Life rn. It’s so busy, amazing, crazy. I haven’t had a full 8 hour sleep since November 2016.
(HAHA that last sentence made me laugh OUT LOUD.) I don’t think I’ve even had a full 5 hour sleep since Mikayla was 3 months old. Oh well, I’m used to it now. She gets up around 7:30am, goes down for a nap at 10:30, then again for a nap around 3pm and then bed by 9pm. But she wakes up in the middle of the night to nurse at midnight, 2am and 5am. I’m still nursing her, but not as much. I’ll nurse her at night when she’s going to bed and then during her night wakings. But not usually during the day. Sometimes for her 3pm nap but not usually. This all started to happen when she popped out her two bottom teeth. Now she has SIX teeth! Two on the bottom and 4 at the top.
You may or may not know that we bought a townhouse in the new Hampton Cove community in Ladner. Ladner is just outside of Vancouver, it’s quiet, has a small town vibe and family friendly. We chose the Hampton Cove development because of it’s affordability and we love the community plan, the trails, the clubhouse and we’ll be so close to our friends (some are moving to Ladner as well) and our family who live in Richmond. The townhouse we bought is still under construction so we sold our apartment and moved in with my parents till our place is done in July.
Life back at my parents house is great. I get a lot of help with Mikayla and Zoey, free meals and good Filipino food! HELLLOOOO CHICKEN ADOBO! YUM. I can’t complain. We’re so lucky to have both our parents close by, and it’s pretty cute watching Mikayla interact with her Lolo and Lola (Filipino Grandma & Grandpa). Soon we’ll be moving to Chris’ parents, just so they get some quality time with Mikayla as well! The move will be a little extra work but I think it’s worth it, just cus watching Mikayla with her grandparents is SO CUTE and special.
Mikayla is a busy girl. She loves to crawl, climb, reach out and grab things. She puts everything in her mouth. She is a fierce eater. She loves puréed butternut squash, carrots, pears, apples, berries. She can suck on a mango, chomp on a banana, slurp up noodles and nibble on steamed broccoli. She loves to snack on rice cakes and crackers, and loves it even more if it’s got sunflower butter or peanut butter on it. Meal time is messy but fun!
She’s in swimming lessons, we go twice a week. As soon as she gets in the pool she’s splashing around, kicking and clapping. She LOVES to sit on the edge of the pool and skooch her bum to the very edge to “jump” in. I’ve always gotta be watching her or holding tight cus she would take off on her own if she had the chance.
Then there’s playtime. She loves playing peekaboo, singing the hokey pokey and she loves rolling around with Zoey. I couldn’t remember ANY children’s songs… (there are so many!) but amazingly her grandparents remembered some and in her swimming lessons we sing A LOT of songs. (The wheels on the bus, twinkle twinkle, row row row your boat, the itsy bitsy spider… just to name a few).
I’m loving this stage because she’s much more independent. I can leave her for a few minutes when she’s playing and know she’s content and happy. She laughs and smiles when we play games. She watches and listens when someone is talking especially when her Lola is on the phone. She babbles and hums along when she can. Oh and she loves the TV. She claps when she’s watching Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood. She loves the beeping sound of the wheel from the Price is Right, and she is mesmerized by the music and singers on The Voice.
I can’t believe how fast she’s grown and how much she’s developed and learned. It’s hard to believe only a few months ago she wasn’t crawling and a few months before that she was my cute little couch nugget and we’d binge watch Scandal on Netflix together. Now I can’t get thru a single episode of Scandal cus she’s always on the move!
As for me, I’m feeling better about being a Mom, I’m more confident, I feel like I have a better handle on things and I’m not feeling as lost, lonely or flustered. It helped having a Mom friend to go through the motions with but now she’s back at work so we’re filling our days with family time and swimming. It’s also great that Mikayla is napping for a couple hours each time AND she’s napping on her own in her crib, which she wasn’t doing when she was 4 or 5 months old. It’s great cus then I can get some things done, like this blog or nap, eat or anything really! I get overwhelmed with the alone time I don’t know what to do with myself! How do I be alone again?
Life has changed so much so quickly. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m a Mom and I’m loving it 😊
Mikayla’s outfit details: Bow: Little Luba | Military Jacket: Carters
Amanda is a writer, photographer, videographer and a content creator with a passion for sharing stories. With her family of 5, they share experiences, tips and ideas that empower Moms to make memories with their families right here in British Columbia.
