First birthday

     It's been a crazy busy 3 days of birthday celebration.
    
     THURSDAY
     Thursday afternoon we got together with grandpa and had a birthday lunch and cake pickup. Afterwards, we went around picking up last minute party things: balloons, helium, babygate that was on sale.
Grandpa got her a most Canadian book (I want my hat back) and I got a copy of The Paperbag Princess. We came home, had a nap and started to get ready for the at home festivities.

Lunch

     Friday
     In the morning, I started off by baking cupcakes. One box of devils food and one box of white. The white ones I swirled food colouring in. After they were cool, I hollowed them out and put them away in a safe spot.
     Around noon, my mom, little brother and his girlfriend came over.
We opened gifts (a TY unicorn and Share Bear). Eric and his girlfriend left, and we had dinner (lasagna and bread and salad). I clearly didn't think anything through. We had cake and then presents from the family. In between, she had a quick bath. She loved her cupcake and didn't even try the icing. I'm a little sad she didn't face plant in her boob cake. She was unsure about it, even after we broke it up.
     Thankfully, she didn't get a sugar high...but was still awake until midnight. I'm blaming the full moon.

     Saturday
     I was up early to make eggs benedict for friends that were coming over to help me set up. Good thing I had already decorated. Streamers and balloons all over.
    Around noon friends started to arrive. A few friends couldn't make it due to illness, but it was a full on baby invasion.
     There were a lot of snacks, talking, not a lot of crying babies. Some of my friends came, Jake's aunt and cousin, and Kaelynn's babies.
     She received lots of clothes and thoughtful gifts. She is so lucky to have so many people that care about her.

     I can't even really put into words this weekend..and it's not over yet. Tomorrow we have a bridal shower for a wedding that we are in this summer.
    Next post will have pictures when we get them back. I have 2 lovely friends that have amazing cameras.

Baby Invasion

Every one is busy prepping

Quick Quiche

     This morning I wanted eggs for breakfast, but I wanted something different. We had a ham for dinner lastnight, I'm not a fan unless it's IN something. I cleaned the kitchen and then cooked. It made it quicker that baby was still asleep.

Quiche
4 eggs, beaten well
1 chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1 cup ham cubes
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup Bisquick
Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning to taste.
Cooking spray
1 tbsp bread crumbs
1 pie pan

1- preheat oven to 350*
2- spray pie tin and add bread crumbs, shake along the bottom to make even
3- beat eggs well and add all ingredients, combine well
4- spread evenly into prepared pie pan
5- bake 45-60 minutes

     I baked mine for 45mins and it came out perfect. Of course, you can add anything you want to a quiche, I used what was on hand. Spinach and parmesan or feta would have been amazing. <3

Sound asleep

     Tonight is the first night that I've been able to get her to sleep without nursing. It was surprisingly hard, yet easy at the same time. For almost a year, she has been nursed to sleep every night and nap. After lastnight's horrible sleep, I needed to figure something out.
    Lastnight, bed time was perfect...except for the waking at midnight and then wanting to play until 2 am. Today, I was a zombie.
     Tonight, she had a mini nap (bad) and then woke up full of beans. She was jumping around the bed, making a nest, talking to the wall, harassing the cat, and trying to escape. Daddy is gone, babysitting someone else's kid, and I was left alone with this wild monkey. All evening, I was trying to nurse her down, but then she would get distracted. It was a case of "ooooh the wall. Oooh boob. Oooh ribbon on mama's housecoat. Ooooh boooooob". I was getting fed up.
     I grabbed her soft blankie and lay it down to swaddle her. She grabbed one corner, let me fold up the feet and grabbed for the other corner. Little baby burrito with her arms out. Next came the hard.part. I lay her against my chest and just held her, not letting her go. There was resistance. There was crying. There were forehead kisses and humming. Then she started to "wash her hands", suck her fingers and sing her sleepy song. Passed out without nursing. Win.
     The hard part is going to be transferring her to beside me.

Mother's daughter

"I felt you. You were a pea. Then a lemon. Then an eggplant. I followed advice. I read twelve books. I quit coffee. Could you tell I was scared?
I talked to you, sang to you... I wasn't ready. But then you were here. Ten toes. Eight pounds.
Love. Big fat love.
I held you. I fed you. I realized that I would spend my life doing things to make you happy -- and that that would make me happy. And then there are the times I want to give up. You've made me rethink my sanity. You've made me want to fall on my mother's feet and tell her that I get it.
But then you smile and you say my name -- and you grab my hand with those little fingers. We're growing together. We are seeing the world like it's new. I will open my heart and love will rain down all over you. You'll giggle, and I'll do it all over again.
And we will walk hand in hand. Until you let go. I made you, but you made me a mother."

                           -Unknown

Pinch to grow an inch

     With Kaelynn's birthday 11 days away, I got my butt in gear and worked on her growth chart. I already have a keepsake of her feet, with the cedar plank piece cut.off from my chart I am planning on making a hand print each year.

     A piece of cedar fence plank-$7
     A can of mis-mixed paint - $3
     Dollar store stickers and paints- $3
     Keeping track of growth - Priceless

     The day of her family birthday dinner, when everyone is around, I will record her height.

     I plan on adding to it: underneath the 1 ft I am going to put her birth stats (since she is taller than a foot).
     I got the idea from Pinterest, but of course I feel like it's not as good as the ones I saw online. I am hoping that she grows up to love it still. <3

    

Winter fun

     Winter is almost over and so far it seems like the bitterly cold is over. We had a dumping of snow and daddy decided to do something with the giant snow bank in the backyard.
     Daddy made a slide.
   It's still a work in progress, we tested it out just now. It's a perfect fit for her, but it didn't get super icy. Another pitcher of water, digging out the side to reach her better, and after something with food colouring, we should get a super slide!!

"That" mom

     I always knew I would be "that" mom, the sentimental mom that wants to remember everything. I just never knew to what extent it would do.
     We are 14 days away from Kaelynn turning one. Time really has flown and I am trying my best to make sure I have things to physically hold from when she was little.
     When she was 10 weeks old, I made a salt dough ornament of her foot. Every 10 weeks after, I made a new one. Today we just did her 50 week (give or take a bit) foot print. I bake them, finish letting them dry in the air, paint them alternating colours and glaze them.
     Everyday, I feel like I take a million pictures of her. I ordered a SnapFish photo book for her birthday: a book of firsts. I hope to order one every year. Picking 20 pictures out of 2,000 is hard.

     I feel like everything I do will make a great keepsake for her as we both grow up.