sparked philosophy

Big Girl Bed!

2011-05-17T21:24:00.000-06:00

After Ember dismounted from her bed Sunday night less than gracefully, Andrew and I planned to convert her crib to the toddler bed configuration. We planned that as soon as Andrew walked through the door, we would grab Ember and throw and "big girl bed" party!!!

During the day, I pulled the necessary piece out of the closet and showed Ember how it would attach to the crib and talked a lot about her new bed. Very quickly, she got excited and would pull me into her room to show me the rail and ask me hold it up against her crib. Once Andrew got home, he grabbed the appropriate tools and the three of us rallied in Ember's room. The girl was bouncing with enthusiasm!

Ember was over the moon with the new set up, but we knew the real challenge was yet to come: bed time. Dun dun dunnnnn.

We kept the bedtime routine exactly the same: Andrew diapered and jammied Ember, read a story, we all hunted for the mice in Goodnight Moon and then lights went out and I nursed Ember to slumber. While nursing and rocking in her chair, I surveyed the new arrangement and got scared and weepy. How did we come to this so fast? And, it finally occurred to me that she was going to roll out of bed. Ember definitely squirms in her sleep and those crib rails kept her in place. Without them, she was going overboard.

But there was no going back.

A tumble out of bed was a much better alternative than Ember falling the several feet from the crib rails. Once asleep, I put Ember in her bed, kissed her forehead, and put pillows down around the landing zone. I lingered just long enough to watch her snuggle into her Kitty and then tiptoed out. Being that I'm such a sap, I made Andrew go in with me, and we peered at our big girl together, sound asleep. I managed to keep from sobbing uncontrollably and to not take a picture for fear of a flash waking her up.

The night went remarkably well. She cried once at 11:30 - I went in to find Ember lying on the pillows on the floor, asleep. Clearly, it couldn't have been all that been traumatic. We checked on her twice more over the course of the night and both times found Ember on the floor, sound asleep. Without issue, we moved her back to bed.

The hardest adjustment will be the mornings. Ember usually stirs around 6am but lulls herself back to sleep within the confines of her crib. She may not do that anymore. Instead, she may get up and play, prompting the start of my day. But really, I'm not complaining.

Scenes from a Big Girl Bed Party!!!

"Nigh, nigh."

Life is (once again) Over as I Know It

2011-05-16T11:40:00.006-06:00

There are milestones in a child's life that are real game changers for parents.

Crawling.

Walking.

And, climbing out of the crib.

Oh sweet parenting gods, give me strength.

I woke this morning to a thud that rattled through the monitor. Immediately, I took off knowing exactly what had happened: Ember had climbed out of her crib. When I opened the door to her room, there she was, lying like a plank on the floor. I got down beside her, lifted her to her feet and asked if she was okay. She looked at me, and then pointed to her stuffed kitty in the crib and said, "Kitty!"

Oh, good, you're alright. Good thing, because my blood pressure had already spiked.

I mean, Andrew and I both knew that it wasn't a matter of if Ember was going to climb out of her crib, but when. And I've always been grateful that she is on the tiny side of the scale because this day could have come much, much sooner.

Oh, but that is little comfort right now. What are we going to do!?

Well, we are going to convert the crib to the toddler bed set up. But that introduces a host of other issues ... like keeping her in bed. Hell. even her room! The kid can open doors so....

Sleepless nights are coming my way again, I'm sure of it. Just when my eye had stopped twitching...

Bravo Karma, you got us again.

Any thoughts on how to get a 17 month old excited about her new big girl bed? Duct tape or chicken wire? Just kidding. I think.

At least she's cute.
This is how Ember dresses when left to her own devices: dress, rubber boots, denim jacket and a a ball cap.

My Reason for Celebrating

2011-05-14T22:31:00.002-06:00

Me as a Mum

2011-05-10T20:16:00.000-06:00

I believe I am the mother that other mothers roll their eyes about, and question why I'm being such a high maintenance freak. Seriously.

Here's the thing: I have expectations of my child. Yes, even at 17 months of age.

We taught her to sign a fair amount of words and she knows how to say please and thank you. With that, when Ember asks to be picked up, for some milk, et cetera I expect that she say "please" first. There was one evening after dinner that Ember declared herself "all done" and wanted down from her high chair. Well, Ember sat there until she said/signed "down please". It got to the point where Andrew and I were past the point of caring but assuming that she probably has the memory of an elephant, we stuck to her guns and waited for her to ask properly. We had company that evening and I believe she was being a bit of a smart aleck for their benefit but we got it out of her ... even though she spent a couple of minutes in her high chair in her bedroom. Since that night, manners haven't been too much of an issue and without prompting Ember is signing please in tandem with her requests. Things only go off the rails when she's cranky; that's when I'm really grateful for her ability to sign please. When she's jumping at my feet asking for something, reminding her "what do you say?" checks her and snaps her out of her mood. She smiles and signs please and we go on. And, we almost always get a thank you when you'd expect one. My heart melts when Ember walks through a door that a stranger is holding for her, and she looks up and waves saying "Tank ta" (thank you).

Another thing: I narrate Ember's day. I'm sure I'm nauseating to listen to.

While Ember and I are at play, I'm constantly talking about the things she encounters, their colours, and if applicable the sound they make. Absolutely, she has play time alone, where I don't dream of interfering but when she calls to include me, or asks to be included - the narrative picks up. When we're cooking/baking together I talk of the ingredients; their colours and texture. When at play, I talk of the animals, their sounds, the colour. I call "open, closed" while she plays at the bedroom doors. I call "on, off" when she's playing with her rubber boots.

I don't even know how bad it is until I watch our family videos. From behind the camera I'm heard, "Can you find another egg Ember? Look to your left. Oh, you found the blue one!" Or, "What are those Ember? Do you hear frogs? What do froggies say? Ribbit, ribbit?" I can't be stopped!

It's even worse when we're in public. When Ember has free reign, usually in the library or a bookstore, she obviously has no sense of her surroundings yet and I'm always to bring about a sense of consciousness. "Ember say excuse me when walking through a crowd." "Ember don't push in front of the little girl, she was playing at the computer first." "Ember, share!, that's not yours." I'm right in there while other mothers watch from beyond the fray like I'm a mad woman.

Oh, another thing: I talk to Ember like she's 5 (15) years older than she is.

I can't be stopped. The best example I can think of right now was when Ember was playing on the computers in the kid's section of the library. Ember seized the opportunity when a seat opened up and grabbed the mouse like a seasoned techie. Of course I'm right in there trying to decipher the point of the game and what it is Ember is to do. Let me tell you, nothing makes you feel old like trying to navigate a kids game. Oh lordy! After tinkering with the mouse I figure that I need to be using the directional pad on the keyboard and Ember and I are off. "Okay Ember, you need to collect all the bananas. Move the monkey so that he gets them all using these arrow keys." As I'm offering these directions, Ember shouting "nana!" and making monkey noises. Once the level is cleared, Ember exclaims "All done!" and begins clapping. Okay, next level. "See Ember, that man there is holding up a letter and we have to move the monkey to the corresponding letter over here so the window can be cleaned." Ember nods like we're on the same page, we complete a few letters and she's off. "Bye bye" as she darts off to the next activity.

I fully realize that Ember can't follow such directions yet but I'm incapable of practising it.

One more thing: She is already a time out kid.

Ember has been spending 60 seconds at a time in time out since she was one year old. I realize that she doesn't fully grasp the concept yet but she will. Eventually. In starting out early, Andrew and I are getting stronger and are developing a few rules about time out as we go. Like, the parent who puts Ember in time out, gets her out of time out. This way neither looks like a hero. A bonus of time outs? It gives me a time out which is usually what's required in the moment.

Other random confessions:

- Sets of toys that are scattered all over the place really irritates me. I've been known to count pieces of Playmobil and puzzles to make sure they're all accounted for. The same goes for the ABC fridge magnets and crayons. A purple crayon has gone MIA and it's driving me CRAZY!

- When Ember is colouring, I really want her to colour within the lines. She doesn't of course and that's okay, I just really, really want her to.

- I started baking with Ember in a sling when she was itty bitty, 3 weeks old-ish. I would identify ingredients and measurements to her and I found it all very relaxing and enjoyable. Now, I can't do anything in the kitchen without Ember wanting to help. She carries the step stool over to where I am working, climbs up and reaches into my work zone. It isn't always relaxing but I love that we bake and cook together.

- Ember hears the word respect A LOT. Every time she hucks a piece of her meal on the floor, "Ember, you need to respect your food. People work hard to provide that for you." Wow, that sounds brutal when you type it out. I don't want to continue with this point anymore....

So, do you agree with any of my sentiments or practices? Or do you think I'm effing crazy? Be gentle if you fall into the latter category.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T21:14:00.004-06:00

Technical difficulties! This should have been posted last night, but here it is ... 15 hours later.

To all the women who get their clean clothes out of the hamper while all other members of the household have their clothes neatly folded and put away,

To all the women who wear sweatpants for enough days in a row that it makes you feel like you've lost weight, only to realize that this may not be the case when you pull on your jeans,

To all the women who eat cold dinners, or have their meals interrupted 14 times while you hop and down fetching different accoutrements of necessity - a wet cloth, a spoon, the spoon off the floor, a fork, the fork off the floor, a wet towel to mop the quinoa off the floor .... ,

To all the women who have an open door policy with a person whose favourite author is Sandra Boynton (no disrespect to Ms Boynton!) and have hands reaching from beyond a curtain while they're showering,

To all the women who have lost the time to read for pleasure,

And to all the women who love wholly, unconditionally, and unselfishly: bravo to you.

I hope you had a wonderful day being loved and appreciated for the incredible job you do.

For the Grandmothers

2011-05-06T22:52:00.006-06:00

I know all the grandmums (and aunts, and great aunts ...) will love Ember's little London Fog spring coat. Navy blue with dime sized white polka dots and a gorgeous magenta lining, it is swoon worthy to be sure. Hell, I'd wear it.

Between errands a couple of days ago, Ember wanted to stretch her legs and explore a quiet part of a parking lot. She's like that. I couldn't resist snapping some photos. I'm like that.

Insert thought bubble: "Mum, put down the camera. There's some bugs I want you to identify!"

Thank you Cara for such a beautiful coat!!!

For the Uncles

2011-05-04T22:31:00.004-06:00

Screens are still fun.

FYI: Yellow crayons are delicious.

Easter Reflections

2011-05-02T22:06:00.018-06:00

Oops. I meant to document our Easter weekend within a timely fashion of the celebratory weekend but, alas here I am, a week and then some later.

We sent the Easter Bunny our forwarding address as the three of us escaped to BC's Peace Country to see Andrew's mom and stepdad. It's been months since we drove the 6+ hours northwest and I'm happy to report this was Ember's best drive yet. For four hours at a time, Ember contentedly sat rear facing in the backseat babbling to herself and participating in sing-a-longs but her most favourite activities, making animal sounds while Andrew and I called out the corresponding animals.

It was a fabulous weekend which included Ember's first (real) egg hunt and getting her first tricycle! Which came with the appropriate accessories of a bell and a hat ... or helmet to the rest of us.

Ember was happy to hang out in her new "hat".

Even while eating her miso soup? Yeah, why not?

What? Do I have something on my chin?

Aboard her swish new ride. If she were two inches taller she'd actually be able to pedal all by herself.

But she can ring the bell all by herself!

Studying the physics involved.

Post egg hunt.

Andrew first put a few cereal puffs in the plastic eggs and then hid them in plain sight. Ember grasped the concept of hunting for the coloured eggs quickly - it was awesome! After collecting the eggs and eating their contents as she went, she sat with Andrew and went through each egg again to ensure she hadn't missed a rogue puff.

She was very thorough.

Before Easter dinner, Andrew and Ember played on the deck. He showed her how to blow bubbles. Or "buh-bles" as Ember calls them.

Ember's Easter outfit is courtesy her Grauntie Nedra. The shoes were a gift for Christmas which despite being too big are Ember's favourites and asks to wear them all the time.

Nana had turned on Toy Story 3 prompting Ember to assume her TV position.
Has she ever looked more like Andrew?!

It was a great weekend, one that I actually spent the bulk of relaxing while other hands corralled Ember, it was a treat!

BFFs

2011-04-28T08:30:00.006-06:00

Ember and Isla. Isla and Ember.

These two gals melt my heart.

Their love for each other is so true and infectious. There is a seven month age difference that Isla doesn't want to acknowledge and she strives to keep up with Ember. On the other hand, Ember thinks she's much bigger and does this funny thing where she does an exaggerated squat when approaching for Isla a hug.

Conveniently, these two besties live down the hall from one another so their run ins are frequent and often times, loud. Between them a secret language is spoken as they greet each with squeals and cheers that fluctuate through several octaves.

"Isla" was among Ember's first words.
Ember will walk around with the phone pressed to her ear saying "Hi Isla" and carrying on a conversation.
And, when her sticky little hands get a hold of my camera, Ember tries to scroll through the photos calling Isla all in attempts to see her and her dear friend.

Isla's mummy, Cara and I marvel at the friendship that our girls have established and value it completely. It's amazing that at such a young age, true relationships can be formed.

Ladies who lunch ... and hold hands.

Love.

Her 16th Month

2011-04-26T18:13:00.013-06:00

Ember got her first black eye.

She still hasn't learned her lesson about climbing on the furniture. One week later, she replaced this black eye with a bruised cheek after surfing on her chair caused her to bounce off the coffee table.
*

Ember got her first pair of rubber boots.

Naturally, splashing followed.
*

Ember was gifted a play table.

Breakfast has never been so fun. Thanks Nana!
*

Ember loves to colour.

This will keep her quiet (and seated) for 15 minutes at a time. Hallelujah!
She put her doll in the opposing chair by herself.

*

Sunny spring-like Sundays call for a popped collar.

Striped pants are good, too.

Happy Spring to all!!!

Multiple Choice

2011-03-31T09:17:00.000-06:00

Choose the best answer.

I am to Ember, as:

a) border collies are to sheep,
b) a traffic cop is to traffic,
c) a ringmaster is to a circus.

The Breastfeeding Doll

2011-03-30T20:03:00.007-06:00

There seems to be a lot of discussion in the media about a breastfeeding doll that teaches young girls to breastfeed. The doll comes with a floral halter top which has sensors that mimic a sucking noise when the doll is brought close to the chest. Currently the doll is only available in Spain, but the manufacturer intends on bringing it to America next year.

Many are calling the doll "gross" and very inappropriate citing that it will promote teenage pregnancy and force girls to grow up too fast. Some have even described the doll as "sick".

Considering it's completely socially acceptable for children to carry around dolls that require diaper changing because they wet themselves and dolls that actually bottle feed, is this doll really offensive?

I question the necessity of the doll: I just don't feel that the halter and suckling noises are necessary. However I feel that way about all dolls that feature real life bodily functions. My thoughts are that children can imagine all those acts themselves. I know a few mothers that have given their first born children a doll when a new sibling has come into the family. When it comes time for the new baby to nurse, the older child has to feed their baby, too. Is that odd? Or is it teaching tool?

Thinking forward to if we were to have a sibling for Ember, I would absolutely give her a "baby" to help her ease into her new role as big sister. I expect that she would mimic nursing her doll as I would be nursing a baby, just as she would burp it, change its diaper and take it for a walk.

I'm dying to know - what are your thoughts?? Let's discuss.

Consumed

2011-03-20T13:49:00.003-06:00

I'm overwhelmed with the preciousness of life and the cycle that is.

The perspective gained from the view parenthood is heavy at times. With my very best, I try to relish it all and never, ever take it for granted.

With all that's happening on the planet right now, driven by a bigger power or those who have power issues, and I look at my quiet life and I'm grateful.

My thoughts are with those I do not know.

Mommy Milk

2011-03-15T20:42:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking about nursing a lot lately. I am still breastfeeding my little meatloaf.

I didn't set out to breastfeed for this long. My original goal was to nurse until Ember was 12 months old and after that I'd address it. That milestone has come and gone and here I am, still milking it. Basically, Andrew and I felt that with a daily feeding, Ember was getting a great multi-vitamin that she wouldn't get anywhere else. I wasn't returning to work so it wasn't a hindrance in my life.

Ember began to wean herself in January so I thought I'd let her do the work; we were down to nursing for nap time only. And then she got sick and she reverted. She was nursing several times a day again. Considering she was dehydrated and wasn't interested in food, I was more than happy to oblige. I'm so grateful that I hadn't weaned because I believe it played a HUGE role in Ember recuperating so quickly from the RS virus. Since being sick, we've taken some time to get back to where we were but we're back to nap and bed time nursing only.
No more night time feedings at all!!

Now that Ember is 15 months old, my new goal is her second birthday. If Ember weans herself before then, great, I won't discourage it. However, I would continue to pump for her to have a sippy cup once a day.

Sometimes I'm surprised by myself and this decision. But for our situation, I feel it's the right one. I'm home, it's easy to pump. And, with Ember's allergies, I believe that breast milk can only serve as a benefit to her immune system and fat intake.

I'm curious to know your experiencing with breastfeeding. How long did you nurse? Did you have a goal? Mums to be - what are you thoughts, do you intend to nurse?

Ember Went to Jasper - Pt. 2

2011-03-13T12:04:00.000-06:00

Picking up from where we left off ...

Maligne Canyon is a spectacular spot. So much so, that my DSLR lens cap decided to jump ship and take up permanent residence there. I miss it dearly but I suppose, it really is in a good place. Andrew suggested that I may find it during the spring melt swirling among some rocks. While I appreciate the dream, I don't think it's likely to pan out.

Lens cap, can you hear me?
A view from the fifth bridge.

It was an incredible -6 degrees and Ember was happy to soak in some vitamin D and stretch her legs.

From the Canyon we decided to head over to Jasper Park Lodge.

A view of Pyramid Mountain en route. Note the doe enjoying some lunch.

The same shot while embracing negative space.

Originally, we were going to snowshoe around the JPL golf course but the simplicity of a stroll along Lac Beauvert won out. It really was for the best otherwise we wouldn't have experienced memory making moments like these:

Ember did her first snow angels on the lake; that's her little angel next to mine.

Ember's footprints in the snow. They slay me!

Ember hosts her first snow tasting party. Grana RSVP-ed 'yes!'.

Blazing her own trail.
At the main entrance to the lodge, stood a beautiful snow castle.

Over which, Ember quickly asserted her reign.

Only Daddy and a slide can still make a ruling monarch smile and giggle with such delight.

After our winter fun, we enjoyed a late lunch in the lodge and then began our drive back to reality. Before leaving the gates, the park offered us a couple more gifts though.

Bull (male) elk on one side of the road...

... cows and calves (women and children) on the other.

Ember slept all the way home and then all night - just another reason to love that Jasper air.

I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend.

Ember Went to Jasper - Pt. 1

2011-03-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

Our weekend in Jasper, AB was just incredible. Here are some of the highlights of Ember's first trip to Jasper!*

Driving into the park, I spotted some bighorn sheep on the side of the road. Being that I totally have my father's genes, I pulled the car over and snapped some pictures.

Ember intently studying the sheep.

This trip also marked Ember's first stay in a hotel. Another surprise to Andrew and I considering how much travelling we've done.
But I digress.
Ember loved the room and she did what every kid does; jump on the beds and run around screaming while we settled in. Most of all though, she liked snuggling in with Daddy and Kitty Cat while enjoying some juzz (aka juice).

I wormed in on the moment, and Ember wanted me to heave ho.

That night we enjoyed a fantabulous dinner at Evil Dave's (I highly recommend the Fun Guy) and Andrew and I even got away for a date after Ember had gone to bed.
In the morning, we did a walkabout town. Ember went kanga style.

We stopped for the requisite photo with Jasper the Bear.

It was hard to get Ember and Jasper in the shot. This was the best we did.

We had a lofty agenda for the day so after a hearty breakfast (and some pastries and java from the Bear's Paw, mmm), we quickly got underway.

First stop: Maligne Canyon for a self guided walk along the canyon floor.

Hiking in.

The view at our backs.

Ember was nice and toasty riding in the pack on Daddy's back.

The canyon is full of spectacular sights all year round however in the winter, it is sheer magic.

Hoar frost in one cave.

In the cathedral - this dome is roughly 70 feet high - very hard for photos to do it justice.

Climbers on the Queen icefall.

Behind "the curtain".

Stay tuned for part two!!

*How ridiculous that this was Ember's first trip to Jasper when we live just a few hours away, but alas it's true. We've attempted this trip many times but something has always come up that has prevented us from travel. What may be even more ridiculous that this trip is the first time Ember ate snow! Considering we live in a winter climate, Andrew and I have both been scratching our heads wondering if this is in fact true. And, we seem to concur that yes, it is so. Then we remember that it's been a frigid (seriously effing cold) kind of winter and the snow is as deep as she is tall and it all kind of makes sense.

As of Late

2011-03-10T11:33:00.001-07:00

Before I post more pictures of our trip to Jasper, I thought I would bring you up to speed as to other happenings in Ember's life as of late.

Ember went curling.
My dad would be so proud. When Andrew had a work event centred around curling, I couldn't resist getting Ember in on the action. Without delving too far into a tangent, I spent a lot of my childhood in a curling club so Ember + curling was a bit of a thrill for me. Turns out it was for her too. Not exercising any caution, Ember would walk on the ice and start playing "skip". The photos below are from before game... when she had little interest. It was once the game started, with all the yelling, sweeping and sliding rocks, that she tuned in. There are no photos because it was all hands on deck trying to control her.

Ember has allergies. Boo.
An incident with yogurt when Ember was 9 months old lead me to believe were dealing with a dairy allergy, and I expressed this to my doctor at Ember's 12 month check up. (Before then/post incident, we had decided to avoid dairy until this landmark birthday.) Anyway, Dr. decides that Ember go in for a RAST test. I was expecting the dairy to be positive, but was quite surprised to learn that she is allergic to wheat and egg whites as well. What fun! This was a blow to me as I love to bake and cook and was hoping to turn Ember on to white flour and buttery decadence early. Alas, Ember (and us too) have taken quite a shining to Earth Balance - a delicious buttery flavour spread. I wish I had more information about the severity of the allergies but the earliest we may see a pediatric allergist is September ... so... we go with what we know is safe.
Anyone out there dealing with allergies? I've been told wheat is a misnomer. Help!

Ember may be an only child.
Why?, you ask. Simply because she is 15 months going on 16 years. We have entered tantrum territory already. Oh my girl, she's a strong self advocate. Her style is a little different than the traditional tantrum though. Instead, Ember more or less stages a sit in. Her protests are usually staged on the elevator of our building, after I've picked her up and she can no longer run up and down the hallway. As soon as she's in my arms, Ember lets out a disgruntled shriek,and goes boneless. I set her down once we're on the elevator, hoping she will stand but she opts to lay flat on the ground, and she just stares at me, with a look that says, "Now whatcha going to do? Huh? Huh?" Quiet it is, but oh so adamant. I fear the "terrible two's".

Ember loves Kitty.
Andrew and I clearly lack imagination because Ember's new BFF is named Kitty Cat. Kitty Cat was a gift from Ember's great grandparents when she was three months old. While it (Kitty's gender will be determined by Ember) has been a bedtime buddy since then, only recently have they become true snuggle buddies. And, Ember doesn't like to share Kitty - she hangs on to it no matter the activity.

Ember had the RS Virus.
Oh lordy! This was a knock em' down battle for a good five days. It started off as the normal stuff - slight fever, sniffles and congestion. And when they didn't clear up within 24 hours like all her other colds previous, Andrew and I simply thought she had a her first real cold and was going to take a few days to kick it. Well, by day three she was looking worse, and wasn't eating all that much. It was that night that her breathing changed; it sounded like her lungs were crushing plastic. Clearly, we went to emergency. After a barrage of tests that were all the more traumatic because of the sleep deprivation we were experiencing, a few doses of oxygen and some antibiotics, we were sent home knowing that Ember was a statistic in the number of kids who will suffer with RSV this winter. Despite needing a second round of oxygen treatments the following day, she rebounded quickly. She walked out of the hospital that second day and didn't look back.

Day two in emergency. You can see my poor little lady lost some weight while sick.

Ember is one.
Her new party trick.

Ember has a budding imagination.
She now plays peek-a-boo with her stuffed animals. Dress up is up there as her favourite activities: she wears the pumpkin hat and I wear the cat/bear/whatever it is. Daily she goes into my closet and pulls out a pair of my flats, and then comes clomping out of our bedroom.

Ember has new words.
Shoes. Cheese. These are her favourites. They're more "shzz" and "cheezz" though.

Ember has her own chair.
When Ember saw this gift from Grandpa at Christmas, she beamed. The affection has not desist since and every morning she drinks her milk (rice) and eats her puffs (kamut and corn) in the comfort of that chair.

Ember sleeps through the night. Regularly.
Pop the champagne! This has been a long time coming. We had gotten there, only to have the RSV ruin all our hard work. Now, several weeks later, Ember is back sleeping 12 hours straight. I credit Andrew on taking night shift (I'm no longer nursing at night, woo!) Ever since, I have been working hard at catching up on 14+ months of sleep deprivation.

Ember loves swimming lessons.
Ember is back in the pool every Saturday and just loves it. It's the same program as last time, because let's face it, she couldn't take direction then. The difference 10 months makes! On command, she can now blow bubbles, splash and kick. Most notably, she is brave enough to jump from the side of the pool into Andrew's arms. She's part fish and I'm all delighted.

Waving at folks in the bleachers.

Teaser

2011-03-08T19:58:00.003-07:00

My mum was here to visit this past week. It was so nice to see her, and watch her and my daughter forge a bond. There's something about grandparents - watching them love up your kids and love them so, makes you feel like you're doing something right.

Over the weekend, this little family + Mum decided to run away to Jasper for a night. All of it was new for Ember and we delighted in watching her take it all in.

For instance, Ember ate snow for the first time on this trip. It was on her own accord, and I'm not sure if she could have chosen a better vintage: Blanc neige, Lac Beauvert at Jasper Park Lodge, 2011. Superb.

"Have you seen this?! It's delicious!"

More pictures to come!

To Buy Some Time

2011-02-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

Talk about a case of poor attendance.

Life has been full of everyday busyness that a 14 month old dictates, and it's grand. Parenting is no longer just about watching and containing (okay, there's still some of that) but instead there's so much interaction, play and budding imagination to behold. I find it next to impossible to accomplish things for fear that I may miss something priceless. So, frankly, I don't. Days are spent building forts, singing songs, dancing, reading, being trains, cars, sailors.... laughing. A lot. Ember's nap time is reserved for my productivity where I do a power tidy, work at a project and then often sit in silence, sipping tea and shop online - filling carts and never checking out.

Because I know some are sick of logging on to see Christmas posts ....

Andrew came home weeks ago with some promo swag and Ember found joy immediately in a mag lite.

I will be back soon and more frequently. I'm thinking stream of consciousness writing is the key to consistent blogging nowadays. In the meantime, I defy you not to smile.

Christmas 2010: Stocking Stuffers

2010-12-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

So, it turns out I'm the kind of mum that approaches stocking stuffers with an air of practicality. I mean, there should be more than just chocolate in them right?

Well, in everyone's except mine.

Here are my favourite non-chocolate items this year:

Boon Flo

...because my child always seems to come thisclose to bonking her head on the faucet.

Alex Jr Farm Stickers for the Tub

...because the acoustics in the bathtub are all the better for moo-ing.

Life Factory Multi-Sensory Teethers

...because they can double as snazzy bracelets for me and they work!

Weleda Childre n's Tooth Gel

...because my toddler needs to get those chompers clean.

Educo Early Melodies Tambourine

...because she will love it and it will make her smile so big.

Nuby Sippy Cups

...because out of the few we have, this is Ember's favourite and basically we need another one.

Socks and toque will find their way in as well. What are your favourite stocking stuffers?

Christmas 2010: Ember's Book Picks

2010-12-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

The Knuffle Bunny series by Mo Willems
The series follows a little girl named Trixie and her beloved Knuffle bunny. They are so good. The series begins with pint sized Trixie in A Cautionary Tale which tells of a trip to the laundromat with her dad that goes bad for somebunny. Next in Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, Trixie takes her best friend in for show-and-tell to discover a classmate has the same bunny! Rounding out the series is Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion, that sees Trixie and her bunny go overseas with a slight detour for a long eared traveller. All three picture books feature black and white photography layered with Willems' colourful illustrations. This lends itself to Ember's age group while the strong, hilarious tales are good for grade school level readers.

Duck! Rabbit!
Can you go wrong with Amy Krouse Rosenthal? Honestly, I want her brain. In this bright picture book, she couples with Tom Lichtenheld to debate whether the nondescript illustration is indeed a duck or a rabbit. I love bringing the two "off screen" debaters to life with radically different voices which always seems to make Ember smile.

The Scaredy Squirrel Series by Melanie Watt
Canadian author Melanie Watt has created a hilarious series centred around Scaredy Squirrel who, get this, is afraid of pretty much everything. Since the first book in which Scaredy Squirrel conquered his fear of leaving his nut tree, he has had made a friend, gone to the beach, and overcome other fears. The humour is still very much over Ember's head and often wanders off during storytime though we always finish reading because we enjoy them so much.

Oliver Jeffers
British author Oliver Jeffers is brilliant. Basically, I adore all his work so he makes Ember's reading list as opposed to just suggesting one book. When I was pregnant, I learned of The Incredible Book-eating Boy which I promptly took out of the library and read to Ember in utero. (Yeah, we read to my belly. I was determined to have a reader, but that's another story.) Since then, we have gone through the Jeffers library and own many of his books. The illustrations are beautiful and the writing clever. For younger kids, I like the Boy and Penguin series which now includes four titles: How to Catch a Star, Lost and Found, Way Back Home and Up and Down. For those a little bit older, I'm sure The Incredible Book-eating Boy and The Great Paper Caper would be a hit.

Sandra Boynton
Definitely known for her board books, Boynton is an author is very popular in the toddler set. I'm sure every child has their own favourite and Ember's is hands down Fifteen Animals. A story about 14 animals named Bob and one turtle with a very different name always holds Ember's interest. A great thing about this book and all of Boynton's for that matter, is how easy it is to re-purpose the book. When Ember is keen to turn the pages quickly, we do colours instead or we count, or we name the animals and their sounds. The simple illustrations and bright colours make this really easy and engaging. Other favourites include: Moo Baa La La La and Blue Hat, Green Hat.

My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann
This Caldecott Honour award winning picture book is one Ember will unwrap this year. It's all about Mouse and his best friend Rabbit and the trouble they encounter when Rabbit gets Mouse's airplane stuck in a tree. The method Rabbit employs to reclaim the plane is hilarious and where the story really takes off. (No pun intended). Rohmann relies solely on illustrations at this point which allows the story to become as wild as your child's imagination. Of course, Ember is too young to write her own tale but she loves the way Andrew and I tell it and points at the brilliant illustrations. Mouse is loyal and not at judgmental of his best friend Rabbit despite his questionable choices at times because Rabbit always means well. It really is a lovely book.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
At the risk of being painfully obvious, I'm including this. To date, it could be Ember's all time favourite book so I would be remiss if I didn't throw it in. She always smiles when I'm reading it. It's the only book that she never walks away from. It's the only book where she waits for me to turn the pages - she doesn't want to skip ahead. And, I apparently read it the exact same way every time because she mimics my actions when reading it - gesticulates and shakes her head. To be clear, we read it at least once a day and we've been reading it since she was three months old. Already, it's been decided that Ember's second birthday party will be the theme of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. It's a pretty big deal in this house.

Happy reading! What are the favourite books and authors in your home? I'd love to hear your recommendations!

Christmas 2010: Gift Guide for the Kiddies

2010-12-08T12:38:00.001-07:00

In addition to the the items on Ember's wish list, these are favourites of mine this Christmas.

Ikea kids' section.
Dude, it's worth checking out. They have some pretty great toys and since it's Ikea, you know the price doesn't is completely reasonable. Affordable and cheap even. From plush fruit and veg, to mini kitchens and all its accessories, to art easels and other great wooden toys, Ikea is a great place to check any child, of any age group off your list. I think the wooden block set with wagon is pretty fantastic for $14.99.

Koo and Poppet
Recently, I properly introduced you to Ruby. Wanting to keep the attention on dear, sweet Ruby I didn't gush about Koo and Poppet quite as I should have. From the enviably creative mind of Sarah MacNeill, incredibly stylish stuffed animals have been born complete with irresistible personalities. I want to adopt them all. I may or may not have ordered Ruby Heart Bear for a small red head. Who says you can have too many Ruby's? And, I've always had a soft spot for Black Bear Liam who likes caves and dislikes getting stuck. Melts my heart.
In addition to these delightfully kooky animals, there are accessories for your home and child in the way of pillow and scarves.

Cute Bunny Milly
likes: snowflakes
dislikes: toothaches

ClementineArt
These are art products that you can feel good about. I love that they are eco-friendly company producing non-toxic products made with natural and wholesome ingredients. Check out the ingredients glossary: I really appreciate it when I can pronounce everything on an ingredients list, especially since no matter how fastidious I am, Ember will inevitably taste test all that she holds. Aren't the soy crayon rocks a great idea for little hands? These art supplies coupled with an art easel from Ikea will mean special, one of a kind artwork for many years to come.

Stonz Booties
These are freaking awesome boots for the 3 & under set. Not only will they do the job and keep your kiddie's feet warm while allowing them to walk naturally, they stay on!! My girl is a Houdini of footwear and the double toggle on these means she can't escape. Plus you can get the warm and fuzzies considering they are Canadian designed and made company. Ember sports the Daisies and I really groove on these pink skull and crossbon es.

Tip Toey Joey
Combing style and support for the developing bones of your wee one's feet, these shoes made of soft leather are fantastic. They offer three different lines covering the ages of 9 months - 8 years aiding your furniture cruiser to your budding Donovan Bailey, they are made to encourage your kidlet's developing peds. I love that the girl's shoes are feminine without being the requisite bright pink. The lads' shoes are pretty adorable too, yes?

Lego Creationary
What kid doesn't love Lego? For the age appropriate, Creationary combines game play with Lego brick building. Roll the dice to find out what you're building and have the other players guess. The dice is even buildable, and rules changeable which means you can play a different game each time you play. Lego recommends for ages 7-12 but I'm thinking this is good for those aged 7-12 at heart. Read: husbands. What? Ember will grow into it.

Bananagrams
I freaking love Bananagrams. I was given it a few years ago and I'm always nagging Andrew to play it with me. It's an award-winning word building game that is played without a board which doesn't require a pencil or paper and fits into a case the size of a big banana. Hello, awesome! There are oodles of way to play it, it travels well and would make a great stocking stuffer. The company has also come out with Appletters and PAIRSinPEARS, two other wordie portable games. Maybe you could give someone an educational and fun (that's not an oxymoron) fruit bowl this season. Ha! I'm a dork.

It's Ember's Fault.

2010-12-08T09:54:00.002-07:00

Friends, I'm sorry for going off the grid for a week. It's Ember's fault. Seriously! On her birthday, she decided to upend a cup of tea on my laptop keyboard. This prompted her first time out - in the playpen she went for a minute while I tried to mop up the tea before it flooded the keyboard. Too late. When I returned to the laptop sometime later and tried to resume my blog post, half of the keys weren't working. I called Andrew for help who said, "Turn the laptop upside down and let the tea flow out." Hmph. Should have maybe done that immediately after the incident; doing it an hour or two later didn't really garner any success. Go figure.

Of course, it was Ember's birthday so I had a celebratory dinner to prepare that day and cupcakes to make so I wasn't spending much time at the computer anyway. Last Friday, family arrived for the weekend, I had Ember's party to organize and host and of course, spend time with the family. So, it hasn't been really until today that I can sit down and resume blogging with ease. My keyboard still doesn't work and though the comp is still under warranty, it turns out "my kid spilt tea all over it" isn't covered. Boo.

Only the A and F keys work. I'm so annoyed. Here I sit, with a keyboard plugged in via USB to my laptop (it's so ridiculous) attempting to catch up on a week's worth of posts. Posts are going to be coming rapid-fire style especially since we're less than three weeks away from Christmas! Oh, and Ember's 12 month birthday post (complete with pictures) is coming, too. Hang on!

We Interrupt Your Regular Programming for Sobfest

2010-12-01T16:43:00.006-07:00

Ember will be a whole year old tomorrow.
We are rounding home on her first trip around the sun.
Time is running down on this 364th day.
I've been teetering on the brink of an ugly cry all day.
At one point, I actually sat on the floor and took in the world from her perspective. I want to appreciate it all.
We've been banking lots of snuggles the last two nights since she is teething. There are four coming in all at once and they are taking their sweet time.
***

I sat in her rocker last night, rocking and soothing her to sleep.
I opened up all my senses as wide as possible to soak up the moment and savour the right now of it all.
My eyes to remember every curly locket of hair, the way her feet still flex like a newborns, and the pudge of her thigh.
My nose to inhale her sweet breath and the scent of her freshly bathed body.
My ears so I could fully appreciate the perfect rhythm of her inhalations and exhalations.
My mouth so I could kiss her oh so kissable face perched just-so on my shoulder, being sure to plant a few on her rosy, apple cheeks.
And my hands: I wrapped one around her torso, managing to cover the expanse of her back, and the other supported her tush so we could rock, back and forth, back and forth, slowly helping to lull my girl to sleep to dream sweet dreams.

I recalled how nearly 365 days ago, how very differently our bodies fit together. How her tiny, fresh to the world body, fit between my collar bone and belly button.
I thought about how for our first nights together, she slept on my bare chest and we formed an unmistakable, heartfelt bond.
My heart swells.

Holiday 2010: Ember's List to Santa

2010-11-30T11:54:00.000-07:00

Obviously, Ember can't write to Santa yet, so I am penning her list this year on her behalf, with her best intentions in mind, rest assured. My outlook on toys for Ember: I want her to play with the toy, rather than the toy playing with her.

My friend Kim taught me this; it is her criteria for her girls. Much to her chagrin, it's not a concept I fully appreciated until having Ember. For Kim's daughter A's first birthday, we bought her a Fun Time Tr actor. While I believe it to be a fine toy - there are animals, there's a happy little farmer, there's a tractor and wagon - there is one reason I wouldn't buy it for Ember: it takes batteries.

You have to be cautious of toys that require batteries because quite often they are the toys which will do all the work leaving your kids in a vegetative state, but more so - toys that take batteries make noise. I distinctly remember a voice mail Kim left us some months after A had unwrapped that tractor. "You hear this? I have been listening to it for an hour straight this morning. I just thought you should have to listen, too." In the background was a jolly Old MacDonald E-I-E-I-O-ing his little heart out.

Ember has exactly one toy that requires batteries - a little attachment on her Exersaucer - a chicken/weather vane thing. When the weather vane is pushed, one of five instrumental rhymes start playing with a country twang. I remember how proud I was when Ember learned that music came as a result of her pushing that chicken on vane but now I want her to forget! Each time she presses that thing, she looks at me, beaming with pride, starts dancing and looks for me to sing. And I do, each and every time. Why? Because it's not her fault I didn't take those batteries out in advance.

Anyway. All of the items on the list to Santa this year are items that I would happily give my child without regret. I would also give any of them to Kim's girls knowing that I won't come home to voice mail full of disdain.

Plan Toys
I love this company! They are all about promoting a child's development, both physical and intellectual, while being ecologically responsible.
Favourites of mine include: the Cone Sorting, Sorting Bus, and the Dancing Alligator and the Clatter.

The Early Years Farm Friends Bowling Set
We picked this up for Ember while in Vancouver in October. She actually played with it once before it went into hiding. It was a big hit! There are animals, chimes in the pins and ball, numbers and colours and it encourages play. I look forward to rousing game of five pin on the 25th.

Bilibo
To me, the Bilibo is everything a toy should be; it can be anything that your child would like it to be, the only limit is their imagination. Awesome. I love both the Game Box and toddler sized Bilibo. The Game Box has six mini bilibos, coloured chips and more that I think Ember will really benefit from this year. She can learn colours, invent games and whatever else her heart desires. I know that those mini bilibos would pretty quickly transform into little cars that she pushes around the floor. Vroom!

Blabla
Hand made by Peruvian artisans, Blabla is a line of beautiful creations for little people. I am quite fond of the Classic blablas that are soft dolls that are of many ethnicity and creature. There are monkeys, frogs, mermaids, dolls and more in a wide variety of colour scheme which makes them a great gift for either gender.

Fropper Ride On Trike
Ember already motors on foot and come springtime, I'm sure she would love this boogie around on. Considering her birthday and Christmas are back to back, I believe we need to give her one or two things that she can grow in to in an attempt to pad our pocketbook through the spring and summer months.

Ember won't be scoring every item on this list from us (or Santa) but this is the list I'm working from this Holiday for her. They are things I know she will like and favour for some time, which is imperative for every parent, right?

Tomorrow, I'll be featuring a gift guide of items I love for kids of varying ages and some of my all time favourites that we've been gifted. In fact, all this week I'm focusing on the upcoming holiday. Stay tuned!

--Companies in this post have no idea who I am; I just really like their products. I'm sharing on my own accord. I am not being compensated in any manner.--

Win or Lose, Ember has Rider Pride.

2010-11-29T20:20:00.014-07:00

It was Grey Cup weekend; the biggest weekend of the CFL. I personally don't give a hoot about football but my husband's family, specifically my father-in-law, loves football. And his love in the CFL lies in the Saskatchewan Roughriders. And you may know that this past Sunday they had a chance to right a horrible wrong from last year's Grey Cup. Much to Grandpa Ian's chagrin, the Riders did not make it right... not at all.

But I digress.

3 months old.

By proxy, my loyalty lies with the Riders when support is called upon. Ember, well, she will be a Rider fan through osmosis. Since day one, she has been gifted with Rider gear ranging from onesies, sweat suits, slippers and even a cheerleading outfit that should probably fit just in time for Halloween next year.

As we live in the host city of this year's Grey Cup, we had to partake in some of the festivities. Namely the parade on Saturday; Ember's first parade!

Throughout the entire parade, Ember looked like this:

It was this face when watching the parade pass by.

And it was this face when watching pigeons fly from building to building. I think she was more interested in the pigeons actually.

Oh, the Snowbirds did several fly overs. It was tricky to capture them flying over considering we only got glimpses between the buildings, but I think I got a fantastic picture of them:

NAWT!

On game day, we we didn't attend the game but we did don our kelly green and watch the game at home.

The melon was a little too large,

It worked better as a seat.

Ember is waving and saying "Hi!"

Ember cheered hard and clapped for three quarters until it was time for bed. The Riders lost. The Alouettes won for the second consecutive year. For us though, the Grey Cup was just the conduit for a fun filled, family weekend.

I'm Dreaming of a White, and organized!!, Christmas.

2010-11-26T11:20:00.001-07:00

Last year, when our little spark went overdue into December, Andrew and I declared that Christmas wouldn't arrive in our house until after our wee one's birthday. So with that, no twinkly light, festive carol, or jolly elf shall grace our home until midnight on December 2nd, when the clocks chime us into the 3rd.

But that doesn't mean I can't shop and plan!

And considering that Christmas started in the stores November 1st, my mind has been whirling about ideas to make this our best holiday yet.

A beautiful Christmas Eve buffet, don't you think?
Photo: Frog Prince Paperie

I have always been a bit of a slacker where Christmas organization is concerned. My enthusiasm is always amped for the holiday and I put loads of thought coming up with ideal gifts for all on my list but they don't usually come to fruition until the 20th of December. To be honest, I think Christmas will always be a little rushed for me and I really enjoy the hustle and bustle of the season. Part of the fun of Christmas is feeding off the energy of other hurried shoppers at the mall, don't you agree? Just a little bit?

This year though, I really need to make a concerted effort in getting my ass in gear earlier. Ember's birthday is December 2nd. This means I need to strategize a game plan, purchase gifts for two occasions and ensure that the stockings are hung with care before December 23. (Of course, I may have to wait until Christmas Eve because Ember could yank them down off the mantle.) I realize that Ember is still wee, and this won't be a blip on her radar but for Andrew and I, this is our first real Christmas as a trio.

Last year, Ember was just three weeks old when Santa came to visit. Running out to buy gifts for anyone was tricky. I actually did all of my Christmas shopping December 22nd. Ember was so new that buying presents for her seemed silly and we were content to savour the joys of our new family. I made a full turkey dinner for my family and that was accomplishment enough for me.

Suffice it to say, this Christmas is a big deal for me. I plan on making cookies, carefully choosing gifts, wrapping them all pretty like and starting many traditions as a family.

Are the holidays into full swing in your home already? Are the hiding spots of your house full of special pressies for all on your list? Or, do you thrive on the hustle and bustle of shopping after December 20th? Let me know.

While You Were Out

2010-11-25T09:46:00.010-07:00

Every so often, I email Andrew pictures of what's happening around the house in his absence while he's work. Here are some that Andrew has received in recent months:

While you were out:
Ember discovered toilet paper. I think she likes it.
*

While you were out:Ember reluctantly had a nap.
*

While you were out:
Ember learned how to stand up - unassisted!
*

While you were out:
It happened again.
*

While you were out:
Winter boots and a onesie? Ember embraced her inner Ukrainian.

Now you're all caught up!
*

Happy Thanksgiving to my American visitors!
May your day be full of family, friends and too much food. Enjoy!

A Fine Place

2010-11-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

In response to a recent post about my mummyhood catch phrases, Kristin sent me an email about her everyday mantra, "I'm gonna miss this." Since then, I find it popping into my head pretty darn frequently. I've been feeling verklempt about Ember's upcoming milestone birthday and "I'm gonna miss this" rings through some of our more tender moments lately.

For example, in the wee hours this morning, when she demanded a feed that I thought she'd grown out of, she put her hands on both my cheeks, broke latch, and said, "Gawl-EE!"
Or that no matter how tired, through each and every feeding, she still holds my finger just as she does in the photo below.
Or the way that she "ooohs" and points when discovering something new.

It's not that I think these moments will dissipate once we start counting the days into her second year. And I know that there will be new, wonderful experiences and moments to treasure. Still, I can't help but feel like I'm leaving babyhood behind and fully graduating on to the next phase. By definition, she is becoming a toddler!

How can that be!?

Wasn't it just yesterday that she looked like this? So small and new.

18 hours old.

Wasn't it just last week that she moved like this?

11 weeks old.

I wasn't expecting to be so mushy about this upcoming day but alas, here I am crying as I watch her squirm in that video. I had already forgotten her chirps and squeaks.

Oh the first birthday - what a fine place to reflect upon my best year to date and to look forward, with wonder and excitement, to what's to come. There's so much to celebrate.

Now excuse me while I go get a tissue.

Haunted

2010-11-23T08:44:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure if it's the city I live in but I see an abundance of very young mothers on a daily basis. Mothers passing their babe around like a fashion accessory with very little regard for their well being. Mothers pushing their child in a stroller through harsh winter elements when their child isn't appropriately dressed. Mothers feeding their infant McDonald's french fries. Witnessing such instances makes my heart hurt. So very much. Maybe it's a demographic thing, but "unfit" mothers seem to rampant here.

While at a mall on Saturday afternoon with Andrew and Ember, we came upon a mother (21ish) on a cell phone while her son (probably a year and a half old) cried a pain ridden, tired cry in his stroller. There were two security guards (no older than 21) squatting beside the the little guy telling him to calm down. I slowed our pace to watch the scene and tried to ascertain the problem hoping to offer help. The little boy was beat red and had been clearly crying for some time and looked faint. He was wearing a full snowsuit, mittens and winter boots on. My first thought - he's baking.

It's freezing cold outside, no question, but the mall was warm - heat pumping and throngs of eager holiday shoppers; Andrew, Ember and I were stripped out of our winter duds and walking in long sleeve shirts, still warm.

I couldn't help but approach the mom, boy and security guards: "Can I do anything to help?" The security guards looked up as if I was from outer space and said, "No, the paramedics are on their way." Up close, I was also able to overhear the mom on the phone with presumably, 9-1-1. She seemed wholly confused and was having a tough time understanding which mall exit the ambulance was going to arrive. She didn't look up to recognize my presence. They boy continued to cry and almost appeared semi-conscious. The security guards were prompting him to stay awake. Horribly, I wanted to strip him down - he looked so warm.

The whole scene was painful to watch.

On the verge of tears, I caught up to Andrew and Ember. I couldn't help but scoop Ember up out of the stroller, smooch her on the cheek and tell her 'I love you'. Moments later, the security guards ushered the mother and her son, to the nearest exit to where the ambulance was presumably waiting. Again, I heard, "Just stay awake. Keep your eyes open." The boy was still in the stroller.

I don't have all the details obviously, and I don't know what the circumstances were but I do know that the mother did not touch her son once that I saw. I would have been carrying my child crying to an ambulance. I would be assuring my babe that I loved him and offered him comfort. This mom did nothing of the sort and laughed like she was embarrassed while walking by.

That was nearly 72 hours ago and I still well up with tears thinking about it and worry about that boy, hoping all is well now.

Like I said, I have witnessed many a scene like that in this fair city. I'm not here to condemn young mothers as I know not all are ill equipped and I know older mothers don't have it all figured out either. We are all doing our best and we all have our share of trying moments where we don't have the answers or patience.

Driving home that afternoon, I couldn't help but talk about how disturbed I was and how my heart was breaking for that little boy. Looking back on similar scenes I've witnessed, I can't help but think about how poorly educated and informed the bulk of mothers in those situations appear. They appear to have very limited resources. They are often alone or part of a large social circle trying to live the life they would have before baby.

I think about how we are all allowed to leave the hospital after bringing a life into the world. There we are, battered by delivery, and armed with few brochures of what will happen to ourselves and baby in coming weeks, sent home to care for and raise a human being. Hell, my husband after his appendectomy received more news and direction at discharge than we did coming home with Ember.

My stepmother-in-law, Michelle, is a teaching aid, and often points out how Andrew and I are doing everything right: reading to Ember, encouraging communication and nurturing her. I laugh and say, it's such a no brainer. She sombrely replies, "You'd be surprised how many parents don't do anything like that."

Let me stress that I don't have it all figured out. Not even close. Some days are better than others. Some days I'm grateful for the reset button that is night time. I always take comfort in knowing that my girl is loved and for that she is richer. But for some mothers, who lack information and education, love isn't enough. They are alone in the hardest job on the planet without help or knowing where to turn. I think about that little boy and how hard he was working to communicate and no one was adequately listening or comforting him. I think about that mother and how confused she appeared and almost unmoved by the situation. My heart is heavy and I am haunted by it.

Family Snow Day

2010-11-22T10:16:00.005-07:00

A few inches of snow have accumulated over the past few days. This, coupled with a balmy -13 degrees (it's dropping to -32 tomorrow) means that we just had to go out sledding.

We held Ember down and wintered her up. It felt like we were re-enacting Thomas' Snowsuit.

The parents prevailed and our little abominable snow princess was ready.

It turns out Ember enjoying the snow the first time wasn't a fluke.

"Are you ready, ladybug?"

Weeee! First time down the hill and smiles all the way.

Getting pulled along by Daddy was something she could get used to.

Because walking in the snow was tricky in her puffy ensemble.

Post face plant.
Thankfully she was too uncertain about what had transpired to cry.

Grandpa couldn't resist getting in on the action, too.

When Ember's cheeks had turned to match her jacket, we knew it was time to head home and sip some cocoa to warm up.

Homeward bound.

*** This should have been posted yesterday. Sorry - technical glitch. ***

Coco Bonk

2010-11-18T20:49:00.008-07:00

Roses are red,

bruises are blue,
Tell me that your child's forehead,
once looked like this, too.

Even though Ember is very good at walking, she sometimes gets sloppy, overly confident and tumbles over. Unfortunately, this is usually within proximity of a coffee table, or some other large, hard piece of furniture. This means that Ember's forehead is often dotted with small bruises.

Post nap, and ready to take on the afternoon.
(ie. make new bruises)

My poor little bug.
Although she doesn't seem worse for wear.

Reduced to a Catch Phrase

2010-11-17T13:16:00.004-07:00

Over the past eleven months, I find myself spouting the same things over and over again. They have become my catch phrases. Or maybe, more appropriately, just one line summations of my life.

They are quite versatile. Depending on the context, they serve as warnings, excuses and/or defense mechanisms.

1. It's not permanent.
This is basically my mantra. Whenever we're going through a rough patch of any nature with our sweet girl, you can bet I'm muttering this under my breath while practicing my breathing exercises.
Alternatively, this can be applied in moments that you will want to treasure. During Ember's more snuggly moments, when all I want to do is prep dinner, I remind myself that all too soon she will move out of this stage and that all else can wait while I smother my girl with kisses.

2. I'm a great mum, but a shitty housewife.
On any given day, my condo can look as if a bomb went off, a tornado went through, or we are applying to be Hoarders. We are constantly fighting with some serious storage issues but more than that, I neglect my house work. Rather than folding laundry as it comes out of the dryer or off the drying rack, I transfer it to a hamper and play with Ember. We sing songs, play hand games and read books. We chase one another. We make music out of make shift instruments. Sure, there are weeks where it appears that moss is growing on our furniture, but whatever ... I'm comfortable with my priorities. I seriously shirk my housewife responsibilities to play with Ember because this isn't permanent. See #1.
Oh, I clean up for company. Just don't drop in for a surprise visit, okay? Thanks in advance.

3. I have nothing to prove.
We've been a bit slower than most to move Ember into her own room at nights. This is because I usually crap out, quit fighting her and just return to our bed with babe in tow. Please don't judge me. But you know what? I'm tired and I have nothing to prove. Again, number one applies: I know Andrew and I won't always be kneaded by small elbows and feet. We're doing what works for us.

4. The old grey mare, she ain't what she used to be.
More or less self explanatory and all encompassing. Though I'm happy to report that I can now sneeze and run without issue.

5. Use it or lose it and I'm losing it.
I trip of my words in simple conversation. My penmanship is going down the toilet. I'm a scatterbrain frequently forgetting my train of thought . I spend my days with an 11 month old. I don't use it, and I'm losing it.

6. I'll appreciate this when she's 16.
My daughter is strong willed; she's her very own advocate already at her tender young age. She knows how to work her emotions and play me like a fiddle. She knows what she wants and is admirably persistent and determined. These are traits that can stomp on my last nerve at times. (Oh karma - you got us!)
But no matter how annoyed I get at times, I remind myself that I will grateful for her will and spirit when she's 16; when she's a leader, not a follower and maturing into a strong woman.

You must have your own mummyhood taglines. I would love to hear them! I can always use more in my repertoire.

The First Snow

2010-11-16T15:24:00.007-07:00

The mercury plummeted over night. This morning, we awoke to a light dusting of snow.

Typically, this sight makes me want to hibernate. The blowing, blustery snow even more so.

This year is different though. This year, Ember will experience snow - play in it, taste it, toboggan and more. This year, snow will be seen through fresh eyes.

I wanted the fun to start immediately so, we threw on our winter layers and out we went.

She enjoyed this "first" thoroughly.

She just giggled in delight. The temperature didn't phase her. Come to think of it, it didn't me either. Discovery and its joys are infectious, and warming.

A Case of the Mondays

2010-11-15T12:32:00.008-07:00

Nap time presented challenges today.

Ember was resistant and overly exhausted. I was the latter of the two.

I gave up after shedding a few frustrated tears of my own. To buy myself a few moments to sip a cup of tea and re-group, I plunked Ember in her Exersaucer.

She didn't like this course of action.

But quickly calmed down when she remembered that she could bounce away her frustration.

There was even a glimmer of a smile.
I found comfort in my cup of tea and we were back on course.

Hope you're easing into your week a little easier than we are.
If not, I recommend bouncing or a cup of tea.

28in28 - Four Months In

2010-11-14T13:55:00.001-07:00

I'm a third of my way through my 28th year, so I thought I'd revisit my 'to-do list' for the year. Many are a work in progress but I'm happy report to I have actually completed a few.

8. Make bread (sans machine), pretzels, bagels, croissants, challah bread and crumpets. - 2 of the 6 done!

I've actually made oodles of bread since July. The braided pumpkin bread is what I'm most proud of; I braided bread!

They weren't pretty, but they were tasty.

9. Make pulled pork sandwiches from scratch - done!
Our family enjoyed slow cooker pulled pork a couple of weeks ago atop buttermilk buns and apple slaw and it was so awesome! We used the leftovers to make pulled pork pizza; something that I recommend everyone try at some point in their life. Thank you again Kristin for recipe!

10. Make pasta from scratch - done!
With the exception of shaped pasta (rigatoni, penne etc), I don't buy pasta at all anymore. It's all homemade henceforth. So yummy.

19. Take Ember to the Vancouver Aquarium - done!

I am in the process of learning to sew, perfecting the craft of knitting, accomplishing 1o ran kilometres, swimming 600 metres, staying on top of photo/hard drive organization, completing Ember's baby book and, compiling our family's favourite recipes into a book. Oh and learning the extensive rules of rugby.

I am still in the pursuit of the perfect concealer and marinara sauce.

I have more or less failed #1 - Take a photo a day for 365 days to act as a journal of our family. Bind in book at end of year. ... There's always my 29in29 for that one.

Making Mum-ing Easier: The Mealtime Edition

2010-11-12T11:47:00.001-07:00

I often like to take stock of my favourite mummy gadgets - things that have had made the day to day easier, things that I would recommend to any mummy or mummy-to-be, things I love having in my mummy arsenal.

Baby Cubes and Pesto Cubes
These are a great way of storing your homemade baby purees in your freezer. They're pretty self explanatory and wonderful in their simplicity. I love that they are lidded so I don't have to remember to transfer the food to freezer bags once frozen. When Ember first started solids, I used the Pesto Cubes (they're smaller) exclusively as they were more suited to her meal size. Now, I use the Baby Cubes for her fruit and veg and the Pesto Cubes to freeze grains like quinoa and rice. How I use them:
- Fill to max line, allow puree to cool to room temperature, place in tray and stick in the freezer.
- When it comes time for Ember to eat, I take a cube out of the freezer, run it under warm water to help release the puree, and pop it into a glass. Pop the glass into the microwave and defrost. Hand wash the cube. Bang boom, meal is served.
Bonuses: I will use them to freeze fresh herbs and garlic when Ember has outgrown their need. And, I've given Ember a frozen cube to chomp on when she's teething. It worked really well.

Photo: Baby Cubes

Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Processor*
When Ember first started on solids, I needed to get them pretty darn smooth for her to manage without issue. This little food processor was perfect and meant I didn't have to deal with the bulk of my blender or larger food processor. It washed up quickly and easily when I was making several batches of food in an afternoon.

Photo: Cuisinart Canada

Immersion Blender*
Now that Ember has graduated out of super smooth food and doesn't mind a little 'bite' to her meals, I just use this to blitz whatever Andrew and I are eating. With the addition of a little water or 100% apple juice, most meals will break up enough that Ember can easily chew it. She still only has two teeth after all.
Clean up is super easy and, it's easy to travel with; I took this with us on our last trip to Vancouver.

Sensible Lines Milk Trays
I so love these trays. They make storing breast milk so easy and convenient. Milk is frozen in one ounce sticks that fit through any bottle opening. The portioned amounts allow you to customize the bottles to your baby's appetite. Easy peasy - no waste or mess that can occur when storing breast milk in bags. These are my go-to shower gifts for new mums.

Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster Seat
Baby gear in a condo quickly starts to feel like excess furniture. That's why we did not want your typical high chair. The booster style seat for Ember has worked brilliantly. It's sturdy, cleans up well and doesn't take up four square feet - what more could you want?
A huge bonus: it folds down for easy travel! We take it with us to restaurants, to family's houses and have even packed it into a suitcase for airline travel. Plus, it's a great price point and has longevity as it will be a straight up booster later on.

Ember (5 months old) in her chair for the first time.

*I had this before coming a mum.

--Companies in this post have no idea who I am; I just really like their products. I'm sharing on my own accord.--

Thought Filled Thursday: Mummy Calling Cards

2010-11-11T11:48:00.002-07:00

Earlier this week, I declared that I am officially a stay at home mum. Ember is my "employer". I've seen a couple of online articles recently that discuss Mommy calling cards - business cards for parents that have their name, number, email address, and child's name on them. I didn't know these things existed. There's even a MomCards.com. On their homepage, they suggest handing these cards out to your child's teachers. Hmmm.

What do we think of this? It's seems a tad unnecessary, doesn't it? Though, at the same time, I can completely appreciate the convenience of this. While Ember and I are out on walks, we often bump into other families, start chatting and eventually exchange numbers. Since I don't carry a pen on me, and I all too often forget my cell, these little cards would come in handy.

Unequivocally, I can't imagine ever paying for an item like this. (Back to that budget...) And, considering I can navigate computer software fairly well, I am able of cooking up some for myself. But then again, no, I can't really imagine doing that either.

They don't offend me.
They seem like perfect frivolity.
The stationary lover in me thinks they're fantastic.

Where do you stand: Do you already have a set on order? Or, do these just register as purely pretentious?

Self Portraiture: A Cautionary Tale

2010-11-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

I am the shutterbug of the house. At all times I have two cameras on the ready. Should Ember do something new and/or adorable, I can easily pick one up and capture it. Andrew, on the other hand... it's as if taking pictures just didn't occur to him. This means, I am not all that present in photos. Looking through the album of a recent trip to Vancouver, I only exist in family self portraits.

Self portraits are when Andrew or I holds our little point and shoot out in front of us, and capture the subjects, shoulder up. We have been doing this for as long as we have been together, so it's kind of become our thing. 99% of our family pictures are captured this way.

We have a camera that makes this practice much easier. However, despite the swivel lens, perfect pictures aren't a surefire thing. Sometimes family pictures go downright awry...

On a hill, I recommend putting the stroller brakes on.
Otherwise, your photo could turn out like this:

Andrew leaned a little too heavily on the stroller and away we went. The pro photog in him managed to capture this error.

***

If your child is like ours and is sometimes more interested on what is going on around her than smiling for a picture, I recommend the following technique:

Have all the subjects look in a different direction, so it appears as if your child is playing along. Of course as soon as you implement this, your child will smile beautifully for the camera.

***

Hold the camera at eye level or higher to avoid excess chins or you may end up with something like this:
One person looking up and squinting while the other pulls her hoodie up over the offending chins and cries in disgust.
(This is an oldie, from before Ember's time.)

***

It advisable to have the person with the longest arms take the photos. This will ensure that everyone makes into frame. Unlike this: It could have been a good photo.

In following these simple guidelines, you too can snap beautiful family photos to adorn your walls, or simply make you smile.

Paid in Love

2010-11-09T12:02:00.001-07:00

It's official. Seeing as how the Canadian government has stopped sending cheques, *sob*, it would seem maternity leave has expired and I have crossed over into official "stay at home mum" territory. Since my new title doesn't come with an expense account, we're learning strategies in how to stay ahead knowing that me being home is paramount. Of course, this makes #26 on my 28in28 list a must rather than a mere goal. I'd thought I'd share some of the ways we're cleaning up our monetary diet.

What makes an enormous difference for us is meal planning. I sit down every Friday, create a list of our dinners for the following week and our family heads out to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning seeking the ingredients necessary to create the dinners on my plan. Eating a clean diet free of preservatives, hormones and chemicals is very important to us - especially now that Ember eats what we're eating. I'll spare you my rants and passionate spewings on food, but I've become quite passionate about eating a clean, responsibly grown diet. As it can be a little more costly to eat this way, eating seasonally and going vegetarian a couple of nights a week makes a big difference. This means we can eat the way we want without compromising the budget. Bonus: We still get time out as a family by going to the Farmer's Market and walking around one of the city's older neighbourhoods. Economical day out!

Thankfully, we already cloth diaper and breastfeeding continues to be a success story so we don't have to worry about extra weekly expenditures. Even if you're not cloth diapering, try switching over to cloth wipes. Just purchase some inexpensive baby washcloths and use those to clean baby's tushy at each diaper change. You will do your pocket book and the environment a favour. Over your baby's time in diapers, you can save approximately $1500. (I still use disposable wipes for travelling and errands, but home we are all cloth, all the time. It's an especially easy switch to make if you're cloth diapering, just wash everything together.)

I make our cleaning supplies. It's amazing what you can do with baking soda, lemon and vinegar. From scratch, I make disinfectant spray, laundry detergent, creamy scrub and more.

We live in a condo so many of your typical household expenses are covered in our condo fees. However, we are on the hook for hydro. We have plugged the majority of our electronics into power bars and before going to bed each night, we switch off the power bar. In doing this, you eliminate the phantom power being drawn. Those little lights on your Blu-ray player that are on all night, the clock on your microwave, the blinking light on your cell phone charger - all phantom power. My in-laws put their electronics on power bars, began switching them off each night and immediately noticed a savings on their electricity bill within the first month.

After studying where our grocery money was going in the way of pre-packaged foods, I have began to make a lot of it from scratch. I'm putting all those wedding presents to use: I bake bread, make granola cereal, pasta and our yummy indulgent treats. This was an easy one as I love to spend time in the kitchen and I'm home during the day. I love how we don't have so much garbage in the way of packaging and I can control the quality of ingredients.

Some of the above are easier for us to implement since I am home, I realize that. I imagine whether a home has two working parents or one who stays home, budgeting is a reality for all of us. I would love to hear the creative steps your family has taken to curb spending.

I'm Sorry, I Don't Think You've Been Properly Introduced

2010-11-08T16:36:00.008-07:00

Where are my manners?!

I'm terribly sorry.

Everyone, this is Ruby Bunny.
Ruby Bunny, this is everyone.

Hi! I'm Ruby!

Ruby is Ember's bestest. You may recognize her from Ember's monthly birthday photos.

Ember (2 months old) and Ruby.

Ruby is such a great friend.
When Ember needs comforting after taking a tumble, Ruby is there to offer snuggles and hugs to make it all better. During all of Ember's immunizations, Ruby has held her hand.
She travels with us.
She lets Ember lead when they are dancing together.

Ruby happily plays whatever game Ember wants to. Even if it's not in her best interest.

That's an ear in there.

A mum is grateful for such loyal friends like Ruby.

Ruby's model shot: Koo and Poppet

Ember Went to Vancouver

2010-11-05T07:48:00.001-06:00

She went to Aquarium.

There, she saw fish.

And a seastar.
She was mesmerized by a sea turtle.
This one to be exact.
She pointed at some jellyfish.
But above all, her favourite part was playing with Nana in the Kid's Zone.
She would have swam in the fountain if allowed.
Happily, she settled for splashing in the water.
And didn't seem too mind at all when she got too close and soaked her forehead.
At Andrew's birthday dinner, she tried fish for the first time and really liked it...despite the face.
At the Granville Island Kids Market, she rode a ladybug.
She posed for pictures with her Uncles. Sort of.
She also tried camo for the first time and decided it wasn't for her.
With some help from her Daddy, Uncle Jay and Uncle Stu, she went bowling.
Ember had a great time in Vancouver! All three of us did!

Worth Reading

2010-11-04T20:20:00.003-06:00

A Facebook friend posted this link today. It is an incredibly valuable entry about our role as mothers, and a reminder to not judge or compare our children but to simply love and respect them.

So, please, take the time to read this powerful post.

"My job as his mother is not to stifle that man that he will be, but to help him along his way. Mine is not to dictate what is ‘normal’ and what is not, but to help him become a good person."

Thought Filled Thursday

2010-11-04T13:11:00.000-06:00

This little piggy went to market.

This little piggy stayed home.

This little piggy had roast beef.

This little piggy had none.

And, this little piggy went wee, wee, wee, wee, all the way home.

Does it strike anyone else as odd that a little piggy would eat roast beef? A fellow barnyard animal? Well I thought it very strange indeed. So I changed the words. In our house, the rhyme goes like this:

This little piggy went to market.
This little piggy stayed home.
This little piggy had ROOT BEER.
This little piggy had none.
And, this little piggy went wee, wee, wee, wee, all the way home.

While I don't think that little piggies would actually drink root beer, I find it a lot more comfortable to imagine.

Does Motherhood = TMI?

2010-11-03T12:39:00.003-06:00

(TMI = Too Much Information)

When engaging in a conversation with another mother, it really seems like nothing is off limits. Episiotimies, tearing, forceps, stretch marks, breastfeeding - it is all fair game. In my eleven months in this role, I have had waitresses divulge their birth stories, talked about stitches on the stairs of a rugby club with a new mum and confessed to a few breastfeeding souvenirs on this blog. Women can basically divulge all about their pregnancy, birth and mothering experiences and I won't bat an eye. What cesarean sections aren't normal to discuss in the grocery checkout line?

Before becoming a mother, I would have NEVER, EVER discussed anything surrounding my perineum with anyone. I would have blushed if my doctor brought it up. But now, please, what do you want to know?

During pregnancy, a woman really can't help but get in touch with her body, all its functions and overcome any squeamishness. Even husbands and partners have to toughen up. For a while, placenta was referred to as polenta in our house because Andrew hated the word. (You can guess, we don't eat a lot of polenta anymore.)

Among the company of other mothers, mummies can really open up about their experiences, challenges and triumphs. I for one think this is tremendous! How grand that we live in time where we can learn from one another, find comfort in each other and just vent without shame. Motherhood can be a lonely, challenging place and the fact that us generation of mothers can discuss most anything is a real blessing. For instance, on this blog I have discussed a cracked nipple, some incontinence issues and postpartum depression all without batting an eye!

I'm so grateful for my mummy friends who I can garner wisdom through and whom I can commiserate with. I love that I can talk freely with my own mum about most anything. From day one of my pregnancy, she has said that my generation is smarter than hers was and she chalks it all up to how open women are and how there isn't a stigma tied to a lot nowadays. Motherhood is a club with so many members, and I think it's only fair to discuss experiences with honesty, respect and openness. For the survival of mothers everywhere, it's essential to keep dialogue flowing.

Sure, to those passing by nipple shields and mucous plugs may sound like unnecessary lunch discussion, but to those around the table, it's just a day that ends with "y".

Do you disagree? Do you think certain topics are off limits? Can you openly discuss your experiences or are you a bit shy about it? In the spirit of the topic, let's discuss.

Eleven

2010-11-03T02:30:00.000-06:00

My little chubby cheeked strawberry is eleven months old. I really think this past month has been my favourite one yet. I know I sound like a broken record, but Ember's personality continues to blow me away.

The hands down high for both Andrew and I of the last month is that Ember now gives kisses upon request. And reciprocates smooches when you are smothering her with some. It is so grand to be loved by her. And those kisses are better than chocolate. She give hugs, too. Good ones. She will even pat you on the back. Some days you just need a pat on the back.

Another new talent is how she shares. Sometimes voluntarily, sometimes solicited but always happily. She loves to pass you piece of chicken from her high chair and gets a small case of the giggles when you "Thank you, Ember". It really seems as if she is very proud of herself. Sharing extends to toys during playtime, too. If she is shaking two maracas, and you ask for one, one you shall have. All Ember asks in return is that you shake it and smile. And maybe dance with her a little.

Shake it like a Polaroid picture.

Such a seemingly small development, but the fact that Ember points at things really has changed how she interacts with the world. While out on a walk, Ember will now point at things with an inquisitive look on her face. So we stop, I tell her about the tree or the bird that has caught her eye. You can ask her to point at Hugo Kitty Cat (it has more or less become his official name), Daddy or Mummy and she will. Tonight, when Andrew came through the door she pointed at him and exclaimed "Daddy!" It was the high of Andrew's day.

She took her first official steps on October 17th!!! On that particular Sunday, she just decided to let go of furniture and walk unassisted. It was only two or three steps at a time before she would grab onto something again but she had decided that she was going to walk. That night, while at Grandpa's, she walked 12 consecutive steps. Since then, she has only gotten stronger and will walk up to 10 feet at a time. Different floors, her footwear and audiences throw her still but the girl walks. If she really needs to get somewhere, however, she crawls as it still a more reliable form of transportation.

Hunting wabbits.
She was trying to climb up the chair back.

Ember's musicality really impresses me. Any beat will get her hips shaking and hands clapping. She has begun to sing with songs in the form of "la la la". Very often I will sing a few notes of the scale to her, and she echoes me.

Other Spark bits:
- She has begun to help. "Ember, can you please pass me the block?" "Ember, can you put your books on the shelf?" Of course, she doesn't help me clean up an entire room of her toy debris. It would take to long considering after each time she does a single act, she stops, begins clapping and says "Yay!"

- We travelled to Vancouver as a family. Ember went to the Aquarium for the first time, rode a water taxi for the first time, played with her Grandma Michelle, Uncle Stu and Uncle Jamie at Granville Island, had fish and chips for the first time and much more!!

- She laughs when other people around her laugh, as if she understands the punch line.

- She calls "Mama", "Daddy" from her carseat in the backseat and laughs when we answer her.

Be(witch)ing

2010-10-31T22:26:00.016-06:00

Ember's Grandma Michelle. To say she is talented with a sewing machine is an understatement. Her handiwork is just beautiful. Ember has been fortunate enough to receive a few of her pieces and we will treasure them always.

During our last trip to Vancouver, Michelle gave us a skirt she had made for Ember's first Halloween. Boy, are we glad she did!! Though we had had a few costume ideas, they all fell through and this adorable skirt saved us today.

Initially, we were going to try and fashion Ember into Miss Ritzy Bitzy Spider. Considering my sewing skills are somewhat (okay, a lot) lacking, this did not come to fruition. On to Plan D: a witch. A last minute run today in pursuit of a hat, and we were all set. We weren't going to be going door to door with our witch, but she was going to assist us in handing out sweet treats.

They're little owls. So cute.

It was unseasonably warm, so she didn't have to sport a snowsuit underneath.

She didn't care for that headband-style-hat and she was less than thrilled with us.

Of course, a witch isn't a witch without her broomstick. A kitchen broom did the trick for the night.

Some witches don't require brooms to fly though. Some have magical powers, and others have daddies who throw them high in the air.

Of course the premise of tonight's activity was way over our girl's head. She just stared raptly as children walked up and cried "Trick or Treat!" Andrew, his dad, and I just loved watching Ember's face as she took it all in.

What are you???

I hope your family had a wonderful night and that you got to pilfer a few treats for yourself. Happy Halloween!!!

Ye Olde Fall Fair

2010-10-30T19:35:00.012-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, this small family spent a beautiful autumn day at a fair. It wasn't a country fall fair as the setting was Winston Churchill Square, but all the right components were there to amuse a ten month old: a petting zoo, pumpkins and a parachute. And, there were mini-donuts for us adult folk, yum.

Ember loves pumpkins. Andrew is thrilled about this!

It's too bad I can't add a sound caption with this photo. Ember was squealing with delight leaning over that pumpkin.

We moved on to the petting zoo next. All the requisite animals were there, a pot bellied pig named Charlotte, a miniature pony named Ladybug, goats, sheep, chickens, bunnies and a wallaby. A wallaby? Yes!, you may remember him from a Telus commercial a few years back.

This is the first time Andrew had pet a wallaby, too.

Getting closer to pet a goat.

"Hey, Mum, I'm petting a goat!!"

The petting zoo was also home to an adopted Canada Goose. This creature was completely nutters. It would flap and run as if being chased by an imaginary hunter. Can you spot him in this photo?

The final highlight of Ember's day was the parachute. She had so much fun joining in with the bigger kids waving it up and down.

Joy.

Bouncing with glee.

It was a grand day. One for the memory books most definitely.

Sharing is Caring

2010-10-30T10:42:00.000-06:00

Ember feeding Hugo.
We have since moved the cat bed.

Lost in Pumpkin Month

2010-10-29T12:08:00.003-06:00

How is it that the last time I was here was October 4th? Where or where did October go? Can it really be the 29th? Is that really true?

When I was relaying this sentiment to my mum yesterday, she said, "You've been in the kitchen all month, Sarah - it's pumpkin month!!" Oh, of course!! October is my husband's FAVOURITE month of the year - it marks his birthday, our anniversary, Halloween and most importantly delicious pumpkin indulgence. The man is just bananas about pumpkins. Each October I whisk pumpkin puree into a frenzy for a variety of dishes. I love to bake and watching Andrew thoroughly enjoy my creations is so stinking rewarding, and fun.

In addition to the bake-a-thon, I've been kept busy by Miss Ember (duh!), I've been busy trying to ready our home for winter hibernation and we jetted off to Vancouver for a short getaway, too.

I will be back to share highlights of Ember's first October very soon!! It has been a fantastic month!

Screens are Fun. Part 2

2010-10-04T21:15:00.000-06:00

If you enjoyed part one of what is shaping up to be a series, you will undoubtedly appreciate this.

Double Digits

2010-10-03T20:14:00.000-06:00

My girl, as of yesterday, is 10 months old. If we're friends on Facebook, you already know that I'm in disbelief about this. But the math really seems to check out, unless October is no longer the tenth month of the year. *sigh* Oh I dread the sappy mess I will be when the calendar turns to December. I warn you now, it won't be pretty folks.

Full on belly laughs while Daddy rocks her in the chair.

Life has been pretty happening for Ember as of late. Of course, she's learning how to interact with the world around her more everyday. Playdates now have value for her (not just me!) as she plays with her peers. Walks are all the more entertaining by watching magpies and jack rabbits. Any two objects become musical instruments which produce groovy music perfect for boogieing to. It's wonderful to witness the discovery.

Beaming up at Daddy.

We started music class at the library and she LOVES it. At our first class, we sat down in the circle, Ember in front of me. She immediately crawled towards the centre where books had been scattered. About a foot and a half away from me, she looked back and smiled. It was as if her face said, 'Really? I can go? Thanks! This is awesome!!' It was during this class that Ember seemed to develop her first crush. Joseph. He's 13 months old, can walk, run and he drinks milk out of a big boy cup. I can see the appeal. He spent half the class running around, she spent half the class crawling behind him.

Our second class, Ember's affections switched to Maddox. Then Noah. Back to Joseph.

And, finally settling on Maddox again. She didn't follow their every move this time though. Instead she sat in the middle of the circle with them and plucked their toys right from their hands. She's the only girl in class to be so aggressive with the lads - can't imagine where she got that....

No official first steps have been chartered yet. Watching her walk is like watching a kid on their bike with training wheels that aren't even touching the ground. Sporadically, Ember will let go of furniture and stand unassisted for a minute or so and then settling back onto her crutch. Just yesterday, while walking hand in hand, she shook my hand free and just stood in her place. We're thisclose.

Her dancing. It's hilarious. Her little hips sway side to side and her hand flips back and forth. It's very Beyonce with just a little Indian flavour.

Shaking her groove thang to the music of movie trailer Andrew was watching.

She's also embracing her inner red head. We've seen hints of a tantrum. Thankfully they're really easy to stave off at this point. When she threw herself back on the floor and began shrieking recently, I just looked down at her and said, "Really? Already? Aren't you a little young for this?" She looked right up at me and smiled. Yup, she's really harnessing the power of her emotions. I'm not too sure where she got that. What? You don't think it's me, do you? Nah.

Ember and Hugo have forayed into the realms of friendship too. It's fun to watch them swat playfully at one another. The two chase one another around, Ember often pulling on Hugo's tail to slow him down. Or they just sit at the patio appreciating the simpler things in life.

While I hate the lightning speed at which this journey is progressing, it's wildly fun, entertaining and rewarding. I can't help but look forward to what's next. Happy 10th month, ladybug.

A Walk in the Leaves

2010-10-01T09:22:00.008-06:00

Here in Alberta, we're experiencing a beautiful Fall season. The temperatures have been unseasonably high, the leaves on the trees have changed into vibrant shades of yellow, red and orange and those beauties have begun to litter the sidewalks and paths.

Earlier this week, the family headed out to savour the beauty of the season.

Ember loved watching the leaves fall from the trees.

Looking like such a little girl.

Yum, Fall is delicious.

Does autumnal bounty make you this happy?

Happy October to all!!

Things I Wished I'd Known About Breastfeeding

2010-09-28T20:46:00.000-06:00

Nearly ten months into this breastfeeding gig, I've learned a few things that I didn't know going in. Often girlfriends and I discuss the items that follow as they surprised us so I thought I'd share them here.

1. Cushion for the pushin'. After complaining to other mums about the weight I gained at three months postpartum, I learned that you need a few extra pounds to breastfeed. How much? I've heard varying amounts and I bet it varies to each individual but take comfort in that you need a little extra cushion for pushin' milk. A friend even says that she doesn't lose all her baby weight until she stops breastfeeding.

2. Eat!! My husband theorizes that I gained weight while breastfeeding because my body went into starvation mode. Sweet, right? During pregnancy, I did really well at only eating to my hunger, nothing more so I didn't gain an exorbitant amount of weight. I kept that habit up into nursing. Oops. So many extra calories being burned and not taking the time to eat proper meals may have thrown my system for a loop. I suggest always having healthy snacks on hand. Trail mix, protein bars, washed fruit are all great options and can be eaten with one hand while nursing. I also found myself quite thirsty, always keep water close by. Throw some milk into the mix, too - it is filling and offers nutrients.

3. Get Comfy. In the early months, I'm pretty sure I spent more time in the armchair with Ember on my boob than I did doing anything else. Growth spurts had me on the couch every two hours for up to 40 minutes at a time. Cluster feeding, oh cluster feeding meant Ember on my chest for three hours per evening in those early weeks. At times I found it pretty annoying to have to stop what I'm doing to sit down and find my girl. But honestly there is no sense in combating it. Invest in a good nursing pillow and learn what nursing position is most comfy for you. Download a few seasons of Entourage. Sit back and relax. In the thick of it, I had moments where I wanted to pull my hair out but looking back, it doesn't seem so rough now. I loved Ember's little face looking up at me, smiling, playing with my hair and eventually dozing off. My heart swells.

4. It's not a bad habit!! For us, the only way to get Ember to sleep is for me to nurse her down. For the first six months-ish, it took a while for her to really conk out. For a while, I just called it a night early and went to bed with her. When I saw a breast-feeding specialist I asked how I should wean Ember of this habit. Very quickly I was set straight! This is not a bad habit, I was told, this is perfectly natural and that it provides my babe with confidence, trust and security. Just relax and go with it, I was instructed, she will grow out of it. 'Watch the Animal channel if you want parenting advice,' the doctor continued, 'you never see a monkey pull their baby off their body, put it on a branch and swing away.' I laughed and nodded.

Since it would take a while for Ember to settle, i just got into my comfy chair with my pillow (see number 3) and Andrew and I would watch a movie/TV together. Ember would nurse right into la-la land and I would move her to bed. Now, Ember nurses for five minutes to settle down and I move her to bed to fall asleep. As promised, she's moved past it.

5. Papier Mache. Nursing pads a boatload of necessary. I highly recommend Lansinoh by the way. Friends have had success with cloth pads but if you have a lot of milk, a la moi, those puppies won't cut it. I'll spare you an embarrassing story of me on the sideline of the rugby pitch with cotton saucers in my bra, oh white T-shirt and the bottom half of boobs soaked. What fun to discover that on a trip to bathroom?! Anyway, I didn't have nursing pads for the few days of nursing life and I was stuffing with Kleenex. Oh the irony.

6. The best. Despite the hardships and how taxing it can sometimes feel, it's amazing to know that those little chubby cheeks, pudgy ham hocks and buddha belly are because of me. 'Tis a grand feeling.

Those are the biggies for me. Is there anything I'm missing that you weren't expecting or really surprised me? Share, share!

Pass It On: Brilliant Advice

2010-09-25T21:44:00.004-06:00

Linking through blog-land tonight, I stumbled upon a brilliant post featuring ideas and advice on 'gifts' to offer a family expecting a little one. Originally posted by Gloria Lemay on her blog, the usefulness (and timelessness) of this information is so darn fantastic that I would be remiss not to share it with you. Furthermore, I encourage you to pass it on.

After the Birth, what a family needs
posted October 28, 2008 by Gloria

“Let me know if I can help you in any way when the baby is born.” … “Just let me know if you need a hand.” … “Anything I can do, just give me a call.”

Most pregnant women get these statements from friends and family but shy away from making requests when they are up to their ears in dirty laundry, unmade beds, dust bunnies and countertops crowded with dirty dishes. The myth of “I’m fine, I’m doing great, new motherhood is wonderful, I can cope and my husband is the Rock of Gibraltar” is pervasive in postpartum land. If you’re too shy to ask for help and make straight requests of people, I suggest sending the following list out to your friends and family. These are the things I have found to be missing in every house with a new baby. It’s actually easy and fun for outsiders to remedy these problems for the new parents but there seems to be a lot of confusion about what’s wanted and needed…

1. Buy us toilet paper, milk and beautiful whole grain bread.

2. Buy us a new garbage can with a swing top lid and 6 pairs of black cotton underpants (women’s size____).

3. Make us a big supper salad with feta cheese, black Kalamata olives, toasted almonds, organic green crispy things and a nice homemade dressing on the side. Drop it off and leave right away. Or, buy us frozen lasagna, garlic bread, a bag of salad, a big jug of juice, and maybe some cookies to have for dessert. Drop it off and leave right away.

4. Come over about 2 in the afternoon, hold the baby while I have a hot shower, put me to bed with the baby and then fold all the piles of laundry that have been dumped on the couch, beds or in the room corners. If there’s no laundry to fold yet, do some.

5. Come over at l0 a.m., make me eggs, toast and a 1/2 grapefruit. Clean my fridge and throw out everything you are in doubt about. Don’t ask me about anything; just use your best judgment.

6. Put a sign on my door saying “Dear Friends and Family, Mom and baby need extra rest right now. Please come back in 7 days but phone first. All donations of casserole dinners would be most welcome. Thank you for caring about this family.”

7. Come over in your work clothes and vacuum and dust my house and then leave quietly. It’s tiring for me to chat and have tea with visitors but it will renew my soul to get some rest knowing I will wake up to clean, organized space.

8. Take my older kids for a really fun-filled afternoon to a park, zoo or Science World and feed them healthy food.

9. Come over and give my husband a two hour break so he can go to a coffee shop, pub, hockey rink or some other r & r that will delight him. Fold more laundry.

10. Make me a giant pot of vegetable soup and clean the kitchen completely afterwards. Take a big garbage bag and empty every trash basket in the house and reline with fresh bags.

These are the kindnesses that new families remember and appreciate forever. It’s easy to spend money on gifts but the things that really make a difference are the services for the body and soul described above. Most of your friends and family members don’t know what they can do that won’t be an intrusion. They also can’t devote 40 hours to supporting you but they would be thrilled to devote 4 hours. If you let 10 people help you out for 4 hours, you will have the 40 hours of rested, adult support you really need with a newborn in the house. There’s magic in the little prayer “I need help.”

Screens Are Fun.

2010-09-22T08:52:00.000-06:00

One day, she will hate me for posting this. I'm sure of it.

How Do You Travel?

2010-09-21T09:46:00.000-06:00

Do you remember how you travelled as a kid?

The bulk of my family vacations took place in the backseat of a Cadillac. My brother would be back there with me and often an aunt/uncle or grandparent who was joining us on our adventure. We drove to Alaska, through the States and all of the Maritime provinces (all from different origins). Of course my parents will probably say otherwise, but I don't recall whining of boredom or declaring my dislike to them for torturing me in that manner. For as long as I can remember, I've been travelling and liking it.

Entertainment on road trips/vacations counted as sing-a-longs, I Spy (with my little eye), and actually looking at the scenery. Preparing for those trips was part of the ritual. Little brother and I would go out with Mum and we got to buy travel size boardgames, activity books and Archie comics to be packed away into our backpack that stayed with us in the backseat. Once we were older, my brother and I were allowed to play with a Game Boy but even then there were time limits about how long we were allowed to play with that glorious piece of handheld technology. Annnnd, we only had one so we had to share. Oh the humanity!

There were no TVs dropping down from the car ceiling or in the back of our parents' headrests. There were no portable DVD players resting on our laps. We weren't playing games on our parents cell phone - because there weren't any. And there was no such thing as mp3 player or iPods. Only later on, into my teenage years did I have a Discman (Can you stand it?! That thing was cutting edge.)

Airline travel was far different than it is now too. There was one movie on three screens for the entire flight; forget about personal TVs at your seat. Flights were endured by listening to at airline radio stations and the promise of going up to the cockpit. Sadly, Ember will probably never know how truly cool that experience was.

Frankly, I don't want Ember to be reliant upon technology to endure a family vacation or road trip. And I'm adamant that she won't be ... perhaps to my own detriment. (Time will tell.) When running errands around town, I see kids in the backseat of various SUVs watching Spongebob on the back of their mother's headrest. That really gets me fired up! No wonder kids of today can't focus and have an attention span of a gnat. (I'm generalizing I know.) Whenever I see those kids, I can't help but think about sitting in a backseat for 8 hours a day while travelling. Heck, running errands was a different animal in my time. We didn't have A/C - the car was sweltering - and only the promise of Lifesavers kept me sane. (Yum, Lifesavers. I still love those candies and cannot find them for the life of me.)

Much of our family's travel in the future will be undoubtedly by done by vehicle. I want Ember to see and appreciate our country and adventures from her backseat vantage point. I want her to know the simple joy of I Spy and singing along to the soundtrack of the latest Disney movie. I want her to get excited about family pictures taken car side at various landmarks and tourist spots. And if those experiences are peppered with short stints with an iPod or Nintendo DS (or whatever the latest handheld game system is), then won't travel feel all the richer?

Obligatory stop at Tim Hortons while driving to Dawson Creek.

How do you survive travel with your kids? Are you passionate/obstinate about it, like me?

The Power of a Latte

2010-09-17T07:58:00.001-06:00

There are oodles of songs outside my choice music genre about the power of love and they're swell. But today, I've been thinking about the power of the a latte. Vanilla bean, hazelnut, pumpkin spice: they're all good and equally powerful.

Yesterday was a trying day with my ball of energy. Despite being really tired, she wouldn't settle for a nap. I have a cold coming on, I can feel it in my throat, so I really wanted those few hours this afternoon to nap myself. For hours I tried to get Ember to snooze but she wasn't having any of it. At 3:30, I aborted the mission and hoped for an earlier bedtime.

After a few errands this evening, Ember began her tell tale 'eye wipes' at 6:30. Hurrah! I pounced and began the bedtime routine. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. The girl was overtired, feisty and took a lot of rocking to settle down. After a day like yesterday, this very well could have been the proverbial straw, but you know I was calm, cool, collected and patient.

Wanna know why? There was a latte waiting for me on the kitchen island.

That's all. It was that simple.

A latte. One glorious latte.

That hot beverage can completely alter the landscape of my day. I'm thankful for its power and I bow before it. Someone should totally write a song about the latte; I'd buy that album.

What do you think someone should write an ode to? What helps you maintain sanity on the harder days?

Ember Went to The Beach

2010-09-16T10:05:00.010-06:00

I can't believe how quickly summer has wrapped up in these parts. Snow is predicted for Sunday. SNOW!!! Um, what about Fall??

This morning, I am pouring over photos from our adventures in a warmer time as I work at item number 22 on my 28 in 28 list.

A highlight of our summer is our day in Cold Lake, AB. Andrew's brother was at survival camp at the Base there and we took a Sunday to go visit.

Can you believe this is the best photo of all of us? Yeesh.

In addition to seeing Jay, this trip allowed for Ember to dunk her toes in a lake for the first time. Oh my. It was such fun to watch Ember wade in the water and giggle while the waves lapped against her chest.

I smile remembering Ember examining the sand.

Touch.

Look.

And, taste, of course.

This is one of my favourites.

Isn't she cute?

Summer days of sunny, family fun will help keep me warm on the gloomiest winter days.

APB: I Need A Good Concealer

2010-09-15T15:10:00.000-06:00

Okay ladies, I need you.

I'm tired, sleep deprived and it shows. Annnd, it's not going to change anytime soon. I'm ever the optimist, huh?

Please let me know what your favourite concealer is. The goal is to have people assume that Ember is a great sleeper because I look so effortlessly rested and radiant, okay? A lot of pressure and expectation, yes. But I believe the product is out there.

Hmph, maybe I am an optimist after all. Or maybe I'm delusional.

Adapting on the Pitch

2010-09-14T11:50:00.005-06:00

Weekends are very exciting though stressful for us right now. Andrew's rugby team is currently in the playoffs striving for the provincials. Last Saturday marked the semi-finals and we pulled it out over the Clansmen. The second half of the game, momentum really swayed our way and we won 29-10. Being that I'm a little (okay, a lot) competitive, I get pretty riled up on the sidelines and my voice was definitely hurting Saturday evening.

Andrew (in white) jumping on a lineout. He won possession.

Outside of the game, maintaining Ember's schedule is always tricky on game day; nap time usually falls while we're standing on the side of the pitch. Thankfully, as long as Ember gets a snack (my boob) then she usually dozes off. Fussiness cues snack time and then she is happiest being tucked into the stroller. The challenge then becomes keeping her asleep with all the raging and loud rugby fans standing nearby. Me being one of them.

Happily napping while the game rages on.

As Andrew and I'd hoped, Ember does well adapting through the day and grabbing naps while we move about. We find as long as we adhere to her bedtime, she does splendidly and maintains her charm. Of course, we don't push our limits and don't practice this routine, or lack thereof, outside of weekends.

Ember cruising up and down the sidelines.

After Andrew's game, we travelled to watch another St. Albert team win their match to advance to the semi-finals. Ember was wide awake at this match and more content to walk about with Daddy's help.

She really boogies now.

I'm already looking forward to the final this Saturday. Go Albert!!!

Harder Stuff

2010-09-13T09:29:00.007-06:00

Somewhere in the latter weeks of August, I snapped. Not in the way that required a padded room and a straight jacket, but rather in the way that this mumma's reserve of patience had depleted. Ember had morphed into a high needs baby, waking every hour of the night and the only thing that brought calm was our bed and my breast. Four consecutive nights of this made me a pretty sore zombie.

During the days in between, I seriously lacked ambition and energy. Crap was piling up on any and all flat surfaces; the laundry hamper overflowed of clothes waiting to be folded and put away and my little HMCS Ember left a wake of clutter everywhere she went. As she still does.

To add insult to injury, I was suffering through a painful breast infection and it felt like I was nursing a sabretooth.

Honestly, I started to feel like I was drowning. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get control and I was so tired. The worst part is that I began to take it out on Ember. During the night when she was so very demanding, I'd snap and swear at her.

I'm so ashamed to type that and I cry now thinking about my behaviour. It's my job to take care of Ember's needs and you know, I flat out lost my cool. However, I didn't feel like I had an even keel at the time. It only occurred to me on night 5 that I may be suffering from postpartum depression. The next day, I called a girlfriend to talk frankly about what I was experiencing. We discussed motherhood very honestly and I started to feel less and less like the worst mother ever.

That same day, I started on St. John's Wort and omegas to help boost my mood. (If that didn't work, I'd make an appointment with my doctor and talk about a different course of action.) Additionally, hubby and I sat down for a heart to heart and I let him know how I was feeling. I hadn't been 100% honest with myself, let alone my husband.

Between owning my feelings and the St. John Wort, I started to feel better. Even though Ember continued to be Miss Demanding, I handled it much better and comforted her rather than perpetuating the problem by stressing out.

Nowadays, I feel fantastic and much more like myself. I don't look back on my actions with any pride however I've learned from my experience. I was so busy trying to maintain this facade of an easy breezy mummy that I forgot to be authentic and fair to myself. Not to mention Ember who deserved so much better than she was getting from me. I'm learning to breathe through tough moments and say "I need five minutes".

Being on the job 24 hours a day, seven days a week is trying and it's reasonable to take a few moments to yourself to just breathe and re-focus.

Did you experience something similar? Did postpartum or fatigue sneak up on you? Have you had an outer body experience when you were behaving a certain way that made you take note?

How Things Change

2010-09-10T09:43:00.005-06:00

This morning while nursing Ember down for a nap, the smell of Fall was wafting through the air. The crispness and freshness of the air is tangible and I love these first days of this new season. I look forward to the leaves changing and eventually littering the sidewalks.

Moreover, I look forward to pounding the pavement in my boots. Ah, my boots. Brown, black, mid-calf, knee high - they're all grand. They are my favourite part of my wardrobe. Boots, a great fitting jean and a Cowichan inspired sweater? Autumnal perfection.

When I was 23, living alone in the Lower Mainland, I maintained that in the event of a fire I would save my cat and my black Miu Miu boots.

Go ahead, think it.

Shallow bitch, right?

Well, no more. My boots don't make top three (or five). With Ember and the cat in each arm, I'd attempt to get the external hard drive of photos to safety.

As Fall sets in, I relish the opportunity to wear my boots again. I love the sass that permeates my step and the extra swagger in my gait.

These would love divine below my knees and even behind a stroller or pushing a swing. Swoon!

Dearest Blog,

2010-09-09T13:25:00.008-06:00

I'm sorry that you have been so neglected. It's not that I don't love covering your wall with photos and posts about my family, it's just that I lost my blogging mojo. Summer reached it's peak, I wasn't spending a lot of time on the computer and as my cousin said, "all things need a summer vacation."

In my absence I've been mentally writing posts on a variety of topics that I look forward to sharing with you in the near future. My inspiration for this space is now nine months old, bubbly than ever and I've been snapping photos like a mad thing in an effort to hang on to all nuances of her fleeting infancy. Many of those will be hanging here soon, too.

Perhaps it's the smell of freshly sharpened pencils and the little people toddling down the sidewalk with backpacks strapped on, but I'm fired up and ready to reconnect dear blog.

A happening of the past weeks:

Ember managed to crawl into the cat's tent...

it was fun while it lasted ...

but she couldn't figure out how to get out. Hmmm...

Trying a yoga pose may help.

Finally, I just had to pluck her of the tent's clutches.

I will be back again soon with more harrowing tales. ha.
All good things!!

Creative Problem Solving?

2010-07-30T14:31:00.006-06:00

Going into parenthood, I always suspected that my child would one day outsmart me.

Never, ever would I have thought that day would come so soon.

While I was making baby food this morning, I heard whines and cries coming from the land of toys on the floor. Not knowing what could be wrong with Ember, I went to investigate. I sat down beside my distressed babe and scooped her up. Immediately, she stops crying, reaches over my shoulder, takes her soother off the coffee table and pops it in her mouth.

Apparently, that's all she wanted. Just a boost to reach her new favourite "toy".

My baby manipulated me! Worked me right over!!

My mum says she's creative problem solving. Interesting perspective.

A Ghetto Babywalker

2010-07-29T09:41:00.001-06:00

I've had my eye on a walker for Ember for sometime now. I love this one from Plan Toys. The reason I haven't purchased one yet is because she's progressing pretty quickly and I'd hate to bring another object into our cramped condo if it's going to be redundant fairly quickly.

Well, Ember seems to have sourced a walker for herself.

She's so proud of herself. Maybe it's the standing. Maybe it's the soother that she hasn't liked until now - what a fun toy!

The laundry hamper!

Yea, it's just the right height and we can put items in the basket stabilize it as she toddles along. (In this case - laundry (clean) - how novel.)

She's making progress to be sure. I think it's so funny to watch her take actual steps because she is still so tiny.

Just a bit of an abrupt ending; a minor meltdown ensued.

(The red tent in the background belongs to our cat and Ember plays in it too. And the pile of laundry would be a couch slipcover that I have to take the dry cleaners... that I haven't got around to yet. Don't judge me.)

A Week in Photos: July 21st - July 27th

2010-07-28T12:31:00.000-06:00

July 21st:
Today, Ember earned the name Doogie. She just seems to be acting beyond her 7 months. When we picked up Andrew from work this evening, she stretched her legs on the front seat and reached for my coffee. She took off her tank top tonight while getting her jammies on and nodded when asked a question, I swear! Pride and admiration pours out of me for that girl ... even though she is in a ridiculous hurry to grow up.

July 22nd:
This morning Ember and Hugo made huge strides in their relationship. Hugo the cat has been disdainful since our girl arrived in December - she took all of our attention and redefined his territory. Over the last couple of months, Ember has become very interested in the cat and he has had zero tolerance in indulging her curiosity. Now that she's mobile and can chase after him, he's been slow to forge a friendship. That changed today though, when Ember pulled herself up on his basket. Hugo didn't run away or dodge her touch. Today, Ember made contact.

July 23rd:
Playing in the light of the morning. She's beginning to look like such a little girl, isn't she? Oh, my heart.

July 24th:
Another Saturday, another rugby pitch. Ember happily plays on the blanket while the game plays out behind her. She was so interested in the family beside us and the little boys playing with their dog. If she were able, she would have walked over and joined in the activity. No matter how she studied the play, she couldn't get any further than this in being upright.

July 25th:
I spent the bulk of the afternoon making jam. During one of my breaks, I came into the family room to find Ember had pulled herself up to standing on the basket. I made such a fuss over the accomplishment that she got distracted and plunked down on her bottom. She tried to get herself back up but couldn't manage it while hamming it up for the camera.

July 26th:
Funny girl shoved the smallest of her stacking cups in her mouth and sucked on it for several minutes. She is such a goof! I couldn't help but giggle at her. She would start to giggle back, but the cup would slip out of her mouth prompting her to slurp it back in.

July 27th:
Lunchtime today. Ember had fresh pureed apricots. She seems to like them because she opens her mouth for spoonfuls several times over but her face doesn't sell it that way. With each bite, she winces, kicks, her hands clench into fists and tears form. Does this look like a happy girl?! This is the only food that garners this reaction. I'm such a mean mummy for feeding it to her over and over again, aren't I?

I Have a TV Kid.

2010-07-27T12:28:00.000-06:00

My child could very easily become a couch potato. If the TV is on in front of her, Ember assumes this slack jaw, vegged out stance while staring intently at the screen.

To be clear, she's not allowed to "watch" television. We don't use it as an electronic babysitter. But Andrew and I do watch TV while she's playing often in the room with us. And sometimes, post nap, she catches it before I turn it off. Like this instance, I plunked her down in her exersaucer and she glommed on immediately.

Do you see that drool on her chin? Yea! Drool!!

It must be the flurry of movement and colours; she's in a trance. When I think of my childhood, television hardly had a role. Instead I remember building forts on our acreage, running races and playing house and school. I want the same for Ember and I would love to make it to kindergarten without her knowing who Dora and Diego are.

Though I don't want to be tyrannical about television either. I'm hoping to achieve some sort of balance as she grows into toddlerhood.

I guess I should be grateful she even acknowledged me.

Do your children watch TV? At what age did you think it appropriate to let them? Is there certain children's programming that you deplore and forbid in your house?

I ask because I'm really afraid of certain characters being household names and want to know if I'm the only one.

Because I Can, Can

2010-07-26T13:22:00.000-06:00

On Saturday morning, our family took its ritual walk down to the town's Farmer's Market. We usually just wing it, buy whatever veggies look beautiful and I plan our week's meals around our purchases. This past Saturday however, I went with a list. Being that it is the height of berry season, I needed to take advantage so I could tackle #23 on my 28 in 28 list - make jam with BC berries. So I headed out with quantities in mind so I would have just the right amount of fruit to achieve the proper fruit to sugar to pectin ratios. Going in, I wasn't too sure what jam concoctions I was going to create, but I wanted options. I came home with various juicy berry gems as well as a bag of peaches for good measure.

Despite the glorious weather, I took Sunday off to jam. I chose to make freezer jam since this was my first time jamming. As I ladled my first concoction into jars, I felt such accomplishment ... though it's so easy! Puree/mash fruit, stir in pectin and sugar, continue stirring for a few minutes and ladle into prepared jars.

A significant amount of freezer real estate has been taken over.

I managed to make three different kinds - strawberry honey, peach raspberry and straspberry (1/2 strawberry, 1/2 raspberry) - and they are all so good. There will be no more store bought jam in our future!

I hate to play favourites, but strawberry-honey is my favourite. yum!

I hope your weekend was a fruitful one. Ohhh. Bad pun; sorry!!

Classy Lassie

2010-07-23T10:19:00.003-06:00

My mum.

She's kind hearted, generous and beautiful - inside and out.

Happy Birthday to the lady who was hoping to get fresh fruit at IHOP.*

I love her. Lots.

*Mum: Do you have fresh fruit?
IHOP waitress: Uh no. We have fruit from those fruit cups. But, we can put it in a bowl for you.
Mum: Oh, that's all right. I'll just have the short stack.
(waitress walks away)
Me: Mum, we're at the IHOP. Fresh fruit? Really?
(Mum shrugs)
Me: (laughs) I love you.

Update: My mum just brought it to my attention that she has also sought out fresh fruit at Denny's. It really begs the question, why does she eat at such establishments??? HBD Mum!!

Suck It!!!

2010-07-22T13:26:00.000-06:00

I'm grateful everyday that breastfeeding came easily to Ember and me. She quickly established an excellent latch and we're still going strong seven months in, even with the eruption of a couple of teeth. I've not had any issues with milk shortage - this dairy queen is producing. I know all women aren't as lucky; I'm grateful.

However it hasn't been without its difficulties. There is a crack in Righty (that is now a permanent part of my anatomy), which prompted the use of a nipple shield and the subsequent reliance that had to be broken. Oh and let's not forget the bout of thrush, blanching and vasospasm because I had too much milk rushing at her.

I think any breastfeeding veteran, newcomer or mummy-to-be will get a kick out of Parenting.com's guide in how to "really" prepare for breastfeeding. It's lighthearted, not meant to be taken seriously and I can certainly relate. Especially with Day 3 and Day 6 - hubby can attest to that.

A Week in Photos: July 14th - July 20th

2010-07-21T23:25:00.002-06:00

The number one item on my 28 in 28 is to take a photo a day for 365 days. (Inspired by Wendolonia.) That alone isn't too much a challenge for me. However to take a photo to act as a journal for our family and actually document it the moment properly ... a wee bit trickier. Alas, I'm off to a good start and feeling good about the organization system I've created to succeed at the project.

Here are the photos from the past week.

July 14th:
My 28th birthday. I had a fantastic day with my family. I thought it fair to skip my morning run and laze away until Ember woke up. It just so happened to be 10 am when I woke up to Ember 'la la la-ing'. Though I like to think she was singing Happy Birthday to me. We stumbled out of the bedroom to find a birthday banner hanging on the wall and a note left by Andrew wishing me a wonderful day. What a nice surprise! After dinner we enjoyed a white chocolate mousse icebox cake which I couldn't resist having a family picture with.

July 15th:
While getting Ember ready for bed, I spotted dirt all over her piggies from her adventures from throughout the day. When Andrew began wiping her feet with a wet cloth, Ember erupted in giggles that came straight from her belly. Being that baby belly laughs are more contagious than chicken pox, all three of us laughed until we cried.

July 16th:
These bouquet of beauties arrived from my mother-in-law today as a belated birthday surprise. Aren't they lovely? Ember and I were battling over nap time and my patience was running dangerously low when the deliveryman rapped at the door. My mood was restored upon seeing these and I looked at Ember and said, "Nana just saved the day."

July 17th:
Andrew joined rugby late in the season this year. As he hasn't played for a couple of years, due to life and injury, he committed to third division. After playing just three games, the first division coach recruited him to come out and play with the premier boys. Saturday marked a big game for the club, against the only team to have beaten our first division boys this season; there was a lot of pressure on the team to win. It was a real nail biter of a game but our boys pulled it off - they won 18-16!! This photo was taken immediately post game.

July 18th:
Our trio was over at my father-in-law's for a belated birthday dinner. Very suddenly, the skies opened and rain poured down. It was a lovely downpour as the heat of the day remained. Ember just loves walking while hanging on to our hands for support. So it's not surprising that when I took her out to see and smell the rain, she gestured to get down and dip her tootsies in the small puddles. We did a dozen laps of the deck, or more, while raindrops fell on our faces.

July 19th:
Ember freaking loves rice rusks. It is pure, unadulterated love. I'd kept them in hiding for several days as I want her to learn to love fruits and veggies with the same passion. Today, I decided to let her have a treat after eating some applesauce. Just upon hearing that package, she began to vibrate. Check out the focus and desire on that face.

July 20th:
I wish I could have seen the look on her face when Ember realized that she could reach the top of the coffee table and pull herself up. My fear of the tumble that could take place, had me stay right behind her. She got right up on her feet and she giggled with pride. I giggled in response. But more so because her right pant leg was stuck under her left foot and as soon as she shot up, her pants drooped a bit.

High/Low

2010-07-20T14:36:00.000-06:00

Each night, while laying in bed, Andrew and I reflect on our day by asking each other what the high and low of our day was.

I got the idea years ago while watching 'The Story of Us', an old Michelle Pfeiffer and Bruce Willis movie. It's not the greatest movie of all time by any stretch but it has become a guilty pleasure of mine, one that I enjoy watching while feeling under the weather. If chick flicks float your boat, you may enjoy it as a rental.

Do people rent movies anymore?

Anyway, by asking each other high/low it forces us to reflect on our day. Usually, by that point in the day, the rough parenting moments are forgotten and only the gems of Ember's character development and personality are all that remain. My 'highs' lead to stories and that is how Andrew is often brought up to speed of what happened in his absence over the course of the day. Of course there are days, when I can rattle off my low without blinking an eye.

High/low has been part of our bedtime ritual for years now. Actually, we end trips, holidays and family visits with high/low, too. When looking back on your day in this manner, you realize that life is charmed. The little wonderful moments, which are all too easy to forget, are highlighted. And, you realize that the trying moments are just that - moments. At once, you see the little things and the big picture. It's a good perspective.

High: Mutual adoration society.

What's the high/low of your day?

My Family Celebrates my 28th

2010-07-19T13:01:00.000-06:00

Rather than going out for dinner, I wanted to stay home and make myself an easy, summer dinner. Okay, we were planning on dining out until I found this recipe: avocado fries.

Yeah. Avocado freaking fries.

Immediately, I pictured them on a plate with a grilled steak and mixed green salad; a drool worthy summer dinner if you ask me. I couldn't resist and told hubby to cancel the dinner reservation.

Drool worthy indeed. This dinner totally delivered! I would have loved to share photos, but um, it disappeared too quickly.

Ember got in on the avocado action, too and loved it!

I thought it only fitting to follow it up with a homemade a dessert. Craving white chocolate with summer berries and wanting minimal effort, I settled on an icebox cake. I'd not made an icebox cake before and ,my word - why have I waited so long?? So simple and delicious, I highly recommend it.*

food photography is not my forte

My day was made better with presents. I'm not going to lie, I love receiving gifts. He decided that he theme all gifts in helping me accomplish my 28 in 28, very clever and much appreciated.

Thank you family, for a fabulous day!

*To get what I really wanted, I fused this recipe with the white chocolate component of this one.

Twenty Eighth Year

2010-07-14T10:34:00.003-06:00

Now, more than ever, a mental list is compiling of things I'd like to achieve in a somewhat timely fashion and of course, it's harder than ever to effectively get things done for myself.

So, as this is my first birthday since becoming a mummy, I feel it's paramount to set the tone of prioritizing me from time to time. Without returning to work, I fear that I may get lost in the shuffle and become too much of a mum and quit working on me. In the efforts of prioritizing me, I've created a list of 28 things I'd like to accomplish in my 28th year.

I have 365 days to:

1. Take a photo a day for 365 days to act as a journal of our family. Bind in book at end of year. Inspired by Wendolonia's Project 365.
2. Properly learn to knit. Complete a lace scarf.
3. Catch up and complete Ember's baby book.
4. Learn to sew and sew myself a skirt, a dress for Ember, and re-usable grocery & produce bags.
5. Run 10 kilometres.
6. Swim 600 metres in 15 minutes
7. Make ricotta, yogurt, mayonnaise, sour cream
8. Bake bread (sans machine), pretzels, bagels, croissants, challah bread and crumpets.
9. Make pulled pork sandwiches from scratch.
10. Make pasta from scratch
11. Find the perfect concealer
12. Snowshoe in Jasper National Park with my family.
13. Make authentic marinara sauce - my current sauce just isn't cutting it.
14. Colour my hair for the first time EVER - just highlights and/or lowlights.
15. Start a new tradition as a family.
16. Paint the kitchen.
17. Start planters on the balcony.
18. Make ice cream and create a new flavour.
19. Take Ember to the Vancouver Aquarium.
20. Learn how to tie a tie.
21. Learn how to fold a fitted sheet.
22. Organize all the photos on my hard drive and back them up weekly!
23. Make jam with BC berries.
24. Begin compiling (handwritten) our family's favourite recipes in a notebook.
25. Re-purpose old sheets and clothes - sew cloth napkins and rags. Stop buying paper towels.
26. Create a budget and stick to it.
27. Go away with Andrew for a night.
28. Learn the rules of my man's sport, rugby.

A New Discovery

2010-07-13T09:00:00.002-06:00

Leaves.

Her Favourite Colour is Blur

2010-07-12T14:40:00.007-06:00

In the months of pregnancy, Andrew and I would lie in bed at night imagining what our baby would be like. I asked him, "What would our little boy's favourite colour be?" Without missing a beat, Andrew replied "blur, because he will run so fast, that's all we'll see." I thought it hilarious and marvelled at the little boy that still lives inside him.

Turns out, it's Ember's favourite colour. Or maybe it's mine. It has crept, er zoomed, into many a photo.

Kicking.

Ordering.

Crawling.

Flapping.

A Few of My Favourite Things

2010-07-11T09:33:00.000-06:00

Dimples on elbows,
and long auburn ashes.
Wrinkles on noses,
and mad crawling dashes.

Over The Shoulder Boulder Holder

2010-07-07T07:21:00.000-06:00

Running with breastfeeding sized boobs has necessitated a new sports bra. Enter the Shock Absorber.

This thing is intense. Imagine wearing three sports bra, and then wrapping the girls, nah the ladies, in duct tape. There is no bounce!

So the straps are the size of seatbelts... whatever.

MY Seven Month Itch

2010-07-05T09:08:00.004-06:00

I've gotten this urge as of late, to have another baby. It's ridiculous!!!

I think it's because Ember is going full force towards toddlerhood and her wee baby days seem so foggy already.

Just an urge people, it ain't going to happen.