My one and a half year old, and the rest of the fam jam

Wow. Yet, again, it's been far too long since I've posted on here. Where have the past two months since my last post gone??! I suppose that Full time work and Toddler and Busy Teacher Husband are quite the recipe for busy days and weeks that just fly by.

I had my last work shift this past Saturday at A GYM TALE. I will really miss all my little preschoolers who have come so far in just a few months of school. We had our annual holiday concert last week, and they performed a good 15 minutes of songs and music that we'd been working on throughout the year. Getting 3 year olds to sit still and sing and focus for that amount of time is challenging. But after lots of practice, both our morning and afternoon classes put on a great show! I really enjoy where I work, and the staff, and will certainly miss them as I officially start my mat leave this week.

I have 5 weeks to go until little Baby Girl is due to arrive, and the pregnancy continues to be pretty smooth. I've had the odd cramping and back pain, and am obviously getting more tired being on my feet, but things are all looking good all around. Dave is off on holidays for a few weeks, and tonight we set up her nursery, finally! We still need to paint the walls, but all the furniture is in along with some splashes of pink among clothes and some girly decor. It made me really excited! I will post some pictures once the paint is on and pictures up.

Jesse is doing well these days, and is quite the little man. He is a total weirdo by times, and has these frantic random periods where he gets wired and runs around the house squealing and making strange faces and then will do bizarre things like throwing himself onto his stomach to bolt across the room in an army crawl, or just freeze and close his eyes and growl. It's pretty entertaining. He's also a pretty loving little kid. Always has hugs and kisses for me and does he ever LOVE his daddy and dog. The other night when I was tucking him in after he'd fallen asleep, he was whispering their names in his sleep over and over "Daddy...PurPur...Daddy... PurPur...Daddy." It almost made me cry. His little world is just so small. The boys do lots of wrestling and get out doing errands when they have time together, and when Dave has to leave for work, Jesse will rush to the door and ask for, "Daddy?!?" repeatedly for a good 5 minutes.

His vocabulary is really expanding and he can properly say quite a few words, many of the simple ones like up and down and cheese, but also some more challenging things like lights, clocks, snow, and Yes-Jesus. What confused me, is the random names he has come up with and consistently sticks to for some things. Orange is "gobgaw" Upstairs is "DooDoo" and Cheerios are "Veeeees." So random. He's also hit a definite toddler stage and wants to do lots of things on his own. He does NOT like using kiddy plastic spoons, but prefers my grown up fork. He wants to put on his own hat and mittens, even though it can take forever. He likes blowing his own nose and brushing his own teeth, and diaper changes can cause melt downs some days. The other day, as I was folding laundry, he pulled all my clean underwear out of the drawer and proceeded to blow his nose into all of them. Gross. Then bolted with one of my bras into the bathroom and threw it into the toilet where he tried to flush it. Oh curiosity.

The other newer development, is that Jesse might have inherited my love for organization. He spent one hour the other day pulling all the nutrigrain bars out of the box, lining them up, then putting them back in. Repeat 40 times. He also will do that with this pencil box we have with pencils. Takes as many out as he can fit into his hands, then puts them all back in neatly. The other night, he had some fruit cut up on his plate, and what he didn't want he lined up in a neat little row on the table. The pantry has been a great place for him to explore and organize... I just need to move all the flours up higher...

Dave has definitely had a better semester than his first year, and I'm so happy he has a few weeks off! We've been out most nights all week with Holiday parties and catching up with friends. Last night we just sat around the table eating and playing games, and it was truly magical. Most nights he is tied up with school work, and so it's been like a dream.

We aren't heading back East for the Holidays due to time and money constraints, being rather pregnant and you just never know what the weather will do. We'll really miss seeing our families, but are hoping to see them shortly after baby 2 is born. With that, we're making the most of our first Christmas as little Vance family. Dave's had his traditions, and I've had mine, and we're combining them for this year, as well as making some of our own. I'm very excited about Christmas Eve. We're gonna hit up the early candlelight service at the Met(our church) tomorrow night, then come home for a huge feast of lasagna and caesar salad. Growing up, we never had a big or specific meal on Christmas Eve, but my best friends family did. And that's what good ol' Barb always served up, apparently. Anyways, I'm not a huge turkey and potato person, so decided to make something that I adore! Selfish? Maybe a little, but gluten free lasagna is a rare event around here, so I think Kate and Dave are looking forward to it.

Katie and I are all ready to tag team Christmas dinner again, and we have a big day of prep work for it starting tomorrow, so I should head to bed and get some R and R.

Merry Christmas to all of you. I hope you have a fantastic day/week/year... my goal is to post again before the new year

Much Love, The Vances

October days...

October is well under way, and I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted. We've been taking turns being sick, and things have been a wee bit miserable around the palace. Jesse is finally over a nasty ear infection, and I just finished my last round of antibiotics for bronchitis. Katie had a cough that was keeping her up at night that seems to be improving, and I guess Dave seems to be hanging in the best of all of us. We all seem to be in better health and spirits this week. And I finally have some energy to tackle the never ending to do list.

Thanksgiving was a busy weekend with work on Saturday, church and a dinner with the Denne/Meredith Clan on Sunday, and then Katie and I decided to try our hand at our own feast on Monday. Whoa. Is it ever a lot of work. We tag teamed the bird and stuffing. She did the gravy and potatoes and home made applesauce. I did a Gluten free apple pie for dessert, salad, and cooked vegetables. It was a good test run for Christmas, as we will be staying here in Ottawa for the holidays. I'm not one of those people who gets excited for Christmas super early. Usually I don't want to think about it until December. However, having a kiddo now, and getting to establish some of our own traditions and timing is an exciting prospect this year. We will certainly miss our East Coast visit. However, with me being 9 months pregnant at that point, and with all the prep and marking work Dave needs to get done over the holiday, we figured it would be a smarter decision to stay put this year.

Jesse is walking strong these days, and trying out lots of words. He has his own little vocabulary that I understand fully, but others may not. In addition to dada, mama, burb, and tickle, he says up and down, done, brr, car, bath, and hot. He also calls his Aunt Katie, "Ticky." It's pretty cute. He has developed an obsession with books, and anytime he sees one will reach towards it and moan...Booooooo. He hasn't quite got the "k" on the end. We have a big basket of books in the living room and he pulls each one out and brings it to me to read several times per day. He is also getting better at playing more independently and will sit in his little book corner and read aloud to himself while he flips through the pages.

Halloween is just around the corner, and I have a stinkin' adorable elephant costume to sew up for him. It's going to be quite the timely project, but looks like so much fun. We also live in an area of town that gets busy and gets lots of trick or treaters this year, so I'm looking forward to taking Jesse out for a bit and then being home to see all the other kids dressed up.

Dave is making it through the school year with a pretty good attitude and spirits. He is involved in a fair amount at school from the yearbook to guitar club, and the supervisor of the Cappies program. He also has been playing guitar a fair amount for worship at the church and youth group. Maybe he's a little bit too busy..... But I'm always amazed at how well he handles all his activities and work.

It's been lovely having Aunt Katie around. Dave is away a lot and it's nice having someone else to chat with in the house in the evenings especially. It's also fun having someone else who likes making fun of some of Dave's quirks and habits with me. Ya... sometimes we gang up on him. But it's usually well deserved. She has also been very gracious to hang around the house some evenings so Dave and I can get out for a coffee or walk while the baby sleeps.

Well, J bear is spinning around the living room like a bit of a maniac and it's a sign he is almost ready for a nap. I also have plans for laundry and perhaps cutting out his pattern today.... so should be on my merry way. Thanks for reading, I'm out :)

September!

September is well under way, and it's been good getting back into a bit of a routine. I will admit, however, that I miss my husband. He he has 3 new courses to teach this semester and is tied up with prep work most nights at the school. He also is teaching all English courses so has loads of marking to do. He has been coming home for dinner and to spend an hour or two with Jesse and I, and I've been very grateful for that. He's also managing to get in 6 hours of sleep each night, which is an improvement from last year. However, I think it might be catching up with him. After he smashed our rim into a curb this week, we needed a new rim and tire. So, Dave decided to take me into work this past Saturday while he got the thing fixed. So, yesterday morning as he was driving me and Katie into Barrhaven, he was eating leftover pizza on a big glass plate. Dave decided he didn't want his pizza crusts, and needed to get rid of them. So, he rolled down his window, and flicked his plate , hoping the crusts would fly away into the wind. Well, we were going about 90, and it was a windy morning. The wind whipped the plate out of his hand and it launched like a mad frisbee, smucking the side of our vehicle, and then sailing through the air missing the car behind us by about an inch. OH MY! We pulled over in shock and to see if anyone wanted to yell at us. But everyone kept on driving by. Then, we all burst into laughter. Uncontrollable laughter. You should have seen the way the plate flew. I'm still waiting for a police to arrive at our door over this. Dave told me I had to wait 2 months to tell anyone so he could get over the shame. But then he changed his mind.

Jesse is doing well, and is turning into such a little boy! He took his first unassisted steps last week, and does pretty well with the whole walking thing. But still prefers to crawl everywhere. You have to ask him to walk to you-and then half the time he will still plunk on his bum and speed crawl over to you. He has been doing well with our lovely care giver and her daughter a few days per week. He cries a bit when I leave, but snaps out of it pretty fast. It's nice to know he is being well taken care of, and I'm happy he's having that constant interaction with another little one. It will get him all ready for when his little sister comes. Oh yes! My last ultrasound revealed I'm having a girl. I'm pretty excited to purchase purpley things and dresses.

Work is going pretty good on my end. The first few weeks of preschool are always a little rough with separation anxiety from a handful of our students. I've already been thrown up on twice from kids so upset they puke. However, the majority are all settled in and it should be smoother sailing from this point. We have a great teaching staff where I work, and that makes a world of difference. Speaking of staff, Katie was hired to take over my contract when I go on mat leave, and so she is currently picking up part time hours running the after school program at a gym tale, as well as a weekend and nursery school shift.

Well, there is lots to do today. Jesse gets dedicated in church this morning, and I'm going to have to wake him up about an hour into his usual 3 hour morning nap to get him there on time. I'm hoping he isn't too crabby. I have this horrible image of him squirming and fussing and potentially yelling and smacking the senior pastor while on stage in front of the hundreds in the congregation. Crossing my fingers! I should be on my way. Thanks for reading, everyone. I'm out.

August

It's been far too long since I've posted!

We left for a 3 week vacation to the East Coast at the end of July and it was just fabulous. We stayed with my parents for half of our stay and Dave's for the other. They both live in Fredericton so that was our sort of home base. We had lots of park days, free babysitting, and relaxing. Much needed! I celebrated my 26th birthday while there, and my mom made me her famous and delicious fish chowder and a rhubarb coffee cake I've loved since a kid. Oh Food. I have quite a strong food memory :) We also took a few day adventures - which included going to Hartland to visit some folks, spending a few days at my aunts cottage on the lake, and hitting up Magic Mountain Water Park in Moncton. It was really nice to spend time with family and get a break from the usual routine.

The last weekend of our stay, we headed to Nova Scotia for my little brothers wedding. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, and Jacob and Katrina were just so cute! The ceremony was held at the Acadia chapel, and then the reception was held outdoors at Katrina's house. Katrina's dad keeps up their grounds in the summer and it was just beautiful. They have gorgeous ponds and little waterfalls and lots of flowers and tons of space. They had some tents up and my favourite part was a little candy shop where you could go load up on candy all afternoon. On our way home we stopped in Truro to visit Dave's grandparents. We hadn't seen them since Christmas and it was nice to catch up.

As wonderful as our vacation was, it was great to get home. We'd been sharing a room with Jesse and he'd been waking up at 5:30AM and seeing us and insisting we get him up. Now that he's back in his own room, he'll wake up that early, squawk for a few minutes, then go back to bed for another hour. We've had a few more weeks of vacation to relax and get stuff done. Dave's sister, Katie, just moved in with us. She'd been overseas teaching English in Korea for a year and decided to come hang out with us and get a job in Ottawa. Her parents moved her in last week, and she transformed our basement into a really cool place. It's all painted and very stylish. Her painting inspired us to get started on ours, and we started painting a few days ago. The kitchen and dining room are done and we are going to start on the living room today.

Dave has been sick for the past week with the stomach flu turned strep throat, and so it's felt a little hectic dealing with Jesse 24-7, work, and trying to get lots of things done before I go back to work full time next week. Dave has headed back to work this week full time, and I'm hoping his antibiotics kick in soon so he's all refreshed for next week when the students come. I'm very much looking forward to teaching preschool next week . We've also recently hired a bunch of new staff to replace some of the girls graduating and going to school, so lots of weekend training going on, and busyness!

That's all I have time to blabber on about for now. The biscotti paint is patiently sitting in it's can, and needs to go while Jesse naps. Thanks for reading. I'm out!

SUMMAH" DAYS

Summer has been treating us pretty well. In fact, I've been getting a wee bit lazy with all of Dave's help and free time floating around. Our Day usually starts at 6 am with Jesse blabbering in his crib. One of us will get him up and play/feed him for the first hour and a half of the morning - then the other one does the second hour and half before his nap time. THEN- we quite often crawl back into bed while Jesse takes his morning nap for a few hours. Wow. I feel like such a slacker verbalizing this. After getting up and ready for the Day we grab some lunch then usually do some sort of afternoon activity to get the kid out of the house. He doesn't do well being at home or in one spot for too long. He's like his daddy- he needs to be on the move.

We've had to be a little bit creative and try to find cheap activities since my EI has run out but I'm still only working Part time. We've done lots of swimming at the beach, pools, friends' places. Lots of park time, walks, checkin' out some local trails. Plenty of afternoon drives accompanied with iced coffee's on those "feels like 43 with the humidity" days. We have also hit up downtown a bunch this summer. Jesse loves going on the bus- so we've explored a few things down there.

We had a decent Canada day this year and started by heading downtown on the bus first thing in the morning. The plan was to catch the musical ride at 10:30. We ended up arriving by 11, and missing it. We wandered around in the thick of the crowd along parliament and enjoyed feeling festive and patriotic with everyone else. A concert and visit from the queen was scheduled for noon, but at that point J Bear was getting tired and hungry and so we decided to head back home. SO we didn't really get to attend any activity...but there was lots happenin' in the streets. People juggling fire, doing acrobatics... that sort of thing. Oh babies. How they dictate life. We had a bunch of ABuers who were all visiting Ottawa for Canada day over for supper, and Dave headed back downtown with them for a the fireworks and a real Ottawa experience- schwarma. I hung out at home with Jesse who was miserable and rashy and had been dealing with high fever on and off through the week.

His rash and fever have since passed and we were relieved to get our happy silly baby back. Only to have him discover the power of the temper tantrum a week later. Ugh... When Jesse doesn't get his way lately he will bang his head into the floor, or if you pick him up- he will bang his head into you and proceed to bite. Oh! And if you're lucky- slap you in the face while kicking his legs. OH MY. I had a bit of a melt down the other day thinking I had failed as a parent if my kid was behaving this way at such a young age..... Only to have other people encourage me that they had similar issues between 1 and 2 and it all passes. I just have to keep reminding myself of this on bad days. I Picture him as a 3 year old who can verbalize his feelings without the need to give me a black eye in the process. But, this behavior isn't constant. He's a pretty loveable and cute little monkey all the same. He is a speed crawler and cruiser at this point. He hasn't had any desire to walk without holding onto anything yet- I'm sure that will come late- just like his desire to move off his butt, did. He is also getting more baby words into the little vocab of his. He will say Ba for bath. Daw for Dog. and Ticka Ticka for Tickle Tickle. It's just so stinking cute. He will point your nose (and sometimes mouth) if you ask him where it is, and still loves to play peek a boo.

Speaking of 3 year olds, I've really enjoyed being back at work. I'm working with 3-7 year olds this summer, and it's a nice change to be able to talk and joke and with them. And not wipe bums, boogers, or spit up. Dave has been doing a great job keeping Jesse happy while I'm at work. We've actually started another summer tradition I like to call Freedom Wednesdays. Basically, we alternate having Wednesday OFF from everything. Last Wednesday, Dave went and played video games ALL day long with a friend while I watched Jesse. It was nice to have the kid to myself for a day, and we very much appreciated Daddy when he got back. Today was my freedom day and I got my hair done, spent a gift certificate I'd had since Christmas, then chilled on the beach reading a book all afternoon. It was just marvelous. We both crave time to ourselves and so this is good idea for us. Cause it's just NOT possible in the school year. Dave is SUPER busy every day- and that means I have Jesse every day.

We head back to Fredericton for our official vacation this Monday. We're really looking forward to seeing all the fam, and taking in some maritime goodness, like the Ocean! Also, crossing our fingers for some free babysitting here and there so Dave and I can have some time together. Most of our Ottawa friends with kids have family in the area, and getting childcare on short notice or here and there is no problemo. It's definitely a challenge for us to get out of the house by ourselves without the kiddo. Although, we feel lucky he goes down to bed so easily at 7 and we have the evenings to ourselves. That is a super huge plus. We found a few card/board game we are addicted to called Dominion. It's one of those German best sellers like Settlers. We've been staying up way too late duking it out the past few weeks.

Anyways, I think I've rambled enough. I've been watching Glee online, and I've got one episode to go. Dave is at man group tonight, and so I'm going to take advantage of the quiet house to blare my show :) Thanks for reading. I'm off :)

cruisin, earthquakes, and summer

Today was a horrible day. It was rainy and hot and Jesse was a miserable miserable child most of the day. On top his rage against the world, I was suffering with morning sickness and total exhaustion. The combination of 5 hours sleep last night, first trimester baby growing going on, and an angry baby who wanted to nurse a lot today.... well...it was very wearing...to say the least. But, the sun is now shining and Jesse is fast asleep. Sitting here looking outside at all the beautiful green trees rustling in the wind that is snaking it's way through the window and cooling off the house, is I'm certain God's whisper and gentle hand telling me to breathe - relax- enjoy.

There have been a few exciting moments during the past week that I refuse to let nausea rob me of. First, Jesse is finally on the move. He is crawling- pulling up on everything- and cruising from furniture to furniture. I love it. It's like a new form of communication. If he wants me to hold him- he comes on over and climbs on me. If he wants to go and pull everything out of his toy bin and litter the room with toys- he can. On a side note- today he figured out how to take his pants off. And he has been :) Jesse turned one last weekend, and we had a low key BBQ with his closest baby friends and their parents to celebrate. I'm not a super sentimental person, but I felt a wee bit overcome at cake singing time.....knowing that his baby days are gone, and he's just gonna keep getting older and older, and we will keep singing that song every year until who knows when.

In other news, Ottawa was the epicenter of a 5.5 magnitude earthquake yesterday. I was nursing Jesse upstairs and immediately thought a big tractor was crashing into our house. I ran downstairs only to see the cupboard doors opening and closing shut and sort of feeling dizzy and off balance as the walls seemed to move towards and away from me. When I realized what was happening, I ran to the closest doorway- then changed my mind- then ran to another. About a minute later the shaking and rumbling stopped, and all the neighbors congregated on the front lawn to share in the disbelief and jitters. It was pretty crazy.

Another exciting thing happening in the Vance's lives- is the SUMMER! Dave has finished all his marking- and is just at the school doing some housekeeping for a few more days. He is already a happier, lighter man, and I can't even imagine how intensely he'll be glowing a few weeks into vacation after some much needed rest- and of course Chrissy and Jesse time.

Well, a friend is coming by to watch a chick flick with me tonight. Dave is at graduation, and I should be off. Thanks for reading all of you wonderful people :)

these are a few of my favourite things

I apologize for my lack of entries over the past few weeks. We had a fantastic time at Grace's wedding, and despite Jesse being a miserable crying psycho during the rehearsal dinner. He was in a great mood for the day of the wedding, and made it all the way until 11pm dancin' on the dance floor in good spirits. Grace was just stunning, everything about her day was beautiful, and I really enjoyed the freedom from baby responsibility for the day!

We've since moved out from Carling Park area, and into the Craig Henry area. The move was super slick, and we had amazing help. Everything was moved within 3 hours, and the guys stayed for a while to do stuff like put together the crib and beds and arrange our furniture how we wanted it in each room.

I've had the past week to get things in order, and am left with half a dozen boxes in the basement to go through, the storage room to organize, and things like pictures, decorations, and curtains to get up. During this move, we basically lived out of a few boxes for a few weeks. It's amazing all the STUFF we can go without! However, there were four things that really stuck out to ma that I missed during this time.

The first would have to be color. Our apartment was done in a warm sundial shade, with a super drum beat red accent wall, and Jesse's room was a gorgeous green shade called rejuvenate. We had to paint it all back to white, and the new house is currently all white as well. Man...the white really bums me out. It feels kind of depressing day in and out, and I can't wait to get these walls done up. I've been playing with a paint visualizer program on the sherwin williams website, and haven't decided 100% on our colors. But we're thinking an intense blue for the kitchen, a subtle warm green for the living, and then maybe a dark taupe for the dining room with a lighter complementary taupe for the hallways. I like lots of color and variety! We can't afford new furniture or decor at this point, but paint is a great (and cheaper) way to liven things up and make it feel a little more your own.

The other thing I really missed was my white board. My white board hangs in the kitchen, and has a little bulletin board section on it which I tack important addresses, phone numbers, pictures all stick to it. I use the white board to jot down things I need to get done each day, or things we run out of. And while I also love my pen and notebook, I REALLY missed having my white board out and about. I finally found it a few days ago, and putting that thing up in the kitchen just warmed my heart.

I missed my cook books!!! I love trying new recipes, and have been working my way through an entire GF cook book the past few months. I really missed having them out to flip through, and got sort of bored of cooking things off the top of my head. I'm starting back at it tonight with a pecan-espresso shortbread cookie. Yummmmmy. Can't wait.

The last thing that I really missed, was my teddy. I've never been much of a stuffed animal person. I usually hugged a second pillow growing up. But, Jesse was given this stuffed bear by his Aunt Katie the Christmas before he was even born. It looked a lot like this little bear that my brother Jacob grew up attached to, named Vavaldi. Jacob called him Babaldi. Anyways, this bear sat in my room for a while as a reminder that little Jesse was on his way, then made his way to the bed, and now I have a hard time sleeping without him. I sort of strangle him curled up on my side. Dave is a little jealous of Vavaldi, and I think was secretly happy when I couldn't find him. But, he showed up a few nights ago, and now I am sleeping much more comfortably. I don't know if I can give the teddy bear back to his rightful owner. Sorry Katie.

Well, that's all the ranting for now. The house is feeling pretty good- varnish smell and white walls aside, it's crazy how much room we have now! Even if it's a little messy, the mess doesn't feel as intense because it's spread over so much more space. Anyways, As mentioned, I have some cookies to bake, some swatches to look through, and maybe I'll tackle one box tonight?? Thank you all for reading. I'm off.

Dave is silly

Things have been very busy around here, and I'm making some time to ramble, I guess. We move in less than 10 days, and I have been packing packing packing, and painting the apartment back to white, and arranging things for the moving day, and calling everywhere to change our mailing address...and the list goes on. Today I'm taking a break from "the move" and getting ready for our weekend trip to Kitchener. My friend, Grace, is getting married this weekend, and I'm a bridesmaid. We are all very excited for the wedding, and today I'm packing for that, and printing off directions, and painting my toe nails, and picking up some last minute things. Road trip...wooo hoooo...can't wait! Some quality time with friends and family is a welcome break in the moving process right now.

Speaking of quality time, Dave and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary last week. We dropped Jesse off at a friends and went to a nice little Italian place that served gluten free. I had glutenous pasta loaded with shrimp and clams and scallops...mmmm...my favorite. Dave doesn't eat seafood, and we usually have rice pasta. So, this was a real treat. I got Dave this funny card that played the song "You'll be in my heart.." by Elton John when you open it. That might not be the name of the song, but the chorus goes "You'll be in my heart. Yes you'll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forevermore..." Anyways, it's a pretty cheesy song, and he opened it in this fancy quiet restaurant and as it blared out over the calm dinner music, he got a little bit embarrassed. He closed it and said, "I'll..ahh.. Listen to the rest of the song later." Ha Ha Ha.

Dave has also been doing this strange thing in his sleep lately. You see, I tend to sleep on my side. But, I usually wake up every few hours during the night, and sit up, then switch to my other side. Last night, at around 3am when I sat up to have my little stretch before switching sides, Dave BOLTED straight up in bed and dove for me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, and pulled me close to him, and wouldn't let go. I thought he was going to squeeze me to death. I tried to tell him to let go, and push him away, but he just held on tighter and tighter like I was in danger. I literally had to use my whole body to pin him onto his back, then pry his arms off me while yelling at him to let go and go back to sleep. I was scared to move for the rest of the night. He has no recollection of this , this morning, but he believes me. He actually did this same thing twice a few weeks ago, and remembers it. He says he thought I was falling off the bed, and he was trying to save me?!? He woke up screaming last time, and scared the CRAP out of me, and I started screaming. Oh the adventures. I just love him. Every year gets better.

I was listening to him play with Jesse the other day. He was playing with Jesse's toes, and perhaps forgot some words. This is what I heard, "This little piggy went to the market. This little piggy went to Bayshore. This little piggy went to the rideau center, and this little piggy went to the movies. And this little piggy went, weee weee weee all the way to bulk barn." Jesse loved it. Dave can CRACK UP Jesse. Last night Dave was pretending to sneeze, and Jesse almost had tears he laughed so hard and so loud for so long. I can't get Jesse into hysterical fits of laughter like Dave. Just a chuckle here or there.

Well, I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend! Dave has the day off tomorrow, too, and I'm just SO tickled. Thanks for reading! I'm off.

Mother's Day 2010

I have a new found appreciation for Mothers Day, and more importantly my mom. I think a person doesn't fully appreciate their mom until becoming a parent, and realizing not only how much work it is, but how much LOVE a parent has for a child.

This being my first official mother's day, Jesse was very good to me via Dave. Dave dealt with Jesse's middle of the night feeding, and got up at 6:30 when he did and took him out of the house so I could sleep in. Jesse is so loud in the mornings! They went for a long drive, and out to Starbucks, and got home just in time for Jesse's morning nap. Dave put the boy in bed, and I continued to sleep while Daver cooked me breakfast. Oh it was so lovely. We went to church, and had a good old KD lunch when we got home, and ANOTHER nap time. Isn't it funny that what I wanted for mother's day was sleep??? Jesse also made me his first card, and got me some goodies. It was a fantastic day, and I felt very appreciated. Jesse also started this bawling when I'm out of sight or arms this weekend...which is perhaps a sign of his love....but hard on the system. It continues into today...but I'm hoping he snaps out of it. I've been away for work and a few other things, and I'm hoping he just missed me, and will get over it after a few days of having me back!

Anyways, enough about me. I wanted to tell all my faithful readers about my mom, and why she was/is so awesome of a mom. To begin with, my mom had 4 of us all close together. I find myself exhausted with just one, and that she went through 4 labors and almost 10 years of nursing and diapers and sleeping issues. Wow. Above that, she wanted to be able to stay at home with us, so worked her life around this goal while we were young. She did the home day care thing for quite a while, did a few home based businesses including sewing... and took on Paramedic work where she could be on call at home. The funny thing about my mom is that she never wanted kids, she doesn't really like children. But, my oldest brother, Josh, was a surprise, and she decided she liked her OWN kids. So...the fact that she watched other kids for a bunch of years just to be with us, speaks volumes to me. In 1992 she also agreed to move from Ottawa (she LOVES the city) to Hartland-population 900- so we could be closer to family and in a safer more "country wholesome" environment with a great school.

My mom was always around growing up, but always had her own projects and social activities on the go. Sewing, singing, her short lived hydroponics garden stint, kyaking, and the list seriously goes on and on and on... I remember her going on this lamp shade making CRAZE for a while. I think everyone we knew got a lamp shade that year for Christmas. I appreciate this! We had some space and some independence, even though we knew she was always there for us. I think I learned to be an organized and capable person because of this, and don't have any troubles adapting to new scenarios or tasks. At the same time, my mom also got involved with the things that were VERY important to me. In high school, cheerleading was a huge joy and part of my life. My mom would often come to the basketball games to watch us, and volunteer to take a car load of us girls to away games. She also forced my whole family to come to our provincials at the end of the year, and they would stay in our same hotel, and cheer us on. When I got super interested in videography, she loaned me the money to buy my first camera, and video card on my computer. These are just a few examples of many ways she has supported me. When I had Jesse, and was a bit of a wreck for the first month. She called to chat and check in on me at my lowest points, and being able to bawl to somebody who has been through it, was a saving Grace.

My mom is pleasant and SO funny! Growing up, people have liked coming over to my house to see what silliness my dad and mom might be up to. My mom also has a temper that would scare the black smoke from LOST's island back to it's temple. Growing up, I had several frightened moments. I behaved very well, but I often feared for my brother's lives. I remember trying to convince my brothers not to do stuff with the phrase, "Mom's gonna get mad." Looking back, I am so thankful that my mom acted like a parent to me, and didn't just try and play the friend role. I see the effect of that on several kids at my work place, and it's not pretty. Her boundaries and, yes, rage, helped me along my path. And while I have made mistakes and am certainly not perfect, she has been a wonderful influence in my life. When people tell me I look like my mom, or sometimes Dave will say "whoa- that reminded me of your mom." I feel flattered.

So, as I continue on my own mom journey, I find myself thinking about my mom a lot. What would she do in this case??? And then I usually pick up the phone and call her with ridiculous questions. Probably her favorite after my labor was, "I think my insides are falling out...this is what it looks like..what should I do?" Mom's are the best! Be good to yours :)

Davers trip, Jesse and Momma in May

So...it's been a good week so far. Jesse has been sleeping and eating well, and Dave is home!

Last week, Dave took his grade 12 world issues class to a model United Nations conference in Toronto. I really didn't mind him being away. I ate way too much gluten, kept busy with friends, and had some time to myself in the evenings. However, by day 4, I was ready for him to come home. We picked him up on Saturday, and Jesse was so hyper to see him.

I guess the students had a good time In Toronto, and aside from a few random events...such as the 401 closing down for an hour and making them late for the opening ceremony...things went smoothly. It was quite the trip for Dave to plan. Organizing sleeping arrangements, travel plans, chaperones, and the schedule. I think he did a great job. All the students informed him on Monday that they were all very happy they went, and they thought future classes should all have to go to the conference each year. Dave seems to be getting lighter everyday closer to the summer we get. He is still swamped with marking and lesson prep, but I can tell he sees the light at the end of the tunnel!

I can't believe it's May already. Last year at this time, I was feeling miserable with a variety of issues surrounding my pregnancy, and finished up work middle of the month. I feel sad I have only 2 months left being a stay at home mom. Jesse is so cute these days. He says mama, and is super cuddly. He's all about the hugs and kisses, and nuzzling his face against yours. Recently, he has started laying his head on my chest and wrapping his arms around me when he's sitting on my lap for a good 5 minute snuggle. He'll look up at me and just grin, then snuggle back in. He's normally pretty high energy and doesn't sit still so much, so I just treasure these moments of the day. Jesse has also taken his first steps of progress on his stomach. Normally, he'll just scream and then turn himself over to his back. But, he has started sliding himself backwards across the floor by pushing with his arms and sliding on his belly. He is also using his legs and arms to pivot around in circles on his stomach. I would like him to hold off for another month on any intense travel, so I can keep him in one spot while I get this place packed up for the big move.

I have started packing up...and have managed 8 boxes over the past week. A bunch of kitchen stuff we don't use often, as well as some books and DVDs. It's incredible how tricky it is to make major progress with a child... so I'm glad to be starting early. I'm continuing trying all new recipes out of my cookbook. The egg section has been yummy so far. I've done a creamy tomato and egg curry, as well as a goat cheese and potato open faced omelet. Both turned out well. Tonight a spinach and zucchini frittata are on the menu. I'm also skipping ahead to the last 3 chapters of the book that include cookies/cakes/pies and will start trying those alongside the meals. That way, I won't end up with 50 different sweets to try in a row at the end. The first cookie recipe is a Peanut Butter and chocolate one. Yummmmm.....

Well, I've got to go and switch over some laundry while the baby is down. Here's a snap shot of Jesse Pre-Bath. Thanks for reading. I'm off!

nursery,packing plans, and sand

I'm sitting here eating a slice of lemon poppy seed loaf with a fork. While the recipe tastes delicious, and the bread is super soft...it crumbles into a million tiny crumbs when any amount of stress is placed on it. This one won't be a re-do....

The past week was a challenging one. Jesse was throwing fits left right and center, and didn't seem to snap out of it until the weekend while I was at work. Daddy always seems to get Jesse during his happier days, and gets the 3 hour naps from him, etc. So unfair. But, truthfully, I am glad for that. Dave has enough stress and attitude thrown at him during the week teaching the teenies, he doesn't need ANY more.

Yesterday, we decided to try Jesse in the nursery at church instead of in the service with us. One of us usually ends up having to leave with him after the music ends, cause he is SO loud. There is a parents room with video feed of service, toys, exersaucers and a nursing corner we've been using. But, we decided we wanted to both enjoy the service together each week. So... we filled out the paper work and dropped him off. We received a pager, and they said they would page us if he had any issues. I felt a little bit sad for a few minutes. Then felt an extreme surge of freedom and happiness with our decision. We picked him up an hour and a half later at the end of the 10:50, and the nursery volunteers said he did just fantastic, and got a long well with everyone. That was good to hear.

This week I'm starting on my to-do list for our upcoming move. I have reserved our u haul, and plan to pack a few boxes this week. Dave is away with his grade 12 world issues class in Toronto at the Model United Nations conference for most of the week, so I plan to eat frozen food, and spend my cooking time doing some purging and packing. I'm actually kind of excited about it. For one, I like projects to work away at. However, I like going through old boxes and all the "stuff" that gets accumulated and throwing things away. It feels refreshing somehow...AND Dave won't be here to tell me to keep stuff! ma ha ha.. (that was supposed to be evil laughter)

I have a plum and almond coffee cake in the oven, and I'm feeling a little weirded out by the smell and look of it. Jesse Bear is getting in a nap, and I think this afternoon we'll go to the park. I took him on Sunday, and let him play in the sand, and he was so curious about it at first. Picking it up and letting it run through his fingers, squishing it in his toes. Then, he decided he didn't want the sand touching him and kept trying to kick it away with his feet, only to discover more and more sand. Eventually he just lifted his arms up and looked at me with this pout that said "rescue me." So cute. Alright. enough blog jabbering. Or blogabbering...or jablogerring...On my way. Thanks for reading. I'm out.

Home and Dresses

Our trip home from the grand NB was super. We had to stop every few hours for Jesse to stretch and get some fresh air...but after 15 minutes of being outta the car, he was good to hit the road again. We really enjoyed our visit back home. I thought 4 days wouldn't feel like enough time, but it was just enough time to see everybody, as well as get some relaxing in.

One positive thing about my new momma figure...A little wider everywhere...is that my mom and I are now just about the same size. So...I can steal her clothes when I go home. Actually...over the past year she has been giving me clothes every time I visit. This time, I really hit the jack pot. Mom's newest job is at Fabricville as a manager. Part of the dealio, working there, is that you get big discounts, but also an allowance to sew things to display throughout the store. The bonus, is that you get to take them home after a few months. So...mom has been sewing us stuff like crazy, and 5 of the dresses and 3 shirts were done being on display, so I got to take them home with me. Last night, Dave and I had a little fashion shoot, so I could put up some pictures...Silly us.

This is my FAVOURTIE piece she made.. I Plan on wearing it to my little brother, Jacob, and his lovely fiance Katrina's, wedding.

These are a few more casual summer dresses she did for me... I love the bow wrap thing on the yellow one!

And here are a few of the tops... I forgot to include them in the fashion shoot, but happened to have worn them during the week, so have my bases covered. I love the color of the orange jacket, and the cinched(sp??) waist on the beige..

So...thank you Mama Smith. She continues to sew...and next time I'm home, there will be a whole nother set of her creations off display for me to take home. Yay!

I really don't have too much news about the past week. The weekend was nice, with a morning breakfast with some friends (the kids in the above picture) before church, and some time with Dave. We missed him while we were gone. Jesse has been over the top miserable with his 2 top teeth coming through since Monday, and Dave has been swamped with school work.... so it hasn't been the best week of my life.... I've been trying to distract myself from everyones misery with cooking and baking. I love it. I've done a few more recipes in my book. A spiced apple crumble and some fig-quinoa breakfast bars. Both were good.

Well, once again, the little tyke is calling. He has finished his breakfast, and you should see his face! Kiwi and cereal and cheese all through his eyebrows. How he does it, I do not know. ha ha ha. Gotta run, thanks for reading! I'm off.

Traveling at 10 months

It's a sunny and cool day here in Fredericton, and I'm at my parents place doing some relaxing, yup. Jesse was totally over the top miserable this morning, so I am treating myself to a glutenous lunch while he naps. Yummm...real bread with real slices of hot roast beef and gravy loaded on it. I am such an emotional eater. So bad.

Our car trip down was pretty good. Jesse slept until we hit Montreal. I had bought screen things for all the windows to make sure the sun wouldn't bother him, and even rigged up some diapers on the small triangle windows once we got going and I noticed the sun was creeping in through those. On top of this, I purchased a cheapo little mirror to attach to his head rest so I could see him from my rear view mirror. It's nice to be able to see him and what he is up to. But mostly, when he cries I like to be able to see what the reason is. Well... Didn't we get stuck in bad traffic in Montreal, and the one little sliver of light that squeaked through my fortress of diapers and screens happened to fall right across his eyes. He was not so happy about that. Once we got out of the city, he calmed down a bit, and I figured we'd stop in Drummondville for supper and a stretch in about half an hour. He started getting ancy and was full out screaming and bawling and just about choking by the time we arrived. I was a little flustered, and in my constant rearview checking to make sure he was still breathing in between the wails, I forgot my exit. Arg. It took me 10 extra minutes to get another exit and turned around and back to Drummondville. I was so edgy. But, once we got some fresh air, and some yummy chicken salad from Subway, Jesse was feeling much better. I got the boy into some PJ's and we had a good old play in the back seat until his bedtime, and took off around 7. He drifted to sleep and we continued from there until we hit Riviere de Loup. The kiddo woke up, and after some milk and another stretch and fresh air, he was out again until we arrived in Fredericton at 3:30AM. I can see why my parents used to drive us places through the night. It's much nicer travelling with a sleeping baby for sure! I was quite happy with myself for making it through on only a few sips of a coffee. I got tired the last few hours, and so to stay awake, I went through every year of my life and thought about the highlights and events of the year, who my friends were, what my family was up to, what our provincial cheerleading routine was like for that year. It was quite entertaining, and kept me from falling asleep. I also ate WAY too much trail mix. I got one with craisins and dried banana and pineapple, and a million nuts. soooooo delish.

People tell me that I'm brave to travel with a little one by myself. I've made this trip with Jesse at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and now 10. But really, I find it easier being just the 2 of us. I don't have to worry about if anyone else is bothered by his crying, I can stop when I want to, and just do my own thing. The one challenge is using the washroom. Trying to get your pants unbuckled and down while holding a squirmy baby who is trying to eat the toilet paper and climb your shoulder can be quite hilarious. Good times, really.

So, we arrived safely and are now spending some quality time with the fam. It's awesome to have both sets of Parents- Dave's and mine- in the the same city. I love a change of pace, and these road trips are good for that :) I'll write more about my adventure later as I hear baby Boo starting to wake. Thanks for reading. I'm off.

Ears, doctors and packing up

It's raining and overcast, and my mood is matching the weather today. The baby is down for a nap, and I really should be having one, too. But, once I get all cozy and drift off, he'll wake up, and then I'll feel more tired than I do, now. Jesse hasn't been sleeping or napping well since the weekend. He's been waking up 4 and 5 times a night SCREAMING since Friday. I thought maybe it was just a separation phase or something, but then I noticed the ear grabbing. By Tuesday, he had a full blown cold and a cough and hasn't been interested in eating, which is NOT at all like my little Jesse. We saw the doc yesterday, and sure enough, the little monkey had a nasty ear infection.

I know that health care is a touchy issue, but I have nothing but the best of things to say about my health care provider, and her office. I called yesterday at 10am, and we were given an appointment for 11:30am. We only waited 5 minutes to see the doctor once we arrived, and the care was awesome, as usual. When I first had Jesse, we probably saw the doctor 8 times within the first month for a variety of issues. The office has a number of doctors, and if yours isn't working that day, or filled up, the walk-in doctor or an associate doc. will see you. You don't have to walk in and wait though, they just book you in. I have never waited more than 15 minutes, and the one time I did, the doctor apologized profusely. The doctors are also fantastic people. The 2 we see the most are moms, and so they give advice, based not only on their medical expertise, but their own experience. It's nice to know that they aren't just throwing text book answers at you. At about a month into Jesse's birth, I came down with mastitis. I felt miserable, and when the doc asked how I was feeling and doing, I just BROKE DOWN.... like sobbing about how everything kept going wrong, and I was so tired, and felt so awful using up so much of their time with issues. My doctor told me everything was going to be ok, and that they were there to help. No matter how many times. That was good and all, but what really sold me on her amazingness, was that she called my house the next day to see how I was feeling emotionally and physically. She is also great because she offers practical and natural ways to deal with things, as well as the information and options regarding drugs, etc. It's nice to hear both sides, and not feel pressured....just informed. Dr. Musca is the best. She is actually on Mat. Leave right now with her third child, and the replacement Doctor has been very good, too. Wow. That was a rant.

So...back to the present, Today I'm staying close to home to try and give Jesse lots of opportunity to sleep and rest. He's only napping for 40 minutes at a time, so I'm just gonna try putting him down every few hours during the day. Cooper has been a touch under the weather, too. He's been pooping out bright colored tinfoil: pink, green, blue, since our egg hunt on Monday. The little crazy got into the basket of tinfoil wrapped chocolate, and it appears he couldn't figure out how to open them- so just ate them tinfoil and all. I know chocolate is fatal to dogs. But, our little Cooper is special. He ate a full toblerone bar once, as well as a good amount of hot chocolate mix, and is still with us.

I am also, working on packing up a suitcase for my road trip. Jesse and I are leaving this Saturday after my work shift for Fredericton for a few days to visit the fam. This will be our 4th road trip together, and I'm hoping that he's feeling better by Saturday. I did end up going with the antibiotics for his ears, and last night he was up coughing like crazy, but not screaming. So, I'm hoping for quick improvement. I also have some GF gingerbread flax bars to try out for the new recipe of the day. I tried some ricebran and raisin muffins a few days ago. They were good. A touch dry, and in gluten-free fashion best right out of the oven smothered with butter. They didn't keep very nicely past the first day, though. Oh gluten-freedom! How you distress me sometimes! Ok. I'm done with the drama. They were a nice substitute for cereal or eggs for breakfasts the past few days. I also broiled some spring steak kebabs for supper the other night as a new recipe. Dave loved them. I wasn't the hugest fan.

Alright, well I'm not sure when my next blog update will be. I have work tomorrow and Saturday, then we're off to the great and wonderful East Coast. Wish me luck. Thanks for reading. I'm off.

Rage, Breakfast, and Easter Weekend

It's an overcast morning, and Jesse is playing on the floor while the dog sleeps the day away on a pillow nearby. We had a fantastic Easter weekend, that started with a relaxing family day down by the water in 28 degree weather, and a drive around Ottawa with the sunroof open and windows down.

On Saturday after my work shift, my brother Josh and his wife Kari-Leigh came by for dinner and a movie. They live in Toronto, but KariLeigh grew up In Ottawa, so they make their way down here to visit her family on several occasions. Jesse has officially entered the fear of strangers phase...and while he is FINE and happy being around anybody, he FREAKS out when anyone he doesn't recognize HOLDS him. As you will be able to see from the next pictures I'll post on facebook.

He continued with this trend on Sunday at church, and Sunday night when we went to visit Darrin/Leah and fam for a amazing meal. We not only had chicken wrapped pork, but roast beef too! Jesse did well with Leah, who he has spent time with on several occasions, but there were some other guests he wasn't familiar with, and he threw a total fit when passed onto them. We took Cooper with us to play with their Puppy, Boo. Boo is not even a year and part Poodle/Shitzhu. She is about twice the size of Cooper, and has boundless energy and spunk. Cooper mostly cowered when she came bounding over to play...but as soon as Boo would come near Jesse, Cooper would growl(which is very rare for him) and bark his head off. At one point, I was sitting on the floor with Jesse on my lap. Boo jumped over and started kissing Jesse's face and jumping on him. Cooper jumped into the way and was circling us "defending and protecting" us, as poor Little Boo was trying to check out Jesse. It was pretty amazing how loyal these dogs can be.

Aside from a brief outing, and egg hunt, Monday was a bit of a work day for us. Dave with school, and me with the other unendings, such as dishes and floors. Since we are moving, we had a preliminary walk through of our apartment by the management to determine it's "showing quality." They will be showing it for the next little bit and said they will call before hand the day of. It's suppose to be neat and tidy for the viewings, so I'm all paranoid about this now, and have been forced into a neat freakish way of life, that is no fun, really.

I've gotten through a few more recipes in my book over the weekend. We had a really gross breakfast of an apple/almond/raisin with toasted oat muesli with plain yogurt, banana and drizzled honey on Sunday. It sounds good...but it was just TOO much taste and texture going on for one little bowl. Even Dave rated it a 2/10. The next recipe we tried on Monday made up for it. I made rice flour crepes, and stuffed them with bananas and chocolate hazelnut filling. They were UNREAL! Unfortunately, my recipe book received it's first war wound from this one, but it was sooo worth it. After blending all the ingredients together, I went to pour the batter into a bowl, and the mixture was so light, that as it hit the bottom of the bowl it splashed OUT and ALL over the counter and my book. Ugh. I was SO livid. Half of the crepe batter GONE. Sweet Dave came in and cleaned up my mess for me, while I fumed and resumed. (he he...that rhymed) Most people don't realize the TEMPER I have, and while I also have a good deal of patience, I snap when it comes to silly things like spilling stuff or stubbing my toes. Sometimes I surprise myself with the amount of anger than boils out of me. My mom, who I adore and love to pieces, has a wicked temper, and I think I have inherited some of it. She told me that she didn't realize she had a temper until she was married and her and my dad had friends over for supper. She was cooking some rice and it burned, and she was so angry, she took the plate and broke it over her head! We both can usually laugh after the fact at our ridiculous actions, but in the moment, the RAGE is intense. It's a good thing I married collected, David. He keeps me balanced.

I feel tired today from the past few nights sleep. I'm not sure if it's a stage or teeth, but Jesse has been waking up 2 or 3 times within the first few hours of the night, SCREAMING his head off. He's also been flipping out when I put him to bed, and I've not really had too much of a problem with that before, aside from 10 minutes of tired crying. But this is like INTENSE rage and tears. I'm kind of hoping it's just teeth, and not separation issues.

Well,,, I've nannered on enough for the morning. I have things to do, and people to see. And some rice bran and raisin muffins to try out for the new recipe today. SO, I best get at 'er. Thanks for reading. I'm off.

Cuddles, food and Good Friday

I just put Jesse down for his nap, after rocking him for 10 minutes while he was totally out. I usually put Jesse in bed, wide awake, because he doesn't fall asleep any other way. However, he passed out while I was feeding him, and I just savored cuddling with him fast asleep. We've had a busy week with a handful of play dates, dinner dates with friends, a messy house to clean, lots of banking and errands, and I'm on another cooking spree and have been going to town with trying new recipes.

I went through all my Chatelaine and Canadian Living magazines from the past year, and tore out any recipes I thought looked good, and were gluten free. I put them all in little plastic sheets in a binder, and that is my new "go-to" for supper. I am SO nerdy, I know. I love organizing things. However, upon completing this project, I noticed that I tend to pick out similar type recipes as I am drawn to certain things, like pasta, lemon, garlic, and chicken. So....what I've decided to do to spice up my life, in the Spirit of "Julie and Julia," is go through an entire recipe book that I have. Now... I'm not going to blog about it- or put any time limit on it. But, I have this GF cook book I was given for Christmas, and most of the recipes call for things I'm not familiar with, or don't have around the house. So... I've decided to work through that whole one from page 1. This morning, the first recipe we came to was brown-rice flour and yogurt pancakes. They were DELICIOUS! The texture was perfect, and they were SO easy to make. We let Jesse try out one, and he mostly thought it was a floppy toy. Cooper ended up with most of it, lucky dog.

We have lots on the go for this weekend, too, but are taking today to rest and relax as a family, and reflect a bit on Good Friday. We're also trying to decide how much or little of an Easter tradition we want to take up with the kids as far as "The Easter Bunny and Egg Hunts" go. I want our kids to know and appreciate the actual reason for the season, and don't want it overpowered by chocolate! But do want to do some fun and yummy stuff, too. Hmmm......thoughts?

The weather is suppose to hit 26 today, so I think we'll probably go for a good walk down by the water. Dave and I have this special little spot along the river we would frequent while I was pregnant with Jesse, and we'd talk about how we'd bring him there when he was born. And we haven't yet. Today will be the day. I hope all of you have a great long weekend. Thanks for reading. I'm out.

Jesse Bear at 9 months of life

AH. It's a great day. It started by getting to sleep in until 8:00 this morning. Jesse and I babysat the kids I used to nanny for yesterday, and we had a very busy day. He doesn't sleep very well outside of his crib, and wouldn't take his afternoon nap, so he lost that extra hour of sleep he usually gets. We met up with a friend, earlier this week, at a little coffee/kid play place, and I was amazed at what her little 10 month old cutie could sleep through. He was asleep in his car seat when we arrived, and he slept through her picking him up and moving him into a stroller, through the bright sunlight, into the shop, through ordering coffees, and then he slept while Jesse squealed and babbled very loudly right beside him. Amazing. I can't even open the door to Jesse's room silently without him stirring.

Since the time change, Jesse's sleep schedule has switched to one I favour much more. He does 7pm to 7am with a 15 minute feed around 4 am. I like him going to bed at 7, as opposed to his former 6:00 hour, because things don't feel as rushed in the evening. When Dave gets home, it used to be like... get everyone fed, and the boy washed up and into Jams and in bed in an hour... and I much prefer having a more relaxed time getting that done. It's nice for all of us to be able to have a bit of evening play time, or go for a walk together, too. When I go back to work in the fall, I'll really probably savour those few hours together. Also, Jesse's afternoon nap has also moved until much later in the day, allowing us to get out after lunch for a few hours. I like being home anyways, for 3 or so, to get supper on the go, and get some down time while the boy naps before Daver gets home.

So, this is Jesse at 9 months old now, and I feel like he has picked up and mastered so much new stuff this week. Here are a few highlights:

-Jesse is now putting things BACK into the box once in a while
-He hands people toys or food. Half the time when you reach out to take it, he pulls it back to eat or play with it, but the other half of the time, he actually shares.
-He has a really eczema ridden finger that he chews on all the time, so we try and keep it covered during the day with a bandaid. He has mastered taking the bandaid off. I think he likes the challenge, and I'm tempted to bandaid them ALL up one of these days, and see how long he'd work away at undoing them.
-He reaches both of his arms up when he wants out of his swing, high chair, or car seat.
-He gives me kisses if I ask for them. They are a little scary these days. He grabs the sides of my face and sometimes chomps a bit during the kiss.
- He VOLUNTARILY is going from sitting onto his stomach without flipping out. And while his legs have grasped the concept of crawling, his arms haven't yet. So, he's moving around quite a bit on the floor by sliding on his stomach and doing some pivoting.
-If he is on his back and you ask him to roll onto his stomach, he will.
-If you say "buckeroo," he will throw himself backwards... a little scary, indeed.
- He cries when I leave the room
-He gets the idea of playing catch with Cooper, and throws the ball for him.
-He likes to swat at Coopers face, and put his hands in Coopers mouth. This gets Cooper all riled up, and playful, and when he barks in Jesse's face, Jesse cracks up laughing.
-He knows when it's nap time, and cries when we walk down the hall and into his room, then throws a MAJOR 5 minute tantrum everytime I put him in his crib for a nap. I like when Dave is home and does this, so I don't ALWAYS feel like the meanie.
-He sways forward and back in his swing if it's not swinging to get it moving. And thinks it's hilarious for some reason.
-He pulls himself into a stand up position when he is sitting on my lap using my shoulders, then tries to climb up my body and over my shoulder. He does this on the armrests of the couch too.
-He does NOT sit still unless he has some little gadget to try and figure out.
-His mouth never stops moving
-He is VERY cute.

Well, it's Friday, and I need to get some laundry done before work tonight, and the house tidied up a bit. Dave has a group of guys over, quite often, on Friday nights, and they usually end up cleaning the messy kitchen and doing dishes. Which is nice, but I think I'll try and be on top of it this week. Happy Weekend! Thanks for reading. I'm off.

March Break Bliss and the misadventures of David

It's a dreary Sunday afternoon in Ottawa, and the boys are chillin' on the couch playing some Mario. Cooper is curled up on his pillow on the floor, sleeping the day away. I just downed one enormous mug of coffee, and am enjoying this lazy feeling day.

The past week has been absolutely wonderful, with Dave being on March Break. He had to spend about 3 full days doing school prep and marking- but otherwise spent the remainder with Jesse and I. We've been going to the park, taking lots of walks, watching a ton of LOST episodes, and eating WAY too much Brie cheese. I feel like we really needed some time as a couple and family to regroup and connect, and it's been a great week for that. We were also lucky to have a week full of sunny days in 15 degree range, and that added to the March Break Bliss.

Jesse is such a little boy these days, and has decided his favourite activity this week is throwing things. We fill up this basket full of all his little toys- blocks, rattles, balls, teething rings, etc- and sit him on the floor with it. He pulls one thing out at a time and shakes it to death, then whips it across the room. Now... I'm wondering if I should be discouraging this sort of behavior? Thoughts, anyone? But, he has so much fun with it, and it entertains him by himself for a while, so I've just been letting him go at it. He also initiates peek-a-boo, which is the cutest thing ever. No progress on crawling...still. But, I'm ok with that. I know that he will be into EVERYTHING when he gets moving, so am enjoying not having to chase him, yet.

Dave has been a super wonderful help all week, and I just love him. Yesterday, while I was at work, Dave decided to take Jesse on an adventure. He's been wanting a more manly baby carrier that he could tote Jesse around on his back. Apparently, he doesn't feel very manly using my slings?? :) Anyways, he decided he would take Jesse on the half hour bus trip to babiesRus to pick one out. I told him he was very brave, and should take the stroller... so he didn't have to carry Jesse the whole time. He didn't want to take the stroller, and said he'd be fine just carrying him. I guess the bus ride on the way there was great... Jesse was smiling at everyone, and as happy as good be. But when Dave got to the store, there were a TON of couples looking at carriers in the exact same section, and trying them all on. He sort of just watched everyone, and picked one out that most people ended up going with.

Now, when Dave gets a new Toy or a new anything, he has to use it RIGHT AWAY. A few days ago at the mall, he bought new socks at Sears, and put them on right after he bought them before continuing to any other stores at the mall. I thought that was so funny. So, as with the socks, he decided he needed to try out the carrier right away. Outside of the store, he proceeded to TRY and open the box, figure out all the straps, get Jesse into the carrier, and onto his back. All of this with Jesse in his arms, as there was nowhere to put him. Not even a bench anywhere! He couldn't figure things out, and upon reading the instructions discovered you need 2 people to get the baby onto your back in a safe manner. Now, if that was me.. I would have just been on my merry way with my purchase in hand to try at a later date. But, not Dave. He found some sort of box to sit Jesse on, and try and get him into the carrier, and onto his back... I guess Jesse started crying and fussing, and all these other couples with their babies were looking at him strangely. Dave said he felt awful. Like... everyone was thinking he was this horrible father. Anyhoo... I guess some guy passed by and said one of Jesse's feet was stuck, and helped him out. Dave proceeded to catch the bus back home. However, in all his dismay went the wrong direction on a crowded bus, and couldn't get OFF for 15 minutes. Finally, he got off and turned around, and Jesse started fussing again the whole ride home. When he arrived at the bus stop near our place, Jesse was miserable in the carrier, and Dave went to try and take it off, but the clips were jammed and he couldn't get the thing off his back. He ended up lifting it over his head with Jesse in it, and asked some girl looking at him with concern to make sure Jesse didn't fall out while doing all of this. Anyways, I guess it was a bit of a nightmare. We returned the complicated carrier, and got a much better one today. Oh Dave. Tsk. Tsk. Should have listened to mama. The stress he would have saved himself if he would have just taken the stupid stroller. I must say, though, life is never dull with Daver.

THE MANLY and BETTER CARRIER!

Well, it's my turn to watch Baby Boo, so Dave can have some down time. THanks for reading. I'm out.

A fantastic week gone by...

Well, it's been over a week since I've posted anything, cause my mom in law, Sharon, was visiting for the week from Fredericton. Dave's parents, moved to Fredericton from PEI on March 1st after Rob was offered a position with an engineering company in New Brunswick. I'm sure it would have been nice to get settled before flying over to Ontario to visit, but Sharon had booked the flight before they knew they were moving, and so stuck with the plan.

I've just gotten back from dropping her off at the airport, and the apartment certainly feels kinda sad and quiet without her. We had a great week, and it was just really nice to have her around to chat with, and enjoy Jesse with. I also took advantage of several free babysitting offers, and got out by myself for a few afternoons. It felt very freeing to be able to get out by myself without a baby attached, and no plans or errands to get done. I actually spent one of the afternoons at a few different malls spending some gift cards I'd received for Christmas, but hadn't the chance to spend yet. It was JUST what I needed. A little retail therapy sans bebe. Dave and I also got out for a date night, and that was really good for us. Last night, Sharon and I got out to see the movie Valentine's Day. I loved it! It had such a long list of my favorite actor/tresses, and was just a feel good movie, ya know?? Dave and I feel so very lucky to get along fabulously with each others family, and we're already counting the days until our Summer vacation in Fredericton...where they both now currently reside.

Jesse was a VERY happy and good baby all week, aside from Sunday where he was MISERABLE from teething. He's just so full of life and smiles, and is getting so much more fun to play with. He likes to wiggle his whole upper body like a fish out of water, and when I smile and say "Wiggle," He breaks into the biggest grin, and goes nuts whipping himself around. He's also getting better at pulling himself back to a sitting position when he wobbles or topples, and I'm sure in a few weeks, he'll be a pro. Still NO progress on anything that resembles crawling, as he despises his stomach and rolls onto his back as soon as you put him on it... But I'm not too worried about it. He'll get there eventually.

I have about 6 loads of laundry I've let build up now... and think I should likely go tackle that while the babe naps. Jesse and I are going to go to the park after he wakes up. The weather has been so nice all week...... sunny and breezy... 8 degreesish.....and there isn't much snow left. So, I'm very excited about that. Spring is on it's way. Yay! Thanks for reading. I'm off :)

Back to it

So Tuesday has arrived, and things are back to normal here at the palace. Praise The Lord. The past few days have been less than ideal with trying to recuperate from the stomach flu, and dealing with a teething ANGRY baby and a sick husband who picked up whatever I had. Dave is back to work today after taking a sick day on Monday, and despite puking last night around 3:30am, headed off to work around 6 this morning to try and get himself back on top of things. The evidence on the counter indicates he skipped breakfast and downed 2 cans of gingerale instead. Poor guy.

I must say, being stuck at home for 4 days with a sick little family, was NOT fun, and I was going a little crazy by the end of it. Facebook kept me in the loop about the outside world, and for that I'm thankful for. I find that facebook is a super helpful for a stay at home mom. Having a very demanding and busy little boy, I don't have much solid uninterrupted time during the day. Naps are about it, and this is the time when I do things that I can't when Jesse is up...like shower, haul laundry down to the basement, update my blog, or make necessary phone calls. When Jesse is up, I only have a few minutes here and there when he is content doing his own thing. Jesse wants to move and be be EVERYWHERE all the time, and since he can't walk or crawl yet, he is in this perma-frustrated state lately.

I find that taking a few minutes a few times a day to check Facebook helps me feel connected, especially with other moms who do the same thing during the day. I never thought I would be one to be interested in things like teething and napping, but it's life now..and knowing that other people are dealing with the same things helps me get through some of the rougher days. It's also nice to be able to see pictures and get status updates from our family and friends back in the Maratimes. It's no substitute for calling them, or seeing them, but when you only have a few minutes, it's the next best thing. Facebook also keeps me in the loop about things.... like the gold medal game....which we weren't able to watch, unfortunately. On the same note, it lets me know what I'm apparently out of touch with. This morning, everyone was chatting about the Bachelor? Even my brother was irate about his choice. Too funny. As much as I appreciate FB now, I'm glad it wasn't around when I was in High School. I see the potential for how it could suck all your time away, and perpetuate the drama and jealousy issues that are bad enough in the day to day lives of teenies without the computer as an extra contribution. At A Gym Tale, I hear hear 7 year olds complaining about how they aren't allowed a Facebook account. Dave says our kids won't be having it until they're married :)


Well...those are my few thoughts for the day. Baby is napping away, and I need to cut Coopers hair, get some laundry in, and have a shower. I'm never fully with it until I have my shower in the morning. I hope everyone is enjoying the week so far, and for those of you who aren't. Just imagine your current week, then add on a 2 ended stomach flu, a screaming crying baby with a groaning emotional hubby in the background, and maybe you'll feel better :) Or...just remember that there is a season for everything and "this too shall pass" That got me through a lot of rough times. Thanks for reading. I'm out.

Good news and bad

Well... I'll start with the bad. MY LIFE THE PAST 36 HOURS! I was hit with some sort of stomach flu bug (both ends) Friday morning around 1 am... and haven't felt this horrible since child birth. actually... maybe child birth was better. I always tend to get sick when I have things I want to do, or places I want to be, and this time was no different. I was suppose to babysit on Friday, then go to an Alicia Keys concert in the evening, and then work Saturday. I had to let a variety of people down....and would much rather have been out and about, then stuck in the bathroom/bed for the past day. I have managed to keep lunch down today...and my stomach is feeling much more settled, so I'm hoping the worst is over. I still feel dizzy and gross and sore, but I'm hoping another day and some fluids and food staying in my system will solve that.
OK. My pity party is over.

The GOOD NEWS! Dave and I are moving into a little townhouse in 3 months!!! A few weeks ago we went to view the model home, then the actual available unit, and we were a little disappointed when we were told we had to "apply" for the unit. The company looks at credit ratings, and does reference checks, and former rental checks, and requires meeting with you, before they will accept a deposit or anything. Anyhoo, we went through the process and were approved on Thursday!

We are very excited to get out of our apartment for a few reasons. The first is the LOCATION! The townhouse is 15 minutes south of where we are now, in a MUCH more family friendly and safe neighborhood. There is a park down the road, and the sidewalks will feel safer than strolling Jesse down Carling, where buses come within inches of swiping you. Currently we live in a sketchy part of the WEST end, and have had several strange experiences living here. We've had our car broken into, a drugged up girl bust into our apartment and insist she lived here, and try and kick Dave out, Drug dealers down the hall the first year, and just yesterday a drunk old man in the elevator tried to get Jesse to smile, and when Jesse didn't, he said to him, "Be happy, F.U, be happy." On top of all the craziness, we live right by the bus station, and a fire station, and so it's very loud. I don't know how many times the sirens have woke Jesse up... I'm NOT going to miss that. Also, we were traveling 20-30 minutes a day to get to work, and it is only 10 minutes away from both Dave's work, AND mine. It'll be great to save gas, and time!

The second thing I'm excited about is the SPACE we'll have! Right now, we have basically a dining room, living room, office, and play room crammed into an L shaped living area here. The place we will be renting has the following features.

TOP FLOOR: 3 bedrooms and a spacious bathroom and closets! The third bedroom is probably the best part, because Aunt Katie is moving in!!!!!! Dave's sister, Katie, lived with us for a summer, and it was awesome. She is currently teaching in Korea, and when her contract finishes in July, is coming to Ottawa to find work. We're very excited to have family in the area! In our house! We're also pumped to have an "upstairs" for Jesse to nap in. Right now, he's on the same level as us, and we have to be pretty quiet. The dog wakes him up a lot, and my puking, for example, kept waking him up the other night, too.

MAIN LEVEL: Has a closet right when you walk in. NICE! A place for coats, and I think the stroller will fit too. There is also a convenient little 2 piece bathroom on the main level. The kitchen has a big bright window looking out into the backyard, and there is a whole separate living room, and dining room. The dining room has sliding glass doors outside into a little fenced in yard area with a pine tree and everything! This is a huge deal for us. Having a place to BBQ!! Maybe Dave will cook now. Also, we feel super duper that Cooper will be able to get outside more frequently, and we won't need the litter box. Right now, he is litter box trained, because as a puppy he could never hold it long enough for us to get him down the 10 flights, and out the door and onto some grass in time. Also, for Jesse to easily get some fresh air..and have some outside to explore will be so good for the little guy. I'm already planning in my head how I want to set up a little baby pool, and tiny slide in the back. Right now, it's a pain in the butt getting Jesse's stroller out of his room...down the apartment hall, down the floor hall, down the elevator 10 flights, out the lobby, and 2 more sets of doors. And then to where?? The bus stop? We have the same ordeal for getting groceries in , and it will be so nice to park the car in front of our house, and just have a few feet to walk, and ONE door to unlock :)

BASEMENT LEVEL: We have a finished basement downstairs! We're going to make this into sort of a secondary living area with our second TV, and Jesse's bulky toys. It will be nice to have another place to go, and some space for Jesse to zoom around in the winter. The basement also has a second room with storage- FANTASTIC! A place to put Dave's 12,000 books, and things like Christmas decorations, and Dave's bike. Probably the most exciting thing about the basement is the fact it has a washer and dryer! Right now, we have to take the elevator down to the basement, and share 6 washers and dryers with a building of over 100 units. It takes so much time going up and down, and is inconvenient having to time your day around switching your laundry from machine to machine. There are also a lot of cat and dog people in the building, and sometimes you get a washer or dryer with oodles of fur in it.. or ink.. or other unpleasant things. It will be SO great to have our own just one flight of stairs away.

Well...Jesse is up, and I should do get the little cutie.
Thanks for reading. I'm out.

Salad, Sleep and Beet Slime

Well, It's been a productive day so far. I've got 3 loads of laundry done, our bedroom clean, and cooked a massive pasta salad to work away at over the next few days. It's a new recipe, although I've made similar ones before. It's got rice pasta, cheese, green onion, grapes, peas and ham in it... and the dressing is a sour cream/mayo base with dijon, apple cider vinegar and dill weed thrown in with some other things. It sounds kind of disgusting as I sit here writing it, but I quite like it, and know Dave will too. One thing that I love about Dave is that he is NOT a meat and potatoes man. I mean...he loves meat and potatoes, because he really loves just about all food. But, he'd go for Indian or Mexican or Italian... or just plain KD.... over meat and potatoes. I'm the same way, and it makes cooking for the both of us more enjoyable and fun. I usually pull out meat and potatoes for company, and so we have our fair share.

Anyways... so the day has been productive, yes! Jesse, who goes to bed around 6pm, then gets up at 12 and 4ish, has been dropping that first feed quite regularly for the past few months. So, I've been getting to sleep from 10-4ish most nights , then will jump back in bed for another few hours before the real morning. So refreshing and rejuvenating...that 6 hour stretch... ahhhh... I thought it would never come.

Jesse was a very sad and distressed baby all last week. He failed to poo for about 3 days...then did nothing but poo for 2 days... so I think that had something to do with his mood. I indulged in gluten ALL last week, and suspect that was causing some tummy pains for the little tyke? So, I have recommitted myself to a Celiac diet for now... So, he's back to his loud and silly self, and it's made for a much more enjoyable week. Jesse has figured out how to take little wobbly steps forward when you are holding his arms, can finally now push his upper body up, has figured out the pincer method to finger feeding himself, AND bobs his body when he likes music. It's crazy how fast they learn and change. Jesse tried out beets last night, and what a mess! I told Dave to be extra careful not to let Jesse grab the spoon cause I'm sure "beet red" is a nightmare to wash off things... So, Dave carefully navigated Jesse's tricky little grabby fingers all the way to the last bite. At which point, Jesse let out a MASSIVE sneeze with a mouth full of beets and SPRAYED red beet juice all over Dave, the table, himself, the dog, and the floor. It was so funny. Even beet covered Dave laughed. Today, Jesse ate all the beets, then burped and puked them all up. Not sure if these are signs or something??? Either way, Beet red looks very good on Jesse...


Dave and I have started the LOST Series, and I am SUPER DUPER loving it. We are both sort of suspense wussies, and so there have been a few parts where we can't watch and end up just looking at each other. Then I worry I will miss something critical, and so I embrace the fear for a 5 second count(like Doctor Jack) then force myself to watch the rest.

Poor Dave, has so much school work to do, and he gets thinking about it through the night, and sometimes can't sleep. Last night was one of those nights. He tossed and turned until about 2 am, then went to sleep on the couch cause he thought he might be keeping me up. I'm a very light sleeper, unfortunately. Once Dave gets to sleep, though, he sleeps like a ROCK. He's head butted me in the middle of the night before, and NOT remembered it. No joke.

Well, just wanted to get in some randoms for the day! thanks for reading, I'm out.

Sleep and Shower

Dave and I are tired today. Very tired. Dave has been pretty tired all week actually. I knew that he needed some extra sleep and down time when he insisted that there were only 3 months of school left, after I informed him there were 4. He looked at me and counted with his fingers, while he emphasized "March, April, then June." Where May went, I'm not sure? The following evening, when discussing our favourite vegetables, he told me that Watermelon was the best vegetable of them all.

Friday I had a busy day with a cranky non-sleeping baby while I was trying to get some games and other things ready for a bridal shower. I left my boys around 5, hoping that work might be a little quieter that evening.

On Friday nights I do reception for the center, but also help with the Kids Night out Program we run. For 15 bucks, you can drop your child off at the center at 6 and go do whatever the heck you want, and come back at 9 to pick them up. We have free play time, games time, snack time, and then end with a movie. It's open to 3-10 year olds, and we get quite the mix each week. They younger ones are very cute and tend to listen well, but are much more demanding and time consuming. Sometimes they pee themselves, sometimes they miss their mommy, and they need more direction and assistance with tasks. The older ones can handle things on their own, but tend to act out more, cause more drama, and sometimes are too rough. You never know how many or what kind of kids you'll be working with until they arrive. We usually average about 16 kids per week, but this week we had 32 show up! My wish for a calm night didn't pan out, but only because of numbers. The group was very well behaved! We had all 32 of them sitting quietly listening to instructions, they participated in the obstacle course without going nuts, and enjoyed parachute games together. It was quite amazing really. Typically a group of 8 kids MIght behave that well on Good night.

Saturday was my dear and darling friend Grace's bridal shower. Grace and I have known each other for 8 years, and spent 4 years in university together. We were both the kind of girl who seemed to prefer hanging out with guys, and found ourselves in dramatic and complicated situations with boys all throughout university. I'm not sure if this common bond is what drew us together... but Grace is the sweetest, most honest and kind girl that exists. She is also one of the few girls who was friends with Dave, but did not have a crush on him :) Grace lives in KW, but her fiance grew up in Ottawa. Tavis is a super guy, and reminds me of a combination of my 3 brothers. It's crazy. Tavis mom and sister in law decided to have a shower here for her with Tavis' family and friends from the area. As a bridesmaid, I was drafted to take care of the program and games. It was a little tricky coming up with games for a group of ladies you knwo nothing about, and who ranged from 20-60. But- I went with some classic fun ones, and a few creative ones, and the shower was great!

Meanwhile, Dave was home with Jesse, and I guess he yelled all afternoon for some reason. Dave thinks that he should write a book on babies with all of his advice. He said the main idea would be, "Feed them incredible amounts of food." As an infant, Dave would feed him milk from a bottle until he puked, and when Dave gets Jesse's meals ready..... 2 Tablespoons of Fruit, turns into half a cup, 1 TBSP of meat turns into two, and 3 tablespoons of cereal usually turns into 6..... Sometimes Jesse doesn't seem to want any of it..and other times he conquers it all.

After the shower, we had Grace and Tavis, and another couple of their friends over for dinner and games. Jesse liked having all the extra people over. Usually he starts getting grumpy by 5...but he held on until 6:00 with all the extra people to watch and take in. I can't wait to see what sort of kid he turns out to be. He is so wiggly and loud and hyper, but is super quiet and still and observant when he is taking in new things and new people. It'll be interesting to see if he holds onto both of these as he grows up, of if he'll lean to one extreme.

Well...the day goes on, and so must I. Dave and I declared it Relax and Rejuvenate Day this morning...but really, I have a staff meeting in a few hours, Dave has to go into the school and do a ton of work, and so the bliss must come to a close. Thanks for reading. I'm off.