CanADiaN TiME eH?

It all started almost 2 1/2 years ago in the Bahamas....I met this girl :) She was tall, blonde and from Canada, she was dating a friend of ours we'd just met and I was the girl they set up for her to meet and hang out with. I met her at dinner and then told her we'd go to the beach or something the next day and surprising to me, for the next 2 weeks she was in town we were joined at the hip. Whenever her boyfriend was working, day or night at the restaurant, she was all mine and we did everything together!! We became instant best friends and I was so upset when she had to go. Thanks to iphone for imessage and facetime, we continued to chat and talk like we'd been friends forever. We got to know each other pretty well over those next couple years and then the day came when she bought her ticket to come to Barbados!! It was only a month away but I was so stinking excited and we talked about all the stuff we were gonna do and where we'd eat or have glass after glass of wine.

Foxy is her name, we call her Jen sometimes but for the most part it's Foxy, and the day arrived when Foxy was landing in Barbados!! Her trip was amazing, we did so much stuff and ate some amazing food, trying new places and spending the days at the beach. It was so nice to have someone help me with Gemma too. If I needed to drop Darin off at work so we could have the car, she'd ask me to leave Gem with her so they could play. She fed her numerous times, changed diapers, watched her while I had to do some errands for Darin.....Gem loves her aunt Foxy and so do I. The week went by at a steady pace, not to fast, but the day did come when she had to go and I was not excited about it. Living here makes me love visitors but also hate it at the same time because I always have to drop them off at the airport and say good-bye. We had a good long big hug and I of course cried (lol, such a dork). I just don't want it to be another 2 years before we see each other again, and I couldn't help from thinking that when I had to say good-bye....wish we lived closer, Vancouver and Barbados are just to far apart. I'm very lucky to have a friend like her and even though our friendship has been and will always be long distance we'll always be close :)

Love you Foxy!! Come back!!

iNVenTor MoM

Having a baby and them being your first, you've always got your thinking cap on. They grow and change on a daily basis so i'm constantly figuring stuff out and how or what to do next.

Sometimes I think her naps are getting shorter, then she fools me and is out for 3 hrs. She's on a pretty good sleep, eat, wake, sleep schedule...eating every 4 hours or so but she'll throw me off sometimes and then we've got to re adjust...no day is the same. 
We've outgrown the swing and now use the jumparoo thing, which she loves!! She wants to sit by herself so bad, she grabs at toys and instantly puts them in her mouth and she's standing like a champ!! Recently though, i've had to invent a few things. At her 4 month check up the dr noticed a tad of "flat head" starting so she recommended a sleep wedge which I don't have and who knows how expensive that is here. So (since wearing a thinking cap) i've created a masterpiece!! After many random ideas that didn't work out....to keep her on her left side when she sleeps, I cut a swim noodle and use her swaddle to keep it in place lol, see pic below :) Pretty genius of me I think. I also made her nursing pillow smaller and taped it so she can lay her head on that and it won't be on the bed flat anymore (saw something on a baby website that was similar, but made my own). I like both things but i'll soon have an actual side sleeper when my friend arrives in a week. Another thing, her legs are so chunky when she sits in the bumbo seat that when you take her out it sticks to her, so unless she's in her pj's or pants she's good. The trick is to put a receiving blanket covering the seat....and now we can pull her out way more easy with no seat stuck to her bare legs!

I've also started to lose hair, not just the normal hair loss but I mean like CLUMPS.....I was so freaked out in the shower I started to cry, it was so much hair I swear i'm gonna be bald before long. From talking to other moms and reading online it's "normal".....guess i'll just have to ride out the hair loss for now, hope it ends soon because it's no fun. Gemma is losing hair too but in a baby way so that doesn't count.

We started doing cereal, randomly but we started it, her face explains it all hahahaha. At first she was so confused but a few spoonfuls later she liked it. Hasn't quite gotten how to swallow it all at once so most comes out to the spoon but then I put it right back in, eventually it's all gone :) I can't wait to start fruits and veggies but that has to wait for Dr's orders first :(

She is also sleeping through the night (not sure if it's this amber necklace but since she's had it on she sleeps even better, and she was always a good sleeper), she's down around 7 or 8 and isn't up till around 5am, Darin does that feeding (thank goodness) because i'm usually up at 6:30 with her and I let him sleep till 7am when his alarm goes off for work. She's also been teething...she's been doing really really well, she's had some down days or fussy days but from what people explain how horrific teething babies are I think I should count my blessings because she's not really that bad...knock on wood lol. 

Gemma Loves:
-her jumparoo
-chewing on anything that fits in her mouth
-to stand
-my little ponies

Gemma Hates:
-tummy time....what's new

Gemma Stats
-4 months, 14lbs 5 oz, 25 inches long, our solid little girl :)

ViSiTOrS

Last week we had my brother and his very very sweet girlfriend come for a visit. Craig has been here before but Kaitlyn hasn't, she's been to Haiti a few times but this was her first vacation to the caribbean and what an awesome first caribbean vacation it was. We did so much with them, of course the usual amazing beaches all around the island with a different one to visit every day but the main reason for coming those dates is because Craig's favorite show Top Gear was here!!! We got VIP tickets and went out to the Bushy Park track here in Barbados for an all day even on Sunday, it was so much fun, an awesome day for sure!! We also did some paddle boarding on the west coast and saw a few turtles who weren't shy to see us at all, Kaitlyn even touched one!! The water was so clear so the visibility was perfect for snorkeling and swimming with the turtles. Craig has his GoPro so i'm sure there will be a video soon of all that :) Gemma got to spend some quality time with Alicia and her boys who LOVE their Gemma, it was nice to have some time and do things with them without the little one. We went out on a double date one night, watched the sunset at the Cliff on the west coast and then headed to Lime Grove for some dinner, which Kaitlyn and I shared a pizza and big salad and we couldn't stop moaning over how good the food was lol! Another great night was an annual party some friends throw called Mix Nutz and it's a paint party so we wear all white and show up at midnight and dance around in paint and powder like crazy people.....so crazy I lost our keys to the car AND my iphone :( good thing everything worked out and everything was returned...PHEW!!! Mix Nutz is on my top 5 nights in Barbados ever, seriously SO MUCH FUN (except I lost all the pics on my phone). It was nice when Craig and Darin enjoyed "bro" time because Kaitlyn and I got to enjoy girl time...we chatted about a lot of things that I won't share but that make my heart smile so just know that :) We miss them and hope one day they can come back and visit. Until next time....here's some pics :)

1st MotHeR's DaY

Very late post but after mother's day that week went pretty quick, then my brother and his sweet girlfriend came the following weekend and we've been super busy up until they left yesterday.

Here's my little Gem, who's made me enjoy life even more than I have been all along, I thought it was good then and it was, because it's great now. She's tested my patience, pooped on me, spit up on me, woke me in the middle of the night, screamed in my ear but it's all worth it when she flashes that gorgeous smile my way. Thank you Gem for being such a great baby for my first time around this crazy block! Last year I was pregnant with you but didn't know so this day is so special knowing what I know now, I was a mom last mother's day and didn't know it.....love how life changes!

The bottom left pic is actually Mother's Day, we went to breakfast and then headed to the beach :) 

TiME fLiES

We've just passed the 3 month mark with G. In the last 2 weeks we've had a great Easter weekend with friends, been to the beach a few times in the last 2 weeks because we've had probably 4 holidays (haha, we have a lot of those here), and she continues to smile big and be happy 90% of the time :) We got her a little rash guard for the beach to help protect her from the sun (see pic below), it's so cute on her! I got a swim bottom for her also a few weeks ago that a friend brought but it's already to small and tight on her legs....she's a chunk! 

It's so fun being home with her all day, yea sometimes i'd like to leave but for the most part I love being home, I can't imagine missing all the things I see all day if I had to work....the moms that work must have a hard time leaving every day then every minute they're gone they can't wait to get back. Babies don't do much till 2-3 months and then maternity leave is over and mom has to go back to work when all the fun begins, to those moms....you're amazing in every way! I'm very thankful for this life i've been given and all these great opportunities that are so amazing, there's nothing better than being able to watch her grow and change day in and day out....one day she's on her back and the next she can roll over and the next she can grab toys and put them right in her mouth!! She's also laughed a couple of times but Darin can really get her going and it's so funny listening to how she laughs and watching her stare at Darin waiting for the next funny thing to happen.

G had her first birthday party to attend (Liam's 5th) and as it was her first, it was also our first...with a kid lol...we're usually in the adult side group with no kids and a beer or wine in hand watching all the crazy happen around us and not having to do anything about it, haha, not anymore! She had a great time watching all the kids run around screaming and playing with all sorts of toys, she just sat there and grunted a few times as she kicked her legs and arms while the kids ran by her. She'll be amongst them soon enough :) 

I can't help but be jealous of how my daughter gets to grow up, the older she gets the easier it is to bring her around places so we go everywhere. She's been to the beach more times than some people go in an entire year and not just a beach but the most bluest, turquoise beaches. I'm not sure how old I was when I saw a beach for the first time, but the first time it was a blue, turquoise, clear water beach, I was 18 years old. I moved to Florida when I was 11, but the beaches there don't count as they are brown :( I hope G appreciates all this one day and I hope she continues to love the water as much as her mum and dad do.

Craig and Kaitlyn come in 2 weeks and we're so excited!! Gemma and I also go back to Florida the end of June for 2 weeks and we can't wait!!

Gemma Loves:
-her play mat
-watching daddy make her laugh
-holding a blanket when she sleeps and likes it on her face too (that's my girl :))
-her BIM (barbados) cousins, aunties and uncles 
-sitting holding mommy's hands and standing, she likes to see what's going on around her
-the beach

Gemma Hates:
-again, STILL hates tummy time, a part of me doesn't think she'll ever like it

Gemma Stats
-next apt is @ 4 months and is the end of May....we think she's 12 + lbs so we'll see, maybe 13 by the time we go to her apt.