Joshua and Abigail

Our Summer Vacation! Part 1

2010-10-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

Our Summer Vacation this year was a trip to BC for Chris' cousin's wedding. I also had the opportunity to shoot Wedding Photo's for the first time and I really enjoyed it!

Long time no post

2010-10-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

Ha Ha, that could possibly be my most common post title.

Life as a working mom of two keeps me busier than I ever thought possible, throw in the fact that I am also back at school working towards a Certificate in Event Management, means I have very little time for laundry, never mind blogging.

Anyways, the kids are AMAZING, I adore all of my time with them. Abby is walking ALL. OF. THE. TIME. I always joke that she just walks for the sake of walking, she doesn't need a purpose as long as she is walking she is happy! Chris and I describe her as our Princess, she nows what she wants and how to get it and if you refuse a temper tantrum is sure to follow. Seriously, my 13 month old has tempur tantrums!

Josh is now three and a half and if you ask how old he is he will say three and a half. Is latest phase is asking questions about everything. We are passed the Why-a phase and now asks why is it snowing, why does Abby cry, why this, why that. It's like living with the Riddler! He is very energetic and has quite the imagination. Right now he loves to make up words that have no meaning but he thinks they are hilarious. He loves his sister so much and he is very protective of her.

So things are trucking along, the next few posts will be pictures only, but will capture important and fun moments over the last few months.

Long over due update

2010-07-25T14:24:00.001-07:00

Here are some more recent pictures of my beautiful children, both are doing wonderfully and are you typical happy, healthy children. They are enjoying their summer with their Daddy and I am now back to work full-time.

Naps!

2010-05-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

I LOVE nap time!

So far I am very fortunate that Joshua takes a really good nap in the afternoon usually 2 - 3 hours. Lately, Abby has also been joining in the afternoon nap-a-thons, it doesn't happen every day, but the days that it does, is quite heavenly!!

Prince Edward Island

2010-05-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

In April my Dad and I packed up the kids and flew to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to visit my Grandfather. The trip there was great, both kids did really well but I had brought Josh's carseat for the flight so it was a huge pain lugging it through the terminals during our TWO stop overs (Ottawa and Halifax). On the way back we checked the carseat but had a really hard time with Josh on the plane, not sure what the better option is at this point.

We had a great visit but some how I managed to only get a picture of Abby with my Grandfather and no one else, oops!

Here are a few photos from our trip.

We went looking for a certain beach (I can't remember which one), we never found it but we did fine one. It was really windy that day, by the time we went back to the car the sand had blown over our foot prints.

No trip to PEI is complete without a trip to the Cows Creamery. Josh got to experience his first milk shake.

Two cute babies in their matching Cow pajamas!

Abby changed a lot during the five days we were gone, she went from sitting in one place to being able to get up on all fours (not crawling though).

Thanks for the great visit Grandpa and Barbara!

Sitting Pretty

2010-03-18T08:57:00.001-07:00

Abby can now sit independently and she couldn't be more proud of herself! It is great because I can now sit her on the floor with some toys while I prepare lunch or supper and she happily plays on the floor. It seemed she went from not being able to sit to being able to overnight. She never went through the tippy stage so she can sit for about a half an hour and be quite content!

A Spring Walk

2010-03-07T21:11:00.000-08:00

We took the kids out for a walk together since it was such a beautiful day, we headed over to a local golf course and walked around, since it wasn't open it was a lovely walk. Josh had a great time throwing snow and Abby, well Abby slept the entire time!

Five Months Old

2010-02-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Abigail is 5 months old already, how did that happen. I took her to get weighed today and she is 17 lbs 7 ounces and is 25 inches long (she grew an inch in a month). She is a pretty happy baby on the whole. Sleep is still leaving a lot to be desired but we are working through it.

We recently got our Jolly Jumper back and Abby LOVES it more than I ever thought she would and she also got the concept a whole lot more quickly than Joshua did! She grabs at her toys all of the time and everything goes directly into her mouth. She was rolling over at an early age but has since stopped, I think she is too big!

In one month she will be six months and will be starting solids, YIKES. She already has a huge interest in food and is already tryin

g to get her hands on my food whenever I am eating!

First Day of Preschool

2010-01-21T20:30:00.000-08:00

Josh started preschool today, I thought he needed a bit more interaction with kids his age. He was so excited to go, although he thought he was going to be able to ride on a school bus and was quite upset that I was actually driving him.

The morning started off with a tasty breakfast and Josh was bursting at the seams with excitement. Then it was time to get dressed and head out the door.

When I dropped him off there were lots of tears, but the teacher said that he was fine once I was out of sight. He had a great time and was so excited when I picked him up! I admit it was nice to come home and spend some time with one child and then do a bit of cleaning while she napped!

A walk in the snow with Daddy

2010-01-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

Chris took Joshua out for a walk on New Years Day, December was quite cold here so we weren't able to enjoy much time outside, even on this day Joshua was very bundled up and by the time they got home we was quite cold and wanted to come inside. The good thing about this cold is that the pond in our neighborhood was frozen so they were able to treck across it.

Things Joshua says

2009-12-08T18:23:00.000-08:00

A few of funny things Joshua has said tonight.

When Chris walked into the room and said to Josh "Hey J-man" Josh says "I not J-man I Joshua" he also says the same thing when we call him Dude!

Whenever we give Joshua things like a banana or his all time favourite fruit bar, we always take the wrapper off and tell him it is garbage and we throw it away. Tonight Joshua asked for a banana and as I was peeling he started yelling "no mommy leave in garbage" he wanted me to leave the peel on!

I came downstairs to Josh making a loud screeching noise and he said "mommy, I'm whistling"

Welcome!

2009-12-04T12:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our new, more accurately named blog for our two wonderful children, Joshua and Abigail!

AAL Day 3

2009-12-03T00:49:00.000-08:00

Today we set up the mini Christmas Tree. Chris and I bought this little tree when we were living in our first apartment, about 5 years ago. Once we bought our big tree we thought this little one would be perfect for the kids to decorate themselves every year. Josh was so excited to see the lights on and loved hanging all of the miniature balls by himself.

AAL Day 2

2009-12-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

Today we made a paper wreath by tracing Joshua's hand's, cutting them out and glue them to a cardboard ring. Josh giggled the entire time I was tracing his hand and when I cut them out and placed them on the table he would count how many were on the table.

He was so proud of his creation that he insisted on taking it with him for his nap, I managed to convince him to put it on his headboard so it wouldn't get wrecked so it came out fine. Unfortunately it did get a bit crumpled when he was sitting under layers of blankets while watching his "paborite moomie" (favourite movie) before bed.

Advent Activity List Day 1

2009-12-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of our Advent Activity and our activity for today was to hang the wreath on the front door! When ever we walk by the front door now Josh says, "I hang reaf on door!".

Oh goodness, I look horrendus and Josh isn't even looking at the camera. Oh well!

Advent Activity List 2009

2009-11-30T18:46:00.000-08:00

Last year one of the blogs that I follow created a Advent Activity List, each day leading to Christmas they would do a special activity, when she posted it again this year it reminded me that it was something that I wanted to do with Joshua (and Abigail for photo purposes).

I have written each activity and placed them in a numbered envelope so every day Joshua and I open and envelope and read what activity we get to do together.

Here is our list

Dec. 1. Hang the wreath on the front door
Dec. 2. Make a paper wreath
Dec. 3. Set up the Mini Christmas Tree
Dec. 4. Write a letter to Santa
Dec. 5. Visit Santa at the Mall
Dec. 6. Set up the big Christmas Tree
Dec. 7. Build and decorate a gingerbreat house
Dec. 8. Make a Star for the mini tree
Dec. 9. Listen to some Christmas music
Dec. 10. Buy a new ornament from the tree
Dec. 11. Donate a bag of food to the local church
Dec. 12. Build a snowman
Dec. 13. Have pankcakes for breakfast
Dec. 14. Hang Christmas lights on the ourside tree
Dec. 15. Help mom wrap a Christmas present
Dec. 16. Colour a Christmas Picture
Dec. 17. Go to a Christmas party
Dec. 18. Make snow angels
Dec. 19. Watch a Christmas movie
Dec. 20. Go for a sleigh ride
Dec. 21. Take a family picture in front of the tree
Dec. 22. Read a Christmas Story
Dec. 23. Bake cookies for Santa
Dec. 24. Hang stockings

Family Photos

2009-11-24T14:50:00.000-08:00

We just got our family photos back and we are soo happy with them! They were done by my friend Claudine at Claudine Lavoie Photography. She has captured so many special moments for our family, engagment pictures, getting ready wedding photos, maternity photos, and our family photos from when Joshua was a baby.

The Attack of the GIANT Pink Bow

2009-11-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

I have hands!

2009-11-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

9/30

Abigail has found her hands and she sucks on them constantly!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2009-11-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

8/30

Wednesday was Chris' birthday, he had the day off so we spent some family time together and then had dinner with his mum and sister. It was a great day!

Joshua wanted to help blow out the cake, but since he tends to spit more than he blows we let him blow out a candle on his very own piece of cake!!

Mommy and Me

2009-11-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

7/30

I realized that I don't have any photos of Abby and I since we were in the hospital, so I had Chris snap a few tonight!

Orange Mustang Car

2009-11-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

6/30

Joshua loves cars, he can accurately point out, Dodge Chargers (Daddy's car), Toyota Matrixs (Grandma's Car), Pontiac Pursuits (my old car), Cheverolet Cavliers (Auntie Emma's car) and Nissan Frontier/Pathfinders (Opa and Nonas cars) but by far his favourite car is the mustang, and what better than an Orange Mustang. Today when we were out for a walk and we saw an Orange Mustang Car and he nearly leaped out of the stroller, the driver noticed his excitement and smiled at him and then stalled his car (oops).

A visit from Grandma

2009-11-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

5/30

My mom came to visit the kids at the end of October, it was great to have her here and see her spend time with Joshua and Abigail. We did lots of things and it was great to have the extra set of hands around. We were all sad to see her go on Hallowe'en afternoon.

Our little Bubbler

2009-11-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

4/30

We signed Joshua up for swimming lessons and our local YMCA, today was his second class and Chris said that he relaxed a bit more than last time. This is a Daddy and Son activity, but Mommy and Abby came along to snap a few pictures (before I got in trouble).

And Abby did what she does best!

Fun at Gymnastics

2009-11-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

3/30

For the last few weeks I have been taking Joshua to gymnastics with his friends Summer and Tyler to take advantage of their "free gym" time.. Finally this week this week I remembered to take my camera.

Abby's stats

2009-11-05T17:35:00.000-08:00

2/30

I just got back from Miss Abigail's two months shots. She now weighs 11 pounds 15 ounces and is 21 and 2/3 inches long. She was so happy when I was meeting with the nurse, all smalls and lots of giggles, which made both the nurse and I feel really bad about what was coming. She did really well with her shots though, she didn't cry for the first one just gave a annoyed look, then she cried really hard for the second one and cried a little less for the third. She is now happily sitting in her bouncy seat cooing.

Abigail is Two Months Old!

2009-11-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

1/30

My sweet baby girl is two months old today. She is such a sweet baby, I love every minute with her. She smiles in response to my smile and will occassionally give us the most beautiful giggle I have ever heard. She makes noises in response to sounds I make, so if I make a throaty "goooo" sound, she makes it too, it is wonderful. She is really strong, she already perches herself up on my should when I carry her around and loooks around instead of just leaning against me and she can roll, she doesn't do it all the time but she can do it.

My only complaint at this point is sleep, she is getting better but it is a slow progress. I have moved her bedtime up so she goes to bed at the same time as Joshua goes to bed and it seems to be helping a little bit last night she went 4 hours between her bedtime feeding and her next feeding and after that it was about every three hours. I have been noticing that she only nurses for about 1 minute before falling asleep so I think she is just waking up for comfort sucking. She doesn't like the soother much, especially after she has eaten, she makes the worst gagging sound when I try and give it to her.

Joshua loves his little sister, he climbs up on the chair next to the change table when I change her and she smiles at him and I tell him he loves her so much and that makes him smile! He is still learning to be more gentle around her but has definitely improved.

She is wearing all 0/3 month clothing and has started wearing some of her 3/6 month clothes as well, she is a big girl. We go for her immunizations tomorrow so I will post her newest stats when we get back.

I will jump on the band wagon

2009-11-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

I was checking in on a blog I like and they posted a challenge for themselves, a post a day for a month, so I thought ok lets do it. So brace yourselves a post a day for the next 30 days (since I am already late starting doing a full month).

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T20:43:00.000-07:00

Josh had a great time trick or treating this year with his Opa, Nona, Bogey and Kia, he definitely got into it more than he did last year, the neighbours seemed to love hearing him say "trick or treat" and "Happy Hallowe'en" as much as he loved saying it!

We had some cute trick or treaters this year, I would say we only got about 20 though. I always thought since we live in a very family oriented neighbourhood we would have lots of kids but that has never been the case. We don't let Josh have much in terms of candy but we decided to give him a couple of boxes of smarties on Saturday night while we handed out candy to the other kids and he was WIRED. Makes me glad we don't let him have it often, we have since hidden the rest of his candy. While reading through some of my favourite blogs, I found a post about the Great Pumpkin, http://mamaquierebeso.blogspot.com/2009/11/visit-from-great-pumpkin.html. Essentially you let your kids leave their candy outside for the Great Pumpkin and he will leave you a suprise for the next morning. I think we are going to do that next year so that I don't feel so guilty about "stealing his candy".

Happy Halloween from our favourite little Monkey and his favourite little banana!

Just a lazy Tuesday!

2009-10-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

First Smiles...

2009-10-28T18:38:00.000-07:00

... caught on camera!

One Month with Two Kids

2009-10-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

I have been dealing with two kids for a month now, and to be perfectly honest I am exhausted. Last week we were all hit with bad colds, it started with Joshua, then spread to Chris and I and hit Abigail last. I won't lie it was hard having all of us sick and still getting up for nightly feedings/fussiness with Abigail and getting up with Joshua who was only waking because he wasn't feeling well.

I think Joshua is having a hard time adjusting to not being an only child and not being the centre of my attention. He is acting out by hitting, biting, kicking, and throwing things. I really need to get Joshua into an activity that is all for him, I have been considering gymnastics but I fear that I have missed the start of this session, hopefully another one starts shortly. I was considering preschool but I don't think he is ready yet, nor is he potty trained.

I am finding it really hard to get stuff done, from the mountains of laundry that two children make and keeping the house clean I just don't seem to get a break. I am also trying to give Chris as much time as possible to study since he is in school, which usually means getting out of the house, which again is another task that is difficult. While Abby is content to sleep where ever we go Joshua wants to run wild which means I am chasing after him. Thankfully my Mother In Law has been helping with these outings when she can on the weekends and thankfully Chris is almost done school, but then he is back at work and working long hours again!

Anyways, that is how my life is right now, I am sure it will improve soon!

One Month

2009-10-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

Abigail is One Month old, time is going far too quickly!

Abby is doing wonderfully, she is starting to develop more consistent sleep/wakeful periods. Her night sleeping wasn't going well, she was waking frequently and the only time I could get any sleep was if she was tucked into our bed next to me. She would have a great sleep, I would not.

Abby is very strong, much stronger than we remember her brother ever being at this age. She has very good neck control and has already rolled over a number of times. The other day I had her propped up on her Boppy pillow and under her activity mat and I could see her looking at the toys hanging above her, and she swung her arms and hit them, I am pretty sure that was uncontrolled though!

A Comparison

2009-09-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for Joshua's Immunization Card for about three weeks now and I finally found it today. He doesn't have any immunications coming up but I was curious for the sake of comparing how Abby is doing compared to her big brother.

Joshua
Birth - 6 lbs 13 ozs
5 days - 6lbs 7 ozs
1 week, 5 days - 7 lbs
2 weeks, 5 days - 7 lbs 6 ozs
3 weeks 5 days - 7 lbs 15 oz

Abigail
Birth - 7 lbs 3 oz
4 days - 6 lbs 14.5 oz
1 week, 4 days - 7 lbs 6.5 oz
2 weeks, 3 days - 8 lbs (at doctors office)
3 weeks 4 days - 8lbs 9.5 ozs

I think a common concern with most breast feeding mothers, including myself, is how much baby is actually getting and are they growing at a good rate. Looking at both of there numbers I don't think I have any cause for concern. I am shocked that Abigail is already weighing so much more than her big brother. She does have a touch of jaundice, but her brothers was worse so I suppose she is able to stay awake better to feed than he was so that is contributing to her extra growth!

Sibling Love!

2009-09-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

First Bath

2009-09-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

We gave Abigail her first bath at home, like her brother, she wasn't a huge fan of it but we all survived.

Meet Miss Abigail

2009-09-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

Our beautiful baby girl Abigail Megan made her grand entrance into the world on Friday, September 4, 2009 at 4:11 PM after just under three hours of labour. She weighed 7lbs 3 oz and is 19 3/4 inches long. She is doing wonderfully and seems to be a pretty content baby on the whole (minus having us up until 3:00 am last night). Joshua loves his little sister to pieces and wants to hold her all of the time.

Mighty Machines!

2009-09-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

Where is Baby Girl

2009-09-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

Still no progress on the baby front, I am quite uncomfortable now and really ready to just see this baby and hold her in my arms. This has been a very stressful pregnancy because of the SUA and I have to pay very close attention to how often she is moving, plus I have been monitored very closely with many ultrasounds and Non-Stress Tests. My doctor has been great and I am so happy that I was able to get in with him, I know that both of us are in very good hands with him. She has given us a few scares which, thankfully, have all turned out fine but really I just need to know she is ok now.

Two appointments ago my OB said we would be discussing induction for around 39 weeks, and at my last appointment we set the tentative date but said I could very well go into labour before then. That tentative date is Friday, my next appointment is tomorrow morning and still no baby, I highly doubt she is coming on her own. Fingers crossed that we can still proceed with the induction on Friday, but there is a full moon so who knows I could end up getting bumbed until next week. It almost seems to perfect to have her come on Friday because this would mean that Chris would only have to miss one day of school and then we would have the long weekend together before he had to go back to class. Chris has been working hard to stay ahead of schedule but he is still only allowed to miss a certain number of hours before getting kicked out of the program, I am sure they would make a special allowance because of the circumstances but neither of us want to take that chance.

So for now we continue to wait and hope that things work out for Friday!

Important Work

2009-09-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

Joshua and I were sitting at the kitchen table this morning and he was playing with some play doh that I had made him. I asked him a question and his response was "I busy Mommy". He is starting to come out with the most interesting comments, there seems to be a new one everyday. Another favourite is everyone morning when he wakes up I go into his room and he very proudly announces "Mommy, I wake up!".

Imagination

2009-09-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

Joshua has quite the imagination blooming. His favourite thing right now is two stuffed bunnies, one is white and the other is a four foot Bugs Bunny. Everyday Joshua announces that Bunny needs a nap, and rushes him upstairs, puts him to bed says good night and shuts the door. Moments after he gets back downstairs he announces "oh no, Bunny crying" and he runs up stairs to tend to him. Again he comes back downstairs and says "oh, Bunny wake up now" and runs up stairs to get him and bring him back downstairs. The entire process is quite entertaining and both Chris and I very curious to see how is he going to react to his baby sister being home.

First visit to the Dentist

2009-09-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

Joshua had his first visit to the Dentist last wee. I took him to the dental office that my friend Adrianna works at so that he would see a familiar face. I got a bit nervous when he got the exam chair and wouldn't lie down but a show on Treehouse quickly changed his mind!! Once he was lying down, getting him to flash his pearly whites was a whole other story. He kept his mouth shut tight while biting the mirror. The dentist was great and encouraged him to open his mouth. She eventually got him to open his mouth so she could actually look inside. He has all of the teeth that he should have for his age, and shouldn't get anymore until he is 5 or 6 (I can't think that far ahead with out getting emotional), and all of his teeth look great.

And here is the big guy show off his reward for being such a great patient, a new tooth brush a dental floss!

36 Weeks

2009-08-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

I have now reached the BIG goal that I had with my pregnancy with Joshua, this is the time that I was taken off of bedrest, it was such a great feeling and is again this time. Things appear to be going well, I had an ultrasound this week and Baby Girl is doing wonderful scored an 8/8 on her ultrasound and passed her Non-Stress Test which is as much as we can ask for. At my appointment on Tuesday they said that everything thing was sealed up tight, which was a bit disappointing but I suppose she is comfortable. At this point with J I was already effaced and 1.5 cm dialated. I have my actual 36 week appointment on Tuesday so we will see if things have changed. I am still having days when I feel great and others when I feel horrible but I suppose that is normal for this time point in time.

34 Weeks

2009-07-31T19:25:00.000-07:00

I am now 34 weeks, wow, on one hand time has flown by on the other hand it seems to be crawling by. Joshua was born at 37 weeks, so three weeks from now and when I think about it that way I get really overwhelmed and kinda scared.

My doctor took me off of work on July 17 due to my Carpal Tunnel not improving, I still have my good days with it and my bad days but at least I am not spending as much time on the computer, which really seems to irritate it. I miss work and the people I work with a lot, but I am definitely much more comfortable.

I had an appointment with my OB this week and during the appointment I mentioned that I had noticed a huge decrease in movement, after measuring the fundal height he knew why, baby girl has had a huge growth spurt and was simply running out of room, at 33 weeks 3 days she was measuring 36 weeks, that's a big baby! He also booked me in for another ultrasound and a non-stress test in two weeks. After that appointment I see him a week later and start my weekly appointments where they will be doing weekly internal exams to see if I am making any progress.

Moving around has become increasingly difficult, if I have been sitting for more than 5 minutes it takes me a good few minutes until I can stand up straight due pressure.

Nothing to exciting to report, just counting down the days at this point.

31 Weeks Today

2009-07-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

I had an ultrasound yesterday to see how our baby Girl is growing, the good news is she is growing really well, she is already almost 4 lbs and according to my books she should be just over 3, so she is thriving. The scary news is that she has a big head, YIKES. The tech was doing her measurements and I noticed she was measuring her head and I said "my son had a big head so I am sure she will too", the tech's response, "at first I thought it was a really big baby, but she just has a big head and an averaged size body". OMG! The tech noted that she has lots of hair and said that the radiologists first comment was "this baby has a lot of hair". Looks like she might have more hair than Joshua at this rate!

I started really nesting this week, spending a good couple of hours each night tidying the house, I seem almost incapable of sitting still for very long. The other night I "detailed" the stairs by taking a rubber cleaning brush and cleaning out the corners on each step and follow with a vaccuum cleaner. I was very sore the next day but the stairs looked great! Chris of course just sits back and smirks the entire. I didn't get to do this last time so to be honest I am kind of enjoying it!

I am growing increasingly uncomfortable and I was probably the only one in the city that appreciated the nearly entire week of rain that we just had because it kept the temperature in the mid teens for most of the week. I actually wore long sleeved tops most of the time. My Carpel Tunnel really isn't improving at all, I still have my good days and my bad days, unfortunately my worst days seem to be coming over the weekend.

26 Weeks 3 Days

2009-06-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

Ok one last post, here is a picture of the bump at 26 weeks 3 days, I am much larger now!

Blame the Carpel Tunnel

2009-06-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

I will be taking a short break from the already pathetic blogging that I have been doing. The reason, I have been experiencing numbness in my forearms and fingers lately and my OB has diagnosed me with Carpel Tunnel this week and said that if it doesn't improve that he will have to take me off of work in three weeks (after my next appointment) for fear of loosing complete mobility in my hands for the remainder of my pregnancy. This is a fairly common side effect of pregnancy and is due to the additional swelling that I have been experiencing thanks to the additional heat which I didn't have when I was pregnant with Joshua. I stopped wearing my wedding rings a few weeks ago and even noticed earlier this week that my "substitute" ring was feeling snug so I stopped wearing it. The good news is that it is only temporary and everything will go back to normal a few weeks post birth. So for now I am going to be limiting my personal time on the computer as I spend most of my work day typing away.

I will try and bribe Chris into updating some pictures, heck anything is better than what I have been maintaining, and if your really "lucky" I might even share a picture of my ginormous bump!

27 Weeks 3 Days

2009-06-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

Here is Baby Girl at my most recent ultrasound. She was incedibly difficult and made it hard the techs to get the measurements they needed, but she was yawning and sucking on her fingers a lot so that was pretty cute!

Baby No More

2009-06-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

Joshua is currently sleeping for the first time in his big boy bed. Chris and I set up his Big Boy Bed today and he is peacefully sleeping. It took a bit of extra time to get him to settle but he is sleepiung peacefully. We still have a lot of work to do to finish his room so for now, just some pictures of him sleeping soundly.

99 Days to Go!

2009-06-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

Only 99 days to go until Baby Girl's due date!

He never forgets

2009-06-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

Joshua makes us laugh on a daily basis, as I think most toddlers do with their parents!

A few weeks ago we were outside and Joshua fell and skinned his knee on the pavement, while he was figuring out how to react to the situation I was thinking of how to avoid a meltdown. I jumped into action and said "Yay Joshua you got your first Big Boy Owie!" He gave me a puzzled look and examed his scraped knee and said "owie mommy" but there were no tears. When we got home we cleaned the scrape and put a bandaid on his knee. He wore the bandaid proudly and didn't try to take it off.

However for the rest of the week, we removed the bandaid after one day, he reminded us regularly for at least a week lifting up the leg of his pants/shorts to showing us his wound.

What?!

2009-05-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

Every morning I get Joshua up at 6:45 in order to drop him off at the dayhome. When I go into his room he is usually awake and when I go in his room I go "Good Morning Joshua" and usually I get a cheery "Hi Mommy". This morning this was not the case.

Me: "Good Morning Joshua"

J: ::Gives me weird smile and puts his head back down::

Me: "Are you ready to get up?"

J: "No" :: Rolls over to face the wall::

Me: "Are you still tired?"

J: "Yes"

Me: ::Shakes head and wonders what is going on::

Seriously, did he become a teenager over night?

24 Weeks

2009-05-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

Baby Update:
How far along? 24 Weeks

Total weight gain? About 15 lbs so far

Sleep: I am still going to be early, although I would like to be in bed earlier than 9:30, as long as I don't have to get up I am able to sleep just fine.

Movement: Baby is moving most of the time, lots of kicks and squirms.

Food craving: Not really!
What I miss: I would really love a nice glass of wine, but I have a few months before I can enjoy that.

Milestones: More constant stronger movements started this week.

How I'm feeling: I am feeling pretty on the whole, I did have some problems with my allergies last week which turned into a cold when he had a major temperature drop but I am feeling much better now. My lower back is starting to hurt a bit more than usual but it isn't anything too unbearable.

27 Months

2009-05-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

Joshua is 27 Months old today!

I could probably stop counting months now but I will do it when I am good and ready.

Joshua is a wonderful little man and he makes us smile a daily basis. Chris and I both find ourselves slipping into is room at night and watching him sleep for a few minutes before we go to bed. For the most part Joshua sleeps wonderfully he will occassionally get up a once a night but for the most part he sleeps from 6:45 pm - 6:45 am, a bit later on the weekends. During the week he only has a short hour to hour and a half nap, but when he is at home he will generally sleep for two to three hours in the afternoon. It is great and I really hope that he will keep it up when the baby comes, I could certainly use a short nap, at least in the beginning.

Joshua plays with most of his toys on a fairly consistent basis, but by far his favourite is his cars and trucks. Lately he has been taking his large ride-on Tonka truck and race it back and forth across the living room. When he gets to the edge of the room, he goes "eerrch" as he turns the car around.

We are finally able to read Joshua books, for the longest time he had the patience to sit through one page of a book before he was off or squirming out of our laps. Now he will sit for five books straight and ask for more. He has his favourites that he is learning the words too and he says the last word on each page, one of his books "George and the Dragon" he knows so well and recites all of his favourite parts when we read it with him.

All in all the days are going by quickly, and we are trying to love every moment.

Really behind

2009-05-18T13:19:00.001-07:00

I am really behind on blogging, by months, but I took some time today to post some old pictures of Joshua. I will try and ensure more regular updates in the future.

Catch

2009-05-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

Joshua loves to play ball, him and Chris will spend a few minutes every night playing catch, which usually involves Chris throwing the ball at Joshua and him occassionaly catching it but more often that not he gets hit by the ball. Thankfully we use a really soft ball so no harm is done and Joshua laughs hystracially when he gets hit.

An artist in the making!

2009-05-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing I am cute!

2009-05-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

because I make messes all of the time and wreck lots of things, but a quick smile and mom/dad are usually over it!

A visit to the Mountains

2009-05-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

We spent the New Year (yes I am that far behind) visiting some of Chris's relatives in McBride, BC. We had a great time and the weather was so wonderful that Joshua got to spend some time playing out side in the snow.

The Joy that can only come when yoiu have finished a gigantic puzzle of the world!

18 Week Ultrasound

2009-04-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

Just got back from my 18 week ultrasound, baby seems to be doing well.

Hang in there

2009-03-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

I promise an update as soon as I finish my class. I have 5 weeks left! Thank you for continuing to check in!

We are doing very well, Joshua is growing more and more each day, he is starting to eat us out of house and home! He loves to play with balls and cars, every night him and Chris play catch for probably 20 minutes before bedtime. Chris seems to be settling in well to his new career, he is working really long days right now but is getting some great experience! I am doing well, work is busy and school and pregnancy keep me very tired. Our Big Ultrasound is coming up on April 17, Chris says I talk about it everyday, which I probably am but I am really looking forward to it. Unfortunately you will all need to wait until the end of April to find out what we are having because I want to tell my Dad and Wendy in person when they get back from the Mediteranian Cruise! I will send emails to family members in the mean time though! i have started to feel the first signs of movement, some flutters here and there but definitely nothing consistent.

23 Months and Exciting News

2009-01-22T12:55:00.000-08:00

Joshua is 23 months old today, one month away from being 2! He has changed so much since my last post, I am so far behind. Thanks to his surgery he is talking a lot more, still working on multi-syllable words and phrases but he is getting there.

Sorry this is short but we also have very exciting news, Joshua is going to be a big brother in September, my due date is September 13, 2009. I am only 6 weeks 4 days along so still very early but we were able to see the hearbeat on Monday so we are going to be optimistic!

Here is the picture from my ultrasound, not much to see but its a picture!

I have completed my quest

2008-11-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

Since Joshua has started on sippy cups I have been on the quest for perfect sippy. I have tried so many different styles, looking for one that wouldn't leak. Then add to that one that is BPA free, I was beginning to think that I was never going to find my answer. At a birthday party where there were plenty of kids in attendance I noticed some kids had a Thermos brand sippy cup, the Foogo, and they seemed quite durable and didn't leak. I was however a bit put off by the price, $20.00 for a cup, was just something I was willing to try. However, after cleaning up multiple messes, and then seeing the Thermos Foogo at the store for less than $20.00 I decided to take the plunge and brought one home, and there have been NO LEAKS. Words cannot express how happy this makes me! Now I want to get a couple more and get rid of the other sippy cups that leak, minus the Sigg that we love for travelling with of course!

A Lion, A Turtle, A Cow Oh My!

2008-11-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

We met up with our friends from our weekly play group for Halloween, it was so fun to see everyone again and the kids are so big and have changed so much. They also looked absolutely adorable all dressed up and running around.

A pint-sized visitor

2008-11-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

A few days before Halloween, we got a visit from my friend Corinna and her adorable baby boy Cameron. We only had a quick visit, but it was great to see them and see how big Cameron has gotten. He is suck a happy simely baby!

Going to the Zoo

2008-11-13T06:38:00.000-08:00

We went to the Edmonton Zoo waaaay back in September, for their Free Family Fun Day, I will say that after being at some of the bigger zoos, this one left alot to be desired, but it was still fun to take Joshua! Unfortunately the battery on my camera died part way through so we didn't get a lot of pictures that we would have liked to!

Ready for Fall!

2008-11-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving

2008-11-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year we went out to visit Opa and Nona, I took an opportunity to take some pictures of Joshua in their yard!

Surgery Day!

2008-10-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

On February 22nd Joshua had the tubes put in his ear. Our morning started off early since we had to be at the hospital at around 7:00 AM. I was very concerned that Joshua would be miserable in the time leading up to the procedure since would not be able to eat or drink anything past midnight. I woke Joshua up at 6:00 and changed him into his adorable SuperMan pajamas and brought him downstairs, my friend was coming with me since Chris needed to go to work that day. The first thing Joshua headed to was his high chair, he pulled a bib out of the pocket at the back of his high chair and tried putting it on. I quickly distracted him, put his coat on and rushed out the door. We were very careful not to mention and sort of food or drink in front of him so that we didn't remind him that he hadn't eaten. After we got to the hospital we waited around for about an hour until they called us in to get him changed in to his pink prison pajamas. The nurse gave him a huge syringe of tylenol and he got sleepy quite quickly. We went back to wait for them to call Joshua's name. My Dad arrived just when the called Joshua's name so they gave each other a quick hello and we went off to meet with the anaestheologist before heading into the Operation Room.

I was glad that I was able to stay with Joshua while they were putting him under, but it was probably one of the scariest moments of my parenting life. When we got into the OR I sat Joshua in my lap with his arms around my back while the anaestheologist inserted the IV in his hand. He cried the worst cry that I have ever heard come out of his little body, and the doctor warned me that he would scream for about 10 seconds and then he would just stop, and that is exactly what he did, with a horrible coughing sound in between. The nurse had warned me how he would go limp but I was still not prepared to see my little boy in that state. They whipped him out of my arms and on to the operating table and the doctor walked me out of the room.

I met up with my Dad, Wendy and my friend and we went and had a quick bite to eat before heading back to the waiting room where we waited for them to call my name. Once the announcement was made that he was in the recovery room and went back to see him. I walked into the recovery room and there he was sitting on the nurses lap looking quite content while another nurse checked his vitals. I picked him up gave him a hug and we sat for a while and cuddled, that was probably the best part of the day since I don't usually get many cuddles in anymore. The nurse offered him a glass of juice which he very happily guzzled back and politely asked for more.

We were able to take him home about an hour after he woke up and as soon as we got home he had a three hour nap, and as you can tell by the pictures below, he was back this normal self.

A huge thank you to my wonderful friend Megan, who came along with me to help keep me sane, not only is she a wonderful friend, but she will soon be a mommy to beautiful set of twins!

Wa Wow

2008-10-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Joshua love our cat Waldo, especially lately! When ever he sees Waldo he smiles the biggest smiles and chases after him screaming, then when he catches him he pulls him onto to the floor and gives him a giant hug. The poor cat quickly get up and runs away, but he is very good with Josh, he has never scratched or hissed at him, he just takes whats comig and takes off at his first opportunity. This morning as Chris and I were relaxing with a cup of tea, Josh chased the cat down the stairs, opened up the cat door and shouted "Wa Wow, Wa Wow?" So cute! This is the first name he has used to identify something, and no suprise to us, it's the cat!

Big Changes

2008-10-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

In the middle of September Chris took the plunge and changed careers. Previously he was a Senior Financial Analyst at a local financial institution and now he is a first year Apprentice Electrician, definitely not a small change. He has gone from a desk job to a one where he spends a lot of time outdoors (or in buildings without windows). I am so proud of him for taking this big step, he considered it for a long time before it became a reality and in the end decided that this was something that he wanted to do. Things have been very different for the last few weeks as we are all adjusting to new schedules, but I look forward to what the future holds and I am so proud of Chris!

The time has almost come!

2008-10-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

After Joshua's last ear infection we went back into to see the specialist (on September 22) and she suggested that we make the decision to insert tubes into his ears. She felt it was necessary considering he was having trouble so early on in the cold season. His surgery is set for October 22. We went yesterday to see his regular doctor, where they did a pre-op physical and they said he is very healthy (although there is still some fluid in his ears). He was so well behaved at the appointment yesterday, I was beaming with pride! The doctor assured me he would be just fine with the surgery, to which I responded "I know, I am just looking forward to him feeling better!" He gave me a slightly puzzled look and carried on, apparently as I mum I should be in full on panic mode. I feel so comfortable with the specialist that is performing the procedure that I am not really worried. Although just in case, on the day of I do have a friend coming with me for support since Chris has to be at work! My plan is to get Joshua some super cute Superman pajamas (complete with removable cape) that he can wear to and from the hospital.

This morning Joshua woke up with a runny nose, that combined with his waking up in the night crying for the past two nights has me on high alert that another ear infection is looming (these are the early signs that he usually experiences just before the onset of another ear infection). I am keeping my fingers crossed that he stays healthy, but a trip back to our family physician may be in our near future.

New Shoes

2008-10-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

Joshua has outgrown yet another pair of shoes, these are the shoes that his Grandma and Nana bought for him when he started walking, and they have been well loved. The hardest part about shoe shopping is the lack of specialty children's shoe stores. This time we went back to Geox since I know that they have a decent selection of good quality kids shoes, where we bought his first pair of shoes. We ended up with a pair of Geox Creepers, and Joshua is running around like crazy, so I assume that he likes them. We opted for velcro this time since he lacks the patience required to sit still for the time that is required to tie his shoes, his preference is to slip on his rubber boots!

19 Month Pictures

2008-09-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Josh from the last month!

19 Months

2008-09-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

Today Joshua turned 19 months.

There have been many changes over the last month, the most important change has been his coordination. Now, he is still quite clumsy, however, he is much more steady when he walks, and he runs much faster.

He is learning new things much more quickly now and he is starting to mimic the things that I do. For example yesterday he say me tapping my feet on the ground, since he was standing he started to to stomp his feet and laugh.

This weekend alone he learned quite a few new things, he now says "oh dear" and if he hurts him self or someone else he says "ow." Speaking of hurting others, Joshua has started hitting, thankfully I suppose he only hits me, I am trying to deter him from this, but I am not seeing any improvements. He will hit me and as soon as I say "ow" he puts his head on my should and hugs me. It's cute, but it hurts and I don't want him to continue to do this.

Finally after months of prompting Joshua will finally point to his nose when you ask him where his nose is, he will also lift up his shirt and show you his tummy when you ask to see it. I have been working on these basic body parts for months and he has finally picked them out. It's very cute when he points to his noce, because he doesn't just point to his nose, he pushes down right in the middle of it so his nose goes flat!

18 Months (well kinda)

2008-09-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

Joshua turned 18 months old a couple of weeks ago, and again I will say where has the time gone, his 18 month birthday also means that I have been back at work for 6 months (really?).

Unfortunately, at the end of July, Janice, informed us that she would be closing her dayhome. It was a really blow, because we had become so comfortable in our regular routine and Joshua was very content. I got to work immediately on trying to find a someone else to watch our precious boy. Daycare spots can be hard to come by, but I did eventually find another dayhome and Joshua started there this week. It has been a difficult week with getting Joshua settled in to our new routine, with the evenings being the worse, but hopefully things will start to come together over the next couple of weeks.

We finally had our appointment with the Ear Nose and Throat specialist last week, and since Josh hasn't had any ear infections for the last couple of months she is going to hold off on inserting the tubes in his ears. Should he start to develop them again we need to go in and see her. I was very happy with the Doctor and Joshua seemed to like the doctors office. He was given a sticker at the end of his visit which he promplty crumpled up.

We seem to be entering the wonderful stage of the Terrible Twos a bit earlier than two. Joshua seems to be testing everything rule that we have set for him. His latest test is pulling on the curtains, previously he used to love to play peek-a-boo behind the curtains but lately that has progressed to his grabbing hold and pulling as he walks away, my biggest fear is that he is going to pull the rods right down on his head. He also laughs at us now when we tell him now. We have begun to implement time outs, so for one minute he has to sit in his room, this usually consists of a full minute of crying, when we take him out of his room we gently tell him not to pull on the curtains, however he walks right back up to them, flashes us smile, grabs the curtains and tugs and the process starts all over again. Sigh.

Joshua climbs on everything now, we can't turn our head for a moment. It started with him climbing onto the window sill in the living room so he could climb ontop of his Fisher Price Parking Garage. Now he pushing is red chair up to the coffee table and tries to climb on the coffee table, what happened to trying to climb on the couch?

Everyday Joshua walks down the stairs on his own, of course Chris and I are always there going down backwards in front of him since he has a hard time reaching the rails. I was in Toys R Us with a friend of mine yesterday and I discovered this wonderful item that acts as an extension on the rail so that it is at a better height for babies to hold on while they walk down the stairs. This might be something I need to talk to Chris about.

Meal time is easier now that Joshua eats pretty much everything that we eat. His favourite item is still his morning banana and yogurt, but he also loves cut up vegetables and fruits, and most meats. His newest thing is blowing on his food, hot or cold, because he has seen us doing it to his food so many times.

Yard Work

2008-08-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

We have been anxiously awaiting for our builders to finish the rough grade and gain approval as well as finish the front landscaping at our house, it has been over a year and they "apparently" forgot about us. Because of this poor Josh has not had a yard to play in. Well we have finally gotten approval and the dirt is fairly flat so we took Josh outside to play with his new digger from Opa and Nona. He had so much fun pushing on the buttons and making it move.

More Farm Fun!

2008-08-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

We took Josh back out to my Aunt and Uncle's Farm and tried re-introducing him to the horses and donkeys! This was probably his best trip to date. He loved seeing the animals and even got a kiss from Lucy! He also had a great time playing with Bogey, he was fascinated everytime she caught the ball in her mouth!

Dit U

2008-08-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

We think Joshua has said, or is trying to say, his first phrase. When ever wepass him something or he passes us something, we pick him up or put him down, he responds with a sweet little "dit u", which we are now assuming means thank you in Josh talk!! He also of course says mum, mooom (when he is sad), Dad, and Dadda, and Baa for his night time bottle! I think he might be working on some other words but he hasn't yet figured out to express them properly!

17 Months

2008-07-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Our little bald man is already 17 months, how did that happen?

Joshua seems to be doing well, he had yet another ear infection a couple of weeks ago and was but on yet another dose of antibiotics. This time however he had to be taken off early because he developed hives all over his body. We are not sure if the reaction was from the medication or from something he had eaten. He had eaten quite a few strawberries the few days leading up to the rash, he has had strawberries before with no problem so we are a bit confused. Either way, we took him of the antibiotics, as direction by the doctor, and have not given him strawberries since. The poor guy looked as if he had fallen down a couple of flights of stairs because each spot that he had a hive eventually turned into a bruise.

Speaking of ear infections, we finally have an appointment with a Paediatric Ear Nose and Throat Specialist on August 28th, coincidentally the same day I scheduled his 18 month immunizations for.

Joshua is understanding more and more everyday, he follows requests well, when he wants too of course, other times he looks and you and smirks and walks away. He is still not using very many real words yet, which I attribute to his many ear infections, but he is babbling more than ever. Our house is filled with the beautiful sounds of a little boy babbling to us!

Joshua is getting closer to have a full set of chompers, he already has 12 teeth, 4 teeth on the top and the bottom and a molar on each side. I think more are on their way!

It is now more difficult to go places than it was before, he hates being restrained in his carseat or stroller, when we are out walking around he wants to walk around and explore also!

He is eating everything in sight, and he is growing like a weed, I haven't taken him to the clinic to be weighed for a long time, but Chris had him weighed when he developed hives and he was 24lbs. Another thing I attribute to his ear infections, he wouldn't want to eat because his antibiotics upset his stomach so he ate very little for a while.

Great idea

2008-07-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

I came across this on one of the blogs that I read and I think it is such a great idea, I will have to try it.

The Seattle Space Needle

2008-07-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

The Space Needle was an really wonderful to go and see, the only down part of it is that stollers must be parked in the stroller parking lot and are not permitted at the top. This wouldn't have been so bad had Joshua been younger, but having a very independent toddler who wants to see the world on his own terms, it was definintely difficult. We ended up taking turns with the camera, one would take the baby the other the camera. Unforunately we weren't able to stay up there for long but the few was great while we could enjoy it.

Can you see our car? (It's the white one on the right)

Walking in the Rain

2008-07-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

While we were in Seattle we finally got Joshua some rubber boots at Carters. I was sure that now that he finally had rubber boots it wouldn't rain until he had outgrown them. Joshua also has some pretty cute rain gear to go with his boots, his cute rain coat from his great aunt and uncle and a Togg's rain suit (straight from the rain experts in Scotland) from his Auntie Sarah!

Seattle

2008-07-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in Seattle, besides some difficult flights, our trip was wonderful.

Joshua's first flight left much to be desired, considering how much travel time he has logged I was suprised at how difficult the first flight was (Edmonton to Vancouver), we then took a small Dash 8 from Vancouver to Seattle and he did much better in fact the sound of the perpellers seemed to have put him into a deep sleep.

We then headed to our hotel, we stayed in a small Days Inn just South of Seattle, I honestly hadn't set my sights all that high with this hotel but we were all pleasantly suprised that it was a pretty decent place to stay. Our only complaint was that they there wasn't a crib as we had requested, so the first few nights Joshua slept with us and then after that he slept in his stroller since he trashes around so violently when he sleeps.

We were able to check out many of the beautiful sites that Seattle has to offer, the Space Needle, the Seattle Aquarium, Pike Place Market, the very first Starbucks, and beautiful park on Green Lake, and of course the outlet malls.

First Bike Ride

2008-06-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Joshua got a bike trailer for his first birthday. The first time we used it we went to the park, since it is a bit of hike to walk there and he is usually quite grumpy when we are walking back.

Finally

2008-06-06T09:52:00.000-07:00

Joshua finally started walking last night! he is still not very stable, but it is a start!

I know I have been neglecting my poor blog but I promise to post some pics soon!

On the mend?!

2008-05-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been rough in our household, with the last week being the worst yet. It started off with Joshua and I both getting sick and ending up with sinus infections. After waiting in a MediCentre for 2 hours we were each given a prescription of Amoxicilyn (to be taken three time a day for 10 days). We both seemed to be doing much better, with only a bit of a cough. Last week we had noticed Joshua's cough getting a bit worse but nothing to bad.

On Friday night I went into Joshua's room at about 10:00 to put him in his sleep sack since it was supposed to be getting cooler over night. He woke a bit so I sat in the glider and was rocking back to sleep, he had a bit of a cough and proceeded to vomit all over me and himself. Chris and I got both of us cleaned up and put Joshua back to bed, a few minutes later it started all over again and continued until about 12:00 at night, so one phone call to Capital Health Link, one trip to the Pharmacy for Paedialite, and many changes of clothes we finally got to sleep at about 1:00. We decided to have Joshua sleep in his playpen in our room just in case.

We took Joshua the doctor on Sunday morning since things weren't looking better and she said we just needed to wait it out. The weekend continued to be rough with Sunday being the worst, he was feverish, clingy and tired the entire day. Sunday night was much better and Monday he seemed to be doing great, on Tuesday he seemed to refress a bit so by Tuesday evening I had enough and took him back to the MediCentre, this time to one with a much shorter wait time. Within 30 minutes of arriving we were out the door. Joshua has his first ear infection, he is still coughing quite a bit but is finally able to keep everything down, he was back to eating on Monday but still had an intolerance for milk until just last night (Wednesday).

Our fingers are crossed that he can kick this bug, we hate seeing our sweet little man sick!

Pros & Cons

2008-04-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

Things I miss about being a Stay at Home Mom

1. Spending an entire day with my sweet boy!
2. Getting to sleep in a bit
3. Having a clean house and clean laundry!
4. Grocery shopping during the day!
5. Playdate Wednesdays
6. Being able to regularly update the blog!

Things I like about being back at work

1. The adult interaction
2. Joshua is sleeping better at the dayhome
3. More sleep is a much happier baby!
4. I cherish the time I do get to spend with him (hence why the house and laundry are often neglected)
5. Actually getting to wear nice clothes again

Happy Easter

2008-03-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

Our best wishes for a wonderful Easter!

Last week I was travelling to Toronto for work and I took Joshua along and my mom and sister came up for a visit. I was very happy that Joshua got to spend time with them. We returned on Wednesday night and I took Thursday off so I had a really nice long weekend to spend with my favourite little man!

On Sunday we went and spent Easter with some family, we took Joshua out to see the horses and the donkeys. It had been a long time since Joshua had last seen the animals and we all loved watching his reaction to them. We were offering carrots to the animals, although Joshua seemed more interested in trying to eat the carrots himself.

Full Time Daycare

2008-03-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

I retunred back to work on February 25th, the transition went reasonably smoothly due to all the preparation we did in February. Starting at the beginning of February we started taking Joshua to his dayhome for a few hours a day. Chris then took a week off when I went back to work and continued taking Joshua to his day home. When it came time for both of us to return to work the transition was so smooth. It does help that Joshua loves his dayhome. What amazes me is how much better he sleeps during the day while he is there, a one hour nap in the morning and a three hour nap in the afternoon. I wish I could have gotten those kinds of naps when I was off with him.

A Smashing Good Time!

2008-03-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Joshua's first birthday on February 24th with family and friends. Joshua seemed to have a wonderful time and received many wonderful gifts. I was happy that we were able to share the day with so many wonderful people.

Joshua did seem over whelmed by all of the people but quickly settled in.

When it came to the cake Joshua was not sure what to do with it, he loved licking the homemade icing off of the top of the cake but never really got into smashing it!

A few more notable activities!

2008-02-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

I few things I forgot to mention in the previous post.

Joshua claps for everything now, if he even thinks you are going to clap he will clap too! If you put your hand up and say "high five" he puts his hand on your hand and laughs!

He has started blowing kisses, if I blow him a kiss, he blows me one back too, although he more sucks his lips in than blowing the kisses out, but I know what he is trying to do and it puts a smile on my face everytime!

At mealtime I have started to put Joshua's food on his tray along with his drink in his sippy cup, previously he would eat his food but only take his cup if I offered it to him. Today I noticed that he will eat a bit of food and then pick up his sippy cup and have a drink, put it down, eat some more and go back for another drink.

Happy 1st Birthday to My Sweet Boy

2008-02-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

The day has come, Joshua is now one! I thought I would be much more emotional about today than I am.

The last week has been rather rough since Joshua has had a bad cold, Chris hurt his back and then I got sick. Chris' back is much better than it was and now Joshua and I seem to be feeling much better, we need to be better by Sunday for his birthday party!

I took Joshua for his one year appointment with his new doctor and they said he is doing very well. He weights 21 lb 6 oz (exactly the same as 11 months) and he is 29 inches long. The doctor did comment that he had a big head, 18 inches, but that he wasn't concerned about it, kind of made me what how big is too big?

I have been trying to encourage Joshua to walk or at least stand on his own but he has no interest in it, why when he can get everywhere he wants to by crawling. I will stand him up and as soon as I try and release his fingers he sits down, doesn't fall he immediatly sits on his bum. He will walk if I hold his hands and he will walk along the walls and the furniture, he just won't let go.

He continues to sleep well, although not while he is sick, he averages about 12 - 13 hours a night, which the doctor said I should be openly bragging about, and he has one to two naps a day. He seems to nap very well at the dayhome in the afternoon, usually around two to three hours.

He loves to eat, and will eat just about everything that is put in front of him, especially if he gets to feed himself. His favourites are cheese, bananas, toast, steamed sweet potatoe fries, peaches and mandarine oranges. I have also given his grilled cheese sandwiches and he loves those.

O Canada

2008-02-21T14:50:00.000-08:00

Today marks the last day of my Maternity Leave, I have really appreciated being a Canadian during this time, it has enabled me to be able to stay home and enjoy my time with Joshua for an entire year! Joshua starts full-time in daycare at the beginning of March, but we have been taking him for a few hours most days so that he can get used to it. The first few days were rough but now he is a champ and when I drop him off with Janice I pass him over, he gives me a grunt and I leave. When I pick him up he is so happy, arms flapping, legs wiggling, I love it!

I return to work on Monday, and I am trying to be as positive as I can, I love the adult interaction and the people I work with are amazing, I will miss those who have left while I have been gone though!

New and Wonderful Pictures?

2008-02-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

I got a new camera (Canon Rebel XT) for my birthday along with a fabulous telephoto lens, I am so excited! Hopefully this will encourage me to get back to posting more pics since my "old" camera had a bit of accident so now the only way I get pictures off of it is by inserting the memory card into the computer and it was a bit of a hastle because I currently have my work computer set up so I had to do a lot of switching around just to post some pics!

Celebrating Mum's Birthday

2008-02-07T19:36:00.000-08:00

I celebrated my birthday this past weekend. On Saturday we had a great dinner with Chris' family at Japanese Village (YUMMY)! I was unsure if I was up to the challenge of bringing Joshua out with us, and to be honest I was looking forward to an evening out on our own, but we decided to bring him along with us, and was I ever happy that we did. We sat in the area where they prepare your meal on the grill in front of you and Joshua was fascinated by the entire process!

Wild and Wonderful Web Video's

2008-02-07T11:50:00.000-08:00

We spent some time with Joshua and the video camera on Wednesday night and captured some of his favourite activities.

Peek A Boo!

How Many Times will Daddy Pick up the Ball for Me!

More Fun with Balls!

As you can tell, Joshua loves playing with balls, he could play indepentaly with a ball for quite a while. He loves to pick them up, throw them and chase after them. What is even more fun is playing soccer with Chris and I!

Pics from Today

2008-02-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Joshua today!

This is Joshua demonstrating his new crawl style. I think that the hard floor hurts his knees.

Enjoying lunch time!

Eleven Months

2008-01-23T19:23:00.000-08:00

Joshua turned 11 months yesterday, he continues to be such a wonderfully happy baby. At this point he still has no interest in walking since he can get everywhere he needs to by crawling. I have tried tempting him to grab things that are just out his reach, but instead of taking a tiny step he gets down, crawls to me, stands up and grabs the object. He almost seems afraid to stand on his own sometimes. His favourite things seem to be climbing the stairs, dropping his ball into his Leap Frog table, and throwing things and chasing after them (some items he likes to throw are balls, drum sticks, and empty containers). He finally is showing an interest in books, for the last few months he would not let me show him a book, he doesn't like me reading to him but he does like sitting down and looking at the pictures on his own. I figure it's a start and if he lets me I point at the pictures and say hat they are.

Baby proofing is in full swing in our house. Our main floor is becoming a bit of a prison, we have a baby gate blocking the stairs and a baby gate blocking the front entrance (keeping him out of the cat food).

I have recently found a dayhome that is just down the street, we also have him registered in a daycare, but we like the idea of a dayhome, at least when he is younger. He will start going to daycare at the beginning of Febraury, I will take a few times a week for a few hours at a time to see how he does. When I originally took to see the home he was really happy and he loved the lady who will be taking care of him, so much so that he didn't want to come back to me when we were leaving. It is very hard thinking about leaving your child in someone else's care, but it is something that I need to get used to, and quickly since I go back to work on February 25th.

Pictures to come soon!

Oilers Fan

2008-01-12T15:43:00.000-08:00

Today we decided to brave the crowds and stand in line to get some autographs for Joshua's jersey. There were different spots set up around West Edmonton Mall today with different members of the Edmonton Oilers signing autographs today. I normally don't get caught up with autographs but we thought it would really cool to get Joshua's itty bitty jersey signed. We decided to stand in line for Sam Gagner and Steve Staios' autographs. We were suprised that the line moved as quickly as it did and that Joshua was in a great mood the entire time.

"Give me that camera"

Sam Gagne

Fernando Pisani (Fernando!!!)