Baby/Mama Tea!

After a hiatus over the holidays, the Baby/Mama teas have begun again!

We had one here at our house at the beginning of this month and it was crazy to see how much these kiddos have grown!

We were a few short, but four of us managed to get together to enjoy some delectables along with the toddler games.

Look at them all!


We are looking forward to next month when hopefully, all six of them will be together again :)

Boots!

After our morning at the beach, I realized that we need to get our kiddo some boots.

Turns out that is not an easy task when there are no wal-marts or targets. I finally found some that were fairly reasonably priced and brought them home for my little puddle-jumper.

He LOVES them. He is ready to put them on as soon as he sees them (boots? boots? boots?) regardless of what we are doing. I couldn't resist a little photo from the other morning when he wanted them on over his pj's. Unfortunately for you, the camera was not at the ready when he decided he wanted to have his boots AND his sunglasses on with his pajamas :)


I love this kid.

a-a-A-DEEEEE!

Usually when Aed wakes up he babbles. This is always entertaining. But yesterday.. it was hilarious.

A few days ago Aed learned how to sneeze. We have several books where the characters sneeze at some point, and he started mimicking the sound we make when we read the books.

As I walked passed his door before getting him up I heard, 'a-a-A-DEEEEEEEE!' over and over again.

It took me a minute to realize what I was hearing since it's a relatively new development, but once I did I had a good laugh at my boy.

I egged him on outside the door, much to his delight :)

love it.

A Morning at the Beach

I will never tire of living in a beach town. I love that it is always an option to traipse down to the water’s edge and just relish in the deep sky and huge expanse of sand. A big open space to do with what you like. The perfect place to take a toddler who just wants to run FREE! :)

We have had some sunny days around here, so Aed and I took our first adventure of the season a few weeks ago (pre-sickness). We have been to the beach over the winter of course, but now was time for adventure. Climbing out of the buggy and exploring the beach for as long as his little legs could handle it (or maybe it was mama’s bladder that made the final call?).



When I looked back at these pictures, I knew we were just escaping the dregs of winter because I had thought this day was gloriously sunny :) The sun was there, yes, but it certainly had some competition.

Aed was raring to go as soon as he got down from the buggy.



The in-between seasons here tend to be really windy. It’s often windy since we’re on the water, but some days the wind will literally knock you over. This was one of those days (and I began regretting the trip to the beach pushing my toddler up, up, up all the hills against the wind on the way home). We got out the soccer ball (which has since been stolen by some of our lovely community members) and it didn’t take long for the wind to sweep it away. Knowing it wouldn’t get far, instead of chasing after it we just meandered towards it as Aed found things he was interested in.

Fortunately for me, there were some uneven areas that had become little pools of water as the tide had gone out. These little pools stopped the ball before it hit the ocean, so there was no wading involved. Fortunately for Aed, the ball was stopped at the edge of some very inviting pools of water.



Dude didn’t even hesitate. He was IN. I knew this was a possibility, so I did have a ‘my kid is soaking wet and it’s freezing outside’ plan. I soon learned had things gone differently, my plan would have been very inadequate. But, God was good and instead of bringing home a popsicle I brought home a half-naked-wrapped-in-a-blanket toddler with a better game plan for next time. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Aed splashed around for a bit, and within a few minutes had fallen on his backside.


After a few falls, he was soaked from toes to rump.


This was a wet as I got:


And I was glad for that! I don’t know how he handled that water because it was frigid. I suppose that’s what being a Scot will do to you :)

He continued playing and after a few forward-facing falls (this was the point where I realized I had no plan if his top half got wet) his pants were completely soaked.


I couldn’t believe how willing he was to continue playing! He must have been freezing but couldn’t have cared less. I got his attention and saw that his face was showing obvious signs of being cold, so I got mommy guilt and put his bear hat on to make myself feel better :)


I had to coax him away from the water by trying to avert his attention to the soccer ball again. He was NOT happy when he realized what was going on and immediately turned and ran back. I went after him, stripped him down and wrapped him up, then tucked him away inside his buggy. We’ve always known we had a bit of a water bug, but now I have no doubt! We will be spending many a (hopefully warmer) morning at the beach this summer. Big brother with little brother in tow. And I can’t wait.

You’re Fired!

This is what I was tempted to tell my immune system only a few short days ago. Pack your bags, we are through! Useless is what you are!

Fortunately for my well being, I relented and cut the ol’ gal some slack. I figure I am sort of pregnant, so maybe my immune system isn’t entirely focused on me right now.

It all started about three weeks ago.. We were sitting in the living room when someone says, ‘My throat kind of hurts..’ (It was either Ian or Sheree, but I can’t remember who started the conversation.) The other agreed. I just looked at both of them and told them to stay away. After the cold I had at Christmas I was not interested in getting another while pregnant.

A few days later.. Sore throat. Runny nose. Hacking cough. Stuffy ears. It seemed every day I woke up with a new symptom. It was awesome.

Fast forward about a week and a half, and I am still sick and now have absolutely no sense of taste or smell. This makes life interesting. Also, Aed now has the runny nose and hacking cough. He quickly develops the nickname ‘snot vampire’ as snot was constantly dripping down his face. Also awesome.

Then last Thursday night I went to bed with a really bad headache right through my forehead. I woke around 2am with a splitting headache and really intense pain in my ears. I began to freak out as I felt pressure continue to build in my head, so Ian decided to call NHS 24. While I sat feeling like someone was piling burning coals into my ears, Ian talked to a very nice man on the phone who said to take paracetamol (tylenol) at regular intervals and call the GP for an appointment in the morning. I personally was ready to call an ambulance right there and then. I am telling you, my head was going to explode.

I wasn’t able to sleep well at all, even with the paracetamol. In the morning, Ian called the GP and informed me that my appointment was at 12:15 that afternoon. I immediately had a break down because I knew I couldn’t wait that long for some kind of relief from the intense pain. He called back after seeing my desperation and they were able to move my appointment to 11:30. Bravo. (I wasn’t feeling very gracious towards the GP at that moment :)

So I spent the morning in tears waiting and waiting for the minutes to tick by. Finally we headed out and the doctor concluded that nothing was wrong with my ears (at which point I was rendered speechless by the impossibility of that) and that I had a sinus infection. I went home with an antibiotic, the instructions to not take any paracetamol unless I really needed it, and the feeling that there was no way she had adequately understood how much pain I was experiencing.

After a few hours and more tears, my left ear started leaking. While this wasn’t a great sign for the state of my eardrum, it did provide some relief from the pressure, and I felt much more justified in my suspicion that my ear pain was unrelated to the state of my sinuses (the doctor thought my ear pain was actually being caused by a sinus infection). So a sinus infection and a ruptured eardrum. That’s an awesome combo right there.

I was tortured with it all day Saturday to the point that Ian called NHS 24 again just to make sure things were ok since the doctor had not seen whatever was wrong with my ear initially, and that’s where all my pain was focused (I have such a good hubby!).

Fortunately, Sunday brought with it some relief and things have been improving since. Two and a half weeks later and I still sound sick, can’t hear very well out of my left ear, and have a daily headache, but I can taste and I can smell! And I’m not feeling the need to seclude myself from all noise by staying in the bedroom all day!

I’m not sure I have ever been more thankful for the returning of some senses I had dearly missed, and the absence of some pain I will be glad to forget. Needless to say, I am quarantining myself next time I hear someone thinking aloud that they may be getting sick! I am in no hurry to repeat this experience :)

Nobody know the trouble I've seen..

Aed loves loves loves to be outside. Any time we go somewhere or run errands, as soon as we get to the path that runs along the way to our house, I get him out of the stroller so he can walk. He usually starts requesting this long before we get to the 'safe zone' for his meanderings. He starts saying 'Walk? Walk? Walk?' Words with 'k' sounds are absolutely hilarious when he says them. He kind of lateral-lisps the 'k' at the end so it drags out into Walkkkkk with a bunch of gurgley sounds. I love it.

So anyway, he hops out and goes to all the 'dates' (gates) that lead to peoples' front doors. He touches each one and then when he runs out of gates he touches the 'nones' (stones) that make up the stone wall along the path. He occasionally stops to stomp on the storm drains as well :) Recently we discovered moss (which sounds like moss when he says it..) growing on a lower part of the wall, and it turns out Aed thinks moss is delicious. Before I knew it, he had a little hunk in his mouth and was saying 'Mmmmmmmm!' very enthusiastically.

He is enthralled with pointing out birds, dogs, and cars. He knows the words and the sound each thing makes and gets so excited when he sees one.

Going on walks with a one year old is fabulous. Unless you're in a hurry, that is.

Well sometimes in all the excitement, his lack of coordination gets the better of him. He gets going too fast, loses his balance, and..


Gets lovely injuries. Fortunately he gets over them quickly (moss!) and they certainly don't dissuade his enthusiasm.

Tired legs and rosy cheeks are signs of a few well-spent minutes discovering the wonders of outside.

Because it just seemed right..

I took pictures of Aed's lunch a while ago..

I mean look at it:


So color coordinated! So diverse! The food groups!

Just kidding :) It was just because of the colors.. And look how much he enjoyed eating it..



umm.. this is just a gratuitous photo of my baby's eyes because I like them.


And because this is a random post with a random picture of lunch.. Here's picture of a lemon no-bake cheesecake (with lemon curd on top!) I made last weekend.


I'm told it was delicious, but I have no idea what it tasted like because I have lost all ability to taste! I haven't tasted anything in days!! It is torturous when there are good things to eat.. but I know this too shall pass and eventually (right??) I won't have a cold anymore. Until then, I am learning more ways to appreciate the world of textures and temperatures when it comes to eating. And that you can still feel saltiness and spiciness without tasting! Who knew?

26 Weeks!

There it is!

There's my 26-weeker!

Please don't mind the double-butt.. it's the shirt I promise :)

You guys!

I have just discovered the best ab workout..

A few easy steps..

1. Be pregnant.

2. Get a cold that is much worse and lasts much longer than it should because of said 'pregnant' status.

3. Proceed to cough, sneeze, and blow your nose until your abs and ribs are aching.

4. Enjoy the results!

There's always a bright side :)

One for the road..

Looking out over the cliffs next to West Sands yesterday.. Part of a late afternoon adventure while we were walking Daddy home from work.