Evelyn: 2 Months Old!!!

Happy 2 Months Evie!!! Time is flying by way too fast and you are
growing up even faster!!! Mommy and Daddy loves you more and more everyday!!!

2 months have gone by since my baby changed my life forever.  I honestly can't believe how fast time is going by.  She's growing up way too fast for my liking!!!  

This past month I've grown more and more in love with my baby.  It's so true what they say...you've never loved until you have your own child to love.  All the sacrifices/sleepiness/tiredness is SO worth it and I would do it all again ten-fold for my baby girl.  

Now that it's been 2 months we totally have a routine/schedule down pack.  I can read her way better and know what she wants...which makes me a VERY happy Mommy!!  

Evie at 2 months can...

~Smile a lot more...and even responds to my voice with smiles!!

~Hold herself up when I put her on my shoulder

~Kick her feet and swing her arms a lot harder than before...and with purpose!

~Swing her arm at hanging toys in her playmat

~Make coo-ing sounds and laugh

~Responds to my voice by looking for me

~Make eye contact with me and her toys

~Notice where sounds are coming from

1 month vs 2 months...note that her shirt on the left is NB size and
the one on the right is 3-6mo size!!! She's growing a LOT!!

Evie's monthly onesie stickers are from a store on Etsy called Little Baby Bumblebee

Tobey's 2nd Birthday!!!

So Tobey's 2nd birthday was this past Saturday!! Last year we had a full on birthday party. This year, as you can imagine, I'm a bit preoccupied with an almost 2 month old to do too much but of course we still celebrated with him.  We got him a birthday cupcake and a few treats for his girlfriend, Belle.  

Tobey on the morning of his 2nd birthday!

His Peanut Butter flavoured birthday cupcake!!

Hamburgers, a s'more and a cannoli!!

2 cutie pies!!!

Happy First Father's Day To My Baby's Daddy!!!

Evie's Father's Day outfit!!! I got her a onsie from Etsy that said
 'I found my Prince his name is Daddy'

So yesterday was Father's Day.  It was a special one because for the first time ever, my hubby is a Daddy.  It was a simple day.  I surprised him by dressing Evie up in a special Father's Day outfit I had prepared weeks ago.  We had a dim sum lunch with his parents and then came home for a nap.  Then it was dinner at my parent's house.  And of course...when MY parents are involved...it meant taking tons of photos. 

Our little princess

Father and Daughter's first Father's Day!!

Our little family <3

I <3 him

Evie and Grandpa!! My dad is hilarious in photos these days...he's
so over the moon happy!!

Evie's Music Repertoire!

So music has been a huge part of my life.  I LOVE music.  I listen to pretty much every genre...pop, hip-hop, country, rap, rock, jazz, classical, instrumentals, Christian....all types!  My dad asked me a few weeks ago if I played classical music for Evie to listen to and to my surprise...I said NO.  I actually hadn't played any music since she came home because I was worried it'd be noisy for her during naps.  I thought about it some more and wondered why I did that.  I realized that I had been going about it all wrong!! If anything I SHOULD be playing more music/keeping noise level up because I want her to be able to nap/relax even when there is noise around....not just when it's quiet.  Imagine trying to bring your baby out to the mall or wherever and having them scream because it's too 'noisy'.  Also, when baby was in my belly, it was never quiet!! I worked in a grades 1/2 classroom and boy was it NOT quiet.  My days were filled with kids' chatter and when I was driving to and from work everyday I would play my music like normal....loud with me singing over it LOL.  So I decided to play music every single day...all day!  

It's been really fun choosing music to listen to everyday.  

I'm SO glad I have a big collection of CDS...see...

It's also nice that there are music channels on TV now too so if I'm up for something random I can choose a genre and play that station.  

So far Evie's daily music listening sessions have included...

~Classical music...Beethoven, Bach, Chopin...the classics

~Michael Buble...I have all his CDs and play them one after another...minus the Christmas ones!

 ~Carrie Underwood...love her!!

~Taylor Swift...love her too!!

~Disney Princesses CD my mother-in-law got Evie...not sure who enjoys it more...me or Eve?? 

~Random Pop songs from the Pop Channel on TV

~Starfield...one of my favourite Christian bands

~Backstreet Boys...umm need I say more???

~Mariah Carey...ALL of her CDs...currently we're still working through all 13 of her cds (not including her 2 Christmas ones)

There's still so many other artists/songs that I want Evie to listen to...classics from MY generation...Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Shania Twain and N'Sync just to name a few!!!

Breast Milk 101

This is the pump I use...the Medela Swing

So I alternate between pumping and nursing...favouring nursing most of the time. I find that sometimes after I nurse Evie still wants more but doesn't want to be on me.  That's when 2-3oz. of breast milk come in handy.  I decided to look up how to handle breast milk...and here's what I found on the wonderful website Kelly Mom. 

Hope this blog entry becomes helpful to someone out there...it took me a while to get the terminology correct ('breast milk HANDLING') to find information.

Storage guidelines

HUMAN MILK STORAGE – QUICK REFERENCE CARD
	Temperature	Storage Time
Freshly expressed milk
Warm room	73-77°F / 23-25°C	4 hours
Room temperature	66-72°F / 19-22°C	6-10 hours
Insulated cooler / icepacks	59°F / 15°C	24 hours
Refrigerated Milk (Store at back, away from door)
Refrigerator (fresh milk)	32-39°F / 0-4°C	8 days (ideal: 72 hrs)
Refrigerator (thawed milk)	32-39°F / 0-4°C	24 hours
Frozen Milk (Do not refreeze! Store at back, away from door/sides)
Freezer compartment inside refrigerator (older-style)	Varies	2 weeks
Self-contained freezer unit of a refrigerator/freezer	Varies: 0°F / -18°C	3-4 months
Separate deep freeze	0°F / -18°C	12 months (ideal: 6 months)
These guidelines are for milk expressed for a full-term healthy baby.  If baby is seriously ill and/or hospitalized, discuss storage guidelines with baby’s doctor.
To avoid waste and for easier thawing & warming, store milk in 1-4 ounce portions. Date milk before storing. Milk from different pumping sessions/days may be combined in one container – use the date of the first milk expressed. Breastmilk is not spoiled unless it smells really bad or tastes sour. To thaw milk Thaw slowly in the refrigerator (this takes about 12 hours – try putting it in the fridge the night before you need it). Avoid letting milk sit out at room temperature to thaw. For quicker thawing, hold container under running water – start cool and gradually increase temperature. Previously frozen milk may be kept in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours after it has finished thawing. Do not refreeze. To warm milk Heat water in a cup or other small container, then place frozen milk in the water to warm; or Use a bottle warmer. NEVER microwave human milk or heat it directly on the stove. The cream will rise to the top of the milk during storage. Gently swirl milk (do not shake) to mix before checking temperature and offering to baby. If baby does not finish milk at one feeding, it may be refrigerated and offered at the next feeding before it is discarded.