our babe - almost 6 months old!

Eek! Hendrik will be six months old tomorrow! I really have quite a bit that I could blog about (including how ridiculous some of those Home Hardware gadgets are - distracted by a commercial... bah) but it's almost 10:00 on Friday night and all I really want to do is get in bed. Is this sad and pathetic? Maybe just a bit. But er, well, I'll just pretend that I'm saving up my sleep for next weekend - my two youngest sisters, Karin and Claire, are coming to visit and there'll be no time for bed early bailouts then! So, just a few things that I must get down before they fade and I forget that I haven't talked about them. First, me; it looks like I'm going to be directing a summer program for Region 6 Volleyball. Plans are in the works, and I think I will be the head honcho - with a baby in tow. The planning and prep should be no problem (should), but the days in the gym might be a bit difficult BUT... we'll see. We'll plan and prepare (wait, I mean I will) and hope for the best. The program will be running in August and Poppa Steve will be in Europe with the team, so it really will be just the two of us. And then, afterwards, I hope that we'll be able to head out to Vancouver for a solid little chunk of time. In the works - it's all in the works. And other than that, life for me has been pretty much the same-old same-old... being a mom is a full. time. job! Hendrik and I made it out to a few mommy play group type things, and I really enjoy it - since I still don't really have any friends with kids around Hendrik's age (ak! 6 months!), it's good for him and good for me to go to these things. Moms chat and say be gentle as kiddies explore and roll and crawl around and bat other kids in the head - too funny. Ooh, we did make it to Ikea and Michaels (and a play group - all in one day!) and yup, I got a few things crossed off the list: return shelves and get new ones (hopefully pics of those coming soon - they won't sit around collecting dust for 6 weeks like the last ones did), buy canvases for art projects (AND use coupons for ridiculously good deals - woot!) and hmmm... buy Swedish Fish for my cousin Duncan. I was able to cruise around these mega-stores with Hendrik all bundled in the Ergobaby, and carried shelves and then huge canvases out under and over head - I felt like such a mom, making it happen with a baby attached here and massive this and massive that protruding all over the place. Anyways, yup. Also - Ikea is such a good place for momservation (I'm such a dork! that word just occurred to me); there were so many other moms in there with their kids, and while I sat in the resto feeding Hendrik and picking at my lunch, I watched how moms fed and managed kids at future ages and stages, with brothers and sisters around too. It's a good place to observe and meet and chat with other moms; and there you have it, my momservation.

All ready for some food!

Mmmmm yam puree - easiest ever to make!

He made a bit of a funny face after the first few bites (sort of captured here) - cute!

Hendrik updates are, for now, these: he ate a small bowl of sweet potatoes today and seemed to like it; mouth open for more after puh-lenty. He is getting his belly up off of the floor now and then and even did a semi-plank type thing this afternoon - wowing me and Steve. I'm sure there's more, but this got long pretty quickly here and I'm fading. Sooooooo... bed time!

time and onesies

Blogging was at the top of my to-do list yesterday, but by the time the afternoon rolled around I was too tired - too tired! So here I am trying to get one down today. Hendrik slept for almost 11 hours last night; how amazing is that?! The night before was next to sleepless but he was not to blame; it was one of those nights where the machine upstairs wouldn't shut down, and the baby-care thoughts and creative design projects and house deco ideas just swirled and swooshed and wouldn't stop flowing. A friend of mine introduced me to Young House Love, a design and life adventure (? sure!) blog that is amaaaazing. We are going to try to do this mini art project for one of the many empty wall spaces around the apt. We're thinking our room needs some colour - the walls are white and the only pictures we have up are black and white too... boring! I also came across a site (Spoonflower) where you can design and order your own custom fabric - ! There are soooo many neat designs and ideas, and, well sheesh! No wonder the brain wouldn't shut down. It was inundated with ideas and ideas and more ideas. Also, I'd been on a bit of a baby question kick: are we feeding him enough? How do we mesh the breastfeeding with the new solid foods? Feed at the same time? Or at meal times? Or when?! I know I know I know - there are so many different ways to do it, but it would be great if there was a more definitive guideline somewhere, especially one that fit with the vague idea of what we want/what would be easiest for us. And what would that be you ask? Hm, I'm not sure. Anyways! He had a dreamy sleep last night, and the entire family woke feeling rested and cheery at 7:30 this morning... love it!

What's better than one Hendrik in an adorable tiger onesie? Two Hendriks!

And so, our little Hendrik will be 6 months old in... four days (I had to check the date) - which is crazy and unbelievable and incredible. A friend of mine whose daughter is a few months older than our bean posted something like this on facebook this morning: Is losing her baby; how do I make it stop? I'm not quite there yet, but really - how to slow down time? This may be the number one comment we get from other parents, the how fast time goes thing; one minute he's a wee babe and then before you know it he'll be taking the keys to your car (and blowing the transmission, or some such thing). I came across the loveliest poem - lovely and sad too - on my cousin's wife's blog, Ericandles; they have three beautiful children, and seeing them grow up - grow in and through and past stages and ages - is what we have coming. But this poem, from Amy Turn Sharp applies to us all, no? It makes me want to wrap up each and every moment I have with everyone in my life and keep it present forever.

Someday We Won't Remember This

what do you really remember
about being this little kid
photographs and smells
and the stories
little myths
that the big ones tell us until they become
deep grooves across our cortex

but the tiny days of a 4 years old
there is a sadness in this age
if you think too long
about him not recalling
all this
and that
and this particular day in the Spring
of a year
when the stars all aligned
and we talked like people
in love
and in sync
and yes you lived inside of me once
and yes the world is so big
and inside of your eyes like fire
bursting out to me
I am warmed by this moment
music dumped into the background
I teach you about Lindsey Buckingham and we eat biscuits
and I am as important as Copernicus to you
I make sense of everything for you
I tell you that yes we revolve around the sun

but only so many times

and we only remember

so many of them

hendrik leaves his mark!

Mr Adorable leaves his mark! That's right folks, Hendrik gave me a hicky, and he feels good about it (see pic above). He's been very cute and kissy and that plus a solid face grab equals a big purple mark on the side of my face - endearing! He looks like a little tubber in this picture... and the mohawk? Man, what a cutie.

Anyways, so this has to be a quick one - mostly pics. We started solids two days ago (he's been watching us eat with silent eyes that scream give me some too give me some I want some - so we figured it's time) and so far so good; there's lots of dribble and drool, and I'm sure that he ends up wearing half of what we make, but I think he likes it. We'll keep on keeping on with the rice cereal and try something else next week? Sure. I have more to write about, but time is up... some photos!

amazing...

This could be my all time favourite shot of our little man - is it not amazing? Look at his little hands and his cute little nose, and the light and the lines... nice work camera man Steve, nice work. Here's a question before I start into things: why is it that you sometimes feel more tired after a longer, deeper sleep? I had an amazing sleep last night - close to 9 hours - but this morning, even after a solid cuppa joe, I am tired. Sure, nursing mother, blah blah blah, but really - waking up and feeling rested is the best... not to happen aujourd'hui. I feel like getting back into (or onto) bed and foregoing the workout and blog and finishing my book, Alan Bradley's A Red Herring Without Mustard. I think I liked the first Flavia story better, but this one is pretty good too. There's nothing like a good book in bed on a cloudy day. :)

I learned a thing or two about robins this weekend, after this, at the Brinkman's:


There are two nests perched on the front and side of their garage, and over the weekend, the small blue eggs went from A to B, and we saw it happen - !! Well, okay, we didn't see it all, but I did actually see a body pressing up and a beak pressing through the shell... amazing. I felt a little invasive (sorry mama bird!), but we climbed up the ladder for a few peaks before leaving the nest in peace. It was very neat to see such teeny babies and their complete dependence on mom - for food, protection, warmth - and love? Hmmm, I wonder. I wondered too, where was poppa bird? Did he hang around to do anything? There was some speculation that he might stick around to find food, but we had to look things up for confirmation; it appears that papa-robins do hang out and provide protection to the brood, swooping and dive bombing if predators or threatening human ladder climbers get too close. We experienced nothing of the sort (thankfully), but maybe poppa-bird saw us with our baby bird and decided that we were just coming on over for a visit. (Sure, fine - unlikely.) Some other robin facts: female robins have just one ovary, and normally lay three to five eggs, two to three times per breeding season (April-June); eggs hatch after 14 (ish) days, and chicks leave the nest 14 days (or so) later. A new nest is built for each brood, and momma bird sleeps there with her babes while poppa stays away - apparently predators keep a closer eye on him. Mom only leaves to gather food (worms, berries and insects), and so spends most of her time feeding and keeping the little ones warm at home - sounds familiar!

My baby bird and his dad ;)

We spent the weekend in Bowmanville - and how I wish we could just drive to visit my parents too! But they're coming to visit next month, and I'm trying to figure out when we can make the trip out west... hopefully soon-ish, and for a good chunk of time. Anyways, we had a great time visiting with family and, as usual, spent most of our time eating eating eating. There was such good food, and a few delish family dinners and fun get-togethers. On Friday night we went over to Pam and Bob's and hung out with a good gang of people, including Paul and Steph who were down from Iqaluit, just weeks (4?) before they're due to have a baby bird of their own - exciting! There were cake balls (AMAZING) and goodies galore, and I managed to have not one but two drinks (waaaatch out!) before I had to cut myself off... I am in no shape for booze-drinks, and felt the effects the next day. It was nothing major, but two drinks over four or five hours - really?! But then again, the last time I had more than one alcoholic beverage was over a year ago, in the land of the rising sun. It just makes me realize how toxic alcohol can be... yuk. And before our little one wakes from his morning nap, I'm going to try to get some Flavia in; here are a few more pics from the weekend... :)

rolls!

This has got to be a quick one - I have a full to-do list and a sunny day tempting me outside. My first mother's day was wonderful; I awoke to two of my favourite guys and a slow and easy morning - hurray. Steve had practice in the afternoon so Hendrik and I cruised on over to Zella's where we (Zella, Elpeth, Duncan and I) enjoyed/wolfed down some of the most delicious cake I've ever eaten (a basic white cake with fluffy lemony icing... mmmm) and Hendrik enjoyed looking at and licking chair slats and placemats. The three dames took a stroll to a cozy, picturesque nook of the Rockeries before paying a visit to the cemetery with flowers for Zella's mom, my Grandma Edith. It was a beautiful day, and I spent it with some wonderful people; thumbs up to my first day as a momsy.

And I finally went for a run yesterday - finally! Working out has somehow dropped to the bottom of my priority list, and I need to get it back up somewhere near the top. The run itself was so-so... it was more of a slow jog and the cardio workout I was hoping for just didn't happen; I was smart and took it slow (boooooring), and my knees felt pretty good. I have to listen to my body and take it slow - even though I really just want to run fast and long - like some of those runs with the Tokyo ladies last year. AND - get this - I even made it out the door in the face of full on cookie temptation - !!!! Husband Steve made (I'm about to sound really repetitive) some of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever eaten. (GLUTTON!) A Joy of Cooking original, these choco-chip walnut cookies were delicious, and I made it out the door even with a taunting cookie-chomping man waving cookie-goodness in my face. I guess that was payback for my back seat cookie driving (says Steve) - but I was just trying to help! For example: no, you don't need to mix the baking soda and flour together first, and the yellow spatula might be better for mixing (helpful, no?). I didn't take any pictures because as soon as Steve left for the gym I ate two and then stuffed the rest in a bag and threw them in them in the freezer before a full on eat-them-all attack. Delicious.

ready to climb right off the change table - watch out!

a frog and a pastry brush? unlikely friends :)

mr cuteness interested in the camera

sunday updates - and happy mother's day!!!!

Happy Mother's Day! It's just the beginning here for me, but looking down the long and wonderful road ahead, I see more now, with our bean sprout on my hip: the rewards and challenges, the hills and valleys, the plateaus and wonderful views, the tough uphill slogs and the wheeee! downhill slopes. It's almost like looking at a map - there are loads of roads and possibilities, and now that I'm (just starting out) on the journey myself, I appreciate those who have gone before me that much more. So yay moms - I raise my glass (of water) to you!

OOph! So the little man rolled over! I was out doing errands and missed it - but then again, so did his father. Steve put him down for a nap and after a bit of fuss fuss fuss (normal), he calmed down into a quiet slumber (semi-normal). When Steve went in to check on him, this:


He'd rolled right over and turned himself around and fallen asleep (!!). He's rolling around more and more, though still doesn't really know what to do when he he gets where he's going (/rolling). I don't think he'll be completely happy about what his little bod can do until it's up and running; when he's upright and on his feet, the little legs start firing and the smiles aren't far behind. Anyways! Those are the Hendrik updates - he's rolling, cooing, gooing and ? We're thinking that he's ready to start solids any day now, and we have rice cereal and sweet potato ready to go. There is sooooo much conflicting information out there - start with this! NEVER start with that! don't give this until 7 months! Ugh. I went to strollercize on Friday and half-walked half-ran (yay) with a woman who was adamant that carrots were a major no-no before 8 months... huh? Ugh. Anyways, instincts with a bit of guidance sounds like the right mix to me. If it's not going to work, Hendrik will let us know. That being said, of course I'm aware that there are some no-nos and yes, we'll stay away from those. What, you mean I can't just feed him a slider? Or a drumstick? 'Nuff said.

We went out to Mooney's Bay yesterday - Ottawa's beachy oasis - for the first day of b-e-a-c-h volleyball, woohoo! "This is way nicer than Kits" says Steve as we arrive. Yeah, totally. We met up with some girls from the women's league team that I subbed for, and four of us played a few sets in the sun and wind before I called it a day - Hendrik and babysitter dad were getting bored and hungry, the both of them. It was a good start to a good day: sun and beach action, then home for lunch, a nap and off we went once again, to James and Jordynn's for dinner and backyard fun. And that brings us to today - a Sunday that feels like a Monday. Steve has puh-ractice today - tryouts! No, the most senior of the seniors (that makes him sound downright old) is helping out with the young-guns; maybe it's B team tryouts this week? I forget. Anyways, he's in the gym all day and Hendrik and I too, will be in the gym. There are only two more practices before the U17 team that I'm helping out with heads west to nationals, and Hendrik gets to tag along this afternoon. Do I bring the carrier? Or hand him off to the parents... I'm not sure yet. So, I should get some stuff done around here before my eyes fall out of my head and swim right into the computer screen. Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms... you are wonderful!!!!!!!!

CUTE baby sounds :)

I just had to add this - the past few days have seen him find his voice a bit... so cute!

press pause

If only I could just add an hour or so to each day, pressing pause at 9:00 and resuming things an hour later, at 9:00. I'm thinking I'd use this time to blog but hm, maybe I wouldn't. Maybe I'd read or go for a run (YES, I'd go for a run) or sheesh, I don't know what I'd do. BUT, I do need to blog more often, b/c things are going down and going by, and before you know it I'll have so much to write about that everything might just log jam and then never happen. SO... since the last blog, this: I have my husband home! I chaperoned Hendrik on his first two shifts as a volunteer (CN Cycle for CHEO), and meh, I finally got my hair cut. The first two events are/were great-fantastic-hurray, but the last one - the haircut - was a major disappointment. The colour is barely noticeable, and the cut is totally bleh; plus the stylist (pffff) put so much product in my hair that I had to come home and take a shower - !! Sooooo, since, a mon avis, it resembles a muffin top, I'm going to go back on Friday (hopefully) and get it fixed. I hope. But really, how disappointing! I was all excited to go out and have an afternoon to myself, wearing clothes totally unsuitable for breastfeeding, and then ugh, I have to rush home to take a shower and lament the meatloaf-esque mop that is my new hairdo. At least my two favourite guys were home, ready and willing to cheer me up. Yay. I have more things to say but the list (I love lists) is long and the clock is running so I'd best be on my way. Pics, and hopefully soon, another blog. :)