Another Spin Around the Sun

I am a bad blogger. It has been over a year since my last post. Will is now one and running. Medea is a threenager and becoming quite the character. Much has changed yet much is still the same. Knee-deep in fall, we are missing summer, but savouring these mild autumn days. Many leaves have been collected and jumped in, with more to yet enjoy. Breathe in deep these crisp days of orange and yellow, before they turn to gray and white.

Gratitude

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~ JFK 

After a weekend full of family and good food, I am stopping by to wish you all a happy thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for!!

Welcome Little Prince

William Harry was born at 1:27 am on August 29th, weighing 6 lbs 14 ozs and sporting a thick head of dark hair. I can hardly believe he's finally here!!

A "Good" Baby

Tomorrow is my due date, and since there is no baby here yet, I've been ruminating on life with a newborn. It has been almost two years since I've taken care of a newborn. I'm not too worried about picking it all up again, even if this baby is completely different than Medea. In fact, I hope some things about this baby are completely different than Medea. Gotta mix it up a bit, ya know?
But as I'm waiting impatiently, I hear other new moms being asked how their babies are sleeping, or eating, or if they are on a schedule or whatnot. Generally, do they have a "good" baby? Well, what is a "good" baby? If my baby sleeps for 20 minutes at a time every two hours, does that make him or her a "good" baby or a "bad" baby? What if the baby has colic? Does that make the baby bad? What do I do with a "bad" baby?
I wish people would stop asking new moms if they have a "good" baby. All it does is add to the stress and worry that maybe they aren't doing something right, or they aren't doing the best they can. I don't think there is such a thing as a "good" baby. Babies are babies. They are tiny, adorable humans whose brains are not fully cooked yet, and as such, rely on us to meet their every need, and their only means of communication is a series of screams, wails, cries, coos and other throaty noises. So next time you see a mom with a new baby, don't ask how the baby is sleeping, or eating, or if they are generally a "good" baby. Just ask how things are going, and let it go from there.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Raising a child is an exercise in patience and perseverance. Raising a toddler takes this test to a whole new level. One day you spend the whole time thinking, "Man, my kid is a freakin' genius! I must call Mensa!", and the next day, you're huddled in a corner, rocking back and forth, just praying for escape as you are being screamed at by a very short, angry human whose language you suddenly do not understand. I know the cliche is just to take it day by day, but I must say, that it is very difficult to remember that some days. A big challenge is when you try something new, hoping to reach a new milestone, and you soon realize that your child may not be as ready as you thought. These things are not setbacks, and going back to what you were doing is not a step back. But sometimes it is easy to see them as failures because, as parents, I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to do everything "right" because what parent doesn't want to see their child succeed? Society places so much emphasis on the success of the individual and some of the people to feel it most are parents--it is their responsibility to raise motivated, useful and intelligent members of society, and you can see this in magazines, on  TV and all over the internet. I think it is important for us, as parents, to not always take this responsibility so seriously because it can may you crazy from the pressure. Every kid has their own timeline and do things at their own pace, and just because they aren't quite ready for something doesn't mean you've failed in some way. It just means you get to try again later. Besides, every experienced parent will tell you--enjoy every moment because it goes by too quickly and you can't get those moments back. 

Sometimes Life is Like That

There are some days when everything goes smoothly and some days when I feel like I accomplish nothing. With little S2 on the way, my to-do list seems to be like the population of China walking by (the rate of population growth is such that the line would never end)...my mom sent me a blog post that quoted the last two lines of a poem and it made me realize how quickly time flies. My little baby is rapidly growing in to a little girl before my eyes. They are only little once, and I have to remind myself that the to-do list is not as important as making memories and cherishing moments. Easier said than done some days.

What the What?

Christopher Moore is doing a signing at Indigo South Common on April 25th. Who's going with me??

Conclusion of March Photo-a-Day

 I completed the challenge. While I enjoyed the daily themes, life just gets so busy, and I would rather take photos at my leisure than feel stressed to get a photo with a specific theme taken each day. Maybe I will try again in a few months, but for now I will leave you with these. Happy April, friends!

Photo Catch Up!

I have been taking my photos but have not had time to post them until now, so here they are! (Note that on day 14 I took two photos because I didn't get day 13 done on the 13th.)

March Photo-a-Days

March Photo-a-Day #4: Bedside

Medea's bedside

March Photo-a-Day #3: My Neighbourhood

One of the many parks with a playground near our place.

March Photo-a-Day #2: Fruit

March Photo-a-Day #1: Up

Today a friend and I went to the art gallery. 

Leap Day

I stand here on the brink of March and have decided to embark on a mini photo challenge. Rather than a daunting 365 days of photos, this is just one month. And each day has a theme. I think it will be fun.

Farewell, 2011

Christmas has come and gone. A surprise visit home from my sister who has been in Africa for the last six months was the best present ever. We spent our holiday with family and friends and it was wonderful. 2011 has been good to us. We watched Medea grow and change, moved to a new home, and have made many wonderful memories. I am so excited to see what 2012 has in store for us!! Happy New Year all. May this year be the best one yet.

Project Fail

I had high hopes for my Project 365 photos. Take a photo a day? Not a big deal, with three cameras around, including a cell phone. Jump forward many many photos later, and I am now two months behind in uploading said photos. I have taken my daily photo, even if it required me to jump out of bed at 11:45pm to do it. I just couldn't find the time to upload these photos. And those three cameras that were to make it so easy? They actually made it much more difficult because I couldn't just pick the photos in sequence from a memory card--I had to search three different memory cards!

While I'm sort of annoyed with myself for having fallen so behind, at the same time, I have better things to do than upload millions of photos to flickr. Like unpack things in our new home, and tickle Medea until she laughs so hard she gets the hiccups. I hope to find time to upload the rest of my year...but we'll see.

Project 365 may not be completed, but I got pretty far. And have some great photos from it.

Onward to unpacking, settling in, and preparing for Christmas!

Moving.

The time has come for us to say goodbye to downtown living. Our apartment has a great location and killer view, but it is just too small for a growing family. We found a new place with three bedrooms, and an open basement with potential for a playroom or gaming den. Plus, it has a dishwasher and in-suite laundry.
Russ can take the train to work, and while it is a bit farther to Medea's day home, it will be a less insane drive.
We have been living downtown for ten years, and it will be hard to leave. There is something to be said for being able to walk to the grocery store, or High Street for shopping, but there is also something to be said for having room to breathe...

Jim Henson Was a Wise Man

"The attitude you have as a parent is what your kids will learn from more than what you tell them. They don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are."
~Jim Henson

Isn't it Obvious?

Interesting food for thought.  What talent are you downplaying right now?