Nap Time

After months of being the only one who would do for this little girl, this moment of father-daughter bonding just melts my heart.  "I'm never moving!" he said.

I think that I am jealous -- just a little bit!

Baby Shoes

My Mom was a saver!  She kept old school books and report cards-- both hers and ours; cards -- Christmas, birthday, Valentine's, you name it; toys -- all carefully put away just waiting for grandchildren (she long wondered if that day would ever come); she even kept our lunch boxes!  Last summer, I went through a box of children's things that she had mindfully set aside -- homemade sweaters, baby blankets, the kilt that she thought was so cute (I didn't think so), and three shoe boxes.  Each box was labelled with my and my brothers' names and contained our first pair of shoes.

 

Here is a treasure that should be returned to their owners, I thought.  But, boys being boys, I didn't think that either of my brothers would have much interest in some old shoes, so I decided to make them more interesting.  Not wanting to bronze them, as was the old tradition, I searched for another idea.  I didn't find any ideas in my internet search, which surprised me -- what are people doing with their children's first pair of shoes these days?  So I came up with this simple way to display (or store if my brother so desires, but he better get them out when I come to visit!) the baby shoes.

A collectors box seemed the perfect way to display the shoes, but unfortunately, the box sizes were not intended for shoes, so it's a little smaller than I would have liked.  Then, I searched for a baby picture of my brother wearing the shoes and printed it out so that it would fit in the side of the box.  The background is shelf liner which had the added bonus of being peel and stick!

The wooden blocks were from our collection -- I don't think that the boys will miss three -- and are hot glued in place.  Voila, a baby shoe display!  I'm not sure that "impressed" would be the word to describe my brother's reaction when I gave him (or returned) his shoes, but I think that he is glad to have this little piece of his childhood to share with his children and remember the good times that we had as kids.  Now I just need to get to work on the other two pair.  Thanks Mom for being a saver!

Things That Make Me Happy #13

Strolling around the Internet one day, I came across a blog post entitled "100 Things That Make Me Happy".  What a great idea, I thought as I scanned the list, so Fridays are now dedicated to things that make me happy!

Things That Make Me Happy!
# 13  Birthdays

Well, it was a bitter sweet week with my baby celebrating her first birthday. The time has gone so fast and she has learned so much in a year. It really is a short period of time when you think about the grand scheme of things, although a couple of sleepless nights in a row seems to feel like forever.  I remember wondering if sleepless nights were going to last forever! She is still not sleeping through the night -- either that or she is a really early riser -- but we've adapted and now we're into our second year!

Birthdays at our house are pretty simple, but I love them! We don't get fancy about decorations or crazy over presents -- sometimes to the disappointment of the boys -- but we try to make the day really special for the birthday person. They get to choose all the meals for the day, wear a crown (a new tradition that we started last year which has been very popular), and they get to decide on the cake. Not just chocolate or vanilla (although they get to choose that too), but the theme and design. This has become my present to the birthday person. There have been many challenges over the years, some not so subtle suggestions, and many trucks! I have discovered that I really enjoy baking and the challenge of decorating a cake to someone's exact specifications.  Many times someone will ask if they can help, but the answer is always "no thank you" as this is my gift.  I have often wondered if it is worth it, after all, it just gets eaten, right? But the boys remember each cake that I have made for them.  If you were to ask them what they received for their birthday, I don't think that they would be able to tell you, but they remember the cake. High praise, I would say.

Laurel is not yet able to make requests, so for this first year, it's Mama's choice. The dilemma was that Dada had to work on THE day, so we opted for cupcakes. I googled "flower cupcakes" and got all kinds of posts about using marshmallows -- it seems that I am the only one who had not heard of this before. They were super easy to make and were very popular -- but anything with cake, icing and marshmallows is popular in our house! This is how they turned out. 

Then on the weekend, we had a family party and had a real cake.  I must admit that it was kind of a last minute effort -- usually there is at least a week of planning because some of the requests have been quite detailed!  Anyway, it turned out pretty good for the time and tools that I had.

Wow, so much cake for one little girl!  More birthdays this month, so I must starting working on the next one -- it's promising to be the most challenging one yet!  I'll keep you posted.

One Year Ago

One year ago today ... I went to the doctor.  The doctor said: "soon"

One year ago today ... I went for a walk.  My heart said: "how soon?"

One year ago today ... I waited patiently for Dada to come home.  He said: "now?"

One year ago today ... I tried to breathe calmly as I looked at the clock.  I said: "now!"

One year ago today ... I went to the hospital.  The nurse said:  "wait"

One year ago today ... I tried to wait patiently. The nurse said:  "push"

One year ago today ... I met a new doctor.  The doctor said: "it's a girl!"



One year ago ...

Today ...

Happy Birthday to my favourite girl!

Things That Make Me Happy # 11

Strolling around the Internet one day, I came across a blog post entitled "100 Things That Make Me Happy".  What a great idea, I thought as I scanned the list, so Fridays are now dedicated to things that make me happy!

Things That Make Me Happy!
# 11 Patience Rewarded

I love Laurel's babbling.  She talks regularly and I pretend to understand exactly what she is saying -- she tells the best stories!  For quite some time now she has been saying "dada" which, of course, thrills Dada. The boys find it humerous that she will sometimes call other people or things "dada".  It was the same with the boys -- lots of "dadas" before there was any sign of a "mama" -- and I have learned to be patient in that regard (other areas not so much).  I read somewhere that a "d" sound is easier to make than an "m" and I comfort myself with this obviously well documented, age-old fact.

Yesterday, I could have sworn that I heard Laurel say "mama", but when I looked around for a witness to confirm this great milestone, there was none to be found. Not only that, but when prompted to repeat the word that every mother waits for, she would stick her thumb in her mouth and look at me like I had asked her to do something ridiculous. So I began to have doubts and went back to waiting patiently.

But today, there is no doubt about it! My little girl said "mama" over and over again -- the repetition might have had something to do with all the praise and cheering that followed each utterance. I haven't decided whether or not she actually associates the word with me, but in my own little world she knows exactly what she is saying and what it means.

Happy Friday from one happy Mama!

Things That Make Me Happy #4

Strolling around the Internet one day, I came across a blog post entitled "100 Things That Make Me Happy". What a great idea, I thought as I scanned the list, so Fridays are now dedicated to things that make me happy!

Things That Make Me Happy!

#4 The Little Red Spoon
 

 

About 8 years ago we received a package in the mail which contained a envelope of baby cereal and this red plastic spoon.  I don't remember how it came about that we received these gifts, but we obviously ended up on some mailing list.  We didn't really think much about it, used the sample pack of cereal (I don't remember it being spit it out, so I guess it was liked) and threw the spoon in the drawer.  We continued to use the spoon -- but not the brand of cereal that our little red spoon promoted -- with each new baby that entered our house. 

Now, normally, I do not get sentimental about plastic things, prefering instead more old fashioned items -- like the Bunnykins cup that was saved from my childhood.  We were gifted, at one point, a lovely baby spoon that I tried to use, but for various reasons has not lasted like our little red spoon.  It may not look like much, but this little red spoon is comfortable to hold, has a nice long handle, holds just the right amount of food for a wee one, and when the time is right, is easy for a young tot to manoeuvre.  The little red spoon is a little worn now and very chewed in places, but is still going strong -- oh the marvels of plastic.

Unfortunately, my digital days don't go back far enough to find Isaac with the spoon -- when it was in pristine condition -- but I did manage to find pictures of each of the other children with our beloved spoon.

Aidan with the spoon in 2004 ...

... Owen with the spoon in 2007 ...

... and Laurel with the plastic marvel in 2010.

Thank you little red spoon for all the joy and nutrition you have given us.

Baby Steps

Don't get too excited.  I had great hopes of getting a picture or video of Laurel walking today, but (like Ben the dog) I have missed every time.  I have lots of pictures of her standing, sitting, crawling and creeping, but no actual steps.  Every time I brought out the camera, she would sit down or fall down.  In fact, at one point today, she seemed quite steady and I rushed to get the camera, but she fell and hit her head on a dresser -- poor girl!  This has not deterred her from trying again, for those of you who were worried, but she has managed to elude the camera all day.

It's hard to say how long she has been walking.  She started a couple of weeks ago, I guess, taking one tiny little step -- more of a shuffle than a step really.  And I'd think to myself, "Does that count?".  Then a couple of days later, she do it again and I'd go through the whole shuffle versus step debate again.  I'm still not sure exactly when that very first shuffle / step occurred, or if it even counts, but last Thursday she took 2 little shuffle steps and I decided "This HAS to count!". 

I'm a little undecided whether this news makes me happy or sad.  On the one hand, she seems so proud of herself and we all praise and encourage her.  But on the other hand, there is that little voice in my head that is screaming "Nooooooooooo!", and I even have to fight the occasional urge to push her down (as gently as possible, of course).

But it seems as if there is no going back now, even if I can't seem to get a decent picture of this milestone.  The only thing I got was a picture of the bruise that she got from falling down today -- I promise that I didn't push her!

Look out world, she's a girl on the move and Mama will just have to

deal with it!

Things That Make Me Happy #1

Strolling around the Internet today, I can across a blog post entitled "100 Things That Make Me Happy".  What a great idea, I thought as I scanned the list, especially since I'd woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning (or it might have more to do with the number of times I had to get out of my nice comfy bed last night -- thank you Laurel!).  I started compiling a list in my head, but decided that I wanted more than just a list.  So I have decided to dedicate Fridays to things that make me happy -- starting today!

Things That Make Me Happy!

#1  Little Pink Clothes

Now there is something that I never thought that I would say!  It's not that I never thought that I would have a little girl, but, as most of you already know, I have never liked the colour pink, not really sure why, but there it is.  Now, don't worry, I'm not suddenly going to start dressing in pink -- actually, I'm not going to be dressing in pink, suddenly or otherwise -- but I do really like the little pile of pink laundry.  Pink shirts with frilly cuffs, pants with pink flowers embroidered on the legs, pink strips, pink sweaters, tiny pink socks ... I love it all for some strange reason that I cannot explain.  Of course, the wearer of the little pink clothes is pretty great too -- now if she would only sleep through the night.