Monday, August 29, 2011

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Rainbow

We are almost ready to say good-bye to Duncans Cove. We had a great visit with Grammie J and Aunt Teresa over the weekend. Bonfires, shooting stars, great home cookin', and a wildlife extravaganza. In a 20 minute span we saw seals, breaching porpoises and an osprey fly by with a fish in it's talons! They helped with chores and kept Caleb entertained while we packed, purged and cleaned. Caleb is noticing the changes. He will look into a room and say 'bed gone?' or 'books all gone.' He doesn't seem to mind, but I know he will be very happy to see all his old things unpacked in our new space.

Caleb's other major change is daycare - this week he started full time and next week he'll be transitioning into the toddler class. I admit my first reaction when I got the call was to burst into tears. I couldn't help it! Even though he has been going part time for months, this seemed like a huge change and suddenly a lot less time with my little boy. I feel incredibly lucky to have had 19 months with him and thankfully, he loves his daycare, so I know the transition will go well. His favorite little friend, Hadley, will be moving to the new class with him so he will be happy about that.

I did feel better this morning when I dropped him off and realized that it was 'music class' day, which, being on Mondays, he has never been able to attend. He apparently loved it (his music teacher says he has music in him!) and I felt assured that he is going to have days full of fun, learning and adventure - although I may keep him home once in awhile just to get some extra time with him. Playing hooky from daycare is ok, isn't it??


Caleb was also given his 'report card' today! An update on his skill development over the past few months. I'm proud to say he is doing excellent in all departments - motor skills, language, sensory, social skills - I almost feel like I should get a 'my child is an honours student at Wee Care Developemental Centre' bumper sticker! I'm so happy he has such great teachers and that we found such a great place for him.

In other news, Tyvonn and I went to Brad Marchand's Stanley Cup parade today. There were several thousand Bruins fans gathered downtown, and somehow Ty and I ended up in a special area with mostly media and family so Tyvonn ended up being one of about 5 people who were able to touch the cup. It was a big day for all of us. Now back to the packing!

Tyvonn touching the cup! Thanks, Brad!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

There's a new cowboy in town

Howdy partner

This weekend Caleb finally had a chance to see Alan play on stage. He hasn't been able to see his dada play since last summer, so I couldn't wait to see how he would react. We spent the weekend in PEI at the 60th birthday party for our friend Rheo's dad. About 100 people, all dressed up for the country-western theme, showed up to celebrate, and Alan and Rheo entertained with two rockin bluegrass sets and plenty of late night jams. To say Caleb was excited doesn't fully capture the mood. First off, he didn't nap at all (a first ever experience) and secondly, he was at a party and he looooves parties. He spent the first few hours running around non-stop, hugging people's legs, chasing other kids, chasing himself, rolling on the ground and of course yelling 'party!'. So by the time Alan came on stage, Caleb was already having the time of his life and seeing his dad play was icing on an already iced cake! Caleb danced and would cheer 'daddeeee' loudly at the end of every song. I was kept busy trying to foil his constant attempts to climb up onto the stage. Somewhere in the excitement someone handed him a ukelele, so here he was, instrument in hand trying desperately to be on stage with his dad. Rheo's grandmother finally yelled to me 'just let him go', so I did. Caleb was incredibly proud when he finally got up beside his dad. I was worried he'd get caught up in the cords, or try to make Alan lift him up, but all he wanted to do was stand there, play his ukelele and smile. I could just picture Alan as a toddler doing the exact same thing on stage beside Grampie John. So adorable.

'Let's play Baa Baa Black Sheep next, guys'

Can you spot the third musician (on the left)?

After Caleb finally crashed inside the house (thanks to dad's bedtime skills), Alan and I were both able to enjoy the party. Together. I admit at times over the past 18 months I've felt almost like a ghost of my former self - Alan is able to see our friends often while playing gigs, while I'm usually at home with the babes. So this weekend felt like I was really getting the best of both worlds - a super fun day with Caleb and then a super fun night with Alan while our baby was sleeping peacefully (something I couldn't have imagined even 6 months ago). I almost feel like I'm starting to figure this 'family life' thing out!

This was the only time he sat down all day

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Family fun weekend continued

How to stay cool on a summer's day

This is our last full weekend that we will spend in Duncans Cove, so we decided to let Friday's family fun spill over to the rest of the weekend. It happened to be Sou'Wester Days in Sambro, a neighbouring fishing community, so we decided to head to the festival to see what it was all about. On Saturday, we played 'duck pond', 'chocolate wheel' and other games, all purely for Caleb's enjoyment, of course! We also went into a giant bouncy castle, which he was hesitant about at first, but once he saw his mama bouncing away and having a great time, he figured it must be safe and started enjoying himself. The highlight of the day was when some firemen noticed Caleb pointing at the fire hall and saying 'fire truck', so they very kindly showed us around and even let us hop right inside of a truck, which made for one extremely happy little boy.

Hi dad!


On Sunday, while Caleb was napping, I went to the community wharf to witness the 'Blessing of the Fleet'. I've heard of these events taking place around Nova Scotia, but had never been able to attend one so I had no idea what would take place when I arrived. During this centuries old ritual, a priest blesses the fishing fleet to ensure a safe and bountiful season. A Coast Guard boat led about 50 fishing and sailing boats, with their families on board, out of the harbour to the open ocean where the priest says a blessing over the VHF radio. Although I stayed on the dock, it was still quite a sight to see. To top off our super fun weekend, we went to the local church for a community lobster chowder dinner complete with delicious chowder, fresh rolls and strawberry shortcake.

Heading out to sea

As we attempt to help Caleb learn and experience new things each day, I love that we end up at places like fairs, parks and petting zoos. One of my favorite things about parenting is that it makes you prioritize having fun. A big part of our job now is to play, whether we are chasing each other in the yard, racing cars, throwing balls, dancing, singing, coloring or watching cartoons, being a parent makes you a kid again and I don't know if Alan and I have ever had quite so much fun.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Family Fun Friday


Today started out cloudy and cool, and poor Caleb had to go to the doctor to get his 18 month shots. I was surprised that he remembered the doctors office and immediately clung on to me and began to get teary. Things didn't get much better when the doctor attempted to weigh, measure and poke him with needles. But we got through it (75 percentile for height and weight - 29 pounds) and Cale cheered up quickly and managed to wave and say goodbye to everyone.

By the time we got home, the sun finally appeared through the fog and rain, so we decided to go on a family adventure to Hatfield Farm in Hammonds Plains. Alan played with his bluegrass band at a farm function a few weeks ago and came home saying that Caleb would fall in love with the many animals in the petting zoo. Sure enough, Caleb could hardly contain himself once he realized that we were actually going to be able to get up close and pat the animals. Whenever he sees an animal he always says 'pat', but it never really works out since we usually only see pigeons downtown or a wild animal on the yard. So today was the moment he'd been waiting for. He very kindly said 'hello' to all the animals and laughed and smiled as he touched the soft fur. A few animals even ate out of his hand which he really got a kick out of. All in all, it was a wonderful day and I know he wasn't thinking about his shots when he fell asleep tonight.

The calves were adorable

Laughing with an alpaca

Getting up close and personal with the goats

Dad even decided to teach one some dance moves

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Moosecall weekend

Jay taxiing us from the camp

This past weekend Caleb and I headed back to NB with my Little Brother, Tyvonn, for our 3rd annual trip to Moosecall camp. It is a weekend that both Tyvonn and I look forward to all year. This year my dad and uncle Jay came along for the trip. The weather was great, we saw lots of wildlife (including a bat inside the camp), Ty caught 4 fish (no salmon, but he couldn't have been happier) and Caleb had a chance to show off his ever expanding vocabulary to his grandparents. His favorite quotes of the weekend were 'diaper off' when he wanted to play in the river naked, 'big rock', 'greggy house', 'thank you' which makes his mama very proud, and 'Tyvonn' which he must have said at least 800 times. I can't even imagine what he'll be saying on next year's trip!

The birch bark hat almost fits this year!

The Miramichi Streaker

Fishing buddies