First 1st Birthday Party and BIG Sleepover!!

Tomorrow (Saturday, April 5th) our new mom's group is having a big 1st birthday party at Gymboree!! We're really looking forward to it! Should be lots of fun!! We don't see our new mom's group friends as often as we used to so it will be nice to see everyone! Blake and Tristan will be the only "under age" kids at the party! LOL! Tristan's Mom and I joked that we'll have to get them fake i.d.'s!!!! After the party at Gymboree we are heading to my parents house. Cal and I leave for San Francisco at 6 a.m. Sunday morning. We are staying the night in Stony so that we don't have to get Blake up at 4 a.m.! My sister is coming home this weekend so we will see her on Saturday and then she is staying in Stony until Monday so she will be hanging out with Blake and my Mom! I hope that he has a good visit! He was really good for my Mom last Friday when he stayed the night so hopefully he will be just as good for a few more days! We're really looking forward to our trip. We have Alcatraz tickets and Giants tickets booked and can't wait for the shopping :) We thought about doing a wine tour but might wait until the next trip for that!! We don't want to pack too many things into the trip - we need to rest and relax too!! It's hard to believe I start work on April 14th. Wow! I'll say it again - where has the time gone?? I'm am really excited for my new job, but sad at the same time - this chapter in my life is over and it's on to a new one! I know for the rest of my life I'll feel that time is moving too fast! I have to really try to "live in the moment"!! And I am so grateful for the past year. Take care everyone!

Luv Tracy

Can't Believe It!!

Wow! Today I took Blake to the day home at 10 and picked him up at 12:30. When I got there Karen took him and put him down to play in the playroom. I came in to look at the new playroom and he was busy playing with the Little People garage! I thought, well I better go now while he's having fun and playing. So I left, got in my car and backed out of the drive way!! Once I backed out of the driveway I got all teary!!! We've left him at my Mom and Dad's but that is different. This was a big step! He's growing up :( Anyways, I did a few errands and then met my Mom for lunch. I called Karen at 11:30 to see how he was doing and she said he was great. He hadn't cried or fussed or anything, he was just playing and watching the other kids!! Then when I got there at 12:30 I walked in and he was facing the other way playing and I said, "Hey buddy!" He looked at me and smiled a huge grin and kept right on playing!!! He's so comfortable there, it's awesome! The only problem was that he wouldn't take his bottle before lunch, but she said he ate his lunch well and that she thinks he just wanted to be with the other kids because he kept sitting up and pointing to them and trying to get out of her lap! So that's not a big deal, I'm sure he'll get used to it and take it eventually. It's a huge relief that he was so good and happy there! Karen said he did look around a bit, like he was looking for me. She said we've obviously done a great job because he's so secure and content! That was a nice compliment!!! I like to thing we've done a good job so far :) Anyways, it makes it way easier to leave him knowing he's happy and having fun! But I was a bit surprised that he didn't fuss at all! Oh dear, my little man is not so little anymore ...

1st Hair Cut!

Today Blake had his first hair cut!! Cal had an appointment so afterwards Blake also got his hair cut! It went really well :) He sat very still for the majority of the time. Towards the end he started moving around a bit so I gave him his soother to keep him still until Livia was done!! He looks so different - more like a little boy! The hair stylist put some of his hair together with a piece of tape at the end in a Ziploc bag with her business card and the date and time of the appointment written on the back of the card! I of course took lots of pictures! I posted an after shot. Blake slept over at Grandma's house last night. He was an angel for her!! She brought him back home this morning and then we all went out for brunch. Cal and I went to Eric and Christa's for dinner, then to a movie, and then we went back to their house and finished watching the hockey game and watched another movie. We got home around 1 am and I woke up this morning at 8:30! I was quite surprised! I thought for sure I'd wake up at 6:30!! But I was very tired and not feeling too great, so I needed the sleep! It was very odd laying in bed and not having to get up!!! Blake is usually my alarm clock and I pop right out of bed! So I laid in bed until 9:30 ish!! It was nice, but we really missed Blake too! It was great to see his face light up when he saw us this morning :) Oh, I also forgot to post last time that Blake's 8th tooth broke through on Thursday! Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend! Take care!

What Did Your Dad Teach You??!

So today I am getting Blake's supper ready in the kitchen and I hear him chattering away and I think to myself, "He sounds really close. He must be at the bottom of the stairs!" So I turn around to go see and he is not at the bottom of the stairs he is ON the stairs!! He started climbing up the stairs and got to the 3rd one from the bottom! I couldn't believe it! But then I could - Cal's been showing him how to climb the stairs for the past few days! Looks like Cal's a good teacher! LOL! I have a really cute picture of him smiling up at me from the stairs that I'll post tomorrow! Thank goodness he didn't fall back. He's so fast now. I put him down in one spot and as soon as I turn around he's across the room! He loves getting something he doesn't think he should have and scooting away from me! Sometimes he'll be moving along and I'll say, "Blake! Give that to Mom." He'll roll over onto his side look at me, laugh and trucker' away from me as fast as he can!! It's too cute not to laugh! We have so much fun! Our Easter long weekend was great. We went for lunch with Eric and Christa on Friday and to the park. Blake went on the slide and the swing! It got pretty windy though so we weren't there for too long. On Sunday morning we went to church, then to Stony Plain. We stopped by Lesley, Gerry and Colby's house for a visit and to wish them a Happy Easter! We hadn't seen Colby for a few weeks and I really noticed a difference in him! He's so cute and such a little character!! He has that look about him of a very wise soul!! Colby's cousin Landon came over too and we took some pictures of the 3 boys. The last time they were together was when Colby first came home from the hospital. It was great to see them all! Then we went to my Mom and Dad's for Easter dinner. It was very yummy and Blake had fun opening his treats from the Stony Plain Easter Bunny and playing with Grandma and Grandpa!! He had a bath there and then fell asleep on the car ride home. But when we got home he was quite upset! I finally have him some gripe water (I usually give him Oval, but we were out!) and boy did he stink up the room!! Obviously he had an upset tummy! So after he got that out of his system he was fine. Took awhile to figure out what was wrong though! (I'm sure he'll love reading about that when he's older! Ha!) On Monday we went shopping at West Ed and saw Cal's sister Carmen and her kids. We hadn't seen them for awhile and they have all grown like weeds! Kourtney is almost taller then me! I'm sure she will be before the end of summer! Dylan is also very tall! And Kerri and Kailey are growing so fast! They're pretty close to walking! They are all going to St. Lucia for a wedding in a few weeks. I'm sure they will have their hands full with those twins but will have a great time! On Tuesday Cal, Blake and I went to our last Baby Laptime class and then to the day home for a visit. As usual, Blake had fun playing with the toys and watching the other kids. I took him there on Wednesday as well. Next week I am going to leave him there for lunch a couple of days and then possibly for his afternoon nap one day. He seems to feel comfortable there so that's good. I'm so glad that I'm going back to work 2 days a week to start. I think it will be a great transition. So tonight (Thursday) Blake and I are staying overnight at my Mom's. We came out to Stony this afternoon. We dropped by my Mom's work for her coffee break and then went to Colby's for a quick visit before supper! Tomorrow night Blake is sleeping over at my parents house all by himself. He has to get used to going to bed in the playpen. For some reason he's not liking it too much! He doesn't have a problem taking naps in the playpen, but bedtime is trouble! It took 45 min. to get him to sleep in it tonight so I'm hoping tomorrow will be easier for my Mom! She's all by herself because my Dad is visiting in Saskatchewan. But we thought we'd better leave him one night before we leave him for three when we go to San Francisco. So that's what is new with us! The weather hasn't been too much above zero but hopefully it will start getting up there!! Hope everyone had a great Easter!

Luv Tracy

Happy Easter!

We are looking forward to Blake's first Easter! The Easter Bunny has been busy preparing and can't wait to see him find his basket!! We are going to church Sunday morning and then heading to Mom and Dad's for dinner. The Easter Bunny is apparently visiting their house as well! We're also looking forward to Cal's 5 days off. Friday and Monday are stat. holidays for Cal and Monday was supposed to be his E.D.O. (earned day off) so he gets Tuesday instead! We have some things to do around the house but other than that and Sunday we don't have any plans. Just hangin' out! Hopefully the weather will be nice and we can go for a couple of walks. Blake, Heidi and I went for a walk today but the wind was a bit chilly. We hope everyone has a Happy Easter and a wonderful long weekend!

Love Cal, Tracy & Blake

Doing Better!!

So after numerous attempts Blake is now drinking formula from a bottle - straight up!! None of Mom's milk in the mix! When he first started taking it I was mixing 3 oz. of my milk with the formula, then I went down to 2 oz. and then none. I tried Enfamil and Good Start and in the end Good Start prevailed!! I'm still nursing him in the morning before breakfast. He takes a bottle at lunch and at supper time. If he has a snack he drinks water from his cup. I still struggle (inside!) with giving him formula but it's getting better and I know I have no choice! So anyways, there should be no issues for Grandma and Grandpa when we go on holidays April 6th! And therefore, I am now truly looking forward to our vacation! At certain points during the last few weeks, I've thought we should bring Blake with us. But it will only be 4 days, 3 nights and we'll all have a great time - Cal and I in San Francisco and Blake in Stony Plain! I'm very excited to get out of Alberta for a few days! And I can't wait for the shopping! Or the ball game, or Alcatraz, or the seafood, or possibly sleeping in?! My maternity leave is coming to an end. I proposed to my new job going back to work 2 days a week in April, then 4 days a week in May. They accepted and so I start on April 14th. I'll be working Mondays and Wednesdays until May 6th, when I will work Tuesday to Friday that week and then start Monday to Thursday the following week. I'm working Tuesday to Friday the one week so I can have May 5th (Blake's birthday) off! Cal is also off that day so it will be nice spend it together! I'm thinking we should go swimming or something. I'm not too worried about going back on April 14th because it is only 2 days a week. I'm actually looking forward to my new position and the new challenges that will come! I've been in the same job for almost 6 years so a change is welcome! But when I go back 4 days a week, I am a bit worried! I'm worried about how I will get everything done. We'll be pretty rushed after work. Blake goes to bed so early, that it will be come home, feed Blake supper, bath Blake, put Blake to bed and then Cal and I will likely crash on the couch!! At least it will still be early at that point! LOL! But I'm sure Blake's schedule will change, due to getting up earlier and napping at someone else's house, etc. We'll just wait and see how it changes! If worst comes to worst I'll hire a house keeper :) Right Cal!? Cal is off Good Friday, Easter Monday and Tuesday so Tuesday we are all going to the day home for a visit. Then on Thursday I am going to drop Blake off at the day home for a few hours, at which time I am going for a pedicure!! Yay! Then the following week I will drop him off for a few hours a couple of days and hopefully by the time April 14th rolls around he will be accustomed to being there. I was writing out our schedule for Karen (the "day home lady") last week and most weeks Blake will only be there 3 days, due to long weekends and Cal's Monday's off. I'm really happy about that! 3 days a week is what I'd like to optimally work!! Maybe after the next baby! And no it is not on it's way yet!!!!! Blake is motoring ALL over the place now. He even goes on all 4's but then flops down to his stomach and "army crawls". I think he figures it's faster - and boy can he be fast! Especially when he wants something, i.e. Heidi's toys! Speaking of Heidi - you should see Blake and Heidi play! It's awesome! She lays by him and he holds her rope out to her and she gingerly takes it from him and then he grabs it back (all while laughing hysterically), etc, etc, etc! It is so cute. I'm going to try and get some video of it this week. Some other things he enjoys doing are pulling the heat registers out of the floor, spilling water out of the bowl, pulling at snags in the carpet, picking up the smallest things from the floor and stuffing them into his mouth, and chasing after Jazz! Blake is also becoming very difficult to change. He doesn't sit still for long and it is almost a 2 person job! Oh the joys of a child on the move! It is awesome though because for awhile there he was getting frustrated with wanting to get something and not being able to move to it. Anyways, I need to go make myself some lunch! Take care everyone :)

Luv Tracy

Weaning sucks!!

I know this may sound odd but I really don't want to wean Blake :( I'm not sure what it is, possibly that my baby is growing up!! I'm sure it sounds weird, especially if you haven't nursed your children! Like I've said in previous posts ... I have trouble letting go!! I just want what's best for him. He did finally take a full bottle of formula today from Cal :) Thank goodness, because we leave for San Francisco in 4 weeks and I might return to work in 5! I did get the job in Fort Saskatchewan, so I'm pretty excited about that! It's 4 days a week, Monday to Thursday, 8 - 4:15. And every 2nd Monday Cal has off, so Blake will be at the day home 4 days a week one week and 3 days a week the next. The day home is on my way to Fort Sask. so everything in that area is falling into place! Hopefully tomorrow I will talk to the right person and get a start date. Right now it's looking like I'll start 2 days a week April 14th, and then 4 days a week in May. That should help ease Blake into the day home as well. On a sadder note, Jazz is still at the vet and not doing so great. He was catheterized yesterday and overnight he tore the catheter out. We went to see him today and he looked a little rough. He was shaking, but we spent some time with him and by the end he was purring. I felt really bad leaving him. I hope he will get better soon and be able to come home. I'll never complain about his hair all over the house again!! We all miss him! Including Heidi - she's a bit lost. I can't believe I wrote 2 posts in one day - I'm such a geek!! LOL!

Tracy