So my little monkey is 6 months old huh??

Who'd have thought it could go so fast?? Or that I would love it so much? My little monkey is officially 6 months + 1 day old today, and it's all such a blur!!

Halloween is tomorrow and she's been sporting her monkey outfit every day this weekend. Daddy gets home tonight from his crazy adventures in Las Vegas just in time to take his little girl 'Trick or Treating' tomorrow. We're going to do the Yaletown Costume Parade followed by a trip to North Van so that we can see our God Daughters Anika & Lene in costume.. too cute :) I'm suddenly SUCH a mom!!

Milestones these past few months include discovering hands and toes, rolling over, using her sippy cup, eating solids: rice cereal & rice crackers & the occasional other food I shove in her mouth ;p (Like melons & Pumpkin Pie & whipped cream today!! V is much more of a fan of Whipped Cream for the record ;p) She decidedly plays with one toy over another, and needs to shove EVERYTHING into her mouth :) The Bumbo is our new best friend and comes with us almost everywhere now because Miss V needs to be part of the action but is too small for a highchair... She has developed an amazing giggle and we love to tickle her into laughing fits :) She's such a little person now! She talks up a storm & makes everyone smile that comes into contact with her.

We are hoping she wins "Vancouver's Cutest Kid" but are just proud she made Top 20! WE know she's the cutest... but can't be bothered with the competing politics... (I've never been one for competition.)

She seems to recognize her name... "Monk-a-roo" or 'Monkey" ;p Some day I'm sure she'll realize her name is really VERONICA!!

Ahhh babies :)

Great Grandpa & Baby V on Thanksgiving 2010

Ain't it the truth?? ;p

Princess Ballerina Veronica at 5+ months!

The Fourth Trimester...

Picture this:

Setting: Your place
Time Period: Present Day
Tone: Exhaustion mixed with Elation


You arrive home from the hospital on a high you've never experienced before after some of the most painful and miraculous days of your life. A new tiny person rules the roost, demanding all of your attention day and night. Your body is completely unrecognizable -- flabby in places it once was firm, painful and tender in places that once felt amazing and sensitive. You are tired all the time, and sometimes inexplicably emotional. But things should be back to normal soon right?? - After all, you're not pregnant anymore.


Setting #2: "The Womb"
Time Period: Ummm... What is "time" exactly??
Tone: Confusion and hunger... mixed with a little bit of gas.


There you are, barely 37 weeks old and all warm & snuggly in the womb. Suddenly you are wrenched from the only home you've ever known and thrown into the cold and unfamiliar outside world. You are handled by giants and shoved into clothes, a carseat and a crib. All of this... and it's still 3 more months until you have any clue what's going on.

THIS... is "The Fourth Trimester".

It's the transitional three months after a baby is born where "Women" become "Mothers", and "Fetuses" become "Babies". It's an extremely dramatic and emotional time for all.

And I'm not being cheeky! Actually, the term "The Fourth Trimester" is commonly used among medical folk. (Google it ;p) Scientists say that when primitive women evolved to stand up on two legs, the shape of the female pelvis became narrower and resulted in human babies being born 3-4 months earlier than they were supposed to have been... this is so that their heads didn't grow too large to pass safely through the birth canal! (Crazy right?!)

For this reason, some experts say human babies need the first three months of life to give their brain and central nervous system the time needed to mature. In the course of those three months, an 'infant' develops into a 'baby' who is able to respond to the outside world. Breathing starts to regulate. They are able to lift their heads, smile, coo, develop social interactions, and begin to soothe themselves.

This is why babies are so dependent on their parents-- for basic SURVIVAL. Compared to other mammals (like cows and horses) that are born with survival instincts that allow them to get up and walk or run as soon as they are born, human infants are RIDICULOUSLY more fragile and vulnerable at birth.

** STAT ** The human newborn's brain is only about 25% of its adult weight at birth, while most other mammals are born having 60-90% of their adult brain size!

Neat huh? ;p

OK. On to mom.

As a woman, you've probably been warned about some of the major physical 'changes' of the early weeks after birth... (not to mention the emotional ones!):

Exhaustion. Emotions on a rampage. Huge, sore boobs. Bleeding for up to 6 weeks... back aches... weak stomach muscles... blah blah blah. (Well considering I had a C-Section I was completely out of commission when it came to lifting, cleaning, carrying etc... you know the basics, like sitting up on my own. Funny thing - Brad actually had to act like a hospital bed & LIFT me to a sitting position in order for me to get out of bed to feed my baby). But apparently women who have a vaginal delivery experience their own awfulness like: pain or numbness in the perineum... and some women also experience dry skin and even hair loss!! (Yeah guys... it's a pretty sexy experience this whole "being a mom thing".)

And THEN they talk about BABY BLUES or postnatal depression.... (which I gotta be honest, I don't personally understand. How can something SOO amazing make anyone feel blue??) But it happens. All the time. And it's normal. And maybe it's because I didn't really enjoy that whole 'being pregnant' thing, which meant I got to avoid depression because I was SOO relieved when my little one arrived? I dunno. But I have felt nothing but elation since my daughter was born.

In Conclusion:

Sooo... as you can see... the first 3 months of a baby's life is a HUGE transition for both mom AND baby. And that's why I felt it was important to write about :)

Cave Monkeys... and their reflexes ;p

Babies are so damn cute! (Well… ok. Most of them). They are these teensy-tiny, helpless, dependant, cuddly little beings whose day-to-day demands for the first 6 months seem pretty darn simple… Eat. Sleep. Pee. Poop. (Repeat). We think that it’s up to us, the parents, to keep them safe, teach them about life and introduce them to the world. Without us, these fragile creatures would be completely lost … but that’s not entirely true!! I was stunned when I had Veronica to learn how many primal and instinctive "things" she came pre-programmed with in order to ensure her survival… (Thanks Mother Nature).


**(Apologies in advance to all you practicing Catholics, but the rest of this blog refers to evolution… or hairy Adam & Eve’s… or whatever lets you sleep at night.)**

I’ve learned since being pregnant that babies are born with 5+ major ‘reflexes’. (But I’m just going to focus on my 5 favorite ones because they’re the most fun!)

#1: The ‘Rooting Reflex’ or the baby’s natural instinct to hunt for FOOD (aka: the boob). When Veronica was first put on my chest after my C-Section I was shaking uncontrollably from a mix of exhaustion, adrenaline & drugs. I couldn’t feel anything below my neck, let alone move my arms. (Man, it’s all such a blur!) The nurses kicked everyone (except Brad) out of the room and placed my baby skin-to-skin and told me to “nurse” her. I told her in some drugged up / exhausted way “I simply can’t” and she shrugged and said ‘yes you can’. And sure enough, my little baby started squiggling her way towards my breast. We had never met before, and she sure had never SEEN a boob before, yet she knew what she needed and how to get it. I started to cry. (Mind you, there was a lot of crying though during that first month!)

#2: The ‘Suck Reflex’ (again… food). Well, a woman may not produce much milk in those first 36 hours but that doesn’t mean your baby stops trying to get it!! Every 2-3 hours like clockwork Veronica was hungry… but thank goodness for those pre-natal classes that taught me not to stress about breastfeeding. Our instructor told us: “Human beings are the only creatures to actually doubt that they are producing enough milk to feed their babies…” and that totally stuck with me. So I just chillaxed about it… and we fed when we fed & I trusted that I was giving her what she needed… she latched eventually & man did she suckle!

#3: The ‘Step Reflex’ where the baby appears to take steps or dance when held upright with his/her feet touching a solid surface. Apparently the brain is coded to give the baby a reward of "happy" chemistry if it learns to stand. (Wow, cool right??!) A baby has this reflex even in the womb and it’s this reflex that the baby uses to push against the walls of the womb during the birthing process. I felt Miss V use this reflex about 5 bazillion times/day when preggers. (She tried - I’m sure - to use it in order for us to have a vaginal delivery, but unfortunately she got stuck in my pelvis.) And at about 7 weeks old she started to use this reflex out of sheer boredom I think. As she gets older she needs more stimulation, and sitting up / standing on my lap seems to do the trick! She's going to be a famous ballerina or gymnast (but not the f'd up kind..) I'm sure of it.

#4: The ‘Grasp Reflex’: where stroking the palm of a baby's hand causes the baby to close his/her fingers in a grasp. Pretty self-explanatory and I don’t really have a specific human example of this, except there is nothing like feeding your baby and having her grab at your hand or boob or finger. This reflex goes along with #5…. And back in the day as monkeys, the baby would rely on this reflex to hang on as Momma Monkey flew through the trees away from danger!

And… lastly…. my personal favorite…

#5: The ‘Startle Reflex” (aka “The Moro Reflex”). ‘The reflex response of an infant in which the limb and neck muscles contract when the infant is allowed to drop a short distance or is startled by a sudden noise or jolt’…. and it’s SOOOO funny!! Nothing was worse after cutting through my ab muscles than making me laugh… and V’s startle reflex was BEYOND hilarious!! We wound up lovingly calling it “SPROINGGGG” ‘cuz it looks like she’s throwing her arms and legs out of her body like they’re loaded springs.

The poor things appear to grab on to thin air for dear life. According to my online research, the baby is experiencing: “a newborn version of an adrenalin rush, similar to what an we experience on a roller coaster ride.” Other sites call it “An alarm reflex... A kind of sensation that she is all alone in the world for a split second, and her reaction (instantaneously grabbing for something to hold on to) is a protective mechanism, akin to the ‘fight or flight’ response.” This totally makes sense when you think of us as monkeys. (À la #4), when Momma Monkey is fleeing for safety, she needs something to hold on to so baby’s limbs go “SPROING!!”

With V, it happened more in the first few weeks-- at any abrupt noise, (crinkling paper and her own little farts were my personal favs ;p)… but it was the slamming of doors, SPROING! Whenever she was laid on a bed, (even softly!) SPROING! When the dogs started to bark, SPROING! When the vacuum cleaner started, SPROING! … Apparently it’s all to show that the baby’s muscles, hearing & reflexes are all working properly.
Whatever it is, it makes me laugh. So much that I have edited a video of various startle reflex footage I found online! (None of which are of my baby ‘cuz I can’t seem to predict when she’s going to do it anymore…)

Enjoy!

Veronica's first swim