More Camping!

I cannot believe it is nearly the end of July! :( That means I need to be getting ready to go back to work... already! The thought scares me already, so I'm soaking up every minute of being at home on my mat leave that I can. This past week and weekend, we were camping out at Wabamun Provincial Park again. There was a group of us that went out on Wednesday night... the husbands came out to set up camp and then we said goodbye until Friday night, when they returned for the weekend. We had a great time and the weather was pretty good, except for the thunder/hailstorms at night and the very rainy day on Friday. Other than that, it was very hot and we were outside as much as we could be. Some other friends came out during the day on Thursday and during the day, there were 8 kids under the age of 3 there!! Talk about crazy!! It was a lot of fun though, and highly entertaining!! We came home fairly early again on Sunday morning, which was kind of nice. It was a gorgeous day today and we could've spent it at the beach and park, but sadly, there was a lot of stuff to do at home too. We are only home for 4 days and then we're headed out camping again on Friday. We're gone for a week this time, so we're really looking forward to living in the trailer again. On the weekend, we're camping with our good friends from Strathmore, Mark and Corinne Koppel and their two boys, Matthew and Cameron. We haven't seen them since Colby was a couple of weeks old and Matthew and Cameron have never met him, so it will be fun. From there, we're going to Pine Lake for a couple of nights and then off to Ol' Macdonald Resort near Stettler. I'm really looking forward to hanging out and spending some quality family time together! Ol' Macdonald is a favourite of mine since we were kids and used to go there all the time! The lake is beautiful, so hoping we can get into the water there with our little man. Hope everyone is having a great summer so far! Take care!

Lesley

First Teeth!!

Well, all that drooling and rosy cheeks finally led to Colby's first tooth... first two teeth to be exact! His bottom two teeth cut through at the same time on Friday, July 11th! They're pretty sharp and continue to slowly make their way up. We'll see how far behind the top two are. Colby turned 7 months old on Monday, July 7th. I took him to the WVHC to weigh and measure him, as usual. My, did he ever grow this month... he is now about 28.5" and 20 lbs. 13 oz.!!! He's a kid that loves to eat, that's for sure!! We went camping with Cal, Tracy and Blake on the weekend. It was a great tiem out at Wabamun Provincial Park. We had power sites and oh, how nice it is to camp with power! So much easier!! Colby has been quite 'vocal' lately and continues to entertain us with his newly invented sounds! He likes to 'talk', but his talking sounds more like yelling sometimes. So cute! On Sunday when we came home from camping (we got home earlier than ever on a camping trip before!), we had to take Colby into the Emergency Room at the hospital. He had been constipated and there was blood in his diaper on Sunday, which means directly to the ER. He was checked over and given some medication as a stool softener. I didn't think it was working too well, as he kept throwing it up! So I've been using brown sugar in his bottles once or twice a day and that seems to be helping much more! My goodness, the things that stress us out as parents!! But it's worth every minute! Have a great week everyone!

Lesley

Dayhome Found!!

Well, as you can tell by my very discreet subject to this post, we have found a dayhome for Colby!!! So exciting and a HUGE relief, since I wasn't making much progress with people I was phoning. I kept being told that either they were at full capacity or more often than that, he was too young and they didn't want to take an infant. Anyway, it all happened very quickly (within a few hours!), but worked out great!! Laura actually lives down the street from us in Westerra, which is way too perfect. They are absolutely amazing people who genuinely love and care for the children in their home. So great to see!! We have no hesitations leaving Colby in their home. Colby and I went over for a visit today to see Laura with the other kids and he did great! He was playing with the other kids and she held him and he didn't mind one bit. :)

Well, no teeth yet, but I sure hope one cuts through soon. He has been on the whiny side these days and his cheeks are still quite rosy. Hopefully soon!! We are hangin' out in the pool quite a bit lately, which has been so much fun!! Colby absolutely LOVES the water, loves splashing, and has a great time in his kiddie pool or the bathtub! I'm trying to convince Gerry to come with us one day to the Tri, as we've only been a couple times. But I think he can now enjoy it a little more that he's a bit older. We had a kiddie pool party at Kristy's with our Mommy Group on Thursday. It was a lot of fun and was pretty cute seeing all the kids in their swimsuits and playing together in the pools! We'll have to do it again sometime... we're thinking of doing a picnic and pool party at the Stony Plain Outdoor Pool soon!

I can't believe it's July already and my little baby is almost 7 months old. It's unreal to think that our nephew, Blake, was 7 months old when Colby was just born!! And now they're both getting so big!! I'm trying to soak up every minute at home this summer, since I'm headed back to school at the end of August. Sometimes I just sit and watch Colby sleep! I know, sounds very corny, but true. I love watching him sleep, so quiet and still. He does not like sleeping on his back anymore (or anytime on his back for that matter!) and likes to sleep on his side or stomach. The naps are definitely improving with age, and we're up to a couple of naps a day, both being about 1 1/2 - 2 hours long!! Wow, the amount of stuff I can accomplish in that time compared to 20 or 30 minute catnaps!! :) Now we're just working on the sleeping past 5:30 or 5:45 in the morning! Hopefully this gets better soon... Colby has one tired mommy!!

We have quite a few camping trips planned this summer, so I'm looking forward to using the trailer more and more. So much fun to be outside and travelling around! Anyway, take care and enjoy the sunshine (although personally, I'm kind of enjoying this bit of rain to cool things off a bit!!)

Lesley

Teeth?!?

Last week was more relaxing, which was pretty nice. We didn't have a lot of things going on during the days, so it was nice to stick pretty close to home. Thursday night (June 26th), I went out to Jubilations with my Mommy Group and had a great time! It was the "Grey's House of Anatomy" show and I liked it a lot! Colby and Daddy had a boys' night and also had fun hangin' out at home.

I think (and hope) Colby might be getting some teeth soon... he has been very whiny and clingy for a few days now and has the rosiest cheeks!! I can't feel anything yet and he's not too fond of us trying to see inside of his mouth, so this makes it more difficult! Hopefully one will cut through soon and put him out of some grief (for now, anyway!) We bought Colby a little kiddie pool for the backyard on the weekend and used it for the first time yesterday (Sunday afternoon). Since it's been SO hot outside (and inside!) lately, we thought this might be a nice way to relax. The deck umbrella worked great as shade and he loved being in the pool. We brought out some bath toys and he had a great time playing in the water!!

We're not up to a whole lot lately... working on the basement and are finally moving forward with it. We are having the drywall mudded and taped this week, so maybe we can even start priming next weekend! We were going to go camping, but Gerry is playing a baseball game with work, so we're staying at home. Hopefully the taping goes well and we can paint soon!! Hope you're enjoying the beautiful weather... and are able to stay cool too.

Lesley

Busy, busy, busy!!!

Life has been pretty busy lately, so I apologize for my long delays between new posts! Colby did have his 6 month check-up on Monday, June 9th and he is doing great. On their scale, he was 19 lbs. 3 oz. (75th %ile) and 28" (90th %ile). He is pretty tall for his age and is catching up to his cousin, Landon, very quickly in both weight and height!! Colby did great at his 6 month needles on Tuesday, June 10th... best ones yet! We had a really great Public Health Nurse! He only cried for about 3 seconds after and then he was fine!! He was pretty sleepy the next day and napped a lot during the day. He is now eating a snack in the afternoons that consists of water and Baby Mum Mum's. He wasn't such a fan of the Mum Mum's at first, but now he's liking them more and more. He drinks so great out of both a sippy cup and a regular cup. Not too much spilling!! Colby sure wants to be on the move!! He does not enjoy being on his back anymore and instantly rolls onto his stomach. He tries reaching for toys and wants to move to get them, but hasn't quite mastered the whole crawling thing just yet! Maybe soon... Daddy and Mommy keep trying to 'teach' him to crawl... we'll see how soon he's on the move!

We went camping at Pembina Provincial Park on June 13-15 with the Schram and McCracken families. It was such a fun weekend and was great to get out and use the trailer again. We grew up and were very close with our three cousins (who are very similar in ages to my sisters and I), so it's always fun to get together! Last week was very busy preparing for the wedding this past weekend. I feel like I wasn't home much past Wednesday! The spa was great with the girls, rehearsal and dinner were wonderful, and the wedding was fantastic! Jen and Dave Panteluk were married on Saturday, June 21st at Shalom Park. The weather was amazing and the site, ceremony, and reception were beautiful! Great time had by everyone!!

Yesterday (Monday, June 23rd), I had an interview for a new position at Forest Green School in Stony Plain. I thought it went fairly well and apparently it did, because I was offered the job yesterday afternoon!!!! I am so excited to move to a closer school 5 minutes from our house!! Although it means going back to work much earlier than originally planned, I think it's for the best to make the move to Stony Plain. I'm really going to miss the students and staff at Entwistle School though. I had a great couple of years out there and will really miss everyone. A very exciting time, but also sad too.

I'm trying to stay home a little more this week in order to get caught up on housework and cleaning. With the craziness of last week and the weekend, I want to try and get back to some semblance of 'normal', including naps and playing at home with Colby. Hope everyone is having a great week and talk to you soon!

Love,
Lesley

I am 6 months old!

Hi everyone, As you can tell from the subject line, I am 6 months old now! My goodness, a lot sure happens in 6 months! My world is constantly growing because I'm learning to do more and more things everyday! I am eating food now, well baby food, not grown-up food, as my mommy and daddy call it. I have tried all of the cereals (rice, barley, and oatmeal) and today I tried fruit for the first time. I like the applesauce Mommy fed me, but it sure tasted different from cereal! I still eat lots of milk everyday, which is helping me to grow big and strong. Speaking of growing, I weigh about 18 lbs. 13 oz. and am about 27 3/4" long. I have to go for my 6 month needles on Tuesday night, so we'll see what the professionals get when they weigh and measure me. Ouch! I always hate going for my needles!!

Guess what? I am now able to sit up by myself! I have been a for a couple of weeks now, but Mommy and Daddy keep a couple of pillows behind me, just in case I fall over. Personally, I think they worry too much, but maybe they're right... I've fallen back a few times! I like to sit up more now than lying on my back. So much more to do, see, and play with sitting up than lying down! Whenever I am on my back, I usually roll over onto my tummy. I still like my tummy time too, but roll over onto my back when I get tired of being on my tummy. I can get onto my knees and want to go, but don't know what to do with my arms yet! Daddy's been trying to 'teach' me how to crawl, so hopefully I'll get it someday soon! Apparently I am bilingual already, because my Auntie Kristy says that I speak Russian!! Wow! Maybe it's because I say "ya ya ya" and "ba ba ba" a lot when I talk! Mommy and I go to "Tic Toc Time" on Thursday mornings. It's pretty fun to learn some new songs and hear stories. But it's even more fun to play with the other babies that are there! We also still see the mommies and babies from our New Mom's Group about every couple of weeks. It's fun to see the other babies and play with them too! Some of them can crawl really well, so I'm trying to learn some tips from them too. I'm usually a pretty happy baby and like to smile, giggle and laugh quite a bit lately! I think I'm definitely improving in the napping area. I've been working hard on it! :) I usually nap really well during the day, but lately, I've been having some troubles sleeping at night. I keep waking up about 3:30 or 4:00 am and want to play! But for some reason, Mommy and Daddy don't want to!! They try to put me back to sleep, I don't want to, then get mad, and get overtired, and then cry a lot. Hmmm, not sure how to get over this. Maybe I'm starting to get teeth or maybe it's just a 'phase' that I keep hearing about!!

We are having lots of fun these days... we hang out with my Auntie Kristy and Landon quite a bit. It seems that I'm in my stroller a lot when Mommy and Auntie go for walks or runs. I've also been to the park that is near our house. I've been in the swing and I really like going on the slide (with some help!) We have gone camping one weekend and that was a lot of fun! I like my bunkbed in the back of our trailer. I slept really well that weekend! Must have been all the fresh air! We have a busy June coming up with another camping weekend planned next weekend and Auntie Jen and Uncle Dave's wedding the weekend after that. I'm sure it's going to be fun! Daddy is working on developing the basement in our house, most likely so that I can have more room to play!! It seems like all we have in our living room is my toys! I think it's great, but I can see how maybe it's not so great for Mommy and Daddy! Hopefully that will be done soon. That's about it for now. Hope you liked my update of life as a 6 month old! I've attached some pictures of me for you to see how I've grown! I better go... I hear Mommy coming!!! I hope she didn't hear me typing.......

Lots of love,
Colby
xoxo

First cup and parade!!

Last week was not as busy, which was really quite nice. I've been pretty tired lately (from late nights, middle of the night wake-up calls, and early mornings). Gerry's dad came to visit us last Sunday evening (May 25) for dinner. It was great to see him, but Colby wasn't so sure at first. He screamed when he came and sat on the couch and it took him a while to get used to him being here. He was fine after a few minutes of me sitting with him next to Grandpa Cameron. Hmmm... first stranger anxiety I've seen... On Tuesday, Kristy and I went on a little shopping spree at WEM. The boys did really well and slept for part of the time, which made the shopping much easier! :) Colby also drank from a sippy cup for the first time on Tuesday evening. I just gave it to him after drinking out of it once and he caught right on. He needs some more practice swallowing all of it, but he's getting the hang of it pretty quickly!! Wednesday was my dad's birthday, so we headed over to my parents' house for dinner and cake. It was a fun evening with the family, but we headed home early for bath and bedtime. My, how times change... 8:00 rolls around and the party shuts down for bath and bedtime routines!! On Friday we had a lunch and play date with some of my cousins and their kids, Mandy and Hailey, Marla and Ayden, Kristy and Landon, and us. It was fun to see all of them playing together. And of course, since it's Farmer's Days this weekend, we took in the parade yesterday morning. It was a great parade and Colby loved watching most of the things go by (especially the bands with loud music). I had a girly evening last night and went to see "Sex and the City" with a bunch of girlfriends. It was so much fun getting all dressed up and watching the ultimate of chick flicks out there. Great movie, you have to see it!! :) It was a late night again though... really need to work on getting to bed earlier! It would also help if Colby was still sleeping through the night... for the past week or so, he's been waking up coughing at about 4 or 4:30 am and not being able to get back to sleep. This results in lots of crying and eventually a bottle to put him back to sleep. Hopefully this is a phase that will go away when the cough finally does!! He's eating really well and is now onto oatmeal cereal. Soon it will be fruits and vegetables with breakfast too! :) Hope everyone's enjoying the nice weather lately! Take care.
Lesley