Farewell October Leaves, Welcome November Winds

The October leaves have fallen and we've been almost tooy busy to fully take in their beauty. Harvie has been working many hours in various projects. I have been working on my masters. I had the opportunity to TOC in the classroom I am doing my field work for an entire week. I took Adrianna to daycare the entire week. I had a little glimpse of what a working mom's life is like, and let me tell you...it's a busy one. It reaffirmed that the decision to take a year off to complete my studies was indeed the right one. Anyways, I'll let the pictures do the talking, after all a picture is worth a thousand words...

This is a picture from the MCC Sale back in September. We have a Friday dinner tradition that my grandfather began years ago . Going this year felt a little bit sad because it was the first time I went that he wasn't there. I missed it last year because I had just given birth to Adrianna. We did have a great time and Adrianna had a little taste of traditional Menno food. Yummy!

To balance out our Menno-Dutch influences, we headed out to the opening of the New West Dutch store for some good croquetes and dutch cheese. We couldn't resist the photo opportunity...
Now, this is one exciting place to explore, don't you think so?

This is what Adrianna thinks of cuddling in with someone:

One of Adrianna's favourite things to do: head for the stairs and climb, climb and climb. She is trying to learn making her way down, a little more frightening for mom!

Enjoying the beauty of fall...

On a sunny Sunday afternoon we went to the pumpkin patch. It was the first for Harvie, Adrianna and myself. Adrianna was feverish that day so she didn't want to smile for the pictures...a little fresh air is just what she needed, she just didn't know it!

One of our few family pictures... (I've noticed that most only have one of us)

This was our first really bad nose bleed with Adrianna...poor little girl met the the kitchen floor nose first one morning.

I've learned that one must secure a Halloween costume early on...all the cute ones were sold by mid-October. Thanks to Andrea, Adrianna was a cute kitten. Unfortunately, our little kitten was starting to get quite sick (with croup we later learned) and rather than going trick or treat, we headed to ER in order to administer something to make her breathe easier.

The November winds are upon us. The weather has changed and with that the fall-back of our clocks. What used to be a the best night of the year for me, is no longer. Little ones just don't appreciate an extra hour of sleep like we do. Adrianna's bedtime is now 6 o'clock, keeping her up longer than that just seems cruel. Especially when she's had croup that now developed into bronchitis. Poor little girl, hasn't slept well for a few nights, and neither have Harvie and I. We are both under the weather too. November winds, please blow away quickly and let the Christmas season emerge with warm greetings and blessings of health not only for our household but to all!

First Birthday Celebrations

A year's gone by,

How time has flown,

We can't believe

How Adrianna's grown!

She's such a joy

And so much fun,

Oh my! Our baby's

Turned One!

Unknown Author

September 16th, 2009

It was morning of Adrianna's first birthday. Harvie stayed home in the morning to celebrate the grand occasion. Of course, it is the one day that Adrianna decided to sleep in, but we waited patiently for her to wake up. The first order of the day: open birthday presents! It took her a little bit of time to figure out what was happening...she kept crawling away from the wrapped gifts towards her usual toys. So with a little help of her mom, Adrianna discovered that there was something underneath the paper worth some attention...

And once it was all unwrapped and out of the boxes the fun began...


What do eat for a birthday breakfast? Cupcakes of course! Although Adrianna wasn't quite sure of what to do, she did have a LITTLE taste of cool whip and cake. Yes, even cake and cool whip did not make our little girl eat...

On Sunday, September 20th we celebrated her birthday with a family gathering including both sides of the family. She enjoyed a lunch with her cousins first (or as Gabriel calls is...cousuncle and cousauntie, after all they are my cousins).

We enjoyed a last summer burger barbecue for Adrianna's birthday...

...and cake for dessert. This time Adrianna ate a little bit more of her cupcake.

Then it was time for opening the wonderful and thoughtful presents from her loving family. She is well stocked up with toys, books and clothes for a while now! She got a Barbie set from Auntie Jennie, an early start for her Barbie collection. And, she even received her first cheque, an addition to her college fund from Uncle Marlen and Auntie Sue. Thank you for the generosity of all!

Sharing a moment with Auntie Sandy...while having a little taste of a book.

And the moment Uncle Jeff has been waiting for an entire year...holding Adrianna without her screaming! We have made some great progress this year. Yes, Adrianna, he may look scary and act funny, but he loves you!

Adrianna,

You're as cute as a bug

So precious to hug

A darling child

Who's nice to be near.

So.. hope turning one

Is happy and fun

And takes you along

To a second great year!

Author Unknown

12 Months

This past month, Adrianna has not only mastered the art of crawling, but has become very confident in her ability to "furniture walk" and even crawl up the stairs. Although she understands the word "no" quite well, sometimes she chooses to ignore it. Especially when approaching all the buttons on the electronics, much to Harvie's dismay. We had to start to child proof the house and slowly we are figuring out what we still need to do as she explores and discovers the many different things around her. At the moment she has a fascination with the fridge, dishwasher and the pantry. It's amazing how quickly she crawls when one of them is opened. She is becoming very playful. She loves to play pekaboo, clap her hands, play ball with someone and have books read to her. She loves to look at books herself, but needs to be supervised because at times she confused the edges of books with food. Adrianna has a remarkable liking to dogs, much to our surprise. Her smiles and squeals when she sees dogs are incredibly precious. I always said I would never had a dog for a pet, but watching her eyes shine around dogs is slowly chaging my heart. Maybe my heart will overpower my mind. As for challenges, Adrianna is finally not throwing up anymore. She continues to be very difficult with feeding, and as a result has only gained one pound in three months. The doctors are not concerned at this point, so I guess I should relax a bit on the feeding thing. She is now 20 pounds and 31 inches...making her long and lean (unfortunately they don't make baby clothes that are long and lean). She hasn't quite figure out that she is too big to crawl through certain places...funny girl!

I am back at school, taking another semester at SFU towards my masters. This semester I am also going into a friend's classroom to complete the field work part of my studies. It should be a pretty busy three months ahead, but hopefully Adrianna will cooperate and take some good naps so I can read, write and research. Harvie continues to have more than his share of work at his job. He is working on a project for the Abbotsford Airport and is able to be home in the mornings once in a while when he has a meeting in Abbotsford. It's so nice to have Harvie home a little more, if only once in a while for the morning. Most days he leaves before either one of us is awake and comes up for 7 pm just in time to kiss Adrianna's good night.

It's amazing how a little one changes life. Dinner out in Vancouver was a regular event before she came. I would head out after school on Friday, shop on Robson till Harvie was finished work and we would eat out. That doesn't happen very often anymore. This month I headed out that way again, thanks to my mom's babysitting services. It was great to reconnect with Marlen and Sue and hear all about their Europe adventures. Thanks for a great dinner and night out!

As tradition have it, Marlen had is annual birthday bbq at the beach. Adrianna was already eager to go last year. On the way there last year my contractions increased, but sure enough they slowed down once we got there. This year Adrianna made her full appearance at the bbq!

What is summer without a beach and gelato? We headed out one afternoon to White Rock. It's so close, but it's the first time Adrianna ventured that way. It was beautiful and we ended the outing with a great gelato that even Adrianna enjoyed.

This past month we invested on a season's pass to the zoo. With Adrianna's love for the outdoors and animals we thought we would get some great use out of the pass. Already in one month we paid it off. I went three times, two of which with Harvie. The first time I went with Pam and Lyra, the second with Marlen and Sue and the third time we met Kevin and Sheri there. We still need to see Shadow, the bear. We are planning to head to Seattle's zoo as well in the next year since the passes give us entry there too. Check out our little biker chick on Kev's beautiful bike at the zoo's parking lot! One year and the training wheels are already off.

We had our first, and I am sure not our last, trip to the emergency room. We were at a bridal store in Chilliwack with my cousin Sandy who is getting married (Adrianna will be one of the flower girls!). As Sandy was trying out a beautiful dress, Adrianna crawled over to the mirror, found something, and before any of us knew had something in her mouth. When I rushed over to see it, all I saw was a metal type of pin on a pearl. My first thought was an earring, but at a bridal store it could also have been a sharper item like a pin. So off to the ER I went, with my cousin Becky to keep me calm. Two hours later the doctor showed me the x-ray which displayed an obvious earring. Two days later, it made its way through Adrianna's digestive track and into the garbage it went. The doctor thought it would be an interesting memory keep, but I wasn't about to clean and keep it. Yuck! If Adrianna wanted earring I think she found a very creative way of letting us know! Through it all she was incredibly cute, laughing and entertaining all in the ER waiting room.

One year! What a milestone! We are planning a birthday party with our families this coming weekend for our little girl. We look forward to celebration. We feel so blessed by her smiles, giggles, and playfulness. She is a gift from our heavenly Father. Thank you, God for giving her to us. May You bless her this coming year with your love, joy and faithfulness. May we be your vessel of love in her life and may we teach her about your faithfulness each and every day. May we live with your joy this coming year, remembering that the blessings we have are from you. Happy Birthday my dear little one!

11 Months

Adrianna is finally crawling! It was so cute watching her figure out how to move around. She had some very interesting and awkward ways at first, but seems to be getting the hang of it now. She has learned to pull herself up and is pretty quick at it. She seems to rely on her head to put herself in the crawling or sitting position. She is so much fun to play with these days. She loves to laugh, make faces, chat, and squeal. Silly girl!

Eating has been a challenge once again. Adrianna has decided she no longer wants to be fed by anyone...making meal times a war of wills between her and me. I am trying to get her to eat soft pieces of food but she seems to think the soft pieces are better used for squishing and playing rather than eating.

A rare moment...feeling cuddly after waking up from a nap...so precious!!!

This month Adrianna outgrew a couple of her favourite toys...the swing and the exersaucer. Just in time for the first birthday where I am sure she will replace it with some new toys!

Adrianna loves to pull herself up...but already got a couple of bruises on her forehead because of it! It sure hasn't stopped her! Falling asleep has become challenging at times since she is constantly standing. Now that she has figured out how to lay down by herself it made the whole sleeping thing easier. Hanging on and kissing the orange monkey is a daily ritual.

The adventures await outdoors...

But look at the fun I can still have indoors! (so much for a folded basket of laundry!)

I had my proposal to finish up by August 10th. Glad that is done! Harvie helped out by taking Adrianna to visit his parents for the afternoon. Adrianna is definitely loved by her opa and oma!

We went to the Agrifair in Abbotsford with Adrianna. It's amazing how much we enjoyed it...simply because of Adrianna's delight as she watch...and even touched (to the dismay of the poor donkey, her favourite) the animals. She got a little confused with feeding the lama...she tried to eat the grass herself! I think a trip to the zoo is in our plans for the coming month.

We had quite the summer heat wave out here in July. It set record high temperatures. We definitely put our ACs to good use and tried to keep cool by going to the waterpark with friends and using a little pool in our back deck. Adrianna loves the water...just like her mom!

We went to a wedding barbecue for one of Harvie's work friends. Adrianna fell in love with the dogs and even enjoyed getting licked by one. We went of a hayride, saw some calfs, posed for some pictures and had some yummy summer food. She did love the day...despite her face in the picture!

We retired the baby bathtub for good now. Bathtimes continues to be a highlight for Adrianna. Check out her funny face...

picture pending!

Harvie enjoys working in the backyard on the weekends. He planted a little vegetable garden and we have already enjoyed zuchinis and tomatoes. I am looking forward to the leeks, grapes, and squash in the coming months.

The last month of her first year of life is upon us. I will try to treasure this month as it certainly is a special one. Amidst the challenges from day to day are many moments of joy and laughter. When I look back at the first six months it's pretty amazing that I recall the good and seem to forget the bad. It's the blessings that touch my heart and make the lasting imprint in my heart. I think God intended it to be that way. He carries you through the tough times and after it is all said and done, it's his love, care, grace, and faithfulness that you remember. Parenthood is definitely the toughest, most challenging thing I have ever experienced, but more importantly it is also the source of the greastest joy and love!

10 Months

Ten months old...I have come to realize that time quickly goes by when it comes to little ones growing up. I am trying to treasure each stage Adrianna goes through. I love her smiles and babble. I see her personality evolve with each passing month. She got her first two bottom teeth this month, replacing her toothless smile with little white tidbits. Although she is not crawling yet, she is moving in her own way. We never know how or where we will find her in her crib. Her favourite sleeping position is now on her tummy.

I started my two week course for my masters. My mom has been extremely generous and is taking her holidays from work to take care of Adrianna during the two week summer course. What a blessing that is! As for the classes...I can find better ways of spending a hot summer day. Harvie has had more than his share of work. He is trying to balance his worktime with his playtime. We treasure every moment he is here with us and know that when he is away he is thinking of us. His little girl is always very excited to see him when he comes home and eagerly seeks his attention the minute he walks in the door.

We celebrated Father's Day in June. It was Harvie's first Father's Day and Adrianna made sure it was a special one. She found a perfect card for her daddy and gave him a mug with her picture for the office. We hosted a family bbq for my dad with alot of filet mignon, guarana, a little bit of other sides and a DQ ice-cream cake.

We went out for Tawainese food with Harvie's family to celebrate Father's Day, Sue's birthday and graduation. After lunch, we went to the Buitelaar's house and while Harvie and Marlen picked blueberries with his parents, Sue and I went for a walk with Adrianna so she could have a much needed nap.

On the July long weekend we went camping as a first family mini-vacation with some great friends. This year is the second year of the Okanagan Lake camping trip. Last year I was seven months pregnant. It was definitely different camping with a little one. She did great most of the time, only having some troubles falling asleep because of all the heat and activities going on. We shared a trailer with our friends Nancy and Todd and their toddler Ethan. Adrianna loved interacting with Ethan and even let him hold her hand on a long morning walk the two husbands took with the little ones while leaving the two women to sleep in. She loved the mango ice-cream at Summerland Sweets.

The weekend after camping we went on a family getaway just the three of us to Whistler. It was our first attempt taking Adrianna to a hotel and restaurants with just us. We were pleasantly surprised that we were able to go out for dinner both evenings with her. She loved the pool in the late afternoon and enjoyed the peak to peak gondola. She needed a nap while we were at the top of Blackcomb so we ended up doing some 3 wheeling with our Bob stroller. We were quite amazed that she slept as the trail was quite bumpy.

Enjoy the sun and warm weather...and if you are down the equator, hopefully you'll still get some sunny warm days between cold ones!

9 Months

We had a pretty busy month here. I have been busy with my studies this past month and now have a little bit of a break until mid-July. Harvie has been incredibly busy with numerous projects and proposals (what recession!?), spending long hours at the office, working on the train and even some evenings and weekends at home. Adrianna has been busy too, playing and exploring the world that is within her reach. She is not crawling yet, making life easier for me at home when I have to study. But she is starting to get frustrated by her inability to move, so I am thinking crawling or some sort of movement is not too far in the future for us. She can stand with support and loves to look out the window. The outdoors are certainly a hit for our little girl.

We enjoyed a bbq with my cousin and her family. The boys enjoyed playing with Adrianna and her toys. They told us all about their adventures while visiting and traveling in Brazil. It sure made us miss it and we began dreaming of possibly going ourselves next year...

My cousin Becky got married this past month. She is my mom's twin sister's oldest daughter and very much like a younger sister to me. The ceremony was very beautiful and the bride looked stunning. The reception was a blast. Adrianna had her first taste of staying up late and did very well considering that all her routines were disrupted that day.

My mom had selected the dress for Adrianna for this wedding before she was even born. She fell in love with it and we went back to the store after she was born for my mom to purchase it. At first Adrianna wasn't really too impressed with the dress, but she did fall in love with it after all.

Thankfully at the reception, she took a nap and was able to stay awake for the program and the start of the dance. Adrianna had a very special dance with her daddy during the song "My Girl". It melted my heart watching the two of them on the dance floor. There is such a special bond between Harvie and his princess.

The day after the wedding, Harvie went to the opening of the Golden Ears Bridge and had a great time with friends and family. I woke up sick that morning and decided it was best for me and Adrianna to sleep. I was looking forward to it and was dissapointed that I missed the one of a kind event.

Summer is fast approaching and we are planning to go camping on the July long weekend with friends. We are looking forward to the lake, bbq, camp fires, smores, ice-cream...and the list goes on. We are hoping Adrianna enjoys camping and is able to sleep in a different setting. Let the good times roll!

Our 8 Month Apple

Do you know the saying: "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree?" Well, in our household, the apple didn't even fall. My family keeps on saying "Adrianna is so much like you". Not only in her appearance, in her personality as well. It was pretty early on that we noticed her looking just like me when we looked back at the few baby pictures I have. But now, with her personality emerging more day by day, we can definitely see how her ways are not too different than my own. It's really kind of funny. For one thing, she has a "personal bubble"(with a pretty big diameter...). She's very particular in who she lets in, and is not one for cuddling, much to Harvie's dismay. The times she will spend on our laps are few and far in between, so we treasure and soak in every moment. She also needs her "alone time"....she usually prefers being on her own than being held. She is happiest on the floor, in the jolly jumper, in the exersaucer. She hasn't learned to crawl and is yet to get her 1st tooth. I NEVER learned to crawl and got my first tooth after eight months. As for sleeping, she loves to be on her own in her crib with her blankies, one on each side of her face. She needs a dark room, very much like me...I can't even handle the small green LED light on the light dimmer switch! She's a picky eater, just like me. However, she LOVES her rice cookies, I must have cookies EVERYDAY. And every time I get frustrated with her strong-will and stubborness I am reminded by those close to me that she is indeed my daughther in every sense of the word. It's really kind of funny to think that we can look and be so much alike. All I can think is that I hope the next child will have a little more of Harvie's relaxed and easy going personality and enjoy some good cuddles. For now, we are just so in love with our daughter and enjoy discovering more about who she is with each passing day. Here are a few pictures of what the last month brought in the Buitelaar household.


Harvie ran in the Annual Vancouver Sun Run. I "strolled" the 10 km with my friend Tracy and her Adrianna's friend Abigail. Adrianna slept for the first two kilometers and enjoyed people watching for the remainder 8 km. This has become a tradition for us in the last years. It is Harvie's sixth Sunrun, my third, and Adri's very first!


Adrianna has three meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. She nurses five times a day, and maybe once during the night. The two food combinations I can count on her eating are papayas with cereal and avocado with plain yougurt. The worst reaction this far has been asparagus...she kept on spitting it out! She'll have to learn to like it as Harvie and I both enjoy it quite a bit!

Her favourite activities are jumping in the jolly jumper and taking baths. She loves her bath toys and this past month she finally got a grip on them. She also loves to kick and tear her play gym apart. One of her enjoyments lately comes from taking her socks off every chance she has.

It's taken a while, but she can now sit on her own with confidence.

She is quite a chatter box these days. We have tried to capture it many times, but our little girl is still a little camera shy. This is the so far the best video.

She continues to love both opas and omas, but when it comes to Uncle Jeff...it's one look and she cries. Harvie's family came over on one Saturday to celebrate Harvie's birthday. We spent the following Sunday with my family celebrating Harvie's birthday and Mother's Day.

Harvie made my first Mother's Day special with my favorite dinner, a funny card and some chocolates. And, to mark the special occasion we tried out a photo session of our own.

Adrianna enjoys the outdoors. Harvie is certainly glad about that. He is already dreaming of all the things he will do with Adrianna in our backyard.



She likes TV...just like me! She MUST have the control of the remotes.

And finally, after months of dreaming about this, I can finally read to her at bedtime. We had tried this time and time again, but she would cry and scream. We learned that reading to her is best when she first wakes up from her naps. Lately though, she has liked one short book just before bed.

I started my masters. I had two classes already and many reading and writing assignments. It will be a busy year, but hopefully I can count of some good naps from Adrianna so I can get the work done. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to stay home another year, be able to take this masters, and still have a job that I love for the following year. I will need to go into a classroom to get my field work completed, but thankfully I have good friends that are more than willing to open the doors of their classrooms and let me in.

Harvie is very busy with work. Fortunately there is less travel involved...for now; and he still manages to get the early train home most days, walking in the door around 6:13pm, just enough time to bond with his girl before she sleeps. He's starting to get involved with planning work for the 2010 Winter Olympics, which should be an exciting once in a lifetime opportunity.

That's all for now. We are looking forward to the warmer weather and spending more time outdoors.

7 Months and Counting

Adrianna is seven months old today. In some ways I feel that we have passed the half way mark...but then that's only the first year! I am enjoying this stage so much more than the first six months. She is more interactive, fun and in some ways much easier. Sometimes I wonder if that is simply me becoming more used to my new role as a mom. It certainly was a tough transition as times, but I am enjoying it and finding fulfillment with it more and more.

I have enjoyed preparing her food and look forward to introducing each new item every few days. She has finally found a formula that she is happy with...soy from concentrate. Thanks Jacquie for that tip! What a relief...for a while I thought we might never find something that would work for her. I am giving her one bottle in the late afternoon and one at bedtime, a mix of formula and breast milk. Slowly she will transition to all bottles and all formula. I can't believe how long I have nursed her...it was certainly a challenge for the most part, but I am glad I did it. My goal is to have her completely weaned by mid June, for the summer.

This past month she has woken up quite a bit at night crying...not sure what that is all about! I miss those nights where I could count on a full night sleep...praying those come back soon. As for chatting it up, rather than animal dying and underwater sounds now she has become quite the blabber. It is so cute to hear, especially when she is in her own little world chatting with who knows who.

Adrianna has learned to sit by herself, but is still a bit wobbly. Soon I know she will master that skill. She loves to stand up when we hold her hands. When we are driving, she is often trying to get out of her sit, pushing herself forward. She hasn't realized that it's a loosing battle as she is buckled in. It's quite funny to watch.

We measured her head this week when she got her shots and we found out that her head is in the 97 percentile...wow! She certainly has the dutch baby head! No wonder I had to retire some shirts simply for the fact they won't go over her head.

We celebrated Harvie's dad's 86th birthday this month. We went to "de Dutch" restaurant for some good panakuken. Adrianna sat for the first time in the restaurant's high chair, ate her lunch, socialize a bit and even took a nap. It was a great outing indeed!

We spent Easter with my extended family at the Warkentim's house. It was a wonderful meal of chicken and salmon. I wish I had taken pictures of her in her beautiful Easter dress...before she threw up all over it. Good times! Maybe we will put it on this weekend and take another picture, minus the jacket and with the shoe decision made.

A while back we moved Adrianna's little bathtub to the big bathtub in the upstairs bathroom...so she can splash all she wants and not get the whole kitchen wet. We have to be careful with the washcloths these days...if we don't watch it she will grab it and suck the water out of it. Yuck!

Reading books has become very interactive...as we read she grabs the book making it difficult to turn the pages. I just love reading to her.

We've taken her to the park in those warm days this past month and placed her in the swing for the first time. I have a feeling going to the park will become routine for us in the coming months.

Harvie has been quite busy with his work this month and it will become even busier next month. It is certainly a blessing that Harvie has a lot of work these days, even if that means later evenings at the office. When I watch Harvie and Adrianna, my heart simply melts. She is daddy's little princess.

Soon Harvie will experience a little more bonding time with Adrianna on Saturdays. I am starting my masters on May 2nd. The one year program is through SFU and on most Saturdays, which is perfect for our schedule. Between my mom and Harvie, Adrianna will be in excellent hands and I can focus on my studies, at least on Saturdays. I am taking a one-year leave of absence from my job at MEI for the coming school year. My return work date will be the end of August 2010, when Adrianna will be almost two years old. Everything fell into place rather quickly...got accepted into the program, it was on Saturdays, and the work leave was granted. All the domino pieces fell down in the right places....I can certainly see God's hand in all of it. I will be a student and a mom for the next year, but I will certainly miss being a teacher. The masters will have a field work component which I am hoping to complete at MEI in friend's classes, so I will continue to have a taste of teaching. I am looking forward to what's in store...a little nervous, a little anxious, a little joyous. It's back to school time, at least for me!

Our 6 Month Not So Little Girl

Our precious Adrianna is now half a year old. Sometimes we watch her sleep in her crib and marvel at the miracle that she is. It's amazing to think that we are a family. She has enriched our lives and expanded our love. How can you love someone this much? Yes, she is our gift and we treasure her in so many ways.

This past month, Adrianna has enjoyed the jolly jumper...what a great investment that was! She is delighted and full of smiles everytime we place her in it. Although she has not yet rolled over entirely, she is able to sit a bit. I think she has realized that if she rolls over that would place her on her tummy, a position she strongly dislikes.

As for food, she especially likes the yellow sweet potatoes; however, water is something she is yet to like. She just closes her lips really tight when water comes around. Funny little girl.

No, actually she is not so little...she is in the 90th percintile for length, measuring 27.5 inches and weighing 17 pounds and 2 ounces. This is quite something, since she has been so difficult to nurse the first five months. I have yet to find a formula that she is willing to take. She knows what she likes, how she likes and when she wants it, so scheduling Adri has been and continues to be quite a challenge. No week is like the other around the Buitelaar household. Just when we think we have her all figured out, she decides to change it around. It sure has taught be to be more flexible these days, a lesson that has been hard to learn.

Her hands continue to be her favourite source of enjoyment. We are hoping that soon she'll dicover her feet...just for something different. She is beginning to play more with her toys these days which has been neat to watch. It's amazing how long we can sit and just watch her as she explores the world around her.

We are looking forward to the next 6 months and the many changes and new things Adrianna will learn. I am amazed at how much I am learning from her as well. As she changes, I change. As she learns, I learn. It has been a life-changing adventure this far, one that has brought our little family closer. We embrace the changes, and adapt the best we can. Adrianna certainly has become quite the princess in our house, but with that smile, how can we resist?

5 Months

Happy 5months Adri! This past month can be summarized with one word: COLD. No, not the cold outside of the house, but the nasty colds going around this season. Adrianna is finally getting better after two different colds lasting over two weeks (still great to experience some happy smiling moments throughout it all). Harvie and I have also spent much of last month with colds so we're looking forward to saying goodbye to winter (...or hello to a warm sunny beach destination?)

Adri has changed in so many ways already and from what I hear the next few months will bring even more changes. One of the biggest change is that she is so much happier these days. She is able to lay on the floor happily for what to us seems like a really long time, much easier than having to hold her upright to stop the crying! Her sleep patterns have become predictable for the most part and she manages to take charge of her own feeding schedule, why would she want to be on mom's schedule anyways? She has become more playful and interactive. She especially enjoys putting soft things in her mouth, sticking out her tongue, kicking her legs and attempting to roll, and making new noises over and over again.

She has had her first meals of rice cereal...most of it landing outside her mouth, of course! The new high chair in the kitchen will really come in handy as solids become more a part of the daily schedule. Can't wait to see Adri's first reactions to bananas, avocado, sweet potatoes......what will her favourite be?

My parents have been so incredibly supportive. Adrianna has successfully spent four Friday nights at oma and opa's house, a welcomed tradition for mom & dad! Harvie and I have enjoyed escaping on Friday nights, knowing that we can sleep well at night since our little gir is in great hands. We're building up our social life....slowly. The first free Friday night we went straight home to catch up on sleep. The next 2 times we managed to have dinner out with a couple friends. Soon enough we'll be up for dinner and a movie, but for now catching up on sleep is helping us keep our sanity! Adri has even spent Saturday mornings watching cartoons with Opa and cuddling with Oma, whenever she decides to. Yes, our little Adri is strong-willed but no doubt has captured the hearts of her oma and opa. I feel so blessed to have them so close. My heart simply melts when I watch them with her.