So Sweet

This shot was taken a couple days ago when she was feeling right as rain. Thankfully, this afternoon, she does seem to be getting back to her old self again (though it's strange to say 'her old self' when she's just over two months old).

When baby's happy -- mama's happy.



Mama's little cupcake.

How Exciting

Last night as I was browsing away on Etsy (as I am often found doing) I came across this gorgeous mobile:


I can't get enough of deer & fawn paraphernalia.

Isn't it just fantastic?

Later on, when I was already in bed with little Gretchanoo, Ryan came in to tell me that he'd just bought it for me! What a fabulous, fabulous man. I think that when it arrives I'll hang it up above my baby's change table.

The shop that he bought the mobile from is called Salty & Sweet. You can find them here.

An Update From The House Of Ill

My little girl still isn't quite feeling like herself this morning. Last night was another fairly sleepless night, though her fever hasn't increased, which is a good sign. I've been giving her the children's Tylenol which seems to keep her in a fairly good spirits for small chunks of time, but overall she's still fussy & warm. My poor babes.

Hopefully this will be the last day with a sad little baby -- this tired mama wants to see smiles & could also use a good night's sleep.

Thank you for your get well wishes & love.

Armed With Love & Children's Tylenol

For the past two nights, the little one hasn't been sleeping so well. She's been much warmer than usual & wasn't keeping down all of her milk. This morning she was feverish so I took her to our doctor to have get checked out.


Such a sweet face.


My sad little baby in my lap this morning.

Basically we think it's just a little infection that she is fighting -- but it sure is sad. It's so hard to watch such a little baby be so upset when they can't tell you what hurts.

She seems happiest when she is in her car seat, so right now I'm letting her sleep in it as long as she wants. When she wakes up I'm going to slip her some children's Tylenol & cross my fingers that she feels better soon. We've been told that if her fever hits 38.5 then we'll be making a trip up to emerg. Cross your fingers that we don't have to do that.

I think my heart would just break.


In her happy place.

Sleep well, my baby girl. When you wake, mama will snuggle you til you are a happy little noo noo once more.

Think happy, healthy thoughts for us. Merci.

A Few Of My Favourite Things

Details.

A Saturday Away From The City

Yesterday we went on a rural adventure. Gretchen & I spent the day with my gramma & her boyfriend. It was so gorgeous outside & of course, my little baby slept through most of the excitement.

First we went to the farmer's market where I bought some tasty Stickling's organic dark rye bread. Have I ever mentioned my love affair with rye bread? It's continuous & delightful, but that's a whole other story.





After the market we went up to Hiawatha for breakfast. Gretchen woke up long enough to eat while I ate. The lake was thawing & beautiful.



After breakfast we traveled just north of Lakefield to McLean Berry Farm's Maplefest! The goats were rather adorable if not completely gluttonous. Either way, very cute & very friendly.



I took Gretchen on her first wagon ride...



... which she slept through.

(Thank goodness she'll have this photo documentary of her life -- without it she'd never believe we did anything.)

There were so many little one's there -- even a couple younger than Gretchen. It was also fantastic to see so many dad's babywearing! Out of the at least 20 babies that I saw -- 1/2 or more were being worn by dad. I love this.



Hopefully we will return to the berry farm later in the season when there are more berries to be had. I've never had the "pick-your-own" berry experience, but I think this might be the year for it. We're also definitely going to head to a pumpkin patch this October. I really love spending time on farms.

I hope you are all having a fantastic weekend. Yesterday the weather was gorgeous, but today we are spending a very sleepy, blah, rainy Sunday indoors. I can't complain about it being 10 degrees though!

Spring has sprung in the Kawarthas!

Happy Sunday, my friends.

Earth Hour

Last night we participated in Earth Hour. At 8.30pm we turned off all of the lights, lit some candles & snuggled with the baby on our bed (while watching a couple episodes of Friends on my unplugged laptop). We also turned off both of the computers in the office.

Last year for I was still working at the cafe & we turned off all of the lights to serve people by candle light. I think it's a really nice thing to do each year & we'll certainly be participating in Earth Hour 2010!

In my fabulous google reader today I have found two entries about last night -- good job to Ellen from The Long Thread & to Emily over at Thoughts & Biro Sketches for participating. Yay!

Did you participate? How did it feel to go without lights/power for that hour? If you have kids, did you teach them about Earth Hour? I would love to hear all about your EH adventures for 2009!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Smile Like You Mean It

And the award for the World's Happiest Baby goes to... Miss Gretchen Fawn!



This happy little face warms me right down to my soul.

Fawned Friday

My apologies for the less than extensive list this week. Next week, I promise, shall be a doozy.

01. The Yoshi project.
02. I think these simplistic wall murals are just great.
03. I long for shelves like these.
04. This dresser is fantastic.
05. Deer themed necklaces.
06. Pick ups for when you're down.
07. Romeo & Juliet.
08. Very in love with the dress.
09. Seven deadly sins plates.
10. The cutest toothbrush holder.
11. This architecture is fantastic.

Have a fabulous Fawned Friday! Much love.

My New Talent

Today I breastfed Gretchen while shopping at Old Navy. I just flipped her sideways in the sling, latched her on & kept walking.

I feel just a little bit awesome.

Two Months

Oh my word. Gretchen is two months old. If I blink, another week passes -- if I sleep, she'll be off to university. Every week she is new & leaning & absorbing everything around her. She's gorgeous & brilliant & I love her.

Just ten more months til she's a year -- oh my goodness. I must admit, however, that I love how she is growing into more & more of her wardrobe. She has more clothing than I do.

Happy two months, little girl. Your mama falls in love everyday.

Lydia Deets

That Face

The little one often hangs out in her bouncy chair in the mornings while I try to have some breakfast & a little coffee.

Breakfast often gets interrupted by my overwhelming need to photograph the cute little faces that she makes.







So far, she's definitely a morning person.

Breastfeeding, La Leche & The Coming Of Spring

This morning Gretchen & I went to a meeting with the La Leche League. My friend (who helped me through labour) brought her six month old son & we sat around on the floor in one woman's living room to talk about all kinds of baby issues -- not just breastfeeding related, but all sorts of things. We talked about diapering, postpartum depression, anxiety, supplementation and more. It was so great to be in a safe & welcoming environment to talk about issues like these -- it's really nice to hear stories from the other women who are experiencing the same sorts of problems and successes that I am.

There are so few truly positive all female spaces & so I am happy to have found this one. I know that some of the women aren't as comfortable with the idea of supplementation, but most are, and no one seems to climb up on their high horse at the mention of formula. As they talked about on Momversation a little while ago -- formula is not the "f word".

I realize I haven't been talking too much about how my breastfeeding journey is going lately -- I'm still experimenting with what works best for Gretchen & for myself. As of now, I am mostly breastfeeding, but if she is still hungry and doesn't seem fulfilled by the boob I feel completely comfortable topping her off with some formula. A satisfied baby is a happy baby. I love breastfeeding 90% of the time -- I love laying her down to sleep at the breast & it's so convenient at 3am to just roll over, pop out a nipple and let her drink her fill (which often results in me waking up several hours later in a cold puddle of milk because I haven't put myself away). The one thing that I love about either pumping milk or giving her some formula in a bottle is that I can measure it. There is something very nice about knowing exactly how much she is getting & being able to have that kind of peace of mind -- the OCD part of me really digs that.

There is a really good chance that I will stick with this routine that I have worked out so far. I am happy about the amount of breast milk that she is getting and I am happy that she will take a bottle of formula without a hitch. I really feel as though I don't have to chose one or the other and it's a shame when mamas are made to feel poorly for the choices that they make for their children about eating. It makes me really upset to see people being bashed for not breastfeeding, or being harassed about breast feeding for too long -- anyway you look at it, a mother who is providing nourishment for their child is a fabulous mother and it is only their business how they go about it.

I suppose I didn't meant to rant about this, but it can be touchy & I feel very strongly about women being able to make decisions freely without being judged and without having to feel ashamed.

Babies need nourishment & love -- as long as they have these things we need not worry about how, what or why.

...

After the meeting I walked through the park with Gretchen on our way home. It was such a nice walk -- a little brisk & very sunny.



Held close in my arms, safe & warm --



-- with the shadows of branches at my feet.



My beautiful little girl.



I think Spring is finally here.

Eco-Reads

Every time I come across something new to the eco-friendly world I get really excited. Lately, I've been thrilled to see more & more environmentally friendly children's books!

Here are a couple that we have in our own collection:


One Tree & Little Monkey.

One Tree is a very sweet little board book (made from 98% recycled materials) which a friend gave to Gretchen because of the sweet little fawn on the cover. Little Monkey is a cloth book that was given to us at the baby shower (and it also comes in a little recycled cardboard box). Both are so lovely & kind to the environment.




That little deer is just so sweet.


You can find both of these books on Amazon -- here & here.

I'd also like to point out a few eco-themed books, which though they are not made from recycled materials, all promote sustainability & caring for the environment:

01. The Lorax (one of my all time favourites!)
02. My Mom Hugs Trees
03. Don't Throw That Away!
04. A Hot Planet Needs Cool Kids
05. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth

I hope to add many more eco-minded books to our collection & I hope you do to!
...

What are you favourite eco-friendly reads? Do you have many in your collection now? What do you do to promote being green in your home?

Father & Daughter

There is nothing greater to me these days than seeing my partner & our daughter together. This is a whole new kind of love.





I just can't get enough of the bond that these two have. She doesn't get to see him as much as me, since I'm the one at home with her all day, but that doesn't stop her from giving him the hugest grins every morning when we wake up & each night when he comes home from work.

Baby smiles have an incredible heart melting property.





So much love --

-- and oh my word, they look exactly the same. It boggles my mind sometimes. I'm pretty sure that her nose & lips are mine, but as for the rest of her -- right down to her piano fingers & her long feet -- is all him.

I think we did good here.
Real good.

Gretchen & Lydia

Neither is sure just what to think.

There Goes The Neighbourhood

Hello, my beloved Peterborough.







A glimpse of my section of town on a sunny day last week. I can't wait til all of the grass is green again.

Happy Saturday

Good morning, mes amis & happy Saturday!

Today I'm spending time with some family & friends at my Gramma's birthday shindig. Hopefully it warms up outside & we get another dose of that beautiful Springlike weather that we've been blissfully enjoying lately.

I hope you're all doing fantastic!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

What are your plans this weekend?

Fawned Friday

01. What a beautiful apartment -- especially the kitchen.
02. Me too! Though I've never been there.
03. Pillow love.
04. Poms!
05. Pretty little mock pebbles.
06. A chompy little cozy.
07. This takes Tetris to a whole new level.
08. Fun, eco-friendly cardboard playhouses.
09. Embroidery love where you'd least expect it.
10. Adorable. Though perhaps I'm a little biased on account of the Boston.
11. A friend & local photographer here in town. Oh so talented.
12. Crocheted & knitted flowers.
12. What a lovely way to display your photos.
13. Rock on.
14. I love it when beauty & function coexist.
15. I have loved this home for a long time. It's gorgeous.
16. This is almost too cute.
17. A perfect place to sip a little tea.
18. I'm really loving these portraits.
19. Serious, serious apartment envy. Oh my.
20. A sweet little post that's full of love.
21. Little kitty mobile.
22. A fantastic attic playroom.
22. It's time to hug a tree.
23. A beautiful post about a beautiful family.
24. Pretty vintage clothing labels.
25. Beautiful bird ring from one of my Etsy favourites.

Show me what you're fawned of.

A Few Of My Favourite Things

Details.

Baby Blogging

This morning Gretchen was sitting, smiling & cooing while I typed away with one hand & checked my google reader & e-mail. I think it will be pretty adorable once she starts trying to mash the keyboard.





I figure it's never to early to learn the art of blog.

...

If any of you mama's out there have photos of your little one's "helping out" at the computer, please share! I would love to meet your wee bloggers.

Fourty Nine Days

Happy seven weeks, little Gretchen Fawn.
You make our lives so special everyday.
We love you.

The Boy & The Girl

I love him.
Very much.

To My Gramma, With Love

Today is my mother's mother's birthday. This woman is incredibly important to me & she is a huge part of my life. I'm very excited about her get togheter this weekend & I know it will be delightful, as usual. She's not your typical gramma (nothing about my family is very typical) and when I was little she used to have me call her "mom" in public so that no one would guess her age. To this day she barely looks a day over 50, if that, and is healthy & happy & wonderful. Happy birthday gramma, with love from your granddaughter, great grandaughter, Ryan & all the pets! Muah! Kisses & hugs.

...

ps. This font is from {A} and you can download it here.

My Bright Eyed Girl

Her favourite game is to stick her tongue out at us. She loves it.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

A Week Of Firsts

Yesterday was Gretchen's first parade & today was her first trip to the zoo (which she also slept through). Ah well, I took some photos to prove that it happened so that in a few years I can tell her that her first trip to the zoo happened when she was just six weeks & four days old!

We went to the zoo with my friend Karen, aka one of Gretchen's fabulous aunts (of which she has many). My friends are so lovely & so good to my daughter -- I feel fortunate that she has such great people to look up to.


I reached into the backseat with the camera to grab this shot.


She's oh so cozy in her wrap.


Karen & I, looking into one of the enclosures. I think there were bats & birds in there.


Gretchen, Aunt Karen & myself.


Hello, goats!


A female reindeer, I believe.


I think the meerkat are longing to get back outside.


Turkeys! The big male was showing off -- all fluffered and prancing.

It was sunny but very wet at the zoo today. We will definitely be going back more & more as the weather improves. We were a little sad that we didn't get to see the otters today but it seems that they are only on display from 9-4pm and we were there around 4.30pm. Sigh. We did see something that made up for it, however! A while ago one of the camels passed away and for the longest time the remaining camel looked so sad -- but! Today there were two camels! They must have found him a friend & they were snuggling and giving each other little camel kisses. It was so nice to see him all happy again.

I hope all of you had a very happy day too! Muah.