Nap Time Drama, Night Time Trauma

Over the past several days, at nap time or bed time, when I nurse Jonas, he seems to get a huge burst of energy. Could it be changes in my milk? Hormones? Perhaps Jonas doesn't actually need the nap, just a cuddle, some milk and a few moments of quiet before heading back into world of learning and discovery. I am not sure. Maybe when he starts rubbing his eyes and getting cranky, all he needs is a little quiet time and not an actual sleep. Yet today when he did this, I waited abit longer until he really looked more tired and then I just lay next to him without offering to nurse and he just sucked his thumb and fell asleep. hmmmm.

Night time has gotten a little out of control over these past few days. When we all get into bed together, Jonas will seem tired, then nurse, then get a huge burst of energy - he starts smiling and crawling back and forth between Jordan and I. Usually, after Jonas falls asleep, its our special time to read or relax together in bed. We need to do something different, but I am not sure yet. Jonas has always been a very easy baby to put to sleep.

Last night got so ridiculous that I ended up putting him to bed on the futon next to the bed. He finally fell asleep, but since he was not right next to us, he began to wake up every three hours(I think).

I will have to be more aware of whats going on tonight - but these nights that I am monitoring the situation, I don't sleep as well. But maybe in the long run I will get more sleep if I figure it out now.

I am thinking about having Jonas spend his first night away from us soon. hmm. Its harder than I thought, I keep avoiding it. Now that he is crawling I am even more apprehensive, but I think its something healthy that needs to be done sometime soonish....maybe this can be a little 'treat' for Grandpas Jerry and Jill when they get back from their travels in the Dominican...hehe.

Too Much To Remember!

In my memory, in my tired, tired mind, I remember the first six months with Jonas. As if they were years ago. But no, those first six months were not so long ago. Jonas ate, slept and needed his diaper changed all day and all night. I adjusted to motherhood and never felt guilty for feeling abit bored with my little lump of love. Of course he was sweet and great and it was one of the most exciting changes in my life - but WOW things have certainly progressed from any sort of boredom with motherhood.

Jonas 1 week old

It was right around the six month mark that Jonas was more than ready for solids; much to my surprise!

He has now weaned himself quite abit and although I occasionally feel a little weird that he is not so needy for my milk, I know that it is there for him whenever he wants. My milk production, in response to his weaning, has slowed down abit. I do miss the closeness of breastfeeding all the time, however, I am enjoying my freedom and the ability to fit into my old bras!

Since around the six month mark and his introduction to solids I can definitely say that Jonas has become a very exciting little guy. It seems like he started crawling and pulling himself up all at the same time. He is soooo fast. He likes to go up the stairs over and over again. He has this fascination with pushing items across the floor and following as fast as he can. He pushes balls, blocks, Tupperware....ANYTHING that moves across the wood floor. He talks and sings all the time. He loves to swim. He loves Bower the dog more than ever. At the moment he enjoys books with flip up pics. He likes to turn the pages. He plays with his puzzle board. Theres just so much going on right now.
He still sleeps from around 7PM to about 7AM with a few feeds in between. Since our US road trip, he sleeps with us each night; sometimes starting in his futon on the floor next to our bed. Throughout the day Jonas will last about two hours before needing an hour nap. So this means he still naps about three times a day. It is more difficult to get him to sleep now that he is a crawler. When once he always fell asleep with a nursing session, he now likes to be walked to sleep, which his dad does best. Jordan is the king of putting Jonas to sleep at the moment. Jonas just rests his head on his chest as Jordan paces around the house and he quickly falls asleep. Its his preference at the moment. I'm okay with that (haha)

One interesting development over the past several days is that Jonas is holding his pee and poop for the potty. I had been very keen to try diaper free. But being tired etc etc I just tried to do cloth as much as possible (more so in the past 2 months) and kind of just forgot about doing diaperless for any real length of time. Jordan began taking off the diaper as Jonas was pooping and leaving it off. All this time I have brought Jonas into the bathroom while one of us are going and telling him what is going on. And I can't even count how many times I have gone while Jonas is in his sling/carrier. So maybe Jonas already knew what to do. So to bring us to the present, Jonas is crawling around bottomless and we haven't had an accident yet. He still wears cloth for naps and outings, but for the most part is currently diaper free. Its totally cute because every time I sit him on his potty he grunts a bunch even when he is only peeing.

We took Jonas out for his first snowfall but at the time didn't seem overly impressed. He just stared and stared.

Over the weekend I took my little niece to The Nutcracker which was sooo great! My mom came as well, so it was a sort of three generational 'date'. Livia was in AWE of the sugar plum faerie and was so excited to talk with her after the performance.

Auntie Valerye and Livia at the show

Adventures of Mum and Jonas

I know, I know, I will post some more American Roadtrip pics really soon. Maybe even tonight. If I have time.

I don't know if any of you can relate, but if you haven't blogged in awhile and then you do, the next one is always easier. There's just that something about doing it that first time when you haven't in awhile. If you know what I mean!

Here are some pics from this week. I have been helping on the woodlot with some treeplanting. Its been hard to steal any family away to babysit, so we have brought Jonas out for a few hours of work!! mamamama and Jonas in the BIG truck after work.

Jonas tired and ready for a nap!

taking a walk around the property on a cold and sunny Autumn morning...

visiting the many animals at Grandpa J's.....Mum feeling a little sketched out by the baby horse...

9 Months

I don't think that time has ever moved so quickly. Its hard to believe we are reaching 9 months as a new family. And never before has the truth of constant change been so apparent. Nothing remains the same, not even for a moment.

We spent 3 weeks travelling around California; Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, Solvang and the gorgeous and warm beaches. ahhh. We went to Las Vegas and spent some time with relatives. The trip was ultra budget, so we ate alot of cheapo Mexi food, camped and stayed at relatives places. We encountered the wild fires in Southern Cali, experienced an earthquake at Sally and Keiths (near San Fran) and drove into the middle of a horrifying lightening/thunderstorm/tornado. The United States is a scary place and I now understand why they are all so damned scared. Just joking...haha. Anyway. It was a great trip and I can't wait to go down there again. Jonas was a great little road tripper.
We left Canada with a toothless cutie pie and came back with a teething two toothed mad child crawler!

We are in the midst of our little guy transitioning from 7pm to 7am night sleeper and three 1.5 hour day napper to a totally active 10-12 hour sleeper with two naps a day wild child. Jonas is ridding himself of his early morning nap and getting into a later morning nap and afternoon nap. Its as if he doesn't want to miss a single thing. Sometimes he will sleep for only 20 minutes and then awaken FULLY recharged.

I absolutely LOVE my newly mobile boy. He climbs the stairs, enjoys Downward dog yoga positions and is beginning to surf the furniture. His face brightens when he sees any animal, but especially Grey the Cat and Bower the Dog. He loves his books more than ever and delights in turning the pages. He loves to crawl after the balls that he pushes forward. He loves his blocks and rattles. He has the most adorable seat dance in the world - when I turn on some music he rocks out big time. He is a great talker and singer. He has a new wooden puzzle which he loves to pull apart and eat.

Speaking of eating, Jonas loves his food. It doesn't seem like the is anything yet that he doesn't like. His nursing has gone done quite abit and my breasts are returning to a nice size. He only feeds when falling asleep at nap time or at night. Often when he nurses at night, he will roll into his dad to fall asleep. It is very sweet.

Jordan seems to have the upper hand at getting Jonas to sleep at nap time lately. He holds Jonas firmly and walks around the house. Jonas fall asleep quickly. I have been planting trees at the woodlot recently, so sometimes I am away from Jonas for 5 or 6 hours! He seems to be doing fine but I also notice for the first time he has become more clingy to me. I am fine with that and therefor spend lots of quality time with Jonas after work, singing, reading and playing with him. I only have a day or two left and the trees will be finished and then all will be back to regular routine.

I have tried not to get too caught up in thinking about baby number two and when and if it Will actually happen. I try not to think to far into the future and past as I am trying to be conscious of being fully present in each moment. Its a hard task, but its something that I am trying to stay aware of. BUT I have been brought back to the question of another baby because a couple of days ago my period finally showed up after a year and a half. I was very celebratory and abit giddy that day. It felt good. I felt like I was normalizing again. I also thought that there is the chance that I could now probably get pregnant again. For the moment I think that I will just enjoy the transition into my normal self pre pregnancy. For awhile anyway.

Washington, Oregon, California

Sunshine

Its been just over a week now and we've checked out the Oregon coast and it's sand dunes; we've seen the Redwoods of N.California and we've visited relatives in Modesto. Jonas got to meet his Aunt Sally and Uncle Keith who spoiled him with a ton of love and attention. Jonas hung out with his uncle in his legendary garage and played with plastic bottles and talking stuffed animals. Jonas began eating 'Mexican' food during this visit (rice and beans). We also took the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) into San Francisco where we walked from Market St all the way to the Fisherman's Wharf with Jonas in his BOB stroller. Jonas barely slept as he was so excited with all the action around him. We took the trolley back to the Bart and didn't get back into Modesto until after dark - Jonas was so tired! His nickname from Uncle Keith is 'hey you, Whale Boy!'
From Cali we have headed over to Nevada where we are staying more relatives in Las Vegas. Again, Jonas is being spoiled with a ton of love and attention from his Uncle Allen, Auntie Dorothy and Cousin Nolan. Nolan is 12 and is so wonderful with Jonas - he is trying really hard to teach Jonas how to crawl forward. Maybe we will have a crawling babe when we return home.
The weather is deliciously warm and sunny; Jonas has been an excellent traveller and everything has gone fairly smooth - camping was nice, visiting has been fun and car travel no problem. Well, only a little problem with the car, but we are getting that fixed right now....

Today Our Adventure Began

and Jonas popped his first tooth out! We were a little surprised because there has been no real indication that Jonas has been teething....a couple of months ago I thought he was teething and yet its now that his first bottom tooth has poked out. While eating breakfast and visiting with cousin Taagen and family in Vic this morning, Jordan thought he felt something sharp in Jonas's mouth, but Jonas wouldn't let us look and we figured it was nothing - he hadn't been showing any teething signs or anything, so it was a bit of a surprise when later I felt the little tooth poking out.


Before I get to our little adventure at the moment, I will do a quick update.

It's only been a few weeks since my last post, but how the world grows and changes when you have a little 7.5 month old bouncing baby. Jonas's toncilitis and fever cleared up and life returned to its normal beat...swim lessons have been really fun and I highly recommend them for mums and babes. Jonas loves to kick and splash and blow bubbles and drink the warm peee water (haha) and stare at the lights. He can also hold his breath while we go under water together or he goes alone. So far he has never fussed and at the end of each session we go to the hot tub or sauna for a few minutes before dressing and (for Jonas) quickly falling asleep.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a Vipassana retreat which was was non residential and lasted the entire weekend. I went home at lunch to breastfeed and came home again in the evening. It was a really refreshing experience for me as it allowed me to relax, contemplate and just centre myself. I learned A different type of meditation about ten years ago - Transcendental Meditation, which is a focused practice that really works well to calm and quiet the mind. Vipassana is very different as it encourages one to be aware of the processse of the mind; it is very forgiving. I enjoyed it so much because I was able to really focus on myself and explore all that I felt needed to be attended to in my life. I came out feeling clear and rejeuvenated. On the homefront, Jordan and Jonas did wonderful together.

At the moment we are making our way through Oregon and down to California and Nevada for a few weeks. I will keep posting...

Seven Months

Just over seven months and sick for the first time. Tonsillitis. It has been lame for all of us but especially for Jonas. Last week started off great - I began my Pilate's classes, Jonas and I had our first swim lesson together, baby group, dinner with friends and then BANG!! First Jonas was grumpy and acting very different and then within a couple of hours, fever and total irritability. So fast.
And for those of you reading this with multiple kids, saying ya ya whatever, well this was our first time. Kids just get so sick!
We saw the doc and after taking his temp, which was 39deg, he checked everything else and when he saw his throat he was like yes tonsillitis. I asked if tonsillitis is related to thrush, like serious thrush, but he said no that that wasn't it. Just wondering. I wonder if it has anything to do with it????
Anyway. He had the fever for a couple days, slept lots, cried at night.
Now that the fever has broke he is just a little grumpy and absolutely refuses to leave my side (or I mean let me leave HIS side). We are sleeping together and he spends the day in the sling or the ergo carrier (I bought the Ergo after the Bjorn went missing after our Vic trip this summer)
These last few days have been long and trying. But a big glass of wine and a few minutes alone each night while Daddy tends to Jonas is all I need...hehe, and NO I am not an alcoholic....Mums need a quick unwind sometimes too.
Jonas, of course, has kept on eating solids right through his sickness. He is a big eater and will complain when he doesn't get his applesauce or sweet potatoes or whatever else is on the menu that day. Although he is eating solids, Jonas still nurses quite abit; maybe every four hours or so. I am wondering when my period will arrive? It could be anytime I suppose. I wonder what the chances of getting pregnant again without getting a real period is. I know that I could ovulate first and get prego before ever having a period. Hmm, well, its a topic that has been discussed and if it happens then that's just great. We go back and forth, actually. Sometimes we want it to happen now and sometimes we talk about it happening in like 5 years from now or maybe never...we'll see.
My first best friend ever died recently. I had not talked to her in many many years and had only recently reconnected with her via the currently popular FACEBOOK.. Her death was tragic; the event has brought me back in time. I pulled out old journals and diaries. I must have started writing about my life quite soon after I learned to write because my first journals were about me and Larisa. I remembered what a magical time that age was. We spent our time climbing trees, building go carts and being 100% wild and free. We must have been 7 or 8 at the time. Childhood is so precious and short and I must say that mine was pretty great. I hope that Jonas will experience the innocence and freedom that I was so lucky to have.

Bringing Peace Within...

For the first time ever, in the 5.5 years we have known each other, Jordan and I got sick. A really really bad cold, together, at the same time. Nothing is worse than being sick while its hot outside. Its been about ten days and we are now feeling much better. I have not gotten much done during this time...we still have stuff to move from the trailer. I always like things to be neat and tidy and orderly and I have been abit grumpy lately at being too tired to do much. I think I need to let go abit more. Not let things like housework get to me...but its hard cause I am in the house all day long, looking at all that needs to be done, but I guess on the other hand I should be out and about more than I have lately...but I HAVE been sick...

Jonas, with the kick ass immune system, sniffled for a day and that was about it. He's been a happy boy, playing out on the deck with water and frozen raspberries, watching mum pick strawberries (we have had buckets and buckets since June and they are still coming strong!!).

I don't know if its from being sick or lack of sleep but I've given off some neg vibes lately and I am not sure if anyone has noticed - namely my sister, mom, Jord and mum in law...sorry guys, I've been a grump!

Tonight I found some peace, well, really I did. At the Tidemark Theatre in CR, The Island Centre For Positive Living hosted a really cool event where all faiths in the area were invited to come and celebrate peace and diversity. It was an interfaith celebration called 'A Season For Peace and Non Violence'. I enjoyed myself because I felt that these different faiths that came together were truly supportive of peace; the fact that they put aside differences and came together proves that. I am wondering where the Catholics were?? Haha. I grew up in a sort of Catholic family, but really, just a family that is very spiritual and we would go hiking or skiing on Sundays - not church. I did go to Catholic school and was Baptised by renowned radical Jesuit Jim Roberts - but I would say that at this point I can take bits and pieces from many religions and make it my own spirituality. Some of the groups that came forth in this celebration tonight were the Baha'i, Tibetan Buddhist, United Church, Stolo Nation, Wicca, Sikh, and The Centre For Positive Living. Very eclectic. I think that how Jonas will be brought up spiritually will be several posts down the road..but I am sure I will give it great thought..not that I haven't already...

Now, for my little poll up top about immunisations, I am truly interested to find out where people are at with this. Maybe most people don't care, but its something that is important to me. There is so much misinformation out there, so much controversy. Even before Jonas was born I was reading as much as I could on the topic. I found each side really interesting because its almost like a trend. Some people seem to read a book and make their decision on that, they always believe in conspiracy. Then on the other side of the immunisation spectrum there are those that believe all that the nurse/doctor have to say without any question.

And after so much thought and research by both Jordan and I, we decided to do most of them. I could go on and on but after looking at where we are headed as a family I couldn't imagine not getting them. After being in India and seeing so many people ravaged by something like polio I knew I had to think long and hard about my immunisation standpoint. If we were to stay secluded on our Island or in our country, then, hey, maybe I wouldn't immunize. But our plans include alot of travel and work abroad. If little Jonas contracted something like Polio we probably would not be able to get help in time. We look forward to immersing ourselves wherever we go and I can't wait for the day that Jonas is running around with a bunch of kids in some foreign faraway place...

And I know that ours is a culture of fear; but it is my job to protect my son in the ways that I feel important.

And I know that I may be an idealist in raising my first (and perhaps only??) child, but I want to know that I have always done my best.
okokokok, its late and time for bed.

Sleep, Play, Eat All Day Long...

I may have mentioned this in an earlier blog, but we have really entered into a whole new stage with Jonas. Although I did enjoy the first 6 months - it was tough at times. Transitioning into motherhood, feeding all the time etc...

We are at an amazing time in Jonas's development. All senses are going strong and Jonas explores/plays all day long. He is too active to breastfeed for long, except if he is going down for a nap. He does take the time to sit and eat some solids, 3 times a day to be exact. Nothing too exciting yet, just applesauce and root veggies and some peas. He also likes to eat pieces of rice and puffed millet. He prefers a cup of tea or water while he eats at his high chair. No interest in feeding himself as of yet.

He loves his own room. He takes his 3 naps each day on his bed no problem - of course still falling asleep at the breast. And yes, I have been told that feeding him to sleep at the breast is a badbad habit, but, hey, it works so well for us. I think I am gonna go on my tuition on that one.

I love it when I check up on him while he naps to discover him playing quietly with a toy he has wiggled to. He gets around quite well now, but is not 'officially' crawling. His toys include various rattles, household items, blocks (wood and cloth) and balls. Sometimes I will sit Jonas in front of his basket of toys where he will play for quite awhile. He plays well alone. Sometimes very quietly and sometimes quite loudly.

Jonas no longer does the high pitched 'veloceraptor' sound. Its funny, because I remember the last time he did it. I am not sure if its because of this particular incident that he stopped or if it was by chance. Anyway, a few weeks ago I was shopping, browsing through some books. Jonas was in the baby carrier and a few teenaged girls were flipping through magazines behind me when out of nowhere Jonas lets out his high pitched veloceraptor scream and the girls jumped and screamed, freaked right out, which in turn freaked Jonas out and I couldn't help but laugh to the point of tears and the girls began laughing. It was so funny and Jonas just looked so surprised and confused! I have never heard the sound again...

Back Home

Dear Jonas,

We are now back at home and you are very excited. With all of your new awareness at 6 months, you are staring out our huge windows, following the beams and just taking it all in.

You also have your very own bedroom -perfectly suited for you. We have put a little futon on the floor and all of your toys and books are easily accessible for you. For now, as we make the slow shift into sleeping in our own beds, this is where you will nap each day. At night time you will (for the most part) be sleeping on a mattress next to our bed. Last night was our first night at home and also our first night with this new arrangement. I didn't sleep much, but I think you slept fine. After having you sleep in the crook of my arm for the past 6 months (except those first few weeks in the bassinet) in our bed, it was hard not to feel you next to me, breathing and cuddling so close. It felt so strange last night...every hour I woke up to make sure you were still okay, even though you were only a couple of feet away from me! I think that this new sleeping arrangement is for the best, to begin spacing your night feeding now that you have begun solids. You are now so much more active and I need to sleep more in the night to be able to keep up to your impending crawling exploratory period...

Here is some stuff to describe you at 6 months:

* you are a very very light sleeper

* so far you love apples, sweet potato and squash (...well, that's all you've eaten)

*you are refusing the bottle at the moment and will only take your liquids from my breast or a cup

*you are still teething, but no teeth have come out yet - to soothe your aches you like to chew on cold cloths and when the pain gets worse we give you a homeopathic remedy which usually calms you, but when the pain is really bad we give you some Tylenol and that always works

*you are excellent at entertaining yourself for long periods of time...half an hour sometimes!

*for as long as I remember, you love books. You are able to sit through your favourites, you also like to touch and chew at them as well.

-your all time faves are :5 Little Speckled Frogs and Bunnies Go To School

*your favourite music includes:

-Putumayo Kids 'World Playground'

-Quiet Time Raffi

-Thomas Mapfumo

-Kiban Ahluwalia

-Putumayo Kids 'Animal Playground'

-The Be Good Tanyas 'Hello Love'

-Putumayo 'Arabic Groove'

*your favourite outfit - no clothes, no diaper

*your favourite activities include:

-being outside,

-watching mamamama working in the kitchen,

-laughing at Bower the dog,

-staring at trees,

-cuddling with Dad in bed,

-bath time

*you like camping and road trips


Love Mum

All Grown Up

Jonas is a big boy now. Well, not quite, I suppose, but he now has (as Jordan and I call it) HUMAN POO. Gone are the purely breast fed yellow and pleasant smelling baby poops; now we have the real stuff. Jonas still mainly breastfeeds, but he does have small amounts of solids 2-3 times a day. Last week was sweet potatoes, this week has been apples.

I can tell you, nothing feels more natural and satisfying than going over to Jerry and Jill's and picking apples and plums from the trees, peas from the garden and berries from the bushes. It feels so good to take this stuff home and prepare it for Jonas and us.

Without alot of conscious effort, our diet has been very 'raw' this summer. On the whole I am feeling quite good and healthy, considering I still feed Jonas throughout the night. I recently bought a dehydrator and have been using it non stop making crackers, veggie chips, sun burgers and nori chips. In a week or so I would like to start dehydrating apples, pears and anything else I can find around the property. I am also going to make lots of applesauce. Anyone out there know what would be healthiest - canning the applesauce or freezing it??

Jordan just got back from spending a couple of days hiking at Strathcona Park. Of course I was a little jealous, but I think it was a good little break for all of us. Just to have some time alone.Jill spent an afternoon with Jonas and I laid out in the sun and started reading The Birth House by Ami McKay at Rebecca Spit. It was such a treat! Usually when we have someone take care of Jonas, Jordan and I will go out and do something like hike, run, clean - always something active. It was just nice to be lazy for a few hours! While I had time alone, Jill took Jonas in his new stroller through the community centre trails and then down to the ocean for a swim. They then ate black berries all the way home - Jonas is still pooping out the seeds! Anyway, Jonas was very happy and I think it was absolutely wonderful that he went on this little adventure with Jill and had some time to connect with her. Jonas is very lucky (and we all are!) because there are 3 SETS of grandparents - and soon they will all live nearby! My parents will be moving from the Kootenays in the next couple of months!!

After spending the summer in the trailer aka 'The Family Cottage', we are moving back into our house! We made a little money, so it was definitely worth the sacrifice but I must say that we are all more than ready to be back home. Just in time for Jonas's crawling...

Solid Food

Ok, so I may be a little overinformed and probably misinformed as well. And so some people may think, its not a big deal. But as a mom, it is a big deal what I feed my son.
He is teething and growing and doing all these new things at once. He is also, all of a sudden, totally into our food. I am caught unprepared. I thought he wouldn't be into solids until 9 months or so...I thought breastmilk would keep him interested. Now he wants food...our food.
So I first fed him a little mashed banana. But then I remembered afterward that the only food I have any sensitivity toward is the banana. oops. gotta keep him away from that one for abit longer. Then a few days later I fed him some avocado with a little water. I then breastfed him afterwards as most books/internet suggest. He was really quite fussy for the rest of the day. Not with gas, and maybe it had nothing to do with the food, maybe it was just the teething. I don't know.
But now that I think of it, avocados don't even grow around here. Shouldn't I be feeding him something that is locally grown? Something that we have actually evolved to eat. Isn't eating locally grown foods far better, nutritionally and for our systems, than something imported that our bodies aren't even evolved to eat? hmmm. I don't know the answer. But I do no, however, that something grown locally whether organic or not, will have more nutrients that something that was picked and shipped here for far away. So, what should I feed my son as his first solids?
Maybe I will skip the mangoes, banana and avocado and pick some peas and squash from the garden...
There is just so much info out there, so many opposing studies. Local or organic, ideally, I guess, locally organic. To cook or to do raw for baby?

We all want the very best for baby. We want them to avoid creating food allergies and sensitivities later in life, we want them to build strong digestive fire, we want them to stay away from as much GMO's as possible, we want them to eat organic and avoid all the deadly toxins. Life isn't perfect, but as a mom I want to provide the best beginnings as possible.

Any suggestions/stories of first solids for baby?

Big Changes

In a week Jonas will be 6 months old. I feel as if we have gone through a big transformation over the past 3 weeks. Jonas has gone from mellow Buddha baby to non stop inquisitive, energetic and playful baby.

When once you were satisfied to sit on mamas lap, stare/hit your mobile or stroll around outside, now you are playing, rolling around everywhere, sitting, squirming forward/crawling, making high pitched screams....we have nicknamed you the Velosiraptor because the sound you make is very animalistic sounding. Its tough on the ears,...but you also make other very pleasant sounds as well. It all seems to have happened so quickly.

You are also really into watching us eat and drink. You get very upset if you aren't with us at the dinner table, so now we put you in your Bumbo seat right on the table. That was ok maybe once, but you insisted on eating as well.

We tried, about a week ago, to give you your first 'solids'. We were eating dinner at Grandma Janet and Opa Case's house and you were sitting in their high chair. You were sooo adamant about eating so I mashed some banana and you ate it - eagerly. Your spit out reflex is completely gone which means, along with your eagerness for our food, that you are now ready for some solids.

Throughout this 3 week growth spurt of yours, you have been abit fussy. With all that growing, I don't blame you one bit!

I think that some of the funnest times lately is when all three of us are laying in bed. You love to entertain us with your babbling, yelling, squirming/crawling and, well, just your new wild antics...

This summer has been so incredibly busy! We had visitors non stop for about 5 weeks and then we went to Vancouver for a little week long vacation.

My 8 year old nephew, Cameron, came to stay with us for 3 weeks. THAT was busy, but lots of fun as well. Did some camping. My parents also visited; they are selling their house in the Kootenays and moving to Vancouver Island in the fall! Very excited about that. Had friends visit. Phew!

Vancouver was great. The vacation that both Jordan and I really needed. A breath of fresh air. How funny does that sound? Our island, where everyone flocks to for summer vacationing, we leave for the city for our vacation. I suppose its nice because it gives new perspective and therefor invigorates. We stayed with our good friends who just purchased a new house in Vancouver; we had a brand new suite all to ourselves. This was nice so that we could move about freely with Jonas; he napped lots without interruption etc etc...

Summertime

Some summer pics...
first time camping, Open Bay, Dad and Jonascousin Cameron exploring at Open Baytesting the water at Open BayMum and Jonas on a trip to Victoria, Willows Beach
Cameron

cousin Taagen and Jonas visiting in Victoriathe boys getting into mischief...
Valerye and Cameron hit up the Opal concert

visiting Victoria again...

Valerye's friends visit Quadra and meet Jonas...