Christmas Season 2012

There are some things about Christmas that I absolutely love. For certain I love the food but I also love going to parties, seeing friends, drinking wine!, decorating the house and getting caught up in the  joyful spirit that seems to emanate from everyone - at least when they're not at the mall.

This year I was truly inspired to grab a hold of the Christmas spirit as Brandon started to become aware of Santa Claus, presents, lights, trees, gingerbread etc. I delighted in his wonder and so this year, we had a really beautiful Christmas.

The season began with our usual trip to see Santa (a huge hit thank goodness). We followed it up by going to my AESO Christmas party at the Calgary Zoo. The zoolights were really well done and did not disappoint. Next was Jamie's company party down at Spruce Meadows. The Shaw party is always second-to-none with pony rides, bouncy castles, face painting, crafts and even real reindeer. 

Unfortunately Brandon was starting to get sick with an ear infection - we had no idea - and he didn't have the best time but Jamie and I still enjoyed it. For the next couple of weeks it was more parties and more visits with Santa and before we knew it, the big day had arrived.

On Christmas Eve Brandon set out the milk and the cookies and I helped him write a note to Santa. I kissed him goodnight and he slept until about 8:20 on Christmas morning. When he woke up, he was most surprised to see the cookies were gone. "Mommy! The cookies are all gone!" He was so concerned about the cookies that he didn't notice the huge firetruck waiting for him under the tree. 

The rest of the morning was sort of chaos as Brandon frantically tried to open gifts. He had a great time and received some wonderful presents like Spiderman pyjamas and Hot Wheels cars. 

For dinner we went to our friends Steven and Jenyfer's house. Their little girl Kahlan is Brandon's birthday party partner and one of his best friends. They served us Turducken and it was wonderful! Brandon mostly ate cheese and crackers but he had a really good time playing with Kahlan while we were there.

With Christmas behind us it was time to head to the mountains for a little fun in the snow. We booked two nights at the Delta Kananaskis Lodge - a hotel famous for it's family friendly fun and activities. I have to admit that it lived up to its advertising. While we were there we tried the indoor pool, the outdoor hot tub, the bouncy castle and the indoor play center. We had really great weather so we also hit the sledding slopes and sent Brandon sailing down the hill all on his own. He loved every minute of it and would say "more, more" when he got to the bottom.

Our family getaway was over all too soon and we headed home to prepare for the New Year. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and I'm sure I'll post something about that but for now I'd just like to reflect on all the fun and love that was our Christmas Season 2012 :-)

Turning 3

Well here it is, the day before Christmas and I'm finally getting the chance now to write about Brandon's third birthday. Like my Bucket List post suggested, I don't have much time these days but there was no way I was going to forget about this post.
Brandon's birthday fell on a Saturday this year. I decided to do a real birthday party with all of his friends as I haven't actually hosted one of those yet. I booked a Bouncy Castle venue at the Cochrane Sawmill Lake Family Recreation Center for 11:00am. Brandon's little friend Kahlan has her birthday on Nov 5th and her Mom asked if we could do a "joint" birthday party. I thought this was a great idea considering Brandon and Kahlan have the same friends and honestly, birthday parties are bloody expensive so I was grateful for the financial help.
  

We landed on a "Mickey and Minney Mouse" theme and after the kids jumped in the private bouncy castle room for an hour, we headed upstairs to the party room for lunch. The kids chowed down on sandwiches, fruit and veggies followed by (the much coveted) birthday cupcakes.

Both Brandon and Kahlan had a great time so I would consider my first kids birthday party a success! Thank goodness it was only two hours total because I was exhausted when it was over.
After the party we went home to relax, open birthday presents and spend time as a family. Some of Brandon's favourite gifts included a Mack truck that could store all of his Hot Wheels cars, a Spiderman action figurine, a puzzle of Lightning McQueen and a "Cars" tent for his bed. He was also spoiled with books, clothes, stickers and toy cars. This year Brandon really enjoyed opening presents and had tons of fun just ripping the paper off the packages.

As he played with his new toys, I felt blessed by the wonderful friends we have and how lucky we are that we could spend his third birthday with them. I hope all little boys have the same kind of sweet friends that Brandon is fortunate enough to have.
Speaking of Brandon (who else?), on his third birthday he was just over three feet tall. He weighs about 32 lbs and has a very full head of soft brown hair. He's lost all his baby fat and has leaned out quite a bit. He talks non-stop about everything and nothing. He loves cars, monster trucks, quads, "Angry Birds", "Cars", "Cars 2" and the"Hi-Pad". He eats fairly well for a toddler. You never know what he's going to like from one day to the next but he always seems to like cheese sandwiches, pickles, broccoli, ham, crackers, yoghurt and cookies. He still gets milk when he wakes up and again before he goes to bed. He loves the cats but especially Finch. He likes to play outside, swim, ride his bike and jump in bouncy castles. He's very social and his best friend in the whole world is Dakota.

His manners are good and he'll almost always give you a hug and a kiss when you ask for one. He likes to go to the zoo and to the Science Center. He can be a bit shy in new situations but give him some time to warm up and he'll eventually get in there with the best of them. He laughs often and it's very contagious. Admittedly he's very cute and he stops old ladies in their tracks. He is, in every way, the light of our lives :-)

Career Ambitions

This one was too cute not to record.

Brandon: "Mommy"
Me: "Yes Brandon?"
Brandon: "When I grow up I want to be Spiderman".

This is the first time he's told me what he wants to be when he grows up. So precious!

Adventures in Potty Training

What blog about your kid would be complete without a post dedicated to potty training? The truth is, Brandon has been fully potty trained for months. I was scared to post about it for fear he would revert back to pull-ups and make a liar out of me. I suppose it's still possible but I guess I'm willing to take that chance!
Potty training wasn't the hardest thing we've done but it certainly wasn't the easiest either. We started back in April, only to have varying degrees of success until he was fully trained in September.  Here's a little of what I learned on the road to becoming potty trained:

1. Brandon responds very well to bribes - especially if the reward is a Hot Wheel car
2. Encouragement and peer pressure from other kids at the day home is surprisingly effective
3. No amount of book reading, fretting or advise-seeking on my part did any good
4. Just when I thought he was potty trained, he wasn't
5. Just when I thought he would never be potty trained, he was
6. As with everything else, Brandon will do something 100% when he decides he wants to do it

I have to admit that it's pretty wonderful to not have to change diapers anymore. It's also a lot easier on the wallet now that we don't have to buy expensive pull-ups or creams. Maybe this is the one thing from Brandon's babyhood I won't miss? Hmmm . . . what I do know is that my little boy gets a bit bigger every day. For me, his transformation is nothing short of amazing and I couldn't be any prouder of all that he's achieved so far. Way to go Brandon! Mommy is so proud of you :-)

Trick Or Treating

Halloween always used to be one of my favourite events of the year. As a kid I loved getting dressed up, going to parties and running around the neighbourhood to score some candy. Now that I'm older, I can still dress up if I want to, go to parties and - as of this year, go trick or treating again but this time it's with my little one!
Being a bit older this year, Brandon really started to get into the spirit of Halloween. He was quite interested in "spooky" ghosts, cats, bats, witches and pumpkins. Just down the street a store opened up selling costumes and all things creepy and ghoulish for Halloween. Brandon called it the "spooky store" and requested we go there numerous times so he could look at all the scary stuff. He also picked his own costume this year. Unfortunately for me I had foolishly gone out and bought him a Harry Potter costume before he announced he wanted to be Spiderman. I tried to convince him Harry Potter was cool but it was of no use. Spiderman he was and he loved it.

For his first night ever of Trick or Treating, Brandon was invited to join his little friends Dakota, Kahlan and Leighton in their community of Tuscany for all the fun. We arrived around 6:00pm and dressed up warm to hit the streets. It was clear but about -7 so that meant snowsuits, hats and gloves for everyone. The cold didn't bother Brandon and his friends though. They had a blast running from house to house yelling "Trick or Treating" when the door opened up. Brandon walked into the first house and announced at the door of the second that he "wanted more". After some quick lessons in Halloween etiquette, he carried on like a pro - like he'd been doing it for years.

After 40 minutes or so the kids were cold so we headed back to Danica's house for some delicious chilli and cupcakes. The kids watched a spooky episode of Thomas the Train and then I took my tired little Spiderman home for bed.
That night as I tucked him in he looked at me said, "Mommy, can we go trick or treating tomorrow?" I just smiled and gave him a kiss. Another fan of Halloween had been born.

Bucket List

I've always felt that being a single parent would be the hardest job in the world. But if being a single parent is the hardest then being a full-time working parent must be the second hardest. I'm not going to mince words here, I've had a hard year and I'm tired. So very tired.
2012 started off on the wrong foot beginning with Jan 1st. I had the worst cold I'd ever had (sinus infection plus ear infection resulted in a burst eardrum and 4 weeks of suffering) and everything went downhill from there. This year I've struggled financially, emotionally and physically and somewhere along the way, I lost sight of me. Since returning to work in 2010, I realize I have two priorities in my life - being a good Mom and being an engaged employee. After I manage those things (which is already 100% of my time), I try to be a caring wife, a decent housekeeper and a good friend. Very little time is left for me to do the things that benefit my health and well-being.
I realize that I'm not alone. I'm not the only working Mom who doesn't put herself first, second or even third. I don't pretend that I'm the only one who struggles with questions like "Why am I doing this? When will it get easier?" but I find it interesting no one talks about it. For some reason society puts forth an image that Moms can do it all - happily - and all the while looking fabulous. Like we have time to work out at the gym and get our nails done at the spa. And interesting again is that Moms will judge other Moms. Women who probably shouldn't because they've been there too and know just how hard it really is.
My friend once had a blog about motherhood. I remember she described her blog as a place to talk about all the joy, wonder, sham and drudgery that is motherhood. I used to wonder what she meant by "sham and drudgery" but now I get it. The sham is that we can't do it all and the drudgery is the day to day routine of paying bills, doing laundry, cleaning the house, getting groceries, going to work, taking kids to music lessons, soccer practice, ballet etc etc.
So on my 36th birthday I decided to reflect on this - the life that I currently live. What I know is that I have a great life. I recognize that I've got an engaged partner who helps me in the parenting department. I've got a good job with a boss who understands last minute day care issues and child illnesses. I've got a nice house to keep us warm and a safe car to get us around. So what do I need? Well I need something to dream about, to get excited about, to do something for me that makes me feel alive. I need a bucket list.
So here is my list. It's not in any particular order and I imagine it will change and alter as time goes by. I don't know if it will really bring me any satisfaction but I figure it's worth a try. I'm worth a try.

1. Swim with sharks
2. Go on an African safari
3. Get a tattoo
4. Start a business
5. See Machu Picchu
6. Be an extra on a movie set
7. Run a marathon
8. Have something I've written get published
9. Help someone else complete an item on their bucket list
10. Witness the birth of a baby
11. Take my husband out on a $1000 date
12. Share a kiss at the top of the Empire State Building
13. See baby turtles hatch and run to the sea
14. Drink a beer in Munich during Oktoberfest
15. Spend a night in an over water bungalow
16. See a live running of the Kentucky Derby. Wear a cool hat and place $100 bet on the long shot to win
17. Perform a random act of kindness for a complete stranger
18. Experience a hot air balloon ride
19. Tour the Greek Isles
20. Take a cooking class in Paris
21. . . .

"Goals are just dreams with deadlines."

My Really Super Big Boy

I had read somewhere (I don't remember where) that as a "good" parent, I should take my child to see the dentist at around the age of three. I had also read something about taking my kid to get his eyes checked around 6 months. Since I had completely missed the eye thing, I decided to put in some effort and get Brandon to the dentist before his third birthday.
Honestly, I sort of dreaded the idea. I imagined my child - who barely tolerates getting his teeth brushed - running around the dentist chair, refusing to sit and yelling something like "No Mommy! No!" The kind receptionist at our dental office informed me that most children don't in fact cooperate and often the first visit is just a count of the teeth. A polish if we're really lucky.
I felt like I needed backup (or moral support?) so I made Jamie come with us. We arrived early to fill out some paperwork and right away Brandon was impressed by the cool fish tank and "Star Trek" like doors at the dental office. The only prep I gave him was that he was going to meet my friend, Dr. Mustafa Esmail, and that Mustafa would give him a ride in a cool chair and count his teeth.
I'm happy to report that all my worry was for nothing. Brandon was an absolute star! Not only did he let them count his teeth, he let them polish AND scale them. Unheard of for a little one. After about 15 minutes in the chair, Brandon was all done and he was off to the treat box to pick his prize. As for me, I was told to start flossing his teeth (yah right. Seriously, that's not going to happen).

Feeling emboldened from our stellar dental visit, I decided to take Brandon to an eye exam all by myself. Once again Brandon was a star. He loved telling the Dr. the pictures he saw in the mirror and once she was done flashing the light in his eyes, he got to flash the light in hers :-) He didn't get any treats but he had a really good time. He laughed pretty much through the whole exam. On an interesting note, the doctor told me his vision is where she expected it to be for his age - he's far sighted.

After these two experiences Jamie and I were commenting on how lucky we are to have a boy who's not afraid of loud noises, strange situations or even skittish around strangers. He's very confident, social and - most of the time - really easy-going. He's just my really super big boy :-)

Summer 2012

The leaves have turned orange and they've started to fall to the ground. The mornings are dark and crisp. Frost has appeared on the roofs and all of our patio furniture has been put into storage. It's time to face reality - our beautiful summer is over.
Looking back, I realize I didn't post much over the summer. We were very busy and perhaps I was enjoying the wonderful weather too much to want to sit in front of the computer for long. It would be silly of me though to let this past summer slip into blurry memories of a time when my boy was only 2 and a half. He experienced so many "firsts"that I think it's worthy to make a note of them.
Our summer really started in May when we had a visit from my cousin Meg, her husband Greg and their little boy William (only 1 and half). They were coming from Paris to attend a wedding. They stayed with us for about five days and it was lovely to have them. Brandon got a real kick out of being the "big boy" around William and he learned some valuable lessons about how to share with people even smaller than himself. While they were here, we visited the zoo and the local mall. We went shopping and Meg and I had fun catching up. I always did enjoy spending time with my big cousin!

Next up in June was a visit from my Mom and Dad. Our day home was closing for a week so they were generous to come out and babysit Brandon at that time. Brandon adores his grandparents and he had a lot of fun taking them to the park and making them push him on the swing ;-) They also went shopping and out for lunch and generally enjoyed each others company.
In July we had a visit from Jamie's sister Julie (or "Julia" as Brandon liked to call her). She was 4 months pregnant at the time so she was busy gathering baby stuff and getting Brandon to test run her new stroller. Brandon had tons of fun with his auntie and wasn't shy about taking her to the park and making her push him on the swing!

For the August long weekend we decided to do something daring . . . we took Brandon camping. This wasn't the kind of camping that I was used to - sleeping on the cold hard ground in a damp tent with tons of bugs everywhere. We had been invited by Jamie's friends Fern and Bryan. Those two have camping nailed and so we were spoiled by sleeping in their huge trailer, driving their quads, eating their amazing camp food (roasted pig on a spit) and enjoying the awesome fireworks they lit off every night. Brandon absolutely loved camping and took to it like a fish in water. He was up from 7:30 in the morning until 9:00 at night and never got cranky for a second (this is basically where he dropped his afternoon nap as well). It was a great time had by all.

Later in August my brother Tyler and his family came for a visit. They stayed with us for about four days and Brandon was, once again, over the moon. He thought his big cousins Alexa and James were amazing and he did all he could to keep up with them at every step. They are really great kids and they were very patient and played wonderfully with Brandon. I think it's a good experience for him to spend time with older kids and who better than his cousins? Another first for Brandon was that he was treated to a trip to the Royal Tyrell Museum. He went with Tyler and was a very big boy - he wasn't scared of the dinosaurs at all!

In September, while the weather was still beautiful, my Mom and Dad came back for a quick visit. Brandon was thrilled to have them return and spend more time at the park and on the swings ;-) Afi also took him for ice cream and showed him how to fly a kite. Another cool first when you're only almost three.

Shortly after they left, we took Brandon to his first parade. A little parade in the town of Cochrane. Brandon loved the firetruck, the guy riding a bull and the clowns that threw candy into the crowd. He just couldn't quite believe it.

Other fun times included BBQs with our friends, sunny days at water parks and spending lazy hours on our beautiful deck. We would blow bubbles, draw pictures with our washable chalk or build sandcastles in the sand box. The long warm days of doing next to nothing were always the best.
And over the summer, Brandon grew a bit bigger. He moved out of his crib and into his "big boy" race car bed. He dropped his nap entirely and he started to use the potty regularly. Though he's still not perfect with #2, he's getting really really close to being 100% potty trained. He talks non stop and some of my favourite Brandon words right now include:
"Space Pants" - this is what he calls his big boy underwear
"Messquiss" - necklace
"Bumble Beans" - bumblebees
"High Pad" - iPad
Also, thanks to camping, his all time favourite thing right now is quads. Oh yah and monster trucks. How could I forget about those?
Seriously cute stuff and all of it worth remembering.

One For Mom

Today I received the best compliment of my life.
My good friend Danica is expecting a boy in February 2013. As we were standing together watching our kids play on the swings (she is the Mommy of Brandon's best friend Dakota) she turned to me and said "I hope my little boy turns out to be like Brandon. He's just so adorable, well-mannered and spunky". My jaw dropped and I thought I was going to burst with pride. Not only does someone like my kid, they want  their future son to be just like him.
Super happy Mommy moment for me :-)

His Milestone, Or Mine?

Last night something happened. Something I've been thinking about - almost dreading - for months now. Jamie lowered the crib and took one side of the rails off. Brandon was suddenly the proud owner of "a big boy bed". His crib had transformed into a toddler bed.

Over this past weekend, Brandon had been getting out of his crib with seemingly no effort at all. There was no falling or crashing to the ground (like how I imagined it would happen) just simply longer legs that could now swing over the top rail and deliver him to the ground. Jamie and I knew it was time to put him into a toddler bed and after some discussion, thought he would love a bed shaped like a car. But after hours of trying to organize a deal on Kijiji we gave up and decided to lower his crib.
When Brandon saw it, he was ecstatic! He was so excited for his big boy bed. When it was time to turn in, he seemed a little overwhelmed. He kept asking where the rails had gone. It wasn't long though before sleepiness took over and he drifted off to dreamland.

I didn't sleep though. I couldn't shake the feeling that everything had changed. Sure it's been almost three years but I wondered where the time had gone. How is it that my little boy no longer needed his crib? The truth was, he would never sleep in a crib again. Like the end of an era, we'd reached a new stage.
The next day I got an unexpected text from Jamie. As he was driving home from work, he spotted a car bed on someone's lawn with a free sign stuck to it. Jamie scooped it up and, after cleaning it off, put it in Brandon's room. If Brandon was excited before, he was now over the moon! He almost hovered three feet off the ground all evening just from sheer excitement. I'm happy for him. It seems like the perfect bed for him.

Jamie and I dismantled the crib for good and unceremoniously shoved it in a corner somewhere. This time I wasn't sad though. I had had my moment to reflect on Brandon's babyhood and realized it's time to look ahead and continue to enjoy the present ("the now") with him. I love how he changes all the time. I love seeing the wonder of the world through his eyes. I love how he wants to be big. I love that he's still not - at least not yet.

The Summer Fun Continues

I'm loving our wonderful weather and this amazing kid we have :-)

Days Like These

Summer has finally arrived in Calgary and I can't say enough about how wonderful it is. Sadly summers are very short here. Sometimes we get good weather in May, June is always a rainy mess, July and August tend to be really nice and September, well you never know what you're going to get so you just hope for the best.
I spend a lot of time at work (yes it's true) dreaming about lazy days on the deck, playing in the wading pool with Brandon, enjoying BBQ's with friends, walking in the park, wearing shorts and sandals . . . etc, etc. You know, everything that has to do with spending time in the warm outdoor weather. So now that we finally can, we're making most of it!
When we're not at work, we're doing all kinds of fun stuff with Brandon. We bought him a "Strider" bike back in April and now he's a virtual wiz on it. A Strider bike is a bike without any pedals. The idea is that little ones get the feel for balancing the bike. They usually ride the Strider until they're about 4 or 5 and from there you can transfer them straight to a big kids bike without the need for training wheels. Brandon loves his bike so we try to get him out on it as much as we can.
We also try to get him to the park where he loves the swings. When the weather is really nice we'll take him to the city wading pool or even to the spray park. He stills loves the water and always enjoys the chance to get wet ;-)
If we're lucky, we'll get invited to a BBQ by one of his friends. He plays for hours with his little buddies while us parents enjoy a beverage or two on the patio. Ahh summer. Truly my favourite time of year in Calgary. Here's some photos of our summer just getting started!!

Like His Dad

He has your smile and I like that.
He has your easy-going, sweet charm and I think that will serve him well.
He says words in French because he learned them from you and that makes me happy.
He wants to wear a hat like yours to look like you and I adore that.
He asks where you are when he can't see you because he misses you. I think that's special.
He rides on your shoulders when he's tired and I think he's lucky ;-)
Every time I look at him, he reminds me of you and I love that!
Happy Father's Day!
xoxo

My Super Late Easter Post

Ah Easter. It was so long ago now, I can't really remember what happened.
I know we had four days off work and I remember having our friends - The Colberts - join us for an Easter feast. I know we went to The Reid's house for Sunday Easter brunch and Brandon played with his best friend Dakota.
I've got pictures to prove that the Easter Bunny came and brought Brandon a really cool plastic car to ride around in. I'm pretty sure an Easter egg hunt happened in there somewhere too.
I know we started potty training in earnest and it was going really well. Brandon learned to chant "Pee on potty and get a smartie" and it worked like a charm . . . at least for a week. He was going consistently with seemingly no effort on our part. We thought we were brilliant parents because we had Brandon potty trained over the long weekend. It wasn't to last though. Here we are in early June and Brandon will not sit on the potty - not for smarties, chips, cookies, nothing. I'm not really sure what's going on here. It was all going so well. Why did he stop? It's frustrating but then I've come to learn that parenting certainly does have its frustrating moments.
Linda is going on holidays soon and my parents are going to come and watch Brandon for us. I'm hoping my Mom will magically potty train Brandon while I'm at work. Wouldn't that be nice? Ah well, if anyone can do it, she can. Fingers crossed!
AndSince I can't clearly recall my Easter weekend, here are some pics to prove it happened ;-)