April catch-up

Happy belated Easter!  I had actually planned to do a post before Easter, knowing full well that a holiday trip to Fredericton would warrant a post all it's own, but alas I never got around to it.  So now I offer a condensed view of all of April. Here goes!

1: Juniper the handywoman!

Clark picked up this soft tool set when he was at Ikea earlier in the month, and Juniper has since taken her fix-it duties very seriously.  On a side note, I believe that Juniper's hair has become an entity unto itself.  It will get cut one of these days, I swear.

2. MEC ad...

Is it just me, or could Juniper and Patrick start a side career as Mountain Equipment Co-op models?  Rain gear this adorable means that at least there is a perk to the seemingly endless rainy days we've been having around here.

3. Ride-em cowgirl!

Besides being just a cute snapshot of Juniper riding her beautiful rocking horse, I love this picture because it showcases her new-found interest in her stuffed animal buddies.  It seems as though a month ago, a few choice animals suddenly celebrated an elevated status in her world (she had relatively no interest in stuffed animals before then).  One of them is this teddy she got for Christmas - she will diligently find a pillow and blanket, and put him down for multiple naps during the day; he rides with her on her horse; and, having just acquired a hand-me-down doll stroller this past weekend, Juniper now spends a good chunk of her day strolling him around the house.  Yesterday, in fact, (in the two seconds that I turned around to put something in the oven) I caught Juniper with Teddy and stroller down by the (already wide-open) front door .  Apparently, they were about to go find "dada". 

Though I don't have a picture of them, the other two animals that have become very important to her are a bunny and a sheep that she has decided to sleep with.  A couple of weeks ago, she also decided that if they were all going to sleep together, she should also be offering them breast milk.  Juniper now gets nursed twice a day - once when she wakes up, and once before she goes to bed.  So, recently, we'll lie down to breast feed, and she'll loudly proclaim "BAAAAA!", meaning - "wait! Go get the sheep!", and then "bunny!" (ie "don't forget bunny"), and they both get first dibs at my breast before she does.  Little did I know I'd be feeding three hungry mouths at once!

4. Drawing 101

Here is a little video of Juniper drawing.  I don't know - it might not be as interesting to everyone as it is to me, but I find the whole process very cute.  One quirky thing she's been doing (as you'll see) is referring to herself as "you".  It makes sense  - we address her as "you", but I have been finding it VERY difficult to explain using "me" instead of "you" to refer to herself - English sometimes makes no logical sense!  Also, you see at the end of this video the way all videos seem to end these days - with Juniper jumping up and asking to "see" the shot.  It means many videos and pictures are over before they even begin.  I'm sure Juniper won't be able to fathom that her parents grew up with cameras that a) didn't take videos, and b) didn't show you an immediate image after taking a picture. 

5. Ring Around the Rosie...

Toni introduced this to the kids at a playdate a couple of weeks ago, and Juniper has been obsessed with it ever since.

EASTER!

Easter this year was very... mixed.  I shouldn't say that - Juniper had a ball, and so did everyone who got to spend time with her, which was really the whole point of going.  I, however, got incredibly sick with some form of bronchitis or pneumonia, and was just miserable the whole time. Also, because I was so sick, I didn't get to see my cousin Claire and her new(ish) little boy, our friend Christie and her new(ish) little girl, or my grandmother - I didn't dare expose the very young or old to my plague.  Boo! But on the upside, I had loads of people to help take care of Juniper while I sat in a corner and hacked up a lung, and there were many adventures to be had by the healthy folk.  Here are some highlights:

1.  Market madness!

 No visit to Fredericton is complete without a Saturday trip to the market. As you can see, my sister Andrea (far left) made the trip home for Easter, which is the first time she'd been able to come home from BC in over a year.  We also got to hang there with my brother Paul's son David (right next to Andrea), and my sister Kelli's family (Ali, Ethan and Sawyer, and Jamie at the back).

2. Pretty dresses

The weekend before we got there was the bi-annual M.O.M (mothers of multiples) sale in Fredericton, and my mom managed to score a bunch of beautiful dresses.  These are just a couple of them, but I was more than happy to have such a good excuse to dress Juniper up.

3.  Hanging with the cousins

Boy oh boy, does Juniper love hanging out with her older cousins.  This is especially true of Ali, who Juniper clearly idolizes.  Ali was all she could talk about before we even left for Fredericton, and then she couldn't wait for some quality one-on-one time.

4. Egg decorating

Juniper was just as big as everyone else this Easter, participating in an afternoon of egg decorating fun.  We tried some natural home-made dyes this year (using turmeric, blueberries and beets for the three primary colours).  It didn't work as well as the professional Ukrainian dyes we used in years past, but I felt much better about Juniper being involved this way.  Maybe I just have to perfect the technique to get the vibrant colours I was hoping for - I'll try again next year!

5. Backyard fun

Juniper LOVED hanging out in the backyard this trip, no matter what the weather offered.  This was especially true if there was someone (or preferably multiple people) that would bring out the wheelbarrow.  Here's a little video of some of the seemingly never-ending wheelbarrow shenanigans:

6. Easter egg hunt!

And finally, an Easter post couldn't be complete without some footage of Easter morning.  The bunny had hidden mini eggs around the living room, in conveniently low and pretty obvious "hiding" places.  I wish I had had the camera at the ready for when Juniper first climbed the stairs, because she had a hilarious (and somewhat unsurprising) reaction to the scene: Stuff as many mini eggs as humanly possible into her mouth as fast as she could, and then run away before anyone could tell her to stop.  She spent a full five minutes or so trying to process the great gob of chocolate in her mouth (drooling chocolate and unable to speak), before we were able to convince her that the real object of the exercise was to find the eggs and put them in her bag.  This is a video of when she first made that transition - unfortunately, my battery died just after that, so I didn't capture the pure joy of the egg hunt that ensued.  She loved it so much that we spent the rest of the trip doing multiple egg hunts - she would grab a handful of eggs, give them to one of us, and then hide her eyes while we placed them around the room.  She'd them squeal with delight as she found them, put them in her bag, and then demanded that we do it all over again.  I'm thankful that this all happened at my parent's house, because if it was here, she might have expected daily Easter egg hunts for the whole year!

A long hiatus... and news!

I believe this has been the longest hiatus I've taken since starting this blog up almost two years ago (two years???), but I have a good excuse.  I am (drum roll....) pregnant again!  I am about 13 weeks along at this point, and I can safely say that this is the first time in almost 2 months that I haven't felt like complete and utter crap.  Like, 100% useless.  If it was this bad last time, I have forgotten the details, or else I wouldn't have been nearly so gung-ho to give it a second go.  On Monday of last week, I thought I had turned a corner... I had Juniper all by myself for the whole day, and we did some baking (first time I had felt like touching anything in the kitchen in many many weeks), and then BAM! at around supper time, I got hit with one of the most awful stomach viruses I think I've ever had in my life.  I'll spare you the details, but it was wretchedly terrible.  Then Clark got it, and then Juniper.  It is only today, over a whole week later, that I feel it has truly left my system.

Juniper, enjoying the fruits of our labour

Anyway, I won't spend any more time complaining, but trust me - no one would have even wanted to read a blog post from the last couple of months.  Also, I'll be honest - I have not done nearly as much photographing and video-taking as I normally would.  So unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of goodies to share with you... just a few pictures, and a few pretty cute videos.  But that's better than nothing, right?

 

From a party at the Sharps' (Patrick, Isabella, Juniper, Calla)

I got a genuine smile by asking Juniper if she had "tooted".

And finally - some videos!  This first one includes some "musical moments" from the past couple of months - a choice few of many.

This second video is a sampling of how well Juniper takes care of her rocking horse.  Sure - she likes to ride him, but there's a lot of care involved in owning a pet!

This last video is of Juniper CLEANING.  Honest to goodness.  I have no idea where she gets it from.  But as soon as she gets a tissue in her hand, there are a LOT of things that need to be cleaned.   Or maybe dusted - I'm not sure.  I didn't even know what dusting was until I was like 8 years old.

That's all for now - hopefully I'll be a better blogger in the weeks to come - especially with the added incentive of spring.  My guess is there are a whole boatload of new adventures just around the corner!

Winter musings

I don't have anything spectacular to blog about today, but it seemed appropriate to pull together some of the wintery things that have been going on around here - especially since we are now fully committed to February (how in the world did that happen so fast?)

Full on winter storm

One activity that always just seems so much more appealing in chilly winter months is knitting. As such, I bought some really pretty yarn over Christmas and attempted my first knitted dress (for Juniper, of course!) Knitting baby and toddler items is just so satisfying - a relatively big project is so quick and painless compared to anything adult. Anyway, here is the dress, from the front and back:

I'm already working on another one, in a slightly bigger size, from yarn that I hanging around. I'll post if it also turns out!

We've also been having loads of weekend get-togethers , which usually deserve at least a picture or two!

Trio!

Calla and Juniper

And... what better way to beat the chilly winter than swimming! I haven't yet found a way to actually take swimming pictures and videos without ruining the camera, so here are a few adorable change room shots:

Back at the home front, Juniper likes to keep warm by putting on all her outdoor gear, all the time. Or maybe she just likes the practice - these days, we have to add quite a bit of time onto the whole getting ready to go out routine, because Juniper usually categorically refuses to let anyone help her get her gear on. Like, meltdown material. I think she considers it a huge insult.

Though it doesn't really have anything to do with my "winter activities" theme, I thought I should probably add this picture of the day Clark decided to dress him and Juniper in identical outfits***. He claims he "didn't realize". Yeah right. I caught photographic evidence.
(***Edit from Clark: I didn't dress her. She choose those clothes from the wardrobe herself. It was much like trying to get her outdoor gear on - she wouldn't let me intervene.)

And finally, what better way to enjoy winter than getting outside? I'll leave you with a couple of pics from a recent sledding adventure on Citadel Hill, and a video with some shots from said sliding adventure, as well as Juniper's first skating adventure!

The gang!

Patrick was strapped in. He didn't have a chance.

Some video fun!

This is now what Juniper does when I take out the camera. (*cough* HAM! *cough*)

Today is Juniper's third full day of day care.  I'm doing quite well, if I do say so myself.  No tears yet, and last time I only cried once.  I'm one tough lady.  Things around here have been on the upswing lately, having weathered Juniper's first true stomach bug.  She had started off with a few days of pretty nasty diarrhea (which I attributed to teething, as she is simultaneously breaking 4 molars and another top tooth), but she followed this up by waking up at 1 am last Monday night, and vomiting every 10-15 minutes.  I was freaked out enough that I called the nurse health line (811), but of course I was just told to treat it like a flu, which it was.  Since then, Juniper's system has completely returned to normal, and she is eating like I've never seen.  She shovels food in like you wouldn't believe... perhaps a growth spurt?  Or maybe I'm just a particularly fabulous cook :)

Really and truly, Juniper is growing up fast.  Right now she is REALLY into testing her boundaries, especially with me.  She'll do things specifically because I asked her not to (and then make sure I see her doing it, sometimes pointing directly to whatever bad thing she is doing if I'm too unobservant to catch her on my own).  She also wants everyone to participate in everything.  For instance, if i give her a kiss, she'll then direct everyone around her as to who should be kissing who.  I'm supposed to kiss Clark.  Clark is supposed to kiss the person next to him.  That person is supposed to kiss Juniper, and then kiss me.  So far, this hasn't been socially awkward, but that potential is there!  There have been more than a few times in the last week that I've been tempted to act on my mom's suggestion to throw Juniper on a bus heading to Fredericton!  Just kidding, of course.  Sort of.

Anyway, I promised videos, and here they are!  Enjoy!

CHRISTMAS MEDLEY

FUN AT THE FARM

BIKE REPAIRS

Happy New Year!

 

Well, here it is, halfway through January already... 2011 is off to a speedy start!  When you have a child (especially a young one, I would imagine), everything seems new all the time, but really and truly this year feels like the start of a bunch of changes.  For instance, last week Juniper spent her first full day at a day care that she's going to start attending twice a week.  Apparently, she had a blast - she is there with her good buddy Patrick, and Cheri (the day care provider) is really very wonderful with them.  Clark dropped her off in the morning, then went back around lunch to help put her down for a nap (to see how she did), and then picked her up again at 4:30 or so.  No problems whatsoever.  I, on the other hand, sat at home and was more than a little weepy throughout the whole day.  I'm going to have to get over that asap, as one of the biggest reasons for doing this is so that I can actually get some work done on my thesis.  Hard to do that if you are calling for updates and crying all day long :)

Anyway, I thought it was high time to post some pictures and stories from over Christmas and these first couple of weeks of January.  I'll be brief, so that I can actually get it done.

I'll have some videos as well in a day or two - stay posted!

Christmas: Fredericton

Visiting my grandmother Doris

Ali was SO good to Juniper!

Riding her hand-made rocking horse (from her Grandpa Bill)

Christmas dinner (Steve meets Juniper for the first time!)

Juniper meets Matt for the first time!

Mmmm... brunch at Liz and Pat's

Juniper meets her brand new second cousin, Alexander

Play date with Zack!

Christie's baby shower

 New Years: At the farm

Playing with her great-grandma

Juniper found this little bike, originally made for her great-grandmother 90 years ago!

Hanging with grandma and grandpa

 My Birthday Party!

The party kids (Caleb, Isabella, Juniper, Patrick, Calla)

Presenting the fabulous homemade chocolate-mint ice cream cake

Half-way eaten!

 

A close-up of Juniper's new dress

Merry Christmas!

Juniper gives a seminar on chopstick use

Twas the night before Christmas... and truly, the house is very quiet and tranquil. We are currently at my parent's house - they are at a party, neither of my sisters could make it home this year, Clark is reading a book, and Juniper is fast asleep. I thought this would be the perfect time to put together a little Christmas treat... that is, some pictures and video montages from the past month. A little December smorgasbord, if you will.

1. Swimming adventures
Earlier this month, my friend Ashley (and her son Caleb) invited me and Juniper to go swimming at the Spryfield community pool. Believe it or not, this was the very first time I had ever taken Juniper to an indoor pool. She had a ball. Unfortunately, of course, I have no pictures or videos from the actual swim, but here is a before and after:

2. Christmas parties!

There are always lots of parties on the go in December, and this year was no exception (especially since Clark's department always has two!). Here are a few shots:

a. From a lovely brunch at our place. Check out these old-timers compared to this amazing shot from last March. March photo

Baby party!

b. Departmental party #1. Juniper took a real fancy to the Christmas braids.

c. Departmental party #2: Juniper stands trepidatiously on the outskirts of the eager Santa-worshipers. Clark's department does this thing where you wrap a present for your kid and then Santa brings them all in his bag and hands them out. When Juniper's turn came, and I tried to put her on Santa's lap, she dug her nails into my arm with a death grip and didn't let go. Can't say I blame her! She did, however, know exactly what to do with the present when she was safely away from the scary old man.

3. Snow! Yes, we actually got a bit of snow in Halifax, and it even stuck around for a few days. It was all pretty new to Juniper, but she soon discovered some of the joys that snow can bring. Here is a little montage of her first adventure:

And then later that day, Clark and Juniper built her very first snowman in the backyard!

And finally, a few videos to keep you amused. The first is one I call "bossing Bob". Not many people get away with bossing my dad around, but Juniper somehow manages. Mostly, she likes to make sure he is participating in everything that is going on. For instance, when we were driving around Corsica, Juniper would always demand we sing to her, and if my dad wasn't singing or at least clapping, she'd tell him to get his act together. How would she do that, you ask? Well, my parents decided that Juniper will call them Mary and Bob, and of Juniper's limited vocabulary, Bob is one of her favourite words. "Ba!", shell yell. "BA!" I never did catch her in the car, but here she is, during a dance party while we're skyping with my parents. If she notices that dad isn't clapping along and participating, he gets strongly admonished until he does:

The second video is one I call "reading". Juniper LOVES to read. She knows the sign for book, and will perform it repeatedly until you stop what you're doing and read to her. Sometimes, however, she'll settle for reading to herself, which is perhaps one of the cutest things you'll ever see. What is particularly interesting, however, is that we noticed that there is a very marked difference between the way she reads her normal English books, and the one French book that my mom bought her while we were in Corsica. Check it out:

And finally, here is a montage of a whole bunch of cute things I've been meaning to post. And with that, I will bid everyone a very very merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a great New Year!