You may have noticed in previous blog posts that Aves is standing (and she's walking too!). I know I'm a bit slow on the posts these days, but despite missing the blog entries, we HAVE been capturing the moments!
Since she started crawling at around 9 months old, Aves never really showed interest in standing or cruising. She preferred crawling or being carried! Well, out of the blue, she started pulling herself up and standing on her own at the end of April. She would pull herself up, take one or two steps and fall down. However, when she wanted to really move, she would still get down on all fours and crawl.
The video below was taken on May 13th. At this point, she was taking several steps at a time and she was discovering that walking may just be faster than crawling. That transition from crawling to walking happened SO quickly!
So now, we pretty much have a toddler on our hands. She is quite stable, despite her teeny, tiny feet, but there tends to be alot of falling over and tears as a result of Josh's mischief and Nikita's overactive tail!
In the last couple of days, she has discovered independence (ugh!). She has been testing me by wandering off when we're out and making me chase after her. She will even walk away so I'm out of her eyesight! I'm shocked, given that she is pretty attached to me. I guess Mommy is the one that has to learn to start letting go...
Anyway, here's the video from May 13th. Oh yeah, and you'll notice she can say "Mama" really well, too, but with ALOT of coaxing...
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
hyack
This past Saturday, we went to the Hyack Festival Parade. I've been trying to take the kids to a parade for the longest time, but it always seems like parade start times coincide with naps - many start around 1:00 or 2:00pm. Either that or the weather isn't ideal for standing outside on the street.
The Hyack Parade started at 11:00am, so it seemed like perfect timing. Unfortunately, the weather didn't co-operate on Saturday, but we threw caution to the wind, sported our rain gear and headed out anyway. Because at this rate, the kids will be adults before they ever see a parade!
I also haven't been to a parade in ages. We went to the Chinese New Year parade a couple of years ago, but we only caught the tail end of the parade and Josh was too little to understand anyway. So, this was essentially Josh's first parade. He loved it. He watched the whole thing, quite entranced by it all. He liked that he got handouts, like a rubber bracelet from the Army, a Canadian flag and, the best part (!), a couple of lollipops!
Aves wasn't too interested, though. I carried her in the baby carrier, so she couldn't see much anyway. She liked the music, but that was about it.
It wasn't a bad parade - not that I'm a connoisseur. Here are some of my thoughts on the parade:
- The American floats outdid the Canadian floats. I'm guessing that Americans love their parades because every American float was good. We had the occasional nice float that caught your attention, but we also had groups of people walking down the street holding a sign. Like, really, what is the point?!
- Glee music is the theme du jour for marching bands. Aside from the usual parade fanfare, Glee music was all we heard from the marching bands. Not that this is bad - if you like Glee. I, for one, love the show!
- Cannons on a parade float should not be allowed to be continually fired throughout a parade. Especially when the route is lined with buildings on which the noise reverberates.
- Since when did a city's engineering department vehicles become parade-worthy?!
- I like parades. We need to go to more - it's a nice family outing. Especially if the kids like them, too!
Monday, May 31, 2010
camping, glamping or something in between
We didn't go "glamping" in it's truest form, but we definitely did not go camping either! I guess we did what is known as "RV'ing". During the Victoria Day long weekend, we went on the inaugural camping trip for our trailer and, in a word, it was fabulous! Mind you, we're coming from a 1964 tent trailer, so our new 28-foot trailer seemed a bit extreme. But, believe it or not, in the RV world, our trailer is "entry level"!
In any case, we had a fun-filled, luxurious camping trip. We decided for the inaugural trip, we would keep things simple and make sure we had all the amenities. So, we headed across the border to the KOA in Burlington.
Firstly, I have to say that I can't believe we waited so long to get a Nexus pass! After the long weekend, the news reported that border line-ups were not as long as they've been in the past. However, the line going south was at least a couple of hours on Friday afternoon and about an hour going north on Monday afternoon. That is still 3 hours of line-ups that we avoided with our Nexus card. Furthermore, we did not have to scan the radio stations to listen for border wait times and schedule our trip around the border. We simply went when we wanted to!
Anyway, back to the trip - we arrived at the campground early Friday afternoon and immediately set up. It was so quick and painless that Brian and I were actually sitting at the picnic table asking each other, "That's it?!". It was really THAT easy.
The campground had a park, an indoor pool and a great off leash pet area for Nikita to run. Josh had a blast and even Avery loved to explore the gravel and grass area at the foot of our trailer (she's our resident gravel eater!). And, surprisingly ideal, there was a "camping superstore" in Burlington where we went on Saturday morning to finish stocking up the trailer. When do I EVER get to go shopping on a camping trip?!
We had planned to do a couple of things, like take a ferry trip to the San Juan Islands, but the weather didn't really co-operate that weekend so we mostly hung out at the campground. The park, the pool and taking Nikita for walks proved to be more than enough entertainment for the kids. Josh especially liked the proximity of the other campsites. He felt very comfortable going up to other campsites, introducing himself and asking what people were doing! He made friends with a couple of kids at the park and managed to stay out of trouble for the most part.
The kids slept great in the trailer, too! We had to make strange sleeping quarters because I was worried that putting the 2 kids in the same space, they would disturb each other. So, Avery slept in her playpen in the front of the trailer and Josh slept in the top bunk at the back of the trailer and they were both fine. On Sunday, they were both so tired out by naptime that they both had 3 hour naps through the afternoon! It's true what they say about the fresh air...
On our last day there, we managed to make a visit to Lang's Horse and Pony Farm. Our original intent was to get Josh on a pony ride. At the Queensborough Fall Fair last year, we asked Josh if he wanted to go on a pony ride and he said no because they were "stinky". We asked him this time and he said yes. When we got there, Josh gravitated to the horses. We kept pushing the ponies, but he insisted he wanted to ride a horse. I totally thought when he got on top of the horse he would freak out and want off. No such luck. So instead of getting a pony ride, Josh got a horseback ride!
We didn't get many pictures of the weekend, but here are some that we did get...
In any case, we had a fun-filled, luxurious camping trip. We decided for the inaugural trip, we would keep things simple and make sure we had all the amenities. So, we headed across the border to the KOA in Burlington.
Firstly, I have to say that I can't believe we waited so long to get a Nexus pass! After the long weekend, the news reported that border line-ups were not as long as they've been in the past. However, the line going south was at least a couple of hours on Friday afternoon and about an hour going north on Monday afternoon. That is still 3 hours of line-ups that we avoided with our Nexus card. Furthermore, we did not have to scan the radio stations to listen for border wait times and schedule our trip around the border. We simply went when we wanted to!
Anyway, back to the trip - we arrived at the campground early Friday afternoon and immediately set up. It was so quick and painless that Brian and I were actually sitting at the picnic table asking each other, "That's it?!". It was really THAT easy.
The campground had a park, an indoor pool and a great off leash pet area for Nikita to run. Josh had a blast and even Avery loved to explore the gravel and grass area at the foot of our trailer (she's our resident gravel eater!). And, surprisingly ideal, there was a "camping superstore" in Burlington where we went on Saturday morning to finish stocking up the trailer. When do I EVER get to go shopping on a camping trip?!
We had planned to do a couple of things, like take a ferry trip to the San Juan Islands, but the weather didn't really co-operate that weekend so we mostly hung out at the campground. The park, the pool and taking Nikita for walks proved to be more than enough entertainment for the kids. Josh especially liked the proximity of the other campsites. He felt very comfortable going up to other campsites, introducing himself and asking what people were doing! He made friends with a couple of kids at the park and managed to stay out of trouble for the most part.
The kids slept great in the trailer, too! We had to make strange sleeping quarters because I was worried that putting the 2 kids in the same space, they would disturb each other. So, Avery slept in her playpen in the front of the trailer and Josh slept in the top bunk at the back of the trailer and they were both fine. On Sunday, they were both so tired out by naptime that they both had 3 hour naps through the afternoon! It's true what they say about the fresh air...
On our last day there, we managed to make a visit to Lang's Horse and Pony Farm. Our original intent was to get Josh on a pony ride. At the Queensborough Fall Fair last year, we asked Josh if he wanted to go on a pony ride and he said no because they were "stinky". We asked him this time and he said yes. When we got there, Josh gravitated to the horses. We kept pushing the ponies, but he insisted he wanted to ride a horse. I totally thought when he got on top of the horse he would freak out and want off. No such luck. So instead of getting a pony ride, Josh got a horseback ride!
We didn't get many pictures of the weekend, but here are some that we did get...
Bedtime milk on the couch in the trailer
Swinging in the park
"Keep pushing me, Mommy!"
Our set-up, complete with Aves exploring
Roasting marshmallows by the campfire - Josh was actually quite afraid of the campfire and preferred the raw 'mallows. Jon and Caroline came up from Seattle for a day visit. We couldn't believe that Caroline has never roasted marshmallows over a campfire before!
Caroline tries to perfect the marshmallow roast and even makes some smores!
Josh puts on a helmet to prepare for his horseback ride (nice sign!)
"Look, Mama! This is Otis."
He looks so small when he's up so high!
How toddlers sleep on the trip home from a camping weekend
How pre-schoolers sleep on the trip home from a camping weekend
Friday, May 14, 2010
5 days and skinny
OK, that title is completely misleading! I haven't gotten skinny in 5 days...trust me.
I haven't posted in a month because things have been CRAZY going back to work. If you've talked to me, you know what I mean. Anyway, I had to take a second to post a couple of thoughts:
1. Skinny jeans are going to be the death of me.
2. I started a new job this week and this is my first 5-day work week in about 3 1/2 years. Ugh. I'm exhausted!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Happy Birthday, Aves!
I remember at one point during labour, just about a year and 5 hours ago, I thought to myself, "How is it that I could have ever forgotten this pain enough to have another child?!". But the honest truth is that today, a year later, I remember that labour was the most excruciating pain I've ever experienced, but I cannot physically remember that pain! It's amazing how the human mind works!
Avery was born a year ago today. I can't believe she's 1 already! It was also my first day back at work today, so it was quite an eventful day. All I can say is that I can't believe that this year went by so quickly! It's been an amazing time.
Parenting the second time around has been a completely different experience than the first time. It's been much harder, but I've enjoyed it much more! Maybe because I don't have all that first-time parent anxiety. I'm not sure what it is, but I loved having the time to bond with my children.
I remember hearing friends talk being afraid that they couldn't love the second child as much as the first. I mean, the most love you've ever felt at that point in your life has been concentrated on that first child! Well, just as amazing as the human mind works, so does the human heart. I can't remember what love felt like before Avery (probably because I'm so exhausted most of the time! Just kidding...).
But, I really want to know where the year has gone! I still remember those first few nights at home when Brian, Avery and I slept in the living room and Avery spent most of the night sleeping on my chest. I remember thinking that I needed to stop that practice before she got too used to it, but really, I wanted to hold her like that forever.
Now, just in the last couple of days, she is standing on her own. I can feel her determination as she tries to take that first step! When I ask her for a kissy, kissy, she leans in to my face - sometimes she'll purse her lips and give me a proper kiss, but most times, I get grossed out by all the drool! She can wave bye-bye and she can say bye-bye too! And she definitely has no problem communicating when she wants something! It's usually quite screechy or squealy.
She is quickly becoming Daddy's little girl, too! Aves has no problem crying out her needs and Bri HATES to hear her cry. She still has trouble going to sleep on her own and Bri still has trouble leaving the room before she falls asleep! I remember that Bri was already throwing Josh in the air at 3 months old, claiming he was a tough boy. Well, he has barely carried Aves over his head, much less thrown her in the air yet! Right now, Aves still gravitates to me for comfort, but I'm sure she will be going more to Brian soon enough!
Watching Aves and Josh is always a treat, too! Most times, Josh's idea of "playing" with Avery consists of taking away every single toy she picks up. But in the rare moments where they are communicating with each other, Josh tries to make Aves laugh, she giggles and that makes him laugh, too. She laughs even more and it's so infectious that soon we're all laughing! I love it.
Happy 1st Birthday, Aves! We are so lucky to have you in our lives!
Avery was born a year ago today. I can't believe she's 1 already! It was also my first day back at work today, so it was quite an eventful day. All I can say is that I can't believe that this year went by so quickly! It's been an amazing time.
Parenting the second time around has been a completely different experience than the first time. It's been much harder, but I've enjoyed it much more! Maybe because I don't have all that first-time parent anxiety. I'm not sure what it is, but I loved having the time to bond with my children.
I remember hearing friends talk being afraid that they couldn't love the second child as much as the first. I mean, the most love you've ever felt at that point in your life has been concentrated on that first child! Well, just as amazing as the human mind works, so does the human heart. I can't remember what love felt like before Avery (probably because I'm so exhausted most of the time! Just kidding...).
But, I really want to know where the year has gone! I still remember those first few nights at home when Brian, Avery and I slept in the living room and Avery spent most of the night sleeping on my chest. I remember thinking that I needed to stop that practice before she got too used to it, but really, I wanted to hold her like that forever.
Now, just in the last couple of days, she is standing on her own. I can feel her determination as she tries to take that first step! When I ask her for a kissy, kissy, she leans in to my face - sometimes she'll purse her lips and give me a proper kiss, but most times, I get grossed out by all the drool! She can wave bye-bye and she can say bye-bye too! And she definitely has no problem communicating when she wants something! It's usually quite screechy or squealy.
She is quickly becoming Daddy's little girl, too! Aves has no problem crying out her needs and Bri HATES to hear her cry. She still has trouble going to sleep on her own and Bri still has trouble leaving the room before she falls asleep! I remember that Bri was already throwing Josh in the air at 3 months old, claiming he was a tough boy. Well, he has barely carried Aves over his head, much less thrown her in the air yet! Right now, Aves still gravitates to me for comfort, but I'm sure she will be going more to Brian soon enough!
Watching Aves and Josh is always a treat, too! Most times, Josh's idea of "playing" with Avery consists of taking away every single toy she picks up. But in the rare moments where they are communicating with each other, Josh tries to make Aves laugh, she giggles and that makes him laugh, too. She laughs even more and it's so infectious that soon we're all laughing! I love it.
Happy 1st Birthday, Aves! We are so lucky to have you in our lives!
Playtime during Rhythm Kids
Aves playing ball with Natasha, the Rhythm Kids teacher
Hehehe...this is the finger that I have Daddy wrapped around!
My stretchy face
My scrunchy face
Quality family time on my birthday!
I love my Daddy
Joshie helps Aves open her presents
A Van Dop Easter and Birthday event
Auntie Renee and Aves share their birthday cake!
Mmmmm...spaghetti and meatballs is the best birthday dinner!
I stand corrected - cupcake is the best birthday dinner!
Enough cupcake for 2!
Joshie sings Happy Birthday to Aves
Does this cupcake make my face look messy?!
Mommy, I'm all done!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
pre
Josh's first official day in pre-school was today. In a word, it went "well". I would say that with all the changes going on in our household right now, Josh is adapting amazingly well to all of it.
I am going back to work next week and Nanny Tess arrived last week. We've been going through transition for the last couple weeks and I think it's been extremely tough on all of us. Having said that, all the changes are for the better - it will just take time for my heart to catch up to my head.
It's kind of hard to verbalize how I feel right now. I think I'm just numb from the heartache of having to leave my kids each day. I know that this is the toughest part and it will get better as everyone gets adjusted. I'm trying to take everything in stride, including my spontaneous bursts of tears.
So, to focus on all the good things, Tess seems to be fitting in well with our family. I hope she is feeling as good about the fit as we do. Aves seems to have transitioned well and is quite familiar with Tess now. Josh was a bit more challenging, but I think he is coming around now.
Since we pulled Josh out of daycare, we decided to put him into pre-school so he could have continued socialization with kids his age. He is starting with 1 day a week and if it goes well, we will add a second day each week.
He said that he really liked "school" today, so I'm taking that as a good sign. It's a play-based pre-school, so it's not too far off from daycare anyway. Here is his first art project that he brought home. He's done lost of arts & crafts in the past, but since this is the first one from pre-school, I thought I would post it.
I am going back to work next week and Nanny Tess arrived last week. We've been going through transition for the last couple weeks and I think it's been extremely tough on all of us. Having said that, all the changes are for the better - it will just take time for my heart to catch up to my head.
It's kind of hard to verbalize how I feel right now. I think I'm just numb from the heartache of having to leave my kids each day. I know that this is the toughest part and it will get better as everyone gets adjusted. I'm trying to take everything in stride, including my spontaneous bursts of tears.
So, to focus on all the good things, Tess seems to be fitting in well with our family. I hope she is feeling as good about the fit as we do. Aves seems to have transitioned well and is quite familiar with Tess now. Josh was a bit more challenging, but I think he is coming around now.
Since we pulled Josh out of daycare, we decided to put him into pre-school so he could have continued socialization with kids his age. He is starting with 1 day a week and if it goes well, we will add a second day each week.
He said that he really liked "school" today, so I'm taking that as a good sign. It's a play-based pre-school, so it's not too far off from daycare anyway. Here is his first art project that he brought home. He's done lost of arts & crafts in the past, but since this is the first one from pre-school, I thought I would post it.
conehead
Poor Nikita had an accident last week. The short story is that she was at Bri's job site and they were working on a demo for a reno. Nikita jumped up to where she knew there was a floor, but there was a floor no more. She didn't fall too far, but on the way down, she got a bad cut on her inside thigh.
The worst part was that she didn't act injured, so we didn't notice until a few hours later, at home, when Bri noticed she was licking herself in an area that was not her "privates". Nikita's not a cat, so she doesn't really lick herself anywhere, except her privates, unless she's nursing something. So, Bri took a closer look and he saw the 3-inch gash in her inner thigh. My heart sank.
We went to the animal hospital immediately and they confirmed she needed stitches. So, they kept her for a few hours while they sewed her up and she came home to us that evening, groggy and likely sore. She was hopped up on antibiotics and painkillers for a few days, so she was very low-key. But she was finished with a painkillers a couple of days ago and she seems more like her usual, energetic self.
It's been a pain because she's a bit like a bull in a china shop with her conehead. When she first came home, she was very awkward getting around with the cone. Anytime she would hit something (which was alot of the time!), she would back off. Now, she's used to the cone so she just bulls her way through when she gets stuck. Avery has gotten hit by a cone so many times, she is terrified of Nikita. And I've heard many exasperated "Nikita!"s from Josh. It's all a bit comedic!
Needless to say, we can't wait for Nikita to get the sutures, and her cone, removed on Monday. I'm sure Nikita feels the same! Here are some shots of her the night we brought her home from the hospital:
The worst part was that she didn't act injured, so we didn't notice until a few hours later, at home, when Bri noticed she was licking herself in an area that was not her "privates". Nikita's not a cat, so she doesn't really lick herself anywhere, except her privates, unless she's nursing something. So, Bri took a closer look and he saw the 3-inch gash in her inner thigh. My heart sank.
We went to the animal hospital immediately and they confirmed she needed stitches. So, they kept her for a few hours while they sewed her up and she came home to us that evening, groggy and likely sore. She was hopped up on antibiotics and painkillers for a few days, so she was very low-key. But she was finished with a painkillers a couple of days ago and she seems more like her usual, energetic self.
It's been a pain because she's a bit like a bull in a china shop with her conehead. When she first came home, she was very awkward getting around with the cone. Anytime she would hit something (which was alot of the time!), she would back off. Now, she's used to the cone so she just bulls her way through when she gets stuck. Avery has gotten hit by a cone so many times, she is terrified of Nikita. And I've heard many exasperated "Nikita!"s from Josh. It's all a bit comedic!
Needless to say, we can't wait for Nikita to get the sutures, and her cone, removed on Monday. I'm sure Nikita feels the same! Here are some shots of her the night we brought her home from the hospital:
Poor girl, she had such a hard time getting in the minivan and then getting on the couch!
I tried to get a shot of the sutures, but this doesn't do it justice. All you can really see is a bit of redness that surrounds the sutured gash.
This is our dog on drugs.
Huh?!
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