This is all I have time for

Brian is (again) hassling me to update my blog, but who has time anymore? Some days I forget to pee, I'm so busy. But of course I'm more than happy to share some recent pictures of the kiddies with you so you can at least witness the amazing rate at which my children grow. Do they all grow so fast? Sad, isn't it?

Here are some of my favourite moments and pictures from the past few months.


Some of Maks' first smiles, from early December. Look at all the hair he had back then!

Maks and Kaylin sharing some special sibling time.


Daddy making Maks smile.

Kaylin wearing her Pepe's glasses.

Pepe rocking his grandson to sleep at Christmas.
Kaylin, anxiously awaiting the start of her first ballet class.

Kaylin doing her "princess walk" in ballet class.
I love this picture of Kaylin, running with her scarf -- being her free and happy self.


Daddy holding his little man.
Maks, in mid-February, hanging out in his sister's bed. Notice how much hair he's lost!


The one and only Maksimo!

The "reality" behind Kaylin and Maks

We tried, we really did. Brian and I really do like traditional, normal names for kids, but in the end we have chosen two somewhat unusual names. It's hard to walk that fine line of common names vs. very unique and unusual names. But I think we did ok. And hopefully our kids won't be teased too much.

So just how did we come up with "Kaylin" and "Maks" you ask? Well, I'll be honest: I've named my children after reality TV personalities. It's sad but true. It's not that I'm a reality-TV junkie or anything (OK, maybe I am), it just turns out that there are a LOT of reality TV shows out there and I happen to have heard two names I love from two of them.

Here is the original "Kaylin":

She was a contestant on America's Next Top Model when I was pregnant and I liked both her and her name. Apparently so did Brian, so we went with it. Her name is actually spelled "Kahlen" and I wanted to use the spelling "Kalen" with our baby. But Brian filled out the paperwork right after the delivery (while I was slightly incapacitated) and chose the spelling he preferred -- "Kaylin" -- which, looking back, was a perfect decision. Unfortunately, Kaylin gets called Katelyn a lot, but I'm ok with that. I love her name and is suits her to a T.


Now, here is the original "Maks":

This is Maksim Chmerkovskiy, or "Maks" for short, and he's a dancer on Dancing With the Stars. But let me get one thing straight--I do NOT watch this show (ok, I've seen it a few times, but I don't watch regularly, I swear). I was channel surfing one night, early in my second pregnancy when I saw the name "Maks" underneath this man's picture and fell immediately in love--with the name, not the man. I have a thing for the letter "K", can you tell? Anyway, while I'm not a fan of the name "Max," I do love "Maks". I think it's the Eastern European sound of it. "Maksim" is not only a Russian name but also Hungarian, and since I am 1/2 Hungarian on my dad's side, I thought this was even more appropriate. I never thought Brian would go for it, but I guess I argued my case well because in the end we went with "Maks" and not "Tiberius," which was Brian's first choice. Eek.

So there you have it...Kaylin and Maks. Two unique names inspired by reality television. And a sad comment on my common choice of leisure activity. I really must get outside more.

Life with Maks

As you can see, it's been over a month since I last posted. It's not because I have nothing to say about life with our expanded clan. In fact, it's because of our expanded clan that I haven't had the opportunity to post--life is just far too busy these days. Who would have thunk that having two kids would be so, um, what's the word....challenging? I won't bore you with the details. Many of you have more children and busier lives than me. But for those of you without children, let me sum it up by saying that there are days where I don't have time (or maybe I just don't remember the importance of this simple act) to pee. I have gone over 8 hours without doing so. Then again, maybe I'm just turning into a camel.

So, what is Maks like you ask?? He's pretty wonderful, not that I'm biased. He's what you'd call a "good baby" who cries maybe less than a total of 20 minutes per day. Grunting is another story. Maks has a whole symphony of grunts and groans that he graces us with throughout the day. He sounds like a cross between a goat, a cat and a squeaky door.

He's also a very VERY hungry baby. I seem to be nursing him every 1-2 hours. It may be just life's cruel way of giving me what I want though. During Maks' first few days we had a lot of breastfeeding problems to the point that he was drinking expressed milk by bottle only. I was heartbroken, fearing he would never nurse again. I thought I had lost him to the bottle and was willing to do anything to "get him back." I'm happy to report that ten minutes with an amazing lactation consultant was all it took. Maks has been nursing...and nursing and nursing and nursing...ever since. So I really can't complain. This is what I wanted and I'm thrilled that the bottles are back in the closet.

My days are generally spent parked on our sofa with a nursing pillow on my lap. Which would be fine if this were my first baby and I could watch movies all day long. But poor Kaylin is getting the short end of this stick. She too is relegated to the living room, forced to play by herself while mommy feeds Maks. We do get to play "Eye Spy" a lot, and she has her fill of cartoons throughout the day. But I feel a lot of guilt about how her life has been temporarily altered and I cherish my alone time with her much more now. Thankfully, she loves her baby brother (a little too much actually. I'm not sure Maks appreciates all the kisses and hugs she gives him) and is only slightly annoyed that mommy can't play with her as much.

Life will get easier, this much I know. In the meantime, I am enjoying my little man Maks and feel blessed that our perfect little family has gotten just a little more perfect.

He's here!

Mere hours after the below post, Mr. Maks O'Brian made his glorious (and rapid) entry into the world. (And may I say I was extra-tired during the labour because I was up late the night before posting that, so you're welcome!) Born at 1:20 p.m. on Thursday, October 9, Maks was 20.5 inches long and weighed 7lbs 4oz.

He was in quite the hurry to get out. After 6 hours of mild early labour, things alarmingly sped up aroung 11 a.m., so I decided to call my midwife. After hearing me go through a single contraction, she agreed it was time to head in. Out of sheer luck, she was already at the hospital...which was wonderful considering she lives 40 minutes away.

Brian and I quickly made our way to the hospital where, this time, I was the one who got us lost. (That was Brian's job last time.) After meeting up with the midwife at about noon, I was shocked to discover I was already 7-8 cm dilated. She immediately called for the secondary midwife and we were off to the races. To make a short labour story even shorter, an hour of intense pain and 20 minutes of pushing later, and baby Maks was born. Brian and I couldn't have been happier. He is perfect and beautiful. The best part? We were all home enjoying dinner just 3 hours later. Pure bliss!

And what about Miss Kaylin you ask? Well, she loooooves her baby brother! Almost too much. She and I are currently battling to see who can give him the most kisses...and she might be winning.

Patience is a Virtue

Well, no babies yet. We're down to less than 20 days till our estimated due date and all is quiet on the fetal-front. So I'm just trying to be patient and enjoy what little time I have left to shop, eat junk food, and wear a normal, non-nursing bra.

But as Kaylin will tell you, I'm not the most patient person in the world. A few weeks ago, we were in a four-car line-up at the bank drive-thru when I--obviously exasperated--exclaimed something to the effect of, "Oh, come on!"

Kaylin, in her ultimate toddler-wisdom, instructed me from the back seat on how to be more patient.

"Mom, you can't get frustrated," she told me, "you just have to wait your turn!"

So true, little person, so true.

And so, I am not getting frustrated. I am just waiting my turn to have a second baby. I promise, Kaylin.

One more month...or less?

I know, I know, it's been over a month since I updated this. But I've been busy nesting, what can I say? The countdown is on until monkey #2 arrives...less than 5 weeks till the due date! However, my midwife told me today that 37 weeks is considered full-term, so the baby's "free" to come in two more weeks.

TWO MORE WEEKS?!?!

But, but, I'm not ready! Yes, the baby's room is painted and all the furniture is set up. Yes, all the tiny sleepers and onesies are washed and put away neatly. Yes, I have several packs of diapers ready to go. Yes, I bought some new BPA-free bottles. Yes, we even bought a new stroller. Then what's the problem, you say?

To be honest, change scares the crap out of me. Naturally, things are going to change around here--and more than likely, a lot. All things considered, life with a three year old is pretty easy. Kaylin tells me when she needs something. She feeds herself (and very neatly I might add). She can put on her own shoes and socks and pants. She even fetches things for me and tells me jokes. How great is that? But this baby, this tiny helpless baby, is going to be a giant ball of need for months. Months!

And yet, I can't wait to be needed again. I love that Kaylin is so independent. I'm very proud of her and everthing she can do. I encourage her independence every chance I can. So it will be nice to have a little tiny bean who desperately needs his mommy. Yeah, that's going to entail many sleepless nights and bags under my eyes large enough to hold my groceries. But it's also going to mean teeny-weeny baby noises, itsy-bitsy toes and fingers, first smiles, first giggles, first words and first steps...first everything. I'm really excited about going through it all again. And I'm excited that Brian is going to have another male to bond with (and team-up against us girls with, as we do to him all the time) and that Kaylin is going to have a little buddy to play with and grow up with.

So, whether monkey #2 arrives in two weeks or six weeks, life is going to get pretty wonderful around here. I'm not sure how many more times I'll update this blog between now and then...but stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion to our ongoing saga here at Chez Baby Toes!

What's more painful: labour or cake decorating? (also, Kaylin turns 3!)

Our sweet girl turned 3 this past weekend. I can hardly believe it. I look back at pictures of her when she was 3 months old, 9 months old...she doesn't seem like the same person. But then sometimes I watch her as she sleeps and it feels like she was only born yesterday and I could still pick her up and cradle her like a tiny newborn. Sighh, how time flies.

And speaking of time, how much time do you think it would take to make a Dora the Explorer birthday cake? Well, I'll tell you in a minute. Let me start by saying that my first mistake was asking a 2 year old what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday. Of course Kaylin wanted a Dora cake. Who am I to stand in the way of a Dora fan and her celebratory baked goods?

To be sure, I asked her again several times over the past few weeks and her answer was always "A Dora cake!" OK, I thought, sounds like fun. The week before her birthday, I rented the Dora pan, baked the cake and bought a few more containers of cake decorator's food colouring to ensure Dora's t-shirt and backpack were accurately depicted. (I wouldn't want to disappoint Kaylin with an inaccurate icing-rendering of her favourite cartoon character!) All I had to do was decorate the cake the night before the party. Easy.

Easy, unless you are suddenly stricken with your 5th sinus infection of your 7-month pregnancy that same day. Sick or not, there was no turning back. Dora couldn't arrive at the party naked. She had to be iced. Fighting back a throbbing sinus headache and blowing my nose every 15 minutes (and then washing my hands thoroughly each time, I promise!) I started mixing the many colours required to make Dora around 9:30pm. To make a long story short, I did not finish that cake until 1:30am. (It's mixing all the colours that took the longest. Why doesn't Dora match her clothes better instead of wearing yellow socks and red shorts? Incidentally, a woman in line at the Bulk Barn told me it took her 2 hours to decorate her Dora cake. Liar!!) I don't think I sat down that entire time and had to hobble up to bed that night.

As I lay in bed, trying to will my back muscles to stop spasming, I wondered to myself, what's more painful--delivering a baby without any pain medication, as I had done 3 years earlier, or spending 4 solid hours decorating a Dora cake when you're already sick, tired, and carrying an extra 35 pounds around?

I'm still not sure. But I do know that seeing Kaylin's face after each experience--after I delivered her and after she saw her Dora cake for the first time--made both nightmares dreams come true!!

Happy birthday Kaylin, my beautiful three year old!

"No more diapers for me"

First of all, sorry for the sporadic posts, but baby #2 is beginning to wreak havoc on my back and sitting for long periods in this computer chair is probably the worst culprit. So I haven't been spending as much time at the computer as I want.

Now, back to Kaylin. She continues to grow into a "big girl" right before our eyes, by leaps and bounds no less! She's turned into the quintessential three year old (a month before her third birthday, but that's ok)--making up stories and songs, chatting to her herself all day long, being silly and funny and just generally, well, three! It's hilarious to watch, though I can see how some parents grow weary of the constant preschooler questions. (Every book we read these days results in a lengthy question-and-answer period, like "Mom, why does that cow have that ring in his nose?" (he's a bull...then I have to explain what a bull is...), "What does 'on the loose" mean?", "What's 'don't tell a soul' mean?", "Why is that horse dancing with a pig? Horses don't dance with pigs!" and on and on. Honestly, I do love being witness to the curious mind of a child, but some days...well, let's just say I'm learning to read Kaylin's books more quickly in the hopes of bypassing the questions.)

We're also knee-deep in potty training here! We started about three weeks ago when I took the plunge and put Kaylin in some "big girl underwear" so she could finally experience the wonderful world of wetness. The first time she peed, she looked down in amazement and said, "It leaked!" As incentives, Kaylin picked out some Strawberry Shortcake underwear and receives a few fruit-flavoured mini-marshmallows when she has a successful trip to the potty. (What can I say, she's my kid and easily motivated by sugar.)

From there we were lucky enough to receive a fantastic potty training video from cousin Bradyn, who is also on the road to dry undies, called Potty Power! The video is directed at preschoolers and features such classic songs as "No More Diapers for Me" and "Wipe Your Bottom". The songs are cute and catchy (so catchy they stick in mom's head too!) and the video really focuses on the differences between babies and big kids. That has been the big step for Kaylin. She sees that she's becoming a big kid and has really developed the confidence and understanding to use the potty regularly. Accidents are becoming fewer and more far between and that's all I could ask for. She sings her Potty Power! songs while sitting on the potty or washing her hands and is really proud of what she's accomplished. And she doesn't always remember to ask for her marshmallows, so I think we're on our way. We're just going to keep at it and continue to watch our big girl blossom!

Boy oh boy

Well, if ultrasound technology is as accurate as they say, then it looks like we're having a boy! It wasn't a total surprise to us. I mean, the Chinese gender-predicting calendar said it was a boy (and it was right with Kaylin too). My own "mother's intuition" felt this one was a boy. And my neighbour told me we were having a boy--the same neighbour who is happily managing twins with way more finesse than any new mom should possess, so I know she has developed some sixth sense when it comes to babies.

I will be honest. I have mixed emotions. Not really about having a boy. Well, ok, I am a bit nervous about how different a boy will be. As Brian will tell you, I don't handle change well. And this is a big change. I'm used to girls. I'm used to all the lovely pink clothes (which I never thought I would enjoy, but I so do!) I'm used to the little dolls, the tea sets, the princess crowns, and the play jewelry. And as I found out during a recent playdate with Kaylin's friend Jacob, I know nothing about sports. (And not to stereotype gender preferences, but they really seem to develop naturally in children.)

In reality, I am very excited about having a boy. Having a second child is thrilling enough, but having one of the opposite gender is going to be fascinating, I'm sure. And I'm happy for Brian too. Sure, Kaylin enjoys looking at comic books with him, and she knows the names of several characters (her favourite being Beast Boy, of course). But someday that interest will be replaced with a love for all things Hannah Montana. So it's nice to know that daddy will likely have someone who can join him in his Marvel universe.

What I'm a little sad about is Kaylin's clothes. I have bins and bins full of girl's clothes and, more importantly, memories of my first little baby who wore all those clothes. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to those one day. Maybe I'll keep them around for a few more years...who knows what the future holds!

Happy Daddy's Day, to the best daddy around

Just a simple note to say Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, especially the dad I live with every day, Brian. If Kaylin knew how to type, she would be the first one here to say "thanks for being so amazing, daddy!"

Here are a few pics to celebrate the day: one of Brian and his little girl before heading out to see Diego Live, and another of Kaylin showing off her wooden climber that Brian built for her without any kits or instructions--just love for his daughter (combined with a love for power tools).

Happy Daddy's Day, Brian!!

It must be all the sleep we're getting

I don't know if it's the warmer weather and sunshine, all the sleep that we're getting now that Kaylin regularly sleeps though the night, or the fact that she is just growing up--but life with my toddler has been pretty wonderful lately.

I can't even remember the last time Kaylin had a full-blown tantrum. Most of the time she is a happy, smiling, singing cutie-pie who just makes my heart glow. She says the funniest things like "Mom, can you do me a favourite?" or wishes me a "happy birthday" even though my birthday is months away. She spends hours singing her favourite songs and nursery rhymes, pretending to be Strawberry Shortcake or Dora the Explorer, reading "Handsome and Gretel" with me, and having picnics complete with "watermelon soup" on the living room floor.

When Kaylin was an infant, learning to talk and walk, I used to look at her and get an overwhelming feeling of pride and love that would wash over me and take my breath away. Everytime the feeling struck, it almost brought me to tears. That's the only way I can describe it. But I haven't had the feeling for many months. I thought maybe it was something you only feel when you're a new mom, like the first months of falling in love. The overpowering sensations you feel when you see that person fade to a deep love over time. It's not that you love them any less. Just that the "newness" has worn off. I thought maybe the "newness" of my baby had warn off.

But lately, I'm having that feeling again. The things Kaylin says and does astound me and move me. I'm so proud of the person she's becoming--her incredible and witty sense of humour, her compassion for other people, especially babies, and her creative imagination. I still can't believe this amazing person calls me "mom". How lucky am I?

Bye bye sooder

As a parent, you want your child to always feel as safe and secure as possible--especially when you can't be there every single moment of the day to hug and soothe them. That's why we've always been comfortable with letting Kaylin have a soother.

As a newborn, Kaylin wouldn't even take a soother. It took a couple of months before she began using one regularly, and by regularly I mean at nap and bedtime. As the months passed, we also let her use it if she was very upset and needed additional comfort beyond what our hugs and kisses could provide, whether it was after a bump on a table corner or a particularly terrible temper tantrum.

I knew one day the soother (or "sooder" as we all called it) would have to leave us, but I wasn't sure how or when. In fact, I really dreaded it. How on earth was I going to wrangle that piece of plastic and rubber away from my child's death grip? And how would she ever fall asleep again? All I knew was that it was not going to be a pretty sight.

Thankfully and remarkably, Kaylin gave up her soother all by herself.

It started with the biting. She began gnawing on the soother, piercing the tip and rendering it useless. I frantically replaced the first few broken soothers because I didn't have a "soother withdrawal plan" in place yet. But soon she was biting through them within minutes of getting a new one.

So we moved to plan B. We let her live with her broken soother. She wasn't biting the end off completely, so there was no danger. She even willingly threw one of her soothers away, telling us she was a big girl (but then quickly asked for her other soother a while later.) Soon, the true purpose of the soother was lost and she was asking for it and we were giving it to her out of habit.

Then, while on a weekend trip, we were away from our normal routine just enough that she didn't ask for her soother one night. I grasped the opportunity and ran with it! Nights became weeks and suddenly Kaylin no longer asked for her soother. Amazing. Problem solved!

Who knew it would be so easy? No tears, no bribes or rewards. No tantrums or pleading. Just a little girl, growing up and moving on.

I think I'll miss you the most, "sooder"!

Monkey #2

Well, if you haven't heard by now or if you haven't seen my expanding belly lately, allow me to proudly announce that we're expecting baby #2 this October.

Yes, we're very excited.

No, we don't know we're having yet.

And yes, Kaylin knows. We told her very early, possibly too early. Now she has to wait and wait. Not that she really cares. She really has no concept of what it means to have a sibling, so why should she. But she does tell people from time to time that she's going to be a big sister. Her exact words are: "I'm going to be a big sister and teach the baby to be a monkey, ooh ooh aaah ahh!"

So get your bananas ready. Monkey #2 is coming!

Our big girl

Kaylin put her own sock on today. I kid you not, it was really exciting. It's just one in a long line of thrilling things our "big girl" has been doing lately. Here are a few more, just to give you a sense:

• She does up the buckles in her carseat by herself. It takes about 5 minutes and makes us late wherever we go, but she does it herself.
  
• She's been using the potty intermittently and even goes into the bathroom on her own, shutting the door behind her, telling me she's going to do it herself.
  
• She's sitting on a normal kitchen chair--no more booster seat!
• She put her own toothpaste on her toothbrush today.
• She can "read" me a few of her books from front to back completely from memory! That one amazes me.
• She calls us "mom" and "dad". She also calls us "guys," which is the funniest thing ever.
• She can ride her tricycle a bit. It's going to take more practice, but her first time out this spring was a big success.
• She tells us all the time that she's a "big girl" and she can do things all by herself.

Of course, it's all bittersweet. You never want your child to stop being your little baby. You want them to stay small, and sweet and completely hugable. In fact, I tell Kaylin to stop growing all the time. But like any two year old, she never listens!

Where did the last month disappear to?

Brian has been badgering me to update this Blog, but as usual, I feel like I have nothing new to report. In fact, I have even less to report because I have been sick for a few weeks and am only now coming out of the fog. I feel like a lost an entire month. Well, actually, I kind of did.

What started as a dry, irritated throat turned into an awful throat infection and fever which then turned in an evil head cold that finally developed into a nasty cough. It's probably the sickest I've been in years. But the worst part about being so sick wasn't the actual sickness. I could take pain relievers and suck on cough drops or eat popsicles to help my symptoms. No, the worst part was that I still had to be a mom while I was also sick.

I had no energy to play or go outside, so for days on end poor Kaylin spent a lot of time either playing by herself or watching cartoons--which I'm sure she didn't mind at all. Snacks were not so much carefully planned and executed healthy combinations of carb/protein/fruit but often a handful of Goldfish crackers tossed in a bowl. That's all I could muster most days before flopping myself back onto the couch to watch more Dora.

The dishes piled up until Brian got home each night, groceries ran low until Brian stopped off at the store, and laundry formed a dangerously high mound until Brian tripped over it and finally tossed a load into the washing machine. And as much as that sounds like a vacation for me, it was hell. I hate mess and clutter. But I was willing to accept it for a while if it meant I could remain slumped in the armchair a little longer each day.

That being said, spring is here! Yes, there's still snow on the ground but the sunshine is feeling warmer and Kaylin and I are finally venturing out into the real world. And although she loved watching all her favourite cartoons over the past few weeks, I think she's even happier that her dance partner, book-reader and playmate is back.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

As some of you may know, Brian and I were fortunate enough to join several of his coworkers and their significant others on a fantastic five-day trip to Las Vegas this month. We've been to Vegas before, but a vacation is just that much sweeter when your children are not with you and someone else is footing the bill. It truly was a wonderful and much-needed break for both of us. (That's a photo of our hotel, in case you were wondering what life looks like when someone else foots the bill.)

Of course, with the yin comes the yang. We returned from five glorious and sunny days to the largest, most foreboding storm cloud you've ever seen: our sick and cranky toddler. Maybe it's just the juxtaposition of carefree and child-free luxury against the humbling and depressing normalcy of wiping toddler snot every five minutes, but last week was a real low point for me.

It wasn't even the snot. Snot is no biggie. I can handle snot or anything else a toddler body can spew at me. (And I did handle other spewings, trust me.) It was the whining, clinginess and tantrums that just about did me in. Oh the tantrums. Our record was five in one day.

Though it was just a few days ago, I look back on the whole experience like I do childbirth; I've miraculously managed to block out the pain. All I can recall at this point is flustered haze of tears and stomping feet...and that was just me!

Either way, it looks like the worst is over. Kaylin is feeling better and somewhat reassured that mommy and daddy won't be leaving her for another long vacation anytime soon. And I am battered and bruised, but happy to have my smiling girl back with me. I wouldn't trade that gorgeous smile for all the winning slot machines in Vegas.

I missed it!

It was straight out of some TV sitcom. Kaylin used her potty for the very first time since we bought the potty 10 months ago...and mommy missed the big event by 30 seconds!

It was another normal night here at the House of Kaylin. Just before bath time, she stripped down to what she calls her "nudie bum" and ran around like a madwoman. We finally corralled her into the bathroom and, as she does most nights, Kaylin enjoyed a little story time while sitting on her potty. I left her and Brian for one measly minute (to use "the potty" myself), only to come back to excitement and cheers from behind the bathroom door. "What happened?" I queried. "She peed!" Brian exclaimed.

But, but, I just went down the hall for a second! But, I've been waiting months and months for this moment! But I've read her all the necessary books about Elmo using his potty and how Ernie doesn't use diapers anymore and even a book that lets you flush Grover's pee down a little toilet! But, but....I missed it!

OK, the fact is, I know that I will get to see Kaylin use her potty more times than I care to imagine over the next few years. So it's ok that I missed the first time. And I'm happy that daddy got to enjoy a big "first" this time. It was pretty exciting for him. I've been witness to many miraculous firsts so the least Kaylin could do was save a few for daddy.

Now, if we could just get her to do it again...

I need 86% more photo albums

This past Christmas, Brian and I limited the amount we spent on each other and instead invested in a digital SLR camera. Though you can't conveniently pop it into your coat pocket like a point-and-shoot, the SLR takes some damn fine shots. My crappy photography skills are greatly improved and the number of shots of a blurry, moved-too-quickly-for-the-camera Kaylin are reduced to almost nil.

Here are a few recent shots of our curly-haired cutie (mostly because I don't have anything to write about these days, but also because you probably need a good hit of Kaylin right about now).

A bowl full of cherries

While at the grocery store yesterday, Kaylin and I picked up some cherries, one of her favourite fruits. So it was no surprise that she requested the same cherries for her afternoon snack. Well, that turned into one of most fun snack times I've experienced in a while.

I pulled a chair up to the sink so that Kaylin could stand and help wash the cherries. What a great washer she is! She picked up each little cherry by the stem and held it under the running water. Then she carefully put each one in a bowl, while I started to halve them and remove the pits.

But half-cherries are no fun of course. So Kaylin dove on the whole cherries. As she bit each cherry, dark red juice dripped down her chin and all over her white shirt. This would normally send me into a panic. "Stop! That's going to stain!" But on this day, I could care less. All I felt was pure joy watching my little girl's face light up with each dripping bite of cherry.

And now I know why they say "life is a bowl full of cherries."

K's Top Five of 2007

As you may recall, I mentioned in one of my previous posts (this one actually) that I am generally not fond of uneven years. So you can imagine my relief that 2007 is almost over. Not that it was a bad year. It was a stressful year. We sold our house and moved to a new city. I quit my job. Brian wondered, very early in the year at least, whether he had made a good move to his new job. But all that stress is behind us now. Life is great and I, for one, am looking forward to even more good times in 2008.

This is traditionally where a "look back at 2007" would go. But Brian suggested I do something different. So to spare you any sappy mommy-memories , I present...

Kaylin's Top Five Albums of 2007 (aka "What Kaylin demands we listen to when we drive around in the car"):











5. Raffi, Singable Songs for the Very Young
There was about a week in March where the only song Kaylin wanted to hear was "Aikendrum". And you know what? I was ok with that. Also, this was the CD that taught Kaylin the words to "Down by the Bay" which she continues to butcher to this day.












4. Regina Spektor, Begin to Hope
Kaylin calls this one "A-ha", as in, "I want to listen to A-ha Daddy!". You have to listen to the first track, Fidelity, to know why. Let's just say that it's cute when she says that and move on.












3. Raffi, The Corner Grocery Store
Even more Raffi! If it weren't for his version of "Frere Jacques" lulling a screaming, tantrumming toddler to sleep on more than one occasion, I think I might have gone back to work about eight months ago.












2. Tegan and Sara, The Con
Probably the first non-children's CD that Kaylin "let" me listen to in the car. After one listen she actually started requesting it. But all she knew was that some girls were singing. So, to this day, she asks for "The Girls". I'm always happy to oblige a request for The Girls.












1. Jack Johnson, Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the film Curious George
We've been playing this CD for Kaylin long before she ever saw Curious George. But I think her love for the music was solidified once she watched the movie. Now she connects the two and never fails to tell me, while track 1 is playing, that Georgie is sad and he needs a soother to feel better. (She, of course, is referring to the film's moving opening where George is sad about being alone.)


Brian and I love music. So to know that we're helping to inspire a similar love in our little girl is pretty great. To quote a line from Jack Johnson, "This is how it's supposed to be."

Happy New Year everyone! See you in 2008.