Cuba Beach Baby

We had an amazing time in Cuba. It was so much fun, and so very relaxing. Usually when you go on vacation you feel like you need another vacation when you get home, to recoup from it. Not this time. This time I felt relaxed when I got home. Mind you, Christien and I both found ourselves suffering through vacation depression. It's hard to come back to reality, when your reality for a week was getting up, eating breakfast in an open air restaurant, heading to the beach by 10 and filling up your mug with rum before you've even hit the beach. Ahhh... if only life were all inclusive.

It was great to have mum, dad, Ty and Stacey there with us. Lots of hands to help with little Reid. Even if that meant rocking him to sleep on the beach, like grandma did for the first few days, or taking him for a walk down the beach, or burying him in the sand (thanks uncle Ty). Reid loved all of it. He loved the sand. And loved the sea. The first few days he seemed to be a bit scared of the ocean and the waves. Even though he would go crazy with excitement when he would see it. He would hold on pretty tight when you were actually in the water with him. By the weekend he was a pro. He liked getting hit by the waves and being in the water. He liked to play in the surf on the beach too.

We basically just relaxed the whole time that we were there. Christien is starting to get weirded out by all the guys at work commenting on his tan. He did come back pretty tanned though. That's what you get for laying out on the beach or body surfing for 7 days. We did go into Havana with Ty and Stacey one day. Mum and dad watched Reid for us. I think that he managed to tire them out pretty well. Havana is a beautiful city full of history. It's too bad that our tour guide didn't know any of the history to share with us. We were a bit disappointed by the tour itself. They didn't give us nearly enough time at the stops. For example, we spent 45 minutes in the cigar store, but only 10 minutes in downtown Havana. That didn't make any sense. The four of us wish that we would have hitched a ride into Havana and then ditched on the tour and done it ourselves. Oh well. Live and learn. We did have fun at the market though. Bought some cool new instruments for the instrument trunk that we are going to have to make. Reid thought that they were pretty cool when we played them for him the next morning.

I have loads of pictures. I'll go through them and upload more soon!! Stay tuned. All in all it was a great time, and Reid proved to be a pretty good traveller. He powered through the long and late night flights like a champ. Poor guy is so messed up with his sleep now. However, this has solidified our desire to head to Mexico in January. One last trip before I head back to work in February.

Cuba in Three Sleeps!!

I can't believe our trip is almost here. We've been looking forward to this for almost a year now. I've spent the last two weeks compiling and checking things off of lists to make sure that I wasn't leaving anything to the last minute. I believe that I have everything that I need, now it's just a matter of packing them into suitcases. Have Christien's and Reid's preliminary packed (I'm such a spazz). Just have to see what needs to go in still before I can officially zip them up. Still have to do all my packing, but that can wait till tomorrow or Sunday even. Then it's off to pick Christien up on Monday. He managed to get an earlier flight in from camp, so that's a relief. Even if something does go wrong and the flight is delayed, then at least he's got some leeway now. Fingers crossed that it's all good and we're picking him up from the airport at 4:30. Then it's Reid's first flight! At midnight to boot. I have a feeling we are going to be very tired when we hit Toronto and very happy to see Ty and Stacey. It's going to be a Reid hand off. Mum and dad have been in Cuba since Monday, so they'll be waiting for us at the hotel. Another Reid hand off while we get checked into our rooms. Dad has already volunteered to be our waiter as the lobby bar is right beside the front desk. I cannot wait. This is going to be so much fun!!

Halloween

We had a great Halloween this year. It was a lot of fun with Reid, dressing him up and all. He was the cutest spider you ever did see. Chrsitien and I didn't dress up again this year. We always have such great ideas and then just leave them to the last minute and they never get executed. Next year Christine said she's having a Halloween party where costumes are mandatory. I'm so holding her to that. Will be so much fun.

The Thursday before Halloween we went to Christine's to carve pumpkins. Well, Christien and I carved ours before we got there. There is usually so many people, and so many pumpkins, that it was easier to do it beforehand. We carved a baby Reid pumpkin. Two teeth on top, two teeth on the bottom. So cute.

The Saturday before Halloween we just did our regular day, but I dressed Reid up in his cute Halloween shirt. I know that he looks freaked out in this picture. And contrary to popular belief, I am not in a scary costume on the other end of this...

For Halloween a friend from our baby class had a party with all the babies and their families. It was beyond cute to see them all dressed up in their costumes. We had monkeys, spiders, donkeys, dinosaurs, frogs and a princess Leia. They were too cute.

We stayed at home that night and just handed out candy to the kids. I feel that trick or treating with a baby who can't talk, or even eat the candy is a bit weird, so we'll save that for next year. All in all it was a really fun Halloween.

I went away this past weekend. Overnight!! Without the baby. Went to Canmore with a bunch of my girlfriends. We went to the spa during the day and shopped. And then had a great condo rented where we just had dinner and drank wine and chatted all night. It was so nice to get away (and have a great sleep), but not be too far, or gone for too long. Reid and Christien had a blast while I was gone. They went swimming and out to the big mall Christmas shopping. They even had a pretty good overnight together. I always knew that they would be great, but after them spending the night together, I'm even more sure.

Cash and Reid

A couple of shots from my baby sitting gig yesterday. Playing side by side like best buddies.

Wow. Christien has been back for almost a week and it's just flown by. As sad as it is to say, I think that, a year later, we're finally getting into the swing of things with this two weeks on, two weeks off. We still do a ton of things together, but we have our moments where we do our own thing. Christien went to a movie with Mike this week. He's going out jamming with his buddy this weekend and making plans for getting together with a buddy he works with next week (hello Christine... Play date?? Krisin too??? Also Jasmine... And Candice?? Party at my place???). I'm going to Canmore next weekend for the night with my friends. So excited for that. Just a night away. A night with the girls. I hope that I'm not craving my baby too much!

I babysat Reid and Cash today for about an hour. It was a fun little hour. Twins would be impossible. Ha ha ha. Those two are getting so much better together. It's like they almost have a little language together. When Cash starts chatting Reid listens, and chats and laughs back. It's just the cutest. They have also started playing together. Side by side. It's very sweet. They are going to be best buds. Christine thinks that we should move into the same neighbourhood cause that would make going to school so much easier on them when they go with their best buddy. They are the cutest boys ever!!

Ten Reasons I Love Shoes

1) A great pair of shoes is sexy
2) A nice pair of stilettos can make your legs look toned and smokin'
3) Doesn't matter if you are having a bad hair day, bad face day, bad weight day, a nice pair of shoes can make you feel better
4) You can wear the same outfit over and over and just change up the shoes and voila, new outfit
5) A funky pair of shoes can allow you to "let loose". You might not be one for a leopard print jumpsuit, but leopard print shoes?? Who can't pull those off?
6) Shoes will always fit. They don't care how much you weigh. Well, unless you are pregnant then you've got a few months of pregnant shoes
7) Shoes can make your feet look so great. A nice polish job poking through peep toes is so pretty 8) You can borrow and lend shoes
9) You can never have too many pairs of shoes. You can have a closet full of black shoes and none of them are the same
10) Heels can make you taller. That helps when you are pushing 5"4

Stepping Stones

Reid took two steps today!! I've got to set up the tripod and try to take a video for Christien tomorrow. We were practicing standing. I would hold him at arms length while sitting on the floor and count to three then let go, and he would just stand there. He was getting cocky about it and would start bouncing and would keep standing. Then he started with the steps towards me. First it was one, and that's all good, but I figured a fluke, then he was doing two, and balancing himself and then looking at me, laughing and falling down. So crazy. He kept doing it over and over. I thought, again, it was just a fluke and didn't count, but Christien says that they do count, and those were his first steps. October 17th. One day before his 8 month birthday. Insane. He will be walking by Cuba, I'm sure. If not, then for sure by Christmas. What a guy.

Home Sweet Home

We had a great trip to Montana! Much better then when we were there in the summer. Reid still really hates the car, so we get about an hour of quiet/sleep time from him, and then either Christien or I need to get into the back seat to calm him down for the remainder of the trip. Besides that it was pretty good. We had a good dinner at Famous Dave's (Christien's most favorite restaurant in Montana), and we got some good shopping done. Santa sent us home with some presents for Reid. It was a fun time!! And we managed to get some champagne beers and some wine to last us for a few months!!

Now we're back and our days are full of chores. Christien goes back to work on Monday so there are a few things that we want to get done before he heads back. We did a bunch of cleaning around the house today, which was great. Tomorrow, there are a few last minute things to get accomplished for Thanksgiving. Then we're meeting some friends at the Old Spaghetti Factory for a good old carbo load before the 10K race on Sunday. I'm not running (insert sigh). As crazy as this sounds, I really wish that I was running. Christine, Kyle, Kristin, Amber, Curtis, Christine and Brian are all running on Sunday. They are all looking forward to it, and Reid and I will be at the end cheering them on. Mum and dad get back from the Dominican tomorrow. They are going to help Ty and Stacey move into their new place and then they are on their way to Calgary to see their grandson. I won't lie..... that's why they come down now a days :) They'll be here for dinner on Sunday night.

Christien heads back on Monday and mum and dad are staying on for a few days. Always nice to have them here. Especially when Christien is not. I can't believe that the next time Christien comes back, it's Halloween and then the time after we're headed to Cuba. So crazy. Time is flying by way too quickly.

Reid is on the waiting list for a day care really close to our place. He's 4th on the list and I'm really hoping that they'll be able to take him. I have yet to hear from my boss. I've been trying to get ahold of her to find out what the deal is with my return to work, and she's still not gotten back to me, so we'll see (soon) what they have to offer (I hope).

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Look around you and enjoy and be thankful for the friends and family that surround you.

Baby Photo Contest

Christien and I went to the Baby Fair this weekend, and there was a baby photo contest at the Cheerio booth. Well, we entered, of course. The picture quality is not that great, and Reid wouldn't smile when the camera was on him. So it's basically "Mr. Serious", but check it out. And put an "awesome" vote for him. There are so many that I'm sure it's a long shot, but who knows. The prizes are a few Baby Bjorn items, which we love. Here's the link: www.weewelcome.ca It's the Say Cheese Baby Photo Contest (number 2 when you log onto the page, you'll see the numbers in red). Reid is on page 17, and he's number 078. Meh, who knows. It could have been much cuter if he wasn't so serious and if he was smiling!! But he's cute anyways.

Missed It

Man... I missed my 10 Reason Tuesday! I was just having such a good time with Christien that it completely slipped my mind. I will be more on tune for next week.

Christien being home has been great. We've just done a lot of hanging out. We're headed to Montana on Monday. We're both very excited. Reid loves to ride in the shopping cart now, which is going to make shopping so much more fun and easier. We're looking forward to picking up some cheap... everything. Maybe we'll come up with a good Halloween costume for the family while we're there. Gotta pick up some beers and some wine. Plus some Target shopping. Not sure why I love Target so much. It's basically Walmart, but I just do. They have such funny stuff there. We're going to get a bunch of weird candy for Halloween while we're there. Staying at the good old Holiday Inn. They have a pool and a work out room, and the hotel is fairly new, so I'm thinking that it'll be nice.

Aqua size and book club tomorrow. What a great day to look forward to. I can't wait to see the girls!! And Christien is here, so I can go and enjoy myself knowing that Reid is at home with daddy. Really looking forward to it. Not much planned for this weekend. Maybe a play date or two. Christien is thinking of going hunting with Brian, so we'll see if that happens. There is a Baby Fair this weekend that I'd really like to check out.

Amazement

Watching Reid in all his craziness just amazes me. Every day he seems to be learning something different. Yesterday, he stood up twice, on his own, no hands. Only for a few seconds, but still. Just amazing. He will grab onto his play pen, and just hoist himself up. Feet off he ground and everything. I'm starting to think more and more that one day, he'll be talking to me. Talking back to me too, I'm sure, but communicating with me like we all communicate with each other. It's just so crazy that I'm seeing this person emerge now. He's his own self right now, if that makes any sense. It's hard for me to think of him as a baby anymore, because he seems to be so self sufficient. He's all over the place. He's really fast when he crawls. If I take the gate down he is immediately at the stairs. He made it all the way up the stairs last week. I'm not sure how to "teach him" to go down the stairs, but I'm trying. And I'm definitely right behind him when he does it. He'll go up a few and then turn around with this grin on his face. Just so proud of himself. However, he doesn't understand that he's on a small step and he can't just turn around and not expect to fall down. He's a funny little monkey.

Survivor NIght

It's the twenty first season of Survivor. For years and years a big group of us used to get together to watch Survivor. Never fail. Thursday night. Everyone would take turns hosting. The girls would show up with wine, the boys with beer, and everyone with some sort of sharsies appy. I miss it. I miss it a lot. It was always one night a week that you knew that you would get to see your friends. Yeah, we had "Survivor Rules". You weren't allowed to talk during Survivor. No comments. Wait till commercials to discuss. When we first started there was no such thing as PVR. You couldn't rewind or pause, or FF the commercials. We would watch live at 9:00 pm. Everyone would show up much earlier, and we'd eat and talk. We started this so long ago that we used to get together to watch Friends first. How long has that been off the air. I'm glad that I still get to see a loT of the Survivor Crew. Our little group grew a lot from what it was in the beginning. And who could forget Survivor Scotch Creek?? I watched Survivor at home, by myself tonite. No Survivor snacks. No colorful commentary. Miss my crew!!

10 Reasons Why I Love to Travel

1) The memories. You can make memories no matter what you do, but when you think back on them and remember that you were surrounded by a beach, or a mountain, or the ocean, it just seems to make them that much more special. Not to mention who you are making the memories with. It's a wonderful bonding experience. Getting caught in a torrential downpour in Mexico. Riding donkeys up and down the switchback in Greece. Ice skating in New York Rockefeller Center.

2) Experiencing different cultures. When Christien and I travel, we try to take in as much of the culture as we can. We venture off the resorts, we take public transportation, we talk to the locals, we check out things that are off the beaten path. There is so much history in so many places around the world that it's very neat to see first hand.

3) The break from reality. For some reason when you are on vacation, you don't think about those bills that need paying, or your budget, or plans that you have made for the week. You just get to be. I think that it's good for the mind and the soul to just get away every once in awhile.

4) The excitement. No matter where you go there is always going to be fun and exciting things to do. When I look back at a lot of the vacations that Christien and I have taken together it makes me smile cause we've added a lot of our own excitement to these trips. Got engaged in New York, honeymooned in Greece, my 30th birthday in San Francisco, Christien's 30th birthday in Mexico. You never know what you are going to get until you get there. And it's the excitement of the unknown that's fantastic. Even if you have been to these places before, the excitement is still different. You're in a different place in your life, you might be travelling with different people. No matter what, it's going to be a different experience.

5) Seeing the world. It's very interesting to visit other places. Not all of them have different cultures, like all the places that we've been in the States, but they are still different in some ways. I've already checked off the top few places in the States that I've wanted to see. Now my list is growing. I'd love to see Boston, and Hawaii. Palm Springs would be great. Looking forward to Cuba in the fall and Vegas in the spring.

6) Shopping. Duty free is great. Going to Montana and not paying taxes and getting things for a steal is wonderful. Outlet shopping is great. Picking up things that you know that nobody back home will have is priceless. I like to find things for my friends as well. Little things that are reminiscent of the places that I've been. Olive oil soap from Greece, sarongs from Bali...

7) It's addictive. Once you start travelling it's hard to stop. You start seeing the world, meeting different people, learning new cultures and you want to know more. Some of the most friendly people I have ever met have been in Greece and Bali. Just people who want to chat, get to know you. If you show these people how interested you are in their culture and in seeing their city, they just open up even more. It's easy to do when travelling with Christien. He's always chatting up the locals, and I think that we get to see a lot more then if we just tried to live out of a travel book.

8) Sun, sand and surf. We don't always go on tropical vacations, but when we do what is better then sitting on the beach with a sea breeze at 10 am looking out into the aqua blue water of the ocean?

9) Eating. Food from all over is so different. And so delish. You'll never get a taco in Calgary like you can get at some restaurant on the beach in Mexico. Fresh seafood? Try sitting on the pier at a restaurant in Greece as you watch the boats pull in and that fish go directly to the waiting BBQ. Nasi Goreng? It's a staple at the breakfast buffet in Bali. And tastes better then anything I can attempt at home. What about the smell of roasted chestnuts on the streets of New York?

10) Doing things you wouldn't normally be able to do in Calgary. Snorkeling with the tropical fish is the coolest. Body surfing the waves. Regular surfing. Scuba diving (ok, haven't done this yet, but am thinking about doing it in Cuba). Major League Baseball games.

I look forward to making many new memories, experiencing many different cultures and seeing a lot more of the world with my family!

New Mommy Workout

Started my first ever water aerobic class today. It was a great work out. They had these cute little boat floaties that the babies float around in. You've got a floatation device around your waist, then the babies are tethered to you. They just float around. There are a lot of people in the class. I'm taking it with three other mums from my Birth and Babies class. It was a lot of fun. Reid had a bit of a meltdown half way through the class today. Not sure what happened. He might have been cold. He was totally cool, then just started crying and reaching out for me. Big tears streaming down his face. Poor monkey. But he was fine, and he was good for the rest of the class. Then we sang a few songs at the end, and had them out of their boats. He loved that the most. All of us girls from the class hit the warmer kiddie pool at the end to warm us up. Then we went for coffee and chats after. It was a great afternoon. I'm so glad that I signed up. I've heard great things about aquacize, so I'm really looking forward to this class. It's six weeks, and Erin is going to sign up for another six weeks when this is done, so we'll see how I'm feeling. And if I think that I'm getting a good workout in this class. I'm very excited.

10 Reason Tuesday

I had fun writing my "10 Reasons Why I Love My Husband". I decided that Tuesdays are going to be "Ten Reason Tuesdays".

10 Reasons Why I Love Reid

1) He is darn cute

2) He's our miracle baby. As trying as he is, we wanted him so badly. Failed a lot of times, and we finally did it. And this is him!! I love him for that, and I love him for who he is and for the joy that he's brought to our life

3) His smile and belly laugh are to die for. He can just giggle and giggle for no reason. It's too funny.

4) He's made me more patient. As impatient as I am with him sometimes, I still feel that it's more patient then I usually am. I'm not the most patient person, so this says a lot. He's taught me to take a step back and a couple of breaths, and to know that this isn't going to last forever.

5) Mat leave. Ok, that's not really a reason to love my son, but I love that I've got a year off to spend with him. And I love that Christine is off for the EXACT same amount of time as I am. I love that we can have play dates any day of the week. I love that Christien, Reid and I can take off whenever we want to travel.

6) Love. The love that I feel for him is like nothing you can describe. The love that I feel for my husband when they are together is more then I could have imagined.

7) His desire to learn. I have to call it that. I'm not sure what else it is. This baby was rolling over at 4 months, and sitting and crawling at 5 months. He was standing in his crib before he hit 6 months. And now he's going from couch to chair to couch pretty easily. He can maneuver along the couch easily. He can walk around in his crib. He's just go, go, go.

8) His cuddles. Actually, that's something that I have to force out of him, and he usually hates it, but I make him do it anyways. He's too squirmy, and doesn't like to be held down, but once in awhile he'll surprise me and let me cuddle him, or hug him for a split second longer then usual. That makes me happy.

9) His love for his dad. It's so crazy to see how much he loves his dad. He just follows him around with his eyes. Even when Christien is at work, he'll call and I'll put him on speaker phone and when Reid hears his voice, he just beams. It's so cool. I hope he loves me that much!!

10) For the joy that he brings others. Everyone laughs and smiles at him. Strangers. Wherever we are, people are always looking at him, smiling at him, talking to him. People are always telling us what a cute, and bright baby that we have. Friends. He's always making them laugh. He's just so all over the place. Grandparents. Well, they just can't get enough of him. Aunts and uncles. Love, love, love.

He's a pretty special little guy. We've had our ups and downs, but really, that's a bit selfish, I guess, on my part. Wanting sleep and all.. Ha ha. In the whole spectrum of life, that was only six months. Now that he's sleeping and I'm enjoying him so much more (on account of not being exhausted all day long) it's the most wonderful and precious gift I could ever imagine. It's hard work. Oh man, is it hard. Especially the first time around, but it's really worth it to see that smiling face in the morning when you pick him up. To have him chatter with you, and light up when you enter a room. Nothing compares, really. I love my little man.

10 Reasons Why I Love My Husband

1) He's very handsome.

2) He's sweet and kind. He'll really do anything for you. You just have to ask. He's always willing to help out and lend a hand.

3) He's the best father. His relationship with Reid melts my heart. He can make Reid belly laugh like nobody else. Reid's face lights up every time Christien walks into a room, and he literally follows him around with his eyes the whole time. Their relationship is so different from the relationship that Reid and I have, and that warms my heart.

4) He's a hard worker. No matter what he's doing, he'll do it with his whole being. He'll put the extra time in and try to learn as much as possible from it. Whether it's selling print, shoveling snow, or learning a trade. He's doing it 100%. He leaves his family for two weeks every month to provide for us, and to better himself. He's amazing.

5) He loves to travel. I'm so happy that I have someone that I love to do this with. I've been travelling since I was a little girl, so it's always been in me to see new things, and visit new places. Since we've been together, we've done so much of that and seen so much of the world. I can't wait to see more. He's a great travel partner!! We always have so much fun, and see so much of the culture in the different places that we visit.

6) He's very adventurous. There are lots of things that I wouldn't do, but that he's dying to do. Bungee jump, sky dive (again), eat weird foods... I love him for that.

7) He sticks up for himself and others no matter what. Even though it embarrasses me when he yells at the people parking in handicap parking stalls without the proper sticker (sometimes he even knocks on their windows to tell them to move), I still admire him for that.

8) He smells really great.

9) He's the funniest guy that I know. He can tell jokes for days. Even bad jokes :) He's always asking for jokes from others, and he's always got a load of jokes to share. He's always making me and others laugh.

10) He's very thoughtful. He tells me and shows me his love for me. I get very sweet cards, gifts and texts from him. I know that Reid and I are the center of his world, and that means a lot. It's nice to know that you are appreciated.

BONUS - He's very handsome!!!!

Rainy Days

The weather here has not been nice over the last few days. It's movie nights and sitting in the basement with the fireplace on. I guess seeing as we're spending the days indoors, it'll give us a chance to get a few work outs in. Since Christien has been home, I've managed to work out once. Not a good record. On the plus side, I have been eating Phase 1 South Beach, with minor alterations.

Reid had a doctors appointment yesterday with the pediatrician. They had a cancellation and were able to fit us in. He agrees with our doctor that it could be a reflux problem, so we're going to continue treating that for the next few months. Then we'll take him off the medication and see how that goes. That makes me nervous, cause he's finally starting to get better. No more waking up and screaming at night, and he's back on solids. He still wakes up at night, but he cries, and it's much easier to let him cry for five minutes when it's just a soft cry, rather then an all out scream fest. He usually puts himself back to sleep. I'm still getting up once or twice a night to feed him, but I've always expected that. And I'm fine with that. He's going down much easier too, once he gets those feeds. For a few months it would be just painful to lay him back down after I'd fed him. Which would lead to me being up for an hour or two, just trying to calm him and get him comfortable. So we've got hope for the future. Christien and I have actually been able to sleep these last few weeks. We're still exhausted at the end of the day, cause this baby is constantly on the go, but at least it's not a lack of sleep exhaustion.

Car's getting fixed today, I've got a dermatologist appointment (that I'm a bit nervous about) and we've got an appointment to check out a day care not far from our place tomorrow. Yikes. I can't believe that we've gotten to that point already where we have to start looking for child care. There are so many places in Calgary that have wait lists, it's ridiculous. I'm not even sure if this day care is wait listed or not. I just know that it's cheaper then downtown, it's right across the street from the train station, and that's about it. How I wish I could just stay home with him. Right now is when we really wish we had family closer who could watch him during the day.

First Week

Christien's back. It's so nice to have him home. And so nice not to have any plans. Not to say that we haven't done anything while he's been back, but we have no definite plans any day. We just get up and make plans in the morning. No going out of town.. It's been so nice. With that being said, this last week has gone by really quickly!

On Tuesday we got family pictures done! I'm so excited to see them, and will share when I get them back. I have a friend from my baby class who is a semi-professional photographer. She's got a cute studio in her basement and lives right close to Fish Creek. So we did some inside shots and some outside. I think that they are going to be really nice. They'll be Reid's 6 month pictures. This time we got lots done with the three of us. Get ready for pictures for Christmas, grandparents. Ha ha.

Reid had his 6 month shots on Monday. And he didn't even cry. It was only one this time. And no more now till he's at least a year. I think that I'm going to push that one as far past a year as I can so him immune system is as strong as it can be. Jasmine did that with her kids, and I like that idea. Especially with all the different ideas about vaccinations in general. He was a bit fussy, but nothing major.

Thursday was book club!! Christien went fly fishing with Brian during the day, and book club was at Christine's. So it worked perfect. He came back with Brian, had a little dinner (thank you Christine) and took Reid home with him. Mummy got to hang out at book club with no baby. It was so nice!! Just as book club is always nice, it was great not to have to look out for Reid the whole time, and leave early, and try to keep his fussing and crying to a minimal. Brian even took Cash for a walk. For an hour. We all got to have dinner like normal ladies. It was fabulous.

We went to the zoo yesterday. The weather here is so weird. It was not cold, but not super warm when we left the house. Christien even went upstairs to put on a long sleeve shirt. By the time we got to the zoo it was boiling hot. And Reid was still a bit fussy (I blame his shots still). Too hot for a baby who wasn't dressed for the weather. So we didn't get to stay long. And Reid didn't really even "get" it. When we were looking at the elephants I don't even think that he saw them, he was way more interested in the fans in the building. Ha ha.

We went for Dim Sum at our favorite DimSum place today. This time we went with a buddy of Christine's who he works with up North. Blaire and Linda. She's Chinese. Apparently we've been experiencing reverse discrimination this whole time, because this was the best experience we've even had at Dim Sum. Not that we've had bad experiences, but we always felt like we weren't really looked after. Either way, Linda ordered a bunch of stuff that we'd never tried, and probably would never have tried, but was SO good. It was such a fun time. They came with their two kids and her parents. So much fun. Reid decided to forgo his first nap of the day, so he was a bit squirrley. It was so nice that we had so many hands to help us hold him. And we could all eat. It was great.

So, seeing as we didn't have any plans for this two weeks off we've still been pretty busy. We've had car appointments to get the sunroof fixed. The Cavalier is fixed. The yard is mowed. Fish tank cleaned. Fish tank cleaned. It's been a great week. We've even watched three movies. Date Night (great and funny), The Crazies (not good) and Youth in Revolt (great, too slow for Christien but it was funny).

Now I might call mum and dad to update them on their grandson. Christien is jamming with Jaime, and I'm chilling with a glass of wine by myself. Have a happy long weekend all!!

Sir Stands-A-Lot

He's learning how to do this all on his own. There is no way that I am trying to teach him how to walk this early. He can now successfully hold himself up by one hand. I just spent the last few minutes watching him go from his rocking chair to the scratching post. He just wants to go, go, go.

BC Vacation

We had a nice first family vacation heading into BC. Did a lot of driving and a lot of visiting. It's too bad that Reid decided that he didn't like the car all too much. I think that we still did a pretty good job, considering he wanted to scream most of the time that we were in the car. I ended up sitting in the back of the car with him most of the time, and I think that we ended up making pretty good time. While we were in Kelowna we got to head up to Cedar Creek with Reid. Both days that we were there they were setting up for something. A wedding perhaps. Or a concert. The weather in Kelowna wasn't fantastic, but we still had a great time. We brought Reid to Camelis, the goat cheese factory. He got a good laugh out of all the goats. We then headed to Mardi Gras in downtown Kelowna with my aunt and uncle.

Being astounded by the goatsAt Cedar Creek

Mardi Gras in Kelowna

Vancouver was a bit on the blah side. Just as we were getting into the outskirts it started raining and didn't stop till we left. Rain, rain, rain. We took the sky train into downtown Vancouver the first night and had some dinner and walked around with Reid for a bit. And the next day, after a sleepless night, we went to Stanley Park. Again, it was really rainy, and the line up for the aquarium was crazy long. So we just walked around a bit, and found the kids farmyard. Because it was so miserable, we decided to get the early ferry to Victoria.

Ferry to Victoria

My aunt took care of Reid a couple of times while we were in Victoria. It was a nice break. Christien and I got to go into town and walk around one day. We just stayed around the harbour front and had a nice, quiet and relaxing grown up lunch together. It was fabulous. Reid swam in the pool for a bit one day as well. It was a bit cold for him. As were the water in Kamloops and Kelowna. Which was really too bad, cause I was looking forward to getting him in the water out there. The water will be nice and warm in Cuba, however, it's going to be salt water, so we'll see how he reacts to that.

Getting a kick out of dad playing guitar and singing Christien dirt biking in Nanaimo. His favorite part of our trip

All in all it was a nice family vacation. Went by really quickly. We got home and Christien had to turn around and head back to work.

Butchart Gardens in Victoria

Unassisted Sitting

Reid seems to pull out a new milestone whenever we go on vacation. Back in June he rolled over for the first time, and hasn't stopped since. I really wish that he would have poked a tooth or two through as it seems like he's been teething for ages. In so much pain. Poor little devil. While we were away he was really working on sitting and crawling. He pushed and pushed and pushed and finally when we were in Victoria pushed himself to sitting all alone. It's the cutest thing. That's how he does now. No matter where he is, always a push to sitting then he'll play. In his crib it's so cute. Except when he's been crying and we walk in there, and there's a weepy baby just sitting in the middle of his crib. So sad. Otherwise, it's just the cutest. Dad went to get him up from a nap the other day and found him standing in his crib. Happy as punch. Hanging on to the rails. Immediately after dinner, dad and I lowered the crib. I was talking to Christien in Reid's room last night, and he was playing in his crib, then he just grabbed onto the back rails and pulled himself up. My goodness. What's next? Walking, I know. Time to really get cracking on baby proofing.

Happy six month birthday little Reid.

Kamloops

Our drive down to Kamloops was half horrible and half great.  Reid was great for the first two hours of the drive.  He just chilled in his seat, slept for a bit.  Then he started to get fussy.  We pulled over and fed him, but that just didn't seem to make him happy.  He started up again immediately when we put him back in his seat.  And we were only at Lake Louise.  Christien voiced his opinion that we were crazy thinking that we could do this trip, which lead to a bit of a tense car ride with a baby crying in the back seat, and nothing that we could do about it.  We got stopped in some major construction outside of Golden for a whole hour.  In the hot car.  In hindsight, we really should have just turned the car off and gotten out with Reid.  Walked around for a bit.  That might have made him happier.  We just weren't sure how long we were going to be stopped for, but I guess, driving this highway every year, we should have known, that with construction comes long wait times.  We are definitely going a different way home.  Reid was great from Golden to Kamloops though.  Fussed for a bit, and I just covered him up and he went to sleep.  Then he was happy when he woke up.  I think that it was hot, and he was obviously uncomfortable in his car seat.  We made it in one piece though.

Spent a couple of hours at the beach yesterday.  Had Reid in the water for a bit.  He loved getting his feet wet, and thought that the sand was super cool.  Christien brought him right into the water, and I think that it was a bit cold for him.  The water temperature here in the lake is not like it is in Kelowna.  So I can't wait to get him to Gyro and actually be able to swim with him.  Christien and Reid went over to the water park, but again, the water was really cold.  So it's just not as fun.  We're looking for a few things to get out to do today.  There's a bazaar downtown that we're thinking of checking out.  And maybe the Wildlife Park.  I'd like to walk around some of these parks.  If Reid's in his stroller then that'll buy us a bit more time to be out and about instead of having to come home to put him down for a nap.  Heading to Kelowna after dinner sometime tonite...  Can't wait to get a family picture taken at Cedar Creek.

BC Bound

Just waiting for Reid to wake up. Ha. Never, ever thought that I would utter those words. We just weren't quick enough with waking and getting the car packed up this morning. He got too grumpy and wanted to nap. NOW. So to bed he went. The little booger rarely naps more then half an hour, yet he's been down for over an hour now. Go figure. When we need to get up and do something, he'll just sleep and sleep and sleep. But when I just want to nap with him, then he makes sure those are quick cat naps. What a guy. Hopefully this nap will have him nice and refreshed and ready for the trip to Kamloops. Fingers crossed baby Reid likes the car today. I'm planning lots of stops, so I hope that will help. And I hope that the rain stays away from us and our ride so that we can have lots of stops. Can't wait to see all our friends and family out West!!

Random Shots

Just a few pictures of Reid from the last few weeks. Mowing the lawn with dad. Worked for a few minutes, then it got annoying.

Popping some Proseco for our anniversary.

Chilling with the caterpillar that he loves and that he got from cousin Paige. Yellow, yellow, yellowKind of stunned, but laughing at grandpa.

Chew chew chewSleepy faceSitting with grandpa. Again with the chewing on anything he can get his hands on. Even if they are his own hands.Such a sweet baby face. In his new sleep sac with one of his many animal friends.

All smiles with grandma

Busy Week

End of July. Cannot believe it. Summer is half over. It's crazy. Less then a week and Christien will be home and we're going to BC for a whole two weeks. Christien has our itinerary with him at work, and we're planning on taking our time getting everywhere. Lots of stops for Reid. That'll just give us loads of picture ops. That's my reasoning. I think that's how patience becomes you... You start to take the bad and turn it into good. Yeah, we might need to stop every hour (the poor baby is strapped into a seat, going backwards in the car), but let's just make it fun.

Either way, I am super stoked to see Jenni and Ryan, and my aunt and uncle in Kelowna. We're going to go to Cedar Creek vineyard. Three years ago we were there getting married and now we're going back with our son. Vancouver is going to be a bit of a quick stop, but I really want to go to Stanley Park. Reid will love the trees. And I want to go to Kitsalano. Get his feet in his first of many oceans. Taking the ferry it going to be so much fun too. I really hope we see some whales. More for me then for Reid, cause he won't get it. I had to force him to look at the shark at Big Al's this week. He thought that it was cool, but it was right in front of his face and it took him awhile to get it. So I'm not thinking that some whale tails will do it for him right now. But for me! I've never seen the whales on the ferry over to the island, so that would be so cool. Then we'll be with auntie Tania and uncle Manfred for a few days. Christien wants to head to Nainaimo for a day to visit a guy that he works with, so that'll be cool too. Auntie Tania and uncle Manfred have a pool in their backyard. Reid is going to LOVE that. Let's hope it helps to tire him out at night. And we're going to see my friend Mel, who moved to England a few years ago. She'll be back in Vernon visiting family while we're there. So excited to see her and Isabelle.

I'm trying to keep busy while Christien is gone. I've only got two more days of strollercize left for this month. I think that I'm going to do mommy and baby yoga at the end of August to keep up the working out. I'm going to a Norwex party on Thursday too. I've always seen the stuff, so now I'm going to look at it up close. Reid had some crazy eczema for awhile there, and I was thinking that this kind of stuff might be pricey but could be good for him. We'll see what they have to offer. Patio on Saturday. Can't wait to meet up with some friends.

We got our toys from the Discovery Toy party the other day. Of all the toys that I bought for Reid, I just gave him one. The other two were for "older" babies. However, he loves his triangle. He totally plays with it! I'm going to host a toy party at the beginning of November as there were a few of my friends who were interested in the stuff that they had to offer. It's a very cool company. Anyways, I thought that the beginning of November would be perfect cause it would give us some time to get our toys before Christmas. Exciting.

Let's pray this baby gives me more then two hour sleep intervals tonite. He's starting on solids tomorrow!

Grandpa and Grandma came for a visit

And what a visit. Sunday night, Christien and I were able to go to a movie together (Inception, so great), and dinner. It was amazing. Amazing to be out of the house by ourselves, and to be able to just have normal conversations. It was a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary even if it was a couple of days early.

The grandparents stayed until Thursday and it was wonderful. I got to have two naps in two days. It was a great way to refresh, especially after Reid reverted back to only sleeping for two hour blocks at night. I was still feeling pretty exhausted this morning, but I think that it has to do with him sleeping so little as well as the frustrations building within me cause I just don't understand why he's sleeping so little. He's five months old now. I'm not asking for "through the night" but I'd like a little more then two hours at a time. It might sound crazy but I would rejoice at consistent blocks of three hours. That, would be a miracle.

I didn't have to do any cooking while my parents were here either. And they made enough food to last me for a week or two... I even got some chores done that I wouldn't have been able to get done without some help. It was great. Gotta love the grandfolk.

Momma's Night Out

I went out with some girls for the first time since Reid was born, last night. We went to see Kid Rock at the Stampede. Super wicked awesome. It was nice to get out of the house on my own for something other then groceries. Was still home by midnight, but what a fun grown up night. Reid's been a bit fussy lately, so I think that Christien had a bit of a crying baby on his hands for a few hours. I sort of felt that I had to rush home while I was out, but once I really thought about it, Christien is Reid's dad. They're fine, even if he is screaming or crying. It would be more fun if he didn't, but that's what happens sometimes. It happens to me lots when Christien is gone. Sometimes even when he is here. There's no better way to learn patience and how to deal with it, then to experience it. They need their daddy and son time anyways. Tomorrow my parents get here, and Christien and I are going to dinner and a movie for our anniversary. Wow, a whole meal that we'll get to eat together without rushing through it. I cannot wait. And a movie theater... Without the baby?? Exciting!!

What's Been Going On...

July has been a pretty busy month so far. I can't believe that it's already half over. Mum came to visit at the beginning of the month. It was great to only be by myself for one week rather then two this time around. Mum, Reid and I got to spend some really good times together. Just hanging out. She was here for Canada Day. Christine and Cash came over for a BBQ. It was cold and windy all day, but when they got here the clouds sort of disappeared and we got to spend the rest of the afternoon/evening on the deck. It was great. Amber came by for a bit. She had just gotten back from England, so she was a bit jet lagged. Glad that she came over though.

We had our Third Annual Patio Party on the 10th. It's always been a good time, and this time was no exception. Stacey and Ty came down. Which was a surprise. I was expecting Stacey, but not Ty, so that was totally cool for him to come. My cousin Paige and her boyfriend also came down from Edmonton for the festivities. It's always been super nice for our patio party. So hot on the back deck... This year was not so nice. It was gorgeous all week long, and then Saturday hit and the clouds came in. It poured Friday night, and I was hoping that would be it. However, all day Saturday it was just nasty. Dark clouds, but no rain. I kept thinking that I could see them splitting apart and blue skies coming, but that never did happen. As soon as Christien fired up the BBQ the rain started, and I really don't think that it stopped. People were still hardcore and tried to be outside on the deck, but they were coming in soaked. Curtis walked in the house, eventually, with two large tented tarps. We were like "Where did those come from??", "Curtis brought them", "From his truck", "No, he just bought them from Superstore". Way to come through Curtis!! It was awesome. The guys were all out there setting them up in the rain (and probably Alana too). It was a nice warm day, so we did end up spending some time outside under the tarps. No wind, just rain. Either way, it ended up being a super fun time.

We went to Montana on Monday. Were supposed to stay till Thursday but ended up coming back on Wednesday. Reid was having a super bad time. He was not happy in the car the whole way down there, and he was super fussy and in pain (atrocious diaper rash) for the rest of the time. So we figured spending $100 to sit in our hotel was a waste of money, and came back early. We did do some shopping, but were kind of rushed. Now that I am home, I'm looking at all the things that I wanted to buy and never really looked for. But that's okay. Kalispell isn't going anywhere. We're supposed to go to BC in August. I think that Christien is bailing on us (I really hope not). I'm going to trek through, even though we had a bad experience once. We also had a good one when we went to visit Dale in Castlegar. I think that we just pushed Reid a bit too much in the car this time. We broke up the Castlegar trip into two days, and from here to Fernie (which is about a 3.5 hour ride) we stopped three times. We need to think more about that. I don't have any issues with stopping once an hour for 15 minutes or so. Makes the trip longer, but that's what you have to do when you have a little one.

Now we're back, and we have a few days together before Christien heads off to work again on Monday. Mum and dad are going to be here Sunday to watch Reid for us, so that we can go out together for our 3rd anniversary. I am thinking that a nice dinner out will be so nice. No interruptions. Eating at a normal pace... Sounds like heaven.

As Promised...

Here's a couple shots of our little swimmer on his last day of classes. Go figure, we bring the camera to take some shots on the last day, and I get three off and it dies on us. Oh well, there will be more swimming classes for sure. He got his report card on Friday too!! So proud of the little guy.

Lil' Swimmers

Mum has come and gone. And now Christien is back home. The last stint that he was gone went by super fast. I think that I'm keeping myself extremely busy. The week that mum was here, she said that she was exhausted keeping up with me. But I do what I have to do to make the time go by faster. How much fun would we have sitting at home all day long?? Not much, that's for sure.

Reid started his swimming lessons on Monday. It was everyday this week for half an hour. It's been so much fun. We went by ourselves on Monday cause Christien didn't get back till late. And since then it's been the three of us. He's been having a blast. He can float, and kick, and even got dunked. Every class. I'm still weary of it, but he does it, and doesn't freak out. The instructor said that if you can do it with them now, then they won't be afraid of the water when they are older. He always looks pretty shocked when he comes up, but not like he's going to freak out or anything. It's been so much fun. I'm going to look into more swimming lessons for the end of the summer. I think that Lil' Swimmers is just the first of a set of classes for the little guys, but I'm not sure where to go from here. I've got two cousins who swam their whole lives. They both ended up coaching when they got older, so maybe he's got a little of that in him. He sure does love the water though. I can't wait to get him in my aunt's pool this summer.

We're heading to Kalispell on Monday. Got a cute little hotel (I hope) that has a pool, so we can hopefully tire the little guy out. We ended up getting a Junior Suite, so we'll see if it's as nice as the one in Fernie. It'll be nice to be able to put him to bed in one room and still sit up and chat and watch TV in the other without worrying about waking him. I can't wait to hit up Target. I have no idea why I love that store so much. And Costco. They have a great deal on beers and wine. Also, Christien is looking forward to Famous Dave's BBQ. Funny little joint. We're hoping to head to Whitefish as well, and maybe get a hike or two in. Check out the town a bit better then when we were there in October. It was cold when we were there last. And we were there over a weekend so when we went into Whitefish on the Sunday, everything looked pretty deserted. I think that it might liven up in the summer time. We'll see, but I sure am excited.

In August we'll be heading out to BC for two weeks. Stops include Kamloops to see the Witzaney's, Kelowna to see my aunt and uncle, Vancouver to hit up Stanley Park and Kitsalano, Victoria to see some more family, and then Vernon to see my buddy who lives in London but will be visiting her folks in BC for a few weeks. Lucky that our trips will overlap. Sounds like a lot, but we've got about two or three days in each stop so I think that it's going to be mega loads of fun. I can't wait to hit up the ferry with Reid. I haven't been on the ferry in YEARS. Maybe we'll even get to see some whales this time!!

We haven't taken any pictures of swimming yet. Brought the camera today, but Reid was having a bit of an off day and didn't really want to stay in the water any longer then necessary. That's OK. We'll try with some pictures again tomorrow and I'll post them as soon as I can.

Grandma's Coming!

One more sleep and grandma is going to be here to visit. I can't wait. It'll be nice to have some help with the little guy for a week. I'm hoping grandma will be okay with watching him for half an hour everyday so I can do a quick workout. She hasn't seen him since he was 6 weeks old. He's changed lots since then. He's so funny now!! I think that grandpa wishes that he was coming to visit too. Maybe this will convince him to fully retire now. They will both be back on the 18th to spend a few days before they head to Kelowna for the summer. And I'm sure that they are planning on staying a few days on the way home from Kelowna as well. So they'll get to see him a few times this summer. I'm thinking about booking a flight up to Fort Mac at the end of August. When Christien goes back to work. We'll see how Reid is doing once we finish our travels to BC in the beginning of August. Don't want to throw him too much out of whack.

Father's Day

Christien was here for his very first Father's Day this year. It was a beautiful Sunday and we spent the whole day together. We got to sleep in for a bit, as well as you can sleep in with a baby consistently waking you up and/or kicking you and punching you. We went to Dim Sum at our new favorite restaurant in town. Forbidden City. WAY better then the Silver Dragon. The only thing that I like more about the Silver Dragon is that they come around with the little cart and you can pick off of it, and you know for sure (well most of the time) what you are getting. At Forbidden City you get to order it off a card, and then come around and drop it off. That's nice too because all the food is extremely fresh. Christien's neighbour at Firebag is married to a Chinese lady and they said that Forbidden City is the best dim sum in the city. They want to take us the next time that we go. Which would be great, because we could order some different stuff, but we'd at least have someone there to tell us what we're ordering. Right now we stick to the basics, cause sometimes going out of your comfort zone can be too weird.

Anyways, long side bar there... we walked around the mall for a bit cause we had to exchange the running shorts that Christien got for Father's Day. How was I to know he'd get so skinny running every day while he's at work?? Christien and Reid went for a little nap in the afternoon, and I stocked up on groceries and made a nice steak dinner for Christien. Was so nice that we got to be outside to BBQ. Christien and I even got a few minutes where we got to sit outside and have a beer and a glass of wine and just talk. The two of us. Was a nice day. A nice way to spend Father's Day and a nice way to spend the day before he went back to work.

The Continuation of our BC trip...

We got back to Kristin and Dale's and the boys went to work demolishing a shed in the backyard. Reid just chilled outside. Rolling over was something that he learned that weekend too. We were all having breakfast on Saturday and he had been trying and trying to roll over for ages. He was going, going, and then, whoop.. he did it. Now he just does it like it's no big deal. It's pretty cute how high he can hold his head.

We took another route on our way home, and stopped into Kimberley for some schnitzel and fudge. We stopped overnight in Fairmont. I'd never been to those hot springs, so we thought that we would check it out and see what Reid thinks. He LOVED it. Christien had him swimming around the hot pools. Holding him by his stomach, head up, mouth open, kicking his legs like crazy. One little girl in the pool said "That baby thinks he's swimming". All the older ladies were going on about how cute he was and how bright he is. So much fun.

Great trip. I can't wait to hit up Kalispell in July and Kamloops, Kelowna, Vancouver and Victoria in August. So exciting. Especially since Reid loves to travel.