Picture day: September 18

That's one of the best faces I've seen her make in a long time. She does this Elvis-like lip curl sometimes, and it cracks us up!

"I'm in love...I'm all shook up!"

It's a mummy Belle! Look out!

When Belle gets unruly (scratching her face, pulling on her tubes, etc) we give her a time-out by bundling her or wrapping up her arms. Sometimes it's absolutely necessary. Sorry Bella-Boos, but you need to calm down!

Still our most cherished daddy-daughter time...oh, and mom can join too, whatever 😊

Happy 7 months

"Woo woo!" yells mom in her high-pitched tone. "Naked baby! Naked baby!!!"

"Um, excuse me dadda, I thought I told you NOT to post naked or embarrassing photos of me on the blog?"

Oh, I'm sorry Belle, I don't recall having that conversation with you...

"Yeah, well, we're having it now - so quit it!"

My my my...such a sensitive Bella 😏

So here we are...7 months already. That's 4 months adjusted!

People ask us sometimes, "So is Belle's real birthday in February or is it in May (her initial due date)?"

Her real birthday is in February 😊. But you'd be surprised how often this comes up! And I can understand why people get confused. Belle was meant to come out in May, and we adjust her age since May, too, so I totally get it. 

Kiera was thrilled when she imagined giving birth in May. She'd often say, "May is fantastic! It'll be beautiful outside! The birthday parties in the future could be outdoors! It's going to be so lovely and wonderful..."

Umm yeah...

It was a high of -2°C (28°F) on February 17th when Belle was born 😂. I guess that's quite warm for Canadian winter standards, huh?

This was the extent of Kiera's belly. I was taking her profile shot every week or so (especially at the beginning), because I wanted to put together a time-lapse video of her growing belly. The last frame is always the mother holding the baby...

Oh, we had such excellent ideas in our heads! We had so many plans!

February/May - what's the difference, right?! 😄

I'm glad we can laugh about this now. It just goes to show how quickly time can heal. 

Look, it's Bella in a bubble! (or at least half way there...)

This Sunday's temperature was 23°C (73°F) and we had Arabella covered like winter was coming any second now. To be totally fair, though, that pesky wind can be chilly in the shade, and we have to play it safe!

While mom relaxed and had a shower, I took a stroll with Belle around our cul-de-sac. I eventually had a chat with some of our neighbours that were outside talking and supervising their kids. Some of them know our story, but most have no idea.

"How old is she?", a lady in the group asked.

"Oh, err, um, 4 months. 4 months corrected," I said. "She's a preemie, as you can probably tell by her tubes. She was actually 1 pound when she came out, and now she's 11! She's come a long way. She's our little miracle."

We all talked for a few more minutes. Everyone smiled as they looked at Bella in disbelief. I smiled, too.

"That wasn't so bad", I thought to myself as I was walking away. "But I hope I wasn't gloating too much...was I?"

And then I thought, "Why am I suddenly feeling insecure? I'm super proud of my daughter. I'm proud of all of us! She really is a miracle, and people need to know!"

Maybe I don't like making a big deal out of Arabella sometimes. Maybe I don't want preferential treatment. Or maybe I just don't like small talk 😄...I'm not sure why I felt a little bit awkward after that discussion.

Awkward or not, I realize that it's our mission to tell people about this miracle. It's our duty to spread the good news. The real truth is that we prayed, and prayed, and prayed for this miracle. And God listened. 

Arabella was blessed by the heavens, and that's something we just can't deny 😊

Happy 7 months, you little miracle you!

About this blog...

This is the gift we came home to following 3 nights at the hospital after Arabella's delivery. We came home absolutely tired and terrified, unsure of the future that was before us - but somehow this really cheered us up. Simple gestures can go a long way sometimes 💗

Since February 23 (6 days following Arabella's birth) I've posted something daily on this blog. That's 207 straight days of blog posts! Talk about commitment, huh? 😄

So far there have been 250+ posts that have been read over 60,000+ times from people all over the world. Who could have predicted that a little blog about a tiny baby girl would reach so many people in so many different countries? But it did!

I started this blog to keep everyone in the loop regarding Arabella's health. After Kiera and I raised money to temporarily move closer to the NICU, I felt like this was something we just had to do. The support we received was overwhelming. People genuinely wanted to know how Belle was doing, and a blog seemed like the best answer. It was the one place to go for anyone who wanted an update on her condition. 

Remember all the 'Belle Update' posts?

As the weeks went on, the blog gained momentum. It changed and morphed alongside Arabella. As she grew, so did the posts, and so did the amount of pictures I would post (there must be over a thousand pictures posted by now!). When Belle's condition became more stable, I felt like I could share and celebrate more with everyone, too.

Writing daily posts have helped me document this journey, but they've also been a form of therapy. You guys are my shoulder, my confidante. Writing here is like talking to a close friend about everything that's going on. We cry together, we laugh together, we share our ups and downs, and sometimes we even learn a thing or two.

So even though this blog is a little time consuming (and often times distracting to so many other things going on at home), I really want to keep it going - but maybe at a reduced pace. Going forward, some posts might only be photos, or accompanied by a quick blurb or two. It depends, really. Maybe I'll limit the longer, more revealing posts to once or twice a week? We'll see how things go! 

I just wanted to keep you guys in the loop! So if you see more picture posts, you should smile - because it means that dad's getting more rest throughout the night 😄

As always, thank you for supporting us and following our journey!

xoxo

Why so serious?

*Yawn*

Ah, the life of a Bella...

Just eat, sleep, wear nice clothes, and have a sugar daddy (and mommy) take care of all your wants and needs. It must be nice! 😃

This is the first time in the last week or so that Belle's lifted her head like that.

Nothing brings us more joy than to see her developing, progressing and getting stronger!

Lately, though, we've been concerned about her neck and shoulder strength. She rarely seems to want to work during tummy time, so we've been thinking, "Has she hit a plateau? Are we doing it wrong? Are we encouraging her enough? What else can we do?"

As parents, sometimes we feel like we're doing something wrong, or that we're the ones holding her back in some way. 

It's the same story with bottle feeding. Are we to blame for her feeding aversion? What are we doing wrong?

It's frustrating for Belle, and sometimes it's frustrating for us, but at least we're in this together 😄

Kiera and I try our best not to take things so seriously. It's not always easy, though. 

Some things are worth fighting for, and some things you have to learn to let go...

Some things just need more time, and some things will never turn out the way you want them to. That's all there is to it, right?

The ups and downs of parenthood will never cease. Every concerned parent has to deal with this emotional roller-coaster. We're on this ride for the rest of our lives now - there's absolutely no turning back. And when Arabella is a teenager we'll still have the same thoughts and feelings, I'm sure. "Are we encouraging her enough? Are we spoiling her too much? Are we promoting enough confidence in her?"

The endless questions and self-doubt will always be there.

Sometimes I feel like we take things a little too seriously as parents. We get too wrapped up.

But then again, we have to, don't we? "It's our duty!", we all say. "We just want the best for them!"

I'm starting to think that maybe it's not good to get overly wrapped up. Maybe it's not healthy to be so focused to the point where we start getting frustrated ourselves. Because how long can you go with that kind of attitude? How long before it starts to affect your relationship with your spouse or daughter?

Yes, we want the best for our little one. Yes, we want to give her the best possible chance. Yes, we want to do everything in our power to help her along...

But sometimes doing everything can mean doing nothing at all. It can mean taking a pause, a break, a breath. It can mean taking a step back, letting things go, and not getting too worked up. 

It's all about finding that right balance, I guess. And often times we just need a little fine-tuning, that's all 😊

Kiera's 30th birthday

"Hey Belle, do you know what day it is today? It's your mother's 30th birthday! Isn't that wonderful? What a celebration! 

"Oh, and just between us, she might be a touch sensitive about it, so don't make a huge deal about it, okay?" 😄

(I'm just kidding mom, you handled it with poise!)

On this exact day last year we found out that Kiera was pregnant. It was such an exciting day for both of us. It was the best birthday present Kiera could have hoped for.

"Wow", we thought. "This is amazing!". At that point, Arabella was roughly 1 month in the womb. 

Can you believe that 5 months + 2 days later, she would be born?

What a turn of events. 12 months after finding out Kiera was pregnant, we now have a 7 month old Bella living at home with us 💗

The numbers don't lie, as odd as they seem. That's the kind of year it's been for us. A crazy-yet-beautiful kind of year.

So today, we celebrated very quietly. We spent time with our precious daughter. We all spent time together. 

In the evening, after Belle went to sleep, we ordered some Chinese food. Dad enjoyed a beer while mom had a glass of ice wine. We each had a hot and relaxing bubble bath, and later we watched a movie like old times. 

Ah, like old times, huh? 😄

Let's rewind for a little bit, shall we?

Last summer we were spending time with our niece Lilianna...

We were building sandcastles, going on adventures, having sleep-overs, and munching on her favourite...pepperoni pizza! 

Lilianna loves her baths just as much as we do 😊

Kiera and I went on a ton of road trips...

We went to a cottage nearly every weekend with friends...

Dad was golfing and playing hockey every week...

We went to see the circus...

We spent lots of time downtown. Seeing friends after work, going to restaurants, hanging out, and doing all sorts of things. 

Kiera's aunt Susan and cousin Jacob even came to visit us from Denmark...

It was one of those unforgettable summers!

And for Kiera's birthday last year we went to Niagara Falls to sight-see. It's our favourite place to go! Then we headed over to Buffalo to do some quick shopping...

We spotted this pizza purse and instantly thought of our special girl, Lilianna 😂. She's always on our mind!

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that our world was a little different last year. We had different priorities, and different obligations.

This was last years birthday cake.

So, Kiera...although it's been a crazy year, it's been an extraordinary year, don't you think? It's been a year for the ages, and it's one we're sure to never forget.

When you blew out those candles last year, I think I know exactly what you wished for...

It might not have been the journey you were hoping for, but your wish did come true, did it not?

I know it did 😊

Happy 30th birthday my dear...happy birthday to you!
💗💗💗

European roots

"Hello there. Would you like some of this yummy thumb? I warmed it up for you..."

Classic Bella, napping with the soother halfway in her mouth.

Fall is almost here, and that means it's time to display those beautiful fall colours around the house. This lovely arrangement was made by my aunt Beata when we first moved into our home over 6 years ago. It's stunning, don't you think?

Kiera and I have been cleaning the place from top to bottom over the last two days. The dust never seems to stop! 

We also organized and rearranged a few things again. We never stop shuffling!

In the middle of the night I can freely go to the basement to organize our bins and belongings, or do some laundry without feeling rushed to check up on Bella. It's all thanks to this handy video monitor (another awesome gift we received). 

Can I take this opportunity to thank everyone again for all the gifts? You guys are so incredibly generous. Seriously! We are so lucky to have you guys supporting us!

"Pick me up dad! Let's go! I finished my food 10 minutes ago. That's enough laying and digesting!"

It was a warm and sunny day, so we decided to spend as much time outdoors as possible. "Bring out the toys, mom and dad!" shouts Belle. 

She had a very long nap in the afternoon today. And while she slept, mom went for a relaxing massage and dad soaked up some sun. 

"Ahhh...much better", we both said afterward 😃 "Feels so good!"

Babcia (grandma in Polish) is getting over the sniffles, so Arabella decided to call her on Skype. "Watch me Babcia!" she said. 

Did you know that Belle is half Polish? She is! She's 50% Polish, 25% Danish, and 25% British/English. She's a total Euro baby 😊

You can always tell when she's tired near the end of the day. That signature 'glossy-eyed' look...

All three of us are quite tired, actually. We're tired all day long! 😄 But boy, are we ever happy. I don't think we've ever been so overwhelmed, overworked, overtired, but overly fulfilled!

Sending out hugs and kisses to everyone, but especially to our family and friends overseas! Poland and Denmark - I'm looking at you! We love you guys and miss you! 💗