Long Weekend

Rob, Maelle and I are taking a mini-vacation this weekend without Loic.  We were going to attempt a weekend camping at a friend's cabin but that didn't sound very relaxing to me because I wasn't keen on chasing Loic around the lake with a baby in tow, so, when Jody asked to look after Loic we said sure!  We are going to spend a night in Seattle and Loic is having a stay-cation at home with his aunty Jody :)  He has asked me to "go away now" so that he can start his weekend with her...I am going to go out on a limb and say he will be fine without us.

Maelle had her first set of shots today, a bit late, but she seems ok so far.  I weighed her and at 12 weeks she weighs 12 pounds - that means she has gained 5 pounds in 12 weeks!  Go baby go.  She has been such a good baby, makes me want another one (sorry Rob!!) but maybe another dog down the line will help convince me that 2 kids is all I need...he can only hope.

Aunty Jody and baby Maelle relaxing in the back yard

The world's nicest family pet

The baby was lying on her blanket, enjoy the yard, and Loic and I were playing in his new pool.  Tyler, the best dog ever, chooses to lie down near baby whenever he can - it is so sweet.

 Watching over his baby :)

(Too bad he would be too scared if anyone tried to actually take his baby!!  His heart sure is in the right place, he is such a big softie).

 Sitting next to his baby

 This photo is of Tyler, who was fast asleep on the couch, snoring with his ball in his mouth

 It was bright out but if you look closely, you can see that every inch of Lolo is covered in ice cream!  He was quite pleased!!

 This is Maelle, fast asleep, on our kitchen table in the amazing baby "box" my cousin lent us - so awesome.  This kid can sleep anywhere!!!  She tends to nap in random places (wherever we are at that moment!) in the mornings and nap in her crib for her big afternoon nap.

She looks so.much.like.Rob

All is going well at our house.  Today both kids napped at the same time for two hours in their beds!!  I chose to ignore the laundry and sit in the sunny back yard with Jody, all 5 of our dogs and my mom came over for a visit :)  It was the first sunny day in forever and we took advantage of it.

Jody and I went to Canadian tire this morning and we bought an awesome pool for Loic for this summer.  I would post a picture of him in his pool but he is naked in ever single shot!!  He loves his pool a lot and got a total kick out of being allowed to use the hose to fill it - I think Jody only got a little wet during the process!  We also need to train Lolo not to pee in the pool.... :)

Maelle will be 12 weeks old tomorrow - where on earth does the time go?

E

Easiest and Nicest Baby on the Block

I hope I am not jinxing us here but Maelle is such an easy baby.  She is quick to smile, doesn't really cry unless she is hungry, sleeps well and is generally so easy to be with.  She eats like a champion - she must weigh close to 13 pounds now - and is just content most of the time.  If she is fussy, she usually just needs to eat and nap and is then good to go again!  She turned 11 weeks old this week, where does the time go?!?
Loic is still an awesome big brother.  He is so, so funny and says the funniest things!  His love affair with batman and spiderman continues.  I used it to my advantage with respect to potty training and bought him a batman costume.... he wears underwear all day now unless asleep and is very reliable when it comes to peeing on the potty, we are working hard on #2 but it will happen soon, I can feel it!
I am really enjoying my days home with the kids, even when Loic is on the potty dawdling and Maelle is hungry.

 Chubby post-bath baby!!

 Girl clothing is adorable.

Batman!!!  He has a love-hate relationship with this costume, sometimes it is too scary, other times he loves it.

The dogs are also doing well - Tyler is going strong at about 9 and a half, Toby is his usual clingy self and Arthur, well, Arthur is fine and dandy.  Tyler is still the best family pet ever :) he kisses the baby when I am nursing her and lets Loic pet, hug and dress him up.  Such a good boy!

Daily life

Life has settled into a bit of a routine these days.  We get up around 7:30, eat breakfast and then head out the door to do an activity by 10:00.  We tend to ride Teepee or Jeffree on Mondays at the barn and then walk outside looking for slugs or play with 3 year old Ezra.  Tuesdays was story time at the library but that is now over, so we need another Tuesday morning activity.  Wednesdays we see Tracy and Bed and baby Madison and we tend to head to indoor play centers for the boys; today we went to Koko's Cafe in Port Moody.  Loic had a blast but it is a bit chaotic there and the play structure is massive.  We have also gone to Kinder Cafe in Port Coquitlam and will do Go Bananas here in N.Van soon.  We would like to go to the park on Wednesdays but so far the rain has ruined those plans.  Thursdays we get together with Sara, Kyle and baby Evan and we go to the awesome park on 11th or the aquarium or each others houses to play.  Fridays Loic goes to a drop off play group at the rec centre for two hours and Maelle and I do the grocery shopping.

After the morning fun, we aim to be home around 1:00 for lunch and then, more importantly, nap time for Loic.  He is usually asleep around 2:00 (or later if it is a potty training issue - more on the another day) and up after 1.5-2 hours.  I love that he still naps, I make dinner or do laundry.  

Maelle has started to nap in her crib at this time too although right now she is asleep in her swing and I don't want to move her!  

After nap time we usually have a snack and once Rob comes home, either go to the park or walk the dogs or do errands before dinner.  Then dinner (around 6:30), bath time and bed!!

 Loic riding Teepee

 Milking the fake cow at Maplewood Farm

(yes he is wearing boots with shorts!!)

Tyler, Duncan and Ryan in my car

The dogs are doing well.  Toby had a pain episode last weekend and after two trips to the vet, x-rays and a lot of pain meds seems to be better now?  Who knows what happened to him.  Tyler is trucking along too - he hurt his leg jumping up on the counter to eat food and was then really ill but is fine now. Ah labs, can't keep them down or away from any food!!   Arthur is still on his heart meds but they might need to be increased.

E

Updates - look who is smiling!

Look who has started to smile!  She is also starting to make nice cooing sounds.  She started smiling around 6 weeks and is now just over 7 weeks old.  Today for the first time ever she has slept in her crib for a nap and is now in there now - so far naps have taken place in the car, her vibrating chair, the swing, in the Ergo or Maya wrap, on my chest or in my lap or next to me in bed but not her crib :)  Today she was tired so I swaddled her, placed her in the crib and she took a nap.  

 So cute.

 Such a cutie pie!!  Her eyes are still blue and my thinking is that they will stay that way.

This is Loic as a baby - I can't tell if they look alike or not!  They have the same head shape

In other news, Loic is doing really well.  That kid is so funny and he is such a nice boy.  I really hope his sunny disposition stays with him, it will sure serve him well in life.  He often asks us things like: "How did you sleep Mama?"  "How is your day going?"  and he is big into loving stuff "on my own! but we can share it".
We have been having some potty training success and he now wears big boy underwear in the house and for short trips out.  The pull ups are our crutch but it is hard to not use them!!  Oh well, we aren't stressing about it at all - he is getting there.

Family photo shoot

My friends bought me a family photo shoot for my birthday two years ago and we finally used it when Maelle was about two weeks old!  Here are just a few of the shots we got.  The photographer was lovely and her company is called Bright Photo.

Loic was a total ham!

Mama's boy

Lovely dogs

Loic fought this one!  He was all over the shop :)

Adorable.

Best.Dog.Ever.

Seriously.

Maelle will be 6 weeks old tomorrow - where does the time go?!  She is now smiling :)

E

One Month Old

Maelle is one month old; where does the time go?!
We had a check up today and she now weighs 8 pounds 12 ounces - she put on 10 ounces in the last 8 days!  I find it very rewarding to nurse a baby and see them grow :)
We had a family photo shoot two weeks ago and once we get those photos I will post them here.
Loic is still being a loving and highly entertaining big brother.  He likes to kiss his sister on the head, which is adorable.
The dogs are handling the new baby well.  Toby didn't ignore me this time like when we brought Loic home and Tyler just likes to lick her on the head when he walks by and I am nursing her.  Not sure if Arthur has even noticed her!
E