Oona Visits the Museum of Natural History

Today Oona and Mom went for a visit to the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History. Mom was surprised at how interested Oona was in the exhibits. We saw snakes, frogs, turtles, newts and the famous eighty something year old tortoise, Gus.

The highlight of the visit was the butterfly house, where people can walk in amongst beautiful butterflies. They almost seemed tame, one even landed on Oona's head!

Oona does a for-real crawl!

Oona has officially entered the world of mobility. Today she did her first for-real crawl. It was tentative at first, but it didn't take long for her to get the hang of it. For some reason, Oona chooses to crawl towards whatever are the most dangerous objects in the room - so Dad and I need to get baby-proofing quickly!

Carrying the Torch

Oona holds the Olympic Torch!

Canada Day

There were all kinds of activities celebrating Canada Day around town. Oona and Dad and Mom went to the Family Picnic on the Commons. I don't think any of us have ever seen so many little people in one place. Besides the little people there was lots to see - a dog show, a giant inflatable whale (with an escaped toddler crawling across the top), a tank, a fire engine and lots of skateboarding.

Next we visited Citdel Hill. The Citdel is a fortress that has been restored to the mid-Victorian period with a living history program featuring the 78th Highland Regiment, the Royal Artillery, Soldier's Wives and Civilian Tradespersons. Oona even got to sit in a Victorian classroom and practice her cursive writing on an old-fashioned slate.

Random Cuteness

Multicultural Festival

On Sunday Oona, Dad and Mom took the ferry (Oona's first boat ride) over to the Multicultural Festival in Dartmouth.

Mom was soooo excited for Oona to go on the ferry, but she slept the whole trip over. Luckily she was awake for the return voyage.

At the Festival we saw lots of different things - crafts from all over the world, highland dancers, belly dancers and even a person dressed as a cow (Dad said they were representing the country of Bovinia). Oona even had a chance to have her picture taken holdng the real Olympic torch (picture coming soon).

Needles, Mobility Progress, Food and Dad's First Father's Day (and Oona's too)

Oona had to go for her six month check-up and immunization. Thanks to a cold that was being passed around the family unit, we were a couple of weeks late getting to the Doctor. Oona weighed in at just under 20lbs, placing her in the 97 percentile for her age. At 29 inches, her height was off the charts (by quite a bit). Needles are no fun, but Oona was a trooper. I don't think she'll ever trust the Dr again though. She'd be glad to know that there are no more needles until her first birthday.

Major progress has been made in the mobility area. Oona can now get up on two hands and two knees or two hands and two feet. She can even move one knee, after that she gets a little confused. But she can creep very effectively (especially backwards and in circles). So much so that we can no longer leave her alone in the room for even a minute, all parental freedom has gone!

The list of foods Oona now eats has been expanding rapidly. We bought a food mill and we can now make our own baby food, opening up a world of culinary options. New additions are avocado (which Oona has to share with Mom), mangoes, pears, lentils (sorry Oona, but they are good for you) and kidney beans. Next up, tofu. We've been picking up fresh organic produce as it is available, and now that it is summer we're finding lots more choices.

Dad has hit a major milestone - his first Father's Day! Oona can be seen giving Dad his Father's Day card in the picture above.

Oona Updates

It has been awhile since we last updated the blog. Oona and I have been enjoying the nice weather - going for long walks and visiting places like the Public Gardens and Historic Properties. Along our travels we discovered that the Black Market is a great place for babies to hang out. Not THE Black Market, I mean the store of the same name. There are mobiles hanging from every square inch of the ceiling - Oona thinks it is incredible. Oona also enjoys visiting the yarn store - there are so many different colours.

It is hard to believe that Oona will be six months old next week. She is getting stronger by the day, and Dad and I are convinced she will be throwing us around the room soon. Her fine motor and communication skills are developing rapidly - she is creeping and will be crawling sooner than later.

Unfortunately Oona has been waking up very upset at night - we really hope that she is not having bad dreams. Otherwise, she seems like a very happy baby - laughing and babbling all the time.

She has now tried a number of different foods (still in very small doses) including: oatmeal cereal; rice, sweet corn and potato cereal; rice and oatmeal cereal with apple and banana; sweet potatoes, carrots and green beans. So far, he seems to like everything but green beans - and even they weren't so bad - we have to her credit she kept trying to get them down.

Mom (the I mentioned above) has returned to work as a programmer at the Atlantic Film Festival. It is just two mornings a week. Oona stays with Dad, and she doesn't even have to miss a feeding with Mom.

Oona goes on a Jane's Walk

Today Oona and Dad went on their first Jane's Walk.

In case you haven't heard of it, Jane's Walk are neighbourhood walking tours that honour the legacy of urban activist Jane Jacobs. The goal is to instill belonging and encourage civic leadership.

Dad and Oona went on the walk around our neighbourhood in Halifax's North End. We are lucky to live in a great neighbourhood - there are so many different types of people here. Our community has everyone from artists to activists to people whose families have been here for generations. 

Dad said Oona had a great time on the walk. She enjoyed looking around and meeting new people. Mom stayed home and had a nap, but will definitely be there next year for Oona's second Jane's Walk.

The Life Aquatic

It has been coming for awhile, but today was the day that Mom finally gave up on the baby bathtub. Oona is just too big to fit anymore, she was starting to look like Gulliver in the land of Lilliput, her limbs were sticking out and there was no way to get enough water in to even come close to covering her great big, great big belly.

So we made the move to the big person tub. Mom got in too. Oona took to the water and was splashing around like a baby beluga in no time.  Dad brought in the tub toys he had picked out for Oona before she was even born - it was very fun to finally get to use them. And Mom couldn't believe how clean Oona came!

Heather comes for a visit, Lady Elaine is back, Oona tries cereal

Our friend Heather was finally able to make it over for a visit. She brought Oona an extremely cool t-shirt featuring Godzilla on the side of the road trying to hitch a ride to Tokyo. Unfortunately  a picture of Oona modeling the shirt is not yet available (she spit up on it almost as soon as it was on) but you can see a picture of a t-shirt just like it by clicking here.  

Heather also started Mom on a trip down memory lane by remembering the name of that monstrous puppet of Mr Rogers, Lady Elaine Fairchilde. Mom can't wait to introduce Oona to the Lady; after all what would childhood be without some pop-culture induced trauma? You can watch a beautiful tribute to the she-devil here.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the day was when Oona tried her first solid food! Mom and Dad couldn't take the guilt of watching Oona move her mouth like a little bird waiting to be fed every time we ate. Oona had organic brown rice cereal mixed with Mom's milk, about 9 parts milk to 1 part cereal.

Dad's 1st Birthday (with Oona)

Today was Dad's birthday. Oona helped Mom make a double layer chocolate cake (which was very kind of her considering she wasn't able to eat any). She also helped Dad blow out the candles (from a safe distance, of course. There were quite a lot of them).

In honour of Dad's birthday we have made a list of some of Oona's favourite things about Dad:

• His muppet-like hairstyle is funny
  
• His beard is good for pulling (or licking)
  
• His nose is good for biting
  
• Dad is great at carrying us around
  
• Dad is really great at comforting and making us feel safe
  
• Dad is funny
  
• Dad does whatever we tell him to do
  
• Dad is a fantastic entertainer
  
• Dad makes duck noises
  

Oona stands on her own two feet

This past week Oona has been practicing rolling and standing up. She seems to really enjoy the view from the standing position. Today she even supported her full weight all by herself (no small feat considering the size of her). Dad has been calling her the "Standy-Up-y Girl".

Peek-a-boo

Exciting new trick - Oona plays peek-a-boo. The idea seems to have started fermenting in her little mind a few days ago. Today, Dad and I were certain that she was, in fact, covering and then uncovering her face to see our surprised reaction. The giggling gave it away (and the increasingly rapid face covers / uncovers).

Growin' stuff with the Grow With Me group

Today the Grow With Me parent-tot group prepared seeds for our garden plot. Our plot is part of the North End Community Garden project  and we are planting tomatoes, marigolds and mint.

Oona was dressed for gardening in her Osh Gosh denim overalls and strawberry shirt, but she wasn't really in the mood for it. Mom had to spend time soothing  instead of helping to plant the seeds, but no worry we will have lots of time to garden this summer. Also, we brought home a pot with mint seeds to keep in our window until they are ready to go into the ground. 

Happy Easter Oona!

What an exciting day. It is Easter Sunday and Oona had many visitors: her Nine (pronounced Nine-y, Welsh for Nanny) Roberts, Grand-Dad and Nanny Oakes and cousins Catie and Noah. At times it seemed a bit overwhelming for her, but overall she basked in the attention.

Grand-Dad and Nanny just returned from a trip to Cuba. They brought back a beautiful sun dress that will be just perfect for Oona this summer. They also gave Oona a stuffed bunny for Easter. They haven't seen Oona since Christmas, so they were surprised to see how big she has gotten.

Even though she is still pretty little for presents, Mom and Dad gave Oona two books for Easter, The Runaway Bunny and Pat the Bunny, two classics of children's literature (Mom couldn't help herself).

Oona passes a toy from one hand to the other!

It has been a busy day. Oona has reached a new milestone - she can now pass an object from one hand to the other hand. Dad and I witnessed this remarkable feat completed five times in a row. It is amazing how quickly her hand - eye coordination is improving, but not as quickly as her foot - eye coordination. She has developed fine motor skills in her toes and has been putting them to good use manipulating the buttons on her Ocean Wonders toy (most often between 3am and 4am). She is getting to be a regular chimp.

Oona visits the playground

Today is Good Friday. Dad took the day off of work and we all went to the playground on the Halifax Commons. This was Oona's second expedition to the PG, Dad took her on her first visit last week. Oona seemed thrilled to be amongst her people - there were small ones everywhere. While we were there Oona tried some rope and rock climbing (with a little assistance). She also provided a running commentary on everything we were seeing and doing.

We also checked out near by public art sculpture. The origins of this piece have been obscured in HRM history. Maybe when Oona is a little older, we can make a family research project of finding out more about this sculpture. I don't think she is really up to it just yet.

A visit to the doctor, and later Oona attends a reception

Oona went for her 4 month check-up today. The highlight of these visits is the weigh-in and today Oona did not disappoint - tipping the scales at a whopping 17lbs 6 oz. This places Oona firmly off the growth charts, above the 97% (as high as it goes).

Sadly (at least for Mom) it was also an immunization visit. Dad held Oona while she got her needle, and they were both very brave. Luckily Oona has been doing well with her immunizations and has shown no signs of discomfort afterwards.

Dr. O'Neill confirmed that Oona is very healthy and doing everything a 4 month old should do (and even a little more).

Later in the day, Oona attended a reception at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. The reception was hosted by the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative as part of the Halifax Independent Film Festival. Everyone commented on how serious Oona looks. For Oona, the best part of the excursion seemed to be leaving her  tongue hanging out to taste the air to and from the event. 

Dad cuts his beard (and is traumatized)

Dad finally gave in and trimmed his beard (for the first time since Oona arrived). The beard growth originally started as the result of sleep deprivation and the general exhaustion that comes with looking after a newborn. But as Oona grew, the beard grew and so too did Oona's interest in it. She would snuggle up under the beard when she was sleepy and grab and pull on it when she was playful. Dad became convinced that Oona would would not recognize him if he shaved, and / or she would miss the hairy mass terribly.

Eventually Mom couldn't take it anymore - it was becoming embarrassing to be seen with Dad in public. When Mom told Dad that he was starting to look like a grizzled old man,he finally gave in and trimmed it. Thankfully, Oona has taken to the civilized look - now she likes to lick the newly trimmed facial hair. Dad survived as well.

Oona has a technical sleep-through-the-night and routinely touches toes

Miracle of miracles! Last night Oona had her first technical sleep-through-the-night. Exciting, but not as exciting as it might sound, technically five hours is considered "sleeping through the night".

She can now routinely touch her toes - providing minutes (hours in baby-time) of entertainment.

Raff-i-licious - Oona's Current Playlist

1. Raffi
The undisputed  king of children's music. I'm not really sure whether Oona actually likes him, but I have acquired a serious Raffi addiction. Raffi helped me out big-time when Oona was first born and I realized I didn't know any children's songs to sing to her. Raffi is so great that he even developed a philosophy to help create caring, humane people. Its called child honouring and you can learn more about it on Raffi's website.

2. Dan Zanes

For the hipper-than-thou kids. Dan Zanes makes really cool music for kids and their parents too. His albums are a mix of folk-rock, alt-country, traditional American spirituals and even some reggae and Latin beats. He does both fun and "message" music, and definitely has a little bit of Bob Dylan and Woodie Guthrie in him (kid-appropriate, of course). He also does a version of the the spiritual "The Welcome Table" once featured on Strangers With Candy (definitely not child appropriate).  The New York Times Magazine,  said, “Zanes' kids music works because it is not kids music; it's just music—music that's unsanitized, unpasteurized, that's organic even.”Check out his website and click here to watch a really cool video on youtube.

3. Putumayo Kids

Putumayo Kids is a collection  of children's music from around the world. Their latest cd is Sesame Street Playground, with music from Sesame Street productions from around the world. It has some very cool songs, like Zhima Jie (Rubber Duckie) from China. Putumayo also has download-able Teacher Tools on their website.

4. Stardust by Willie Nelson

Such a sweet, sweet album. Oona and I enjoy listening to it at bedtime and on Sunday afternoons.

Grow With Me Spring Tea and Social

Today Oona and I went to the Grow With Me Spring Tea and Social. We had blizzard-like weather the day before, so the term "Spring" is used lightly.

Everyone was asked to bring along a baked good. I actually couldn't remember the last time I baked anything, so I was a little stumped about what to make. I had to find just the right recipe - one that was easy (finding time to bake with a young infant is enough of a challenge)but reflective of my tastes. I decided to make jam thumbprint cookies because they were one of my favorites when I was a kid, and also I remembered my mom said they were easy to make. I found a recipe at http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/poppy_seed_thumbprint.html . I made two varieties: organic apricot and organic strawberry. Mmmm. Two moms complimented me - I'll take that as success. Plus Dad liked them even though they were made with whole wheat flour and at least somewhat healthy.

Oona had a great time at the social, briefly holding hands with her little friend Dylan (who is just one-week older than her). Very sweet. Dad did not approve of holding hands with a boy.

Oona takes a pacifier and puts herself back to sleep - twice in one night (morning)

Big milestone for us - last night Oona finally took a pacifier. Babies have a sucking reflex that they need to fulfill. It was sometimes heartbreaking to watch Oona struggling for satisfaction pre-pacifier acceptance. Even though she can now get her thumb in her mouth most of the time, when she is worked up into a frenzy and most needs it her coordination is at its worse. So it was a huge relieve when she accepted a pacifier to supplement her thumb-sucking.

Most impressive, with the help of said pacifier Oona was able to put herself back to sleep while in her crib. Once at 3:30am and again at 5:30am. I am so proud of her. Hopefully we are all about to enter the road to sleep filled nights. Well, at least five hours or so.

Sweet dreams; four un-assisted turn-overs; one confirmed toe-touching

Early this morning Dad witnessed Oona having good dreams. At least, we suspect they were, because Oona was clearly in REM sleep and was smiling sweetly. By now we know the difference between a gas "smile" and a real one, so I am inclined to believe Dad's assessment. I have no idea what would constitute good dreams for a baby, but I suspect it probably involved eating or thumb-sucking.

Today we were also able to officially confirm the unassisted turn-over as an acquired skill. Oona completed four turn-overs in a row! She probably would have went back for more, but she had worked herself up into a frenzy over her lack of mobility on all fours and I decided it was time to move on to another activity.

With the unassisted turn-over well-established, Oona began working on a new skill: the toe-touch. Dad confirmed a toe-touch sighting during a diaper change. Today has been busy!

Daddy googles protruding tongue

Oona has discovered that she has a tongue. She is putting it to great use by leaving it partially hanging out of her mouth, making herself look like a baby baboon for about 70% of the day. Baboon is a good look for her. Very cute.

Dad was getting worried. He started imagining all sorts of strange things about the meaning of this new tongue business. He imagined that we would end up in the emergency room a week from now and none of the doctors would understand why we had failed to notice this obvious sign of severe illness. Clearly Dad is sleep deprived.

Oona Wins a Prize!

Oona and I went to our first meeting of the Grow With Me parent / tot group at the North End Community Health Centre. Thank God I checked their online schedule before we left
and spared Oona from being labeled a social pariah amongst the mom and baby set. According to the schedule there would be a green theme in honor of Saint Patrick's Day: all babies wearing green would be entered into a draw to win a prize. We frantically rushed around looking for a green outfit. Being way behind on laundry, we settled for the least dirty green clothes we could find - cords and a t-shirt. The luck of the Irish must have been with us because Oona's name was drawn! Her first prize ever: a zebra hand puppet.

The Unassisted Turn-Over. And Back Again!

Oona has been training like an Olympic athlete and all of the hard work and practice is starting to pay off. Today she executed an unassisted turn over from back to tummy. This was a big break through, but not wholly unexpected as she has been coming closer and closer all the time.

What was totally unexpected was what happened next. Upon becoming frustrated that her rattle was not moving to her mouth, Oona executed a tummy to back turn over. We have never practiced this move without total assistance and I was completely unprepared (and amazed). Oona appeared to be thrilled.

Both moves were completed unassisted only once today. Exhaustion from all the hard work set in and the remaining turn-overs were partially assisted.

The Double Ear Hold

Oona has added another yet-to-be perfected technique to her growing collection of self-soothing behaviors. The technique, the "double ear-hold", is a variation of the existing "ear-hold", which involves placing a hand over the ear with the option of jabbing fingers in. As its name suggests, the "double ear-hold" involves holding both ears. Thank God coordination is improving every day - but I am afraid of what is going to happen when she decides she wants to do the double-ear hold while attempting to suck her thumb.

The Names of Oona

Oonimal, Baby Bear, Pee Pants the Elf, Bundles, Chicken Little, Cranky Pants the Elf, Tickle-Toc the Elf, Chimpy, Chimpy Chimp-face

The Wheels On the Bus

Oona went for her first bus ride today. We took the #7 bus all the way across town. Watching things pass by the window was great. Stops not so great - they prompted some fussing, which inspired the little girl sitting behind us to sing "the babies on the bus go wah wah wah......"

I think that from now on the "Wheels on the Bus" song we sing is going to make so much more sense to Oona. She did seem to pay extra attention to the actions today.