Christmas Recap 2

We flew home from Vancouver on Boxing Day. The plane was half empty and we were given a set of 4 seats to ourselves. SO much better than the flight out which was packed. This allowed AJ some room to kick it out a bit.

Once we collected all our bags we headed out on the trek to reach our car. To save a few dollars we parked in an cheaper off-site parking garage which we took a "train" to. It actually worked very well. With all that we had to carry/push, AJ hung out in my Moby wrap (soooo good for trips!). He was content to just look around and take everything in. He is definitely getting heavier though... whoa.

We found our car. Which was completely DEAD.  aaahhhh  So glad we arrived in the afternoon and not late at night; it would have seemed like a much bigger deal at night. We used our Honda Roadside Assistance for the first time, and in less than an hour our battery was rebooted and ready to go. So two tow-truck calls in less than 3 days. Lovely.

We made a quick out-of-the-way pit stop in Markham to pack a few more things into our vehicle and grab a pizza...  then we hit the road for an almost 3-hour drive to Grand Bend where we planned to spend the next week of vacation. We recently bought a little place there for an escape from the city... within walking distance to the beach! I.can.not.wait.for.summer! A 3 hour drive after a 4+ hour plane ride didn't really seem appealing, but it was great to get there, fall into bed and crash. AJ miraculously slept the entire trip - perfect.

We are good friends with the last 2 owners of the little house. It's a great little place, but we set out to make it "our own"... I had paint colours chosen, and my Man was determined to use this week of vacation to paint. I was so tired from my lack of sleep in Vancouver that I wanted to just S.L.E.E.P. but we went to work... and I'm glad we did. We only did the main living area which led into 2 little alcoves. Doesn't sound like a lot, but you have to remember we had a little 6 month old who needed us too. :)

It went from this:

To This:

To This (Please don't look closely - we are FAR from professionals!):

There's still lots to do, so it will be an ongoing work in progress. I'm pleased with how the colours turned out. Just need some colour pop in artwork, accents, etc.  A step at a time.

AJ and I took a break on New Year's Eve and walked down to the Pier. It's not quite as attractive as it is in the summer months, but I love being near the water regardless of what season it is. It's just missing the "salt water" smell of the ocean. :)

We planned to stay until Monday, January 1st but our plans were changed... A very blustery wind blew in Sunday afternoon and the forecast called for snow that nigh... around 3:30pm the power went out. We had heard about the frequent power outages in Grand Bend, but hadn't thought to prepare for them. We didn't have a candle, match or flashlight! But! We *did* have our phones and laptops. We waited around for awhile to see if the power would come back on, but as the place got colder, we made the decision to head home that night instead of the possibility of spending a cold night cuddled together. ;)  Now, since we planned to go home Monday - nothing was packed or strategically placed... dishes were sitting on the counter and in the sink.  We turn the heat off when we're not there, so there were certain "anti-freeze" procedures that needed to be done for the coming months... and it was completely dark. We propped the laptop open in front of AJ to help him cope with the darkness when we couldn't sit and entertain him, then hustled around with our cell phones to do the packing, dishes and closing up procedures. Our batteries were getting very low but we made it! We had the car mostly packed when the power came back on. :) That was ok - it allowed us to do a run through to make sure we had everything. We hit the road and AJ slept the entire way home... again. Amazing.

We had something to look forward to in getting home (besides our own bed and not living out of suitcases!).

Dad was visiting in between a youth ministry weekend in Midland Ontario and a bible conference in New Jersey! We had 4 days with him and it was a great way to cap off my holidays! :)

Happy 2012 to all of you!

Backing up a bit... Christmas recap

I have many topics swirling around in my head... hard to focus for the short segments of time I get to write.  I always seem to leave too much time after holidays to recap, and then life moves on... but it just seems a little wrong to move on without mentioning our Christmas holidays - AJ's first Christmas!

AJ's first Christmas landed on the Vancouver rotation, which was nice since my sister-in-law and her husband were also going to be home from Arizona for the holidays. We only overlapped 4 days but I know my in-laws were thrilled to have their whole family under one roof. Not to mention their grandson...  AJ was certainly spoiled with love and attention!

My man had to work one day while we were there (his boss is based out of Vancouver), so I took the opportunity to have lunch with a good friend and her girls... I was pleasantly surprised when her husband joined us! I hadn't seen him in quite a while, so it was a very nice lunch. The girls were fantastic with AJ; I think they need a nephew or niece! ;) AJ was super tired, so it took all their creative energy to keep him happily entertained. For the most part, it worked!

Love this couple :)

We made it out to see my Man's Grandma twice. It was special to get a 4-generation picture to capture the memory.

Red Robin is a must for us when we go West, so we were happy to get there once for lunch. I could be shot for posting this picture, but I like to show my father-in-law's playful side. :)

Love their burgers... fries are good too! mmm... now I'm hungry. (not really anything new)

Since we're so rarely ALL together, we had family pictures taken. It was a rainy chilly day, but we made the best of it down at Granville Island.  I had fun! :) I am so pleased with Kezia's work, and highly recommend her if you're in the Vancouver area. Here's a sample.

It was my father-in-law's 60th birthday in December, so while we were all together, we had a nice belated dinner to celebrate. Happy 60th Birthday Dad! :) 

We moved the Christmas traditions up a day and did everything on Saturday. We went out for a nice brunch at White Spot, opened gifts, relaxed and ate a delicious turkey dinner. 

Love AJ's little head peaking over the chair ;)

I guess I should include one of our eventful moments of the trip. Between opening gifts and dinner, there was a nice stretch of downtime.  My Man suggested he and I go out for a bit and enjoy a Starbucks... of course I jumped and ran for the door! AJ wasn't napping so we stuck him in the carseat and headed out. There was a sunny break in the clouds and I had my camera out snapping pictures in the driveway. Somehow, while putting AJ in the van, the keys dropped on his knees unnoticed. The door shut. My man goes to open his door and... nothing. The van was locked. How convenient for AJ to somehow hit the lock button on the keys in those 2 seconds! Here we are, salivating for a latte (well, I was) and we're standing in the driveway with our poor little guy locked inside the van. No extra set of keys as we were using a friend's vehicle. 

AJ inside - looking out forlornly. Thankfully he had Sophie (the giraffe) to keep him company

Coquitlam Towing was quickly called - huge shout-out to them! They were in the driveway in less than 10 minutes. Apparently the guy flew out of his office and into the truck when he heard there was a baby in the vehicle, honking his horn all the way to the house to get there as fast as he could. We were SO thankful! AJ perfectly fine throughout all this - content to chew on Sophie. Likely wondering why it was taking his parents so stinkin' long to get in the vehicle!  

Since the towing company was so fast, we still had time to enjoy our Starbucks. Phew. Oh, Cinnamon Dolce - how I love you! 

Bonus: AJ slept through the entire outing, so we really felt like we had a date. A rare date.

See what AJ is clutching so tightly? His favorite Christmas gift - a fruit bar... no, he didn't eat it. He chewed on it, crinkled the wrapper, studied the colours, etc. He had it for days!

At 6 months, AJ was still pretty young for Christmas. He liked the lights on the tree, the colourful presents, and played with the tissue paper a bit. But he was even a bit too young to really be into that too. I noticed he was more into ripping paper this week than he was at Christmas.

He still loves to be on his feet so much, even though he has absolutely no balance. He likes to "dance" and wiggle. He kept his grandparents and aunt busy over the holidays walking around and around.

He traveled well, all things considering. The plane rides were super l.o.n.g. I'm not sure I would ever attempt that distance by myself - at least while he's so young. He slept some, cried a bit (thankfully not too much), chattered away, and... squirmed. The turbulence wasn't bad, so we were able to get up and walk around with him. Relief! He would never have slept otherwise! I had tylenol and gravel on hand in case we were torturing other passengers, but thankfully I didn't have to use it. :)

Sleep. Well, sleep was completely messed up with the time change and bed change. I was up so often with him in the night that I was exhausted. I couldn't get caught up during the day like he could. I stopped feeding him solids half-way through the week (he hadn't built up to a whole lot yet, so it was ok) because he seemed more gassy; I thought that might be waking him up... but it didn't really change anything. Even though he wasn't 100% himself, he was a pretty good guy for having everything so mixed up.  I'm so thankful for this (usually) easy-going kid we have... 

We had a great week in Vancouver - the time flew by. I know I've gone on about this before, but it makes me sad that AJ's grandparents, aunts and uncles aren't able to be in his life a little more frequently. We were sad saying goodbye since we don't have a "next date" to look forward to yet. But, if I have learned anything this past year, it's that time zips by and I need to be grateful for each moment. We were very thankful to have the time together we did have over the holidays - making memories.

(Christmas Part 2 to come: will hopefully be MUCH shorter!)

Jesus - both man and God

I don't have anything original to say at the moment, but I just read a blog that caused me to praise Jesus, who came as a baby... to be our Saviour. So wholly man, yet fully God. So here, on my blog, I want to say a loud Amen and urge you to take a moment to read the posting. It's based on a translation of a fourth century writing titled: The Mystery of the Incarnation:  A Scriptural Tapestry of Jesus as Man and God.

You can read the post here at Living Proof Ministry's blog.

Like Melissa says at the end of her post, "O Come, let us adore Him!"

On these days leading up to Christmas, let's remember the ONE who came... and gave the greatest gift - His life. For us.  The CROSS is WHY He came!  And I, for one, am so thankful I enjoy God's forgiveness... because of His Son - Jesus.

100th Post - All about Little Man

I've been hovering over this entry for awhile now... it's my 100th post and it feels like it should be worthy of the milestone... yet, I feel so uncreative. Nothing too substantial here, so forgive the complete AJ post!  I gave up before starting a baby book, so this blog is kind of that for me. A way to remember...

It's December... so hard to believe how fast this fall zipped by, with Christmas is swiftly approaching. My little man is a couple days away from being 6 months old... now THAT is hard to believe. This last month was quite eventful for him - lots of milestones.  

AJ is still quite lazy with his rolling over. While he did stomach to back first, he rarely does it... he easily rolls from his back to his stomach, but then gets stuck because he hasn't figured out how to use his arms to propel himself over. A little frustrating, because he has turned himself into a stomach sleeper who just cries in frustration when he wakes up, instead of turning himself over. aaahh  I spied on him the other night while he was sleeping but stirring; he was pushing himself up on all fours with his knees tucked in under his cute little diapered bum... I don't think he realizes he CAN do that since it hasn't happened in the day time. ;)

He had his first Halloween (still in the process of figuring out whether I'm ok dressing him up in cute costumes for this "holiday"). I had bought a little Tiger outfit a month before, but then saw the CUTEST lobster costume online... so I ordered it - 6-9 months. It came and was way too small. I was so disappointed, since a lobster is unique. I figured he'd just be Tigger the Tiger... then I tried it on a couple days before Oct 31st, and the pants were way too small! So.... I borrowed a Mickey outfit from a friend. Who knew there was so much pressure to have a 4 month old dressed in a costume?? Mommy-peer-pressure! :) 

And my favorite - the lobster... I don't have a picture of! :(

My parents were here for a visit that lasted 2.5 weeks! Amazing. :)  The first week they were here, Dad had meetings and mom babysit AJ most nights so we could go and enjoy. My little man also go his first cold (another milestone) that week, so that was a little upsetting for Mama... but surprisingly, he survived! ;)

On AJ's 5-month birthday, he attended his first Remembrance Day ceremony. 

The second week Mom decided to paint one of our bathrooms... that desperately needed a makeover! Have I mentioned she's wonderful?!

While they were here, Grampie taught Little Man how to slide down the banister... thanks

He also sat him down for his first piano lesson.

Grampie also took him on his first walk across the room. Little man went little foot over little foot all across the living room.

The first snow flakes experienced:

On Nov 13th, 2 days after his 5-month birthday, he started doing this on his own:

Little Man is turning into a little ham (why do we say that???)... he discovered he could make Grammie laugh and laugh by doing this repeatedly:

He got in the way of Dad making coffee... The hat wasn't part of the trick. Just perfect timing :)

AJ attended his first Christmas parade...

He didn't seem that into it... ;)

Then, back to the mom-peer-pressure... after being asked the gazillionth time if I was feeding him any "solids" yet, I decided to sit down and do it. Peas (gross), Apple (unsweetened), Sweet Potato, Barley cereal... not all at once of course. He's not super into it, but is getting enough in that I notice a change in his diapers. ugh. 

Last one!  AJ is no longer a toothless little man... last Sunday, December 4th, he popped two through! The 2 front bottom teeth at once. (ouch)

So while you may be bored to tears (understandably), it's been an exciting month for this new Mama... wonder what 6 months will bring?!

Lonesome.

Living provinces away from family is bound to result in spells of homesickness...

This week is one of those times.

Maybe kick-started with the lightening fast visit we had with my Dad.  He was up for a conference that was within driving distance and was able to stay over Sunday night before his flight home on Monday. I am so thankful for the brief visits we sometimes get as a result of his travel layovers, but they are certainly teasers...

But I do have a visit to look forward to! Dad & Mom are coming up the first of November for a week and a bit.  He's coming to have ministry meetings for a week in our home church, so we reap the benefits! I'm hoping they come a few days early and maybe even stay a few days afterwards... I don't think they're on a tight schedule, so here's to hoping!

I've been lonesome in the past... but it is definitely different with a child. I never pictured raising a family away from all family members.  I also didn't realize it would be a big deal until I got pregnant... and the reality is only growing over time!  AJ has grandparents on two opposite coasts, an aunt and uncle in the States, and an aunt and two uncles in Halifax.  It's now that I long to live in close proximity to my family... to have a weekly family get-together like Saturday Pizza Nights. For everyone to be an active part of our lives, and us - theirs. To see AJ growing and playing with his grandparents, aunts and uncles on a regular basis; not spending our allotted visit times getting comfortable all over again. I want to be able to drop in for coffee with my mom or go out for a walk with my sister. And... it would be nice to have a built-in babysitter for the odd occasion...  but it's not the driving force behind my homesickness. :)

I am thankful for skype, email, phone calls and texts: it certainly helps. But it's not the same.

Plus, I miss my Island. The ocean. The rolling emerald hills and patchwork fields. The sand dunes. The red cliffs. The miles of sand. I was born and raised in such a privileged place!!

So to help with my melancholy mood today, I thought I needed a dose of .... Anne of Green Gables. Don't laugh! I saw the box set at Costco a month ago and had to buy it. What kind of Islander away would I be if I didn't own the movie?? I hadn't seen it in probably 20 years...  yet, every scene is so familiar. I've only watched half... but not sure it helped or hindered. All those beautiful landscape shots. But I enjoyed the familiar story... and the quaint ways of many Islanders. It may have been written long ago, but the attitudes and mindsets are not completely outdated! ;)

BUT!!!!

Wallowing in all my longings, what-if's and I-wish's is not healthy. We are where God has brought us and planted us. Am I saying His plan is wrong? No. It's different than how I imagined, but it usually is! :) And for me to live in my "dream world" and not be content in where I am now is like me telling God He is wrong.  God, through Paul, mentions many times about the importance of being content in every circumstance, and to be thankful. I am so very (very!) blessed, and I have so much to be thankful for.  God has been so kind as to place us in a wonderful church family that has shown us in every way they love us. One particular family has taken us under their wing as one of their own, and we enjoy many family gatherings with them. We have great friends here only minutes away. All of this means so much to me, and I know they are gifts from God's good hand.

And, in my own little home, I have a man who loves me and whom I love dearly... and our little boy that has exceeded all expectation. Really, when I stop and dwell on all that I have been blessed with, my heart nearly bursts.

So... while I may still be lonesome for my extended family... I am content here in my home, in this province where God has placed me, with the 2 loves of my life. I will count my blessings... naming them one by one... :)

October??

Wow. Where did the summer go?? I think I started this post the end of August... tried again sometime in September, and here we are - October 15th and AJ (also affectionately known as "Stinker" because of the mounds of diapers in a day!) is 18 weeks old... 4 months with our little boy. Incredible!

The last little while has been so fun with him... I love watching his many (MANY!) expressions and his full body grins and smiling eyes. I love how his eyes close whenever we smother him in kisses. He grabs hold of his blanket and pulls it up and down, grabs my hair and pulls, and grabs his toes and pulls them towards his face. He's holding some toys and brings them to his mouth to chew. He still loves his hands and constantly has fingers in his mouth. Not really sucking on them; chewing is a better description. Poor fingers. His laugh and giggle is contagious and we love hearing the new sounds that come out of him all the time... this week alone has me scared we have a chatterbox on our hands! :)

He has rolled over from his stomach to back a few times... first 2 times on Sept 21. And only three since then. I guess he doesn't want to overdo it.

He must have great abs since he does mini crunches all the time. When he's on his back on the floor, on our knees, in his stroller/swing/chair/tub - he's always pulling the top half of his body forward as if he's sitting up... but never quite makes it. But he'll hold it in that crunch position for awhile. Wish I would do that!

Stinker has his first flight under his belt... He and I left flew to PEI the end of August for 9.5 days, leaving 'Dad' home to work. It was a bit of an experience getting my suitcase, big stroller, small suitcase, diaper bag AND the child through the airport, check-in, security and onto the plane... but we managed and he was perfect while flying. Thankfully. I prayed lots!! He nursed on the way up and down and slept most of the time in between... the few minutes he was awake, he and I looked out the window. I know he was as excited as me to spot the reds, greens, yellows and blues of PEI... ;)

Uncle Lucas, Aunt Steffani, Uncle Timothy and Great-Grandmother Stewart have all met the newest member of the family. I had hoped to be more adventurous and try to fit in a few more of the family members and friends in the Maritimes, but once there, it didn't seem realistic to travel around. So we stayed put and enjoyed PEI. Lucas and Dad were both home when I arrived, and Steffani & Timothy came over for the Labour Day weekend.  AJ got LOTS of attention and cuddles... and I think... the family has accepted him as one of us. ;) 

start 'em young! Hopefully he gets the talent of these 2 teachers!

AJ was to the beach most of the days we were on PEI and did really well, thanks to the Moby wrap. I'm training him young... he has no choice but to LOVE the beach! :) We also did a September excursion to the beach here in Ontario.

Like Father, Like Son!

 Well, this is a scattered recap of life since my last post... lots of holes, but if I don't press save and publish now, it could be another month! To say I'm loving being AJ's Momma is an understatement... I'm also loving my Mat leave!! :D