Oh goodness… Have this little guy and I ever been having fun lately! When Miss G was this same age, we were in a major state of transition {hello packing up an entire life overseas, moving home to Canada, staying with family for several months, and then resettling in a different city} and doing fun little activities probably wasn’t at the very top of my priority list. But this time around, things are different… We’re a year into being back in Canada {for the second time}, Miss G is now in school full days {*gasp*}, and I get to spend my days with our sweet little preemie babe who seems to be curious about almost everything.
Today’s fun? Exploring hot and cold – a very simple activity inspired by the curious little hands wanting to investigate my cup of morning coffee. ☺
We did it! At 10 months actual age and 7 months corrected, our little preemie babe born at 27 weeks is sitting up independently! It took some time obviously, but my goodness – is being able to sit up ever a game changer! And not only for him and his play either… For me too- hello, being able to set your baby down on the ground for just a minute while you put on your shoes! Have I mentioned that I’m so proud of this little guy? The moment a ‘oh goodness, he’s so behind’ thought even considers creeping into my head, I remind myself that there was a time not very long ago that I wasn’t even sure we’d be leaving the hospital with our baby and gain some quick perspective. And so we celebrate each new milestone {whenever they happen} instead. ☺
Oh my goodness… It goes without saying that our lives were totally turned upside down last November when our sweet Sam surprised us with his arrival 27 weeks into my pregnancy. We were absolutely blindsided and not the least bit prepared {hello, nursery that was still being used as a catchall room after our move home from the Middle East}. Add onto that a long NICU stay for Baby Bubba, us discovering that my appendix had ruptured {therefore causing the premature birth} a couple of weeks after his arrival, a 10-day hospital stay for me, us eventually bringing home a teeny tiny boy who screamed for several months, surgery for Sam, and then a pretty low-key summer with Brad at home, and to say that we’re just now starting to get into a groove as a family of four wouldn’t at all be an exaggeration. 10 months later, I’m still figuring out this mama of two gig. Wheeew.
September’s in full swing and with both Brad and Grae back at school, we’re getting back on track after a pretty laid back summer… Efficient mornings, weekly meal plans, early bedtimes – they’re all happening {and going pretty well, thankfully}.
Oh my goodness… Amidst a week of rain, rain, and more rain, I was so hoping for just one last summer’s day to spend adventuring with my two littles before Miss G goes off to Grade One this coming week. Thankfully we totally lucked out yesterday, and when we woke up to a dry day, I knew exactly where we’d go. After Sam’s morning nap we packed up our things and headed out to what I consider one of Vancouver’s hidden gems… Wesbrook Village out at UBC.
As much as I’ve been willing it not to come, back to school is just around the corner. Truth be told, I’m not ready. The rushed mornings, not seeing my girl for most of the day, helping Miss G emotionally work through all of what goes on at school… It just doesn’t sound like a ton of fun compared to the leisurely mornings, outings and adventures, and laid-back days we’ve been enjoying this summer. That being said, this year is a new year and I’m hopeful that Grae is going to have a wonderful teacher she connects with and feels comfortable with, which would be a total game changer for us. My ultimate hope? That she enjoys Grade One and is excited to go to school! {*fingers crossed*} Oh, I so hope she does.
Oh my goodness… I’ve been so bad about planning and preparing meals this summer. I swear 5 o’clock just pops up out of nowhere and suddenly I find myself in the kitchen scrounging around like a mad woman trying to find something that I can throw together in 20 minutes and call a meal. As a result, there’s been a whole lot of quinoa salad and other one bowl dinners happening around here this summer…
After travelling all over the world with Miss G {hello 36 hour treks to and from Kuwait!}, a six hour road trip really isn’t a big deal to us. That being said, our little lady is a huuuuuuuuuuge talker, and sometimes you just need to have a moment of quiet {or a moment to talk to your spouse} while in the car. That, and sometimes our little Sam Jam just needs a moment of silence in order to fall asleep… Big sisters’ animated stories and ramblings are much too interesting to doze off to {obviously}!
When we first moved back to Kuwait in 2013, the first month and a bit was certainly challenging… Miss G had just turned 3 years old, it was the end of August and the heat was unbearable, and I was stuck at home in our next to empty apartment with no mode of transportation and a busy little lady who had just been pulled away from her life as she knew it. Being our second time moving to the Middle East, we’d been smart and brought very little along with us, but it meant that until we had a vehicle and time to collect things to fill our home with, we just had to make do. If nothing else, the situation certainly forced me to get creative! Miss G and I spent our days building things with cardboard boxes, painting packing packing paper, creating with things like dry rice and pasta that we had in the kitchen, and filling our freezer with homemade popsicles. We made the best of it.
When my {amazing photographer} sister-in-law tagged me in an Instagram post letting me know that her good friend {and fellow photographer} was going to be in Vancouver and had time for a couple of shoots, I jumped at the opportunity. Now truth be told, I sort of detest having photos done, but with our last portrait session being when Miss G was two and this being our first chance to have photos done with our sweet Sam, there was no way I was passing it up.
We met Amy of Modern Nest Photography {based out of Calgary} down at Kits beach – one of our family favourites – early on the morning of Brad’s birthday and sort of just hung out and walked around while Amy snapped away. She was absolutely lovely and despite Sam being on the verge of a total meltdown the entire time {poor guy fell asleep in the car about 10 minutes before arriving and was not pleased about having his nap cut short}, I just adore the images she was able to capture… Us, as a family of four, in Vancouver – our current home and one of my very favourite cities in the world.
Water play… It’s a summer staple and something that’s enjoyed by kiddos of all ages. The best part is that most of the time, water play activities are incredibly easy to set-up, because let’s face it – you give most munchkins a bin of water to splash around in and they’re happy. That being said, with a few extra supplies, you can take water play to a whole new level.
Gracen’s been talking about having her ears pierced for ages now, but being the sometimes cautious, emotionally sensitive kiddo that she is, she didn’t actually want to go through the process of getting them done. She loved the idea of being able to wear pretty earrings, but it wasn’t enough for her to take the plunge. So we left it at that. She knew that we were happy to take her, but only when she was ready.
Well, guess what happened today!
After having put off several purchases, returns, and errands for weeks {as you do on summer holidays}, we decided that we’d spend the day at the mall and get everything done in one go. I forget how it came up exactly, but Miss G mentioned something about getting her ears pierced while there and we decided that we’d simply go and check it out so that she’d be prepared when the time came. Well, as we walked towards Claire’s hand-in-hand, she turned towards me with a confident grin and said, ‘I think I’m going to do it today!’ {Side note: While I would have preferred to take her to a proper piercing parlour to have them done, she wasn’t at all on board with the whole needle thing, so Claire’s it was.} As we headed to the back of the store to check things out, an older boy {probably 8 or 9} was having one of his ears pierced, so we browsed / nonchalantly observed from afar. It’s probably one of the best things that could have happened because although he did say that it hurt, there was no big reaction, no jump, no tears. Which is probably exactly what Miss G needed to see. Confident in her decision to have them done then and there, Miss G picked out her earrings and got up in the chair. The manager who was doing them for us was absolutely lovely and put Grae’s nerves at ease by being reassuring, but not so over the top that it seemed insincere. Grae was definitely nervous, but as they got everything prepared, we had a few big hugs and talked about what she could do just before getting them pierced {gently close her eyes, think happy thoughts, take long, slow breaths, etc.} When the time came, she sat there perfectly still and even asked me to take a video of it happening. And because I’d requested that both sides be done at once, it was over in a snap!
After the piercings were done, she did sort of frown and say that it hurt, but that was it. No tears! I cleaned them for her while the Claire’s manager held Sam for me and we were on our way, freshly pierced. ☺
This afternoon, with Brad outside mowing the lawn and Miss G being his water / sweat rag girl {hah!!}, I thought Sam and I would try something fun while doing our daily tummy time play. Since our tummy time painting was a hit a few days ago, I figured we’d give a sensory bag a go this time around. My initial thought was to create a quick and easy bag that was clear gel or shampoo based, but we had neither on hand… so water it was!
