We have noticed a significant change in Natasha’s nighttime sleeping pattern and it’s a positive one. Previously, she would abruptly wake-up to feed every 2 to 3 hours forcing a sleeping Matthew or me out of bed at odd times such as 1am, 3am, 5am, etc. Now at 5 weeks, however, Natasha has started waking up to feed only once; she would consume her evening bottle around 9pm, then drift into a deep sleep until about 3 or 4am at which point she would begin whimpering and crying for her bottle. After this midnight feeding she would sleep again until 7 or 8am. Hurray!

This is definitely a positive change as it allows us more sleep during the night resulting in more energy during the day.

This post is dedicated to all new parents out there who do not, and I repeat: DO NOT, own a car or any other sort of vehicle.

Well, this week is Natasha’s 5th week of life and she has successfully accomplished a new and exciting milestone over it which is being taken on public transportation. As you may know or might have guessed, Matthew and I do not have a car. This might seem entirely strange to some individuals, particularly new parents, but after several discussions and contemplations on the topic, we decided that cost-effectively it would be better for us to stick with good old TTC. And in addition to that, we are simply not interested in driving.

So yesterday morning, we bundled Natasha up in her warm ‘polar-bear’ winter suit, placed her in the stroller and headed out towards the bus stop. It was a Sunday, and we were to drop the baby off at Julia’s parents’ house while we headed downtown Toronto for a few hours. It was a cold, rainy day and we were forced to place a plastic rain-covering over the stroller to protect the baby from getting wet. So once the bus finally arrived, we were disappointed that it wasn’t one of the newly renovated ‘kneeling’ buses which do not have steps, are wider, and are designed specifically for persons in wheelchairs (and strollers!). The bus that arrived, however, had several steps which required us to lift the stroller and drag it by ourselves. How fun is that?!

Now, here is the real fun part: being on a bus implies being surrounded by well-meaning strangers and not so pleasant persons, and of course, some people simply MUST contribute their two-cents and blurt out some sort of comment regarding a newborn baby.

First, a Pilipino woman began adjusting the rain-cover on the stroller since it has slightly slipped – Matthew and I found this motherly gesture somewhat kind and appropriate, so that can pass. Next, a Russian-speaking stranger began eyeing the baby, commented on how pretty she is, and then proceeded with a story of her recent babysitting experience… I was only half-listening to her as I needed to hold the handle of the stroller at the same time to prevent it from moving, so this lady’s blabbing was really unnecessary at that point in time. But the worst of it was when a tall gentleman boarded the bus and very rudely bumped himself into the stroller while passing by it. He then mumbled something about people using strollers on buses and taking up too much space – like, hello! It did not appear as if any other passenger had a problem passing by, so why should you? – and not only that, but on his way out the bus, he bumped into the stroller ONCE AGAIN and this time intentionally pushed Matthew to the side. That pretty much irritated the heck out of both Matthew and I for the remainder of the day.

So this is our adventure with the stroller on a public bus! I certainly hope that in the future we would not have too much hassle with annoying strangers on the transit as it isn’t welcome at all. But aside from this, the bus-experience isn’t all too bad, and we are still not considering buying a car!

I cannot quite believe that an entire month passed since the baby was born for it seems so much less than that. Time just flew by and looking back I realize how much Natasha has changed and how both Matthew and I changed and grew along with her. Every day we notice something new in her behavior such as longer attention spans, brief smiles, and even larger tears when she cries! And I am certain those are typical developments for a baby her age, but for us they are definitely new and exciting and fun!

Well, this is a small milestone and there are more to come in the future. Till then!

It’s been quite a while since anything was posted, and 25 whole days since Natasha’s birth – time really flies! Matthew and I are in an entirely different world now that our daughter is with us, and as hectic and sleepless as it is, we are also enjoying it to full extent.

Natasha is rapidly growing as she already weighs 8.1 lbs, and she is definitely getting ‘longer’ since many of her initial baby outfits no longer fit her. Today I ravaged through her dresser and pulled out several small body-suites that are simply too tiny for her, and then made room for larger items.

On a different note, we’ve been noticing how more oriented the baby is becoming. She is now able to follow different people and objects with her eyes which she could not do before. She can also focus on very bright objects (especially red) that are placed within a close range from her face and hold her gaze for a few brief seconds. Go Natasha! And to top it all off, who knew that 3-week old babies would enjoy watching bright cartoons on Baby-TV? She is definitely surprising us more and more everyday.

Matthew and I, on the other hand, are about 100 hours behind on our sleep. “Sleeping-in” on a lazy weekend day simply does not exist in our lifestyle anymore. For the most part, I have no idea what is happening on the daily news, which new movies just came out, or the schedule of my favorite TV shows. In fact, I hardly ever know what the weather is like… There is simply no time or need for any of the above things anymore, since taking care of the baby is a 24/7 process which does not leave time for much of anything else.

But I am not complaining too much. We have adapted to Natasha and she to us, and it could not be any different than this. She has become part of our little family and it’s a very warm feeling to have this little creature to love and look after. Her needs have become quite routine-like so it’s slightly easier on both of us than it was before; we are also not so over-worried every single time she cries or fusses. And during those content moments of hers, she enjoys watching her surroundings with her large grey eyes, or simply snuggle against someone’s shoulder.

Other than this, Matthew and I are doing well. We try to share responsibility and to take it easy. Matthew is working full-time and trying to remain awake during those long afternoon hours at the office, and I stay home with the baby, attending to all her different needs (and wants!). Our evenings are relatively short now – after a quick dinner we head to bed around 8:30pm in an attempt to get as much rest as possible, and twice a week we take Natasha through the joys of having a bubble bath in her baby tub.

And this is our life right now!