Melie and Ronan (Ronan is my friend Leigh�s son, they live right behind us). Melie was not to impressed with the Bloor West scenery. 

Post bath curls.  

Busy busy busy

This past week has been so busy and full of activity. We got lots of fresh air, melie had her 2 month appointment and first shots (eep), we hung out with Jen and the girls and we went to Waterloo for a BBQ. First Melie’s doctors appointment. I was so nervous about it because I was dreading her getting her shots. I was such a wreck that I asked Denise to come with me for moral support. Well I had totally over reacted, Melie didn’t even cry for the first shot, the second one there were some tears but she had quieted down in a minute or two. It was still hard to see her cry and my heart broke when she nuzzled in under my chin and just kind of whimpered but it wasn’t the screaming drive home I had anticipated. She hasn’t had any noticeable side effects from it either. On a happier note she now weights 12lbs 2oz which is down to the 70th percentile for weight (Jeff and I are happy we didn’t want her riding the top of the weight curve forever). On the other hand she is now 61.5cm long which is a 5.5cm growth from last month, for that one she is at the top of the scales. The nurse and doctor both said that it seems normal that her rate of weight gain has drop considering her big increase in length and the fact she is so active (the whole time we were there the legs and arms were flailing, we call it her dancing). I started a 1/2 marathon walking clinic this past week which goes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I had started doing the running 1/2 marathon clinic before I was pregnant but a couple months into my pregnancy I had to stop because it was just too hot and I was pretty exhausted. I made it to 18km and was so frustrated that I didn't do the 3 more km to make the goal so hopefully this time I will make it. The clinic is also a nice chance to get to meet some other mom’s on mat leave, it is quite the stroller parade. I am also enjoying trying out some new routes for walking, it gets abit boring walking up the river every time. This week we got together with Jen, Emma and Leah. We went for a walk and a trip to Ikea. This was melie’s first trip to Ikea, I think she was very impressed with the Sweedish designs. We took the elevator with a 10day old baby and this was his second trip to Ikea, poor Melie has been so deprived. This was my first real shopping trip with Melie without Jeff or Denise, it went quite well and it helped boost my confidence. Up till now I have still been alitle nervous about shopping with melie, I don’t really know what it is but I guess I just haven’t gotten used too all the paraphernalia required and manoeuvring them around. Anyways with my new found shopping confidence Friday Melie and I did errands… the bank, Loblaws, Costco and a stop at my parents to do laundry (our washer and dryer are disconnected right now while Jeff works on the laundry room). It went very well, melie was a superstar and only started fussing a bit on our way home after she had missed her nap because she was too interested in what was going on at Costco. Today I am off to Square One with Meals and my brother on a mission for Old Navy Polo shirts, fingers crossed. On Saturday, Jeff, Meals and I went up to Kitchener to Liv and Scott’s place for a BBQ with a bunch of classmates from Waterloo. I can’t believe it has been 5 years almost to the day that we graduated!!! Anyways it was so nice to see everyone and hear everyone’s news. There were 7 kids under 3 and more than half were less that 5 months!!! How things have changed since graduation. I hadn’t seen liv’s boys since right after they were born (3months ago or so) and they have grown so much, what cuties. I was bad and forgot to bring my camera but Jen was much better so Jen has some pictures from the day on her site at Homes Online. (By the way I am feeling quite pleased with my self for getting the links on my sidebar and a counter at the bottom of my page, SUPERSTAR!!!!). This week I am on my own during the days, no visits from Denise. Denise, John, Daryl and Mom are in France for 10days. We talked to them yesterday, how jealous are we!!! I think Melie might go into attention withdrawal with them all gone. Oh also for anyone that tried to post comments before and couldn’t because they didn’t have a blog account, I have changed the settings so anyone can post now. Look forward to hearing from everyone.

This weekend we got together with friends, they had seen pics of Melie but they were still shocked by her hair so I guess I must not have captured the true essence of her "do". Hope this shows the wildness abit better.

Dr. Evil and Mini Me 

Hanging out with Turtle, having alittle talk. 

Melie has become very adept at finding her thumb now. Has added a new twist to the routine though, she rubs her nose with her fingers while she sucks her thumb. It makes me laugh.  

Two Months Old

I can’t believe Melie is two months old already!!!! I am sure I will say this every month but really I can’t believe it some tile it feels like she was just born and other times it feels like she has been here forever. What changes in a month!!! Amelia is starting to have a personality, she has perfected the pout, she gets excited then you talk to her and she has even found her voice. She has been sleeping through the night for the last month; I think the last time I got with her was in the middle of May. She is now sleeps-in the latest in our house and some mornings I even have to get her up. We are starting to develop a routine, where she gets up around 8:30 or 9 and has a bottle then a little play then is back to bed for her morning nap. The morning nap is great, she rarely fusses when I put her down and she usually just stares at her mobile for a while then falls asleep. Recently she has been sleep for a few hours and is up just after lunch. Afternoons aren’t quite so organised and there are usually a number of cat naps. She stays up for the longest and is the hardest to get down for a nap in the evening, that seems to be her playtime. I think what has helped with Melie’s sleeping is the fact that she has found her thumb and she sucks her thumb when she wakes up in the night which puts her back to sleep (I know this because she has become much louder about it lately). I have been a little worried about the thumb sucking and was debating trying to get her to take a pacifier instead because at least I could take the pacifier away later but that is another thing I have to make sure I don’t forget when I leave the house. According to my mom I was a very bad thumb sucker and I only stopped after I broke my arm in grade 1, see why I am worried? Melie has found her voice in the last week or so, it is sooo cute!!!! I love it, I think this is my favourite thing so far. She gets into major conversions with us and she contorts her mouth in all these funny faces. She goes for her 2-month doctors appointment on Wednesday so I will find out how much she has grown. She has also had a couple of physical changes mostly to do with her trademark hair. We kept thinking that her hair would come out and new growth would start but there is still no sign of that happening, instead her hair is getting more and more out of control. It is rather funny to watch everyone try to smooth it down only to have it pop back up. Denise is the most determined about it but to no avail. I keep thinking it will get long enough to flop over but no, it just keeps growing straight up. Most days it looks like a cross between Jeff’s hair and Elvis. Now to add to the uniqueness of her hair, it has started to grow out blond from the roots. Her hair has been getting gradually lighter since birth but her roots are still lighter. Okay got to go Taye Diggs in on Ellen.

 

Amelia Helen Reitsma - 2 Months 

Happy Father's Day

We had another great weekend. Friday night we went over to our friends Chelsea and Mark’s for dinner, we had very yummy homemade pizza and ice cream sandwiches. Melie was in a bit of a mood that night and just wanted to be held, she did manage to have a bit of a nap while we ate, thank goodness. Saturday was home improvement day, John, Jeff and Rich worked on the basement while I ripped up the juniper bushes in our backyard and Melie napped. I was so pleased with myself, I got ¾ of the bushes taken up and hopefully today I can finish. The guys were working on our laundry room and making very good progress. I am so impressed with how much they have been getting done, I can’t wait till our basement is done. That night Jeff, Melie and I had a quiet night watching Finding Neverland, what a great movie!!!! Sunday, Father’s Day was unfortunately filled with errands but we did spend the day all together as a family. We did make up for our busy day with a very relaxing, leisurely dinner on the patio at the pub with John, Denise, my mom and Rich. It was a lovely night with lots of laughs and good food and beer. Melie made friends with the guys sitting behind us, who offered to buy her a drink, she is picking up already :). This week Melie gets her first shots, eep I am dreading it more than I any shot I have got. I stocked up on baby advil yesterday and Denise is coming with me for moral support so I think I am as prepared as I can be.

Melie and Mini having a little chat. 

Melie and Grandmama. Check out the lip!! 

Happy Father's Day!!! 

Me and my little bunny!!! I love this little sweatshirt, she has been wearing it for the last month or so but it is finally starting to fit her, yipeee. 

Bath Time!!! (She would look so different without all her hair) 

Happy Melie 

My lovely Dexter relaxing 

Melie and GG (great-grampy) playing. 

Melie's new favorite past time. I think she is going to suck her thumb right off!!!

Not so little Melie 

Family, Friends and Heat Wave

Well we have had a very busy weekend, Melie met some more of her family, went to her very first birthday party and all this during a major heat wave. On Friday Jeff, Melie and I went over to John and Denise’s to escape the heat of our personal sauna and say hello to Uncle Bill, Aunt Betty, Aunt Laura and Super Paaka (Grandpa Reitsma). This is some of the first extended family Melie has met so of course there were lots of pictures. While we were over we also tried Melie in the pool again, this time the water was at about 93 degrees so it was pretty much like her bath with Jeff holding her. She thought is was okay at first then started crying, we aren’t really sure if it was the pool or just that she was cranky to begin with. After our swim we had a lovely dinner while Melie got passed around meeting everyone. On Saturday we went to Emma and Leah’s first birthday party. I have never been to a party and been on the adult side of the party, it was very cute. The highlight was seeing the girls’ reaction to their cake and the subsequent mess that went along with it. Check little Leah after her cake, that picture was taken after the first pass with a face cloth. Melie slept through most of the party in her car seat totally oblivious to the party around her. She did awake up towards the end to play and say hello to everyone. After the kiddies birthday we headed back out to John and Denise’s another fantastic dinner out on the patio with family and friends. Sunday we did some cooking and cleaning and had a quiet day at home before heading to my parents for our traditional Sunday night dinner with another special guest, GG, my grandfather (no pics of them yet but seeing as he and my mom are babysitting tonight we will take care of the shortly). Melie seems to be stretching out these days; I think she is getting longer and her chins seem to be reducing in number. I will be interested to see what her measurements are at her next doctors appointment. In the last few weeks she has been lovin’ her playmates, her arms and legs flail all over the place hitting all the little animals. She also has started moving herself around while she is in bed, we put her down on her back in the middle of the crib and in the last few days I have found with her head touching the top of the crib, twisted around in the other direction and curled up in a ball on her side, those legs must be getting a good work out. With all this growing, the heat and limb flailing she has been sleeping like a superstar, we haven’t been up with her in the night for the last 2 weeks and in the last week she has been sleeping 9 to 10hrs a night, what a joy.

Nap Time 

Emma and Leah's first birthday party. Before.... 

....After 

First Real Swim - Melie actaully made it in this time. "Daddy don't let me go!!!" 

Melie and Auntie Betty 

Melie and Super Paaka (aka. Grandpa Reitsma) 

Melie and Lambie hanging out on her beautiful new blanket.

Fun in the Sun

The weather here has been GREAT!!!!! We have been out for lots of walks and this weekend we even managed a swim at John and Denise's (they were away but we enjoyed their pool :). It has been in the high twenties and sunny for most of the week so we have been trying to take advantage of it just in case it is the only summer we get. Sat we just did some work around the house and had a quiet night watching Ocean's 12 while Jeff made peanut butter truffles, yummmmm. Sunday we headed out to Mississauga to the pool with our friends John and Jen and their twin girls. We thought we might take Melie for her first little dip…. Melie disagreed and thought the water was not warm enough for her so she just dipped her feet. Leah and Emma seemed to love water though, Jen posted some more pics on her website http://holmesonline.blogspot.com/. After swimming Jeff, Melie and I headed over to my parents for some yummy dinner on the patio. It was a great day!!! I think Melie is going through a growth spurt (cause she isn't big enough already :) but she has been eating and sleeping a lot more. Sat and Sunday night she slept 10hrs, crazy. She is so much more alert now, she smiles and makes face so much now. Her favourite things to smile at are funny faces, her feet being nibbled and her cheeks being rubbed, oh and the cheeky little monkey also likes to smile when she pushes the bottle out of her mouth with her tongue. It is so wonderful to have her respond to us. She has also learned to suck her thumb and sometimes just her whole hand, she has been doing this a bit since a couple days after she was born but now it is a regular thing. At first we thought she was hungry and would try shoving a bottle in her mouth but nope she just likes chewing her hand. Jeff and I are now serenaded to lip smacking sounds over the intercom.

After a long day by the pool had a nice little nap at Mini and Topo's while Jeff and I sat out on my parents patio and enjoyed a lovely dinner.  

Melie and Dad off for Melie's first swim. She didn't think much of the water temperature and only ended up dipping her feet in.  

Dexter and Maisy like all of Melie's baby stuff but this was their first time they ventured into her chair, I guess they need to do it together for moral support. 

Little Yoda Melie with big smiles 

Melie, hanging out and eating her hand (we feed her, honest!!!)