Aurora Wells

Okay, I’ve heard that having a baby can make you crazy, and all the time I was in labour with Aurora I was hoping she was a girl so that I could dress her up and it would all be worthwhile. So here we are, with Halloween fast approaching, and I am SO EXCITED about making a costume for her. Am I insane? I have only the most rudimentary sewing skills, no sewing machine (but I can maybe borrow Bruce’s if I ask real nice), and only scant amounts of free time.

Plus, for the past several years my Halloweens have usually consisted of answering the door for a few trick-or-treaters between 6 and 8 pm, then watching a movie on tape when Brian gets home. Not something you want to put a lot of effort into dressing up for.

But here’s my best idea so far: Baby Dorothy and Mommy Witch. I haven’t decided yet whether I should be Glinda or Elphaba because although I (unfortunately) look an awful lot like the wicked witch these days, Glinda’s costume is way more outrageous and fun.

The resemblance is uncanny, I’m sorry to say.

How much fun would THIS be to make and wear?

I love the idea of Aurora carrying a little basket with a black doggy doll inside.

The Dorothy costume might be a little tricky to sew, and the witches’ costumes basically involve either a pink or black leotard and matching gathered skirt, with or without sparkles, and I can make the silver crown or buy a cheap black witch’s hat. Maybe Brian would want to get in on the action – there are plenty of boy’s parts in the film.

What do you think? Know of any good Halloween events going on this year, or would you like to throw a party so I can dress us up? Again, I need to say with emphasis: I am so excited!

Yesterday we visited Jenn Milley, and Aurora got her jumper back with new pink buttons. Just a reminder – you too can order a reversible jumper – or cute manpris (is that how they’re spelled?) from Jenn at her website for Agatha Designs.

Edmund generously shares his toys with Aurora in the Milley playroom. If there’s one thing Jenn and Jaegen have taught their kids, it’s good manners. They’re a delight to be around. I hope I can live up to their example with Aurora.

The weather this past week took an unseasonably cold, wet turn. All the more reason to get that garage/workshop up and built. Daddy’s been working really hard to get the walls framed, and on Saturday he got the 10- and 11-foot-long sections up in position, with some help from Bruce.

It’s funny how many months can go by with no apparent progress, when you’re digging dirt, then voila! all of a sudden the walls are up.

The windows go here, Aurora. They’re low enough to look through from the house side, but from inside the garage they’re really high up. The ceiling is going to be quite high, for more storage space, as well as room to manoeuver lumber around inside.

On Sunday it rained like crazy, so we took the opportunity to go out to Coquitlam for Samuel Zeitsman’s dedication ceremony.

Hardy and Korena had a house full of friends and relatives to welcome little Samuel to the world. The cute little fella narrowly missed being named Hardy Zeitsman IV (or Quattro, as I would have loved to call him).

Barrett, like Aurora, was fascinated by the decorations hanging from the ceiling fans.

Aurora climbs some stairs (spotted by her handsome Daddy, of course) in order to get a better view of the festivities.

Sleeping and Eating. That’s it folks, that’s what it all comes down to. I hope all y’all out there who are hiking, touring Europe, or relaxing at the cabin are enjoying the summer. Here at the Wells’, we’re working on sleep:

Yes, Aurora actually fell asleep in this position. She’s also figured out how to sleep while doing Downward Facing Dog, but I haven’t got a picture of that one yet.

And now we’re working on eating:

Aurora’s new trick this past week or so is that she’s gotten really good at ejecting from her mouth anything not to her liking. So, whereas in the past, getting food past her waving hands and closed lips was the trick, now she’ll actually put food in her own mouth, but if it’s not to her liking, she’ll pop it back out again. This was amusing at first, as half-chewed blueberries and gummy cracker bits re-emerged, but now it’s practically everything. Very frustrating.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “If she doesn’t want to eat, don’t force it on her. When she’s hungry, she’ll eat.” Well, Helen, the sleep training consultant, said that the reason Aurora couldn’t sleep through the night was that she doesn’t get enough food during the day. We’re supposed to make sure she gets more veggies, dairy and whole grains during the day, which take longer to digest than the small bits of fruit diet she’s been on lately. Easier said than done.

Well, I’m a laissez-faire kind of gal, and I really don’t like spending hours every day trying to coax an opinionated infant into eating tiny bits of food when she’d rather chew on the box they came in. Who needs that kind of aggravation? So what’s the verdict? Do I let Aurora decide on carrots or cardboard, peas or paper? Or does that way lie an undernourished, spoiled, overtired, sugar-addicted brat? Please weigh in on this one.

Nothing in my life, not college finals or Phantom of the Opera, or falling in love, has ever narrowed my focus as much as having a baby. If there’s anything going on in the rest of the world, I probably haven’t heard about it, and the worst of it is that I usually don’t care too much, either. With such a lack of perspective, it’s easy for me to get all worked up about things that, really, are just everyday business for a large number of people.

Is sleep training while being ill really so hard?

I could be in the U.S., where moms only get about 6 weeks (or less – sorry, Gina) of parental leave before they have to go back to work;

I could be poor, and have to work anyway, even in Canada;

I could be taking care of more than one kid;

I could have a more chronic illness, rather than just a few days of a stomach bug;

I could be caring for elderly parents;

I could be a single mom;

I could (God forbid) be living in the days before the Internet, and have no access to my friends and family through Facebook, email, and my blog.

Yikes! The possibilities are truly staggering, and make me feel lucky to have such a wonderful kid in such almost-ideal circumstances.

Look at me, everybody! I can…

Crawl,

Pick up things and give them to you,

Climb up to reach things I shouldn’t get,

Point at things I like,

Tell you when I’m done eating,

Unstack Legos,

Drink from Mommy’s water bottle, and

Sleep sitting up.

What a lot of things I can do!