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.