Mother of the Year

Crawling after the cat. Face plant. Hard plastic toy. Black eye.

7 Months Old

Gourmet!

Already in training to be a great chef. Cooking with Mommy these days certainly has been more interesting than thawing frozen meals!

5 AM is Too Early

Chance woke at 5 and nursed, but despite my efforts of cuddling and rocking, seemed too perky to settle. So I popped in his soother and plunked him in the crib and gave him a bunch of quiet toys to play with. He must have slept, because I did not hear him until shortly after 7. He also woke up at 1:30 to nurse as well. Not a bad night. It feels good to be at home. The weather is supposed to be dry all week, hopefully there will be lots of opportunity to get some staining done on the fence.

Camping Success

What a wonderful weekend! This camping with other parents idea was a really good one!

Chance and I picked up Cameron on time (!) at the C-train station without getting into any major traffic snarls or accidents. We were on our way at 4:50 PM and arrived at the campsite at 5:30 PM.

We were the second family to arrive, so we got to take our pick of campsites. We got the trailer set up and Chance ate his supper a little later than usual (6:30) sitting in his Chariot. Peas and sweet potatoes and barley. While we finished setting up camp and ate dinner, Cam came up with the brilliant idea of using the truck box as a modified playpen for Chance (of course he was supervised, as the truck box is not very deep, and given enough guts Chance might have been able to haul himself out). As we were not about to bathe our babe in the mountains, what with the chilly nights, we decided to let him stay up a little later than usual so that he'd readily go to sleep. More people arrived through the evening, and Chance started to get a little fussy around 8 PM (normal bedtime is 7:30).

So we got him changed and let me tell you, there's nothing cuter than a skinny little baby romping around in nothing but a diaper and a toque. No pictures, the camera was buried in the bottom of my pack. Unfortunate. Despite the noises of others setting up camp, chopping wood, kids playing and their mom shouting after them, Chance went right to sleep and was soon cozily tucked into his playpen. Cam and I enjoyed a cup of camp coffee by the fire with some of the other parents.

Chance woke at 11, 2:30 and 5, then was up for good at 6:20. A pretty normal night. He slept in his playpen until 5, then joined Cam and I on the wing of the trailer. We woke up to a cool morning, but Chance was quite snug in his snowsuit. Yes, his snowsuit.

Around noon the group got organized to go for a hike along the Ribbon Creek Trail which departs from Kananaskis Village (used for lodging in the 1988 Olympics). We went ahead of the group as Chance was in a good mood and we knew that we should seize our opportunity to make some good distance. The trail was very flat and wide (allowing us to use the Chariot) and a nice river was nearby usually. We stopped for a nursing-in-the-bush session and then lunch at the end of the trail. We encountered the rest of the group on the way back, and were informed that they had sighted a 2 year old black bear in the parking lot just before they hit the trail. Lovely.

We returned to camp and Cam napped while Dani chatted with some of the new campers. The rest of the group arrived around 5 PM. Chance went to bed a little after 8 again and stayed asleep until 3:15, woohoo! Unfortunately he felt so well rested that he wanted to play. So Cam and I laid on either side of him and gave him the flashlight to chase. The shadow puppet show must have been hilarious. Chance got sleepy around 4, but couldn't seem to get comfortable. No amount of nursing or rocking helped for very long. Cam and I changed his diaper, but that didn't help, So I pulled out a little bottle of teething tablets and dosed him with 3 - he was out like a light until 7:30. I know those teeth are bothering him. When he smiles at you, you can see his gums change colour from pink to white to pink to white. They must be painful.

We were all packed up and on the way home by 11, Chance napped the whole way home. I went out for milk and bread and fueled up the truck, and came home to a baby who was changed and into some comfy pants for napping, with a tummy full of bananas. Cameron figured he would like a snack, and he was right. Chance ate nearly half a banana. Woof!

And he's been alsleep for an hour now. Cam went for a nap too. I fixed up dinner and finished Cam's beer that he left on the kitchen counter. Finders keepers. :)

Weekend Camping

Well we're all packed and ready to hit the road. We're picking Daddy up at Dalhousie train station (furthest NW train station in the city). We'll then soon be on our way to a weekend full of camping and making new friends (hopefully) at Porcupine group camp ground in Kananaskis, at the south end of Barrier Lake. And it appears that we beat our son.

I was sitting with Chance this afternoon as he was holding on to the bars of the baby gate. He was sitting on his feet (knees bent). Then he straightened up to a kneeling position, all the while holding on to the bars of the baby gate. And then he head-butted the baby gate. He has a big bruise on his forehead. Actually two - one from each side of the square bar that he rammed.

I really don't know what to say.

Play Ball

Poultry Lover!

Chance eats chicken. Chicken with rosemary and applesauce. How very gourmet.

Cam's comment: "Of course he eats meat. He's a Demmans, isn't he??"

*frick*

I have no comment, other than I just finished planting my annuals, my perennials were doing quite well, the garden was planted, and we're supposed to go camping in Kananaskis tomorrow. We've already paid the $50.

Up and Down

Chance loves to practice standing. He pulls up on the footstool, on the furniture, on his highchair, on Mommy and Daddy, on the kitchen chairs, in his CRIB AT NIGHT..... Chance was up 7 times last night. 11, 12:30, 1, 2, 4, 5:30. He was hungry. He was hurting. He was doing acrobatics. I hope these teeth come in soon, for everyone's sake! Mommy's bedtime will be 8 PM tonight.

Daddy 'n Chance

Boys will be boys, especially when the boys are being boys together. Daddy took these photos of Chance and Mommy while Mommy painted the hallway.

Misc. Photos

Take a Hike!

We hiked up the C-level Cirque trail near Banff. The trail leads up to a glacial cirque with great views of Lake Minnewanka, however we only made it up 2/3 of the way but turned back as Chance was getting antsy and we were told by hikers coming down the trail that the summit wasn't possible because of snow blocking the path still. C-level refers to an abandoned coal mining operation (there was an A-level and B-level too, C-level was the highest). We saw a male and female spruce grouse, but didn't linger long enough to spot their nest or chicks. We walked through the abandoned mining town of Bankhead, and also saw several abandoned mine shafts. After we turned around, we stopped for lunch near a tricking creek, which was icy cold. Chance was able to nurse in peace, as we were out of sight of the trail, as well he scarfed down some bananas. He slept the whole way home, and Daddy caught some zzz's too.

May Long Weekend

Well...we're not camping. We had the camper packed, everything ready to go...and woke up to overcast skies. Rainy forecast for the day. Besides, we were feeling lazy.

And rightfully so! On Thursday I got started on staining the fence. I did a total of 3 panels over the course of 3 naps. It is a much needed improvement in the back yard.

On Wednesday we got together with all the RGH moms and babes for a back yard picnic in SE Calgary. All the babies were in great moods and the day was beautiful. Chance got a little bit of colour despite the SPF 30 sunblock I put on him (twice!), so I got special baby-formulated SPF 60 for him.

So when Chance napped, we napped. For an hour! And then we went shopping. We picked up a snazzy backpack carrier from a used children's gear store. Chance loves it. We wore it around the store while we finished our shopping because he was having such a great time up there. Then we visited our favorite Italian deli and picked up some yummy stuff, then over to Costco (AKA Danielle's Least Favorite Place On Earth) and bought steaks for Monday night - Cam invited a coworker and his fiance over for dinner. And Costco has the best steaks...and we had a $30 coupon (some sort of rebate program though Cam's membership). So...4 steaks, 32 granola bars, 5L of dishwasher detergent and 10 cedar planks later....we escaped! Yay!

Right now I've got salt-free stock on the stove (for Chance's upcoming adventures in pureed meat, yummy!) and Chance is playing with his new set of blocks. They were a gift from Cam's Auntie Marlene, but we saved them for a rainy day - today fit the bill! Chance is really enjoying them, even if the computerized function is a bit too advanced right now (it says "green frog" when you connect the green block with the block with the frog on it).

Tomorrow the weather around Banff is supposed to be phenomenal, so we are going to drive out and do a bit of walking with our new backpack carrier. It should be an excellent day! Tonight Cam and I are just going to curl up and watch a movie after Chance goes to sleep.

Chance Loves His Nana

First Mother's Day

Chance, Cameron and I flew to Regina and stayed with Dani's parents from the 9th (Chance and Mom) and 10th (Daddy) til the 14th. Cameron and I attended the 14th annual Ken Goff Memorial Boxing Classic, and while Cam volunteered with this event Dani and Chance took the opportunity to visit with Gramma Jo and Grampa Phil. Auntie Jen and Uncle Paul came from Moosomin for a visit on Saturday. On Sunday we visited Wascana Park and Chance fed the geese. He liked them and squealed loudly. We left on Monday morning, but nearly missed our flight because Cam accidentally kept Mom's garage door opener in his hand and he went to leave it at the information desk, but he had our boarding passes so Chance and I couldn't get on the plane! Whew! The weather in Regina was quite gorgeous, it was 27° on May 9th when Dani and Chance arrived. Lots of green!

On Mother's Day I received a very nice home-made card from my mom with the poem "Before I Was A Mom" in it - I've liked this poem ever since I read it when I was pregnant with Chance. My mom inserted photos of Chance where it was appropriate ("Before I was a mom, I had never been drooled on" - and then a picture of my shirt after holding Chance when he was teething). I bawled. I always bawl when I read that poem!

Cameron gave me a tiny tiny iPod called a "shuffle". It will replace my clunky MP3 player that reads CD's. The old girl put in lots of service, but the earphones are starting to crackle and there are parts being held together by electrical tape. I will get a lot of use out of that little iPod, with all the walking and biking I do.

Chance saved his pennies and bought me a box of Bernard Callebaut chocolates - something sweet for me to share with Daddy after suppers for the next few nights.

Being a mom has really been an amazing, sometimes bewildering and overwhelming, experience so far. I'm so glad I have my little boy here, safe and healthy. I'm so glad and thankful that he's happy and we're doing well together as a family. That has been the best gift of all.

...and STANDING!

Chance pulled himself up to stand yesterday. My jaw dropped. Hit the floor.

Why don't I look impressed? Because he's going to be into everything! And falling down while he's doing it.

Apparently Chance has a new way of showing frustration...

Sitting Up!

He's been doing the halfway move for a while now, but I've never seen him actually sit up on his own - until today! And I got it on video! Cool!

Beets!

Chance seems to (??) like beets. I found beets harder to cook than most veggies and eventually got frustrated, dumped them into the processor and wizzed the poop out of them. I read on the web that you should boil them to get out the nitrates....they seemed to lose a lot of their colour, but then I needed to add a lot of cooking water to thin them out, so the colour, as you can see, was quite vibrant.

Chance wore an old stained sleeper for the occasion, "just in case".

Biter!

Nursing Chance has become increasingly complicated over the last week or so. He seems to need to bite first, then drink. So...nursing goes something like this:

Bite. Pull off baby. Stern look in eye. "No". Baby looks scared. Relatch. Bite. Pull off baby. Stern look in eye. "NO!". Baby looks scared. Relatch. Bite. Pull off baby. Stern look in eye. "NO!". Baby looks scared. Relatch.

Last night Cameron leaned over and bit me on the shoulder when we were watching TV. It has always been a kind of "I love you" thing. Until now. I lost it.

So, my little Biter Baby had prunes this morning, they made him pucker a bit, but he opened up wide for more once he gummed for a while. I got a big ol' NO on papaya again. I don't blame him, I think it smells like diaper.

After breakfast, Chance waded around in his toys for a while and then took the grand tour of the kitchen. He can really move now. Scarlet is not impressed with his ability to close the gap and get ahold of her precious tail/whiskers/ears. She is taking it well, despite the abuse, and even puts up with a bit of it before taking off. I think she knows it thrills Chance.

Tonight Cam and I are going out for dinner. We have a baby sitter. I'm calling it a milestone for us.