Griffin Update!

It has been a little while since I dedicated a post all about my baby boy, and for posterity's sake I need to keep some record of all things Griffin, plus he is pretty cute so a few pics will brighten my day too!

Griffin is now almost 16 months old, how has time gone so quickly! In general he is active, playful, giggly, and mommy-loving. Here are some specifics:

On His Slide

• He loves to go outside, and now gets his shoes and ours when it is time to go out in the backyard. He knows which shoes are mine, and which shoes are Jays and brings them to the correct parent. He also know that he needs to take his shoes off right as we come in. He sits down and unvelcros them, but can't take them off without help. When outside he plays with water, on his slide, chases bubbles or collects leaves and brings them to me. 
• When inside he can often be found bringing books to one of his parents. It makes my heart happy to see him so into books. He has about 12 in the rotation, and these 12 books get read numerous times throughout the day. His favourite is "I Love You So Much", but he likes his counting book, an alphabet book, nursery rhyme/song books, a Spiderman book and books that have textures. I can now read most of them without looking and he turns the pages! He has now been "reading" when we tuck him in; we always read him a story or two and then leave the book open for him, he flips through the pages before falling asleep. So cute!
• He says a few words: mom, dad, please (it was out of the rotation, but I heard it twice today), what's this?, duck, dog, moo and baa all in context. When asked he can point to his ears, eyes, hair, teeth (his fav.), feet, and hands. I am sure he has said more words that we haven't picked up yet, and often says the same babble over and over in the same contexts, I am sure he knows what he means, I just haven't figured it out yet! 
• He loves talking on the "phone" and every remote, speaker, plastic object is a phone these days. When my mom and I talk on the phone he is sure to get me to put it on speaker so he can "talk" too!



A toy?!? If not it is now!

•  Although he plays with his toys, he much prefers random objects that he makes into toys.  Containers, boxes, tools, pots, wooden spoons (one week he went everywhere with a wooden spoon), etc. all make great toys for a one year old, at the least this one year old loves them!
• Sleeping has improved so much over the summer. At this point he goes to sleep without tears most of the time. He naps for an our or two in the mid day. At night he wakes up at least once and gets a cuddle and nurse with mom the first time (as long as it is before 2am). After that he just ends up in bed with us. Not perfect, but it works for now.
• I marvel at how fast he learns things, everyday it is something new. I am such a teacher that we have "tests" every day, he thinks it is a game, I just want to reinforce what he knows. He always passes with flying colours (or is completely distracted and just laughs at me).
• I had always planned on nursing until at least a year but this baby boy will have nothing to do with quitting yet. He drinks milk from a cup when we are out or I am not around but he is a nurser through and through when we are home. I am sure it will dwindle drastically when I go back to work... for now we enjoy many cuddle times throughout the day.
•   He eats solid food like crazy! People are shocked when he chows down on steak, and broccoli (some of his favs.); he can't go a day without fruit (watermelon, bananas, pears, cherries), and generally loves all food! No complaints here!



Dressing up at the cousins house!



•   I am so grateful to have spent all these summer days with this cutie! He is amazing (yes, I am biased) and so much fun (until the whining starts). He is busy but not trouble, he listens fairly well and has a ton of fun. Although I am sad to be back at work soon he is in need of some playmates. He really like social interaction and I can tell he misses being at daycare with other kids. Until then though we will enjoy our mommy and son days!

Home Sweet Home!

Our new house is feeling like home, actually it didn't take long! We feel fairly settled (we have a few boxes left but mostly things like home decor stuff), and this is already home! Our moving days were crazy, long, and tiring; but successful and worth the lack of sleep. It all got done, and we are very happy to be in the new house. After a few rough weeks Griffin has even settled into this new place. We even went to what will become our new church this past Sunday (there were other kids there, and a toddler room, for the first time in 15 months I sat, with Jay, in a service)!!

I have to say life seems easier here. Griffin is very capable of going up and down the stairs with no help (yeah, no baby gates required) and has the run of the house (he couldn't go in the basement in the old house). He happily travels wherever he wants to (downstairs to get books, upstairs to bust the bathroom door open, to the kitchen to ask for food), of course usually he is within touching distance of one parent or the other. Our backyard is fenced, allowing me to drink coffee on the patio while he goes exploring, ball throwing, or sliding. But what has been really nice is the ability to walk places. Almost every day I hit the streets with baby in tow. He is loving his stroller and happily rides as I grocery shop, get mail, chat with friends, or get a coffee. The beach is easy to walk to, and he enjoys running along the pathway (we have avoided the actual water up to this point). Today we hit the spray park and hit the slides at the playground before going for a walk and picking up the mail. I get exercise, he gets fresh air and playtime, and we get errands done. How is this not a win-win situation!! I LOVE it! It sure has made all those pesky errands so much more enjoyable.

So in a nut shell we are loving the house, the town, and everything that comes with this move. Jay is home at a reasonable dinner time, and is less tired then he was driving 4 hours each day. This really has been a good move for us!

My Little Starfish Who Sleeps By Himself!

Playing in the bubbles!

Blowing Bubbles (He doesn't quite get the idea that your lips need to be in the water)

  This past week was a busy one for Griffin and I. He had swimming lessons everyday. Some may say he is too young for swim lessons but my goals wasn't to have a swimming baby, but rather to get him used to the pool and be happy in the water (he already loves his baths). There are not many pool options out here and ublic swim times are packed and crazy so this was a greeat way to introduce him to the wonderful world of swimming. He LOVED it! On Monday he was a little unsure of it, but by the end of that lesson, and a few slide rides he was as happy as a clam, and almost threw a fit when it was time to leave. By Tuesday he was walking in on his own (holding my hand) and by Friday he refused my help in any way shape or form (which did result in a few face fulls of water). He officially passed Starfish!

Going down the slide all by himself! Daddy is on the side and mommy is at the bottom :)

My first ever "report card"!

 And DRUM ROLL PLEASE......

My baby sleeps by himself!! We decided to bite the bullet and do a little but of crying it out so that Griffin would sleep alone rather than in my arms or in our bed. It took about 4 days of serious crying (think four hours per nap/night), they were brutal days and he was so sad... and then it happened he went into his crib, had a story and hugs and kisses, and without much crying (5 min or less) he is out! It is wonderful not to have to sit in the rocking chair for three hours for his afternoon nap! Our bed is all of a sudden bigger, and I can go to bed when I want (up until now I went to bed with him). It really is wonderful. Of course he sleeps sitting up, which is retty funny, but whatever works! There is a part that misses him at night, but I see him when he gets up between 12 and 1 (although we did have a full night sleep the other day). All in all I am so happy to have some down time, and I enjoy him so much when he is awake! Yeah Griffin!

Bring On Summer!!

The first weekend of summer is here!

After going like a crazy person the school year is over, and although I only worked three months I am ready for a bit of a break. The year ended in a whirlwind, as they always do. I am already dreaming about the fall and looking forward to a new year starting (teachers never stop thinking about work!).

For now though I am focused on home life, and that in itself will be a busy task this summer. Little Dude will spend his days at home, and he is BUSY these days! In fact as I write this he is learning to fall asleep in his own bed. Until this point he has been rocked or nursed to sleep (and yes daycare has rocked him to sleep), and he needs to learn to fall asleep and sleep alone. So right now my phone is singing to him, although I am not sure he can hear it over his crying, but he will survive, and be better for it! When not sleeping Dude is going non-stop! Books are a huge hit right now, as he develops his language skills. Mom, dad, yes, and please are his first words! He eats like a horse, plays a ton and generally gets into everything. Sometimes we wonder why we buy him toys as it seems like the good ol' pots and pan drums are some of his favourites! We have a week of swimming lessons next week, which should prove to be a fun, new experience for him. He brings so much energy into our live, and I can't help but love him to bits!

The other excitment comes from the move this summer. After Jay taking a job in the city (which he is enjoying very much and is going well) we have decided we need to live somewhat closer to the city while still allowing me to teach in Evergreen. We have bought a house in Gimli (a three bedroom split level) and are so excited to move in Aug. 1st. I dream of a nice backyard, a patio, more usable space, and of course something that is our own. Although not perfect (what place is) this is the right house for us at this point in our lives (and gives us just enough room to grow when the time is right). Packing will be a big task this summer (which is why I canèt rock and then hold Dude through each nap). So to end this post here are some pictures of the new digs (from the listing, we donèt have as nice of furniture :) ):

Front of the house

Upstairs livingroom

Dinning Room (I really want to paint away the yellow)

Kitchen

Downstairs Family Room

Backyard

A Month of Change

Wow, we sure have had a busy month around here!

I am enjoying my job very much but with me working there sure isn't much time for blogging (or anything really)! Most nights I hardly do anything except nurse and play with me sweet little boy. He is pretty demanding of my time when we are together, and I have decided that it is okay for him to need me in the evenings. He has adjusted fairly well to daycare and while he still needs to be rocked to sleep, he is eating well and not crying when we drop him off. We are still working on him drinking more there, but I am assuming he gets plenty to drink when we are at home!

Work is busy, but I don't have duty like I used to and have some prep time most days. Up until now I have gone in for around 7:30 but usually leave arounf 4:30. I have never started a job at this time of the year and it certianly has its' challenges but overall I have a great bunch of students! It is also nice to have teachers at the same grade levels as me. It is nice to be able to learn from others!

So in the last month I have started working, and recently accepted another term position at Arborg for Sept.-Dec., Griffin has started daycare, and turned one, and just yesterday Jay accepted a new position (his Sport Manitoba job ends on the 18th). As of this coming Tuesday he will be working at Rec Connections as their special initiatives co-ordinator. He is super excited about this opportunity and is really looking forward to it... however he is not super excited about the commute. The job is in Winnipeg, which will mean a 2 hour drive each way... YIKES! IT will mean that we will start to loook at the posssibility of moving south in order for him to drive less. Of course with my job in Arborg we will stay in the interlake and commute. we have no idea how this will all work out, but have trust that it will all turn out just the way it should! So the next 2 months will be even more crazy as I become the Griffin drop-off and pick-up (until now Jay dropped off), and Jay spend less time at home and more time on the road, but we know that summer is just around the conner, and I have two months to be a full-time mommy again! Tomorrow will worry about itself, for now we will enjoy our jobs and our family!

1st Year in Pictures!

Me VERY Pregnant... Waiting and waiting!

Me getting loaded onto the ambulance stretcher at Selkirk. That oxygen mask should have been on my face.

Hours old... not exactly as planned but very loved!

Healthy an no longer a bionic baby!

Almost 3 weeks old

Jump, jump, juming!

First food at around 5 months old.

Daddy is already teaching me how to curl!

Sliding down my slide at 1 year old

I will walk there myself!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

My Dearest Baby Boy,

Today is your 1st birthday! This first 12 months of your life has flown by. Wasn't it only yesterday I held your foot and prayed for you to be off those machines and breathing better? Wasn't it just this morning that I finger fed you milk and brought you home from the hospital? I am sure it was just this afternoon I fed you your first solid food, rice cereal, you loved it. You have grown so quickly! Every day I see you becoming more and more a little kid, and less and less a baby!

You are walking pretty much full-time now. At least once a week the daycare writes us a note telling us how you bumped some part of your body and got a bruise; most of the time you don't cry and stand right back up! You are excellent at shaking your head to say "NO", maybe we could learn how to say 'yes' soon too? "Momomomomom" and "HUG" come from you pretty regularly. You like to read books, play with toys and generally have a blast. You have your two front bottom teeth, and just this past week you "fangs" started to appear. You still don't have your top front teeth so you might have a silly smile for a little while yet!

For your birthday we bought you a slide and you have been enjoying more and more time outside exploring the world you live in. I am sure you woudl spend even more time out there if we didn't make you sleep! You are ticklish and so easy to make smile and laugh. I enjoy watching you sleep, smile, laugh and play, you bring me joy and laughter with every minute I spend with you!

Now that I am back to work I miss you like crazy all day. I miss our sleepy cuddles, giggle fits, and play time. Every evening we spend many hours together, playing, nursing, reading, tickling, and singing silly songs. You still love mommy and daddy the best, but you are loving spending time with other kids at daycare. In fact you love it so much that you tackle them, maybe we could stop that soon?!

You first year, although different then I expected, has been a most amazing year. Who knew that you would become this adorable, sweet, loving, and playful little boy?! I loved you before we officially met, but on this day one year ago my heart became yours, and my world changed. For every little thing we have given up you have given us so much more. I look forward to seeing who you grow and develop into over the next years. For now though I will enjoy every second I have with you, there seem to be too few!

Love you forever and ever my Dude!!
~Mommy