Begin Again

In just a few short hours one of the best years of my life will come to a close. Tonight I plan on celebrating with friends the wonderful year I had and welcome - with gusto - the new year ahead.

When it comes to recalling some of my favourite times from 2010, I don't really know where to start. The year went so fast and mostly the days blur together as just time well spent with Brandon. But certainly there were people and events that stand out in my mind and I hope I will never forget them.

Early in 2010, my father-in-law Vincent came out for a visit. He spent two weeks with me and Brandon and I think it's fair to say that I connected with him on a new level of friendship. Lucky for me that I was able to reconnect with my friend later in the year when we took our first family vacation to New Brunswick. A busy yet memorable holiday where Brandon was able to visit the beach for the first time and celebrate his first Acadian Day with family.

As for my side of the family, I saw them more in 2010 than I ever had since living in Calgary. Given the distance and great expense, I was lucky to spend so much time with them.

In mid-February I had the fortune of meeting a wonderful group of women and their sweet babies. Little did I know then that this group of women would become my life line for motherhood. They were (and still are) willing to lend an ear to my problems, offer helpful mothering tips, provide encouragement and support, celebrate my successes and were always up for a laugh and some fun. Without them I know my year wouldn't have been as great as it was. I feel thankful for them and as we all head back into the workplace, it is my sincerest hope that we find a way to stay close. After all, our journey has only just started.

And as wonderful as my new friends are, nothing can compare to the time spent with old friends. People that "know all about you but like you anyways". The New Year will see some of our best friends begin new lives in far away places. 2010 will be a reminder of the good times we had and help us look forward to the day when we will see them again.

Without a doubt, 2010 was about being a family. It was about Jamie and me learning how to be parents; it about getting to know our new little addition and it was about learning how to operate as a family unit. I believe parenthood has changed us for the better. I think we always were a strong couple but now we've hit a whole new level in our relationship. We offer each other more support, patience and love then ever before. Jamie continues to be an amazing father, a loving husband and my very best friend.

But 2010 was nothing if it wasn't for Brandon. At any given time he is the source of all my joy, worry, hope, frustrations, dreams and anxieties. He can melt me with his smile and make my morning with his laugh. My days with him could have been trivial strolls in the park, monumental breakdowns at the mall or exciting adventures at the zoo. I never knew what kind of day it would be but as long as it was with my baby, that was all I needed. 2011 will bring big changes for me and Brandon (as he starts day care full time and I go back to work) but that's OK, life is all about change and we'll be fine.

So as we head into 2011 I feel grateful for my friends and family. I wish them all good fortune and good health. Here's to making new memories. Happy New Year!

Christmas 2010

Wow here we are with another Christmas come and gone. Now that it's a few days behind us, I can appreciate just how wonderful it was. Certainly the weeks leading up to Christmas were fun. Brandon's social schedule kept us busy all through December. And then there was all the baking, shopping, Christmas decorating and gift wrapping to do. Before we knew it the big day had arrived.

Brandon was up at his usual time ~ 7:00AM. We made coffee and Brandon enjoyed his last bottle (he's now strictly on sippy cups) while cuddling in bed with us. After finishing our respective beverages, we headed downstairs to see what Santa had left us in our stockings. Brandon had received some fun things like lego and toy cars but what he liked the most was a key chain I had received in my stocking. Oh well, I guess you never know what they're going to like!

After stockings we had a lovely breakfast and then Brandon was off for a nap. When he woke up we opened the rest of the gifts. Much like last year, Brandon was spoiled with clothes, toys and books. He was pretty overwhelmed by the whole thing and mostly continued to enjoy playing with my new key chain and some wrapping paper.

The late afternoon saw us heading over to the Finnigan's for Christmas dinner. Once again France out-did herself with a wonderful turkey feast. Brandon enjoyed his meal and, as always, he loved playing with Joseph and Julie. By 7:30PM he was ready for bed and so we made our way home.

It was so nice to spend the holiday with our little toddler. His love of food and pretty lights served to remind me that Christmas is not about the shopping or the gifts but rather about the time spent with family and friends. It's about recognizing how truly blessed we are and cherishing the ones we love the most. I know now that Christmas will never be the same for me again and that's a good thing :)

Musical Prodigy?

On Sunday Dec 12th, Brandon made his first public musical debut. And he didn't do it just anywhere - he did it at the Mount Royal Conservatory! Along with our "Baby and Me" class of six, we lined up on stage and preformed three songs: Bell Reindeer, Are you Sleeping? (once in English and then once in French) and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Mommy provided the vocals while Brandon accompanied me on the bells. He did a wonderful job and as parents, we couldn't be any prouder. In fact he did such a good job that I can't help but wonder if he's got a future on the stage. I guess only time will tell :)

13 Months Old Today!

My little baby is turning into a toddler - except that he can't walk yet. I'm actually surprised that he's not walking. He can furniture surf really well, he can practically run with his walker and he can stand on his own. The reality is that he doesn't seem that interested. I'm not too worried about it and his day home provider Linda seems to think he'll be walking by Christmas. I guess only time will tell!

Brandon continues to eat and sleep like a champ. He probably weighs about 21 lbs and he's very keen on feeding himself with his fork. He's down to one 2 hour nap per day and he continues to sleep about 11 hours at night.

Brandon is talking - well sort of. He's very good at repeating words but you never when he's going to say them and he never seems to repeat you when you're prompting him. I've already mentioned the he can say "Santa" but some others include "toast", "PJs", "red", "Linda" and even some french words like "oui" and "rouge". He has a word that means something to him though Jamie and I haven't been able to figure it out. Almost every morning when I pick him up out of his crib he says "dirsh". He can say "mama" so I know he's not talking about me. Sometimes I wonder if he's trying to say "Finch" but they're not really that close and so "dirsh" remains a bit of a mystery.

Something really cute that Brandon is trying to do on his own is wash himself in the bath tub. If you give him the soap, he'll scrub himself down. He's not very good at it but it sure is cute to watch him try. He can also clap, wave bye-bye and just recently, blow kisses.

One not-so-cute behaviour he's picked up is having melt downs when he doesn't get his way. I've heard this is just a part of growing up but sometimes I wonder what has possessed my normally happy boy as he lies screaming on the ground. Luckily these episodes seem short-lived and it's never long before he's back to being his happy little self again!

It's Starting to Look A Lot Like Christmas

'Tis the season for gingerbread, carols, trees and lights. With only 20 more sleeps until Christmas, Brandon has been very busy with holiday season social engagements. He's already been to see Santa - twice! I think it's fair to say that he didn't much care for the man in red. Though Santa was sufficiently jolly both times Brandon visited with him I think Brandon found him a little overwhelming. What Brandon did enjoy though was the lights at Calgary's Zoolights. All the twinkling lights and merry Christmas music caught his attention and made him smile. And today he helped Mommy and Daddy pick out the Christmas tree. Though the trees themselves weren't very exciting, the shop at the front of the nursery had plenty of trees decorated with lights, snow-globes and angels that moved their wings.

Next weekend Brandon has two Christmas parties (one which includes yet another rendez-vous with Santa) as well as his first Christmas concert! Brandon will be preforming on-stage at the Mount Royal Conservatory along with the other babies from his music class. I believe the piece is "Jingle Bells" accompanied by babies shaking bells. It should be fun!

P.S. - Brandon has learned how to say "Santa" :)

Snow Day

Today was a beautiful day and it was finally warm enough to put Brandon in his snowsuit and let him play outisde. Brandon has had a chance to look at a lot of snow in the past two weeks but it's been way to cold to let him enjoy it. Up until today, he's never touched snow or rolled in the white stuff.

With Christmas being right around the corner,we thought we'd put up the Xmas lights and take Brandon for a ride in his little sled. We dressed Brandon in his snowsuit, hat and mits and sent him out the front door. I think it's fair to say he wasn't a big fan of the snow. He seemed surprised to find it so cold and he didn't like wearing his mits. Being a good little helper though, he was determined to help Dad sort out the Christmas lights. Even with his mits on, he did a very good job of emptying the tub and pulling out the strings. He was very patient while we put the lights up but it wasn't long before we were done and took him for a sled ride.

I honestly thought he would enjoy the sled more than he did. Perhaps he was tired or cold but fun in the sled was short-lived so we quickly took him home. Once in the house he enjoyed a snack of cheese and crackers before retiring for his afternoon nap. It was a lot for a little boy to handle in one day so we'll try playing in the snow again soon.

And on a completely different note, Brandon got another tooth on Wednesday! He's up to lucky number 7 now ;)

No One Said it Would Be Easy

I started back to work part-time on Tuesday November 16th. The temperature had plummeted the night before to a chilly -16, thus marking the beginning of winter in Calgary. I bundled up my baby and myself, warmed up the car and drove him over to Linda's house. He waved "bye bye" with a smile and I jumped back in the car and made my way to the train station. I didn't feel sad like I thought I would. In fact I can honestly say that I did really well that first day. I went about my business and started to fit back into my job like I'd never left.

By my third day at work though, I really started missing my little guy. And not only did I miss him but I missed my life of leisure. I suppose leisure isn't the right word. Being a stay-at-home mom is a lot of work but I liked setting my own hours and having my own agenda. This really took me by surprise because I always enjoyed my job and working for living.

I understand now that my return to work is going to be a huge adjustment for me. It's going to take time to accept this new reality and to learn how to strike a balance between being a good mom and being a good employee. Wish me luck . . . I think I'm going to go buy a lotto ticket ;)

Party Time!

We celebrated Brandon's first birthday on Thursday November 11th. The party started at 1PM and our last guest left around 6PM. We were lucky enough to have lots of friends come out to help us celebrate. Brandon was spoiled with some really great gifts like new clothes, books and toys. Overall, I think he had a really good time. He enjoyed playing with his friends and he LOVED his first bite of chocolate cake. He did retire for a 1 hour nap around 4PM but that was good because he was ready to go again as soon as he woke up. I really hope next years party will be a bit smaller but I'm glad we had so many friends join us this year. After all you only get one first birthday so you might as well make it a big one!

12 Months Old Today!

~Started this post yesterday but didn't get a chance to finish it!~

I don't know if there's words to describe how special this day is to me. Ever since Brandon entered the world 1 year ago, my life has never been the same. I didn't know I could love so much, care so much or feel so selfless. I think about him all the time. I dream for his future, I care for his health, I comfort his fears. I miss him when he's gone and I smile when he's near.

So what do you do for the special person in your life when he turns 1 - you take him to Montana's for lunch and to the local play center for an afternoon of fun! Here's some pictures from our celebration. Oh and Happy Birthday Baby!

Music Please

In early September Brandon and I started attending "Baby and Me" music lessons on Monday afternoons. It's a 45 minute class taught by a lady from Hungry with one of the most beautiful singing voices I've ever heard. The lessons were expensive but I think they are well worth the cost. I had read some articles stating that music helps young children develop skills they'll need for language and math. This was enough to sell me but what sold Brandon had to be the egg shakers . . . or maybe it was the xylophone. Either way it doesn't matter because he loves this class!

I have to admit the class is very well done. There's only eight children in the lesson (Brandon is the lone boy) and each class is highly structured. The children start with marching to the drum and then move into story-telling. The story is short and the teacher sings the story as she's reading it. We then play with drums, egg shakers and bells. We sing songs and classic lullabies. The babies always get to play the xylophone and at the end we dance around with scarves and play peek-a-boo - another Brandon favourite.

I have no way of knowing if these classes will actually improve Brandon's language or math skills later on in life but for now it doesn't matter. All that matters is the smile on his face each time we go to music lessons :)

Happy Halloween!

Today was Brandon's first Halloween and what a wonderful day it was! For his first big day with the ghosts and goblins Brandon dressed up as a bear. I'd say he was more cute than scary but check out the photos and judge for yourself ;)

We got up early and headed to Marilyn's house around 11am for a party with our play group friends. Marilyn had done a wonderful job of decorating and Brandon seemed to enjoy wearing his costume. All of his little friends were there - Dakota was a ladybug, Kahlan was a cat, Nolan was a monkey, Leighton was a lion, Micah was a shark and Kaleb was a scary bug.We stayed for a few hours before heading home for a nap. After nap time, we brought out our pumpkin and got the candy ready for the trick-or-treaters. We also watched one of the best Halloween movies of all time - Disney's "The Legend of Sleepy Hallow".

Though Brandon didn't hit the streets himself, he did help Mommy shell out the candy and he seemed to enjoy all the other kids in their costumes. By 7pm our little bear was exhausted and off to bed he went. It was a wonderful day for a first Halloween and I couldn't be more proud of my little Brandon bear :)

Stair Master

For the past two weeks Brandon has been busy going up and down stairs. Given that our house is a four level split - he has plenty of stairs to practice on! And with all that practice, I'd say he's gotten pretty good. He did take a couple of tumbles but he seems to be a quick learner. He now knows how to turn around and go down the stairs safely on his tummy. With any luck he'll soon be good enough at stairs that we can remove the four or five gates we have set up around the house! :(

Going, Going, Gone . . . West

As an early birthday present, my parents bought me and Brandon a plane ticket to go back to the island. This was to be out last excursion before I headed back to the office and I was really looking forward to it. I had dreams of window shopping downtown, strolling along the habour and beach combing at the waters edge. The dates were set for Oct 4 - Oct 9th.

I am happy to report that once again, Brandon was excellent on the plane. He was a little harder to handle (because he's 20 lbs now) but overall still a very good boy. We landed on time and without any problems. Shortly thereafter we all got sick.

Yep. Mom, Dad, me and Brandon all caught a cold. It wasn't very fun. Brandon and I had just gotten over a nasty cold that had lingered for a week before our trip. It was a disappointment but we made the most of it. We got to visit with my brother and his family. We were invited to dinner at my Uncle Steve's. While there we caught up with my cousin Sarah and her little 18 month old daughter Evelyn. We also saw my cousin Katie who was 30 weeks pregnant at the time (baby's due in December). Later in the week we visited with my grandmother and I could tell she was pleased to see Brandon again.

There was no shopping downtown or walks over to the ocean but we got to spend quality time with family and let's face it, that's what makes a holiday special. So thank you Mom and Dad for your generosity and your hospitality. I do hope we get to see you again soon!

11 Months Old Today!

The last month has been huge in terms of development for Brandon. He can now crawl forward on all fours. And is he ever fast! He is so fast that we cannot take our eyes off him for even a second. This has prompted us to consider creating a playroom for Brandon - a completely "kid zone" friendly place where he can go nuts and we don't have to worry about his safety . . . at least not nearly as much.

Brandon has also become very good at standing up. He's surprisingly strong for only being about 20 lbs. If he can get a good hold of a chair, table or knee he can pull himself up to standing. He's trying to "cruise" but he's not very good at it yet.

He has a total of six teeth now and his appetite remains strong. Aside from the obvious like nuts and shellfish, there isn't anything he hasn't tried. We're slowly weaning him off formula and introducing him to cow's milk. He likes it well enough when it's in a bottle but doesn't much care for it in a sippy cup. I think it's because he believes sippy cups are for water but I don't really know, I'm just guessing :)

Brandon and I are taking music lessons every Monday morning. Of all the things we've tried, he seems to like music classes the best. He can bang on drums, hit the triangle, dance with scarves and shake the maracas. So far he's loving all of it!

This month we should be pretty busy. Brandon is going to try his first Thanksgiving dinner - first at the neighbours and then at the Finnigan's. Soon after that is his first Halloween. Brandon is going to be a bear this year so stay tuned for some cute photos. And only a week or so after that, we'll be celebrating his 1st birthday. Isn't that amazing! Time really does go fast. I'd better get started on planning a little party for him now :)

Fall Fun

For some reason Fall as always been my favourite time of the year. I'm not sure if it's because I love the turkey at Thanksgiving, dressing up for Halloween, celebrating my birthday or watching the trees change colour before my eyes but whatever it is I'm really enjoying it this year!

As I mentioned in my last post, September has mostly been miserable in terms of the weather but for the past week, the sun has been shining and the days are perfect for going outside. Brandon and I are making of the most of this good weather by going for walks and visiting some local attractions.

First up was The Masters at Spruce Meadows. An internationally renowned event, I was sure Brandon would love the action of horses flying over huge jumps. Unfortunately I didn't consider how busy this event would be and we really couldn't see much from where we were sitting. The grounds were lovely though so we spent most of the day just wondering around and enjoying the beautiful scenery (Mommy always loves to see horses).

Next up was a trip to Butterfield Acres. This place is an over-priced "open farm" where kids can pet goats, feed chickens, hold little bunny rabbits etc. Brandon is probably a bit too young to really enjoy what the farm has to offer but he seemed to have fun none-the-less. He smiled at the chickens and loved touching the goats. His favourite part was washing his hands at the designated station after petting the animals. His first love after-all is water ;)

Our best day though was probably this mornings' trip to Bowness Park. The weather was warm and everywhere we looked, the trees had changed colour and the leaves were gently falling to the ground. Brandon loved the leaves! We found a pile that had been raked up and he promptly fell in and made a glorious mess of it. Our trip to the park reminded me that you don't always have to spend a lot of money to have a good time and that some of the best things in life really are free :)

Change is in the Air

Fall has come early to Calgary. September has mostly been a wet, cold, miserable month. The days are cool and the nights even cooler. The leaves on the trees have already started to turn yellow and fall to the ground. But the weather isn't the only thing that's changing around here. My maternity leave ends on Nov 8th and soon I'll be back to work. With less than two months away, my return to work weighs heavily on my mind.

It's funny to me how it's not unlike being pregnant. As my due date approached, I wondered how I would cope with the change. I was excited and nervous at the same time. That's how I feel about the end of mat leave too. I'm fortunate enough to work for a great company and I like my job very much. I'm looking forward to seeing my old friends and honestly, to making some good money again. What bothers me is the time I'll no longer spend with Brandon.

My favourite time of the day is the mornings. Brandon is always in such a good mood. We play in the family room for a while before I make breakfast and we sit down to eat. After breakfast we play some more until he starts to rub his eyes. That's my cue to grab his bottle, scoop him up in my arms and rock him while he drinks. I'll tell him stories or sing him songs before I lay him down for a nap. This time with him is so special to me and I can't believe that soon I won't have it anymore. My heart aches whenever I think of it.

What's going to help make my transition back to work easier though, is a wonderful woman named Linda. Jamie and I have chosen Linda to be our day home provider. It was a really tough search but I'm so glad we were lucky enough to find her. She lives in Silver Springs and she's been a child care provider for over 30 years. She's very sweet and seems to genuinely adore Brandon. I feel that he is in good hands with this lovely lady.

So there's nothing left to do now but enjoy the time I left on mat leave. Trust me when I say I plan on making the most of it :)

New 'Do

Probably a mother is the only person on the planet who cares about babies first hair cut but I am the author of this blog so I'm going put up a post about it :)

Brandon's hair was getting a little long around his ears and down his neck. Not feeling brave enough to attempt the deed ourselves, Jamie took Brandon in for his first hair cut. He brought Brandon to a place called "Melonhead" - a shop set up just for kids. Well they did a great job! Not only did they cut his hair but they took Brandon's picture, kept a few locks of his hair (for Mommy of course) and wrote up a certificate declaring his very first hair cut. So at $26.00 was it worth it? . . . yep, you bet it was!

10 Months Old Today!

In just ten short months, Brandon has gone from being my little baby boy to my big baby boy. At 19.14 lbs and 29.5 inches, Brandon is busy exploring the world, "talking" up a storm and eating everything in site.

For weeks Brandon has been getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth. Jamie and I thought for sure he was going to go forward any day. Well this morning - he finally did! This a big deal for mommy as now I have to run out and buy some baby gates. The house is mostly child proof but as Brandon was getting around this morning, I realized I have some more work to do.

Last week Brandon went into his "big boy" car seat. I've suddenly lost the convenience of carting my guy around in a bucket seat but his new seat fits him better and is definitely safer for him.

I mentioned in my last post that Brandon was cutting some new teeth. They are the top four middle teeth to be exact and they are giving him a really hard time. They come down and then go back up again. This doesn't seem fair but apparently it's quite common for teeth to do that. One finally did break through yesterday morning and Brandon seems a little happier but for the most part, I miss my content mellow baby.

Brandon continues to nap twice a day and sleep 12 hours at night. His favourites still include cats, water, eating, playgroup and now a fun game of peek-a-boo. He still hates getting his PJs on but now he also hates getting into his new car seat.

I'm back to work in less than two months and the hunt for good child care is in full swing. We've visited a few spots that I feel really comfortable with and we'll have to make our decision next week. I find myself wrestling all the time with the fact that I won't be with him 24 hours a day anymore. I know it's a mother's job to let go sometimes but honestly, I'm just not there yet.