Bumbo Baby

By far one of our favourite pictures EVER of Jessica at 3 1/2 months!!

Poor Baby Jessica!!

Yesterday marked the first day of Jessica's first cold. =( On Sunday night she was up at 10:45 pm, 12:00 am, 3:15 am and 6:30 am with a stuffy nose and was having trouble putting herself back to sleep. Of course, I had no problem resorting to extra holding and cuddling to make sure she got her rest. We propped up one side of her mattress (which she didn't end up liking very much) and put a vaporizer in her room to help her out. Her naps were short yesterday but by the end of the day she was feeling a little better - on her way back to her normal self - cooing, smiling and kicking her legs.

Last night we put her to bed a little earlier and since Russ had to get up real EARLY this morning for work I slept in Jess' room in case she decided to wake up often. She had trouble putting herself to sleep after the dream feed, but then went through from 12:30 am - 8:00 am. I didn't sleep well (it's hard when I can hear her every sound and move) but didn't care - as long as she got a full night of sleep!

Jessica was still a little stuffy this morning with a runny nose....but as always, with a smile! She's also been napping now for over an hour - longer than any of her naps yesterday! Get lots of rest little girl - Mommy promises you'll be better soon! xoxo

First Tooth

A few nights ago, Jessica oddly woke up before her dream feed a little fussy. She did that a 1 or 2 nights then yesterday she was ok. We thought it might have been her teeth that were bugging her and today I went to feel her gums and there is definitely one starting to pop out on the bottom! I figured the first tooth was going to come relatively early (they say it comes at 7 months old, on average) because apparently both Russ and I had our first tooth at 5 months and the age that it comes is hereditary!

I want to say YAY for Jessica's first tooth, especially since so far her fussiness has been minimal...I just hope she doesn't start biting down when she's nursing!! =)

Jess has definitely improved in her ability to roll over too - this morning (while I was at the gym she had some time with Russ) she rolled over from back to tummy and tummy to back about 10 times...back and forth, back and forth. Way to go Jessica!! Next milestone we're waiting for is her ability to sit up on her own. We're noticing she's definitely getting stronger, so we'll be sure to keep you updated!

Snowed In!

Happy belated Valentine's Day! As you might have heard, we were snowed in yesterday! They predicted 50-70 cm in the Hamilton-Burlington-Oakville area and I think we got it! Here are some photos Russ took before he kindly cleaned off my car and shoveled the driveway so I could get out for my dentist appointment and to teach BodyPump (surprisingly, despite the weather there were over 20 people in my class):



As for V-day, Russ & I never do very much except for our fruit & chocolate fondue ritual - strawberries, blackberries & pineapple...yummy!!! Jessica was also happy to receive a few Valentine's Day greetings - thank you to everyone for your cards!!

Other than that, we're surviving the cold weather (by staying indoors!). The weatherman is predicting more normal temperatures next week - keep your fingers crossed! =)

Jessica is 5 months today!!

Can you believe it?? I know I say this every month, but time really does fly when you're having sooooo much fun!!

Today was a milestone day for Jess in many ways....first things first - she finally rolled over!!! And both ways too - from tummy to back AND from back to tummy! I was so excited I almost cried!!

Jessica also took a full feed from a bottle for the first time today! I absolutely HATE using that darn breast pump (and can never get enough milk doing it) so decided to try formula instead...just for the sake of getting her used to the bottle for those one-off times I can't be there to feed her. She took it no problem and downed 7 oz without a fight. I couldn't have been prouder!! I've decided to feed her formula with the bottle once a week so she doesn't forget how to do it.

Of course, we took her monthly photo with the Mary Kay bear. Here it is next to the shot at 4 months:



Does she look much bigger?? It's hard to tell but she's actually grown about 2 1/2 cm in the past month!

Here are a few extra photos just because I have to show Jessica off a little more...it is, after all, her birthday!!!



Taken just before her bath last night...our little Aunt Jemima!! =)



Thanks for stopping by!! =)

A couple more pages!

I couldn't help but create a page about the gifts that Laura gave Jessica for our baby shower - the horse theme was great and I am in LOVE with that skirt...size 6-9 months...not too much longer before Jess can strut around in it!! =)



I struggled with this next page- I just couldn't get everything straight (my fault for "eyeballing" vs. measuring)! Oh well... Moo, Cow is the name of the story we've been reading Jessica every night before bedtime since she was (I think) 6-8 weeks old and she still loves it!

Our little Drama Queen

Jessica has recently learned how to cough....not because she has a cold, not because she's choking on milk or saliva from teething, but just because she can. I read in one of my books that infants will cough for attention and/or entertainment once they realize they can...and Jess definitely has! At first we thought it was due to teething, but now she just coughs for fun, and smiles while she's doing it. It's actually really cute - our little drama queen striving for attention with her fake coughs.

She is also really trying to roll over - we're giving her more back and tummy time so she has more time to practice. She turns right on her side and reaches for toys but she just can't get that last little bit yet. It's quite amazing to watch her - she can lie on her back for 30 minutes just trying to roll over, and usually ends up pivoting 360 degrees on the spot! Many times over the past week we have found her in her crib with her head where her feet used to be...180 degrees from where we put her down! We'll definitely be watching her closely for this next milestone.

Anyway, here are a couple photos from this past week...it sure is fun dressing her up in cute girly clothes other than a sleeper! =)

More Jessica Layouts

I'm just loving the art of SIMPLICITY!! I am amazed at how quickly I'm getting pages done! ENJOY! =)

Such a good girl!!

The weekend was a success! Russ & I were pleasantly surprised at how good Jessica was , especially considering the new environment and the long drive up to the cottage. She had no problem sleeping in her playpen (the first night she got up once to feed, the second night slept right through to 7:15 am) and even had a couple catnaps in the car when she got tired! On Saturday (the day of the wedding) she was up from her nap at 3:30 pm and we didn't leave the reception until 8:00 pm....she was reallllly tired but was a very good girl considering how long she was up. Needless to say, she PASSED OUT in the car on our way home.



We also had a really nice visit with Great Grandma Stella at the manor before going to the wedding reception. I think Grandma was just smitten with the newest addition to Pastway family (even though she kept asking if Jessica was a boy or a girl!!) =)



We had a little bit of time to "play" in the snow....well, we actually just dressed Jess in her snowsuit, put her in the snow for a few pictures, then ran back inside. It was way too cold (-30) to be frolicking out there, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to take photos in so much snow!!



We arrived home around 6:00 pm on Sunday evening, expecting Jessica to take a few days to adjust back to her old routine. But she proved to be a great traveller - and slept through the night without a fight. Good girl Jess!! =) Perfect preparation for our long drive to Florida in March...I know, I know, what are we thinking?!?!

Jessica's first weekend away

We're going to the cottage tomorrow for Russ' cousin Rhea's wedding....and it will be Jessica's first time away from home! I created a list of things we have to bring - whew! it's going to be exhausting just packing up the car with everything! Bath, playpen, bouncy chair, diapers, baby bjorn, snowsuit, breastfeeding pillow, sleepers, onesies, lotion, toys...just to name a few things. We'll see how it goes - I think she's going to be ok although she has yet to have a night time sleep in her playpen, let alone in a strange place other than home! I'm not too worried about the car ride - it's only about 3 hours from Toronto and Aunt Laura will keep her company in the back.

Anyway, here are a few more layouts I finished during Jess' nap time over the past couple days. I feel like I'm getting so much done yet the pile of pictures I have on my desk to scrap is still pretty big!! Go figure. =)