Now I welcome 2011!

Karina - 9 Months

The past months have flown by at lightening speed. So quickly has time passed and I am more than a little guilty for not having kept up at this blog as I did with Jonas. I know that Grandma Janet has always checked daily for new pictures or new firsts with Karina. I will try to post more in this New Year!

We just spent the past 3 weeks on the Island in a whirlwind visit that kept me on my toes. Karina is so very busy. She crawls everywhere and surfs all the furniture - she even lets go and stands on her own without much notice. She eats anything except egg yolk which she kind of gags on. I have not been careful with what I have fed her and she has eaten mostly everything we eat - ground up in the little mill (minus all sweets). Yesterday she had banana, toast and applesauce for breakfast, curried tofu for lunch and ground pizza and avocado for dinner - with snack between of course and a few nursings at napttimes. I have not paid too much attention to any sort of sleep schedule with Karina, but lately she seems to nap only twice a day - noonish and then again around 3 or 4. She is asleep by 8:30 and up by 7ish. She sleeps mainly with us and nurses throughout the night. I am not so sure how many times as I am usually sleeping! I am tired, however, and am making more of an effort to have her sleep in her crib next to our bed. We plan to begin night weaning next week so that I can get a better quality sleep at night. I need it and she is more than old enough to not need to be snacking all night! It will be hard not to sleep next to her all night as I love love love sleeping next to her as I did Jonas.

Christmas was wonderful for all of us but a little crazy as well. I was totally exhausted much of the time but it was so worth it to see all the family and also have the children spend time with their extended family. Karina has some very strong stranger anxiety so would not really go with anyone else besides Jordan or I for most of the trip. She spent time with my sister and was okay with her unless I was in the room or she could hear my voice. She also seemed okay with Jordan's brother, briefly. Other than that she was pretty much glued to her mom or dad or crawling around getting into mischief.

Every time I go to the Island I always have the intention of getting out and visiting people I met during my time there. And every time I feel rushed and busy and exhausted trying to just take care of the kids and be with family. This trip was no exception and I never did get the chance to visit with any friends. I think the closest Jordan got to visiting a friend was when our Quadra house had a basement flood and a friend came to help! Our basement flooded while we were in town and we discovered through Jerry's intuition and digging that one of our drain pipes had been flattened when a tree fell on it last year. Thank goodness he discovered it quickly!

We are now home and I am catching up on sleep and we are getting back into our routine. Its so nice to be home in our little apartment, where everything is within arms reach and so very easy to live in.

Surprisingly, the homecoming event that put the biggest smile on my face and gave me the biggest sigh of relief was being over at our friends apartment on the 3rd floor the other evening for freshly baked pizza and watching them juggle their two kids. Thanks to Jordie and Casey I realized that we are not alone in this crazy parenting world. And then again this morning at a communal brunch with the chaos of kids and yummy food, it felt wonderful to be with friends and we discussed our kids and how the world is so different than when we were young and how parenting is so different as well! We discipline in such a different way than many of our parents did and although our way may be more time consuming and difficult, we hope that the outcomes will lead to grown adults who are open, loving, empathetic, positive, resilient etc...we can only do our best.

Finally!

A month late but I finally made it! Here are some photos of Halloween and I know a certain someone has been waiting ever so patiently for these! So very sorry. I have endlessly been tying up loose ends these past couple of day and I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. As of Dec 11th I am hoping to find myself caught up, organized and ready to go and see all of our family on the Island!

Playing Catch Up

Here are some photos from early Oct up at SFU. It was so warm and beautiful that we spent many days going for walks, bike riding and playing in the yard. Its hard to believe that 6 weeks later we are walking around in snow! I cannot believe how fast the Fall has flown by. Thanksgiving on Quadra Island with the entire family and then Halloween on campus. Life is truly great but there is not alot of room for any down time which isn't too healthy! The kids have taken turns getting really sick. Last weekend it was Jonas and now it is Karina. At the moment I am feeling very frustrated with the many things pressing on me and not having the ability to get anything done. It is 4 PM and I am still in pajamas with a sick child and trying desperately to 'catch up' on a week of unanswered emails and a million other things. Perhaps we are too ambitious to have so much going on in our lives. But then again maybe another day I will feel on top of the world again for this is truly a very tough moment. Baby crying and must get back to her....more pictures another time.

looking at photos of when Jonas was 6 months...




taking a break while on our downtown adventure

the infamous BOB stroller is packed full and carrying both kids

Vancouver

Monday Morning....

These days, I enjoy my Monday mornings. Its when we all get back to a steady rhythm and schedule that allows me my room and space to return emails, play with Karina, plan meals and even do a little school work. Its just Karina and I so its usually fairly mellow. Not so relaxing if I actually have stuff to accomplish because it always seems that if I have high expectations of accomplishment for the day then Karina seems to become more of a handful and everything gets hectic. I know that if I come into the day with an open mind with what I will be able to 'get done', then I am always happy with the outcome - even if its just a blog and a healthy dinner and of course a happy baby!

By Friday, I am happy for the weekend and for all of us to be together. On Sat we went on a fun but exhausting (I have a bad cold) urban trek. We took the skytrain from SFU to downtown and walked over to Gastown where we checked out the trains, old steam clock and met a friend for lunch. Then we walked over to a newly revamped park along the water where we could see the trains, ocean, port yard with cranes and a new playground and Jonas was in heaven. We spent a couple of hours there with Pete - a childhood friend of Jordan's. We then wondered around dowtown some more and then found a little street cafe where we had strong coffees, Jonas had treats and Karina had a sleep. We then hopped back on the skytrain and then met some other friends at a park in Yaletown. Of course Jonas was thrilled with another great playground to run around in. We met Dane and Roxanne's baby Liam and visited until it began to get late and then once again we were on the skytrain and headed home at 7pm. I'm glad we didn't take our car downtown because we would have not been able to be as spontaneous and of course public tranist always ads a sense of adventure for Jonas. Its so quick and easy from our home on Burnaby Mountain and its also freeing to not have to always rely on the car.

We stayed home Sunday and Uncle Soren came up for a visit. It was nice to catch up and watch him play with Jonas - of course Jonas was so happy when Soren helped him build a marble tower. We are so excited that Soren's film, 'Play With Fire', will be having showings throughout Canada this Fall/Winter. He has worked for several years on this film and it is finally making its way to the public. Having written, directed, filmed and edited the entire film himself, I am especially proud of him for sticking through until the end. I enjoyed most of the work I did when I was involved in film, but I never had the passion that Soren has for it. I could see picking up the camera again for documentary work but that is all - I do not have the incredible creativity that Soren has in storytelling.

I have taken such delight lately in sitting back and observing Jonas as he is growing into a young boy. The other day I wondered if his stubborness and strong will are actually a part of his personality and not just a preschooler thing. I know that most kids his age seem to really want most things to go their way, but he seems especially so this past year. Maybe its just a real part of his personality. As well, he is incredibly social and senstive to those around him. He loves to hug his friends and is quite empathetic if anyone is sad or upset. He is so friendly and loving to everyone around him and is never shy to walk up to a new little friend and introduce himself. As a baby he was so easygoing and loved heing with and around people. Although he loves going to playgrounds and taking the skytrain and Science World, Jonas really just loves to walk around in the forest or anywhere natural. His imagination has blossomed and I love the stories he comes up with and the way he organizes his play. He is forever working on building railways, houses, hospitals, cities, roads, mechanic shops etc... Once I heard him talk about having a baby - that was just after Karina wa born. The only negative that I hope turns into a postive is Jonas's waking up crankiness. He always wakes up from a nap cranky. The more you say or try to do, the worse it gets until he is in tears. It is always best to just leave him alone to work it out. Until recently it was the same for morning wakeup - but I seem to have found a way to start mornings with some real happiness. Basically when he calls for us in the morning and I go to him, I will say 'Goodmorning! You have lots of work to do today - the trains are waiting for you to get them on the tracks' - or I will say 'the road crew is beginning work - you had better check make sure everything is running smoothly' and you know what? Jonas happily jumps out of bed and spends a few minutes reorganizing some of the scenes happening around his room and then he is good to go and joins us soonafter for breakfast and normal, happy conversation.

The Boys of LRH

This is where Jonas loves to go everyday - just outside of our yard. It is so funny to watch all the kids climbing - their continuous shouts 'look at me mom, look at me dad, LOOK AT HOW HIGH I AM!!!'.

Building Blocks and Garden Harvest...

YES, those are carrots and Jonas LOVED eating them. Better luck next year.

Parenthood

A Good Day...

Occasionally, Karina will wake up too early. We like to stay in bed until 7AM. Sometimes Karina will start stirring at 5AM. Too early, too painful for any of us. ugh. Jonas will normally start to wake up at some point between 7 and 8. That is a little easier.

Today, we all slept in until sometime after 7AM. It was nice. Karina had some rice cereal while Jonas built a road and some buildings with his blocks. Jordan and I enjoyed some coffee together. Jonas got dressed on his own without too much trouble and we were all out the door by 9:30AM. Karina watched as Jonas and I worked in the garden. We went for a walk and stood in line at the Tim Hortons on campus (for 15 minutes) for 2 Timbits, which Jonas shyly paid for. While in line, Karina sucked on my chin and fell asleep as her brother waited very patiently for his turn to order. We then wondered around abit more and then decided to swing by the childcare centre to visit his old school group. They were headed out for a walk, so we walked with them until we reached our building and then we decided to head home for lunch. It was 12:30 and before lunch was ready, Jonas fell asleep on the couch and Karina went down for a nap as well. How awesome was this?? So, of course I laid down and slept as well!!! All of us asleep at the same time for an hour!!! It felt great. We woke up, ate and headed back out and walked to the other side of campus to check out the Farmers Market and for some playing in the park. Karina sat in the swing for the first time and absolutely loved watching her brother swinging right next to her. Totally entertained.

It was a simple and smooth day - which is nice when I have both kids to myself! Jonas's new friend from Mongolia came over to play after dinner and then we all had a bath and the kids went to bed.

Karina is sitting fairly well on her own now and is also scooting around more and more each day. She does not like unfamiliar faces getting too close to her and she is very picky about who can hold her. She really only likes mom or dad holding on to her and seems to fuss fairly quickly when in others arms. Teething is a nightly irritation for her and a cold cloth or homeopathic remedies will sometimes work; other times its straight to the tylenol. When I wear Karina forward facing in the Bjorn, she will grab at everything so I can no longer do dishes with her in that position. She also lunges for our food whenever she gets the chance. She is getting lots of samples and tastes and can handle chunks of cooked apple, brocolli, pieces of rice and anything else off our plate that seems edible for a toothless babe. She loves food and has already started to feed herself using her fingers and is always trying with her spoon. The four of us went swimming on the weekend and it was Karina's first time. She loved it and splashed and kicked and watched her brother. Of course she was exhausted afterwards.

Jordan is back in classes and is also continuing to work on his research. He has quite the heavy load but still puts everything away when we are all together in the evenings. I make dinner, he plays with the kids and we all spend the evening together. We are exhausted at the end of the day but are happy to have an hour or so to ourselves before we go to bed.

It is beautiful at SFU right now and there are many new friendly faces. I am focused on getting us all settled into this new season - there is much more going on and the balance is even tougher to keep sustained but its workable and everything is already beginning to settle. I have an online course starting soon and next week I will begin abit of Doula work for Vancouver Coastal Health. I am excited to start meeting with the young moms again and will bring Karina along with me during the Childbirth Education classes. Jonas and I are also taking a yoga class together - he loves doing yoga moves!

Sweet Pictures....

Grandma Janet and Karina at Emilie and Nico's Victoria wedding

Our 5 Month Old Baby Girl

Have I mentioned that it feels as if Karina has always been with us? How could we have ever considered stopping at just one child? Of course, life is much more hectic with a second child but it is so completely worth having another personality within our family. Jonas has flourished and has never in any way shown any emotion towards Karina aside from pure happiness in having a sister.

I would say that both Karina and Jonas are very similar in that they are/were calm as babies. Not much crying. Very content. Jonas both demanded and invited more social interaction with myself and others. Karina is more cautious in her interactions with others aside from Jordan or I. I think that Jonas enjoyed interacting so much because we had such quiet surroundings when he was a baby - just him and I and Jordan in our big roomy Island house. He always wanted to know where I was in the house and would become fussy if I went upstairs or down the the basement. He didn't like being alone. But then, what baby or child does? Karina, on the other hand, is always watching and very observant in our little apartment. There is always lots going on and the space is small. She knows I am always just a few feet away - whether I am in the kitchen or another room, I am always almost within arms reach. This, I think, makes her feel secure and comfortable and therefor she goes ahead and plays on her own or listens and watches all of the activity. She loves to watch Jonas play and interact with us and his friends. She will often cry and become upset if he cries.

Karina will nap 3 or 4 times a day now for about 30-45 minutes if left alone and perhaps 1 - 1.5 hours if I join her. She feeds at least every 3 hours each night, which I rarely notice since she sleeps right next to me. I actually feel rested enough to function quite well throughout the day and often, surprisingly get alot accomplished. (alot is relative).

Karina started solids much earlier than Jonas. I started her very gradually just before she was 4 months. I went with intuition and shared some smoothy with her one day. She became very excited and wanted more so I started her on rice cereal which she happily took with no tongue thrust reflex whatsoever. I was quite surprised. I got the big no no from the public health nurse because most recent studies have shown that babies should not have solids until 6 months. But that is just an average for when babies are ready and of course each baby is different. Aside from any recent research, I believe that following our own intuition as well as following the baby's lead is most important. I often feel that we place too much trust in what others dictate based on this or that study and not enough on our own instinct. Anyway. She has been very happy with food and now eats twice a day with nursing as she wants. SO far she has had yams, carrots, peas, spaghetti squash and apple. She is incredibly involved and so very messy. She likes to try to feed herself now and loves to move the food into her mouth on her own. Its very sweet.

Aside from her food, Karina loves to be in the sling, the bjorn and just recently the ergo carrier. She also loves sitting in the BOB Stroller with her brother at the front. She is much better travelling in the car now and rarely cries, thank goodness.

When not being carried, Karina loves to be on her stomach. Much more than Jonas ever did. She loves to roll around and scoot and check out her toys. She can also sit on her own very briefly and for extended periods if helped. She doesn't like the BUMBO seat like Jonas did, but she like her rocker chair (which Jonas liked as well).

We have a crib set up in the bedroom she will eventually share with Jonas. She loves to play in it when I am cleaning or playing with Jonas. I can imagine she will be as excited as Jonas is to eventually share a room!

Its hard to believe that 5 months have passed since Karina was born. It has gone by so fast and when I think back to when she was inside me, I could never have imagined how beautifully our life would continue to unfold with our little baby girl! How so very smooth the transition has been... I feel very fortunate and am forever thankful to have Karina and Jonas in my life. By having them I have learned so much about myself and life in general. This experience has been, at times, difficult, yet overall the most fulfilling chapter of my life so far...

Our Island Vacation!

Jord and I headed out for a wedding reception (kids stayed home!) Sort of a DATE!!

Wonderful evening!!


Strathcona Park, Vancouver Island


Saratoga Beach


UBC Agricultural Land - Camping in the Comox Valley after Woodlot AGM


Karina chilling while we set up camp....


Beautiful Island!!




Cousin Livia - Jonas loves to hang out with her!


Grandpa Ken and Grandpa Jerry in Drew Harbour on Quadra Island


Jordan and Soren on Mom and Dad's boat -

4 Months

After spending a whirlwind 3 weeks vacation on the Islands, we are back and easily settled into our little routine and life. After visiting with family and friends we were all fairly exhausted yet it only took a couple days back at home before we were rejuvenated and ready to get back into a much needed routine. Jonas was very easy to get back into regular bedtimes and school/social life, but Karina seems to be a whole new and forever changing person!

Karina is very similar to Jonas as a baby in that she does not cry much nor does she fuss. I consider both Karina and Jonas very easy babies but as time goes on I can see more differences. I am enjoying these differences immensely and am having such a wonderful time getting to know our beautiful little girl. As a baby, Jonas was very content and very easy to pacify if he was upset. Being outside or breastfeeding was all that was ever needed to make Jonas a happy baby. Jonas really liked being around people and hated to play alone. He is very social and not at all shy. Karina, on the other hand is quite mellow but when she is mad, she can be a little more difficult to settle. She will not take the breast nor will going outside calm her. The only thing that I can do for her is take her into a quiet place/ dark room and hold her. She eventually settles on her own. There doesn't seem to be any specific thing for me to do that will calm her - all I can do is provide the environment for her to relax in and she does the rest. Both Jonas and Karina really only get upset is when overstimulated and tired/hungry. Karina has also mastered rolling from back to front and front to back. She is now almost beginning to scoot forward a little. She can almost sit and will often balance herself with an arm if she begins to fall over or else she just flops over. She also likes to stand on her feet with all of her weight, leaning on my arm or other object.



Karina is often not too happy to be held by other people but sometimes she will warm up to someone new who is holding her. She seems to like to be on her own and spend a lot of time observing everything around her. Karina will spend lots of time rolling around on the floor or sitting in her chair keeping herself occupied. Of course I realize that part of this self sufficiency is due to nature and also due to nurture. I am often running around doing one thing or another and cannot always be at her side. She accepts this easily most of the time and will have no problems letting me know otherwise.

I was never into baby swings, exersaucers, jolly jumpers etc for Jonas - although I borrowed all of those items and owned an exersaucer, Jonas was never really into any of them. Since then I have heard from a physiotherapist friend that these devices actually slow down an infants development if used for more than a few minutes each day. In the end I am sure that it doesn't matter either way, but I have not had any need/desire to place Karina in any of these devices. Having a tiny apartment makes it easier to not have these devices as well. Less crap laying around! The idea of kids watching movies in cars while on road trips is totally foreign to me - I am a little old fashioned in that I like Jonas to check out the scenery, listen to music, sing or have conversation with us while driving. A new activity while in the car for Jonas is listening to stories on CD. He is STOKED on listening to CARS at the moment - I don't mind at all because I look back at him and his eyes are faraway and I can tell he is imagining each scene as the story is told and I only wish I could see what the story looks like in his minds eye.




And before I fall asleep I must share one final and interesting development over the past two days. Based on strong intuition and some developmental 'cues' - I fed Karina her first food! It is abit early, but I felt that Karina was ready. While pregnant I imagined that I would wait until she was at least 6 months but I have had this nagging feeling at the back of my mind that she is ready and she seems very interested in food. SO I mixed some freshly pumped milk with some brown rice cereal and tried it out. I was not entirely surprised when Karina squealed with joy and kicked her feet excitedly after I fed her her first spoonful. I only allowed her about 3 teaspoons at her first meal. Some of the clues she has given me that she is ready is that she is almost sitting on her own, she is very interested in my food and tried to grab at it, she does not push the food out of her mouth and she opens her mouth really wide when she sees the spoon coming toward her. She has never done this with the breast, Never a big open mouth like many babies out there. Funny and unique girl, my Karina! This is significant for everyone because it means that others can now participate in feeding her, my milk supply may change (so soon??) and her poops will go from pleasant smelling to stinky real poops.

And this is my life and excitement at the moment and I wouldn't trade it for the world! Its all going by too quickly but by continuing to write in this blog, I have a record of this short time in my life with my little darlings! My mind is so fuzzy half the time and my writing is not at all my best but I will continue otherwise I may not remember these days as clearly as I would like!