Holy bajeezus, an entire year has passed us by and I am still at a loss as to where it went.  We have gone from a tiny little baby who made no noises at birth and barely moved to a one year little girl who loves to exercise her vocal chords and can't seem to stay still.  I would say about the only consistent thing with this little angel is her inability to sleep for long periods of time for consecutive nights.  As I always say though, I am more than happy to have a non-sleeping and happy baby versus a crabby, colicky or unhappy one.

Well I could go back and recount the highlights of the past year but why bother when they have all been recorded throughout the blog in more detail than I am sure some wanted...:).  Instead, I will continue to focus on the past month and all that has happened.

We have certainly discovered that not only do we have a mischievous little one who one person says, has a case of FOMO (fear of missing out) but we also have a far too smart girl for her own good.  One perfect example would be when she decided to play with the plug, the one thing plugged in our house and kept going back to it every time we would move her away.  In order to stop her from reaching the outlet, I lied a chair down as a barrier but nope, all she did was casually pulled it away and made her merry little way right back to the outlet.  Next idea was to put a pillow with the chair which was successful, that is successful in blocking that way.  The smart little cookie simply turned herself around and went around the island so she could get to the outlet another way.  Jade continues to shut doors on us and has a big grin in doing so.

Oh, now this was cute....well at least I thought it was.  My mom gave her hair elastic to Jade who proceeded to reach her hands behind her head and stretch out the elastic as thought she was trying to put it in her hair.  Then my mom bent her head over so Jade could reach her hair and Jade did the same thing with the elastic to my moms hair....guess she wants to start wearing some "pretties" in her hair.  Doh, does that mean we have a true girly girl on our hands?  If so, guess my family will finally get what they never had in me; I think I can handle it.  On the other hand, she does have a love for baseball hats...much the same as I did when I was younger.  Whether it is on someone else's head, on the floor or put on her head, Jade grabs at the hat and shines her bright smile while giggling.

Friday April 13th was d-day for Ted or as I like to say, it was the first day of a new beginning...the road to recovery.  The knee surgery went well and he has been doing all his physio and keeping up the rehab schedule despite some pain.  Of course, with Ted out of commission, Jade has decided it's time to get into even more stuff and more demanding.  Between the two of them having to be reliant on me, life has been pretty busy....now's where some may expect me to say "and super tough"; however, I will honestly say that it is something I like doing and wouldn't change.  Sometimes it seems like Jade really wants to sabotage Ted's recovery as she will often leave several toys in his path or chase him down the hallway and grab at his crutches.  On the other hand, I think she just wants to get his crutches as she absolutely loves it when he pokes her in the stomach with them.  Ted has been recovering well and is nearly clear of the crutches. 

Oh, this was a good one too that I almost forgot about.  The other day I was baking cookies at my parents place and Jade was playing around in the family room.  It took me  a second to realize it but it had suddenly got fairly quiet and when I peeked over, there was Jade on the floor with grandma's iPad which she had pulled down off the table.  Jade was hard at work, scrolling along and viewing whatever it was she was viewing....yep, she knows things she shouldn't.

Not too sure what this little gals pain receptors tell her sometimes.  Seriously have to wonder what is going through her little head when she sits against something and bangs the back of her head against it over and over again with a huge smile.  Well maybe it is just the pain receptors in her head that we should question as I discovered this month that she certainly does feel some pain.  The poor gal had to have some blood work done and it certainly was not a smooth experience.  Four flipping lab techs checked both of her arms, using the tourniquet, and having me hold her still, looking for  veins.  The fourth one finally was able to find very small ones and it took pokes in both arms before they were able to get enough.  Jade was screaming, it was heartbreaking and thankfully now over.

We had our first "accident" that drew some blood when Jade did a tooth plant into the wooden coffee table.  The poor gal must have cut her gum as her mouth had a little blood in it.  As painful as it looked, Jade only had a short cry and was ready to get back to playing in no time flat.

Jade is putting her Dutch heritage to use in helping my dad with the yard work.  She has helped him water the plants and watched him do some planting but did not take too kindly to the sound of weed whacker.  After their tough working time, the two of them hit the back deck and sat down for a play and relaxation. You know she has some sort of green thumb when she is normally terrified of loud noises but when the lawn mower comes near her pushed by grandpa, she is all good.

Oh, another "only Jade" moment happened at aquafit.  All the moms put their little ones in these floaties that are shaped like fish and have a little seat in the middle and rather than play like the others, Jade decided she would attempt to get out....of course there was no giving up and by the end, she had succeeded and in doing so had the instructor and me on our toes.  The other moms looked at her and were utterly shocked; kind of bad that I was not at all surprised.

Holy dinah, minah, this girl can have some real hyper fits at times.  There were a few nights, at about 9:30, that she was literally bouncing around the couch....side to side, up and down, hollering, dancing and waving her arms.  I think one of the nights she continued this for about 40 minutes and that still didn't result in her sleeping through the night.

Jade and I went to a baby shower for a coworker of mine which was nice not only for the party but also that I got to see everyone from work and also show Jade off a little, lol.  It was interesting as at first Jade played the shy role but I guess that was only while she did her observing and took in everything and everyone.  After that, she was up to her normal antics, crawling to whatever she could find, visiting and stuffed her face with Goldfish, fruit and a mini cupcake.  At one point she sat with Aunty Laine who had to keep hold of Jade's pants because if not, Jade would be in all the plates on the ground or opening the presents.

Though she may have played the shy role temporarily at the shower, I think it was exactly that....role playing as this little gal is far from shy.  When we go to storytime, Jade is all over the place...from one side of the room to the other, over the kids, to the moms and nannies....she only looks to me to make sure I am still there I guess but otherwise she is off exploring.  This past week Jade went right up to the guy who leads storytime, grabbed his leg to help pull herself up then stood there with a huge smile on her face....in front of the entire room.  Ya, my child, can we say my polar opposite?  She then grabbed his name tag and started playing around with that; all the while Jade had the BIGGEST grin on her face. Ironically we ended up meeting one of our neighbours there who has a little 8 month old.  They have come to invite us out for a walk since then but unfortunately we have been MIA so we hope to do that sooner rather than later.

Jade got to spend an evening with Aunty Ashlee when she was briefly in town and of course they loved it...okay, well Jade hindered Ashlee's studying but no doubt it wasn't such a bad thing, lol.  Aunty Ashlee completely spoils Jade when she comes to town and this time was no different eventhough Jade's birthday was only a few days later.  As always we were sad to see Aunty Ashlee leave and hope to see her soon again.

Awe, you can tell how attached to my parents Jade has become.  The other day her and I were over there and they had to leave before I had Jade ready to go; when they left, Jade quickly crawled to the front door and started to cry a little...it was heartbreaking but then again kind of heartwarming to see how much she loves them.

Grandma couldn't resist giving Jade an early birthday present and it seems to have paid off for both Jade and Ted.  They got her a little push car which Ted can now push Jade around on and in turn work on walking without his crutches....a win, win for both of them.

Poor gal ended up getting a cold with me and of course it have to hold on to her for her first birthday.  Hopefully though by the time her party rolls around on Saturday, we will both be ready to go and her ready to PARTAY!!!!  No doubt she will be bopping around as we swear that anytime music comes on, she starts to dance.  Aunty Ashlee got Jade a cute little pair of rubber boots with a matching jacket in addition to the giraffe pillow buddy she had already given her.  Grandpa so far has the winning toy with the little drum he bought her.  Check out her bebopping skills & letting Dexter know she was busy playing and he can't take part.

She also got a little tricycle from them which when she is able to she can pedal away on but for now it has the contraption for us to push her.  Can we say spoiled???  Jade's birthday dinner was at Earls with grandma and us...she of course was trying to entertain the diners sitting nearby.  For dessert she got to have some sundae...mmmmm...that was after another tour of Costco with the taste testing.  Favourite taste tested item today was by far the chocolate milk....takes after me in her love for chocolate :)

Hmmmmm....what else, what else?  Let's see, we talked about the shower, we had Aunty Rachel over for a short visit, time with Aunty Ashlee....don't think there is much else to report for this past month.  I shall do a short blog after the party on Saturday and post more pictures.  Now that we have passed our first year, I probably won't blog as precisely as every month but rather when noteworthy things happen.  We start daycare the first week of June and I head back to work this month while Ted will probably head back the week Jade starts daycare.

Honestly can't believe a year has passed already....so much has happened and so much yet to come.  This little monster truly is an angel who has left a mark on my heart and everyone else she has come in contact with.  Jade is a ray of sunshine 24/7 and knows how to brighten any rough day.  Ted and I are so lucky to have such an animated, loving and happy little girl.

Again, please check out jadegayle.shutterfly.com for some recent pictures.

One Month Until the Year Mark

Can't believe we have hit the 11 month mark and at this time next  month we will be celebrating a one year old's birthday....time has flown by, CRAZY!!!!

Jade is going to be T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!!! From the time she figured out she could crawl & also stand, she has been trying to get into anything and everything...I mean everything.  You know something isn't right when there is lots of noise then all the sudden 0; usually means she has found something she knows she should not be playing with.

We are pretty lucky in terms of her taking a bottle and sippy-cup.  This kid seems to love her sippy-cup; I will put it out on the carpet with water for her to grab anytime and she just goes to town on it.  She also seems to watch "real" food vs "baby" food, of course the sweets are still the go to.

Jade definitely has picked a best-friend and it isn't anybody human; rather it's Dexter.....NOOO, not the character Dexter but my parents chocolate lab.  I have spoken of her love for him before but it only continues to grow and it seems to be the only "person" that she gets super, super excited for and searches out.  She will sit at the gate down to where he is and just pull on the bars.  If she isn't sitting she is standing or trying to wiggle under it.  It is truely amazing how Dexter is sooooo calm around her as he can't seem to calm down around anyone else.Hmmmm...is that the ultimate cure for ADHD, baby therapy....could I be on to something here?  Like all great friendships, the two of them did have a little spat when Jade tried to steal Dexter's brand new bone.  Of course, Dexter didn't attempt to nip or hurt Jade, he just growled and let her know it was his and off limits to her.  That is all in the past now and the two of them are back to loving eachother.

Some of her current t.v. enjoyments are American Idol and curling, yes curling.  My mom records American Idol and watches it with Jade who often sings along (of course not in english though) and often will try to dance as long as she has something to hold onto.  There is also softball which I discovered when she stole the remote from me, paused what I was watching then flipped it to softball and sat there watching it...thinking this could be a sign she is going to take after her aunty Ashlee.

Our poo-tastrophies have unfortunately continued.  Thanks to some intuition though, she has managed to not do anythign on the carpet but rather, she situated herself on the laminate floor so easy to clean that up.  It is pretty dang gross when you go to change her, thinking there is something in there but not realizing it is more than just in the diaper and you put her hand nicely into it.  Grossed out??? Glad I shared???  Well I want you all to experience what I did...lol...:)

Jade can offically call herself a rink rat as well.  Her and my mom have come to a few games now and my golly they MUST continue to come.  Honestly, I hadn't scored all season then the first two games they come to, I get three goals, go figure...I always said they were my guardian angels but this just goes to show it even more.

Bestest thing ever, yes that is a word by the way....she said it on St Patty's Day....mama. She has continued to say it and many times will say it while pointing at me or looking at me.  Ya, I know she said dada first but I am still stoked...must be the Ginger in me that got it on St Patty's Day.

We had a busy day on the 18th.  Started off with Ted and I getting a glimpse of what we have got ourselves into via Zoey's 3rd birthday party.  It was pretty neat, they had a gym with a bouncy castle, various balls, a slide and play mats then a separate room for chow time.  There were about 20 kids running around plus all the parents...ahhhhh, do I regret this....um, do I really need to answer that???  Helz no with a capital H, I love my life with a baby.  Jade got right into the playing, especially with her pal Kenzie.  The two are total opposites, Jade shows no signs of shyness with her giggles, smiles and gabbing to anyone while Kenzie just sits back, plays and takes it all in.  Most ironic thing here is that if you were to pick which kid belonged to who based on our own personalities, you would probably think Kenzie was mine and Jade Leanne's, lol.  This was the first time Jade had pizza and cake as well...ok, well not a real piece of pizza but little bits of cheese and ham then some cake for dessert...mmmmmm.  Anywho, Jade had an awesome time and it was so great to get to be apart of that; she had no issue sleeping a little on the way home. 

 We raced home from the party and Ted had to race out to the ferry to pick his mom up which made timing tight but all worked out.  The four of us went to the aquarium for Jade's first time and Ted's first time in a long time.  At first Jade was pretty frightened but once given the chance to explore on her own and not have someone making her get closer than she wanted, she began to warm up.  I would have to say her favourite was the same as mine, the monkeys.  Jade was pretty exhausted by the end and passed out in the car on the home; but, of course, once we got home, she was ready to go, or should I say ready to sit with mommy to have some food while Oma and daddy had ice-cream.  She seemed to be getting kind of fussy so thought she might go down early but after Ted drove his mom to the ferry and got home, exhausted from the day of driving and ready for a nap, Jade was ready to PARTAY, and decided she would yammer away and crawl all over him.

Not only did Jade get to celebrate Zoey's birthday but more importantly she got to celebrate her daddy's.  The two of us surprised Ted at work with some brownies and smiles.  She got to spend more time at grandma and grandpa's while mommy and daddy went for dinner.  Of course, that is like heaven to her so she was probably cheering to see us walk out the door :)

Jade continues to exercise her vocal chords but thankfully in a cute manner rather than a screeching manner.  Whether we are out for a walk or she is watching American Idol with grandma, Jade loves to sing or hum her way through it.  She also is great at using this to try to keep herself awake but I think it works against her and soothes her to sleep. She also has quite a few moves in the dance department.  If you were to categorize her dancing type, it would probably be hip-hop with the hand motions she does.  Eeek, she also has a little bit of the sexy girl dancing going on sometimes.  Much of the time, she holds herself with one hand on the table then bounces and flails the other arm....very cute to watch.

We have done lots of visiting this past month.  Popped by to see Aunty Rachel and Tier who Jade was a little timid with but very intrigued by.  We also stopped in at my papa's office where Jade stood at the window and greeted passer-bys as well as crawled all over the desks and attempted to eat business cards.  In addition to the family, we also made a trip out to visit Kenzie and Zoey as well as a high school friend of mine and her two little ones.  Jade got to visit with her new boyfriend Kjell again when we met up with Mette and Mike for coffee.  This was also the first time we experienced Jade being a little jealous when I was holding Kjell.  Another "visit" was via the technological world when Jade and Aunty Ashlee face-time each other which I guess is very similar to Skype.

Last week Jade and I joined my mom, Dr B and another gal to talk to some UBC psychiatry students.  Jade was great throughout the talk and of course caught everyone's attention half the time as she attempted to give some advice as well.  

Jade had her first Easter but we kept it pretty quiet, next year will be a different story.  Jade got an awesome little laughing monkey from grandma and grandpa which she seems to love as well as a sweet ass puma tracksuit with water shoes and a stuffed animal from papa and Deanne.  We went for a great dinner at mt suy parents where Jade let everyone know that she is in charge at that house.

I have concluded Jade is a replica of the Energizer Bunny as she just keeps going and going and going....Sleep??  What is that?  Catnaps are apparently the way to go....much to my shh-grin.

As we move into Jade's final month as being "ageless" we get ready for her first birthday and no doubt her walking and getting more teeth than just the one (she has about 3 looking like they are going to give that 1 some company).  Tomorrow Jade and I begin aquafit classes together which should be interesting.  Ted will be having his surgery on the 13th so Jade will be able to tend to him in her own personal way and show him her daily happenings.

I think that about concludes this entry for the reasons I can't think of anything else and Jade is attempting to type on here and she is RANK!!!  Again, please check out jadegayle.shutterfly.com for the latest pictures of the stinky monster.

Trouble is Brewing

February 10th was a big day, it marked 9 months of life for Jade and also Grandma's huge gala for Looking Glass....both were a momentous success.  The gala was attended by Sarah Mclachlan, Scotty Rintoul, the Minister of Health as well as many kind hearted people who have been affected by eating disorders in some way.  Ted and I had the honour of volunteering while Jade was very lucky to spend the evening with Aunty Ashlee.  The two of them enjoyed dinner and the movie Tangled together before settling into bed.  Earlier in the day, Jade got a little play time with Maddy and Tasha who brought her some pretty awesome shoes. 

Speaking of Aunty Ashlee, she was home for the week which meant lots of Aunty time and also sister time.  Ashlee absolutely adores Jade that it pains me she only gets to see her every once in a while when she has a little bit of time off residency.  Of course the feeling is mutual, Jade's face just lights up when she sees Aunty Ashlee.  It was soooo cute, Ashlee bought Jade a little Winnie the Pooh night time doll thingy and Jade could not get enough of it, lol.  Thanks to Aunty Ashlee, Jade's room is finally coming to life with some wall decorations.  The two spent Ashlee's last night in town together and when we picked her up, Jade started to cry. How dare Aunty Ashlee go back to work.

My Aunty Robyn, Kaleigh and Kaleigh's boyfriend were in town for a few days so Jade got to see them quickly.  Of course, she was most taken by Kaleigh's boyfriend and just couldn't take her eyes off of him when he was around her.

Swim classes continued but came to an end this past Monday.  We have done a lot more "dunking", have learned to push off (well at least try to), and lots of more singing.  Have to say though, the thing the gets Jade the most are the guys...our little girl is a total flirt.  At a recent class I think Jade was the only one to go underwater as the other mom's were a little scared to do it.  Does that make me a mean mom?  Jade didn't scream at all so I guess not.  I have to go back to get Jade's report card as the teacher apparently thought Jade was another baby so never filled out a report card for her....ooops.

Grandma, Aunty Ashlee and I took Jade to Costco on Valentine's day where she got to experience the greatest part of a shop there...sampling.  Let me tell you, she learned quickly and enjoyed every single minute of it.  Jade had a great first Valentine's Day and of course was spoiled by Grandma and Ashlee with the new little outfits and a couple new toys, she fared pretty well.  Guess that's why she was so good when we got home in the evening and let Ted and I enjoy our Jamaican themed dinner and homemade red velvet cake while she toiled around on the carpet with her various toys.

We ventured over to the Island for a day to see Oma and Opa despite the windy weather.  The day was spent visiting and Jade playing around.  It was nice as Ted's Aunty Marce and Grandma popped by and got to meet Jade...of course Jade loved it as it was new people to pay attention to her :).  No matter how long it is between times that Jade and Opa get together, she never forgets who he is and always has a huge smile for him and loves her cuddle time.

The amount of talking and singing Jade is doing now is amazing...at times you think she is screeching because she is upset but when you look at her face, she is actually have a jolly old time.  You can see the video's on shutterfly; please enjoy the one of her at 1:30am when it is party time.  Yes, she has decided to return to only sleeping for a max of 3 or 4 hours at once then wide awake and ready to partay.  She is so cute as she lies on the carpet in front of the t.v. (which isn't on during the day; bet many of you can't believe that, lol) and just goes nutso, usually lying on her back banging two objects of some sort together with her hands.  Not too sure what exactly runs through her head but for some reason, Jade can't stop flailing her hands or opening and closing them.  I am still really surprised there are no bruises on her heels as a result of the amount of kicking she does.  She has a few musical toys but all Jade wants are little random things she can bang together.  Now that she is a little more mobile, we are realizing things that can't be left near her such as toys that plug in as rather than playing with them, she wants to reach for the cords.  The little bugger decided to pull the casing off the wires from the t.v. that Ted had done and of course, Jade had a gigantic smile on her face after she did it.  I honestly wish I had the energy this gal has as she seems to be a replica of the Energizer Bunny; she keeps going and going and going and....I am ready for naps by the afternoon but Jade will have nothing to do with them, instead she just wants to climb all over the place and check out what every little noise is.  I finally gave up on Friday and zonked out while grandma spent the afternoon with Jade.  Not too sure who enjoyed that more....Jade or me.  Lol, I almost forgot to talk about her lovely mouth noises, or whatever one could call them.  Jade will open her mouth and Ted will tap his hand over it to which Jade begins to "sing" and it is always the same note. Yet another thing she looooves to do :). 

We have now added Grandma, Grandpa and GG to the list of Skype conversations.  Jade couldn't stop smiling and flailing her arms, when Grandma and Grandpa were on the computer screen.  Somehow she was not distracted by everything around her and she didn't try to escape like she usually does, lol.  Best part was when my mom played a clip on her iPad of a mariachi band and Jade looooved it. I think it was tough on her though that Grandma and Grandpa were away for more than a week. Her little face just lit up when she saw them again in person, and she was so giddy when she was back at their place, loved it.

Jade and I were invited to a potluck/girls night at Berger's place so we got the courage up and popped in for a bit.  Thankfully we did as our time was well spent and tons of fun.  Jade also got to meet her future suitor who is around 4 yrs old and a very cute, creative little guy.  The two of them together was priceless, the giggling going on, him giving her a couple little kisses, her trying to climb on his back to get to the iPad and always keeping her little eye on him.  Whenever Olin was around, Jade would light up with a smile....romance was in the air :)  For me it was great to see some of the gals from work in such a laid back environment with some excellent cake---thanks for a great evening ladies.

In addition to Olin, Jade also met another possible future boyfriend, Kjell.  Kjell, the son of Mette and Mike, was born February  22nd, 2012. Both times we have seen him, Jade would reach into his bassinet to try to touch him and pull his blankets off.  Apparently it does not matter their age, Jade just totally loves guys.

The little nut is constantly on the move now so it looks like baby proofing the house is going to be happening much sooner than we had planned.  She inch worms from the t.v. room to her room, to the kitchen and where ever she can maneuver herself to.  At grandma and grandpa's it's all over the place; sometimes I think she is chasing Dexter.  She has always loved dogs but these past couple of weeks she has become excessively enthralled with Dexter.  Jade watches Dexter's every move and gets this huge smile on her face whenever he is around, often she tries to tell him a story. She also seems to absolutely love to feed dogs; at Tante Mette's and Uncle Mike's, she fed their little pup her cookie as well as Dexter; she literally holds her hand out with the cookie for them and lets them take it.

We spent the last couple of days of the month visiting some of our favourite people.  We made a trip over to Aunty Ticky's place where we went for a walk and go to enjoy some of John's test kitchen cooking....scrumptious.  We also went to my papa's and Jade spent the evening making a mess with her cookie but laughing the majority of the time.  Friday we got  to visit with Aunty Rachel and Tier, whom she also enjoys to roll around with.  It was interesting though as soon as Jade saw the cat, she broke down in tears and was terrified which is something we have never seen before.  Besides that, we had a great visit and Jade got some cuddling in with Aunty Rachel; albeit, not a whole lot as Jade just wanted to stand or play with toys.

People always are asking what Jade is eating so I shall let you know.  She of course loves the sweet stuff; has the same sweet tooth as her grandpa.  Getting proteins into her has been tough so we took the advice Leanne gave us and have taken to mashing up tofu in yogurt....mmmmm....ya...right eh?  Whatever works though and this seems to work.  We have started to give her little bits of things we are eating and taking note of what she likes and doesn't really like.  We will continue to take adventures with the food and hopefully Jade will not be so picky as to the times and types of food she eats.  Another update would be with her tooth which first started to show exactly a month ago.  That one tooth on the bottom is still working hard to fully emerge but thankfully has not caused Jade any real pain that we know of.  It is only a matter of time before the walking begins as Jade has now mastered the art of pulling herself up into a standing position while holding onto something.  I have no doubt she could stand and hold onto something for hours while she bounces up and down yelling at us, lol.  The little monster is so proud of herself when she does it.  All bets are, by this time next month we will have a walker in this house which means the fun is only beginning.

I apologize for the dull narrative of this past month but I seem to have lost the writing knack right now; I hope to search it out and be able to entertain you all once again.  The month ahead includes Jade's first St Patrick's day and also daddy's birthday so should be good times.  On a final note, I have not posted any pictures as it got far too frustrating waiting for them to load, but if you are interested, feel free to visit our site at jadegayle.shutterfly.com and see ALL the pictures. 

3/4 to a Year Old!

There certainly is not a whole lot to ramble on about this past month; though it has been busy, it has been fairly quiet....now that statement makes a whole lot of sense eh?

Well we did not  receive a callback for the commercial but in the end it was not too surprising.  We figure Jade was too young and too small so we will just sit back and see if another opportunity might rear its purty face.

Jade and I have been to a few of swim classes now and they are going well.  The class begins with some sing songs, followed by some little activities like going through a tunnel or jumping off the mat then a couple songs to end the time in the pool before a little dip in the hot tub.  Jade is so curious about what is going on around her, constantly looking around that I think it distracts her from actually knowing she is in the pool...that is until we dunk under the water.  I must admit it was quite cute, after the first time we did that, Jade popped up with a shocked look on her face the shook her head like she was cold before going back to curiously looking around the pool.  Overall though she seems to enjoy it and of course, flirts with the boys...by some fluke, we always seem to end up so she gets to sit in the middle of the four boys.

We have also gone to a couple of drop in sessions at the library.  I will admit that it has taken a few months for me to pop in, but we did it and enjoyed it much more than Mother Goose.  We have also been to a couple more Roots of Empathy and Jade continues to put on a little show for all the kids.  She laughs for them, rolls around, chatters and plays with the toys they give her to play with.  The half hour we spend there flies by and by the end of it, not one person in the room hasn't smiled.  Jade also partook in a study in which they were studying her brain waves in reaction to pictures of Ted, myself then random people.  The little gaffer did really, really well and even got to pick out a toy in the end....she knew exactly what toy she wanted as when I leaned her forward to pick, she immediately lurched forward at the one with the rings.

Tante Mette and Uncle Mike made a visit and we went out to Red Burrito, mmmmmm Red Burrito.  Though it is not as good as other taco/burrito places, it is still delicious and I must thank them again for the treat.  Jade loves the two of them, especially Uncle Mike...don't know what it is, but this little gal loves her men.  It's only a matter of time until Jade has a new friend courtesy of them two :).  Speaking of friends, Kenzie popped by with her mom as well which was a nice little play date for Jade.  Even nicer was they invited the two of us to the Canucks skills competition which Ted happened to be working at.  Jade seemed to have a great time but I think it was more about the amount of people and things happening around her than the actual Canucks.  She also had lots of attention from Zoey which was great.  Overall, we had a great afternoon....reminded me of years past when Leanne and I went to little Canucks events.  It is pretty neat that the two of us grew up from day one together and we have been able to start that with our girls :)

Ohhhh, huge, huge thing....ok, not a milestone or anything but guess who is here....Gerry has returned (a new one).  We almost made it through Ashlee's entire visit without her knowing I had lost Gerry but she asked on one of the last days.  Thankfully I finally found one and my papa transported him all the way from Montana :).  Speaking of my papa, we had a great little visit with him.  It is so heartwarming to see how much he adores Jade.  Of course, they bought her another cute little outfit to add to the many others.

Poor girl continues to have a bad go in the bowel department so we had to make a trip to the pediatrician....don't worry, I won't continue to talk about this when Jade is older.  I swear her term of endearment is pooping on people.  Ted and I were off to hockey last week when I got a text from my mom to tell me that she thought Mount St Helen's had already blown but she stood corrected as another explosion occurred.  Worse part about this one, we had just bathed her and put her in a brand new white sleeper.....needless to say that sleeper went in the bath with her, lol. The doc figures that the first hard stool caused her some pain to pass and she is now afraid of having a bowel movement.  Thus this weekend is going to be tons of fun with double the laxative use to let her know that it doesn't always hurt.....ahhhhh fun times. We also had our first cold of the year, well I guess of Jade's life.  Man oh man does this gal not like having her nose wiped, I swear she acts like she is being severely tortured when it happens.

exosaucer is at their place right now and Jade goes absolutely nuts in that thing; jumping around like crazy with her arms flailing every which direction whilst her feet are kicking the toys that have fallen down.


Our little gal has a few new moves to show the world these days.  There is what we call the beached whale in which she lies on her stomach with her arms and legs stretched out and raised off the floor.  Then there is the hip shuffle in which she likes to be up on all fours and thrust the hips like she is revving up to fly forward; I hear that is a pre-crawling thing but guess only time will tell in our case.  The one i love the best is the head tilting where she will randomly tilt her head from side to side or slowly shake her head as though she is saying no.  She loves it when grandma responds and nods her head while saying yes.  January 30th did mark a milestone in this household as Jade moved forwards instead of just backwards.  She can get herself up on all fours but to move forward she does the deadman crawl...the goal for her first time was getting to the stress ball.  I admit I yelled and told Ted he needed to get out to the family room ASAP.  We have also been getting some new facial expressions as well as vocal exercising when something is taken from her or she doesn't like something we do.

The rascal Rocky did the sweetest thing.  For all those who don't know who Rocky is, he is Dexter's cousin, my aunt & Uncle's dog who is notorious for getting into things.  Well Jade was in her little "circle of neglect" playing with a wooden spoon which she "dropped" on the ground (something she seems to find quite amusing) and rather than pick it up and run, Rocky picked it up and placed it back on the circle....very cute. 

Uncle Tim has left us for at least 3 months and who knows when we will get to see him again.  Tim and Rachel hosted a little get together for his buddies the weekend before he left and we debated whether to bring Jade.  That afternoon she was a fuss monkey and didn't seem like she would make the greatest company but of course, once the people came, she stole the show as well as their dogs blanket, floor and mommy's love.  If she wasn't rolling around on the floor or talking away then she was showing off how she can drink water from my cup....well thinks she can as I think her shirt got most of the water.  Most heartwarming though was when they came over for dinner and Jade just couldn't take her eyes off of Tim; she definitely knew something was up and was determined to get his attention as much as he could.  Tim's swearing in ceremony was on the 2nd and we went out to New West to be apart of it.  Of course, Jade couldn't stay quiet and felt the need to chatter throughout, lol.  She also had quite a thing for Rachel's dad who was sitting a few rows behind us; Jade just couldn't take her eyes off him for the longest time, of course with a huge smile on her face the whole time.  We are very proud of Tim and will really miss him but now we get to brag about how Jade's uncle Timmy is in the Canadian Air Force  :).  It is hard to say out of the three of us who is going to miss him more....not sure how Ted is going to survive without his bro to get out his wacky dialogue to, lol.  The two of them can be the hugest goofs at times and make Rachel and I question what the heck we have gotten ourselves into....jokingly of course. 

Afterwards we parted ways and Oma, Great Aunty Jeanne and Great Uncle Ed came over for a visit.  Uncle Ed had yet to meet Jade and of course, him being a male and such a nice guy, Jade took to him like she had known him for years...ok, maybe not years but months.  Jade got another instrument to add to her collection, Oma and Opa bought her a ukulele.  unfortunately Opa wasn't able to make it as it is a bit of a travel for him but thankfully Skype allows him to interact with Jade.  She always brings out a laugh when we skype with him.  Jade also got to meet her Great Uncle Rudy and Great Aunt Anthoula for the first time.  Anthoula seemed enamoured with Jade and just adored holding her.  Unfortunately we could only visit for a short time so will have to go back out shortly. 

Speaking of Skype, we also skyped with Britt in Australia....Jade couldn't stop giggling; it must've been the red hair.

I totally forgot that Jade got to experience her first snowfall and thus got to wear her snowsuit Aunty Ashlee got her.  Of course, like everything else she wears for the first time, the snowsuit is a tad too big but very cute (can we say bias opinion).  Not too sure Jade really even knew what was happening but we can now say she has been in rain, sun, clouds and snow....all the typical Vancouver weather throughout the year.  Hopefully we will get to make use of the snowsuit a few more times but that is unlikely to happen around here so maybe we will have to take a wee road trip.

We have decided Jade's current future profession will involve something in the facial region as she has an intense fixation on "clawing" the face, whether it be ones eyes, up their nose or in the mouth.  Definitely reminds me to keep her finger nails clipped which is not an easy task now that she would rather be playing with the clippers.

Last weekend Ted got to take his two gals to Rogers Arena to watch as he played a mini hockey tournament with his coworkers.  I swear Ted was like a little boy going to Disneyland, it was pretty neat.  Jade and I thought it was pretty cool to be sitting in the arena with barely anyone there and of course, sitting that close to the ice was unheard of, lol.

Ted and Jade also had some daddy daughter time well Ashlee and I went to Beauty and The Beast. It was very nice, Jade and I met Ted for some Chronic Taco for dinner before they dropped me off and headed home.  No doubt the two of them love their time together, but I have to admit, it might be a little worrisome in the future as the two of them are total goofs, lol.

I would also like to say RIP Drew, you will be missed. My Uncle Drew passed away this week of a brain aneurysm. We wish you luck in all your games and know you will now be sitting front row for all Kansas City Chiefs games.  

We enter the 9th month with a huge event, my mom's gala with special guest Sarah McLachlan.  Jade doesn't get to partake but I guess she gets the next best thing and that is time with Aunty Ashlee who is in town for the week :)

Christmas is Upon Us

Well this month certainly did not start off on such a great note for any of us; in fact, it was probably the hardest time we have all faced.  I had to go in for surgery to get this stupid IUD removed as it had gone AWOL and was piercing my bowel.  A planned one night stay in hospital turned into a nine day stay due to an infection and some adverse reactions to the anesthetic and medication.  I began my stay on the post surgical unit in a semi-private room but was quickly transferred to an overflow unit and placed in a 4 person room with three much older folks; one horked and spat all the time, one farted and talked to his wanker and one stunk and snored like no tomorrow.  Clearly this was not a place I wanted to have people visiting, especially my daughter so our visits were very short and in the hospital lobby.  It is times like these when you have to be away from your family that you really realize how important they are and how luck you are.  Ted had to continue to working so thankfully my amazing parents were able to help out and take Jade on the nights he had to get up and also during the days.  If it were not for them, I honestly do not know how we would have got through this all.  I now have a full appreciation as to why many new moms have such a hard time leaving their little ones, especially for extended periods of time.  Jade and I spend a great deal of time with my parents so my nerves and all that are at almost complete ease having Jade stay there...do not think I would have been okay otherwise.  Figure I must as well be completely honest here, why hide anything eh?  Of course, the best place for her is at home, with her mommy and daddy but when circumstances get in the way, we have to go with the next best option.  Anyone that has been to my parents would attest to the fact that Jade pretty much has a second home at their place and feels oober comfortable there.  One of the most heartbreaking things during the whole hospital gong show ordeal was when Ted and Jade would leave after visiting...I would just see Jade's smile quickly change and she would stare at me with a blank look of shock.....HEARTBREAKING!!!!  There were times when I would call and she would be screaming but everytime the phone was put up to her ear, apparently she would stop and a big smile would come upon her face...heartwarming.  I must also mention that I have two amazing twin cousins who helped out as well; honestly don't know if they have more pictures of our daughter or we do :)

After nine horrid days, I was released with a frigging catheter but thankfully by Christmas Eve it was gonzo and life was returning to normal.  Christmas Eve was joyfully spent at my parents place with friends, family and animals.  It was a time to catch up with a couple childhood friends, meet new people and have good times all around. Aunty Ashlee took the honour of buying Jade her Christmas jammies, which were very adorable with the Santa hat.  Ironically she got a bear that tells the story "Twas The Night Before Christmas" from my papa as well as the story book from Ashlee.  Unfortunately Jade passed out before we were successfully able to sit her down with the bear and book but both did get used before the holiday ended :)  Christmas could not have been any better; not only were we at my parents place but it was Jade's first one.  Of course she got spoiled by everyone...new toys and outfits by grandma and grandpa; new snow suit and clothes from Aunty Ashlee, a psychedelic Build-A-Bear from Uncle Timmy and Aunty Rachel, a keyboard from Oma and Opa and so much more from our families and friends.  Must say that Ted and I were pretty lucky ourselves and are very thankful for everything.  Firearms course for Ted, new shoes, decor for our new place, clothes and looks like we will be season ticket holders for the Lions for another season thanks to my amazing Aunt, Uncle and my awesome cousins.  What was also great about this Christmas was that we had some time to just spend at home, the three of us, relaxing and taking it easy...being together.  Christmas dinner was the big do at my Aunt and Uncle's place which always makes for good times. So, have to say this was definitely a great Christmas!!!!

Attempt at a nice family pic (didn't really turn out that way)

Jade & her new bear from Uncle Timmy & Aunty Rachel

Trying out her new toy with Grandpa, of course Dexter needs to be a part of it

Jade and her "Twas the Night Before Christmas" story telling bear from my papa

Jade got to spend lots of time with Aunty Ashlee which I was very happy about.  It is tough having her living way over in Edmonton so the time she does spend with us needs to be quality.  Aunty Ashlee just can't seem to stop spoiling Jade though, lol...I think everytime Ashlee went to a store or near one, she came back with some sort of thing for Jade.  Uncle Timmy and Aunty Rachel came over for dinner a few days after and so there was lots of cuddling time for Aunty Rachel then.  Ohhhh, they joined us in christening our dining room table too....yep, been in this place for 2 months and that was the first time we used our table...shhhhhh!!!

New Years was also perfect, a quiet one spent at home with just the three of us :)

We are at the 8 month old mark now so everyone is always asking about teething, crawling, and sitting.  Jade is constantly chewing on things and drooling, as I have been saying for a few months now, but there are still no teeth to be seen.  She can't quite pull herself up into a sitting position just yet but once in one, Jade can hold herself up for a short period of time.  My gosh though, she has quite the little six pack starting to form as she tries to pull herself up into a sitting position with straight legs and upper body so ends up balancing herself with her abs.  Crawling you ask, well little Jade is quite the expert at crawling backwards but hasn't quite figured out the whole forward motion thing.  She has a habit of getting herself stuck places whether it be at home or at grandmas.

Poor peanut is still having bowel issues and just can't seem to get out what is needed.  She tries so hard, her face turns red and her little eyes water but rarely does she have success.  After seeing the doctor, we are trying a few suggestions and hopefully will have some more success on a regular basis.

We had quite the day one day and made our rounds and visits.  We ventured to China Town to meet some ladies from work for Dim Sum.  Of course Jade loved it as she got to make her round the table visits and see a new part of the city...not to mention she got company for part of the car ride with Aunty Laine.  Next, Jade and I made a trip out to the Coquitlam area to visit some friends.  What was supposed to be a pop in to drop off some Christmas presents turned into a great little play date for Jade.  It was really nice to catch up with Leanne and let Zoey help out with Jade and Kenzie.  We just hope that Jade is a little nicer during her future play dates and doesn't always want to take the toys from the other kids.  I really don't think she is doing it to be mean, she is just sooooo curious that she has to test out anything and everything.  Definitely hope to be seeing more of them.  We also finally got to see Tante Mette and Uncle Mike, it had been far too long since we last saw them.  Of course Jade always loves her time with them, especially Uncle Mike.

Kenzie & Jade (notice the hand holding)

Another day of note this past month was Jade's first audition.  We thought it might be neat to see if Jade got into doing some commercials but we have absolutely no expectations but rather doing it for the experience.  When I was in hospital, I got a call from an agency asking if Jade wanted to try out and we said sure, what the heck.  The three of us went to the studio where there were a ton of other babies, Jade went on her own for a couple of minutes then the three of us got interviewed for a couple of minutes and that was the extent of the audition.  We won't find anything out until the middle of this week so you will just have to stay tuned for the next blog as to whether we were chosen; so far not chosen but maybe over the next couple of days we will get a surprise call.  Of course we think Jade was a star but I guess we are bias :)  Oh, I guess you may be wondering what the audition was for...hmmm...I guess I can tell you; it was for Huggies.

This past month has been a real busy one and there really has not been much time for us to just relax at home, the three of us and not have to be running off to somewhere.  However, the times we have had, have been great.  Whether we are able to watch a show or I get to watch Ted play the guitar as Jade watches in awe or attempts to strum as well, it is a great time.  Definitely think she prefers the guitar over the piano; when Ted set her up with the guitar, she grabbed it like she was a natural :)

The final day of this month was swim lessons, better known as water babies. Most of the time Jade had a "deer in the headlights" look but she didn't scream or anything.  I think she enjoyed it but was overly curious about everything around us including the other babies.  She did get dunked and still had the same look but a few seconds after, she shook her head as if she was freezing.  We ended the session with a huge smile so I guess that is a good note.

This little girl is the hardest to change and feed.  Jade likes to roll around the change table, kick her legs and do anything she can to make it difficult for us to put her diaper on.  Of course she prefers to be in her birthday suit but if we don't hurry and get the diaper on she takes the liberty of peeing which she has done at home and on Grandma and Grandpa's bed...oops.  We have had to put the chair her booster seat is on in the middle of the room because if we don't Jade constantly grabs at whatever she can and is completely distracted while feeding.  Best part of that is that she opens her mouth for food even though her face is turned away and she is busy grabbing at something.  The chair in the center of the room doesn't always work as she will find something to stare at and attempt to reach for.  Jade is also quite the little teaser of Dexter....Dexter will get shooed away so he doesn't get into her food but then the little bugger gets food on her hand and sticks it out for Dexter to come lick; only for him to get shooed away again....oh this is not a good sign for things to come.  I just give up sometimes on trying to be clean and this results in food everywhere, as you can see in this pic of her with her carrots. 

 

I guess I have to note here that Jade did kind of say her first word...errrrrr....it was dada.  We figure though it is more of her just making sounds than really making a word so I guess she hasn't officially done it.  Ok, ok, I am not that bad, any word is welcome even if it is dada first :)

Jade continues to enjoy her sports on t.v., football remains one of her favourites.  The pic below is when she was watching one of the college bowl games with my mom, note the leg crossing which was all done by her.  She loves to grab anything she can reach and then starts flailing her arms like no tomorrow.  I will say that I have been hit in the face a few times with various objects and the response is always a laugh from her dad and her.  Little missy also likes to give us a big smile and giggle when we firmly say no to her when she does such things as grab at wires.....eeek, do we have a cheeky child in the making? :)

I guess this about wraps up another month of in the lives of Jade and her crazy parents. This coming month will probably be a little quieter but also a little sadder as we bid adieu to Uncle Timmy as he heads off to boot camp.  I shall leave you with some pics of the lil' nut sleeping, but don't get any ideas that this happens often :)

Cat nap on Christmas Eve before dinner

Asleep in her Christmas jammies from Aunty Ashlee on Christmas Eve

Goodnight!

Time is Flying By

Time flies when you are having fun….I think that is a very fitting slogan for what we are experiencing having Jade apart of our lives.  Of course there are always those stressful components to life with many ups and downs but each and every one of them is made bearable by our little gal.

This month has just flown by…maybe that had to do with the fact we were pretty darn busy; people to see, places to go and things to do…

Hmmmm, having a hard time thinking back to the beginning of the past month and exactly what happened;   So  much of it had to do with settling into our new place I think but there was lots of running around to do as well.  We had another couple of sessions of Roots of Empathy and yet again Jade wowed the kids with her constant smiles and rolling around.  The kids asked if I could put her in this little chair they have and let her sit by herself.  So there was Jade, sitting in this chair, with only me holding her hand and keeping watch, and had her little arms up on the arm rests, taking in all that was happening around her.  At the last session, Jade was wearing her little dress from Aunty Ashlee and the teacher could not stop taking pictures and had to stop everyone in the middle to bring attention to her outfit.  I had to laugh to myself that I have a daughter who is dressed to the nines and there is me, who is far from fashionable….guess we offset each other perfectly :)

Jade and I got a visit from Carla and thankfully the weather was nice so off we went for a wee wander in the new neighbourhood.  It’s great to be reconnecting with such important people who have been in my life for so long.  We also had the chance to meet up with Manisha which was an unexpected but great visit.

We also made a trip over to the Island to visit Opa and Oma.  Ted put it so perfectly “it just melts your heart seeing Jade in his arms”; referring to Jade in his dad’s arms.  It must be his big, kind heart and warm touch (both literally and figuratively) that cause Jade to just relax and savour every minute with him.  He got her belly laughing more than once which is a task in itself.  We had gone over hoping to watch the Santa Clause parade downtown but unfortunately plans didn’t pan out for that; which may have been a blessing in disguise as it allowed us more time to spend with Opa.  Oma’s cat got a welcoming fur pull from Jade and thankfully she took it well and remained calm; while Jade on the other hand got that big smile and all giggly.  

This past month also included the western finals as well as the Grey Cup.  We tried our best to get Jade on the big screen but we were only able to get in the background of some shots at the Grey Cup.  However, apparently my aunt got on TSN while holding Jade but we never got to see that.  For the Grey Cup, Jade had to have been the best little & future fan of the Lions, dressed in her own personal jersey and cheering along with us.  The atmosphere there was utterly amazing, nothing could beat it, not even the Stanley Cup….tough to say that but it is just so true. I would have to say Ted and I probably held Jade the least at the football games; I think my Aunty Jill kidnapped her for the majority of the games, lol.  

Woooheeee we had a mega code brown last week.  The poor little gal had not gone for over a week and it was like a plug was released and that was the end. First time all over my mom and, I swear, not more than an hour after her bath, she did it on me.  I must say I am still at an utter loss as to how such a small thing can hold that much waste for that long, I cannot imagine what is going on in that stomach of hers.  It would appear that these code browns always occur when or shortly after, Jade is playing in her “circle of neglect”; thus, my mom has now deemed it the pooping machine.  I guess it has to do with the gravity and being able to hang her legs…hmmmmm..YUCK!!!!

This was also the month of our visit to the doctor, we all know how much fun the doctor is.  Okay, well it really is not that bad with Jade as she seems to actually quite enjoy it and laughs through it.  She is now 6.2 kg (13.6 lbs.) and 25.5” (64cm).  The little bugger was grabbing at everything in the doctor’s office, including the sheet that was on the scale for her weighing.  Anywho, Jade is a healthy but small gal who continues to progress along her little growth curve and make all the gains needed.  In addition to the doctor, the poor gal had to get her 6 month shot as well.  I don’t know why I say poor girl because she actually seems to enjoy them…well the best one could.  The nurse poked her, Jade’s face looked shocked then she broke out in a huge smile, started talking away and laughing.  The nurse said they don’t get many babies like that and Jade may just be her favourite….ya, not sure if that is really normal for a baby to laugh at their shots.  It was pretty cute though afterwards when we had to wait the 15min after the shots in the waiting room and a little 4 month who was screaming was there too.  Jade was talking up a storm to her and this little one just stared at her kind of like…what is wrong with you, we just got shots :).  Ya, the whole idea that she may sleep longer after her shots definitely didn’t ring true; rather, it was the complete opposite. I do not think we got more than a few 20min spans of sleep that night. 

The fun began this past month with the introduction to solid food….oh what a messy, messy adventure.  We have just been doing the rice cereal thus far but by the end of each attempt, Jade probably has half of it all over her face, clothes and my clothes and maybe the other half in her belly.  Do not think we will be having much trouble with food and this little gal as she likes to stick her head forward and basically just asking for it to be put in her mouth.  Of course she does like to play with the food as well, but what kind doesn’t? lol.  I have to say though, this thing I am continually told that she will sleep longer once she starts eating does not seem to be ringing true just yet. 

Jade continues to be a little explorer to her best ability.  There is definitely no staying in one place when playing on her carpet or blanket; rather, she maneuvers herself around by rolling and ends up in awkward places like half under the chair or on the hard floor.  She is also loving to grab at anything she can and of course putting what she can into her mouth.  The other day I had out my stethoscope to let my mom listen to my wee murmur whilst she was holding Jade.  Jade kept trying to grab the stethoscope until my mom took it off and put it down at which point Jade just started screaming.  My mom had not realized Jade had been grabbing at it so was curious what happened; it was not until I gave her back the stethoscope that the screaming ceased and laughing began….can we say princess, lol?  She also likes to flail her arms and throw her toys around…of course screams when the toy is no longer in her possession; only stopping when it is returned to her.  Hope this is not a sign of things to come, lol.  She still loves watching Glee and Ellen with my mom and is mesmerized by BabyTV.

Watching Glee

Jade’s awareness to certain people’s voices continues to amaze me and is also quite heartwarming.  She instantly smiles when she hears her daddy’s voice, grandma’s or grandpa’s as well as someone I know out in White Rock.  She gets the BIGGEST smile on her face when she sees her diva buddy Riley.  It was pretty cute the other night when we were over at my parents for dinner and Ted, my mom, Riley and I were all in the back room listening to music on Apple TV.  Jade was really enjoying herself and even got into playing the guitar that Riley and Ted were playing…her daddy is grooming her young.  That continued a couple of weeks later when Ted was playing for Jade and I then took a break.  I put Jade up to the guitar and Ted played some chords while Jade did the strumming…purrrty cute stuff going on.

Of course it is the beginning of December and thus it’s the beginning of the Christmas season.  Growing up, my dad always did an amazing job on hanging the lights at our place and this year was no different.  I mention all this because every year he tries to add something new and this year had to have been one of the most special things.  Being that Jade’s “theme” is giraffe’s, we found a Christmas giraffe at Canadian Tire and when we went over there, low and behold my dad had bought it….all for his little granddaughter.  Ted also had the opportunity to do a little more with the lights this year seeing as we have more than just a railing to hang a few lights on.  He did an awesome job and Jade took quite the little gander around when she and I went out there to check it all out and give our approval J.  One of the first little gifts Jade ever got was from one of my best friends who lives in Indiana, Krissi.  Aunty Krissi bought her a Christmas ornament and so last night Jade attempted to hang it on our fake tree (ugh, I HATE fake trees) but of course it kind of made it to her mouth rather than the tree, lol.  She will have another attempt at hanging an ornament this year as she does have one at my parents as well.  We have yet to see Jade's stocking but I have no doubt it is amazing as I would not trust anyone else to buy one without us but Charlene....thank you :)

Jade’s 7month “birthday” (no we don’t celebrate the monthly milestones) was spent in the evening with her Aunty Rachel and Uncle Tim who she had not seen for a little while.  A very nice evening indeed, for all including the princess.  Of course, Jade was probably enamored the most with the dog….seems to be who she finds she can talk to most, lol.  Jade loves them all though and when they move away, she will no doubt miss them…which means many visits.  Tim just received the official call and will be headed to bootcamp on February 6^th.  We are sooooo proud of him!!!!  That was also the night the little princess decided she would have a little 2 hour nap from 11pm-1am then stay up until 4:45am giggling away and wanting to play.  One would think that she would be one very cranky baby considering the little amount of sleep that she gets but that is far from true.  This little monster woos people with her giant smile and continuous giggles at all hours of the day and right into the night.  

3:45am

Well I guess I have written an essay here with not a whole lot to share so I shall bring this blog entry to a close.  I look forward to updating you all in the next one as it will include all the details of Jade’s first Christmas.  This is by far the most special Christmas…even though she will have no real clue as to what is going on, the meaning behind it all will be there and it will be the beginning of a new tradition.  We spent last Christmas on the Island and thus this year we will be at my parents which will be pretty neat for them.  Aunty Ashlee will be home from the 23^rd-28^th which will be great…she will get plenty of cuddles in with her lil’ nut indeedeeo.  This week also is when I have to go in for surgery and will be forced to spend a night in hospital which means my first night away from Jade.  I know Ted will be awesome with her but it’ll be hard, a change which are always hard.  Anywho, I will bid you all adieu until 2012.  Have a very Merry Christmas!!!!