Blake's second month

OK...so Blake is almost three months old and I'm just posting this now. Call me a bad mother. :)


To Blake:

All I can say about month two is that we both survived. OK. A bit of an exaggeration. But, I have constantly been amazed at how little sleep a human being can survive on and still function.

No, you are not the greatest sleeper...or at least you didn't start out the month that way. You liked to eat every two hours, and at night it often took almost an hour or more to get you back to sleep. So, by my calculations, that meant no sleep. (I'd do the math but mental tasks like this are just beyond me right now.)

The month itself had lots of interesting activities and milestones. The biggest one is your first smile! This happened just before March break, and the smiles have been getting more frequent and bigger every day. Smiles are your saving grace...they remind me why you're worth all the work. That and you're pretty cute too.

Other milestones include tracking objects and, cutest of all, making cooing and gooing noises. You still grunt a lot, but you're actually starting to sound more like a baby and less like a caveman. Your favourite object to follow with your eyes is your sister. Faith still adores you and is always hugging, kissing, and generally mauling you. I wonder if this will continue when you start pulling the heads off her Barbies? She even sings you made-up songs and whispers in your ear, "I'll always love you baby brother." I can only hope you both remember this when you're older and getting on each other's last nerves.

Big events this month included your first overnight trip. Actually it was supposed to be a trip to see Gramma and Grampa over March break, but it ended up being the week before at Karen and Rob's house. We got stuck in Waterloo due to a huge snowstorm/windstorm. I tried to get home, but the road was packed with cars, and we could hardly see. At one point I pulled over into the parking lot of the Sikh temple to feed you, then we got back on the road, only to come to a dead stop for about 20 minutes with no end in sight. So, I turned around and headed back to Karen and Rob's house. Faith was very happy to have a sleepover at Cordelia's, and you and I stayed on the pull-out couch in the basement. What an adventure.

We did go to Gramma and Grampa's the next week for a few days to meet your great-grandparents, great aunt, and some of my friends. After our dry run the week before, this trip was easy. You like to sleep in the car. :)


You also went to church with us for the first time this month...now that you're past your due date, we're bringing you a little more. Happily, you were angelic and slept through the whole thing.

And, now that the weather is nicer, we've all been getting out for walks. You even got a little sunburn on your face (sorry!) one day from riding in the sling. I'll do better on this next time.

Month two has been all about eating, sleeping (sometimes) and growing. You're even outgrowing your little round plastic bowl that I use for your baths. I sit you in it now and you look like a little buddha baby with all the little rolls of fat growing on your legs, arms and belly.

I can only imagine how big you would have been had you been born on your due date, March 3rd. Having a preemie does have some advantages! And the best part is that we got to know you that much sooner.

Thank god it wasn't me

On Friday I dropped Faith off at Karen's house for a few hours. I had to sign some paperwork at a lawyer's office and dragging both kids along didn't seem too palatable. So, instead Faith got to hang out with Karen and William and play with Cordelia when she got home from school.

As every parent knows, you're always hoping that your kid behaves at some else's house and doesn't start telling strange stories about how much daddy and mommy love to drink or discussing what color underwear mommy wears. So, when I picked her up, Karen's first comments were about a question that Faith asked her. I thought, "Please...don't let it be embarassing."

So, they were sitting together on the couch playing polly pockets, when Faith says, "I have a question. Where does life come from?"

Faith goes on to say, "I mean...I don't understand it. To me it just seems like magic or something."

At this point I'm thinking two things. One...yippee, it wasn't embarrassing! Two, "Wow...glad you had to field this one and not me!"

So cute...

The hat says it all. Blake goes out and about in a Winnie the Pooh "bag" that his Aunt Judy and Uncle Chuck gave him. It's perfect for our spring days. So far, he really likes going out in the afternoons with Faith and I. I throw him in the sling, which he enjoys more than the stroller, and we either walk or bike down the street. Today we looked for signs of spring. Faith found leaves, twigs, grass, rocks, broken pieces of sidewalk, shorts (although it was too cold for this in my opinion), flowers, and so on. I also discovered that she doesn't want to walk in the woods behind the house anymore because she thinks they have scary creatures like the Harry Potter movies. Yikes!

Signs of spring

The crocuses in my front flower bed started blooming on Tuesday in our unseasonably warm (about 20 degrees C) weather.
Faith and I got out the sidewalk chalk and bubble makers to play with. Faith play hopscotch with our neighbours and everyone decided that spring was finally on its way!

Your first month home

To Blake:

I took this picture of you when you were one month old, doing what you like to do best--sleep. Unfortunately, you don't like to sleep for very long periods as eating is the other thing you like to do best. Your best sleep of the day is from about 6:00 am to 9:00 am. But, we're working on this. Just last night you slept from 10:15 to 1:00 am!

So far, your best talent is making various loud noises, including groans, grunts, and toots. Hence, your nickname is Grumpy McTooty (or Grumpy McFarty is Faith isn't around). Your other big talent is bopping your head around...I can't believe how much you want to look around when you are awake.

Your sister is constantly hugging you, kissing you, and holding you. She's also started making you bracelets and crowns. Hopefully you will still like the hugs and kisses when you're older and forgive the "dress-up" aspects of her fascination with you. Her new excuse for not liking school is "I don't get to see Blake enough."


You still have to be patient with me as I have yet to figure out how to change your diaper without having you pee all over the place. So far, you've peed in your face and on your hair (much to the delight of Faith). Your dad has no problem with this...I'm assuming it's because he's more familiar with the equipment.

You've definitely fit right in to our family...I'd forgotten what it was like to have a newborn in the house. The sleeplessness, the diapers, the distinct newborn cry...the super-soft hair and skin, the fascination with all your little facial expressions, the surprise of seeing your eyes open for more than a few minutes. We all can't wait to see what happens next.

Let it snow!

Faith's been enjoying the snow banks in front of our house. Considering we had almost no snow until mid-January, I think we've more than made up for it. She's also been working at keeping her snow fort in good shape since Nana left, although it's been a losing battle the last few days with the amount of snow we've received. They even cancelled the buses on Wednesday.

Happy Valentine's Day

Faith got Blake an "I Love You" pillow for Valentine's Day (even though she gave it to him in January...she "couldn't wait"). I took a couple of shots of the kids with the pillow, for posterity.