Arctic Hazards

Wearing her new threads like a boss

I will admit upfront:  this post has actually very little to do with any REAL Arctic hazards, of which there are many (especially this time of year).  They include ice, weather, wild animals... and, at this particular moment, they also include the ability to pull your spouse away for 2-3 weeks while you try and survive with your 1-month old.

Almost too cute for her own good, imho.

You heard right - I am currently pulling the old single-parent gig while Clark sails to the Northwest Passage to do some Arctic fieldwork.  I knew it was coming, but I honestly thought, right up until the very last minute, that fate would surely intervene and somehow keep Clark at home.  Nope. He's out steaming through the northern reaches of the ocean, having left almost a week ago.  If you're interested, you can follow the progress of the boat he's on, the Henry Larsen, here: Henry Larsen.

Just chillin'

I'm sure anyone who has ever read this blog is well aware of how much I really, really hate the solo parenting gig - and truly, to be doing it while not even fully recovered post-partum is more than a little ridiculous. BUT (and there is a big but), between Clark's logistical planning and our awesome families, it has so far been do-able. Case in point: my sister Faye (having flown in from Western Africa, mind you), is currently co-parenting with me, and the older kids are spending a couple of weeks with their grandparents in New Brunswick.  So, besides being just generally weepy from lack of sleep, I've been coping.

Juniper is SO anxious to be grown up, but still wears a crown while out and about on occasion, which makes my heart just about burst.

 Right now, Hazel will basically only really nap during the day while being worn, which makes it difficult to do much else (other than, for instance, go for a walk, which I do basically every day). The upshot of this means that the times that Faye wears Hazel, I turn into a whirling dervish.  I have cleaned the kids' rooms, pruned trees, sorted an overflowing desk, cleaned the fridge... like, we're talking major productivity. "Tara", you might say, "why not NAP during those rare moments of time when you aren't carting around your newborn?"  Because, my friends, napping is not a superpower that I possess.  I'm a terrible napper.  It makes this whole thing much harder, let me assure you. 

"I will not be put down for a nap, minions!" (I think her authority comes from those massively chubby cheeks)

Anyway, we've got one week down, and at least one more week to go (Clark is scheduled to come back on the 1st, but the Arctic travel gods enjoy laughing at all your well-laid plans and expectations).  I think that likely I'll emerge at the other end mostly intact. We shall see.  In the meantime, here's a catch-up from the last couple of weeks:

Hanging out at Gus (the tortoise)'s 96th birthday celebration at the Museum of Natural History

Close up on Ms. Crazy Hair.

This was from the day Clark decreed that we all needed to get out of the house, as it was pouring rain and we were going stir-crazy, so we drove to this big moose, and endured a very unhappy, screaming baby on the way there and back.  But at least we got a picture!

When she's NOT in the car, however (and when it's not between 8-11pm), Hazel is typically a very happy little girl!

Looking very Simmonds

Contemplative Blue Steel...

... and a hilarious joke!

Hazel's official one month old shot.  Super baby!

And another with her siblings, of course!

How adorable is this face?

Almost as adorable as this one, I'd say!

Faye arrives!

Faye brought ashobi (matching hand-tailored clothes) for the kids from Sierra Leone

Hazel and Mary gab it up

What was happening on the other side of the room

We got to see Janie on her Maritime trip!

We also got to hang out with Merrick and Elsie (and Eddy and Beckie)  at the Discovery Centre, as they were ALSO visiting the weekend before Clark left!

Faye, taking her niece-sitting duties very seriously (side-note: this exercise ball is, no exaggeration, the key to calming success multiple times a day. Just not typically with a beer in hand!)

The whole crew before mom and dad took the older kids to New Brunswick

Linden harvested his carefully-grown garlic before they left...

Mid-harvst

Juniper helps out

Displaying the whole haul

Artfully hung in the window to dry

 And finally...

Hazel does NOT enjoy consulting while Faye works from home

Wish us luck in the week(s) to come!  The one saving grace is I will never be in this position again, right?  That was my mantra during labour as well :)