Rebecca update: 12.5 weeks

Rebecca seems to have acquired some new skills. She is very adept at pushing herself with her feet while lying on her back. She is also more grabby, and grasps objects in a more determined manner than previously. In fact, if I lace her fingers through the musical cow on her vibro chair, she will pull it to play the song. In fact, she will repeatedly pull on the cow, until I begin to wish that I had not helped her. Sometimes, she will hold on to the edges of the arch which goes over her chair - something that she never did before. Rebecca continues to be very chatty, but can turn surly in an instant. I had to retire more clothes due to her increasing height, and I am doing more laundry because she is spitting up more frequently. For some reason, spitting up makes her happy because she is always smiling or laughing afterwards. Perhaps it's fun to put vomit in Mommy's hair - who knows?

The Money Back Guarantee

I have finally received notice of the registration of Rebecca's birth!
After you send in your statement of live brith, you wait for the birth to be registered. Then, you wait to receive the notice of that registration. Then, you can apply for the birth certificate.
Anyhow, I merrily filled out my online application for Rebecca's birth certificate at the Ontario government website. I was surprised to see that they were advertising a money-back guarantee for birth certificates. Apply and receive your certificate in the mail within 15 days or your money back! It was odd - not the sort of slogan I expect to see touted by the provincial government. Rebecca's first birth certificate has way more in common with a pizza than I anticipated. It will be delivered to my house within a certain time or it's free. I paid by credit card. I had to specify my preference of type. At least I won't have to tip the delivery boy.

Experiment in Après-FitMom

Monday I had my Fitmom and baby class. After the class, the moms will often converge on the nearby Bridgehead for coffee and tea. This time I joined them. There were less than usual numbers due to a number of ladies being sick - so we were just four. Four moms with their babies and baby gear do tend to take up a lot of space though.
At any rate, I made the realization that while attending the Westboro fitmom class was consistent with my proximity needs, most of the women who attend the class are in a completely different socio-economic bracket and age group.
There are many things about Westboro which are - for lack of a better word - Yuppiefied. I suppose Bridgehead is one of those things. But that would be o.k. because I am certainly supportive of fair trade practices. I guess it's fair to say that I felt like I didn't really belong with these ladies. It's great that we have motherhood in common, but I don't feel that's enough to form a bond with someone. It's also true that I am a little socially disabled around new people, and I have some shyness mixed with a propensity to drawing blanks during the kind of small talk that most people seem adept at, but all that aside - I still felt the discomfort of being the odd man out.
The other moms from Fitmom (let's call them OMFFs for short), sat down with their tralala lattés, their granola bars, their zirconium-studded Gucci sunglasses, their pricey lululemon exercise outfits, their babies in designer outfits and shoes, and their diamond encrusted rings, and I began to suspect there was a fundamental difference. Discussion turned to their excellent Filipino cleaners ("oh, the Filipino house cleaners and nannies are so wonderful!"), the houses they were eyeing which only needed 200K in renovations, their attempts to resolve the post-maternity nanny situation, their dentist hubbies, their botox treatments (preventative of course - apparently if done properly, treatments won't make you look like the Joker from Batman). The thought kept running through my head - these are not my people. I haven't decided whether I will join them next week or not.

Rebecca in knitwear made by my Nanny. Somehow, pictures never do justice to Becca's personality.

The three month growth spurt

According to all the documentation I have read, babies have 4 major growth spurts in the first year: 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. This past Saturday, Rebecca hit the 12 week mark, and this upcoming Friday, she will be officially 3 months of age.
There is no doubt that she is currently in a growth spurt. She is consuming far more food than usual, more frequently than usual, and when she is not eating, she sleeps very soundly. She is also fussier at night, but this could be due to either the strain of rapid growth or gassiness from increase milk consumption. At 3am , it's a distinction that means very little to me. :)
By 4 months, babies are supposed to double their birth weight, and by 1 year, they are supposed to have tripled it. I have no doubt that Rebecca will hit 14 pounds before the 10th of April. She already feels so heavy! Especially when she is asleep and limp.
I am tempted to go the Wellbaby clinic this week at the community centre to have Rebecca weighed, but I am afraid that I will be asked how the breastfeeding is going, and the last thing I want to do is unravel the whole saga for some strange and potentially judgemental lactation consultant. And yet, if I don't go, the next weighing will be at the 4 month vaccination. I think my curiosity will get the better of me. At worst, I suppose I can always lie. It's not that I'm ashamed, I just don't feel inclined to have to defend my choice. There are better things to do with my time.

Where other babies have been before

Rebecca had her first official trip to a restaurant yesterday night- we brought her to Haveli in the market. Previously we'd only taken her to public eating places such as Quiznos (one occasion shortly after my release from the hospital) and the St.Luke's church hall (this past week for Shrove Tuesday dinner - where she was a very popular person). Rebecca did cry a few times (rather briefly) but not in a manner which was embarassing for us, or (I hope) irritating for other patrons. She was intrigued by a painting on the wall which depicted a bride dancing (the red caught her eye, I'm sure). I was somewhat apprehensive about imposing her on unsuspecting strangers, because she can be piercing when she so chooses. Not only was she good and eventually fell asleep, but there was anabandoned soother under an elephant statue beside our table - clearly bringing babies to Haveli is nothing new.

Bye bye to the goat

Rebecca continues to evolve at an alarming rate.
She outgrows clothes due to her height rather than girth, and has already outgrown some 3 month items (despite not yet attaining 3mo of age).
She shows a distinct preference for the colour red, and babbles all the time, making different syllable sounds. Goat-like sounds are now few and far between. It seems as though Rebecca is aiming for legitimate conversations with give and take. She is also quite good at parroting sounds we make. For example, if she makes an "ah" sound, we repeat it back to her in an encouraging manner, and she will say it again.
Rebecca also acts happy more of the time, consumes more food, and has vastly improved her head control. She turns this way and that to see items of interest.