Neglect

I have been neglecting this blog. I can't believe it's been over a year! Between the death of macbook (a temporary death...but thankfully we have a new computer now), going back to work, getting pregnant, chasing a toddler...I really have no excuse so I will stop making them.
I am already 30 weeks pregnant with our little girl. I have been off work since May due to some back and pelvic problems. The time off with Ashton has been amazing but I wish I could do a lot of things with him that I can't do. I would love to put him in a backpack and go hiking and lots of other things like that. But life is about sacrifices. I felt guilty about not being able to do a lot of the things we did last summer but Jesse has reminded me that we still do a lot and I feel better now. I have so much support and help from him and I really consider myself lucky.
Right now it's late and I am tired. I will return to this :)

Summertime...and the livin' is easy

I haven't posted in forever! A and I have been filling our days with tons of activities. We do movies (they have a special day/time where you can bring the babes), playdates (he has a much busier social life than moi), swimming lessons, baby groups, coffee with friends (my friends this time) and stroller workouts. I am in a summer dance class so get out for ballet once a week, which is nice.
The green beans I posted about earlier ended up being an allergy. He was subsequently tested for major allergens and the tests were negative (yay!)
Ashton is 9 months old now. Where did the time go? Some summer pics (more to come)

Picnic!

It's picnic season! I have never been a big picnic person but the weather is gorgeous for it. Ashton is sitting completely by himself and is capable of doing this for an unlimited amount of time so I can slap on the sunscreen, give him some toys and picnic! I came along to the ball field when Jesse had practice, parked a blanket in the shade and laid out a variety of toys. All Ashton wanted was my cell phone (I have New York Times crosswords on it and am somewhat addicted). You give a kid a huge supply of toys and they want the phone!

We also have a backpack for him so we are able to do some hiking. Mom and I went to the falls for a bit of a walk. I also decided that the backpack would be easier to haul up the big hill by my house the other day (as opposed to pushing the stroller). I was totally wrong but it was a good workout!

Ashton is eating more and more solid food. He loves his cereals (oatmeal and rice) but is now eating squash and banana. The banana is new and he's not quite there yet. He's become a pro at holding banana in his mouth and then spitting it out 5 mins later when he's cleaned out. The first time I gave him oatmeal, he blew it in my face. Thankfully he loves his oatmeal now...and hopefully he'll love his banana too! The green beans were temporarily discontinued because of his excema but I have been told to reintroduce them in a few weeks. The excema is gone now so I will reintroduce the beans in a few days. The boy is somewhat of an allergy risk, I've been told but thankfully public health seems to make recommendations based on the assumption that all babies can be at risk of developing food allergies.

I have been busy too! Solids, picnics and workouts! And dance! We had our dance recital this past weekend so lots of practice! I'm stoked on doing dance through the summer too but not until July. Being active has given me such a high. I do a stroller class once a week and afterwards, I go home and clean! It's amazing...the energy I get from that kind of thing.

Last week, I had Ashton down at my parent's because we had a doctor's checkup for him. It was really hot that day and he was cranky so we set up a pool. Ashton's mommy got to go in and cool off too!

Food for thought

Ashton is six months now so we're introducing solids.  We started the week before he turned six months, which was my birthday so we figured that was a day to remember.  We started him on rice cereal.  At first he was kind of indifferent to it and then after a few days he got really excited about it and would start kicking his feet in his high chair and the little hands would get going and he would open his mouth wide.  This is him on day one:

When he got the hang of it, we started giving it to him twice a day.  I am using commercial rice cereal because it's iron fortified but I am making my own other food.  We're leaving several days between new foods and keeping a food journal.  I bought some green beans the other day.  Today I brought them with me to my parents and made them there as I went there to help with some stuff and I wanted to use the beans when they were fresh.  So I steamed the beans and after they were steamed I tried some.  They were delicious.  Then I food-processed them and strained them.  Mom has an applesauce strainer thing that is the best thing ever.  I tasted them after they were strained and it was nasty, which was weird because they were tasty before they were processed...I think it was just the consistency.  So mom took a video when I was feeding him and there are some pics of it below.  He seemed to really love the beans and wanted more.  It was pretty cool!

Skating picture

We went skating again yesterday. This photo is from last weekend. He's funny because he cries when he is in the stroller and then stops as soon as we get on the ice. I think I am lucky to have a child that I can pretty much take anywhere.

Ashton's first hockey practice?

I have so much more energy now that I've been more active.  I try to walk every single day whether Ashton likes it or not.  I have dance class once a week and now skating once a week.  I feel awesome.  Running up and down the stairs to do laundry 8000 times a week is getting easier too ;)

Jesse and I went skating on Sunday with a friend of ours and Ashton.  Ashton has to wear a helmet when he's in his stroller, which makes sense but the helmet perches on his shoulders because it is so huge and then it falls over his face and he gets really mad.  Jesse and I took turns with the stroller.  I wore hockey skates for the first time ever and I am used to using figure skates so it was tough for me.  I still did okay though, despite using rental skates which had short laces.  I couldn't do them up all the way so my ankle was smarting when I was done.  We are going to go every Sunday to public skating.  I love to skate and Jesse is planning on going back to play ice hockey.  We're trying to buy him skates and it's crazy because nowhere has them right now despite the fact that there is ice year round here.  There are pictures of him but they were taken with someone else's phone so I will try to post them when I can.

After skating on Sunday, we went to my parents.  It was my Oma's birthday (and Easter too) so my parents made an awesome feast with turkey and the works.  Ashton got all dressed up in his little man clothes.  At one point, he was helping me play the piano.  

Where the Wild Things Are

When I was pregnant, I was off work 4 months early.  I was not specifically on bedrest but I wasn't supposed to do much.  I have always loved the children's book "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak.  I have some of the stuffed animals.  I decided to incorporate my favourite book in to a nursery theme.  Jesse and I went on ebay and bought a clock and a light switch cover for the nursery.  I got fabric in forest colours to match for a quilt.  I haven't finished said quilt yet but it's probably a little big anyway (I did make another quilt outside of the theme for when we go out).  When you don't have a crib mattress yet (which I got when I was pregnant but after the quilt was started), you don't really think about the fact that the mattress fits in so tightly that you cannot just hand the quilt over the edge.  Of course, it makes sense that the mattress fits in like that...but I didn't think of it.  The other day, Angela got us a WTWTA floor puzzle, which is AWESOME.  I have it displayed in the box in his room.  Jesse and I went to the market and got these cool tent hangings that make me think of the book.  Not pictured is a wooden wind chime from the same market that hangs in front of his window and kind of makes me think of a sea monster.  I took pictures of the WTWTA theme nursery:

The quilt so far (over halfway done)

Ashton's reading corner with all his "Wild Things"