Thanks Auntie Kris!

For the bags of clothes and shoes - Mika was thrilled. Not a dud in the bunch in Mikaland. She put on the vest, hot pink side out, and went for a spin on her trike feeling rather cool and proud. That winter jacket is awesome.

Champ!

The breastfeeding challenge went really well. Declan must have thought it was a marathon though as he was still feeding away after everyone else had left.
Mika was about as interested in the rummage sale and challenge as her Daddy - luckily there was a playground outside.
We met Kris and family for brunch afterwards - Mika was SO thrilled to see Saoirse again. Those two are just nuts when they get together. The girls haven't seen each other in months, but it was as if they see each other daily. It's weird how alike they are despite not spending a lot of time together lately.
Declan and Brighid smiled and cooed at each other happily. I just love Brighid - she's the sweetest. I was even allowed to hold her! No making strange like Declan does.

Declan is passed out cold after his big day - Mika is having some screen time otherwise she'll melt down completely after not having a nap today. We're treading lightly...

Make Him Stop!!

I was trying to pretend that Declan was still asleep this morning and doze some myself when I noticed something out of the corner of my half-open one eye - Declan was pushing himself from a crawling position to sitting up. And there he was, jolly as ever grinning at me with pride. Just sitting.

Challenge

I decided to sign up for the Breastfeeding Challenge tomorrow. I'm not the getup and involved type of person and have no idea what possessed me to do this. Anyway, I fully expect to have fun, so it's all good. I've fed Declan from one end of this town to the other and at all sorts of other events (i think we had our biggest audience while sitting on the hill in the middle of heritage days). May as well take him for lunch and make it count for something more.

He speaks!

Declan has started to imitate words. He FINALLY said 'Mama' this morning with a little coaxing from Daddy. Declan has been saying 'Dada' for awhile. Now to work on getting him to say 'Mika'!
I'm going to try and teach him a few basic signs. Really basic ones like eat, drink, diaper, milk, etc. We shall see. So far, I can't even get him to look at me when I show him the signs. Oi.
Mika is still trying to figure out this toilet training business. She seems so desperate to go to "Ballet School" - which is good because its motivating her. You can't go to ballet school if you wear diapers, you know.

Yay!

We met up with my old and dear friend Carmen and her family today. I haven't seen Carm since she left town years and years ago. She has the most adorable and scrumptious little boy, Sol. He's 17 months old and doesn't leave home without his skateboard. We met up with them at the St. Albert skatepark so they could stretch their legs before starting their drive back home to B.C. - I'm so sad now - I wish Carm still lived here.
Mika loved the skateboarding experience - that's my girl! Even Declan went for a spin.

poop

Mika pooped in her potty for the first time today! She's been bugging us to go to "ballet school" only to be told that she has to be toilet trained first. I think she was disappointed when she wasn't instantly whisked off to ballet classes as she pooped her pants later in the day. Small steps, right?
Another fun filled Saturday - We hit the farmers market in the morning. Daddy agreed to fix a computer for a co-worker. Mika went over to hang out with her Nana in the afternoon and Declan and I wandered around stony plain road while Daddy did the fixins. Found a wicked dragon outfit at one of the 2nd hand stores for the kids.
We managed to get an early supper in so that we could haul the kids off to the playground before bath/bed. Declan was loving the slides. He's getting to be such a big guy. He even rode in the stroller for part of our farmers market trip and over to the playground. Declan is almost always toured around in his carrier - I've become so used to it that I don't even consider the stroller, but it sure makes things easier having him ride in the machine rather than on me or Daddy.
Happy Birthday, Serena - even though you still don't use a computer and will never see this post.
Tomorrow is kite day in the park!

smooth criminal

Mika stole some mini tambourines from the dollar store the other night. She showed us her loot when we got back to the car. Daddy marched her right back into the store to fess up...the owner said that he saw her shove the goods into her pocket and just decided to let her get away with it. Apparently it pays to be cute.

"The man let me take them, Mama!" uh huh. greeaaat.

..and so it starts

About thirty minutes after Mika went to bed tonight, I looked up at Daddy because he said "Oh, hello." I looked down my body from where I was lying on the couch reading and there was Mika. Looking a little sheepish and as though she was concealing great pride at the same time. She had managed to get from her room down the hall and into the living room undetected. Mika's a quick thinker - as soon as she realized that she was busted, she noticed a particular animal that she had left on the edge of the couch and piped up "Oh, I just needed to get my other pink kitty." as if this was a no-big-deal kind of situation. Don't mind her, she's just here for the other pink kitty, thanks.

Declan has started grinding his teeth. I forgot how much that sound grates on the old nerves. Mika loved to grind her teeth too. Just typing about that sound makes me brain shudder.

Happy 31-Month Birthday, Mika!

w00t!

Baba Filled Weekend

We did a bunch of stuff this weekend, none of which included working on the house and yard as we should be doing. Like last weekend, when Daddy cleaned the eaves - or the weekend before when we finally borrowed an electric mower and he gave the yard a go-over that the reel mower just can't do.
We met Baba and Grandpa Ted for breakfast on Saturday - we needed to return their steam cleaner - so why not over breakfast at a hotel buffet? The highlights were Mika shoveling fruit loops down her throat as fast as she could using two spoons at a time and Mika running around like a mad fool with about 4 pieces of bacon in her mouth, choking, and puking on Baba. Good times, good times. Went to the market downtown afterwards - ordered bread for next week. Followed by the usual: naps and more shopping: halal mart, euro deli, 2nd hand store.
We took Baba out for a sandwich at a cafe in little italy today - happy birthday, baba! There was a scooter gang there - a whole line of vespas and the like. Envy! We managed to drag Baba and Grandpa Ted over to the park afterwards as well. It was probably the last day that Mika had to frolic in the public park sprinklers - cold weather is soon upon us for real, I think.
Anyway, the kids had a great weekend - two Baba visits! Too wiped out to post more - broken record, eh?

6 month checkup

Declan went for his 6 month checkup this morning. We've been feeling like we're on death's door for the past week. A rash showed up on both of us this morning - illness deemed a virus - and supposedly we'll feel all better tomorrow.
Declan has grown about 2 inches in as many month (is this possible??), but not gained any weight. I was told to add another serving of cereal to his daily diet - cereal 3x per day.
No one has any clue as to why Declan's right nostril is permanently snuffly. Still. We're going to wait it out a bit and see if it corrects itself as he grows. He can eat and sleep OK and we're not interested in having tubes shoved through his nasal passages or monthly xray checkups unless there's a really good reason.
We're also still not sure what the red splotch mark on Declan's right thigh is. When I first noticed it months ago, I thought it was some kind of bruise. When I had the doc look at it today, she was puzzled. She proclaimed that it was neither a birthmark or a hemangioma - so, again, we will wait and see. I'll have to take another close look and see if the marking resembles anything - maybe it's the mark of a prophet - :P
Otherwise, the boy was deemed healthy! And a major flirt.

In other Declan news, both top front teeth have sprouted through - he's VERY cranky on the teething level right now. The guy is also pulling himself up - but only when presented with an opportunity. He has yet to maneuver himself over to something - phew!

Mika has decided that both she and her brother will be ballerinas. So it goes. One afternoon with Ava and it's all about the ballerinas over here.

Happy 7-Month Birthday, Declan!

My newborn is 7 months old today. Hardly a newborn!

The little guy is still just about the best baby anyone could ask for. He loves to eat, is big and strong, loves his family (especially his sister), and is the happiest person that I know. And? His hair is coming in nicely now.

Declan loves his baby carriers. LOVES them. He's either nursed or 'bounced' to sleep each night. Problem? Yeah maybe - but it feels right. ('Bounced' means that we strap him into the carrier and play one (or all) of his three sleepytime albums.

He's definitely a gentle giant - but can also take out his sister with one shot.

Declan loves to drum and read. Sometimes he has a lot to say. Sometimes he imitates his sisters fits perfectly - oh, the joy.

Am in the process of bouncing him to sleep and the typing is disturbing him...

saturday

another saturday done: breakfast with baba and grandpa ted, trip to the st. albert farmers market, lawn mowed, family jam session, something else, and another thing that i can't think of. oh yeah, lunch and supper.

sunday brings a trip to visit oma, a trip to visit nana, and the afternoon free to do as we please! w00t...

20:30 and i feel like i could drop dead asleep on my keyboard. i would, too, if declan was asleep...

off to bounce the baby to sleep...