I think I'm starting to catch up with my posts here...

The doctor's visit went well. 77cm (30 inches) long, although I think she's more like 28, 'cause it's insane to think that she grew 4 inches in 3 weeks! Her weight's at 16 pounds, 15 ounces, which makes her exactly 10 pounds heavier than when she was born almost 7 months ago, and grew over 10 inches too! How time flies! In any case, she's in the 60th-80th percentile for growth (like anyone except for me cares!), and developing normally.

I told Michael that she only had 5 more pounds to go until she needs a new car seat, and he looked a little freaked out. Oops!

Then she had her next set of shots. The first one was okay, and she cried a little then stopped, but as soon as we turned over to put the next one in her other leg, she FREAKED out! For the rest of the day, whenever I changed her and had her lie down, she shrieked because she thought that she was getting another needle. Not only that, I forgot the baby medicine, so it made for a long day. In any case, she doesn't get any more shots until her 1st birthday (amen!).

I visited my friend Shelley on the 26th, and she rolled over from her back to front (but I missed it!). I had suspected that she could do it before, but I never caught her in the act. Baby Sofia was standing up at the coffee table and shuffling around, as well as walking with assistance! I know you're not supposed to compare babies, *but* when they're so close in age(2 weeks), you can't help it! At least I know what to do next with her!

On the 27th, she tried peas for the first time. I had Michael taste them first, and he reacted like he had just bit into a lemon! But when you think about it, when's the last time you had peas without putting butter, salt and pepper on it?

In any case, she tried them and had the same reaction. Mom got to change her diaper on the 29th, and that was when she had her 'pea' poo. Bleaugh! She tried butternut squash today, and is now looking at me as if to say, "Mommy, where's the good stuff?". I did relent and give her rice cereal again, which I know she likes. Now she's a bit suspicious, and won't necessarily eat it because she's not sure what she's going to get!

If I only had a dollar for everytime someone said, "She must be teething!". Still no sign of any offending teeth yet, but I like her gummy smile just as it is!

I went crazy with baby reading this weekend.
"Shopaholic and Baby"-hilarious, as I've read the whole series so far. Brit comedy.
"Life Laughs" by Jenny McCarthy-very rude but also funny. She did 2 other books on pregnancy and her first year with a baby.
"Life with a Dictator"-also funny, but the author is high maintenance! I think I liked it because I felt that I could cope with a baby better than she did, especially with poopy diapers!

October brings my brother's birthday as well as the "Hunt for her first Halloween Costume", which she won't care about or remember. I suppose that's a good thing as she'll be demanding sugary items before long!

Have a good week everyone!

Ah, the baby's fast asleep for the night and I have a high-speed connection right now!

So, the rest of our trip to Trinidad went very well. We:
-went to Toco beach, where Jillian went in the Atlantic Ocean and was having fun until she got hit by a wave and didn't like it anymore!
-went to Enterprise (not the spaceship!), and visited my Dad's side of the family. The neat thing is, I have pictures from when I was a baby and it looks like we were the same size at the same location!
-spent some more time with my maternal grandmother
-ate at a Japanese food restaurant. Similar to the Teppanyaki (sp?) restaurants that we went to in Taiwan, but more elegant
-got tans, but nothing too extreme!

I managed to do some driving as well. Uncle Yves loaned me his car for several days, so I was able to see more family members. There, they drive on the left hand side, and the roads are narrower, so that always takes some getting used to!
I wasn't very comfortable with travelling by public transit for long distances, especially if it included carrying her car seat, clothes, etc. I guess I'm really Canadianised now!

Our flight back was pretty good, although we had to leave Port of Spain(dep:9PM) to go to Caracas, Venezuela(dep: midnight), before we could go back to Toronto(arr:5AM). The upside though was that the plane was emptier on the way back, so my Mom and Aunt got the coveted Emergency Exit row that has a wee bit more leg room, and I got 3 seats together on the other side. Jillian s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d out on 2 seats(yes, I did put a seatbelt on her), and I tried to doze off upright. That's when I realized: My happiness depends on her happiness, 'cause there's no way that I could have slept comfortably while she was still awake(and cranky!).

We arrived in Toronto, and my Aunt was on a later connecting flight. So, no problem, Mom, Jillian and myself get on the plane at gate 126, land in Ottawa around 8am, and wait for her to show up an hour later. As the last people are collecting their luggage around 9:30ish, we realize that we forgot to tell her that the next flight was leaving at gate ***132***, not 126! A very long story later, she arrived around noon, and her luggage arrived at our doorstep later on that evening!

Oh, did I mention that my (very handsome!) cousin is an air traffic controller in Trinidad? We had a very nice takeoff, thank you very much!

Jillian's baptism was also today. We had Father Paul (aka. Father What-a-Waste). My friend Shell came up with the nickname when he was at her parish over 12 years ago. My Aunt came from Trinidad, my Uncle from Toronto (who also cooked for us afterwards), and my Dad made the drive up from NYC. Vanessa came from Montreal as the role of Godmother, and Shawn as the Godfather(no Marlon Brando jokes, please!).

Everything went pretty smoothly (I think), and she looked *adorable* in her Christening gown that Shawn's mom made. She didn't even cry when the holy water hit her! I think that maybe she was wondering why she was getting a bath in the middle of the day with her clothes on and so many people watching! She's used to leaning over her tub like that when we are getting ready to wash her hair! hee hee....

She did get cranky at my Mom's house with everyone around, wanting to hold her, and the fancy-schmancy dress that I wanted her to wear, but wasn't comfy for her. She did manage to pass out for a few hours, and was rearing to go until 11pm tonight!

Tomorrow is her 6 month checkup at the doctor's, including her next round of shots. I wonder if she'll remember the doctor's office from the last time?

hey all,
i'm sorry about the lower case, but I'm in an internet cafe in trinidad trying to give jillian water and type at the same time! we're having fun meeting family again, but we're missing michael lots as he has started teaching with his new school and obviously can't take time off work!

jillian's mastered rolling over from her tummy to back, and can sit unassisted on the couch for long periods of time, but will tip over on her back if I sit her on the floor. she also likes to hold onto people's arms and *squeeze* her hand together, creating a nasty pinching sensation! I have dropped the f-bomb a few times because it hurts so bad and I can't disengage her in time!

she's slowly getting used to the heat...but she can't stay anywhere without air con!

sorry, gotta run, but I'll try t o finish this before I leave!