Blueberries: Then and Now

Lilah's love affair with frozen blueberries continues.  Last April I posted this video titled Blueberries Unplugged.

Well, here's the remix, a year later:

So many changes: longer hair, more coordinated movements, (marginally) less mess.  The biggest difference to me, is that she is purposefully going for the laughs.  She's not a baby anymore, and she knows how to work a room.  It's nice to know that amidst all these changes, some things always stay the same.  Lilah's love of the blueberry endures.

Wordful Wednesday: Kickin' it Old School

When it comes to making decisions regarding new technology, the Hubs and I take procrastination to a whole new level.  In fact, describing it as "procrastination" is probably putting it much too lightly.  More like complete paralysis, which comes from being terrified of making a decision we will have to live with and from our utter frugality and constant searches for the best possible deal.  To demonstrate this point, let me just tell you that, just last week, I finally got my iPhone, the one the Hubs so generously promised to me on my 31st birthday.  I'll be 32 in August.

I finally understand what all the fuss is about - and why they call it a smart phone!  Smart?  Bloody genius!  On Friday I wanted to know the name of a song that was playing on the radio - Shazam!  "Santa Monica" by Everclear.  On Sunday I got my butt kicked by Nike Training Club while listening to music that automatically got quieter so I could hear the smug voice of the evil Nike hag telling me to "push myself."  (Actually, her voice is quite lovely and she sounds like a very nice person.  I only hated her for thirty minutes.)  If it could babysit my toddler for me, I'd be in heaven.  Oh wait, it can do that too.  Genius, I tell you!

Anyway, all this is my round-about way of explaining why I'm so late to the Hipstamatic party.  Since I have obviously been in the mood for jumping on bandwagons (at this rate, you might even see me on twitter soon!), I figured I'd see what everyone was raving about.  Love!







She wouldn't be a true Hipsta without a retro minivan complete with wooden side panels, now would she?



More retro:  a phone with an actual cord. 

Thanks to Hipstamatic, now Lilah's toddlerhood doesn't look all that different from my own.  (This app has the added bonus of making me feel less old.  Can't complain about that!)

As a sidenote, does it strike you as ironic that we're using something so technologically advanced as an iPhone to take photos that look like they were taken on a cheap plastic analog camera 30 years ago?

Barfy McPukerson

I have no idea how this happened, but it appears that I have somehow gave birth to a puker.  I, who can't even remember the last time I threw up, though I suspect it was alcohol-induced.  (Okay, typing that just triggered a flash-back.  It was my bachelorette party in 2007.)


I blame the Hubs, and his faulty, weak-stomached genes.  The guy can pretty much barf on command.  Which can be handy when you've had too much to drink and you know it's inevitable, but not so fantastic when you'd really like to avoid tasting that three bean salad or ill-advised breakfast burrito again.



Mommy, I don't feel so good!

You may recall the stomach bug I described last June?  Oh, and let's not forget the epic two-week long pukefest in December.  Well, now we have a new notch in our barfy belt.  The Hubs spent a recent Saturday night running from the bed to the bathroom, so I wasn't terribly surprised when Lilah followed suit the next morning and started ralphing all over our apartment.  No biggie, I thought, we've done this before.  It sucked, but this one appeared to be short-lived.  The Hubs was fine by breakfast time, and Lilah appeared to be all better by dinner.  And she was fine for a full 48 hours, but then randomly yakked all over the Hubs as he was putting her to bed on the following Tuesday night.  This follows the pattern from the past few illnesses too.  Sick as a dog for the standard length of time, then fine for two or three days, and then barfy again.  What gives?

Does your kid ever recover from a stomach bug only to relapse a few days later?  I'd love to know whether this is normal or something we should add to the list of what makes our li'l Lilahbility unique and special, and well, a bit of a liability!

Wordless Wednesday: My Little Bunny

This little bunny loves carrots!

(Truth be told, she hasn't eaten them this well since, but I'll take it!)

House of Lilahbility 2011 Spring Style Guide

It's that time of year again.  Spring is springing and the dark days of winter are slowly giving way to brighter skies.  Time to stash away those heavy winter coats and dreary colours and let your sense of style shine through!  You may remember Lilah's spring fashion tips from 2010?  Well, she's been at it again!  I recently sat down with the style icon herself, and picked her brain on the hottest upcoming trends. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Lilah's top ten fashion tips for spring 2011!

1. Thanks to Katy Perry's latest single, "E.T." and the hit show "V," the space look is all the rage for spring!

Take me to your leader!

2. Bubble skirts. A spring fashion staple.



This look accentuates the curve of her considerable belly,
increasing the cute factor by about 1000%.

3. With the right attitude, you can make even a hospital gown look sassy and stylish.  Here, Lilah wears hers off the shoulder for an asymmetrical peekaboo effect:

Gown on loan from BC Children's Hospital.

 4. Having a bad hair day?  Try a beanie.

Some online shopping (with Daddy's credit card, of course!) and a sippy
full of your favourite watered-down beverage will also help chase away the bad hair blues.

5.  Treat the world around you as your own personal catwalk.  Sidewalks, pathways, even coffee tables, can all be used to showcase your fabulous inner fashionista.

6. Not sure what to wear?  Try your birthday suit.  The weather is starting to get warmer, making this look perfect for spring.  People will be blown away by your confidence!

The perfect look for lounging around the house on a lazy Sunday morning.

7. Have "people" - every fashionable diva needs an entourage.  You just never know when you are going to be called upon to look stylish.

Lilah's stylist puts the finishing touches on her outfit.

8.  From our beauty department: blueberry is being heralded as the it colour of the season - for eyes, for nails, and, if you're really cutting edge like Lilah, you might even want to attempt a blueberry 'stache. 

Note: this is a very youthful look, best left to the toddler/preschool set.
If you were born before 2005, you may not be able to pull this look off.

 9.  Wondering what to do with that tired old onesie that's getting too small?  Try shaking things up by wearing it unbuttoned and untucked for a totally badass look.

I'm far too cool to tuck this shirt in.

10.  Do whatever you can to avoid having the paparazzi snap photos of you in unflattering situations.

Don't.  Just don't.

Wednesday of Few Words: Career Aspirations Part 2

Last week, she demonstrated that she could have a promising future as a surgeon.  This week, she's practicing to be an engineer.  Further proof that she can be anything she sets her mind to.

Just getting started...

Such focus!  Such determination!



Such frustration!



A little support from Daddy...



And... presto!



Meh, been there, conquered that.  Now on to something new!

"Listen to the musn'ts, child.  Listen to the don'ts.  Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts.  Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child.  Anything can be."  - Shel Silverstein

The Butterfly Bag

When Lilah was a wee babe, a friend of mine prepared us a lovely dinner (complete with dessert!) and brought it over for us to cook and enjoy at our leisure.  She brought this wonderful gift of food in a reusable shopping bag.  But not just any cloth bag.  No, this one was extra-special and, as it turns out, it has become an integral part of our family life.

The Butterfly Bag is large and square, so it can fit almost anywhere, holds most anything we want it to, and stands up on its own when properly packed.  The icing on the cake?  It also has durable handles and a zipper.  It can be used as a grocery bag, carry-all for toddler paraphernalia, or swim bag, to name just a few of its many uses.


The Butterfly Bag full of towels, bathing suits, water,
and snacks, in anticipation of Sunday swim class

 But this bag isn't just incredibly useful.  The Butterfly Bag has also become, to me, a symbol of the Hubs's complete security with himself and his masculinity.  He couldn't care less that this bag is printed with butterflies in rainbow colours, which, by ttraditional standards, would make it "girly," or, at the very least, less than manly.  In truth, he prefers this bag to all others due to its aforementioned utility as a shopping bag and all-around tote.  Seeing as we are raising a girl, I think this bodes very well for the future, when he will almost certainly be called upon to don a tiara and/or feather boa, play tea party (pinkies out, of course), and let Lilah practice her manicuring skills on him with pink sparkly nail polish.  In fact, just this very evening, he patiently kept his head absolutely still while she attempted to put clips and bows in his hair.

I am very proud to say that I am married to a man who has great self-esteem but very little ego; who likes to cook more than I do and considers the kitchen his domain; who does a large portion of our meal-planning and grocery shopping and who isn't afraid to carry a rainbow Butterfly Bag while doing it!

Wednesday of Few Words: Career Aspirations

I'm not pushing any particular career path on Lilah, but she already seems to have some lofty aspirations:

Mr. Bear's heart and lungs sound good...

But how's my breath?

Note the expression of deep concentration

Preparing the syringe...

Just a little off the top, Mr. Bear

Scalpel!  This won't hurt a bit, Mr. Bear, thanks to the anesthetic that was in that syringe!
 (I don't think Mr. Bear came in expecting to undergo surgery today, poor guy.)

 I know she's a total genius, but I wonder if she understands just how much schooling this career path involves...?

Gun Show

No, we do not condone the use or ownership of firearms.  But that's what the Hubs likes to call it when he flexes his manly pipes, so this is what he has been teaching our daughter:

(Okay, I'll admit it, I helped.)

Letter to Myself

Whenever I see a new mother with a tiny baby in her arms, I see a reflection of myself 20 months ago - clueless, fretful, and restless.  Sure, I see the occasional new mother who appears to have it all together, or at least doesn't look to be in immediate danger of dropping off the deep end.  But more often than not, I catch a glimpse of that crazed look in a new mother's eye - and I know that look.  Like a caged, sleep-deprived wild animal.  (Can wild animals be sleep-deprived?  Whatever, just go with it.)



That's the look



When I see that look, I want to reach across the space between us and give the new mama a bear hug and advice on all the things I wish I'd known when Lilah was a newborn.  Except I know that, had someone done that to me back then, I probably would have pushed them away.  I only wanted advice when I was ready to ask for it.  Unsolicited advice was just more crap to add to the pile; more that I should be doing or thinking about that I just didn't have the time or energy for.  It either made me feel guilty or it made me roll my eyes at the thought that the bearer of such advice could possibly understand my child and/or my parenting philosophy (yeah, right, as if I even knew what my parenting philosophy was).

If I could write a letter to myself as a brand new mom, here are just a few of the many things I would say:

• Babies fuss and cry, that's kind of their schtick.  Your baby will not suffer adverse effects if left to cry for two minutes while you finish wiping your butt or wolfing down that sandwich.  Mama's basic needs are important too!  Similarly, your baby will not implode if she is not fed the very second she starts to show signs of hunger.
• Mama's sanity is paramount.  If you have been sitting around shirtless attempting to satiate an insatiable baby by breastfeeding for hours on end, it is more than acceptable to take a break and leave the house with said insatiable baby (after putting a shirt on, of course).  Baby will probably appreciate the break too, and may even fall asleep in the stroller or baby carrier, miracle of miracles!
• Sometimes baby will cry right before falling asleep, even when you are rocking/bouncing/patting/shushing.  Putting up with a few minutes of crying may well be worth it for the half-hour of blissful silence that follows.




Phew, she's sleeping!


• The second six months make up for the first six months - in spades.  (But try not to spend the first six months wishing the time away - you'll regret it.)
• You will survive the hard moments and eventually the highs will overtake the lows.  And you will someday even look back with a certain amount of nostalgia on those sleepless nights spent rocking a crying baby for hours on end.  Time has a way of blurring images and smoothing out the sharp corners on those memories.
• People genuinely want to help you out, and you should let them.  Soon the offers will start dropping off and people will assume you've adjusted to your new way of life.  And then when you need help, you will have to ask for it overtly which, trust me, is much harder than accepting an offer of food/babysitting/cleaning/whatever that has already been put on the table by an eager friend or relative.
• Everything is a phase: sleeping well, sleeping poorly, sleeping well, not eating, eating for hours on end, pooping frequently, pooping infrequetnly, rapid weight gain, slow weight gain, teething, waking up screaming, waking up chipper and chatting, drooling, biting, being cranky, being happy... the list goes on.  Just when you think you've got things figured out and some kind of pattern established, baby will switch things up on you. (This last one is still very applicable at Lilah's age and will be for quite some time, I imagine.)

I will have to come back and have another look at this list when (if?) the Hubs and I have a second child.  What about you, dear readers?  Anything to add?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Monthly Recap: What I learned in February 2011

Amber Strocel does a monthly recap and has invited others to play along and link up. So here's what I learned in February:

1.  Cats are smarter than they look.  Ours have figured out that the kid is the key: if they wake Lilah up by whining and scratching at her door, the rest of the household will rise, which means they will get to go outside sooner.This is pret-ty obnoxious at 5 in the morning.

2.  I celebrated my first bloggiversary and realized how much joy my little bloggy baby has brought me over the past year.

3.  Though it's the shortest month of the year, we British Columbians are in  desperate need of a long weekend in February.

4.  On a related note, the February blues can be combatted by a sunny weekend and some much-needed family bonding time.

5.  I was thrilled to receive (and pass on!) some bloggy love in the form of an award from a fellow blogger.

6.  I remembered that, though I quite enjoy teaching parent language workshops, I don't really enjoy the long, long workdays that this entails, and the fact that I see very little of Lilah on those days.  On the plus side, I get to come home to this:

7.  No matter how minor the procedure, when your kid has surgery under general anesthetic, it's kind of a big deal.  Friends reminded me to be kind to myself and eat some chocolate.  Now that's some good advice!

8.  It is actually possible for a kid to have a cold for two months straight.  And that's a whole lotta snot!

9.  A couple packages of sanitary napkins can provide several minutes of diversion for a boisterous, cooped-up toddler.  Who knew?

10.  Buttcheese.  Definitely garbage.

What did you learn in February?

Wordless Wednesday: Poser



Lilah models her new jammies