Nicer weather welcomed!

I have really enjoyed this week much more than the past one... in terms of the weather, that is! I'm glad the snow has melted and we are back into some nice temperatures. We are doing a lot more walking now and have been to the park several times, which has been great... for both Colby and I. Last weekend, Gerry and Kyle hung the doors in the basement, so it's nice to see some progress there! They look great, but more importantly, are working well in keeping Colby out of the rooms! Great job, boys! Again, I think a construction business might be in their futures?!? :)

We had a very busy week that began with a new addition to our family on Monday, October 19th!! Our nephew, Jordan Lee Boe, was born on Monday afternoon at 3:36 pm (Kristy's due date!). He's a beautiful little man who looks just like his big brother, Landon! Congratulations to Kristy and Kyle on their beautiful addition to the family! I got to meet him shortly after he was born, as Auntie Corinne came and stayed home with Colby while Jenna and I went into the hospital. I know it wouldn't have been any fun for Colby to be there, so it was much better for him to be at home with "Auntie Keen". Now that makes 5 grandchildren in my immediate family! Whew... the past couple of years have seen a lot of weddings and babies in our family!!

Colby is such a social kid... he enjoys our outings and loves "going bye-byes". It doesn't seem to matter where we go, but any sort of outing is welcomed by him. He is enjoying Tick Tock Time on Friday mornings too. He sees cousins Hailey and Connor there, which is great for him. Okay, maybe it's more the time in the playgym that he enjoys over the structured singing songs, etc. at the program. Either way, it's a great social activity. I think we're going to be going to the playgym a lot in the winter months!! Colby continues to be a big help around the house. He enjoys "cooking" when I am, helping Mommy bake, and is great at pulling up his chair to the counter to see what's going on! He is really doing well with Jenna, which is such a relief! He wants to give her toys and says hi to her many times throughout the day, is concerned when she's crying, etc. I love having our conversations too... now that he can speak in small sentences, he cracks me up! The things he comes up with are pretty cute! The other day we were talking about our plans for the day and I asked him, "How's that, Colby?" And he responded, "Sounds good, Mommy!" :) He also talks to himself quite a bit, especially while playing choo choo's, cars, and trucks. I love listening to his commentary! I love cuddling up at naptime and bedtime, reading stories, or snuggling on the couch, watching Thomas first thing in the morning. Ahh, can't get enough snuggles! These days will soon be gone, I'm sure!! :( While he is a pretty good kid, he definitely has his moments! He's been a bit more defiant this week and is repeatedly responding to any requests with the word dreaded by most parents, "NO!" He's been slamming doors and turning off lights in rooms, etc., so that has been a bit frustrating. I suppose he is almost two... enough said?!? He definitely knows how to push some buttons....

Jenna is my little sweetheart! I just can't snuggle her enough! She turned one month old on Wednesday... I know, where has the time gone!? We weighed and measured her and she is now 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 20" long. So she's definitely growing and putting on weight!! She is filling out so much, especially in the face. It's hard to believe that she's pretty much the same size now that Colby was at birth!! Big differences between girls and boys I guess... this is only the beginning of the differences, I'm sure! When she is awake, she's very alert and lifting her head up more and more. She enjoys tummy time usually too, which is good! Her fussy time is in the evenings too, just like Colby's was. So we do a lot of moving and snuggling from about 8 pm on. She is now starting to fit into some 0-3 month clothes. She was in premie and newborn sleepers and clothes for several weeks. While they're still a bit big, the 0-3 month clothes are beginning to fit a bit better. I wish there were more hours in a day... more time for Gerry to spend with the kids and more time to get things done around the house and errands. It seems I'm going to bed later and later, trying to accomplish simple things like dishes and some laundry. Maybe once Jenna starts going to bed a bit earlier and sleeping for longer periods of time, things will start to settle down a bit more.

We are going to a 2nd birthday party for Logan tomorrow evening. Colby will be happy to play with Logan and Jenna's pretty excited to see Kenedy again (Kenedy was born 15 days after Jenna!). It's great to have great friends with kids so close in age! Can't get much closer than Kenedy and Jenna! We're also looking forward to some shopping (maybe starting some Christmas shopping?) and having some family time.

Have a great weekend everyone. I hope this warmer weather sticks around for a few more weeks before the snow flies!! Have fun getting ready for Halloween next weekend!!

Lesley

Busy house!

I don't know where the time goes, but I find myself exhausted at the end of every day, but looking forward to the next! I thought I was busy with only one child... things sure are a lot busier with two! Especially with a 22 month old and a newborn!! Things are going really well... Colby is beginning to settle into his new role as a big brother (and is hitting Jenna less frequently!), as well as sleeping much better at night. I discovered that all he needed was to keep his door open slightly at bedtime and we haven't had another night of crying since! He is really making me laugh these days with the kinds of things he comes up with... every time I head to the computer, he says, "Mommy check email?" LOL! He is beginning to want to "talk" on the phone more often now. He asks, "How are you?" and says, "Hi" a lot! We bought Colby a new train set on the weekend and it is all he plays with now! He absolutely loves Thomas and we watch him religiously. Time for a new DVD, I think!! If he has lost a train, he will call out, "Diesel 10, are you?" I love it!!!

Jenna is doing well... eating and sleeping well, in addition to growing quickly! I can't believe how quickly her cheeks are filling out! When she was first born, I really thought she looked like Colby, but by 2 weeks of age, she doesn't as much anymore. She really looks like a little girl and is so fine in her features. We are up usually once in the night (2-3 ish) and then early in the morning (about 6ish). So overall, we're getting a bit of sleep, which is great! :) She has been more awake during the day for longer periods of time too, which is fun. She has big, blue eyes, just like Colby!! I love staring right into them!!

We had a busy Thanksgiving weekend with some family shopping on Saturday morning, a visit from Gerry's parents, sister, and niece, a funeral on Sunday, and the burial on Thanksgiving Monday. One of Gerry's uncles, Glen Cameron, passed away suddenly at the end of September. He taught at a technical school in Qatar, so it took a while to get everything in order for a funeral service back at home. We didn't see them very often, but he was a very sweet, gentle-hearted man. It was nice to see everyone on the Cameron side, as we don't get together very often, but it's unfortunate that it takes an event such as this one to see everyone. He will be sadly missed. Gerry's older sister and her husband stayed at our place on Sunday evening, so we had a good time visiting with them. The kids and I didn't do much on Thanksgiving Monday during the day, but we all headed over to my parents' house for dinner. It was great! I love Thanksgiving!!

We haven't ventured out too far in the cold, snowy weather this week, but are looking forward to the weekend with some nice weather to come! Today, Jenna and I headed to my school so that she could meet my former students. It was so great to see them all and for them to meet Jenna. They were pretty amazed with how small she is!! :) It's always great to see the staff too... I miss everyone at Forest Green, but will be back in September! Colby had a playdate with Landon when we went to school... didn't think he would enjoy the visit there too much!! It has been so great having my sister, Kristy, on mat. leave too! Now we're all just anxiously awaiting the arrival of Baby Boe #2!!! She's due on Monday, but it's looking like another induction might happen the following Monday. Come on out baby, Auntie wants to meet you!!! :)

Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy the warmer weather before the snow arrives to stay!
Lesley

First check-up

Jenna had her first check-up on Wednesday afternoon with Dr. Currie. At 9 days old, she weighed 6 lbs. 9 oz. She was almost at her birth weight (6 lbs. 11 oz.), but not quite. I now realize how inaccurate some measurements can be!! When she was born, they measured her at 19 3/4" long, but at the doctor's office, we got 18.9"!! My doctor said that the way they measure at the Mis. isn't exactly accurate, so I guess her birth length was more like 18 3/4" and not 19 3/4". Either way, now we know for sure, I guess!! Her height, weight and head circumference put her in the 25th percentile right now. Both Gerry and I were shocked... I think more than anything to hear less than the 80th-95th percentile like we're used to hearing with Colby!! LOL! Anyway, she's doing very well... eating much better, sleeping great, is enjoying tummy time once or twice a day, as well as lifting her head for a few moments at a time. She's a beautiful little girl (although I'm a little bit biased!!) and very loved!

Colby's looking more and more like a big boy now... with his first haircut this week!! He didn't have much hair for a very long time and I haven't wanted to cut off his cute blond curls, but decided it was finally time to get rid of the 'wings'! So we went to my hairdresser and had his first haircut on Tuesday, September 29th. He was reluctant at first, but did fine by the end. He's pretty proud that he got a big boy haircut!! I almost shed a tear while cutting away his curls... I guess that's why they say that first haircuts cut the baby away!! He sure doesn't look like a baby anymore!! We've been having some difficulties with Colby this past week. He's doing fairly well with Jenna and wanting to help out quite a bit, but needs to be reminded to be gentle. He wants to poke, push, or pull her, so we're working on that! His sleeping (or lackthereof) is driving us crazy lately! At bedtime and throughout the night, he has been crying, crying, crying, and yelling for Mommy and Daddy! Very uncharacteristic of him and frustrating for us! As soon as we walk in there, he stops, so I have been thinking he's doing it for attention. I'm grasping at straws and wondering what's the best way to deal with it. I've heard ignore it and don't go in, I've heard it's just a phase, I've heard it could be 2 year molars... I just hope it won't stay for long!!

I've had lots of help during the days, which I am so grateful for. Since I am unable to lift Colby or do much around the house (which makes me often feel useless!), my mom has been with me since Gerry has been back to work at the end of this week. Colby LOVES it when Grandma's here and it's great to have an extra pair of hands to help with both the kids. Next week I'm going to try to be on my own for a bit more of the time and have help most mornings. Again, I am so thankful for all of the offers of help and the generosity of friends and family... thank you for the help, prepared meals, baking..... :) Yum!!

As I mentioned, Gerry is back at work now. I sure wish he had one of those jobs with a ton of holidays so he could stay at home for longer. Unfortunately, he doesn't, so we cherish every minute that he's home in the evenings and on the weekends. Gerry starts curling on Monday night with the Mixed League made up of both my parents, one of my uncles, and Gerry. He really enjoys it and it quite a good curler too!! Hope their season gets off to a great start!

We had a fun morning today... a professional photo shoot at our house! We had newborn pictures done with Colby when he was two weeks old too, so I was excited to meet with our wedding photographer again for Jenna's newborn pictures, along with some family shots. She's wonderful and I can't wait to see them!! Colby isn't such a big fan of sitting for pictures (but then again, he's almost two!!) Hopefully we got a couple good ones of him too! This afternoon is our nephew Landon's 2nd birthday party! I can't believe he's 2 already!! It's going to be fun!! How quickly time goes by... sigh...

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!
Lesley
xoxo