Tap. Tap. Tap. Is this thing on?

So. Hello there.

I can't believe that it's been over 2 months since I posted. There has been a lot going on, but I just haven't known how to write about it. And Twitter is stressing me out a bit, too. I can't follow all the conversations, so I find myself just avoiding it. I guess that Lent has meant a bit of an internet fast for me, too.

Teddy is approaching 3.5, which is awesome and dreadful at the same time. He's FUNNY, trying to make us laugh, and he is much more likely to tell us stories and sing us songs. But he's increasingly inflexible when it comes to his desires, especially those relating to Thomas that Tank Engine. We're not looking forward to 3.5, but he's generally a sweet little boy and a joy to have around.

Veronica is now the EXACT age that Teddy was when she was born. Boy - we thought that he was SO BIG; little did we know. She's a cuddly little sweetheart, but she WILL NOT say anything you want her to. She knows how to say things, but she just WON'T. I'm starting to get a wee bit worried about her lack of speech, but we're keeping an eye on it. The fact that she recently had her first ear infection isn't helping. Poor baby -- perforated ear drum, and now she has a non-allergic amox rash. But she's very sweet -- she greets everyone with a "Hi-ya!!" and blows kisses goodbye. She even does this when she's desperate to leave. At the doctor's office (the inside of which we've seen many times of late), she starts blowing kisses at him the second she sees him. "Get me out of here, stat!!", I imagine she's saying.

The two of them generally get along well. Yesterday, they walked a bit while holding hands, and they hug often. I really hope that they'll be friends.

Dave has been really busy with work and his big dream stuff. He's sick this week, which is unusual. He's plowing through, but he's looking forward to having some time off soon.

I am doing well. February was tough (though far tougher on people I care about). My best friend Beth lost her father, which sucked. That's part of the reason for the silence; I'm not sure what to say about it. One year earlier, another one of our friends lost her dad, and a third's dad is in long term palliative care. We're turning 35 and our dads are in their mid-sixties; I just figured that we'd have more time with them, you know? It all just stinks.

I've also gotten sucked into "Bones". It's on Netflix here in Canada, and I thought I'd give it a shot. It's solid, not amazing, but I'm enjoying it. I figured that I'd like the David Boreanaz character best, but I did not expect to develop a huge TV crush on one of the scientists! It helps that the character is hilarious, sweet, and looks like a blend of Dave and the guy I dated for a year when Dave and I broke up during University. So - loving Dr. Jack Hodgins over here. Mmm...Hodgins.

Anyway, that's some of the goings on around here. Next week, we're heading off on a long-planned transatlantic trip, about which I should blog before we go. We can't wait!

I hope that you all have a wonderful Easter weekend.

The Dark Side of Preschool (and Other Moments of Parenting Doubt)

I'm having a day full of parenting doubt. Don't get me wrong, I know that I'm a parenting work-in-progress. But I've just been hit with minor things relating to both kids that make me feel like a crummy parent.

Like the children of many other bloggers, Teddy started at our local co-op preschool last week. It's just lovely, and we're really excited about going into the classroom with him every 5 weeks. He will be going three days a week, but last week he only attended two days. Unlike the children of the other bloggers, though, we're run into a big hiccough. He has a lot of fun while he's there, the drop-offs are just awful. I am not surprised, but it just sucks. Today, he dragged his feet walking to school; he knew what was coming and was trying to delay it.

The all-out freakouts are unsurprising for several reasons:

1) He's done this before. He was not a fan of leaving my side all last year during my Familia sessions at our church, even though he was familiar with the setting and the kids. He warmed up as the year went on, but he was always reluctant to be left in the playroom. He was like this when Dave dropped him off at the home of his caregiver, too. He'd been going there for 1.5 years, and he would still get upset when Dave dropped him off. In fact, he started doing this well after he'd been there for a year. I imagine that there's a developmental component in all this.

2) He's no daredevil. Teddy is just a cautious kid and it takes him a while to warm up to new things. Yesterday, we were at the home of his friend Claire (and our friends Mark and Tania) and we started the movie "Rio". Teddy is no fan of birds. He tried to tough it out, but he just couldn't watch. Dave and I joke that this guy will not be in the Xgames. His sister, perhaps, but not him.

3) As much as it pains me, I was like this as a child. I'm pretty sure that Dave was, too. And all of our parents. (Full disclosure - writing about this is making me tear up.) For those of you who don't know me in real life, and even those of you who do, it may come as a surprise how much I struggle with trying new things. I have an innate desire to please people and a fear of letting people down, of embarrassing myself, of failing. And so any time I encounter something new or unknown, my very first thought is "I cannot do this." I'm often told that I am everyone's cheerleader. I am very, very good at encouraging people, and it stems from the massive amount of self-encouragement I've had to muster over the years.

Whenever I encounter new things, I convince myself that I can do it based on what I've done in the past. I'll say "Self, you may not have done this exact thing, but you've done x, y, and z - things which are similar and may have been harder". And in order to get to this point, I've had to push outside my comfort zone. And I see Teddy doing something similar. When he encounters something new, he'll try to talk himself down. "Don't worry,", he'll tell himself over and over, "It's ok. Don't worry." It breaks my heart a bit, but in a good way.

I know that he needs opportunities to stretch and grow, so that he, too, can gain self confidence. But it's hard, you guys. It's hard to see my tender-hearted, trusting little guy so upset. I mean - he's not upset for long. There are trucks and cars and slides there. But he's like his parents and grandparents - he feels things very deeply. I don't want him to become hard-hearted, to shut down because of the fear.

And it's causing a visceral reaction for me because it's the first time I'm seeing one of my less-desirable character traits in my children. Well - let me rephrase. It's not a less-desirable trait, per se. I think it makes me more empathetic. But it's a tendency with which I've always struggled and while I know that I can't blunt his struggles and suffering, I also know first hand how difficult it is to deal with this trait. I wish I could have given him all the confidence I've acquired over the years without all the work I've had to do to get it.

I can't do that. And truthfully, I'm not sure that I'd want to. Much of that confidence stems from actually having done the work, having overcome struggles. And it's so much more meaningful as a result. But I thought I'd have more than 2.5 years before I'd have to confront this part of parenthood. I guess not! I think this is a tiny sliver of what Mary felt at the foot of the cross. She'd have taken on all of his suffering, if she could. But suffering is necessary for something better, something stronger, something more beautiful and lasting. I need to keep that in perspective.

The situation with Veronica is less heart-wrenching. She's dropping on the growth charts - from 90th to 75th percentile. I know that it makes sense. We're not big people, and the last time she was weighed she hadn't yet started to move independently. She's constantly on the go now, so it makes sense that she's only gone from 21lbs, 8 oz to 22lbs, 10 oz in 3 months. She's grown 2.5 inches, too. But we went straight from preschool drop off to the doctor's office and it was just something else, you know?

But - it's a gorgeous fall day. After naps, we have a play date with one of Teddy's favourite buddies. And Veronica spent the first 3 minutes of her nap laughing in her sleep. Onward and upward, right?

Teddy turns TWO

Dear Teddy,

Today, you turn 2 years old. I cannot believe it; time seems to have both flown and crawled. I can account for all of it, but it's amazing how much you have changed in two short years. More amazing, in fact, is how much I feel I've changed by becoming your Mom. I cannot imagine a better gift than getting to be your mother.

You continue to be a sunny, loving little boy. You adore all vehicles, both toys and the real thing. Driving trips with you are a blast as you are content to look at the window and announce: "A bus!" "A truck!" "A car!". You are so enthusiastic about things you love. As one whose never lost that level of enthusiasm, it warms my heart to see how much joy things bring to you.

You are also an not too shabby in the looks department. We are often stopped by strangers who comment on how cute you are - especially your eyes. You have my brown eyes, with Daddy's long, dark lashes. They are OUT OF CONTROL cute. And you're usually so happy - you're a hit with strangers. And you have a knack for choosing random people with whom to speak. Last week, when you were at the mall getting your hair cut, you chose the following people to greet: an elderly woman, sullen teenagers, and the middle-aged man changing out the trash. All were charmed by you and thrilled that you'd spoken to them. You love people, all people. Such a sweet boy you are.

The biggest change this past year -- or the one we feared the most -- was the arrival of your little sister in August. Daphne (your beloved caregiver) told us that she wasn't at all worried, that you'd make an amazing big brother. She was 100% correct. You are so loving and kind with Veronica, whom you call "Baby" most of the time, when not calling her "Eeer-onica" (it's better than the original "Gonka!"). You have a routine whenever sitting (i.e. not being held). First, you announce your desire to "KEEEEESS" her, which you do accompanied with a 'mwah' sound. Kissing mostly involves putting your forehead to hers, but we'll take it. Then, you must cover her with a "BANKET". If you can't find one, then you'll give her your bear for short periods. Finally, you earnestly look at her and demand a "High Five!". You are so considerate of her - letting us know when she's crying, smiling at her. I have no siblings, but I'd have chosen a big brother for myself. Veronica is so blessed to have an amazing one in you. She loves you, too. She watches you, and she laughs and laughs when you do. Though I know you'll fight, I can't wait until you are bigger and you can play together and be friends.

You've always been a talker, but in the past few months your vocabulary has EXPLODED. Recently, you've started busting out three and four word sentences, like
"I kick the ball!" and "My Dada a(t) work.". You have your usual standbys of "I dance!", "I get", "I drop", "I fix", etc. and lots of other two word phrases like "That One", "This One", "'et Go!", "Leave it", and the ones you've been saying for nearly a year: "Don't throw", "Don't touch", and similar ones. It's so amazing that you can clearly communicate with us now. LOVE IT!

You still adore music, and you've starting to sing ON KEY! You love "Old MacDonald" and the "EIEIO" (how apt), though it's more like "EE-Yi-EE-Yi-Yo". You'll bust out the alphabet song and sing the Backyardigans theme song, too. That - and Glee - are your TV repetoire. It's SUCH a cute show! Speaking of Glee, you'll occasionally sing a few songs from Glee, like "Bad Romance" and "Don't Stop Believin'". You primarily like to dance to those songs, though. And you have your favourite songs from the Backyardigans, which you enjoy hearing over and over and over. You're like your Mom that way (your poor father).

You love your 'Bear Bear', and your grandparents (Grandpa is a special friend, as is Nonna). You are still a voracious eater. You hesitate a bit when trying new things, but you generally tough it out and try. You are scared of things that make unexpected moves towards you/move in an unusual way - remote control cars, for example. You like calling Glowworms your 'baby', and you'll try to nurse them when we tell you to 'feed your baby'. You are weirded out by moles, especially the one on my chest - you want me to 'cyup' (cover it up), but then want to see it again. You laugh easily. You dance like a fool after we've put you in your pjs but before Daddy puts you to bed. You love 'lift the flap' books, and can count to ten! You are obsessed with looking at candles, saying how you're going to 'bwow' them out.

Life with you is never boring, occasionally frustrating (dude - you know not to do these things. DON'T DO THEM!), and often sublime. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Happy birthday, my baby boy.

Love,
Your Mom

Teddy vignettes

Teddy had a few awesome moments yesterday and today. I needed to share them.

This afternoon, Dave was on the phone with my MIL and I was feeding Veronica. Teddy headed over to the toy bins and fished out his gloworm, whom he calls 'his baby'. Then, he flopped down on his couch, saying "Oh, baby!" and attempted to breastfeed the toy. Hilarious!

We've borrowed my parents' Advent wreath. In one of those crazy twists of fate, I had planned to buy our own wreath, but before I could head out to buy it, my Mom called to offer the one we used as a kid. It's sitting on the table and we began lighting it last night.

Teddy was thrilled. The moment he spotted us about to light the candles, he broke into a spot on rendition of "Happy Birthday". I guess we should encourage that? I mean - we are counting down to Jesus' birthday, after all. And we'll be celebrating the 25th with birthday cake, although it will be for my Nonna. She's named Natalina (which basically means female baby born on Christmas) as that is her natal day.

He's a riot, our boy.

A post written during daylight hours!

It is cold and rainy, so I cannot say that this post is being written during daylight. But it's not even 10 am; in general, my NaBloPoMo posts have been written at 10 pm, so it's a nice change.

Veronica is currently taking a snooze and Teddy wanted to watch an episode of "The Backyardigans". Yes, we let him watch a small bit of TV - he likes the music in these episodes, and this show about imaginary play is adorable. He loves this episode - "High Tea" where they travel all over the world to get the components of the perfect cup of tea. There's a scene where they ride Mongolian ponies to the gushing geyser of the Gobi desert, and Teddy gets up and pretends to ride a horse along with them. It's hilarious.

Teddy continues to be very sweet to the baby. Ever day, he breaks out new worlds - this morning, he looked out the window and pronounced "Rainin'!". He had a growth spurt recently. He ate and ate, developed a belly, chubby cheeks, and a 2nd chin. Then he shot up at least an inch. He turned 22 months on the weekend, and though he can be exasperating at times, particularly when he does something he shouldn't -- like throwing - then smiles and says "Don't throw!" as if that will get him out of being punished. But he adds joy to our lives on a near-hourly basis.

We're also hopeful that Veronica has hit the 12 week spurt. Her sleep has improved and she has been less grumpy for the past day or so. And she's far more interested in everything going on around her.

Uh oh - she's waking up. I'd better run. I hope that you're all having a lovely Monday.

The Week Twelve Leap (we hope)

Poor Veronica. She's a bit of a mess today.

She's dealing with a bit of a cold, so that isn't helping the situation. But she'll be 12 weeks tomorrow, which is one of the 'stormy' periods prior to the third developmental leap outlined in "The Wonder Weeks". And boy oh boy - is she ever storming.

The poor kid slept poorly last night, wanting to nurse intermittently and thrash in between sessions. She's been fussy all day - crying jags, clinginess, diminished appetite, the works. It's particularly odd because she is svuch a placcid baby. She rarely cries and is generally jolly. The poor little muffin.

Teddy is also having a rough evening. The kid has been eating like a horse over the past few days. To wit: he ate an entire red pepper, half a green one, 8 cherry tomatoes, 2 pieces of roast beef and one of turkey, plus crackers and cheese yesterday at Rory's b-day party, and that was just lunch. This morning, he had FOUR sippy cups of milk (8-9 oz each) and then had a huge lunch (and dinner). His cheeks are chubbier, and he has 2 chins and a belly. Plus he is heavier (Dave agrees). And tonight - he's in tears with what we think are growing pains. He keeps rubbing his legs and his feet, asking "Shoes?" as if they're too tight. Poor kiddo.

That's what's happening over here. But why don't you mosey on over to Arwen's site and congratulate her. It turns out that she's carrying TWINS!

Two months

Miss Veronica is 2 months old today, while her brother turned 21 months earlier this week. Life with them has been awesome, but juggling two under two has made me an even WORSE blogger than normal. Though I would like to write about many of these things in more detail (and will try to later), here is what I have been up to since I last posted:

• Cloth diapering both children. I LOVE it. HUGE props to Isha, who has shared her wealth of CD knowledge and let us borrow a bunch of diapers that Rory has outgrown. Additional props to several Facebook friends and all the twitter peeps (like Arwen and Lauren) who answered all of my questions. I will blog about my stash and CDing experience soon.
• Breastfeeding. Knock on wood, it is going MUCH better this time. Veronica has chubby cheeks, arm and leg fat rolls, and eats like a champ. When she was weighed 3 weeks ago, she was just over 11lbs 4 oz. She's headed to the doctor on Tuesday, so I'll be able to report on her 2 month weight, but she's outgrown all of her 0-3 clothes (and some of her 3 month stuff) so I think we're a-ok.
• Watching a lot of TV. What? I spend a lot of evenings on the couch. We are FINALLY watching "The Wire" (brilliant) and "Modern Family (LOVE!). I am all caught up on lots of current shows, too, like "Glee" and "Mad Men" and "30 Rock".
  
• Amusing Teddy (and/or being amused by him). His vocabulary is exploding, and he is mastering skills left and right. He is obsessed with the music of "Glee". And he is so funny. He is also so gentle with his sister, whom he calls "Gonka!" or "Baby". One highlight has been his use of both definite articles ("A 'quirrel" when he sees a squirrel or "A car!" "A ball!") as well as personal pronouns ("I danth!"). My favourite? He now alerts us "I poop". I mean, it isn't hard to tell, but today, we asked him "Teddy, what did you do?" "I poop," was his immediate response.
• Snuggling with Veronica. She has been an amazingly laid back baby who rarely cries and sleeps for decently long stretches. She is cooing and smiling and snuggling. Mmm...little babies.
  
• Taking our first road trip as a family of 4. We visited my inlaws in Georgetown (with a stop in Kingston) as we were headed to the wedding of my oldest friend, Tanya. She, Dave and I all went to the same grade school (St. Francis of Assisi) and she married a guy we knew in high school after they reconnected over a decade after graduation. At this wedding were THREE of my ex boyfriends. It was HILARIOUS to see them all, and we had a blast. Veronica was a total doll, too.
• We also celebrated Dave's 35th birthday on Sept. 12th, my 33rd on Oct. 2nd and our 6th wedding anniversary on Oct. 9th.

I would be remiss if I didn't thank my parents and inlaws, as well as my amazing husband, for their support. My friends have been wonderful, too (I Tan, I am looking at you). We are so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful folks.

So - that's the gist of the past month or so. FYI - the shot above was taken on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. Not my best work, but there you go!

I am contemplating doing NaBloPoMo again, just to force me to write. We will see...

I hope that all is well with you!

Seven Quick Takes – My Poor, Neglected Blog Addition

1. I cannot believe that I didn’t post at all in May. Well – I can, actually. The trip, plus illness that we are just crawling out from under, has thrown us for a loop. I have been sick since EASTER. Yep – Easter Sunday I came down with a cold, and it has been one cold after another since then. Teddy and Dave have been sick for this same time period, too. BLAH! We are (fingers crossed) all on the mend, but it does make for early bedtimes and no time for blogging.

2. The trip was FANTASTIC. The ship itself was amazing – almost brand new – and we had a wonderful time. And one of my girlfriends works onboard! During our fall trip, we were gobsmacked to find out that my friend Shannon (from Georgetown, fellow Guelph student leader) happened to be running the youth program aboard. She and her husband have worked on ships on and off years, but I hadn’t heard that they’d gone back after a break as they live in Australia now. She, in turn, didn’t know we’d had a baby (she doesn’t check Facebook while working onboard). We showed up at the youth area open house and she nearly keeled over! And we quickly discovered that she’d also be running to program onboard THIS cruise. Anyway, we hung out with her (and her awesome husband) and her staff (who LOVED Teddy) and it was wonderful. Lots more on the trip to come, promise!

3. Work has been kicking my butt. My regular job has some tight, tight deadlines and we have a very small team (like 3 worker bees). In addition to that, I’ve been pulled onto a high-profile special project on a subject near and dear to my heart…with an every CRAZIER deadline. My manager agreed to let me participate (she really had no choice) but it is a struggle to carve out time for both. And it is exhausting. It is also hard to believe that I only have 10 weeks until I head off on maternity leave!

4. Speaking of maternity leave, pregnancy 2 keeps chugging along. I am at 28 weeks today! And has the 2nd trimester ever been a joy compared to #1. I am starting to get a bit more uncomfortable, and I am nervous about being pregnant during the summer heat, but I am still excited.

5. As of last Friday, we are the proud owners of a minivan. Yep – living the dream. Our beloved Protegé5 was approaching 7, and we knew that we couldn’t fit 2 carseats in the back and still have room for anyone to sit comfortably in the front. And before you say it (Jorge), crossovers, etc. were not for us. We wanted a car in which at least 6 people – adults included – could sit comfortably and one that could grow with our family over the next few years, as more kids come along (if we are so blessed). Also – for what you get in terms of power, options and sheer ability to transport people, minivans are a great value. We’d been researching the purchase for a while and had test driven pretty much every minivan on the market. We narrowed our choice down, and ultimately went with the Grand Caravan. We got an amazing deal – with research and negotiation we got it for 2% above their invoice cost. Plus – there are crazy rebates (like $7k worth) and 0% financing (we could have paid cash, but I’d rather have my money work for me, thanks). We got one with a swanky entertainment system and nice options, and we are very happy. Plus, the extended warranty Chrysler offers is a steal – it covers everything other than brakes, tires, wiper blades and headlights – for 5-7 years. Oil changes, filters, all other maintenance will be covered, and roadside assistance, too. I will take it!

6. Teddy continues to be a joy. He is a busy, busy kid – his toddler run is a treat to behold, and he just loves to tackle stairs. He is 16.5 months and he continues to love people – waving at everyone unprompted, making friends wherever he goes. His vocabulary isn’t terribly large, but I have no worries about his comprehension. He has no trouble following requests like: “Please bring Mommy your blue ball/green truck” or most others, for that matter. He is also a bit of a mimic. When my Mom tells him not to touch, she unconsciously waves her finger. Within minutes, he was waving his back saying “Don’ such!” as he avoided touching things. He has also referred to my Dad as both Bampa (preferred) and Granpoop, and my Mom as “Irma”. One of his first sentences was “Dat Bampa” when he spotted my Dad from afar.

7. I have so many posts that I want to write. Perhaps I should make a list here about the topics so I will have some sort of record? It will make me more accountable. Topics include:
- our trip
- a request for advice on being sibling/having siblings/parenting siblings
- a record of my lactation journey with Teddy (aka expressing breast milk for my non-latching, tongue-tied baby…for 14 months.) The milk stores in the freezer are almost gone, but he’s nearly 17 months now!
- other topics about which you might be curious?

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

Who wants to see birthday photos?

Will cute pictures distract you from my lengthy absence?

Oh internets, I am so sorry. I am so, so tired, and trying to blog in the two hours between when Teddy goes to bed and I should has been fruitless. I am going to persevere tonight, though.



So - Teddy turned one on the 20th of January. My parents came down in the afternoon and GrandmaNonna made one of his favourite dinners - BisNonna's chicken and potatoes. He was thrilled.

She also made a traditional Italian cake, which is filled with lemon creme. He really didn't know what to make of it (see photgraphic evidence). Nor did he understand why he was getting presents. But he received a lot of phone calls (Nanny and Poppy, Uncle Barry, Aunt Wendy and the girls, BisNonna, Aunt Pat, Fred and the girls, and many more), received some wonderful gifts and had a great day.

They threw him a little party at Daphne's the following day, too.

The Sunday following his birthday, we threw a little party for some of his friends (aka our friends with children). Rory came with his parents (Aunt Isha and Uncle Joe, and Emma), Claire brought Uncle Mark and Aunt Tania, and Sarah and Dave brought Elliott and Adeleine and Isaac (their twins). Below, you can see an excited (and blurry) Teddy hanging with all the kids. We served ice cream cake, which Teddy did not understand. "Why is this so cold?" he seemed to ask. The adults, Emma and Elliott enjoyed it, though. And Teddy once again got some cool swag (Mommy still has to write the Thank you notes. This weekend - I swear!).


Are these (blurry) kids not super cute. Poor Claire didn't even make the shot.

The week after Teddy's birthday party was fun but uneventful. Then - the visitors descended! Daphne was away for over a week at the beginning of February. Her son and his wife who live in Korea had a baby and she wanted to meet her grandson. As a result, Teddy's grandparents looked after him. My Mom (and Dad, at various points) watched Teddy on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. My inlaws came up to Ottawa and watched Teddy on the Thursday and Friday. They stayed until Superbowl Sunday, when my parents came back and watched Teddy on the following Monday and Tuesday.

Then, four days later, our friends Blaine and Colleen came up for the weekend with Aidan, their son who's 4 months older than Teddy. It was a busy weekend -- Aidan is very active and climbs like a monkey - but we skated on the canal and watched the Olympics. I also attended a baby shower for our friend Cathy.

On the Teddy-specific front:

• he's weighing in around 25 lbs and continues to be a great eater. He's down to two bottles of bmilk per day (and two of cow's milk) and that's going well. My supply has totally dropped, but with the frozen stash we will make it to at least 14 months. I am going to write a whole post about my lactating experience, so you squeamish readers - take note!
• he is such a happy kid. He cried a couple times when my inlaws were here and my father-in-law exclaimed "That's the first time in 48 hours that he's shed a tear!"
• he is walking like a total champ, and can easily pull himself up. He still crawls, but generally only to a place where he can either push or pull himself into the standing position.
• he's trying to speak - he will say 'cat' and tries to say 'apple'. Lots of 'Dada!" and some "Mama!". He makes a crazy "Aieeeee-ooooo" sound when he follows the cats. On Sunday, he followed Aidan around making the same sounds, so ???

We are doing well - keeping very busy with work and home. I am indulging in lots of Olympic viewing - I LOVE the games. Dave and I get super excited watching events where Canadians can do well - you should have seen us with the Alexandre Bilodeau win. Alex's father works at Dave's firm, so we knew about him well before the games, but he's just so wonderful! Such a sweet kid! Inspired by his older brother with Cerebral Palsy! Fluently bilingual and so optimistic and gracious! He's doing the country proud.

I'd better get ready for bed, but don't worry. I have a bunch of stories to tell soon, so I won't be away for long, I promise!

Guess who's one today?

I can't believe that we've already spent a year with this kid. It's been awesome.

I am alive, I swear!

Sorry for the radio silence. Last week was my first week back at work - at a new job no less - and I am TIRED. I am in no way a morning person, but I am up at 6 and out the door before 7. This means that I can get home by 4:30 and nab Teddy from the babysitter. He's having a great time there, though, so that makes it easier. I'm doing lots of meal planning and getting organized during the evening, so that helps. My Mom just brought us dinner options for this week, too - she rocks. We are keeping our heads above water.

The new job (about which I am not going to say much, obvs) is going as well as can be expected. The team seems really nice, and the work is challenging, so that is great. And it's in the same building in which I've worked since January 2006, so other than heading to a different bank of elevators, it's very familiar.

Teddy, who is weeks away from turning one, is all sorts of hilarious. He's been walking for almost a month, but now he's figuring out how to crawl. It'll help him get to objects which he can use to pull himself up, so that's good. And he's still super sunny. When he gets excited to see someone he likes, he scrunches up his nose in a grin and waves with his whole arm. When you get close, he grasps your arm or hand with both hands and squeezes while exclaiming "EEE!". He's a sweetheart, and he is charming people at the sitter's house, too.

Dave has been amazing. He does all the morning stuff with Teddy, as well as the drop off. He still does the bedtime routine, too. Teddy's lucky to have such an awesome Dad, and I am pretty darn lucky too.

So that's what's new with us. I'll have to change my blog tagline, soon, though, since I am back at work. No more EI for me; back to contributing to it.

Teddy's first Christmas

Teddy's first Christmas was a lot of fun. The action has dragged out over several days, so I am late in posting about it!


Our trek west began after Teddy's morning nap on the 24th. We loaded up the car and drove to my parents' place in Almonte, where we had lunch. Teddy had his afternoon nap, and we opened a few gifts. Once Teddy awoke, he opened several, too. He was mystified -- I do what with this paper? - but he generally enjoyed himself. He also spend hours toddling around holding on to Grandpa's hands and taking a few shaky steps.


My parents' parish in Almonte isn't huge, so they only have 2 masses on Christmas Eve (and one at the mission church some distance away) and one - late - on Christmas Day. The daytime mass was not an option (for reasons that will become clear later in the post) and the 11 o'clock (not midnight - lots of elderly folk), our usual haunt, would be too late for Teddy. As a result - Dave and I braved the 5 pm mass, complete with the pageant. We arrived half an hour early and had to stand in the vestry. If we'd had any other option, we'd have exercised it, but we didn't. The children were adorable (we couldn't see them acting, but we saw them processing in), and Father Lindsay was wonderful with them.

We couldn't see much or hear very well, so that was a bit of a bummer. In the entire liturgical year, though, this mass is the one that I know like the back of my hand. From the age of 4 until I was 26, I think that there was 1 year that I wasn't involved in the Christmas mass - singing in the choir for almost all those years, but I've read both the 1st and 2nd readings numerous times, have read petitions, and have proclaimed the gospel about 5 times. It started when I was 5 or so - I was one of the few children confident enough to read aloud. By the time I was 7, I was the only child who could reliably pronounce "...while Quirinius was governor of Syria". As a result, I can recite all three pieces by heart. Seeing the kids and hearing those readings, we got excited thinking that in the next few years, Teddy (and any future children) will likely be involved in the celebrations at our own parish. How fun!

Anyway, after mass we had all had dinner (pasta and meatballs), then let Teddy open a few more gifts. He headed off to bed, and we opened the rest of the gifts. My parents were incredibly generous, as usual. Thanks, guys! We headed to bed and my parents went off to the 11 pm mass.

On Christmas morning, Teddy got up around 7:45 (his 7th and 8th teeth are starting to come through, so he'd woken up in the night). We had breakfast (cinamon rolls!) and opened our stockings. Then we packed up the cars and headed to Kingston during Teddy's nap. The 25th is also my Nonna's birthday, and this year she turned 80!

We arrived in Kingston just after 11; we were the first to arrive. Within the hour, my Uncle Sergio, Sally and the kids arrived from north of Kingston, and my Aunt Pat, Fred and the girls arrived from Brampton. We had a HUGE feast - antipasto, lasagna, chicken, turkey, salads, other vegetables - the usual. Teddy ate like a champ, and we had a great time. It's not that often that all 15 of us are under the same roof, so it was wonderful. We exchanged gifts - everyone was so generous once again - and had cake. Then, we packed up and continued west.

Teddy slept for almost all of the drive to Georgetown, through the dark and rain. We arrived at 6 and headed straight to the home of Dave's Aunt Mar and Uncle Gerry, where the bulk of the family were gathered. We had some food, we waited until the end of an EPIC Texas Hold'em game, then moved over to Nanny and Poppy's house. Teddy and the nieces opened their stockings, then we all exchanged gifts. Once again, we were bowled over by the generosity displayed by the family. And my inlaws were thrilled by our surprise for them - a Wii. My mother-in-law LOVES it and has played for hours every day since Christmas. It's a hit!

We took it easy on Boxing Day, glad to be here since Ottawa was getting pounded with freezing rain. We went visiting with Nanny and Poppy, seeing other members of the family, and I popped out to pick up some essentials. That evening, some of the Aunts and Uncles came by to watch the Leafs' game (gag) and play with the Wii.

The 27th was a Sunday, so off to 8:30 mass we went for the Feast of the Holy Family. It will likely be the last Christmas in the old church (sob!) as the new one is due to open next fall, and it was lovely to see the church all decked out one last time. After mass, we came back to the house and puttered around. Barry, Wendy and the girls stopped by after lunch, and we they had a great time watching Teddy toddle around. Later in the afternoon, Dave and I headed to Toronto to visit Jorge, his lovely wife and their adorable daughter. They hosted us for dinner (thanks, guys) and cleaned up after we bailed -- we had tickets to Jersey Boys! It was a great show and we're thrilled to have seen it. Teddy was a superstar for his grandparents, too, so that as a relief.

Today is our last day in Georgetown. We'll be visiting my Aunt Pat and the crew in Brampton and seeing Blaine and Colleen. Teddy spent the morning walking from person to person - he's made amazing progress! His record was 14 steps and his balance is just so much more stable. Good work, button!

I hope that you and yours are having a wonderful Christmas season!

Teddy's Big Weekend

Teddy had an action packed weekend!

On Friday, we spent the morning at his future caregiver's house, and we had a great time with Daphne and the other boys who'll be there.

On Saturday, I finally acquiesced and Teddy had his first haircut. We went to a place called 'Melonhead' at the local mall; it's a spot that specializes in haircuts for children. Chelsea, who cut his hair, has a 14 month old little guy, so is used to cutting the hairs of munchkins. Teddy sat in a Thomas the tank engine, played with a school bus during the cut and then rode a mechanical horsey as a reward. We also had an official photo taken and they gave us a certificate and his hair. Best of all - no tears. Here are the before, during and after shots. It should be noted that he HATED the cape.





Goodbye, comb over!

On Sunday, we had Dave's corporate Christmas party for kids, where Teddy held crayons for the first time (and didn't eat them) and saw Santa. Once again, no tears! Here's proof.


He said his first 'word' - Uh oh! - over and over on Sunday, too.

And why has it taken me so long to post this? Well - he got his first case of the Croup on Sunday. He woke up from his afternoon nap struggling to breathe, and with a barking cough. A stint in the steamy bathroom cleared up the stridor, but he's had a few snotty-nose and leaky-eye filled days. Poor kid. He's on the mend, though, and he had a great morning with Daphne again today -- without me this time. I spent that time running errands, which included procuring the least flattering passport photo of all time.

One final note -- it's been twenty years since I was in my one and only wedding party. Happy 20th Anniversary, Aunt Pat and Fred. I'm so glad that it's not as cold today as it was twenty years ago!

Teddy + Cheese = True Love 4eva!

I am running on fumes tonight, so I thought I'd post about Teddy's continuing love affair with cheese. It doesn't matter what type of cheese; he loves anything from chevre to friulano to ricotta to cheddar.

We were prepping dinner tonight (it was leftovers, so we were reheating) and we'd given Teddy some cheerios to tide him over. He enjoys them and was happily eating them until he spotted me walking over with cheese in my hand. He immediately spit out the Cheerio he was chewing (well, let it fall out of his mouth) so he'd have more room in his mouth for cheese. Which he then ate with abandon.

He happily ate chicken and corn, smiling all the while. But when fresh pieces of cheese were placed in front of him, he was ecstatic. He'd feed himself a piece, then fall backwards in his high chair because he was grinning so hard, so delicious was that mouthful. He'd utter things like "Ga-rinda", which we interpreted as "Man, that's a great piece of cheese."

This kid is just so awesome.

Ten months

Dear Teddy,

Today, you turned 10 months old! Time is FLYING. Mommy will be heading back to work in just over a month, but we're not going to focus on that because she wants to enjoy every moment with you right now.

You are an absolute joy. You are the sunniest kid I've ever seen. You double over in laughter and joy when your father comes home from work, when your grandparents come to visit, or when I come into view when I've been out of your line of sight for a minute or two. You LOVE music -- the CDs Aunt Shelley brought us have been a huge hit - and you like to stand up and bounce (holding onto my hand for balance) or sit and sway to the music. You still love the Italian songs you've been hearing since you were born, but it doesn't take more than 3 seconds of singing to make you smile.

You have become so adept at feeding yourself. Mealtimes are such fun, since you are eating almost everything we do. Here you are eating chicken and potatoes (made with Bisnonna's recipe, of course). You couldn't get enough, nor of the sauteed pepper and mushroom and citrus blend. You still love corn and squash and you'll eat cereal, but you'd rather feed yourself. Especially cheese and avocado.

You still aren't crawling, but you want to spend most of the day on your feet. You try to use us to pull/push yourself upright, and you want to hold on the couch or other pieces of furniture. Your balance is excellent, kiddo, and you are starting to master the 'bum scoot'. Over the past day or two, you've been leaning over and getting into the crawling stance, and moving forward like you're in the starting blocks. We fear that our days of you staying put our over; Daddy intends to put the baby gates up tomorrow. I foresee him cursing the fact that we have so many stairs in this house!

Though you aren't yet moving, you are WAY ahead in the tooth department. You've already had 6 break through your gums (2 bottom, followed by 4 top) and I suspect the next 2 bottom will be coming along soon. How about a tiny break before the molars, ok?

Over the past little while, you have been trying to hard to imitate us when we speak to you. Trying to say 'cat' or 'Teddy'. I wonder what your first real word will be, and when you'll say it? I don't think we can count "Sha sha sha" or "gooozhe!", though you say them often.

It's been a busy month. You had to attend your third funeral (and lose a 4th loved one) when your Great Grandma Mary died at the end of October. Let's hope that this is the last you have to attend for a long time! In addition, you have a new little buddy - Rory. I am sure that he'll be your partner in crime in no time. Auntie Isha has been really sick lately, and you have been such a trooper while Mommy has been running around dropping things off and looking after Rory. You love Uncle Joe and Auntie Isha (your face just lights up when you see either of them) and you spent today's visit smiling at them and trying to hold Rory's hand and touch his face. Maybe all the requests to be 'gentle' when you're near the cats are paying off?

I am often completely overwhelmed by how incredibly blessed we are to have you in our lives. I suspected that I'd be bowled over by motherhood, but I never suspected I'd be so incredibly rewarded. These past ten months have been incredible and I cannot wait to watch you grow over the next 10,000+ months.

Love,

Mommy

Vignettes on a Sunday night

Behold, my day as a series of vignettes:

It might be self-injurious, but it is age appropriate

I ended up flying solo at mass this morning -- Teddy's sleep schedule was thrown off (curse you, teething and developmental spurts) so he was OUT COLD during both our parish's masses. It happened to be a baptismal Sunday, though, so there were lots of visitors, including a families with small children.

One such child was sitting right across the aisle from me. She had horny-shaped pigtails on the top of her head and several teeth. During the apostles' creed, she tossed her bottle into the aisle and I picked it up; she spent the next 5 minutes grinning at me. I started watching her behaviour - she'd grasp a necklace with both hands and shove the pendant in her mouth, she'd flap her arms, slapping her torso while simultaneously bucking. She kept trying to pull herself up on the pew in front of her. She kept saying 'Sha-sha-sha' and 'ta-ta-ta'. So - pretty much the exact behaviour I was missing at home, sans pigtails. During the 'sign' of peace (we don't shake hands during flu season), I asked the parents her age' '10 months' was the reply. A-HA!

I had an inexplicable urge to pick her up and snuggle her. Man, I love kids!

The old adage is true. At list this is a laudable trait to emulate

Isha got 'milk fever' today. I remember how much it sucked and how much like mastitis it was. To help them out, Dave, Teddy and I went by t o make them dinner tonight. I had also made chilli and had extra food to freeze, so I brought that along with some b-milk, just in case.

The past two days, I have arrived at their house with boxes and bags of food and drinks and gifts and stuff like a breast pump and supplies. And treats. You know the two people in my life who do that, without fail. My Mom, and my Nonna. I have officially, simultaneously turned into my Mom and my Nonna. Eh, there are far worse things in the world!

Parenting like it's 1963

In our rush to get out of the house with dinner, we didn't bring any toys for Teddy. He is so easygoing, though, that we figured we could keep him busy with simple things. Like the box we brought dinner supplies in. Yes, we sat our child in a bankers' box in the kitchen while we made dinner. And Uncle Joe gave him a wooden spoon and a pot lid. How quaint!

I once again felt like I was channelling my Nonna. When my Aunt Pat was a baby, my Nonna had two older, very active children (plus my teenaged Mom). Aunt Pat was easygoing, too, and was born well before the advent of playpens and bouncy chairs. So my Nonna got a cardboard box and secured it with a very heavy meat tenderizer (so my Aunt couldn't tip backward). She'd sit my Aunt Pat in it and would let her play. The best part? When she was hungry, my Aunt would be given a hotdog and a banana, which she'd grasp in each hand and of which she'd alternate bites. BLEARGH!

My Mom and my Nonna are together in Kingston tonight; they roared when they heard these stories. I don't blame them. :)

Seven Quick Takes - All About Teddy Edition 1

More Seven Quick Takes can be found here.

ONE

Teddy has just gone down for his afternoon nap, so I thought I'd take a moment to crank out this post. His morning nap was surprisingly short (45 minutes, which is totally unusual for him) so I am hoping that this one last a bit longer. If not, bedtime will be SUPER early tonight.

TWO

I tweeted about this yesterday, but Teddy and I have been enjoying music as we play. Snacktime by the Barenaked Ladies is a favourite, as is the CD Shelley just gave us on the weekend. It's an ecclectic mix containing songs like 'Conjunction Junction', 'Little Girls' from Annie, theme songs from The Dukes of Hazzard, The Backyardigans, and Laverne and Shirley, and classics like 'Everybody Loves the Cha Cha Cha' by Sam Cooke. He loves to bounce and sway to the music. It's super cute.

THREE

Teddy's 5th and 6th teeth are arriving; the incisors on either side of his front teeth have broken through the gum (the right more that the left). His front teeth have a gap between them - he's got a bit of a goonie smile (and a goonie laugh, too) but we figure the gap will close as more teeth come in. He's been drooling a lot and shoving his fingers into his mouth, the poor kid. But he's ahead of the curve for teething so far. I am not looking forward to the dreaded 1st year molars, though.

FOUR

One area where Teddy isn't ahead of the curve is crawling. He is not terribly interested nor terribly proficient. At first, his upper body strength would cause him to crawl backwards, away from the object he was aiming for and causing him no end of frustration. He is JUST coming to the realization that his knees need to be involved in this process. We'll see that happens in the next few weeks.

FIVE

His inability to crawl does not mean that he's not interested in locomoting, though. He'll bum scoot a bit, and his big thing is reaching for us in order to pull himself up, then take steps towards the desired object/spot. The kid would spend all day upright if he could. His balance is improving, though far from perfect. Maybe he'll be like my Dad - he'll skip crawling all together.

SIX

I know that I blogged about this yesterday, but I am super excited to meet Rory and for Teddy to see him, too. Teddy has just begun to realize that children and babies aren't just 'other people' -- they're wonderful playmates. Until a couple weeks ago, his reaction towards adults and kids was identical: "Hey! It's a person!! I love people!!" But he's clued in that kids are at his eye level and interested in similar things. It should be fun. I am also excited to get pictures of the two of them together - Godzilla and a newborn.

SEVEN

We (and the cats) look forward to the day when Teddy has more control of his arm movements. When he's excited, he flaps and grabs. When the object of the excitement is your face (or that of a cat) well - it's less fun. We get fish-hooked a lot around these parts. I am petrified that he'll end up with a fistful of whisker one of these days; 'gentle' is one of the most used words around here. He'll figure it out soon enough, but I feel for the felines. They get close to him (Gunther especially; he'd love some affection from Teddy because he really likes kids) but it's tense. I am sure that they'll be friends soon enough!

I wish all of you an amazing Friday!

Day 5 - Teddy loves to eat!

As we were having lunch today, I knew what I'd blog about -- Teddy's LOVE of food.

We've been doing a blend of baby-led weaning and a bit of baby food, primarily stuff we eat as purees (like butternut squash or oatmeal). We started when Teddy was about 6.5 months. At first, he'd gum the heck out of strips of plum or nectarine or cucumber. But as his manual dexterity got better, he began to enjoy it more and more. His pincer motion is awesome, and his aim is excellent too, so his mealtimes are far more efficient than before.

Teddy's favourite foods are cheese and avocado. He is hilarious with cheese -- when you give him pieces of it, he cannot eat them fast enough. He smiles and chuckles to himself because he's so very excited. And when there are avocado slices present? He'll ignore the cheese to cram these into his mouth and smile at you with a mushy green grin.

On the cruise, we'd have a routine at dinner. We'd arrive at the table, where he'd have some Cheerios and I might feed him a little something from a jar (squash -- his favourite jarred food, or corn that smells and tastes like corn-on-the-cob). Then, he'd have some bread from the bread basket. Next, they'd serve Teddy a freshly made puree of broccoli and carrots, which he inhaled. Finally (when our main courses would come out), he'd be presented with a plate of green peas and mashed potatoes. And the kid would shovel handfuls of peas into his mouth like it was his job! And he was so well-behaved at the table. Dinner would last 1.5 hours and he was so cheerful. Guests at all of the tables around us came by to compliment him on his good behaviour, and the waitstaff just adored him. It went far better than we'd anticipated.

We're pretty much feeding him what we eat. Last night, for example, we had butternut squash soup and my Nonna's eggplant parmesan. Teddy had pureed squash and some eggplant parmesan and cheese. Tonight, it'll be perogies and corn or peas. For lunch, he had some pureed pears, cheese and banana. It's so fun watching him discover food!

He's still having lots of breastmilk in addition to 3 meals a day, and he's thriving. I'm sure that Nanny and Poppy will be thrilled to serve him Newfie Dinner when next we visit Georgetown!

MY six month anniversary

Today marks an anniversary for me; it's been 6 months of expressing, since months since dehydration day. It's hard to believe that I made it to my goal.

When it became clear that breastfeeding wouldn't work (stupid, stupid tongue tie!), we faced a tough decision -- did I keep pumping, or did we switch to formula. It was a question that we had to revisit several times, especially early on with the repeated bouts of thrush and mastitis. But I was adamant -- I wanted to make it to six months. He was GOING to have breast milk for six months. And he has.

I could not have done it without support - Dave and my parents in particular. On the days when I felt so awful that it hurt to pick up the baby, I was so fortunate to have you there. I am sure that you occasionally thought I was crazy to continue, but you respected my dogged determination. Now we've got a freezer full of milk and a kid who's thriving!

What's next (with respect to this)? I am not 100% certain. I'm down to 4 times a day (still getting a litre or so) and it isn't a trial any longer. At 4 months, I thought "Can I get to 8?", then recoiled in horror, thinking of how difficult the first few months had been; could I go the same amount of time all over again? Now, staring down the second half of the year, it seems doable. We've vacationed while doing it, and it's just so freaking convenient to make the food even if you have to store it in the fridge and pour it into bottles. My tentative plan is to get through our trip in late September/early October and then we'll see. At that point, he'll be nearly 9 months old (!!!). But I'd like to go as long as possible, to give him the best possible nutrition I can.

He's doing so well, by the way. He's weighing in at nearly 18 lbs (not monstrous -- lately, I've met two kids within a few weeks of Teddy who weigh over 21 lbs!) and solidly in the 60th percentile. He's such a good-natured kid and a joy to be around (see photographic evidence, once again taken by Becky). I'm so happy that I've been able to give him this. And I'm so very proud of myself for persevering, for toughing this out!

6 Months

This is going to be short, since Auntie Leanne is in town tonight for a visit.


Six months ago today, Teddy was born. Happy "...and a half" birthday, baby! You got a cool gift from Aunt Beth, and you're growing like a weed. You love to babble "babababa bobobo" and "mmmmmummumu", you're so smiley and you laugh at the most random things. We love you to pieces.

Photo credit - my friend Becky, whose adorable daughter Mandy may just become Teddy's first girlfriend! We have photos of them spontaneously holding hands!