Double Trauma!

Everyone in the house is napping - and I should be too, especially since Evan woke up four times last night for no apparent reason.

I wanted to quickly share with anyone who happens to check in on us that on Christmas Eve, Evan had a double trauma...a visit to Santa and his first hair cut. I am pleased to report that both went off without a hitch. While I am not able to share Evan's picture with Santa (yet), I am happy to share some pictures from his first hair cut.

Sneaky!

Holy cow! Christmas has snuck up on me! I've had it in the back of my mind for while, but now it's two weeks away. I've had my Christmas Tree up since November 25, and luckily Evan has not pulled the tree over. He mostly just admires the pewter ornaments and turns them over in his hand while saying "Oohhh" Despite the tree being up, I still feel like Christmas is sneaking up on me.

I've done a small amount of Christmas shopping and plan to finish it off on Friday evening. I need to keep reminding myself that I needn't by ANYTHING else for Evan. Speaking of gifts for Evan, my dad and I (and Evan) went to visit my Aunt Susan and Uncle Bryan. My dad wanted to give them their gift before he headed back to Victoria - and they wanted to see Evan open their gift to him. While Evan loves his gift - I am very impressed by it. In a world of junky toys that are quickly cast aside and other toys that are recalled - my Aunt truly found a gem.



On the two sides you don't see are an abicus and a Pathfinder Maze.

I'm really looking forward to our trip to Victoria. As it turns out, we won't be able to fit in a trip to Seattle to see the Seahawks. But - I am going with my mom to take Evan to see Santa in Victoria. I know she will get a real joy out of taking her grandson to see Santa. Evan will probably just cry.

My Wish List

As requested by Dallas, here is my wish list for this Christmas.

1. A new, long bathrobe.

2. A Nintendo DS

3. A Spa Gift card - LOADED!!!

4. A Dirt Devil Cone or Curve

5. Ojon Hair Care Line

6. Satellite Radio


I think that is about it for now.

I guess

I guess it is a good thing that after you have been away sick for a day, four people ask your co-workers whether or not you are in - and cheer when they hear you are indeed back at work today. I suppose it's better than hearing "You were away yesterday?"

The reason I was away sick yesterday goes all the way back to Saturday. On Saturday morning, I woke up to find out that my poor boy had gotten sick sometime in the night. After I cleaned him up, we had a lovely breakfast while I prepared for my wonderful afternoon with Dallas. After breakfast, Evan got sick again! Other than not keeping down his breakfast, he seemed perfectly normal...laughing and playing. I just chalked it up to a reaction to his flu shot. I took him over to Scott and Erin's with a supply of stomach friendly snacks and some Pedialyte and went on to have a wonderful afternoon with Dallas that included my very first pedicure and a scrumptious dinner at Kotouki's - more on that in another post.

When we returned to Scott and Erin's, Evan seemed perfectly fine. In fact, Scott's son kept Evan and Paige VERY entertained with his new RC car.

BUT

I woke up Sunday morning to find that Evan had again, gotten sick in the middle of the night again. Again, I kept Evan's diet pretty bland and kept him hydrated. We spent the morning putting up our Christmas tree - again, more in another post. After weighing the pros and cons - I opted out of attending a Candle Party/Grey Cup Party. Well, it was a good thing I did. At about 4:30 pm, I seemed to have been struck by the same bug that was affecting Evan. Needless to say, I did not make it into work yesterday - thanks mostly in part to having been up until 3 am.

Is it bad that I'm already looking forward to Friday?

Trial by Fire!

So the last two weeks have been full of drama. Now drama isn't always a bad thing. The first round of drama has led to a promotion for yours truly. Since we are in the midst of Session, the details of my exact duties and my subsequent pay increase haven't been hammered out yet - but once my colleagues and I are free from the stress of Session, these things will be sorted out. In the meantime, I have been learning of my duties as they have been required. For instance, sitting in on a meeting I'm supposed to attend from now on...with a minutes notice. OR - finding out I am supposed to coordinate the office moves of two of my colleagues. OR - finding out I'm in charge of our new Contact Management Software thingy. The fact that I called it a 'thingy' should ring some alarm bells for my Chief of Staff. She apparently has some confidence in my skills - or I wouldn't have been offered this promotion.

Round two of the drama came to light today. Our amazing receptionist has been scooped up by another employer who no doubt had a better offer for her in a job that actually uses her skills and education. I will miss working with her and our weekly chats about 'The Hills' and 'America's Next Top Model' So the 5 member administrative team I joined in September of this year has been whittled down to 3.

With all that being said - Evan had his flu shot booster last night, so I hope he crashes early like he did last time and I can spend the night coming down from the craziness of today.

Maybe all this craziness is happening so that I will REALLY appreciate the pedicure I am finally getting tomorrow with my dear friend Dallas.

And the Frog ran away with the....Crab?

I have two missing Robeez - one is a sized 3-6 months and is blue with a green frog on it. The other is sized 6-12 months, and is cream coloured with a crab on it.

Does anyone else think they've run off together to have an affair?

On another note - I would say 50% of the time, Evan comes home with his hair in a little pouf.

As for the rest of my life - it has just been work. It isn't just work, it's work while Session is on. Needless to say I am very busy and barely at my desk between Monday and Thursday. I know I shouldn't complain too much - this 5 week Session is short compared with the Spring Session which runs from mid-February to June!

God - or anyone - help me!

Too Tempting!

Well, I guess Lily is not the only one who has been tempted by Evan's hair. Last week, when Robert and I picked Evan up from daycare - Evan's teacher informed us that all the kids in the infant room are picking on each other and pulling one another's hair. She even pointed out one little girl that Evan picked on the most. They're apparently not too concerned about the behaviour unless it becomes a pushing match.

On Friday, I pick up Evan only to find him with a different hairstyle than what I did for him that morning:



I guess all the kids have been playing with and pulling Evan's hair. As a solution - and to reduce the temptation - the teacher put his hair in a little pouf on top of his head.

Home Today!

So, I'm home today with a kid that is not sick. I had to leave work early to pick Evan up from daycare because he was running a 40 degree fever. No biggie - I left work at 3:30 pm at had Evan home shortly after 4 pm. After a long nap and a few doses of Advil, I thought Evan would be fine to go to daycare today...especially since I took his temperature this morning and it was normal. Nope. The daycare wanted me to keep him home for 24 hours. So, here I am...at home...with a perfectly healthy kid. It truly could be worse. He could be super grumpy or he could be puking non-stop.

All we have on our agenda today is my dad's belated birthday dinner at my brother's house. Other than that, we have no plans. I am contemplating going to Stars & Strollers today - the movie is 'Dan in Real Life' or 'Gone Baby Gone'

For my dad's birthday I bought him a photo frame with this picture in it:

Proud Owner

I am now the proud owner of a late-2006 model toddler. He's still not self-cleaning, but I'm told that comes with time.

Be Agressive! Be! Be! Aggressive

This is what 'Bring It On' would be like with an all-male cast. hee hee hee

And in this corner!

In two weeks, Evan managed to gain 4 ounces. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it really is significant. Now he weighs 18 pounds and 6 ounces.

We don't have to see Dr. M. until Evan is 18 months.

Stay tuned for pictures illustrating why Evan doesn't need to waste his energy by actually lifting the sippy cup to his mouth.

Evan's Second Weigh-In

Today, Evan has a check-up and we will find out if my efforts to fatten my boy up have been successful. At his 12-month immunizations, he only weighed 18 pounds and 2 ounces. Everyone who knows us knows that Evan does not go without food. He loves to eat, but he also plays hard everyday. Since his shots, we've stopped giving him juice and water. All he gets right now is milk or a can of Ensure every other day. I believe he gets a nice variety of foods from all the food groups. I usually send him to daycare with 3 servings of fruits and veggies, 1 serving of meat, 2 servings of dairy and 2 servings of grain.

On the same day that Evan had his immunizations, he took his very first steps. Although I suspect he was motivated by the McDonald's bag I was holding. Ever since then, he hasn't really tried to walk again. I put on his shoes that have the squeakers in them to see if that would motivate him. As he started pushing his walker, he noticed his feet were squeaking - so he kept looking down trying to figure out what was going on. It was pretty sweet. Once he figured out his steps were making the squeaking noises, he made a few more attempts to walk.

The First Note

One thing I hadn't considered about being parent was the inevitability of the note sent home from school. I remember growing up having various notes, newsletters and report cards being sent home with us. I distinctly remember, in early grade school, that our report cards were sealed. We were supposed to leave them sealed and present them to our parents so that we could face the music. I remember hiding behind the lilac bushes after school - but before the buses left - with some girls from my class. We eagerly and excitedly opened up the sacred, sealed report card. But...we got caught by one of the teachers who promptly stapled our report card envelopes closed and shuffled us to our respective buses.

I knew that Evan was going to be sent home with an infamous note from school...one day. I just didn't think it would be during his third week of daycare.

Whoa!

It's been well over a week since my last blog entry. My second week back at work went very well and ended off with my dear friend Dave's wedding. This was also the first time, in a very long time, that Robert and I have been out without Evan.

Anyway, it was a small and intimate wedding at the Muttart Conservatory.


Isn't Dave so handsome!



The bride, Jenny, and her parents.



The happy couple - who, incidently, met at my birthday party in May 2005.



Jenny, looking gorgeous.



Exchanging the rings!



A romantic kiss to seal the deal!



Finally, after an amazing meal at 'The Top of Von's', they cut the cake.

It was a wonderful night that I feel like I am still recovering from.

What to Write?

So, one might think since I just finished my first week back at work, I might dedicate this blog to writing about being work and Evan being at daycare?

Nope! I will say one thing. Being back at work hasn't been nearly as difficult as I expected. I'm really enjoying my new job and Evan is thriving in his daycare. Apparently, he has a buddy named Anthony. They apparently sit and talk and laugh together.

What I am going to write about is a new phenomonon called a 'Drive-By Repair' (thank you Carrie for that term). I came home on Thursday night and found some strange metal bars and threaded pipe in my front hall. I thought it was weird but thought it may have been left behind by the electricity the previous day. While upstairs in my bedroom, I noticed some ceiling dust on my clothes. I look up, and finally see that they have replace my light fixture. In fact, they've replaced three light fixtures in my house that NEEDED to be replaced. I go into the master bathroom to find everything that was under my sink on the floor. I look - and lo and behold, I have a brand new sink! I call my building manager and let her know that I had not received any notice that work was being done in my place. I didn't want to complain too much because the much needed repairs are getting done!

Later that night, I'm walking around making sure all the windows are locked and closed. They've replaced the window panels (except the patio door) with ones that have winter seals and removed all the screens (including the patio). The screens all had big holes and also needed replacing.

I feel like I am walking from room to room unsure of what work has been done. As I told Carrie, I think if a close my eyes I might open them to find my walls painted and hardwood flooring installed.

No one's updated!

I have noticed that no one has updated their blog. I am a little disappointed as I check the blogs under 'My Favourite Blogs' It dawned on me that maybe I should update my blog.

Yesterday was my first day back at work and Evan's first day at daycare. Our first drop off went really well. Reports I received from his caregivers were that he played for the first couple of hours until he realized I wasn't there - so he began crying a bit. Apparently, he fell asleep during their circle time activity. I can just picture it - the kids sitting in a circle with their toys and singing songs and Evan just lays his head down. At around 5 pm - Evan just lost his steam. My first day at work went really well. Although I am reasonably familiar with the organization, it was still a day of getting settled and learning the ropes. I think this job is going to work out really well. So far, I like the work I have been doing and I really like my co-workers.

In my personal life, I have hit a speed bump. Instead of letting it steam roll over me - I'm taking it by the horns and am going to deal with it with focus and determination. As cliche as it sounds, I have changed since having Evan. I feel more grounded and less fearful of dealing with life's speed bumps.

Keep your fingers crossed for me...I still need it!

It's hard being 1.

I am so tired from today's festivities. I do promise to post pictures and details later. But here are some sweet pictures of my boy on his birthday.

I took this picture at around 7:39 am - the time he was born. Afterwards, he tried to attack the camera


This is Evan taking a mid-day nap (obviously) before his party. It is soooo hard being 1 years-old.

A Week's Time!

In a week's time, I will have finished my first week back at work. I'm not nervous about leaving Evan in daycare. I LOVE the daycare I got him into and I know he will love being with the other kids and will thrive in that environment. I'm not overly nervous about reentering the workforce. I'm actually excited about starting a new position. What I am nervous about is how I am going to juggle it all. How I'm going to keep up with getting my lunch and Evan's lunch and snack ready every night. How I'm going to keep up with the tasks of keeping up a household.

I know as time passes I will figure out what works for my family, but this is what I am most nervous about.

Boys vs Girls

I'm not really one to impose traditional gender roles on my son, but I am starting to believe that some attributes that are considered 'boy' are just hard-wired into their brains.

Last night, I had several friends over for a Discovery Toys party. With the exception of Jenn (who, for the record, has 6 nieces and nephews), all my friends have daughters ranging in age from 1-2 1/2 years old. While Dallas was upstairs changing out of her work clothes, Evan saw Paige and decided to maul her. She kept running away and my little guy thought it was a game. He just kept mauling her and pulling down her pants. Once my friend Tara showed up with her daughter and my friend Carrie showed up sans Lily, the party began. Did Evan sit nicely playing with one of the millions of toys the consultant brought over? No. He had to play with whatever toy Paige or Madeline was playing with. Once they conceded their toy and moved on - so did Evan. If he wasn't stealing toys from little girls, he was drawn to the consultant's display board. Given that he was so fixated on that thing, you'd think he was a Taurus. I felt kind of badly and embarrassed. I'm trying to be hostess to a party while Evan zips and around and plays with whatever toy tickles his fancy at that exact moment.

I do appreciate that Evan is very active and likes to explore. He was probably very excited about all the company last night - but WOW did he ever test my patience.

Big thanks to my friends who were so kind and understanding and soooooo helpful in helping lasso/distract/play with Evan. He had a blast with each and every one of you.

For my two friends who are expecting - a tiny part of me hopes you have a boy so you can commiserate with me.

ETA : This picture was taken at Lily's birthday party - but this is pretty much what Evan was like during the toy party.

Things you don't expect....

One afternoon, I did a lovely tour of the Victoria Harbour while my parents watched Evan.

So here is my question - what would you least expect to see when you get off the boat in front of the Empress Hotel?

(Scroll Down for the Answer)

How about a violinist, dressed as Darth Vader, playing the Star Wars soundtrack?

Spinning cont.

Well, the spinning I described in my previous post continued on Saturday. I spent the day cleaning and getting ready to fly out to Victoria. On top of that, we went to Lily's First Birthday party. We had such a wonderful time, and Evan had fun going from person to person...and playing with Lily's haul of toys. We left early so that I could finish laundry and pack. But that wasn't the end of our night. Robert was called to work at the bar. Since they pay him really good money now, we loaded up and drove him to work. I wound up staying up until around 1 am doing everything I needed to do before our trip and triple-checking that I hadn't forgotten anything.

We had a most pleasant flight. We wound up next to another young woman flying with her infant daughter who was just a few weeks younger than Evan. To make things better - the middle seat was free!

The first couple of days were dreary and cold. Just perfect weather for staying inside and working on a good book or puzzle.

On Wednesday, we went on a surprisingly great tour of the Esquimalt Naval Base. Evan felt differently and fell asleep part way through the tour. Afterwards, my mom and I walked around downtown while my dad had meetings with clients.

Yesterday, my mom and I took the ferry over to West Vancouver where we met up with my mom's dear friend Margaret. Margaret is now a rep for Chanel eyewear, and my Christmas present this year is a new pair of Chanel glasses. I spent some time trying on all of the fantastic glasses Chanel has to offer. I had it narrowed down to 7 and then down to 3. Once we had narrowed it down to two, I had a hard time deciding. Margaret took pictures of me wearing both frames, and surprisingly enough that did help me in making a decision. Here's what I had it narrowed down to:


Frame # 1 ------------- ---------Frame #2

And from the side:


Frame # 1 --------------------Frame # 2

So which frames did I pick? I will have to keep you all guessing until I get the frames and get the prescription filled.

Spinning

Whew! These last two days have just left me spinning.

Yesterday (Thursday) our day went something like this:

10:00 am - Go to Winners to try and find certain winter jacket. Found said jacket - in the wrong size.
10:20 am - Go to Wal-Mart to see if I can find Evan's Birthday gift, because it is sold out at Toys R Us. Didn't find it there - I am beginning to realize that I should have bought it when I saw it at Toys r Us last week.
11:00 am - Pick up mail at my parents' condo
11:30 am - Go to Liberal Caucus to sign my employment contract for my new job.
noon - go to bank to make deposit.
12:15 pm - Check Canadian Tire for Evan's Birthday gift - no luck!
12:45 pm - Check Zellers for Evan's Birthday gift - no luck AGAIN! I'm beginning to wonder what we're going to buy Evan for his birthday.
1:15 pm - Check southside Toys R Us and find suitable alternative for Evan's Birthday Present.

Poor Evan was in and out of his car seat all day. What a trooper!

Today, was a bit less hectic but busy nonetheless.

10:00 am - Meet Paige and Dallas at Sherwood Park Costco to do some shopping and sampling. I decide there's no point buying groceries since I leave for Victoria on Sunday morning.
noon - Finish shopping and scarf down some mediocre poutine.
1:00 - Head to Mountain Equipment Co-op to buy Paige a sleeping pad and sleeping bag. Also checked for winter hat and mitts for Evan - they aren't on the floor yet.
1:30 - Head to BoyGirl ReWear on Stony Plain to check out their goods. I didn't find what I was looking for, but Dallas scored some deals.
2:00 pm - Met Scott and Erin at Red Robin and heard all about their fabulous trip to Greece and Italy.
3:45 pm - Finally home!!!

Since I'm leaving for Victoria on Sunday, I've spent the evening doing some much needed cleaning and laundry.

I'm sure I will eventually crash...but not yet, I'm getting too much accomplished!

So, I couldn't get a picture of Robert wearing his belt without him getting suspicious about why I REALLY wanted a picture of him wearing his belt and Evan with his doo-rag! You will all just have to trust me that it is something to marvel at.

While we couldn't get the Guyana doo-rag on Evan while we were at CariWest, we did manage to get it on him at home. This picture doesn't really do it justice.



Yesterday, I carshed a birthday party at the McDonald's out in Sherwood Park. Incidently, it was the McDonald's I used to work at when I was 18. Boy had it changed. Since I worked there almost 12 years ago, they've added a Playland and even a fireplace in the middle of the store. When I was there - it was just a restaurant. Evna had a really good time crawling around the main floor of the Playland. All the other kids were really good about being careful around him.

Today, we didn't do much. Robert only worked half a day today. After he showered, we took off and got some lunch at Irie Foods. Robert got Ox tail and I got curry chicken with roti instead of rice and beans. I try to be pretty open minded about food. I will usually try something at least once before I write it off as 'yucky.' One day I will try a taste of ox tail - but today wasn't the day. As usual, Evan was being a little begger. Much to my surprise, he really enjoys curry chicken and potatoes and he LOVES roti. Go figure - the kid turns his nose up at BP's pizza bread but is more than willing to gobble up curry chicken and roti.

From the Mouths of Babes

I have to apologize for not having the promised pictures of the infamous belt. Unfortunatly, my batteries died before I could get a picture. It looks like we're going to Cariwest tomorrow - so I may still get the shot!

While waiting for the parade to pass by in front of us, we were sitting by a family with two young girls. One was about to start Grade 2 and the other was about to start kindergarten. They were absolutely in love with Evan. They played peek a boo with him, picked up his sippy cup when he dropped it and were helping us out with Evan.

All of a sudden the youngest says:

"He's brown and you're white. I don't get it"

hmmm...how do you explain this? It felt like everyone was staring at me, waiting for an answer. So, I knelt down to her level and said,

"You know how when you mix white paint and red paint, you get pink?"

Little girl nods.

"Well, it kind of works the same way when two people have a baby. Evan's daddy is darker than me - so our baby is a mixture of both our colours."

She seemed satisfied with that explanation. I was relieved to not have to explain any further.

Gripe

In the spirit of one of Dallas' recent posts, I too have a small gripe about grammar on Blogger.

Does it bother anyone else that Blogger is grammatically incorrect when you have one comment on your blog? It says 1 Comments - it should read 1 Comment. Does this not irritate anyone else?

PS - Don't tell Robert, but I can almost get Evan's hair into a little ponytail. One day, or night, when he isn't around I will do it, take a picture, and post it for your entertainment.

Come One, Come All!!!

So I am putting this out there for all of my friends. It is supposed to be a great weekend in terms of weather - not too hot, not too cool. This weekend is the Cariwest Festival.

We're heading down for the parade which is supposed to start at 12:30 pm. It begins on Jasper Avenue and 121 Street and heads down Jasper Avenue until 98 or 99 Street, where it turns towards Churchhill Square. I think Evan will really enjoy the music and the colourful costumes. Afterwards, there is food, entertainment and shopping in Churchhill Square.

If you would like to join us - let me know and we can arrange to meet up. Not only will you have the privilege of our company, you will also get to check out Robert's snazzy Guyana Belt. You do not want to miss seeing it!

Kisses for Daddy

 

Going Back

I finally emptied my camera and found some fabulous pictures of our visit to our friends Wendy and Dave a few weeks ago.

It was a very warm day, and we were invited to a BBQ and to enjoy their outdoor pool. Of course, my mom, dad and I jumped at the opportunity. Once we arrived, we didn't waste anytime getting in the water. Evan was still asleep in his car seat, so he slept by the pool while we swam. Once he woke up, we changed him and got him in the water.



After our first round of swimming, we settled down for a most tasty meal. We had BBQ burgers with all the fixings, salads and baked beans. I even indulged in a few wine sprtizers. All that swimming and eating must have been a lot for Evan and my dad, because after the meal, they settled themselves on the garden swing.



All in all - it was a great way to spend a scorching July afternoon.

Someone's smiling!

Today, I faxed in my intent to return to work. I had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I will miss spending my days with Evan. On the other, I look forward to being in the workforce again while my little boy makes new friends and plays all day.

Finding a daycare spot for Evan has been a somewhat stressful and trying experience. When I checked with one of my preferred daycares (Oliver Centre) I learned he was number 52 on their waiting list! I put him on that waiting list when he was less than a month old. I guess downtown daycares are hard to come by.

Today, I took advantage of the fact the Robert wasn't working and took off to visit some of the daycares in the area. Well, I didn't have to go very far. Right behind his pediatrician's office is Millwoods KinderKare - the first visit of the day. The assistant director gave me a tour of their beautiful facility, explained their philosophies and showed me their programming. We went to check with the Director to see if there were any openings for September. I sure wasn't holding my breath. As it turns out, one of the infants is turning 18-months in September and 'graduating' to the next level. I couldn't believe it! I felt as good about this daycare as I did about Oliver and I was being told that a spot would be available for the beginning of September.

I filled out all of the paperwork and left a deposit. I think I asked the Director twice "So...I have a spot?"

I guess I was in the right place at the right time.

Now if only that luck would appear for me on the job front.

I Was Stalked!

This afternoon, Evan and I ventured out on a walk to explore our new neighbourhood and pick up some supplies. We headed over to Millbourne Mall. As I was hunting in the aisles of Shoppers Drug Mart, I came across this older asian woman who was wearing flip-flops...and walking very badly in them. To the point that it was annoying,

So, I pay for my things and begin to head over to Safeway. Who should happen to be walking along side me towards the Safeay? Yep - the flip-flop lady! I then headed to Macs for a drink and some bus tickets. I head to the bus stop, and moments later, guess who shows up at the very same bus stop? YES!!!! The lady who cannot walk while wearing flip-flops! I couldn't believe it.

On another note - I also stopped in to make Evan's appointment for his 1 year immunizations. Apparently, Evan cannot have the shots a day or two before he is 1. He must be EXACTLY 365 days old or older otherwise he would have to come in for a second round of shots.

Whatever.

Fortunately, the Millwoods Health Clinic has evening appointments. So Evan will be getting his shots when he is 376 days old.

Full version of Omletteville - I'm a geek

After much searching, I found the full version of the Justin Timberlake of Omletteville.

I dedicate this to Dallas and Jenn - we sure 'cracked' up when we saw this skit!

bring it on in ta Omletteville: Justin Timberlake at his finest!

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Finally!

So after much preparation, a lot of cleaning, and a very long day - we are finally in our townhouse. We still have some minor cleaning to do at the downtown apartment, but tonight - we're spending the night in our new home.

My dear dear friend D. took my sweet boy off my hands so that I could get some work done. My mom and I worked really hard to get the place set up and mostly unpacked. Once I have everything in its place - I will post pictures of our new home.

I'm just going to kick back, wait for my pizza and have a long hot bath. Later tonight, I will enjoy my first night in a grown-ups only bedroom.

Jenn & Dallas will appreciate this!

Although I am certain others will find this funny - Jenn and Dallas will truly appreciate this video. I just wish I could find the full length version.

Blog Abandonment

Woops - it's been over a week since I have updated my blog. I'm starting to think that Blogs should have a poke feature, kind of like on Facebook. It would serve as a reminder that people are checking in and want something new to read. How mortifying would it be if no one ever 'poked' you via your blog?

Last week, Evan and I went camping with Dallas and Paige. We went on Wednesday and left Friday night. I guess Dallas wanted to sleep with her husband and not me. Although, between you and me - you did proposition me the first night...Brokeback style.

Anyway, the kids had fun together and I enjoyed the reprieve from packing.

Ever since we've been back, I've been working my butt off trying to pack up the apartment. I've been extremely fortunate to have my mom (gladly) take Evan in the mornings while I pack. We spend our afternoons and overnights at my parents' airconditioned condo. As I type this, my apartment is 34 degrees and climbing!!

This time next week - I will be blogging from a spacious, and probably slightly chaotic, two-bedroom townhouse in Millwoods. This move is a little bittersweet. Downtown has been my 'hood for over 5 years now. I love the building I am in and I love the neighbourhood. At the same time - I NEED more space for Evan. I NEED more space for me.

I look forward to everyone coming over to check out my new home. Heck - I may even be able to entertain my friends.

Here's a picture I took right before Evan and I left the campsite. It's one of my favourites of Mister E with Auntie D (I hope she doesn't mind me posting).

Okay

Okay so now that in previous posts we have confirmed who Evan's parents are (by comparing baby photos), we can move on. But I still think Evan bears a far stronger resemblance to Robert than he does to me. I agree that he has my smile...and my large hands.

Over the past week, we have been pretty busy. On Saturday, I anxiously and patiently awaited the news that the tenant in the townhouse we were trying to rent had moved out as planned - or rather ordered to by the management company. I was so happy and relieved to hear that he had moved out and we are able to move in pretty much any time we want. I quickly drew up my notice and delivered it to my building manager. I'm really going to miss the area and the building. I am really going to miss our building manager. She followed her gut and took a chance on me because she liked me right away and appreciated my honesty. Although I'm sure she tells everyone their her best tenant - a small part of me believes that we are her very best!

We started Canada Day off by attending the pancake breakfast at Oliver Park. It gave me an opportunity to clean out my cupboards for a donation to the Food Bank and I also got to meet up with my co-workers. Later that night, we took Evan to see his very first fireworks. We headed down 121 Street to the River Valley Promenade - the one that runs from 116 St to 121 St above the Victoria Park and Golf Course. I certainly didn't expect it to be such a wonderful spot to view the fireworks. We were far enough away that the noise didn't frighten Evan - but still close enough that he was mesmerized by the show. He was his usual charming self with everyone around us. In fact, they were all checking to see how he was reacting to the fireworks.



The remainder of our week has consisted of finishing my class, packing, and visiting with family. More posts and pictures to come.

Just like his Daddy?

So Robert managed to get a baby picture from his mom - although she can't really remember how old he was in this picture. I'm seeing a lot of similarities. What do you think?

Bathtime Buddies!

Last night, Evan and I spent the night playing with our dear friends Dallas and Paige. After a very yummy dinner - that even Evan gobbled up - we decided to give the kids a bath together. For a few weeks now, Evan has been able to sit independantly in the bath tub - so we thought it would be fun. We tried giving them shampoo mohawks - but both Evan and Paige's hair is too curly! So they were more like wavey mohawks - but cute nonetheless.



Afterwards, they spent several minutes playing together and giggling up a storm. We spent several minutes laughing at our children playing together. What a fun night!

Auntie Jodi and Uncle Craig

My brother and his wife say they don't want to have kids - but I can see them having children when they are in their early to mid-thirties. Looking at these pictures - I think they will be great parents. They're already pretty good at being Evan's Aunt and Uncle.

I think this is one of my favourite pictures of Jodi and Evan.

Evan didn't pee on his Uncle - that's just water from their fountain.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

This commercial just makes me laugh!

Seriously?!

Well, I wasn't feeling great during the earlier part of the week - but was feeling much better for our regular get together with Carrie and Lily for Stars & Strollers. Shortly after getting home, my voice started to go. When I wake up this morning, it is gone!!!

I call Robert to let him know I am going to see a doctor. I then call my dad to let him know, and he offers to come watch Evan while I take the car to the Medicentre. Sweet!!!

I have viral laryngitis and there is nothing I can do about it but drink lots of fluids and rest my voice. For the girl who consistently got the "talks too much and disturbs others in class" comment on her report card - this has been quite difficult. While I am glad that I did not have to pick up any prescriptions - it sucks that I just have to 'wait this out.' I guess until I get a reasonable speaking voice - my means of communication will be via e-mail or this blog.

Other than having no voice, I feel perfectly normal.

While I was in the waiting room, I was able to begin reading a new book I picked up that will hopefully help me with getting Evan to fall asleep on his own. The book is called 'The No-Cry Sleep Solution' by Elizabeth Pantley. I'll give it a try and hopefully it works out for us. It was nice to be able to concentrate and focus on the book without having to manage Evan.

Otherwise - we had a pretty quiet day. Here are a couple of pictures I have taken in the last while. The one of Evan and I isn't the greatest - but I like it. The other is one I took before his bath tonight.

Finally!

Okay - so I finally found a baby picture of myself. I wanted to see one so that I could see if Evan bears any resemblance to me. There's not date on this picture, but I figure I was somewhere between 6 & 10 months old.

I think Evan got my eye shape - and Robert's eye colour (of course). What do you think?

I'll Shut Up Now AKA - I will eat my words

So I was chatting with my friend Carrie last night and we were talking about her latest blog entry - how Lily pulled herself into standing while in her crib. I told her that must be so exciting and (I quote) - "I'm so glad Evan can't quite reach the top of his playpen to pull himself up"

Today, while Robert and I were napping, I came out to check on Evan in his play pen. He was being unusually quiet and I thought he might have fallen asleep. Nope - there he was...holding onto the edge of his playpen, standing and watching his Baby Einstein DVD.

Yesterday, we had Evan's 9-month check-up. I am so happy to say that he now weighs 17 pounds and 12 ounces. I was so excited about his weight gain that I didn't hear how tall he is. I have been a little anxious about Evan's growth and whether or not he's eating enough. Evan got the A-OK and his Dr. answered all my questions. Apparently, putting my SPF 45 sunscreen is a little much for Evan. His doctor said an SPF 15 would be fine.

Man I'm white!

It's official!

Well, it is official. I am melting. This heat is absolutely horrible. During the late afternoon and early evening, my apartment is almost unbearable. Tonight, I thought I would try and escape the heat by going outside for walk. Wrong! It was just as hot outside as it was in my apartment. We did have a nice walk though. Half-way through our walk, I bought myself a huge slurpee!!

Yesterday, my Aunt Wendy came over to drop off an extra playpen (that will eventually go to my parents' condo) and a baby gate (which blocks the entry to my bedroom and allows me to keep my door open and the air circulating.) We headed down to Whyte Avenue to drop off her car for some maintenance. While her car was being worked on, we went for a very tasty lunch at Chili's. Afterwards, we cruised around the Farmer's Market. We had a really nice visit and it was nice to catch up with her.

Today, we had our usual swimming lessons but with a different teacher that Evan LOVED!!!!!! Afterwards, we did some grocery shopping and spent some time playing together.

Tomorrow, we have Evan's 9-month appointment. I am really curious to see how much he weighs. Last time I had him weighed (8 months), he was at 16 lbs 7 oz. Hopefully he is a little closer to 18 lbs.

Here's a sweet picture of my boy at 9 months old.

So, our day began somewhat strangely. Every other Wednesday, we met up with Carrie and Lily on the #1 Bus to attend Stars and Strollers at WEM. Through some kind of bizaar scheduling snafu, Carrie and Lily wound up on the early bus and didn't figure it out until their bus came to my stop and Evan and I weren't there.

This left me to my own devices to deal with the crazies on my bus - including a young man who thought I should name my next son Stephenson and nickname him Steps.

As we were waiting in line to pay for our movie tickets, I noticed there was an older gentleman with, who I assume has the misfortune of being his wife, standing off to the side of the line. They were looking up, reading the movie times - so I wasn't sure if they were in line. Since it was almost my turn, I asked the man if he was waiting in line. He rudely told me "Of course, you saw me walk up here." I replied "Well, I didn't know if you were in line or just looking at the movie times." He repeated himself to me and may have even said something about ME being rude. I just said that it would have been rude of me not to ask and that he should relax.

After that - our day got better. We saw Spider Man 3 and there were only two other moms in the theatre. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie - and Evan, bless his timing, saw it fit to babble and giggle during a rather emotional funeral scene. That's my boy.

Afterwards, I exchanged a nursing shirt that had majorly pilled after 1 wash and 2 wears. Fortunately, the lady at Thyme Maternity let me do an exchange without a receipt. I scored a nice sleeveless black nursing shirt. Given the scorching temperatures we are expecting this weekend - I should be able to get some good use out of it.

On the way home, Evan fought off a nap...but not for long. Once I laid him back, he was out until almost 7 pm.

What started out so strangely ended so nicely.

Yoga Pose?

So...what would you call this yoga pose?



In case you were wondering, it took Evan a little while to figure out how to get out of this position.

My little Music Fan

I don't have much to say except that I got 75.5% on my Health Studies mid term.
Here are some pictures of my little music fan - courtesy of Dallas:

Snoop Dogg Fan?

Future Guitarist?

Guilty!

So, I am totally guilty of not updating my blog nearly enough.

I have been busy though. In a matter of days, my sweet little boy went from sitting nicely and playing to zipping around the apartment getting into EVERYTHING!!! Needless to say, when Evan is awake - and I'm not feeding him - I am usually chasing him around the apartment. I just can't believe he started crawling so quickly. One Sunday, while I was in the kitchen, Robert called out to me the Evan was crawling. I didn't believe him. Well, Evan is crawling and I am a believer.

Last Friday, we went to Dallas and Darren's for a birthday BBQ for Dallas' birthday. We were pleasantly surprised by a fun game concocted by Erin - and even more surprised by the gift the group gave us. I can't wait to use it!

On Mother's Day, Robert made me a nice breakfast and gave me a sweet card from Evan. I also got a nice bouquet of flowers, but I had already packed up all my vases. All three of us went to swimming lessons that day - since it was family week. For a while there, it looked like Robert, Evan and I were going to be the only ones in class that day. Thank goodness four other families showed up, otherwise the poor instructor would have had to endure our singing voices.

On Wednesday, we met up with Carrie and Lily for our Stars and Strollers date. It was supposed to be a hot day, so I was happy to be in an air conditioned mall. After our movie, we hit the new store in WEM, H&M. That store is pure evil. I found, and bought, the cutest swimming trunks for Evan. I also bought, from Children's Place, a cute pair of orange flip-flops.

Tomorrow, my dad flies back to Victoria - but not before we go for some breakfast at Brewster's.

Turning 30!

So today, I entered a new decade. To be honest, I am quite excited about it. While life isn't turning out quite how I expected - it is still pretty good.

First some reminiscing - Ten Years ago:

• I was dating Tyron and he was about to be shipped off to Bosnia.
• I was finishing my second year of University in hopes of become a speech pathologist.
• My friends and their boyfriends were starting to move in together.
• I was working at the Body Shop - and I met my dear friend Carrie. Who knew back then we'd be friends today.
• I was preparing for my Grade 10 Piano Exam - oh how I remember the stress and the pressure.

Anyway - moving on to present day.

Today, Robert wasn't working, so he came over and made me a birthday breakfast. Okay - so it was the breakfast we usually have...but HE made it.

This afternoon, my mom and I went shopping for a desperately needed new bathing suit. I had wonderful dinner with my parents and some close family friends. We had flank steak, some grilled and steamed veggies. We topped it all off with ice cream from the Italian Market.

By far the best party of my day was when this afternoon, Robert called me to let me know that he thinks I'm a great Mom to Evan and a great girlfriend to him. Who needs birthday gifts when you get compliments like that. I will definitely go to bed with a smile on my face tonight.

Eagerly Waiting

Evan is eagerly waiting for certain people to update their blogs...ahem Dallas and Jenn!!!!!