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Mar 29

Eleven Months with Ivy

11 MONTH - number

They always warn you that babyhood goes quickly but I’m now of the firm belief that there is absolutely nothing you can do to prepare yourself for how deeply true this clichéd saying can be. Time continues to be a mind-bending experience as it *truly* feels like we brought our brand new, squishy, floppy-necked baby home just yesterday. Yet, in the same breath, it also feels as if she’s been a part of our lives forever. The constant juxtapositions that come along with motherhood is enough to make you feel a little nutty at times.  

If you follow me on Instagram, you might already know that we were all struggling quite a bit this month (you can read that post here)… Our poor girl spent the better half of it working on all four molars at once. And while teething is never exactly fun, the molars have been no joke. Our sweet girl was completely out of sorts – wanting to be held just about constantly, waking up hourly for weeks on end, incredibly fussy, and basically miserable just about all day every day. To put it mildly, it was rough. It doesn’t help that not sleeping happens to be my biggest anxiety trigger, and while our sweet girl has never been a solid sleeper, I’ve been managing just fine with a lot of help from Justin and our wonderful parents. But of course all of that went out the window this month and, well, things weren’t exactly great for anyone involved. 

The biggest challenge of all was of course watching our Ivy girl suffer. She is normally such a happy little thing and it was heartbreaking to witness her struggle for so many weeks on end. In our bleary-eyed states it was hard to remember that she wasn’t trying to be a jerk. To remind ourselves to stay calm and focused, that this too shall pass, and that it’s our jobs to help her through these tougher times. Throw in the fact that I’ve been very emotional about her upcoming first birthday (how!?) and this month was ripe with all the feels, all the time. This parenthood thing is such a journey, I tell you.

I am pleased to announce, however, that we are on the other side of things, and our girl is back to being her sweet and hilarious self. But truth and honesty are important to be, and I would be lying if I said it was all butterflies and rainbows around here. 

I always say that babies are very well designed, however, and that continues to be true. While we were all struggling, there were of course nuggets of beauty to be found – which is true for just about any situation, but I digress. We spent quite a lot of time at our cottage, playing in the snow. And our girl continued to amaze us with just how quickly she’s changing and picking things up. She’s legitimately transforming into a tiny person by the minute – which I suppose is exactly what’s supposed to happen, but in my mind she remains solidified as a squishy newborn, so any time she reaches any milestone I’m basically blown away.

She’s continuing to nail her baby sign language and being able to legitimately communicate with her is such a trip. She’s also started showing a lot more understanding when we ask her to do things – to grab a book, or find our dog Sage’s ball. She knows exactly where Sage’s treat cupboard is, and doles them out to her like candy. She talks on her toy phone and her baby babbles make my heart explode. She also hands us the remote and says “Elmo” when she wants us to put her show on, which is both hilarious and adorable. And if we don’t find the right one she will make it well known with grunts and shoving the remote in our face. Our girl definitely knows what she wants and she isn’t afraid to tell you. I hope to continue to foster her ability to advocate for herself and demand exactly what she needs and wants without hesitation.

She is our greatest gift, molars and all, and I can’t believe this is the second to last monthly Ivy update. Time is a thief I tell you! Here are a few pictures from this last month.

Month-0-11

[break]SEE ALSO…[break]

SHE’S HERE!

IVY’S BIRTH STORY

IVY’S NURSERY REVEAL

ONE MONTH WITH IVY

TWO MONTHS WITH IVY

THREE MONTHS WITH IVY

FOUR MONTHS WITH IVY

FIVE MONTHS WITH IVY

SIX MONTHS WITH IVY

SEVEN MONTHS WITH IVY

EIGHT MONTHS WITH IVY

NINE MONTHS WITH IVY

TEN MONTHS WITH IVY

IMG_0794{playing in the snow}

IMG_0780 IMG_0761{her first crush}

IMG_0698{LOTS of snuggles}

IMG_0936_jpg{tons of pyjama days}

IMG_0531{her first Valentine’s Day}

IMG_0546 IMG_0918{watching Elmo – her favourite}

IMG_0976_jpg{mornings with my girls}

C67282C0-F463-4012-AF6D-3BD552037963-7175-0000032A3376D02A{watching the birds}

[break]SEE ALSO…[break]

SHE’S HERE!

IVY’S BIRTH STORY

IVY’S NURSERY REVEAL

ONE MONTH WITH IVY

TWO MONTHS WITH IVY

THREE MONTHS WITH IVY

FOUR MONTHS WITH IVY

FIVE MONTHS WITH IVY

SIX MONTHS WITH IVY

SEVEN MONTHS WITH IVY

EIGHT MONTHS WITH IVY

NINE MONTHS WITH IVY

TEN MONTHS WITH IVY

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  1. Charisse says:

    She is absolutely adorable!! What treasures these photos will be for you and for her when she is all grown up. Thank you so much for sharing….made my day.

  2. Colleen says:

    Hoping you gave her some pain medication to help her through the teething stage. It must be painful!

  3. Joan Moscovitch says:

    She is so adorable. Enjoy these years. They pass so quickly.

  4. A says:

    The days are long but the years are short. – this describes it best for me:) All the best for you😘

  5. It looks like my second and yours are very close in age! I can’t believe we’re already at a year! They’re so quickly leaving behind babyhood and becoming little toddlers. Enjoy those snuggles!

  6. Suzi says:

    As my Dad used to say, ” she’s a living doll!” As a mama to five grown and amazing children and a parenting coach, I would recommend not fostering her ability to demand what she needs and wants. Foster open communication regarding her wants,needs and feelings, but we should encourage our littles to be willing to compromise and be patient, whilst still advocating for themselves, yet not be demanding as that leads to entitled and abrasive behavior.
    I’ve loved watching her grow in those adorable pictures in Daddy’s arms!

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