Raindrops on roses...

Poof!

2012-01-27T19:58:00.012-05:00

And a year of memories have floated away on a breeze. I'm sure to forget but I hope I remember. One day, one week, one month slips away so easily into a year. I reeeaaallly want to type "and what a year it was" because I'm missing some creative gene that can think of anything better to say. But giant things happened this year! Things like moving, my cousin's engagement, co-MCing their wedding, my sister and neices' epic 34 day visit last summer, my two best friends had babies, another cousin is pregnant, my brother-in-law married, getting pregnant and then sadly miscarrying, my baby turned 3 and my baby started pre-school. Big! Huge! Year! Jay is still an amazing and proud business owner and entering into year 4! We're still getting the hang of the this parenting thing with many mistakes and many successes. I'm so so so proud of my biggest boy, he makes my heart swell and puts a smile on my face every single day.

Mr. GQ

Scoutie trying to keep up with Dylan

Posing for a photo! Er, what?!

Scout at the cottage

Beach picnic!

Chantry Island

Waiting for the Port Elgin train engine to come by.

Pool!

Birthday party!

Another birthday party!

Wiarton hike!

Ryan and Darlene's wedding day!

The Harnest Family.

Burning off steam

2011-01-14T12:00:00.001-05:00

Late one afternoon, Dylan and I went to the beach for a little workout. That kid pushed me hard on that sand mountain.

Run Dylan Run!

California

2011-01-13T12:04:00.000-05:00

One of my favourite things about this trip was seeing California decorated for Christmas. Unfortunately I was so busy keeping Sir Runs-into-traffic alive that I was not able to spend some time taking great photos. As I browsed through my photos I realized that this one taken at the aquarium is the only festive photo I took and it is blurry. BUT Dylan is sort of facing the camera. For the few minutes I made him sit there like a prop he had his body twisted around to watch the train circling the tree. Kerri and I are standing far enough back to get the whole tree in the shot and yelling to Scout and Dylan to look over. Not a great shot but a good memory.

He is definitely not a baby anymore.

Cousins on the play boat at the aquarium.

Keeping a tight hold on his new truck but not compromising his ability to expend energy.

2011-01-12T16:43:00.006-05:00

So behind in photos! Here's California which is nice to look at after the storm we had yesterday!

Warning! No makeup in the next photo! But hey, we're both looking and we're both smiling!

California Christmas

2010-12-10T00:07:00.008-05:00

We had a California Christmas last weekend. The gifts were wrapped and placed in a mountain in the middle of the living room floor. Mom was up first, it was the earliest she got up for the whole trip. Scoutie slept through all the banging around and finally woke up around 7 or 7:30 after I kicked her bed. Hah, I kid.

Presents!

Some random kid... Wait. That's my baby looking like a big boy. Nice haircut done by Daddy!

Loves her new baby!

Thinks the new baby's chair is for her.

Let me in that gift!

Pretty excited about the frog blanket. Her friend Tonton has the same one so she kept referring to it as Tonton's blanket? She was thrilled though.

Kissing cousins! The kids were quite affectionate with each other. There was hugging and kissing every day! The difference in their interactions between this visit and our July vacation together was amazing. They were both pretty patient with each other, played with each other and Scout, who was a little nervous of Dylan in July, was giving as much as she was getting. Dylan is lucky that she is really mellow and easy going with toy sharing but there were times where she told him off and refused to let him steal her own toys right out of her own hands. Way to go Scout!

Central Park Playground

2010-12-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

Central Park Carousel

2010-12-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

We went to Central Park about 3 or 4 times before we found out about the carousel. We were so lucky to have beautiful days all weekend long so we went back to the park AGAIN for our last morning before heading home. A carousel has been in the park since 1871. The one we rode was built in 1908 and first operated in Coney Island before being refurbished and relocated to Central Park. A quarter of a million people ride the carousel every year. Very cool!

Dylan was mesmerized the moment he saw the carousel.

Getting a closer look from Daddy's shoulders.

Rickshaw tour of Central Park

2010-11-01T20:17:00.008-05:00

The rickshaw tour was a great way to see Central Park, once you decide which on of the hundreds of rickshaw riders will be your guide. They are all over the entrances of the park and you could be surprised by who the person riding your rickshaw is. The guy who showed us the sights was a physicist but made more money riding a rickshaw during the good weather and took the winter months off. Sigh.

We were able to get off and take a closer look at some of the key features.

We didn't take a horse tour but if we did, Dylan would have chose this black beauty.

Staten Island Ferry

2010-10-23T15:03:00.005-05:00

Enjoying the view from the lower deck. The statue of Liberty is behind us.

I wonder what he is saying here...

Be one with the wind young Dylan...

Central Park Part 2

2010-10-19T11:16:00.002-05:00

Central Park Zoo and Children's Zoo.

New! Fun! Throw!

2010-10-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

Today I picked up a truck load of firewood and while we stacked it all next to the house Dylan was thrilled with this new! fun! activity! I love when we do something he has never seen, heard, smelled or touched before. I love to experience his curiosity and be a part of his learning process. Except new food, no, that's not fun at all. But the firewood was cool and awesome and involved a ride in the pick-up truck while we backed it into a good unloading space. Jay and his Dad picked up armfuls of wood and walked them over to the house, I tossed logs toward the tailgate to make it easier for the boys to grab them and Dylan picked up the logs I tossed and a threw them in the front corner of the truck. Helpful. Only one injury was sustained when he threw a log at me and hit me in the thigh, the log ricocheted off the side of the truck and landed on my toe. Then we got the shovel out to remove the crap that comes with a truckload of wood and that was SO! AWESOME! Dylan helped only he hand picked several pieces of wood and bark FROM THE WHEELBARROW next to the truck, placed them in the shovel and then dumped the shovel in the general direction of the wheelbarrow. When we experience something new like this for Dylan it's thrilling and fun and makes me feel very lucky. I love spending time with him, I love all of us spending these times together even if it is just a weekend chore. Jay and I were a family before he was here, that's true, but the family we are now is the best thing ever.

Times Square

2010-10-16T12:54:00.006-05:00

We arrived at Times Square just 3 hours after we had arrived in Manhatten. We were still fairly disoriented so we didn't get many photos and the ones we took were a blur of lights. We did eat at the Hard Rock like good little tourists and this is where we found out that in New York (all of the states?) most menus come with calorie counts for each meal. WHAT?! Well that ruined the 3 cheese burger with bacon and fries for a whopping 2600 calories.... well sort of, we shared a classic burger and a cobb salad and still ingested about 1300 calories each plus beers.

Before dinner

Crazy lights!

Then we went into the enormous 3 floor Toys R Us where Dylan thought it was an invitation to load up the stroller with every car, truck and train he saw. Then we found T-Rex!

It moves and growls and was SCARY!

Back on the streets there was a giant Elmo who is kind of like a street performer but he just stands there and poses for photos. He has a note on his hand that says he makes money through donations. Dylan was not sure of the giant Elmo.

Still keeping a close eye on that giant Elmo to our left.
We kept Dylan up until 9:30 that night, he slept until 8:10! AWESOME!

On the streets

2010-10-13T12:50:00.005-05:00

Sorry, no Dylans in this post.
Scy scraper Sky scraper scrape me some sky...

Timmy Ho's

I reeeeeaaaallllllyy wanted to climb up the fire escapes on these old buildings in Soho.
Cupcakes wagon in Soho.
Love these old churches among the modern skyscrapers.
Classic.

Damn pigeons stealing his lunch!

Central Park Part 1

2010-10-12T10:17:00.001-05:00

Spent Thanksgiving in New York City. We had a blast! Here's a few from our first afternoon to get started.

Biter

2010-09-20T19:49:00.002-05:00

WEIRD NIGHT! I was alone with Dylan tonight, no biggie right? When bedtime came he still had the Volkswagon attached to his hand so I offered him some milk and slipped the car away. When I tried to put him in bed he was not interested at all... so I read him some books and then the phone kept ringing and ringing so I get up to answer it and Dylan goes and has a poop. Ok, so now I know why he didn't want to go to bed. Back to his room we go and he won't let me change his diaper so I made the mistake of handing him the VW to help him lay still. Then I tried to take it away from him and put him to bed because at this point it's 8:30. He screamed and he's in my arms and he leans on my arm and then he bit me. HARD. I'm welted and have the skin torn off. I put him in his bed and leave, he nearly gags on the sobs. I go back in and try to calm him down but he won't. I tell him tough luck and I put him back in the crib and leave and listen to the fake gagging. FAKE GAGGING. Jay has now come home and is all "what are you doing to him?" and I'm all "THAT FUCKING VOLKSWAGON YOU BOUGHT HIM" and so we both go back into him room. He wants his Daddy, of course he does. He says "Bye Mommy" and then says a string of baby gibberish to Jay and then leans over to allow me to kiss his cheek. Thanks! Then Jay puts him to sleep in like 1 minute, sans Volkswagon. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

More instances wherein Jay is abused

2010-09-02T20:31:00.001-05:00

Looks sweet...

But then...

And...

Ouch!

Put this child on your shoulders at your own risk.

$3

2010-09-01T19:51:00.004-05:00

For Dylan's 2nd Birthday, we bought AND ASSEMBLED! a huge plastic playhouse. Why would we think this was what he'd like? Because we went to Lick's (gross by the way!) and they had the EXACT same house. Dylan refused french fries to play in that house. I will repeat that statement: DYLAN REFUSED FRENCH FRIES. Then when it was time to change his poopy diaper he was all "leave it there, I need to play in this house!". It was love. So we spent more than anyone should on a piece of unrecyclable plastic that required 2 hours of assembly time and guess how much time Dylan has spent loving that house? About, oh, 15 minutes.

Last weekend I was on my own with Dylan and I decided to take him for a run in the jogger. We were up, fed, dressed and at the running path by 8:30. The jogger was set up, the baby was in it and set up with snacks and juice and toys. I turned to begin the run and felt it, one of the tires was completely flat. I'm proud to say that I wasn't about to miss my run but not very proud to say that I didn't know how to change the tube. I loaded all of gear, the baby, the paraphernalia back into the car then drove us over to Canadian Tire and picked up a tube. Then I drove over to my Mommy's for help. That is where we saw the garage sale and where we found a train set. A train set that was priced for $5 but we got for just $3. Now I've seen true love. Dylan is gaga for the train set. Jay has repaired it 4 times and I've permanently removed the batteries in the station that make the constant CHUGGA-CHUGGA-CHUGGA-CHUGGA-CHOOOOO-CHOOOOOO! noise. Try listening to that for 3 continuous hours and NOT want to shove a ball point pen through your ear drum. But that's me, Dylan is seriously into this train. The total amount of time we've spent playing with the train since we got it? About, oh, 30 hours!

$3 train set (with a bristle block town):

Dylan's usual position during the train game.

Love!

How to strap a 2 year old into a car.

2010-08-31T20:37:00.009-05:00

First you need a song:

This is how we buckle up, buckle up, buckle up.

This is how we buckle up

In our car seeaat.

Then use your head and shoulders:

Watch out for flailing arms:
Arm flailing can turn into hair pulling:

Keep an eye out for kicking legs:

Success!

Reluctant acceptance:

Now lets see about putting on those shoes...

Bubble time

2010-08-20T15:11:00.002-05:00

Scout's vacation

2010-08-17T06:00:00.001-05:00

We are so very lucky that Scout and Kerri came to visit in July. Scout is a trooper, she was assaulted by her cousin every day and inherited her Mom's projectile vomit reflex but she is still as sweet as can be.

Scout is moving fast here, Dylan isn't good at waiting his turn. Scout learned that she needs to move quick if she wants to use the slide.Wait. Danger. Where is the boy? I can't see the boy. I'm in danger people!
Dylan is funny... as long as I have the protection of my Mom's arms around me.
Sweetness.

Twinkle Twinkle... aarrcckkkggghh

2010-08-16T20:30:00.000-05:00

Dylan started singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in the bath the other night. After the bath, during our daily wrestle-diaper-and-jammies-on-the-squirming-toddler ritual I pinned him on our bed. Most nights after his bath we head into our room and play on our bed. I am embarrassed to admit the amount of naked baby we've had come into contact with our things, our furniture, our clothes. You know how some people say that kissing someone is like kissing every person they've ever kissed? Ya, if you touch me or anything in my house it's like touching naked baby. Hah! Tangent! Anyway, I pinned him on the bed and started singing Twinkle Twinkle. He was intrigued and for some reason he stuck his index finger near my mouth and I pretended to chomp it with a big aarrcckkkggghh. Dylan thought that was hilarious so we repeated the fun and I chomped on various body parts including his tummy, his toes and his neck. I finished getting his jammies on, read a story (actually I attempt to read a story while Dylan flips through the pages, stops only on his favourites for exactly 2 seconds and then chucks the book over his right shoulder... look! another tangent!) and put him to bed. Ready for the point of the story?! The next day I'm sitting on the floor in the kitchen and I start singing Twinkle Twinkle, well Dylan stops what he's doing, starts giggling and runs up to me to put his neck up to my mouth. My heart melted. I love that kid. And them I chomped him all over, especially his delicious neck.

Mr & Mrs H

2010-08-16T11:51:00.002-05:00

Happy 7th Anniversary to us! I am married to my favourite grown up on the planet.

Pony Ride!

2010-08-14T12:00:00.006-05:00

On our vacation we made our way to the farmer's market mainly for the pony ride. Horse sounds was Dylan's first animal noise and he has a rocking horse in his room so I really thought he would be thrilled to see the ponies. Besides, he rode these ponies last year, he should remember right? Can you see where this is going?

Well we walked up to the ponies and one of them makes his pppffffftttt sound, the exact sound that Dylan can make, and Dylan jumps so high he nearly tears open the straps on his stroller. The horse does it again and Dylan jumps out of skin. All the while I'm saying "Horse Dylan, that is a hhooorrrrssssee, you like horses." And then Dylan's lower lip starts to quiver. It's not something we see too often because he isn't scared by much but then he's fully wailing. So we get him out of the stroller and I figure that's the end of the pony ride but SuperDaddy comes to rescue. Behold, our son who was screaming and crying just 3 minutes before these photos were taken pets a horse and then rode it for the duration of the ride:

I didn't say he smiled though!

Little Scout also had a ride on the pony. Scout happily got on the pony at first but quickly decided that this smelly, hairy, bumpy animal was just not for her delicateness and demanded removal. She did not stay on for the duration of the ride but boy is she cute.

Two!

2010-07-19T16:01:00.015-05:00

And overnight Dylan went from baby to big boy.

(The child did not even taste the cake, smashed it only)

I've been trying to dig my heels in and stop it from happening but no matter what, the time just keeps ticking. We are really consciously making the the most of our time with Dylan these days. He's going to change so quickly, soon he won't be mispronouncing words like guck (for truck) and octapuh and he won't be hesitating before saying a word he's unsure of and he definitely won't be so proud of a little thing like saying cat or GO! or cow. So we're sucking it all in, hoping that the memories will become permanent images in our brains before this stage is over and the next one begins.

There are so many things I don't want to forget. Like how he wiggles his skinny little body when he's excited. Like how he knows when the bath is running and he will trot up the stairs and attempt to climb in. Like how his tongue sticks out when he's concentrating.

Like how he carries things around for ages before putting them down again, and it can be anything like last night it was 2 rocks from the beach and he was half way through his bath when he finally let go of them. Like how he sings Old MacDonald has a farm every single day and begins by looking at one of us and yelling E-I-E-I-OH! at the top of his lungs. Like how he loves to run.

Like the feeling of his heavy sleepy body after he falls asleep in the car. Like how he runs into his Daddy's arms and gives kisses when Daddy is leaving. Like how when I get home he immediately starts saying "Bye! Ssseeee ya!" to his Nanny. Like how loves the cats and pats them so gently and then counts 1,2,3, GO! before spinning them around on the office chair. Like how he loves music and dances and head bangs during appropriate head banging songs. Like how he loves to be startled. Like how he loves to be tickled by kisses on the neck. Like how he loves to be outside most of all.

There's something else I don't want to forget and that is just how much I've changed since Dylan came into my life. It's not just that I've learned to live with the lack of sleep and the puking and pooping and smooshed food everywhere. It's something else, I love harder and I laugh harder. I appreciate more and I'm more thankful. I have a completely new patience and tolerance for things. Does anyone remember those early months, well actually it was the whole first year where I fumbled around and had no idea what I was doing. I actually feel like I've become a Mom this year. Maybe not a Supermom but definitely a Mom, now if we could just get Dylan to say it.

Father's Day

2010-06-21T20:36:00.002-05:00

Last ones from the beach

2010-06-20T00:00:00.002-05:00

We had so much fun I couldn't pick just a few pics. The whole day was a mellow, easy Sunday. One of those days that does wonders for my mental state. One of those completely spontaneous days that I hope I remember for a very long time.

More fun at the beach

2010-06-19T00:00:00.001-05:00

Southampton Beach

2010-06-18T00:00:00.001-05:00

720 Hours

2010-06-17T00:02:00.000-05:00

The countdown to 2 has commenced. Suck in all the baby you can get now because in 30 days Dylan will be a 2 year old.

Containment

2010-05-24T14:07:00.009-05:00

There is a fence, we now have a prison yard. Whoop! There was lots of excitement about the drill:

And then not so much excitement about the actual confinement:

And then there was mischief:

And of course popsicles:

And we did let him out and then we saved his life... yet again:

And there was relaxin':

Randoms

2010-05-15T21:46:00.000-05:00

Big boy cut

2010-05-14T15:35:00.003-05:00

Hair Before:

Hair After.

Signs of Spring

2010-05-04T05:25:00.006-05:00

The usual signs of spring are pretty boring to us, who needs buds on the trees, green grass and tulips to tell them that spring has sprung? No no no, that's no fun. We have spiders and webs everywhere (already! I know!), sand on every floor, the house smells like wet dog, excess laundry (toddlers + dirt+ sand = daily laundry!) and the most gorgeous sunrises. I'm sure there are lots of things that are "the best part" of living where we do but today it's the sunrises.

Last night Dylan got completely soaked playing down by the water. I don't see the appeal, the water is so cold his skin turns red. Bright red! He runs in, chuckles, runs out and repeats. It was really funny to let him do this, he started with just a toe and then his whole foot and eventually he let his legs get soaked, which was followed by me screaming "that's far enough Dylan, that's far enough!". By the time we were done and ready to head inside for supper his legs and arms from shoulder to finger were soaked.

Video!

2010-04-16T14:36:00.005-05:00

It's spring, which means our rubber boots are out and pretty much always at the back door and that means the game where Dylan wears Mommy's shoes is a whole lot more entertaining for the parents.

... and then Dylan adds a whole new twist on the game...

It happened.

2010-04-16T12:55:00.000-05:00

The dog barked this morning and after giving her a moment to stop on her own, I yelled DYLAN! Dylan was being a really good boy at the time too, oops!

Memories

2010-04-15T16:02:00.003-05:00

I raided Jay's computer and saved his files to my memory stick. Remember when...

Dylan was new? (and had jaundice)

When we made him stay awake to take photos?
He had no hair and made silly faces?
When his round belly stuck out and his hair was still short?

More ladybugs!

2010-04-13T19:30:00.002-05:00

More ladybugs! (in the house!)

When he doesn't want to go for a nap he usually runs through the things he likes to say; bub-bles, hi!, bye nana, Tessshhhsssh come on, asha asha, un, twoooo, reee - and then he falls asleep. This day I went in to see that he had fallen asleep and this is what I found.

A long way to go...

2010-04-08T19:06:00.002-05:00

Earlier Dylan and I found a ladybug (where are they coming from?) so I let it walk around my hand while he was fascinated by it. Then the ladybug migrated up my arm, ok no problem I thought, but it it tickled and suddenly I started to be creeped out. I wanted to show Dylan how easy it was to let this bug walk around on me so I kept a straight face. Yay Mom! And then I started losing the mental battle, I was getting more creeped out by the second until there was a particularly tickly moment and I couldn't hold it in. I screamed. Dylan's eyes welled up and his bottom lip pouted up and started to quiver. Boo Mom! I was a ladybug! I have got a long way to loving creepy crawlies.

When did that baby turn into a big boy?

Getting our pool on

2010-03-31T20:25:00.001-05:00

More from vacation

2010-03-29T20:12:00.000-05:00

2 Hours

2010-03-18T12:30:00.003-05:00

How Dylan spent the birthday party

Scout is one!

2010-03-17T00:00:00.008-05:00

Happy Birthday Scout! I am so happy that you came into our lives. I love you.

Bump N' Grind

2010-03-12T18:02:00.007-05:00

When we picked up an information sheet on some nature walks and hikes we only really considered the easy ones but then we saw these people walking up this little hill behind the Target. We noticed that the description in our info said it was a tough workout called Bump N' Grind. But it looked like fun and not so hard so when Dylan woke up AGAIN at 5:45AM (AM!) we decided to try it out. We thought we wouldn't look like losers if we were sucking wind at 7:30 in the morning because no one would be there that early. Fat chance, the road was lined with cars and people with workout gear and water bottle belts were heading up the hill. We set up the baby back-pack and took off. We got near the top of the hill Jay wondered out loud why the info sheet said it was a tough workout and I laughed. Ha. Ha. Then we came around the bend at the top of hill to see all those workout people climbing A MOUNTAIN! Since Jay was carrying an extra 30 pounds of baby, it was his call to keep going and so we did... because Jay would never turn down a challenge. Well we had a blast climbing that mountain, it was the first time I have ever kept up with Jay on any hike (thanks to the 30 pound baby!) and it really wasn't that bad. I guess I'm in good enough shape to tackle a mountain. My butt is sore today, Jay's isn't.

Near the top of the first hill.

Almost there!

We made it!

The way back down on the other side!

11th Hole Surprise!

2010-03-12T09:05:00.002-05:00

Tumbleweed!

2010-03-10T18:34:00.009-05:00

Top 3 phrases used in the Palm Desert portion of our vacation:

Tumbleweed! Oh my gosh, that's my first tumbleweed! Let's stop!

Why are there always car chasing, rabid dogs on my vacation?

Maybe we should turn around because that sign HAS BULLET HOLES!

Those last 2 are particularily funny to us because when we went to Costa Rica about 3 years ago we decided that since the map showed a road, a dirt road, cutting through some mountains that we would attempt it since it was the quickest route. We eventually turned after driving through rainforest on something that should only be called a bike path. I tearfully explained to Jay my fear of blowing every tire on the rental car and no one on the planet knew where we were at that moment and knowing it was a stupid way to die. Jay still laughs his ass off when he tells this story. So today when I saw a dirt road I suggested as a joke that we take it and Jay, of course, took me completely seriously. As we got further and further away from the road I was more and more horrified with fear and yet thrilled with a sense of adventure. This is the reason I have so much fun with with Jay, I would have never actually taken that road and when I saw those dogs running out to chase our car I would totally have turned back. But we didn't, we kept going and laughed at each and got out of the car and enjoyed the complete silence of being in the middle of nowhere.

A modest Palm Springs residence.

Bullet. Holes.

So we are in Palm Springs and let me say that I'm embarrassed at how many times in my life I've wondered aloud if it's Palm Beach or Palm Springs... because Palm Springs is inland. Not a beach in sight. It's all mountains and desert as far as you can see. Today we took in a nature walk and even though we've been drinking water by the gallon, we felt like we had eaten sand by the end of the walk. I've never been anywhere this dry before. The weather has been great, it's cool in the mornings and at night and a perfect temperature in the day... well, maybe 2 more degrees would be perfect.

An oasis

Los Angeles Zoo

2010-03-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

My ass would like to ask for a time out

2010-03-07T23:31:00.007-05:00

The hiiiillllllssss ... are very steep and abundant in this part of California. Day 2 and we've walked the hills both days. My ass is wondering where we are and why we left the flatness of Southern Ontario. This is nothing like when I jack up the incline on the treadmill and power through 45 seconds of "hills". This is the real thing and my ass will thank me for it one day.

We are having a great time with Scout and Chris and Kerri. Scout is Dylan's cute little shadow, a little shadow that turns her little body around to carefully back down the 2 steps from the kitchen to the living room only to have him turn around and trot right back to the kitchen. Dylan on the other hand knows he's the big cousin and barely gives her a nod except to take away her little push toys that help her walk or grab her by the shoulder and take her down to the ground. He totally understands when we tell him to be gentle with the dog so today I've started gently petting Scout and saying gentle in hopes that he makes the connection. Please don't tell her in 10 years that we pet her like a dog to try to teach her cousin to be a nice boy.

They have had some awesome moments in the couple of days they've been together. Today Dylan bent down and licked Scout's face and then wrapped his arms around her neck... I'm pretty sure this was affection... right? Then there is the eating, Scout loves to eat with Dylan and we try to sit them together at meal time as much as possible but when we can't then Scout always tries to help Dylan with his food. It's the cutest thing, a Cheerio is always yummier from a big cousin's tray.

Beach bound.

Snow!

2010-02-28T14:31:00.003-05:00

Learning how to build a snowman:

Having a taste:

That smile is catchy, isn't it.

Loves music

2010-02-19T17:30:00.001-05:00

It blows my mind how much I adore this boy. Something great happens every day, even when I don't think I can take one more day of February. Oh, and he has a name tag because he wears one every week at gym class and the hat? Well, that was just funny.

Teasing

2010-02-18T22:01:00.004-05:00

Here is a video of the jackets and clothes we hang on our kitchen chairs over the course of a weekend oh and of Dylan and Daddy playing with a new toy.

Swimming

2010-02-09T21:01:00.004-05:00

Swim lessons!

Jay and I took Dylan to the pool together this weekend and Dylan was all "wait a minute MOM, why are YOU getting in the pool?" and then I was all "CANNON BALL!" and then he was all "Word."

Meet Me Halfway

2010-02-02T21:47:00.004-05:00

Here he is not helping with the dishes at all

FUN!

2010-01-27T20:52:00.000-05:00

Pure joy.

Who is that?

2010-01-23T15:26:00.004-05:00

So I think this is one of the first times that he has realized that he is looking at HIMSELF. Hilarious.

Check it out

Morning Ray of Light

2010-01-23T15:20:00.002-05:00

Mornings are the most wild in our house. When you go into Dylan's room and lift the blind, he jumps nearly out of the crib with excitement. MOMMY! Then you put him down and it's as though he hasn't woken up in this house almost every day for the past 18 months; TESS! CATS! WE HAVE CAAATTTTTSSS! LOOK AT THESE TOYS! I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING SO EXCITING IN MY LIFE! I MUST RUN AROUND IN A CIRCLE AND OH GOD! YOU HAVE JUICE!? I HAVE NEVER TASTED ANYTHING SO DELICIOUS EVERRRRRR! I LOVE YOU AND I LOVE DADDY AND I LOVE TESS AND I LOVE CATS!

It reminds me of me when I'm drinking. My son wakes up drunk on life.

18 month Update!

2010-01-17T21:59:00.000-05:00

It is with great excitement that we reach the 18 month mark in this little adventure. I can hardly believe that my little baby is 1 and a half. At 1 and a half this wee boy is the sweetest thing I've ever seen and at the same time the biggest pain in my ass. To date, there is significantly more sweetness than anything else.

Dylan has colossal amounts of energy. Enough that each day we need to plan a way for him to expend an equivalent amount of energy as running a marathon. I'm not sure where he finds the energy since he's adopted the rule that any food he eats must be something he has eaten in the past week, must be whitish in colour and must not be mashed or purees'd so let's see, that leaves us; plain pasta, fries, eggs, cucumbers, pears, yogurt, bananas, bread and of course milk. Think of the possibilities!

At 18 months this little monkey knows that when I say "come over here", that it will surely be more exciting to run in the other direction and so he does and giggles at the hilarity of it. Dylan is constantly doing the opposite of what we ask although most often I have to hide the fact that I'd rather laugh than put my hands on my hips look stern. Just the other day, after repeatedly asking him to "come over here please" and he refused to comply I lifted my hand, palm up, and repeatedly curled my finger back and forth like a hook. This interested Dylan enough to gain his full attention but not enough to draw him any closer to where I was sitting with a diaper and butt cream. After a couple more minutes I took my finger and pointed directly to the ground in front of me and ordered Dylan to "COME HERE". My son took his finger and stiffly pointed at the ground immediately in front of himself and then turned on his heels and ran his bare little ass in the other direction. Oh the fun we have.

We haven't made any great strides lately with the talking. We've said for 6 months now that we think he's on the verge of exploding into a whole new world of language but so far he prefers to communicate in baby babble as well as pointing and yelling. For months we have pointed out the same things day after day; nose, eyes, socks, ball, is that a ball Dylan? BALLLL, car, vroom vroom?, CARRRRRR, milk, milk, milk? Today he can say Hi, Bye, Mom and Dad, sit (he says this to Tess and Woody) and just this week we have a very solid Tess.

Dylan can be frustrating and exhausting at times and simultaneously be the most precious and funniest little light in my life. He is a deliciously cute little man who loves to move, explore and experience everything around him. Sometimes, as he spins through the house like a tornado, he will stop and throw his arms around one of us for a 3 second hug and then spin off again on a new adventure. We hope he knows how much we adore him and even though he exhausts us every day, we never ever tire of him. We have big dreams for this little person and we want him to know we will always be there for him. When Saturdays come and go and he is sound asleep, we finally collapse on the couch always say "what a great day". It can't get much better than that.

Fascinated

2009-12-17T21:47:00.005-05:00

It's getting so hard to take pictures of a child that never sits still but this past weekend we found something that absolutely fascinated Dylan. It wasn't a gadget, it wasn't high tech, it didn't have any buttons and it wasn't the typical plastic. It was a wooden slide whistle that Jay picked up at a market. He sat and watched and listened for the longest time... and we caught a few pictures in focus.

Random

2009-12-09T20:24:00.004-05:00

Do you ever notice I don't have any sleeping baby pictures? That's because Dylan likes to sleep, in his dark room with the door closed, thank you very much. Here's a rare moment where Dylan allowed himself to nap with all the hustle and bustle of a busy mall going on around him.

The excitement of Barney! and Santa! and Escalator! was too much for his stamina.

This is totally what I would like to do more often; Chill.

He hasn't quite mastered drinking from a cup, but he's trying.

Good pickings

2009-11-29T18:10:00.005-05:00

Dylan has been sticking his finger up his nose during mealtimes. Gross, I know, but he hasn't been searching for anything but it's more like a curiosity and also the nostril is natural fit for his finger. What else should he do during dinner? Anyway, tonight... like right now.... a huge booger came out of his nose. I watched it an took a moment to figure out what to do. At that moment Dylan grabbed a piece of pasta with the contaminated hand and put it all in his mouth, booger and all. He didn't like it, there was a lot of head shaking and spitting. Hahahahaha. This story took a turn when the booger resurfaced and was once again about to go in the mouth wherein I went from giggling juvenile to Mom and got rid of it (with bare hands!) before he got another taste.

Found!

2009-11-24T10:06:00.001-05:00

Last night I found 2 soft mittens that look like they may work!

Camera Face

2009-11-22T19:15:00.004-05:00

This week Dylan, our sweet beautiful precious boy, he... wait for it... slept for over 12 consecutive hours. Consecutively. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-12.5. In a row. The bad news, it was not the weekend and I was up and working well before Dylan greeted the day. He also had 1 super-nap each of the last 4 days however today we found out what happens when he kinda needed the morning nap and fell asleep in the mall just before lunch, went back to bed late in the afternoon and then was woken up 20 minutes later by poop. That is one thing I want to know; when do babies bodies stop waking them up to drop a load? Because it is getting old. The sleep thing is awesome. Dylan is an awesome sleeper.

Dylan also cracks us up. He's becoming funny and when he sees our reaction he hams it up. When he sees the camera he also hams it up. Bigtime. Behold, more camera face:

How does he know to do that when he doesn't even really realize what the camera is? He's never looked at a photo, no matter how many times Grandma tries to get him to watch her digital frame with her. He will not give that thing a glance and when he walks up to it like he sees something interesting it's actually the phone he's grabbing off the cradle to hold up to his ear for the next 10 minutes. Cracks me up every time.

Dylan goes outside every day because his Nanny knows just how much he loves it. If he hasn't been outside and you step out the back door to put out some garbage or let the dog out he will scream, push on the locked screen door, turn red-faced and collapse on the floor. We've been very lucky to have these spring-like temperatures this November and Dylan hasn't missed many days walking around the yard, picking up every single twig and leaf. I'm not sure what he'll do when it actually gets too cold to go out with bare hands. Mittens make his hands unusable and gloves are hard to find for hands this little. Does the baby clothing industry think that kids this little will not be going out to play during the winter? Or that they will go out and not use their fingers for anything? The gloves that we do have were brought back from Saudi Arabia by Dylan's Grandfather and while they are a layer of fabric, they are like those little knit magic mittens and don't offer the warmth that a lined ski glove would. Clearly, I have some more shopping to do.

He has such a nice smile here. Expecially since he should be sleeping but decided that he only needed 45 minutes instead of the usual 2 hours. This was the beginning of the end of the morning nap.

Halloween

2009-11-03T20:16:00.006-05:00

An afternoon walk.

Show of hands, anyone think this is cute?

Starting to realize what this night is really all about.
Sugar high!

Rad moves

2009-11-02T07:00:00.005-05:00

We've been working on some new mad skills lately, take a look at Indo boarding!

The dog bowl problem

2009-10-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have no solution for the ongoing dog bowl issue. The dog needs to drink, the baby loves water. A dilemma for sure.

Feeling fine

2009-10-30T14:38:00.009-05:00

Titles of new posts I came up with while waiting in line for an H1N1 vaccination:

F$%(@*(#(@#$()*

The rage!

I HATE H1N1

Swiiiiiiiinnnnnnnne Flu!

Waiting! Waiting! WAITING!

Mother-F-ing, God-damn health care system!

For the first time, Dylan showed a little more patience than his mother while we waited for our H1N1 vaccinations yesterday and today he is showing a lot more resiliency. We did it, we stood in line with the masses. Something I would never have done pre-baby. I do that now, eh? I use pre- and post- baby as a descriptor. Anyway, Dylan Carole and I are vaccinated. Were we the smart ones? the dumb ones? the lucky ones? Who knows and only time will tell. Have I jumped on the swine flu hysteria bandwagon? Maybe a little. I don't know what to think or what to fear. I think that we can heed warnings and absorb information from the media and not give in to the panic and horror and... jazz hands that seems to come attached at the swine flu hip.

I wasn't concerned about the vaccines, not at all. Except maybe a little teeny tiny bit in the back of my brain, ther is always the possibility of side effects. Poor Dylan had 3 vaccines this week and I can't help but wonder if we are putting a lot of pressure on his little body. Who knows though, we all take in tons of antigens every day and we are constantly building little antibodies to all sorts of harmless particles. Effortlessly, right?. So this week we artificially gave his body some homework for extra marks.

As for the actual shot. Holy crap is my arm sore. Really sore, sore to even the gentlest graze. And my neck! It aches! And I'm including my misery here because I need to tell everyone that MY ARM HURTS! FEEL SORRY FOR ME! MY LIFE WAS DISRUPTED BY THE SWINE FLU CRAZE! Dylan? Nothing. He wailed when the shot went in. Boy, babies have no idea what's coming and then bam, it's like a shot in the arm. Hah. But today he moved around, played, slept and had fun like we didn't wait in line for 5 hours just to get our arms poked with poison yesterday. He is such a trooper.

Here are some photos of the line

The media. The little girl in line behind us kept holding her fist up to her mouth and mimic this guy saying"people are lined up today anxious to get their swine flu vaccination". The she would say "anxious" again and laugh. She was 7.

Here are a couple of photos of what you really came for:

The new camera face.

Helping around the house

2009-10-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Giving Thanks.

2009-10-20T16:39:00.007-05:00

You have to pretend you are reading this on Thanksgiving Monday. That's when I wrote it out but then I had issues uploading photos. Then I had the same trouble another 2 times! Argh! Read on.

Just after our Thanksgiving feast, we were reminded just how fragile our little anything-you-can-do-I-will-try-faster-and-more-death-defyingly kid is. All it took was Jay trying to guide him from the kitchen to the playroom after dinner and wham, something was wrong and we didn't know what. We figured out that he had hurt his shoulder, probably when he threw his whole body to the floor in protest and wriggled away from his Dad. He screamed and cried and his little arm just hung there limp. Our hearts sank. We discussed it for a minute or 2, called telehealth (who would call back in 30-45 minutes!), discussed it for another minute and flew out the door on the way to the hospital. After waiting for about 2 hours in the hospital the little lifeless arm seemed to be on it's way back to functioning. There were LOTS of sick kidlets in the waiting room so we decided we were better off dealing with it at home and we left. It was an adventure that reminded us all to be a little more careful and thankfully it wasn't worse.

Some pictures from earlier in the day.

As close as he would get to the sheep.

Drunk on turkey. At this poing Jay is chanting TRYPTOPHAN! TRYPTOPHAN! The joke was on us, this kid was perky until 10:00 when we got home from the hospital!

The next day and the arm is working just fine!

More summer shots

2009-10-07T08:33:00.000-05:00

The first morning, Scout was excited to see Dylan!

Another beach lover.

Yes, that's a knife.

Overdue

2009-10-05T06:02:00.000-05:00

I was reminded this weekend that I have a blog and I should update it. So here you go!

Fourteen month Eeyore picture!

How I spent my summer vacation:

The beach is the greatest place on earth.
Sand is a fascinating substance. Sand castles are meant to be crushed. Beach hats are cruel torture devices invented by parents.
Hanging with family members we don't get to see often enough.

Enjoying sunsets.
Making the most of a cold day.
Showing the little cousin how it's done.

Slowing down every once in a while.

Whatever she tells you, I didn't give her that scratch.

Finally, we got to be a part of Steph and Mike's most special day of their lives until the Bills finally win the Superbowl.

Too cool for school

2009-08-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes...

2009-07-31T14:45:00.003-05:00

Sometimes when you aren't quick enough to stop the disgusting from happening... you just have to take out a camera and capture it to show his friends one day.

In. Out.

2009-07-31T14:34:00.004-05:00

These days we are all about putting things in and then taking them out. Opening things and then closing them. Here he is showing us all about IN.

WATER! SAND!

2009-07-31T13:59:00.007-05:00

For his birthday, Dylan got a sand and water table from the Mackenzie family. Well it was called a sand and water table on the box but we are affectionately referring to it as the laundry maker. This thing rocks and for my birthday in August I would like one in adult size. I guess I'd really prefer something more grown up but man are kid's toys ever great.

He is not upset in this picture. He is an expert imitator and Mommy just yelled at Tessie.

Video!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X2fScBjOoY

12 Months? Really?

2009-07-30T15:44:00.010-05:00

Did 12 months really just come and go? No really, I'm just going to mosy on over the my little blob of a baby and..... ACK! I HAVE A TODDLER!? Who is toddling. With a cute little toddle. Sooooooo, crap, I missed the 11 month celebratory pictures post. Why? Because it was June and I had to go back to work in 2 weeks and D-Dubs and I were having fun every. single. minute. In June we tried the beach, the park, and the splash pad. Every activity was greeted with great enthusiasm... well enthusiasm to touch other kids and their faces. You there!? You are not one of The Tall Ones. Let me reach out and touch your nose! eyes! hair! It's all right here in front of me!

Wow, has it ever got fun in the last couple of months. Dylan is still not yet building rockets or solving differential equations but he is showing signs of logic. That is, until you put your foot in front of the truck, stroller or other wheeled object that he is trying ram into the nearest wall. At that time the most logical thing appears to be wailing. Top of the lungs, end of the world screaming until all there is left to do is collapse into the pool of salty tears he has just created and whine at the injustice of it all. One misplaced foot can cause the loss of 10 precious minutes of life for everyone in a 1 kilometre radius. I know that the people who know us will totally say that we shouldn't be surprised that this energetic, stubborn and loud person came from us. We're not. It's just the fact that now that we are experiencing just a glimpse of what we might have been like all those years ago... well we are wondering how we were allowed to survive. Really.

These days I get a lot of people asking me when we are going to have another. People. Please don't do this. I don't have an answer for you, I'm still making up for over a year of NOT DRINKING. Not to mention all the other things I need to get used to, like thinking about a little person for at least a moment of every minute of every day. I didn't know my heart was going to feel like this, I mean, I already had a lot of love in my life. When we spoke to people and read all the parenting books, nowhere was I informed that everything that makes me me was going to be forever changed. We weren't told that we would watch our son as he slept in his bed and be unable to move, unable to pull away, trying desperately to suck in every moment of his existence. This feeling is beautiful and wonderful but how do you even begin to have enough room in your heart for another? Where does all that emotion go? How can you even contain it without exploding in a great big love splatter? Point is, I'm more than happy at the moment. At this very moment. This minute. We are exactly the family we want to be.

So I went back to work this month. It hasn't been all that awful except for the time I broke out into the Backyardigans theme song while taking notes in a meeting. No, seriously though, I miss him like crazy and I wonder what he's doing all day long. But. When I get home, he gives me a huge smile and waddles his little ET waddle over to me and LETS ME HOLD HIM FOR MORE THAN 13 SECONDS, it's like heaven. I must say that this transition has been made so much easier thanks to Dylan and his wonderful disposition. He beams each morning when he greets either of his Grandmothers, he doesn't bat an eye when I leave and he has stuck to his schedule pretty perfectly. Damn, it makes a Mom feel almost uneeded... until, that smile at the end of the day. He does miss me but he is ok because he feels safe that Mama is going to come back. Next milestone, Mom and Dad are going away for a whole weekend in 2 weeks. If it weren't for a couple of very special people getting married that weekend my heart would already be breaking at the thought of it.

3 things

2009-06-13T13:20:00.004-05:00

There are 3 things I'd like Dylan to understand RIGHT NOW:

1. Don't touch that
2. Come over here
3. Don't eat that

When things are reeaaaallly fun he laughs likes this:

Ten Months!

2009-05-19T21:19:00.008-05:00

Weight and height are a mystery!

I keep thinking that I should stop being so surprised that another month has gone by but I guess that when he's 15 years old I won't be exclaiming "oh my baby is 180 months old!". I am just going to enjoy the thrill and excitement that each month brings us for as long as I can. Month 10 came with lots of activity. Dylan is walking. Not just taking a few steps here and there but strolling around the house and just 2 days into month 11 he started standing up without holding onto anything. He picks up these things so quickly that he may be riding a bike by the end of the summer. Seriously.

Dylan likes to have something in his hand at all times and sometimes the same object can stay there for 2 hours or more. He holds onto things for so long that I start thinking that he has found something he's really grown attached to and will probably carry around until his 3rd birthday. Until it is put down for a few moments and then trying to hand it back brings out the rage. And the velociraptor scream. Thanks.

We haven't had as much babbling as I expected but he has added MA MA MA MA MA MA MA MAAAAAA to what he can babble. This is causing Jay some distress and he'll spend time interupting an enthusiastic string of MA MA MA's to holler DA DA DA DA DA DA DAAADDDD. Dylan usually responds with an even louder MA MA MA MA MA MMMMMM. I'm glad that Dylan has decided to say MAMA first, he obviously realizes that MAMA is the one who subletted her uterus for nine months and then had the milk fountains turned on for another 9 months. Priorities!

Dylan turned 10 months old during the Victoria day weekend, and we kept with tradition and took him to the cottage. It was a treat for all of us because Dylan just loved seeing so many different people for such a long period. Jay and I loved that we got to sit still for more than 30 seconds while Dylan's aunties ran around after him AND Great Aunt Janice got up at 6:00 on Monday morning to take care of him while we both slept until 9:00am. So lovely.
PS. Looks like we have another person to compete for the Sky Chair at the cottage.

Looks like Daddy..

2009-05-15T08:26:00.001-05:00

when he wakes up...

Water

2009-05-14T07:50:00.004-05:00

Loves water even if it is the gross dog water.

Why I like the sippy cup

2009-05-13T14:11:00.000-05:00

Dylan gets how to drink from a cup but he thinks it's a lot more fun to dump the contents anywhere and everywhere.

Even without the shirt this is more civilized.

Outside fun!

2009-05-12T14:23:00.002-05:00

This has to be his favourite thing to do right now.

Nine Months!

2009-05-06T20:00:00.002-05:00

Weight is about 18 pounds. Shoe size is 3. A woman in Costco asked a barefoot Dylan if his parents couldn't afford shoes and socks. After rolling my eyes so high I caught a glimpse of my frontal lobe I went out and bought some shoes, thus we have determined he takes a 3.

This is the usual chaos that is taking the monthly Eeyore shot:

I bet you all thought I just sat him down and snapped that cuteness every month... well up until about month 6 or 7 that was exactly what I did. But I am now the mother of spawn-that-must-always-be-standing. Holy crap, we've been parents for 3/4 of a year. This month has been a busy one. We left for California just after Dylan turned 8 months and stayed for about 2 weeks. While we were in California I really hoped that Dylan would not accomplish some amazing milestone like walking or reciting his a-b-c's without his Daddy. He didn't start talking or walking but he did continue to provide us with much entertainment. His inquisitive ways are a fascinating thing and I feel privileged to watch him grow each day. While we were away he did learn how to open cupboards and drawers and also how to pinch his fingers. He learned how to climb steps (two of them!) and he cut 2 top teeth!

Spending 2 weeks with Kerri, Chris and Scout was really fantastic. Scout is a precious little beauty. Dylan was very curious about her but mostly curious about her hair.Matching jammies! Kerri is brilliant for thinking of getting these jammies for this photo op.

We took him to the beach for the first time. It wasn't really his first time, we did take him to the Southampton beach at 6 weeks old in the bjorn where he puked, pooped (explosive) and caused my boobs to let down immediately before drifting off into a deep sleep. I took him out of the Bjorn and he had one of the most peaceful sleeps on the beach while I wrapped a towel around myself and returned to the cottage for a full outfit change. His visit to the California beach was a much larger success. The feel of warm sand was foreign and thrilling for Dylan. Check out video of him here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k51Cyrvl0ag

The best part about Dylan is his disposition. Unless he has a reason, like being overly tired or hungry, he has never been in a foul mood. He shares a million smiles a day and he shares them with anyone who will glance his way. He jumps up and down when you greet him in the morning and he laughs hysterically at the slightest thing.

He is always up for a challenge:

Oh and have I made it this far without bringing up sleep? Yep, that's right, there's nothing to complain,whine or moan about. That boy sleeps 9-10 hours per night and 2 x 2 hour naps in the day. He's doing so much sleeping that sometimes I miss him and feel the urge to go in and kick the crib to see if he'll get up and play with me.

Walking

2009-05-05T17:50:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I haven't posted anything because I've been procrastinating on the 9 month post buuut I had to post the link to this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0ENc_exQyU

I don't waaannnnnnaaaaaa

2009-04-07T20:19:00.002-05:00

I don't want to go back to work. At least I'm not headed back to a 9 to 5 that involves cleaning poop because let's face it, the number one change in my life over the last 9 months is the amount of shit I've had to deal with. I did the math around the 6 month mark and at that time I figured I'd changed about 1200 diapers. Let's not forget the days when the baby shit 8 times per day... and let me also say that Dylan is now Mr. Regular and poops at least twice per day. That's a shitload of shit. I don't want to go to work but let me tell you that I'm glad I'm not a nurse or a vet or a zookeeper, especially for the elephants.

Another day at the beach

2009-03-30T22:01:00.001-05:00

Miss Scout

2009-03-29T22:42:00.002-05:00

Awake!

... and asleep!

The beach!

2009-03-29T22:19:00.002-05:00

A day at the beach! Can you imagine a texture you've never touched before? Is there anything you've never held in your hand? Dylan's first time on the beach was a success! The sand was the success part. The cold ocean was not but he warmed up to it once we put the water in a pail and let him explore it at his own pace. Check another item off of Dylan's first experiences!

Scout's first trip to the beach:

Cousins!

2009-03-23T09:23:00.001-05:00

The shot:
Getting there:

Comparison

2009-03-23T00:06:00.004-05:00

Here's a picture of baby Scout taken yesterday

...and a picture of Dylan taken back in July.

Eight months!

2009-03-20T16:22:00.002-05:00

Weight and height are unknown! This is the first time since Dylan was born that he hasn't needed a weight gain check at the doctor!

My baby boy is eight months old and on his eight month birthday his cousin Scout Catherine Smith was born, weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces. An identical birth weight to Dylan. This has been an exciting year for our family and we are thrilled that Scout has arrived. She is beautiful and precious and has stolen our hearts already.

Month eight was an exciting one. I find that every month I think that this has been the most exciting yet. But truly, the best thing happened this month... wait for it... the puking has finally stopped. Seriously, this is not a milestone that took any skill on Dylan's part but I'm just as proud as if he got up and walked over the stove and cooked Mama some lunch. I could go on and on about the happiness that the up-chuck reflex has died down in that little boy.

Speaking of sleeping through the night, there is not much of a story on this one. Dylan is doing awesome and for the week leading up to our trip, he was put to bed by Daddy. This doesn't sound like much but we'd gotten to a place where bedtime required his Mommy and her boobs (or maybe just the boobs, who knows) to be present and this change feels like someone has removed the chains that have been tying me down to the glider in Dylan's room for eight months.

There is always more to be said about sleeping, however, and this has to do with some other very big milestones this month. In the span of just 7-10 days, Dylan went from one very pathetic crawler to competent crawling and then one day while I was on the phone he grabbed the edge of his exersaucer and pulled himself up to his knees. He promptly got overexcited at the possibilities of his own uprightedness that he let go and fell to the side, bumping his head on the top tray and bottom saucer of the exersaucer. There have been many bumps since that day and I feel like I will be very much to blame when he gets held back in grade 3 and I'll have to explain to him that he pulled himself up on absolutely every. single. object taller than 6 inches off the floor and fell off or tipped over about 40% of the time. He can be a few feet away from some dangerous object and I may even ponder the fact that he might be just a bit too close but conclude that it should be fine and then he'll fall and his body hurls across the room, bouncing his cranium off that one object. I no longer see the items in a room as merely inert things, but rather menacing death traps that my baby will somehow fnd a way to bash his little growing body against while innocently trying to learn to be a mobile human being.

The reason that pulling himself up has affected his sleep is that the crib provides a wonderful place to practice his mad skills; the bars are great for grabbing and the top is the perfect height to look out and wait for Mama to come and see! I can easily spend the first hour of nap time returning to the room to lay the baby down again... and again... and again. I thought I'd outsmart him and put the sleep sack on him, and he can stand up in it... with a bag around his legs. Seriously annoying.

Dylan's solids consumption has increased greatly and we added Cheerios to his daily intake. The first Cheerio was welcomed with panic and his face saying ARE YOU TRYING TO CHOKE ME!? The next few tries came with the frustration that he could pick the Cheerios up in his fist but lacked the coordination to effectively get them into his mouth. We also introduced Arrowroot cookies as a little treat and boy, they are a BIG treat. Of course they are, they make the biggest mess when eaten!

Things are going so fast these days. Meeting Scout this week has reminded me how far we've come and made me realize that I forget how small, helpless and floppy he was just 8 months ago. Before Dylan we wished time away like there was a never ending supply and in Dylan's early days I hoped for milestones to come because some things were just too hard to take one minute longer. Now as I go to bed at night I often wonder what the next day will bring but I always hope that the clock could stop and not let one more second tick until I'm sure that I've soaked in every precious moment.

Loves cats

2009-03-07T20:14:00.001-05:00

Cool

2009-03-04T17:09:00.005-05:00

It was finally warm enough to take the baby outside yesterday and he got to try out his new shades. He tolerated them very well while we were outside...

but during the indoor photo shoot... not so much.

On another topic:

Unless Kerri's uterus gets a move on in the next few hours then Robyn and Victoria will lose in the baby pool... sorry guys. :)

Gah!

2009-03-03T11:31:00.004-05:00

Oh my, how I've changed. I teared up to a McDonald's commercial. MCDONALD'S. Aggggh, it was about a boy who was such a good big brother that his Mom took him to McDonald's for lunch. There was smiling and love and bonding.

Also, I read I'll Love You Forever by Robert Munsch to Dylan last night.

On the third to last page I had to take a pause and collect myself before I could go on. On the second to last page there were several pauses. As I turned to the last page, I just gave up and tossed to book to the side before I was a mess.

Gah! What have you done to my heart little man?!

Thing 1 and Thing 2

2009-02-28T21:10:00.001-05:00

Routine

2009-02-28T21:01:00.004-05:00

I feed the cats, brush my teeth, fill a glass of water and head upstairs to the computer. I sit down and cat #1 sneaks out through the cat door on the laundry room, ever wary of the dog. The dog pounces out of her hiding spot under the kitchen table. Then cat #2 sticks her head or a paw out of the door and pulls back just in time. The dog jumps at it, sticking her head through the cat door. I get up and step on the top stair and peer down. The dog glances at me a skulks away to the TV room. I ruin all the fun.

New

2009-02-27T08:16:00.002-05:00

What is this new face all about?

Oh. Crap.

2009-02-26T14:32:00.005-05:00

I put Dylan down for his nap. After listening to him move around for a while I went in to see if I needed to flip him from his tummy to his back. This is what I found:

Abby has NEVER gone in the crib. I removed Iza from the bedroom before I closed the door because she does like to go in the crib although neither cat has ever gone into the crib when Dylan was in there.

Here's Abby, knowing that she is in trouble and trying to escape the angry Mama. Look at Dylan's face, he is so excited that the cat came to play with him:

What nap?

Calm

2009-02-25T14:28:00.004-05:00

When Dylan wakes up from a nap we enjoy a moment or two of the calmness of his groggy state. Here's a rare moment before he's fully awake.

Here he is exactly 26 seconds later when he realized it was time to get up and live life!

Seven Months!

2009-02-24T08:49:00.006-05:00

Weight: 16 pounds 6 ounces

Length: 27 inches

Well this has been the most exciting month as far as development goes. Dylan is sitting without help and he no longer falls over and smashes into the ground. He finally has the needed muscle control so that when he does forget that he's the one responsible for his own uprightedness then he can can control the fall and prevent his head from crashing into the ground like an egg in a frying pan.

Then there is the crawling, or rather the kneeling and the rocking and the perfect downward dog pose. He hasn't yet moved his hands and become mobile but he's close. He does scootch both legs up underneath him and lay himself back down which moves him forward to whatever deathtrap he's aimed at reaching. His favourite toys have not been the teethers or the squeaky little plush toys or even the super noisy rattles and music playing contraptions. No, Dylan is his fathers son and will only be happy when he gets his hand on electrical wires, steak knives and boiling liquids. For this reason, this month we have discovered the tantrum in him. Dylan has a lot to say about the injustice of his parents saving his life for like the millionth time. When that little boy's face goes all red and he unleashes the velociraptor scream, heck I'm tempted to just give in to his desire to eat the philodendron, play with forks and practice rolling off the change table.

Dylan's diet has gone from 6 meals of tasteless milk per day to tasteless milk, tasteless rice cereal and completely unseasoned liquid vegetables and fruits. Yum. I love the look of surprise every time he starts to eat, like what is this flavour today? Oh ya, it's green beans. We had green beans on Saturday, now I remember. Dylan watches every bite of food we take into our mouths and opens his in anticipation. It's very cute and we often let him gum whatever we are having. His favourite baby food so far has been pears and prunes. His favourite Mommy and Daddy food has been pork tenderloin. His least favourite was broccoli.

Month seven came with an awesome surprise, about 5-6 weeks ago Dylan just started sleeping through the night. Every night. For TEN! HOURS! Then as the seventh month was coming to an end, he woke up. At 2:20am. And for the the last 4 nights of the month he was up at some point. It seems as though he's not really hungry, he has a little snack but is then eager to get going somewhere. Where? Well down to the floor, silly, he wants to get working on that crawling. I'm not even joking when I say that the baby has woken up and whined and squirmed and twisted until I've given up and placed him onto the floor, where he smiles and gets into position on all fours and begins the routine of rocking forward and back and lifting up and down. ~Sigh~ We nearly made it one month of sleep perfection.

Havin' fun with Mom and Dad

2009-02-15T20:13:00.004-05:00

Pics from this weekend. Jay does the bath and pyjamas thing and then we all hang out for a bit before Dylan goes to bed.
At Grandma's house. Grandma keeps the temperature just a wee bit warm here. I wanted a picture for the blog so for this shot we put our pants back on but kept the wife beaters.

Siblings

2009-02-11T20:11:00.003-05:00

Six months and 3 weeks and still no good pictures with the dog. Maybe it's because the dogs has zero interest in the baby and pretty much skulks around other parts of the house when the baby is awake. When the baby falls asleep it's like we've returned home from work. Hi! Wanna pet me? Can we go outside? Look at me, I can give you a paw! Here they are, Tess is counting down the minutes until she is told that she can leave.

Being forced to act loving: