Summer!

Well, it's officially summer, and therefore obviously high time for a new blog entry.  So much has happened since my last post, however, that I feel very... daunted to say the least.  So I'll try to keep things simple.

1. Juniper grows up.
Really and truly - as my belly has gotten progressively bigger over these last couple of months, Juniper has seemed to mature just as quickly.  This is, of course, a mixed blessing - with all the new skills (especially communication), and independence, comes stronger opinions and frustration on her part.  For instance, yesterday Juniper told me how she wanted her hair done ("little braids"), and sat still just like a big girl while I did them, but then had a HUGE meltdown when I tried to use the "wrong" elastics. These opinions (and potential for meltdowns) can extend very easily to other common-day occurrences such as which clothes to wear, what shoes to put on, what colour bowl she would prefer at any given moment, and whether or not she should be allowed to "drive" the car before heading out somewhere.

More than just being opinionated, however, Juniper has seen a lot of changes in these past couple of months.  For instance, as of a few weeks ago, she is now no longer breastfeeding (!).  I thought it might happen when I was a away in Winnipeg for a week, but it kind of gradually tapered off on its own about a week before I left.  It was a pretty natural progression - I had no more milk left (due to the baby, of course), and so it's not like Juniper was actually getting anything when she nursed, anyway.  She still brings nursing up a lot (usually at least once a day), but she doesn't ask for any - instead, she just reiterates what I told her - that the "nums" are gone from mama's breasts, but the new baby will bring them back.  That seems to satisfy her, as does the knowledge that if she's interested, she can nurse again when the milk comes back.

Also, I hate to jinx a fabulous thing, but for almost a week now, Juniper has fallen asleep in her crib on her own, without anyone in the room with her, and has slept until at least 6am! (she still wants to come into bed at that point, but will usually sleep for another 1 or 1.5 hours, so no complaints).  Here is a picture from the other night - she sometimes gets herself in these precarious positions, which seem to be one of the only things that truly wakes her up (so we try to keep an eye on it). She has a "big girl bed" set up, but we haven't transitioned her to it yet - I figured we'd ride this falling asleep on her own wave for a little while yet, until it becomes the norm. 

 

 Also, Juniper has taken a keen interest in the potty as of late.  I don't feel like we're really and truly "potty training" - just following Juniper's lead and encouraging her when she wants to use it.  When she is at Cheri's (her daycare provider, when she goes twice a week), it's especially fun, as it becomes a real social event.  She and her buddies take turns and celebrate each others victories.  At home, it's not just about peeing on the potty, however - sometimes it's more about tricking one of her obliging parents into reading a whole slew of books, or about helping teddy as he, too, attempts to potty train.  Here is a little video of that phenomenon:

2. Farm weekend
When we went to Fredericton for Easter, we just weren't able to fit in a trip to the farm (where Clark's dad and stepmom live).  So we decided we would choose a weekend in May, and make a special trip to just visit.  As it turned out, it was a real Richards sibling reunion, as Brad,  Theresa, Elizabeth (and Patrick) ALL showed up at one point or another, and there was a big dinner to celebrate Brad's birthday.  Jam-packed action all weekend long - Juniper had a ridiculously fun time.  Here are a bunch of photos:

Driving the tractor

Reading with Grandma

 

 

 

 

Canoe ride!

Towing the motor boat down to the water

Motor boat fun!

Fiddleheading

  

 

These wooden clogs were pretty much Juniper's favourite things. No exaggeration.

More shoe business.

Visiting with great-grammy

The Richards siblings! (l-r: Bradford, Elizabeth, Juniper, Patrick, Clark, Theresa)

Visiting Andrew in Sackville on the way home

Here is a little video montage I put together from the weekend:

3. Baaaaabbbbbbiiiieeeeesssss!

One of the most exciting events int he last two months has been our dear friends Zsofi and Will moving back to NS (Lunenburg, to be precise) - with their beautiful twin girls, Eva and Sylvie!  Though it's a little over an hour away, we've still managed to have lots of play dates since they've arrived.  Juniper LOVES spending time with the "baaabbbbbiiiieeeesss" - as you might imagine, there is a whole lot of kissing and hugging every time we get together. Here's a few pictures:

I meet Eva and Sylvie for the first time!

Storytime

Showing the girls a thing or two (Sylvie, Juniper, Eva)

4. Camping Trip

So, a couple of weeks ago, I took an almost week-long trip to visit our dear friends, Judith and Simon.  They are currently living in the small town (or, I suppose, officially, VERY small city) of Winkler, Manitoba (but moving soon to Ottawa).  The trip was Clark's suggestion - he pointed out that I'd never spent a night away from Juniper since she'd been born, and that I will be on duty for many, many months after baby #2 comes along.  Ergo, I needed a break.  So, with enough aeroplan points to get me there and back, the vacation came to being.  I won't lie - it was actually really difficult to leave (there might have been some bouts of crying on my part), and I missed Juniper horribly, but I think it was, in the end, a really good exercise for everyone involved.  I just relaxed, ate yummy food, gabbed, knitted, and SLEPT.  And Juniper and Clark (and my mom, when she came down to help a bit later), had a grand ole' time.  I don't think Juniper missed me one little bit.  The big adventure was a camping trip that Juniper and Clark took together - brave man!  I'm obviously not in a position to write much about it, as I wasn't there, but I will include some lovely pictures, which clearly indicate that a good time was had by all.

Ready for a hike! (notice her own backpack)

Close-up

Tent site

Splash! (throwing rocks)

5. The gang

As usual, there have been many a fun day lately spent with the gang.  Here are some pics from one particularly gorgeous and fun Sunday not too long ago (Isabella was supposed to come, but couldn't at the last minute):

Our friend, Mr. Earthworm

The three gardeners (Patrick gets a turn with the worm)

Patrick, Calla and Juniper.

 

6. Day-to-day

Just a few random shots from life as usual:

One of our many swimming excursions (Tawnya, me, Ashley; Caleb Juniper and Calla)

Making muffins

Riding her bike!

Clark and Juniper's "secret spot" in the back yard

 Here's a little video of Juniper keeping herself amused in the car by flipping through pictures on the ipod.  I include it, because it seems like such a crazy example of the type of technology this generation of kids is becoming comfortable with - in this case, before their 2nd birthday!!!

7.  And finally:

A contraband shot of baby #2!  For those who don't know, unless you find yourself on the "high risk" floor at the IWK, you aren't allowed to get pictures from your ultrasound.  We managed to get a contraband shot of Juniper (we just happened to have our little camera with us when the technitian left the room for a few minutes, and were able to take a picture of the shot she had left on the screen for us).  So we brought the camera again this time around.  Unfortunately, the ultrasound tech left us with a pretty crappy screen shot, but at least it's something!  My best guess - close up profile of the head.  And no, we don't know the sex, and won't until the baby is born.  But I have been pretty convinced that I'm having a boy since the beginning.  Let's see if mother's intuition is right the second time around as well!