Almost One... Come And Join The Fun!

I know it sounds so cliche, but I can't believe that our wee Baby Z is about to turn one.  As they say, the days are long but the years are short.  I was nursing him this morning in bed and I noticed that despite being nestled into my side, his toes now touch my knees.  He greets Edward with a hearty "Dada!".  He struggles out of our arms so he can finger walk everywhere - including to my bedside table - the drawer may conceal a sleeve of rather stale crackers which he samples with great joy.  Yesterday he took his first faltering steps unassisted.  In any case, I guess we have to concede that Baby Z is growing up, and that the toddler years stretch (interminably?) ahead us of... for better and for worse.  Yikes.

We will be holding a very (very, very) informal open-house style birthday party on Saturday, June 14 from 10am to noon at our house.  I suppose that by now, everyone knows how we roll - no RSVP required, and best wishes only.  We'd absolutely love to see you there!

All About ME!!!!!!

Hello everyone!  It's been a while since we chatted...  As you can see, I'm growing like a weed!   I still don't have any teeth, but that just means I get to keep my adorable gummy smile a little longer.

I love my big brother Colin's chair!

Why, hello there!

Me on the move.  I still need a little help, but I'm much steadier on my feet and sometimes, I even forget that I want a hand or two to hold and stand on my own for a few minutes.  Oh, and I LOVE Sprocket.  Almost as much as I love crackers.  Almost....

Aunt Pinie was here for a visit, and here she is leaving.  We were so sad to see her (and Monkey) go!  Mummy took this picture to show my big brothers and sister the taxi that took her to the airport because they were eating lunch and raising quite a fuss about, well, everything.  They are SO LOUD!  To compete, I have to be SO LOUD at 2am, otherwise they'd drown me out...

Must go!  Puppy and I have some conspiring to do.... it may involve a scheme to demand plenty of cookies which just happen to fall into someone's gaping maw.

Malcolm's Baptism

We had a wonderful day on Sunday - Mother's Day and Malcolm's baptism.  It was a very happy coincidence that the two events concurred.  Despite a very short morning nap, Malcolm was stellar throughout the (rather lengthy) service.  Edward and I were sure that he'd object to the baptism itself, but as the photos attest, he sailed through with nary a tear.  He even went on a little jaunt with Father Murray to meet the rest of the congregation.  His godfathers, Martin and Uncle Sepp played their parts to perfection, the Ducklings' behaviour was exemplary, even though Keith peppered our Mother's Helper, Myriam, with deeply philosophical religious questions which she gamely tried to answer.  The brunch was great, and we managed to squeeze in a few minutes of a nap upon our return home.

We could not have asked for a better day!  Thanks to everyone who was there to share in Malcolm's baptism.  It meant the world to us!

Malcolm (aka Rob Ford?) and Merri

Me, Edward, Sepp and Martin state our intentions

Father Murray makes wrangling wiggly babies look easy

Today is The Ducklings' "Welcome To Kindergarten" event at their new school.   They are a little apprehensive about going, but thanks to a year of preschool and another school readiness program we're currently undertaking (Backpack Adventures), they're a lot more prepared.  I know it sounds so cliche, but I simply cannot believe that my little babies are going to be in school full-day in a few short months!  Makes the summer seem all that much sweeter... and shorter!

Classic Car Show

On Saturday, Edward took The Ducklings to the Classic Car Show .  They almost went last year, but in retrospect, it was a good idea to have waited - there was a lot of walking involved.  The kids had a lot of fun; a ton of visual interest and the exhibitors were proud to show off their cars, so everyone was very approachable.  In fact, one zany Corvette owner actually allowed them to climb in for a closer look.  Edward noticed juuuust at the last second that Keith was about to honk the horn, and managed to ward him off at the pass.  When asked about it, Keith claimed that his intention was to "have everyone wave at me".  Their exit was slightly less leisurely than Edward had planned, given that Evelyn decided she wanted to meet a person dressed as a cat, which prompted another sibling to break down into hysterics.  This necessitated a hasty retreat.  

Later on that evening, Evelyn was confronted by said sibling, who demanded to know why she had almost risked her life in such a manner, and Evelyn replied with 3-going-on-30 worldliness that it was "just a cat with a person inside".  No big deal.

We're getting better at smiling for pictures.  Yes, there are children under those shaggy mops!  Haircuts are scheduled for later this week, just in time for the baptism.

Not just any school bus - a MONSTER school bus.

Keith's version of paradise.  Well, a Corvette + a cookie... but close enough...

Easter Fun

We had an fun-filled Easter weekend with Edward's parents, sisters and my parents.  The weather actually cooperated, and the kids got outside to play - finally!!

But first, scary baby:

Raaaawwrrr!!

Just kidding!

Of course, he isn't nearly so scary now that he's decided that sleeping is cool.  He's extremely busy these days, and although he hasn't quite decided if he would prefer to walk or crawl, he is a baby on the move.  I think his increased activity level, coupled with his own personal milestones, helped him turn the corner on the sleep front.  I'm getting jittery typing this for fear or jinxing our good run; but I wanted to document the improvement.  Now, this child has NO teeth (yet he's been "teething" for months) and we have another cold in the house, this one with a fever, so I know we have a few rough stretches ahead.  And, I should caveat all this by saying that he is not sleeping through the night.  He still nurses at 11ish, but his middle of the night feed is a miss more nights than not, so he seems to be phasing it out.  He eats again between 5 and 6.  Nevertheless, having a couple hours a night of consecutive sleep a night feels divine!

But, on to our Easter weekend:

Grampy and Malcolm reading

Keith on the (egg) hunt

Colin and Evelyn marvel at the Easter Bunny's incredible hiding skills.  We are still two eggs short, so either the Bunny can't count, or he outdid himself hiding them.

Yes, although Keith and Colin do look like the reluctant egg hunters, they had a blast.  They are less enthused with the glacial pace of our treat dispersal, but 3 x 3.5 year olds hopped up on chocolate or suffering sugar withdrawal is only amusing for about a nanosecond.  That being said, they do offer some pretty compelling arguments ("I have to eat a chocolate egg for breakfast or else I will be sick"), and we're certainly not anti-candy around here... just, in moderation.

There are a few more excellent photos from this weekend floating about, so I'll try to tack on a few!

Baptism

Hello all!

Edward and I are extending a warm welcome to our family and friends (that's you too, blog followers!) to join us in celebrating Malcolm's baptism:

Where:  St. Barnabas, 70 James Street at Kent

When:  Sunday, May 11th (Mother's Day) at 10:30am

Brunch to follow at the Bay Street Bistro, 160 Bay Street.

Granted, this photo is a little dated... but it is one of my favourites.  Possibly because Malcolm is sleeping?!

WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Snapshot

I doubt I'm alone when I admit that for the past few weeks, we've been in suspended animation.  Anxious for Spring to arrive, sick of winter, snow, frigid temperatures and putting on 4 x mitts, hats, snowpants, neckwarmers, boots and coats anytime we want a change of scenery.  The kids (and I) have a bad case of cabin fever, coupled with months of coughs and runny noses.  It's been a bit of a long haul.

However, for some reason, today feels like a shift forward.  Maybe because the snow is finally starting to recede, or because the birds are singing - albeit tentatively - and the sun is shining.  Maybe because the kids actually walked to preschool this morning.  Or maybe (in fact, most likely) because Malcolm slept better last night.  No matter, it feels good.

A few pictures from the past few days....   

Hello!

Aunt Benny came back from New Orleans with some pseudo pet alligators.  The kids named them Sloopy (Colin), Lucy (Keith) and Dori (Evelyn).  They love watching them grow!  Best pets ever....

Puzzle in progress by our puzzle pro, Keith

Yes, it is April and my winter decorations are still up.  Then again, it still looks like winter outside, too. So I'm on par with Mother Nature.