Hello Mr. Sun

So nice of you to show your face for the weekend! We made the most of your arrival. Let's see if maybe you can stay around for a bit longer.

Who is ready for the sunny warm weather?!!!

There goes Peter Cottontail

Long weekends are always such a whirlwind. A wonderful whirlwind of visiting with family and friends... but that means travel. Rory loves the nap on the go kinda days. Mamma - not so much.  But who is going complain about an easy going kid?  Not me. I will just complain about the traffic.

It's hard to believe this was just a year ago!

Anyway, we had a wonderful weekend up in the Ottawa Valley.  The sun even poked out from behind the clouds for us, and Rory got to catch his first glimpses of the Easter Bunny (albeit a weird looking one this year), and tried crawling on the grass for the first time. Both took some getting used to.

Not too sure about the Easter basket stuffing, but I love my new balls and puzzles!

The Byrne great grandchildren (well, a very small fraction of them)

The super odd Easter Bunny, Rory still thought he was pretty funny. And what 10 month old wouldn't love a stuffed bunny who gives him a box of banana mum-mums?

I hope you and yours had a great holiday weekend.

Thanks for the new rain jacket gram and grumps. Timing couldn't have been better with the monsoon coming this week.

xo

Double Digits

10 months old today, and about 10 x as busy and 10 x the work, but 10 x the fun!  This kid is on the move! When did he learn how to stand, hold onto things with one hand, all the while scoping out every wire and electrical socket in our house?! This little guy got super clever, SUPER quick.

My sister told me at 1 year old, she could leave her daughter in front of an episode of the backyardigans in the morning with her bottle and blanket while she got ready for work. As if.

BOYS! Are not the same as sweet delicate little girls. Definitely sweet, but not entirely delicate.

And check out these two....we got together with one of my girlfriends Josie this weekend, and let our boys have a bit of play! It was wild!!! Just a little while ago they would just lay together side by side on a blanket and kick their feet and smile at us. Now it's baby-wrestle mania.

This seems like just yesterday ...

And now check out these little monkeys!!  Evan was PUSHING Rory across the floor on his riding toy!! Too cute!  It really is astonishing to go back and look at how these little ones have changed.

Evan - "what happened bud?"
Rory - "I don't know I just toppled over, it's like the motor stopped working"

xoxo

45 Days

I am going back to work in FORTY FIVE DAYS. Can you believe it? I can barely believe it.

I remember when I was counting down the days until I left on mat leave. I had this big calendar on my desk and I would mark each day that I made it through (Gosh I was swollen near the end) with a massive red X.

One day closer to the sweet sweet bliss of being off for a year (or almost a year).  I couldn't wait.

10 months. Just shy of 10 months have passed in a blink of an eye. Sometimes in the total blur of an eye. But mostly they have passed in experiencing the most precious moments of my life.

This kid we call Rory is an amazing wonder to us each day.  

I would be lying if I told you that I am approaching my return to work with the same amount of eagerness. But... I also would be lying if I told you that I wasn't excited. I am very excited. And I am also very proud of the work I have done here with this little guy.

There has been a change in me recently. Probably a change only I can notice but it's there. I am feeling more like "me" (whatever that means after you're a mom) than I have in a long time. It's pretty amazing actually.

I am sure I will talk a lot more about returning to work in the next little while, but as I counted the days out until I walk back into the doors of my career... moments with my little guy all of the sudden (even when I didn't think it was possible), just got that more precious.

Rory with the Fisher cousins 

Spring is here

It was 22 degrees in Toronto today. Did you hear me... TWENTY TWO DEGREES. Spring is officially here and we couldn't be more excited about it. Bust out those short sleeves and riding toys!

And helmets... Why do babies bump their heads so much at this age?

In a few short months, we're about to break in a toddler on the streets and in the parks of Toronto. LOOK OUT! Can you believe this kid is going to be a YEAR old in June?

PS - Rory said mom on the weekend. Or yelled it actually. He yells a lot these days. I think it's excitement over the weather.

I have to admit... Nine months is totally my favourite age so far. I just love this kid and the new things he does every.single.day.

We're breaking out the bikes next weekend. We hooked Rory up with the sweetest helmet ever this weekend (he hates it), and whats left is just sorting out the bike carrier for our bikes. We found one that you can actually switch from one bike to another if you buy an extra mounting bar.  So there was no need for the rock, paper scissors after all.

And... it's time. We're packing up the exercaucer and jumperoo this weekend. I have decided. Because, just like I tell Rory everyday, I am the boss.

And because I am quite sure THIS isn't how it was intended to be used, and it's the only way this kid is interested in playing with it these days.

150.00$ for 5 months of use. I now know why people have more than one kid... to amortize the cost of these things across more use to make you feel better. And why do all toys HAVE to be made in neon?

I hope you're enjoying the sun and the short sleeves as much as we are! Happy happy happy spring!

The down and upside to new sleep routines

So our new napping and waking schedule is going extremely well. (knock.on.wood).  We have successfully transitioned Rory to 2 naps a day (with the odd third nap on bad teething days).  The upside to the new schedule is Rory doesn't get out of bed in the morning now until after 7am and his two day time naps have increased in length.  Cue the fireworks right?!  He still wakes throughout the night once or twice talking to himself, but we have stopped going to him to give him his soother and that has resulted in him learning how to either (a) find his soother himself and put it back into his mouth or better yet (b) fall asleep without it.  So far, it has been great.

If I am honest, the hardest part of all of this has actually been staying out of his room at night. You know... that little peak to make sure he's OK. I remember when Rory first started sleeping through the night at 3 months, I promptly came down with a very bad case of insomnia. Go figure eh. What was I doing up throughout the night when he was FINALLY sleeping so peacefully???   I was in his room over his bed... constantly checking on him to make sure he was breathing.  I did it for months and if I am really honest, I have just recently gotten over that fear and been able to even shut his door at night. Am I crazy?

So what's the downside... You never really know what they are up to in there. Especially now that Rory stands, crawls, climbs, rolls, downward dogs, and God knows what else while in his crib.

And then there comes a morning where we find him in a position like this, and it melts and breaks your heart all at the same time...

How long were you sleeping sitting up for, you poor little guy?

This Thursday... I might just win the bad mommy award.

Our Happiest Baby on the Block

This one is for you Gram and Grumps

It's a bit of a family tradition. Gram and Grumps get a Leaf's jersey all done up for their newborn grandchild and a photo-shoot ensues. In the past this has been much to the dismay of my sister and her husband (whose children have been the recipients). Obviously not Leafs fans. Which is why Rory is clearly going to be gram and grumps favourite. :)

My parents were in Toronto for a great visit this past week/weekend and chose this springtime weekend (as the Leafs fight for a playoff position) to "welcome Rory to the Leaf Nation". 

Thanks for taking such good care of Rory!

And meet my new best friend and most recent craigslist purchase. We bought a used Running Room Chariot this weekend. I am going to run the last of this baby weight off before I go back to work in June.

It's on....It's very on.

 

Look at her sitting there taunting me. We're going to have a love-hate relationship. I can already tell.