The Taz

Now, let me stress the importance of movement. Lily does not stop moving. Ever.

Up down, up down, roll, roll, roll, kick, kick, flail, flail

She is forever squiggling, spinning around and babbling incoherently like that cyclonic Tasmanian Devil on the old Bugs Bunny cartoons. Hence the nickname, Taz.

Lily doesn't cuddle (unless she's sleeping), nor does she ever just sit contentedly in our lap or "lie like a lump" on a blanket (See June 20 posting). She functions as though stuck in a perpetual Jolly Jumper. I actually thought this was normal until I went to my first baby gym class when she was 7 weeks old and all the other babies were laying or sitting contentedly while we sang songs. I was shocked - and suddenly very tired.

My mom mentioned this to her mom in passing and Gran - a wise and inspirational woman (yet incorrigible and somewhat of a pest) with 4 kids of her own - 2 of which are twins - told my mom point blank - "You were exactly the same way as a baby".

My mom, bless her heart, has enough energy to light a small city. It's the kind of energy that is infectious and makes everyone around her have the best time ever. And come to think of it, my mom never sits down. (Except in this picture. I think their energies actually cancel eachother out. ;) )
Mom always seems like she's gearing up to go off somewhere else, instead of enjoying the moment. Which is probably why her and my dad (and my brother and I as kids) have traveled to some of the most amazing places on this planet. WOAH. Am I ever off topic!!

Anyways, since Jay and I don't know any different, it has never been much of an issue for us. Plus, Lily is just so much fun.

My days consist soley of wearing Lily out. She's in swimming, baby gym class, stroller aerobics; we go for daily walks, visit friends and family, shop for plants, home decor, new baby clothes; visit museums, aquariums, zoos, Buddhist Temples, art galleries, antique shops, night markets - you name it - I've probably taken her there. Which, now that I'm reading back - makes me think that I actually have just as much energy as she does.

Hmmmm. Poor Jason...

L

Milestones and Accounting

Despite what my husband thinks, I don't get out that much. Not too bad for a new mom of 5 months, but nothing compared to the tightly packed pre-baby social schedule I once had. So to keep my 'sievey' post-baby synapse firing, I decided to attend the Archaeology Society of BC AGM in Vancouver on June 14. Now - to give you some context - I usually spend at least 15 hours a day with Lily, most of which is just her and I. So I require a little break once in a while. And up until this point, I've been around for all of her major 'milestones' (ie. first smile, rolling over, grabbing for toys, etc).

Jason and I always joke that she's advanced (even though she really is ;) ); however, she had yet to laugh. And we consider ourselves pretty funny people. Both our humour (ok, mostly mine) is pretty immature - consisting entirely of fart jokes and bad 80s dance moves. So needless to say, I was shocked that she didn't seem to find us worthy of a laugh... She, on the other hand, thinks she's hilarious. Case in point - here she is above wearing Jason's shorts around her neck which she slipped on while I stepped out of the room to check email.

Now, I should quickly mention that Jason is phenomenal with Lily while I'm out. He takes her on trips to show her off to friends and family, feeds her promptly every two hours and puts her to sleep in her favourite spot - the Bjorn - which has incidentally, long been retired by me who refuses to bounce her to sleep at every nap - but I digress...

So on this particular evening, I headed out to Vancouver leaving a grouchy Lily with her Paps. Jason - wise beyond his years, decided the best way to deal with a grouchy kid is to take her to Granma and Grandpa's. (a foolproof plan) So Lily's hanging out with Granma in the living room at the Johnston's. Jason is in the kitchen (likely raiding the cookie jar), while Grandpa's reading the paper. Suddenly Jason hears this mini cackle coming from the living room and realizes that it came from Lily! And you know what made her laugh for the first time in her life? What was apparently so funny that she broke through months of jovial silence???

Grandpa crinkling the newspaper.


THE NEWSPAPER!! That's not funny AT. ALL.

And you know what else is not funny? The fact that I was stuck in a 2 hour AGM with a society I just joined and was voted to be 'Treasurer', when I barely passed Grade 11 math while my baby was somewhere I wasn't, laughing at a newspaper!!

Lucky for me, my brilliant husband left a message at home showcasing her newest milestone. I've listened to the message 17 times now....

L

A.D. Lily

Before Lily was born (Lily B.C.), and about the time in her development that she was able to move her legs, she spent most of her days kicking me in the ribs. Hard. I was out for tea with some of my university friends (at the Secret Garden in Kerrisdale - highly recommended) a month before she was born and she kicked me so hard I swear she broke one of my ribs. This should have been our first clue....

Nevertheless, Jason and I embraced impending parenthood with that fluffy, romantic idea of the sleepy little newborn with the helpless cry, lying like a lump while we watched in adoration and basked in her cuteness. Ahem.....

Lily Assunta (named after my Grandpa Pisacreta's mother) Johnston was born 11 days late and one day shy of inducement. In pregnancy time that's equivalent to about 57 years.
The labour, while relatively uneventful was a scathing 25 hours, plus 1 shot of morphine, 2 trips to the hospital, 5 puking episodes, 17 "don't touch me's", and 20 minutes of pushing. We love, love loved the doctor's (Dr. Meakes, Dr. Hall) and Nurse (Susan) at the BC Women's Hospital and had an overall wonderful and awe inspiring birth experience. (Is it glaringly obvious that I have since forgotten the pain of labour - and may indeed do it again in the future???)

Anyways, Lily was born at 3:04am on January 11th, 2006 with all of her toes, fingers and various other body parts intact. She popped out screaming and when the Dr put her on my chest, she stopped for a moment and just stared up at me as if to say "So... You're my mama". Later on I realized what she was really thinking was "I'm going to get you back for bringing me into this dry, cold, bright world" We brought her home the next day....


The next 8 weeks were entirely on par with heeds from generations of mothers before me.

Suck. ASS.

Endless crying by both me and baby; bottle after bottle of Ovol (gas relief); sleepless nights and hazy days; anxiety over stupid things like the Bird Flu, Global warming and whether she would cry if I took her to Walmart; shits that actually covered distance that could be measured with a ruler; and stains - oh the stains... And did I mention that for some reason she smelled like boiled eggs for the first week of her life? But we all made it through... No serious emotional trauma. And by about 2 months, Lily was consistently sleeping through the night, smiling, and pretty much squiggling and moving every waking minute of the day.






But I will save the last part of this for another post.






L