March Madness

Could March be any busier? Already, before Nora, March was quite busy with birthdays but this month seems oh so busy, especially with Nora's big and special first birthday coming up. I have been trying to get ahead of the game by planning out the month and there are just so many things to do! (Funny how I can find time to blog about it though... hmmmm).

What's keeping my brain occupied...

Nora's first birthday - it's such a special milestone that I can't believe how quickly it is coming up. On the 24th she is going to turn one. While it is oh so very very tempting to want to throw a big birthday bash, it is also overwhelming so we want to make sure we don't lose out on the hectic-stress-ful-ness of it all so we're keeping it simple this year. So we've decided to have a family get together on the weekend before and then a birthday playdate with Nora's friends.

Return to Work - ugh, yeah unbelievable but true, my one year of mat leave is just about up. So sad to think that I'll be away from Nora during the day and I was just getting used to our lovely time together. But I'm fortunate enough that I'll be going back part time - so at least I'll have four full days with her (including weekends with Trav!). A year ago I thought it would be no problem to go back to work full time but after being with Nora every day for the whole day, we've got a pretty good routine and set up going and I just love seeing how much she's taking in these days! It's going to be a tough day, probably more for me than her.

Daycare - with returning to work comes the ugh task of finding someone to take care of Nora while we're at work. We put ourselves on a waitlist when we first found out we were pregnant but alas, eighteen months later we are still no where close to being accepted into the daycare. So, we've had to think of all different avenues... and we have something that should work out nicely. My dad is going to take Nora for a day, Trav's mom is going to take her another day and we've just found a really great mom who has two kids and wants to take care of another kid for just one day a week. Perfect! I'm really excited that Nora will get lots of bonding time with her Gong Gong and her Grammy. We're slowly 'transitioning' Nora into the daycare and getting my dad 'ready' for a full day of Nora... now if only I knew how to transition :).

Weaning - I've had to start the weaning process of cutting down on Nora's breastfeeding. Sad but I can't pump nearly enough for a single day, let alone 3 days, so soon we'll have her down to 2 feedings a day... and then when she turns one, she'll be able to start drinking regular whole milk anyways. But I think I'll still hold on to her night time feed... not that ready to let go yet, heh heh.

Seperation Anxiety - it's mainly a term for the babies and when they make strange with strangers or tend to be rather clingy to their moms. Well, I don't think Nora has it but more me! Not the making strange with others (heh heh) but more not wanting to let her go. Aiya! Silly I know, but I think natural... right?!? We hardly leave Nora with anyone by herself, so this is going to be a real test for us to see how she does. I think babies will be totally fine and are really adaptable. I think she'll do great with her grandparents and Kimberley (daycare) but I'm so worried about her napping - I just hope she settles well and does not resist the nap... she's just so much happier after even 30 mins of a good nap! So, we'll see how that goes.

The rest of the month is packed with birthdays... which is great because I just love celebrating birthdays! Included in it is Naomi's birthday, Nora's friend Layla's one year, Megan's one month birthday (one month already, can you believe it), Stephen's big 30th, Nora's BIG one year and then my birthday. So, while it may be a hectic-emotional month, it's also gonna be fun filled with so much to celebrate!

Phew, wow, seems like I had a lot on my mind... ahhhh so much better now. Enjoy the sun shining over all that snow!