Heureux, Heureux A En Mourir
Saturday, September 8, 2012
We bought a house!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Happy Birthday Audrey!
Today was Audrey's first birthday. It's such an important day, and yet she will never remember it. I've tried to capture many moments on video and in photographs over the past few weeks as we have been celebrating, but they never do the real moments justice. But she changes so quickly that I am taking all the photos I can.
At the moment, Audrey is passed out in our hotel room crib in Langford. It's funny having an all expense paid trip to a great city, but spending your days planning naptimes and food and having Audrey back in our room by 8 for bedtime. We can't even watch TV, so I'm playing on my computer and Mike is on my iphone. It's exhausting yet I wouldn't change it for anything. This experience of motherhood is more difficult but more rewarding than anything I've ever done.
We've now looked at 23 houses in two days. We were in Sooke today, and found some really beautiful homes. Then we completed the day with dinner out with friends and came home to order a piece of birthday cake to our room for Audrey. Mike took some great shots and video of her eating her cake, like a real little Audrey Hepburn too, with an adult fork. She didn't want to use her hands or her baby spoon. She preferred the fork. It was so cute to see her sitting there in her pink polka dot dress, ribbon in her hair, making a mess of her first slice of cheesecake.
I've got a lot to catch up on from the past month. August was super busy! I spent nearly two weeks on Vancouver Island, in Port Alberni. We visited family, and my sister and her husband who were visiting from Quebec. We had a family party for Audrey at my Granny's old house. We sold our house. We had an Alice in Wonderland birthday part for Audrey and her little buddies in Dawson Creek. Then we headed down to Victoria for our house hunting trip. We fly back on Sunday and another whirlwind will begin, of packing and saying our goodbyes to some terrific friends that we've made over the past five years.
But today we enjoyed our time in our hotel room, just the three of us. We sang our darling daughter Happy Birthday. We ate cake. And now we're going to sleep.
I am officially the mother of a toddler.
At the moment, Audrey is passed out in our hotel room crib in Langford. It's funny having an all expense paid trip to a great city, but spending your days planning naptimes and food and having Audrey back in our room by 8 for bedtime. We can't even watch TV, so I'm playing on my computer and Mike is on my iphone. It's exhausting yet I wouldn't change it for anything. This experience of motherhood is more difficult but more rewarding than anything I've ever done.
We've now looked at 23 houses in two days. We were in Sooke today, and found some really beautiful homes. Then we completed the day with dinner out with friends and came home to order a piece of birthday cake to our room for Audrey. Mike took some great shots and video of her eating her cake, like a real little Audrey Hepburn too, with an adult fork. She didn't want to use her hands or her baby spoon. She preferred the fork. It was so cute to see her sitting there in her pink polka dot dress, ribbon in her hair, making a mess of her first slice of cheesecake.
I've got a lot to catch up on from the past month. August was super busy! I spent nearly two weeks on Vancouver Island, in Port Alberni. We visited family, and my sister and her husband who were visiting from Quebec. We had a family party for Audrey at my Granny's old house. We sold our house. We had an Alice in Wonderland birthday part for Audrey and her little buddies in Dawson Creek. Then we headed down to Victoria for our house hunting trip. We fly back on Sunday and another whirlwind will begin, of packing and saying our goodbyes to some terrific friends that we've made over the past five years.
But today we enjoyed our time in our hotel room, just the three of us. We sang our darling daughter Happy Birthday. We ate cake. And now we're going to sleep.
I am officially the mother of a toddler.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
11 months
Audrey is 11 months old today. It's hard to believe that last year at this time I hadn't met her yet and I didn't even know if I was having a girl or a boy!
At 11 months, Audrey loves to explore. Her favourite food of the summer is raspberries and she loves to drink out of a straw. She is around 18 pounds and her hair is now long enough for pigtails!
Friday, August 3, 2012
Summer fun
This is my fifth and final summer in Dawson Creek, but it's the first time that I've spent most of the summer at home. Normally, once the school year is out, I'm heading down to Vancouver or to the island, or as we did three years ago, on our adventure in Ireland.
This year I was content to stay home with Audrey and get our house ready to sell. We visited Rotary Lake for swimming, we strolled downtown and ate cupcakes and ice cream, we played in the backyard and we gardened.
Next week we are heading to the island for a ten day visit with our families. My sister and her husband will be in Port Alberni from Quebec, so we timed our visits so that we could see them. I can't even tell you how excited I am for this trip. It's the first time in months that Mike and I will be off work with Audrey and both seeing family and friends with her. It's going to be a lot of fun. Hopefully, while we are gone, our realtor will have a few showings at our house as we won't be there to mess it up in between! I've discovered how exhausting it is to try and keep a spotless house with an almost 11 month old who likes to destroy everything. One of Audrey's favourite activities is to pull clothes out of drawers and baskets and knock over anything that's in a nice, neat pile.
Today Audrey and I went downtown for a couple of hours. We visited the toy store, where I let her pick out a couple of toys. I also bought a cute little gift for a friend whose baby boy was born last night. tea. And by tea I mean with a cupcake. And sometimes ice cream.
Here are a few pictures of what we did this July.
My herb and veggie garden.
The new retaining wall and flower boxes Mike built.
Canada Day at Pouce Coupe park.
Enjoying the swimming pool.
After a swim at Rotary Lake.
Hanging out in the backyard.
This year I was content to stay home with Audrey and get our house ready to sell. We visited Rotary Lake for swimming, we strolled downtown and ate cupcakes and ice cream, we played in the backyard and we gardened.
Next week we are heading to the island for a ten day visit with our families. My sister and her husband will be in Port Alberni from Quebec, so we timed our visits so that we could see them. I can't even tell you how excited I am for this trip. It's the first time in months that Mike and I will be off work with Audrey and both seeing family and friends with her. It's going to be a lot of fun. Hopefully, while we are gone, our realtor will have a few showings at our house as we won't be there to mess it up in between! I've discovered how exhausting it is to try and keep a spotless house with an almost 11 month old who likes to destroy everything. One of Audrey's favourite activities is to pull clothes out of drawers and baskets and knock over anything that's in a nice, neat pile.
Today Audrey and I went downtown for a couple of hours. We visited the toy store, where I let her pick out a couple of toys. I also bought a cute little gift for a friend whose baby boy was born last night. tea. And by tea I mean with a cupcake. And sometimes ice cream.
Here are a few pictures of what we did this July.
Friday, July 27, 2012
All About Audrey
It's been a while since I did an update on Audrey so I thought I would dedicate this post to her. She has changed a lot in the past 6 months and has learned to do a crazy amount of things for a ten month old! I often find myself thinking she's still just a little baby, then I look at her climbing stairs, pulling herself out of her exersaucer and standing on her own for longer periods of time. She is slowly becoming a toddler, although she hasn't yet had her first birthday. The first 9 months out of the womb goes by much quicker than the 9 months I spent watching her grow on the inside!
I've been terrible at writing in her baby album, but thanks to the wondrous technology that is the iPhone, I've got a page full of little notes about Audrey. Every time she does something new, I simply record it there and one day when I have the time, I can write all the memories in her book for her.
Most recently Audrey has learned to stand up in the middle of a room with nothing around her. She usually needs to pull herself up on something, but not anymore! She has also discovered the joy of dancing. She dances all day long. Literally. Even when there is no music playing, I will catch her bobbing her head and wiggling back and forth. Who says babies can't get songs stuck in their heads too?
She loves to listen to music on my iPhone, and every time I put a song on for her, she instantly starts to shake her head back and forth. Recently, her musical table has prompted her to wiggle her hips at the same time as she is nodding her head. It's pretty cute.
I'm especially proud of the fact that she loves Celtic music, and also the song for which my blog is named, by Edith Piaf. I've been listening to the 1940s version of La Vie en Rose since I was pregnant, and it turns out Audrey loves it too. Any time I play it she calms down and starts to dance and sing and smile at the black and white photo on my screen. Bliss.
Here are a few more things about Audrey:
1) She's a go baby. Meaning she never stops moving. Ever. Even in her sleep.
2) She started crawling at 6 months, and by 7 months was furniture walking.
3) She's tiny for her age. Only 18 pounds despite nursing, bottle feeding and eating 3 solid meals plus snacks daily. (see #1)
4) She adores our two dogs, Holly and Maija. She especially loves to feed them her snacks while she's in her exersaucer.
5) She can say Mama and Dada and Yaya and I swear she once grabbed Holly, buried her face in her fur and said "Dog".
6) She always sleeps on her tummy with her hands underneath her and her butt in the air.
7) She prefers to eat while standing in her high chair, with one foot on the tray, despite my best efforts to keep her seated. She does the same thing in shopping carts.
8) She will eat anything, but especially loves dirt and rocks from my garden.
9) She loves to look at books, especially her favourite "Touch and Feel Zoo".
10) She recently grew her 7th tooth (4 top and 3 bottom).
I've been terrible at writing in her baby album, but thanks to the wondrous technology that is the iPhone, I've got a page full of little notes about Audrey. Every time she does something new, I simply record it there and one day when I have the time, I can write all the memories in her book for her.
Most recently Audrey has learned to stand up in the middle of a room with nothing around her. She usually needs to pull herself up on something, but not anymore! She has also discovered the joy of dancing. She dances all day long. Literally. Even when there is no music playing, I will catch her bobbing her head and wiggling back and forth. Who says babies can't get songs stuck in their heads too?
She loves to listen to music on my iPhone, and every time I put a song on for her, she instantly starts to shake her head back and forth. Recently, her musical table has prompted her to wiggle her hips at the same time as she is nodding her head. It's pretty cute.
I'm especially proud of the fact that she loves Celtic music, and also the song for which my blog is named, by Edith Piaf. I've been listening to the 1940s version of La Vie en Rose since I was pregnant, and it turns out Audrey loves it too. Any time I play it she calms down and starts to dance and sing and smile at the black and white photo on my screen. Bliss.
Here are a few more things about Audrey:
1) She's a go baby. Meaning she never stops moving. Ever. Even in her sleep.
2) She started crawling at 6 months, and by 7 months was furniture walking.
3) She's tiny for her age. Only 18 pounds despite nursing, bottle feeding and eating 3 solid meals plus snacks daily. (see #1)
4) She adores our two dogs, Holly and Maija. She especially loves to feed them her snacks while she's in her exersaucer.
5) She can say Mama and Dada and Yaya and I swear she once grabbed Holly, buried her face in her fur and said "Dog".
6) She always sleeps on her tummy with her hands underneath her and her butt in the air.
7) She prefers to eat while standing in her high chair, with one foot on the tray, despite my best efforts to keep her seated. She does the same thing in shopping carts.
8) She will eat anything, but especially loves dirt and rocks from my garden.
9) She loves to look at books, especially her favourite "Touch and Feel Zoo".
10) She recently grew her 7th tooth (4 top and 3 bottom).
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
I'm back
I must be crazy. I somehow thought that I would be okay to go back to work full time, take care of my baby girl, be a good teacher, work on my masters degree and blog all at the same time! Needless to say, something had to be left behind, and once again it was my blog! I don't seem to have a good track record, and once my procrastination and busyness sets in, it's hard to break the habit. Not to mention that I just finally got my own laptop as my old dinosaur computer was not very fun to work on.
But now it's summer, and the blog is back on my list. I actually got to finish work on June 15th, which for teachers is two weeks earlier than the norm. That's because Mike ended up needing to go back to work early in order to get his transfer! Yep, that's right. We are leaving the North. Not that it hasn't been good to us, because it has, but I'm SO looking forward to being near our families again. Audrey is going to really love Victoria! And I'm excited about all the things I can do with her on the island.
So for now, I'm a stay at home Mom again, which is just where I want to be. I love spending every day with Audrey and not feeling like I'm torn between either being a good teacher or a good Mom. It's really hard to do both! I've been working on this HUGE to-do list for the past month, and I've finally wittled it down to just a few little things. The house renos are complete, the rooms are neat and tidy and organized, I've applied for jobs, registered for next year's classes and now I'm ready to do some writing. I'm trying to make a short list each day of three things that I need to accomplish in order to have a stress-free sleep. Today's list included blogging, so that's done!
Tomorrow marks my 9 year wedding anniversary. We are planning a big trip for our 10 year so this year we are likely just going to go out for dinner. But, it will be our first dinner out without Audrey in nearly 11 months, so this is a good thing. My lovely neighbour is going to have Audrey at her house for a few hours while we go out. So, where do we go? Well, there are only about 5 restaurants to choose from, so it shouldn't be tough to decide. Good night folks! I'll likely be catching up on months of readings from your blogs, and hopefully you'll be reading more about me too.
But now it's summer, and the blog is back on my list. I actually got to finish work on June 15th, which for teachers is two weeks earlier than the norm. That's because Mike ended up needing to go back to work early in order to get his transfer! Yep, that's right. We are leaving the North. Not that it hasn't been good to us, because it has, but I'm SO looking forward to being near our families again. Audrey is going to really love Victoria! And I'm excited about all the things I can do with her on the island.
So for now, I'm a stay at home Mom again, which is just where I want to be. I love spending every day with Audrey and not feeling like I'm torn between either being a good teacher or a good Mom. It's really hard to do both! I've been working on this HUGE to-do list for the past month, and I've finally wittled it down to just a few little things. The house renos are complete, the rooms are neat and tidy and organized, I've applied for jobs, registered for next year's classes and now I'm ready to do some writing. I'm trying to make a short list each day of three things that I need to accomplish in order to have a stress-free sleep. Today's list included blogging, so that's done!
Tomorrow marks my 9 year wedding anniversary. We are planning a big trip for our 10 year so this year we are likely just going to go out for dinner. But, it will be our first dinner out without Audrey in nearly 11 months, so this is a good thing. My lovely neighbour is going to have Audrey at her house for a few hours while we go out. So, where do we go? Well, there are only about 5 restaurants to choose from, so it shouldn't be tough to decide. Good night folks! I'll likely be catching up on months of readings from your blogs, and hopefully you'll be reading more about me too.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Look what I just bought
Today, while strolling through the dollar store aisles with Mike and Audrey, I came upon this:
I couldn't resist buying two.
In case you didn't know, I have two miniature daschunds, Holly and Maija (pictured at the bottom of my blog). They were my little girls before I had a little girl.
Their absolute favourite thing is to snuggle under blankets. A few years ago Mike got me a snuggie for Christmas. So when I saw this I knew I had to
get them a matching set.
I'm still laughing about it. The best part is that on the back there's a picture of two dogs playing chess while wearing their snuggies. Just in case you needed proof that it would allow you to keep your paws free. Also, note that the advertisement on the front addresses the dog directly: Keeps you warm and your paws free!
Totally made my day.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Writing life
I've been working on my master of fine arts degree for the past two years now, and I've recently discovered how much I enjoy writing for children. During my undergrad, poetry was my main subject area, and although I adore writing poetry, I've always wanted to write fiction too. Now it seems that I've found a genre that I'm good at writing in and that I also really enjoy.
In September I started a writing for children class with writer Maggie Devries. Not only is she an excellent instructor, but she gives such great feedback on our writing. I started out the year writing my first two picture books for children, and recently started writing a children's novel. On Wednesday I have my next submission due, so I've begun a new series of what I intend to be picture books, but I've based them all around the same imaginary family, the Littlebees. The main character's name is Edmund, and he has three older brothers and three younger sisters.
Here is an excerpt from my first story, entitled "Hiccup", about a boy named Jack, whose new baby sister can't stop hiccuping. His parents have tried everything to get rid of her hiccups, so it's up to big brother Jack to save the day.
HICCUP!
Jack's baby sister was born with the hiccups.
It was the first sound she made when the doctor placed her in her mum's arms.
Jack's mum wasn't surprised. The baby had been hiccupping in her tummy for days.
"What's that noise?" asked Jack, when he walked into the hospital room.
"Looks like she's got the hiccups," said the doctor.
"Hiccup," said the baby.
"Those are big hiccups for a little girl," said the nurse.
"HICCUP," said the baby, a little louder this time.
Jack wasn't sure he wanted a sister who hiccupped all the time.
So far, I've been having a lot of fun coming up with ideas for stories that children would enjoy. I have a dream that one day I can dedicate myself to writing full time. Mike agrees that once my student loan is paid off and I have finished my MFA, that I could take a year off work and stay at home with Audrey and write full time. It sounds wonderful, but for now I'm enjoying the few hours that I get to spend online with other writers each week.
In September I started a writing for children class with writer Maggie Devries. Not only is she an excellent instructor, but she gives such great feedback on our writing. I started out the year writing my first two picture books for children, and recently started writing a children's novel. On Wednesday I have my next submission due, so I've begun a new series of what I intend to be picture books, but I've based them all around the same imaginary family, the Littlebees. The main character's name is Edmund, and he has three older brothers and three younger sisters.
Here is an excerpt from my first story, entitled "Hiccup", about a boy named Jack, whose new baby sister can't stop hiccuping. His parents have tried everything to get rid of her hiccups, so it's up to big brother Jack to save the day.
HICCUP!
Jack's baby sister was born with the hiccups.
It was the first sound she made when the doctor placed her in her mum's arms.
Jack's mum wasn't surprised. The baby had been hiccupping in her tummy for days.
"What's that noise?" asked Jack, when he walked into the hospital room.
"Looks like she's got the hiccups," said the doctor.
"Hiccup," said the baby.
"Those are big hiccups for a little girl," said the nurse.
"HICCUP," said the baby, a little louder this time.
Jack wasn't sure he wanted a sister who hiccupped all the time.
So far, I've been having a lot of fun coming up with ideas for stories that children would enjoy. I have a dream that one day I can dedicate myself to writing full time. Mike agrees that once my student loan is paid off and I have finished my MFA, that I could take a year off work and stay at home with Audrey and write full time. It sounds wonderful, but for now I'm enjoying the few hours that I get to spend online with other writers each week.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Books of 2011
I used to do this on my old blog. It's an idea I got from Leah, at My joy-filled Life
These are the books I read last year...at least the ones I can remember. They are arranged from least favourite, to most favourite. Many are book club books, some are books I read for the Creative Writing class I'm taking right now. To be honest, I think I'm probably missing some books from this list, as most of these are books I read this summer when I was really pregnant and all I did was lie on the patio swing and read, while simultaneously throwing the ball for the dogs. Last winter seems like such a long time ago now that I can't remember reading anything, although I'm sure I probably did. Anyways, clearly these were the most memorable! I would recommend the top 7 for sure, but I actually enjoyed reading all of these books. I put Mockingjay near the bottom only because I felt a bit let down since I enjoyed the first two books in the series so much more.
14.The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
13.The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, A. Bradley (book club)
12. Mockingjay, S. Collins
11. One Day, D. Nicholls (book club)
10. Secret Daughter, S. Gowda (book club)
9. Midwives, Chris Bojhalian (bc)
8. House Rules, J. Piccoult (bc)
7. My Name is Memory, A. Brashares (bc)
6. Love that Dog, S. Creech
5. Catching Fire, S. Collins
4. Room, E. Donoghue (bc)
3. Water for Elephants, S. Gruen (bc)
2.The Hunger Games, S.Collins
1. The Help, K. Stockett (bc)
Wow, 9 book club books...we seem to have read a lot as a group last year!
My first book of 2012 will be: Cutting Stone, by Abraham Verghese.
These are the books I read last year...at least the ones I can remember. They are arranged from least favourite, to most favourite. Many are book club books, some are books I read for the Creative Writing class I'm taking right now. To be honest, I think I'm probably missing some books from this list, as most of these are books I read this summer when I was really pregnant and all I did was lie on the patio swing and read, while simultaneously throwing the ball for the dogs. Last winter seems like such a long time ago now that I can't remember reading anything, although I'm sure I probably did. Anyways, clearly these were the most memorable! I would recommend the top 7 for sure, but I actually enjoyed reading all of these books. I put Mockingjay near the bottom only because I felt a bit let down since I enjoyed the first two books in the series so much more.
14.The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
13.The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, A. Bradley (book club)
12. Mockingjay, S. Collins
11. One Day, D. Nicholls (book club)
10. Secret Daughter, S. Gowda (book club)
9. Midwives, Chris Bojhalian (bc)
8. House Rules, J. Piccoult (bc)
7. My Name is Memory, A. Brashares (bc)
6. Love that Dog, S. Creech
5. Catching Fire, S. Collins
4. Room, E. Donoghue (bc)
3. Water for Elephants, S. Gruen (bc)
2.The Hunger Games, S.Collins
1. The Help, K. Stockett (bc)
Wow, 9 book club books...we seem to have read a lot as a group last year!
My first book of 2012 will be: Cutting Stone, by Abraham Verghese.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Dominican December
Another month gone by! Ack....only 2 left until I'm back at work again. I wish it were longer, but I'm determined to enjoy the final two months of my leave as much as possible. Now that Audrey is a bit older, and I'm better at our routine, it's much easier to leave the house and explore Dawson Creek together. The spring like weather we've been having has helped that too! Yesterday I took her downtown in my Ergo carrier and didn't even need a coat. In January.
December was an exciting month for us. We took Audrey on her first long drive (to Edmonton), her first trip across Canada by airplane (to Toronto) and to her first foreign country (the Dominican Republic).
We left on the 16th and arrived late on the 17th. My family converged on the Toronto airport, everyone excitedly fighting over who got to hold Audrey first. She slept through the entire thing. Then we began our 7 night adventure in Punta Cana. There were 19 of us there in total to attend my sister's wedding. The first few days were relaxing, although we had one rainy day where we missed heading out to the beach. Thankfully, a group of my relatives and Mike headed out on dune buggies for an excursion, while my sister, her maid of honour and I got pedicures! Even when it is pouring rain, being in a tropical country is still fantastic. I sat on the balcony and breastfed Audrey while watching the palm trees sway. I ate as much as I wanted without ever doing dishes or cooking. A wonderful lady cleaned my entire room and organized my things every day while I gorged myself on the breakfast buffet. It really was fabulous. And I got to swim every day! In December!
Swimming is by far my favourite summer activity, so getting to enjoy outdoor swimming in the dead of winter was amazing. The Dreams Resort where we stayed has the largest pool in the DR, which was great. It was nice and cool,too, whereas some pools are too warm.
The best part of the trip (besides the actual wedding of course), was getting to introduce Audrey to my family. She loved spending time with her Aunties. She was also an excellent traveler. She slept on the plane, in the car and at the airport. She rarely cried and was happy to play with everyone at the wedding.
On the 21st, we celebrated my sister's wedding. It was a beautiful day, and we had fun getting ready together in her honeymoon suite. The photographer took amazing photos, and the wedding gazebo was gorgeous. The weather held out and we took outdoor photos in the tropical garden and at the beach. We finished off the night with dinner on an outdoor terrace, games, a toast and dancing. My sister and Billy looked beautiful and I was so happy for them to finally have their special day. Mike did the toast to the bride and groom and their MC came all the way from Ireland! A grand time was had by all.
For the last 3 days, we hung out as a family by the pool as the beach was super windy, reading our books, swimming, tanning and playing volleyball in the pool. The weather was perfect, sunny and blue sky and I didn't want to leave when Christmas Eve finally came around.
Now we're home and Audrey is officially 4 months old! In the past month she has had many firsts, including learning to roll over from back to front. She had lots of practice in our King sized bed in the Dominican! She slept in her crib last night and made it through the night--a full ten hours. Mommy really enjoyed that.
She's growing up so fast, it breaks my heart. I'm always looking forward to the next milestone, but at the same time each new step she takes makes me miss the Audrey I knew a week ago, a month ago. She's developing her own little personality full of giggles and sweet smiles. Happy four month Birthday Audrey!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)