Ups and Downs

There is so much to this sentiment during a toddler-filled day. There are the emotional ups and downs (heehee, waaaaah); the necessary ups and downs (awake, asleep); the physical ups and downs (pick up, put down); and the best ones - the exploratory ups and downs ...

MOMENT: What Goes Up Must Come Down

What a phenomenon! And one that Tavish likes to experience over and over and over again. The best part? He narrates while he's doing it. Fun.

One of These Things is Not Like the Other

Tavish's language has really taken off. Every day is a showcase of new words. He is even linking words: "moe. pa-tah. peease." (more pasta please). Really, it's unbelievable - we had no idea he knew so many words. I'm sure I'll get a video on here at some point to demonstrate the clarity of his speech, but this post is to commemorate the words that are a little less clear, but spoken with conviction.

MOMENT: The "Wahs" and the "Fahs"

Sometimes Tavish uses creative licence and artistic authority to communicate with us. It requires experience, context, and some patience (for him and us) to get the message clearly. Without the perfect balance of these things, you're putting on Tavish's shoes for a walk while he wails for more wrap (and is miffed that you don't get it). Consider this a helpful guide for Tavish-talk.



It occured to me that this would make an excellent post when Tom and I had this conversation:

Tom: hey that sounded like "muffin" when Tavish says it.
Kath: you mean "fuh-fuh"?
Tom: yeah, which kinda sounds like his "Chomper" too.
Kath: no, that's "fuh-fur"
Tom: oh
Kath: not to be confused with "fih-fih" which is "Sophie"

So, was I right? Good blog post?

Feeling Festive

It's true, the season comes to life even more with a toddler in the house. We picked up our wee-tree this weekend and it's been a hit ever since. There has been Santa hat wearing, ornament hanging (mostly near the front at the bottom), seasonal song singing and of course, photo taking by a proud parent ...

MOMENT: Everyone is a Photographer

The natural light in the diningroom is perfect, and the price of a few old white sheets is right. So, Mommy went to town - seasons greetings from our festive little fella!

A "Noooo" Musical Meal

Tavish has finally discovered "NO"! Yay! I know we should be careful what we wish for, but it was frustrating for him to only be able to communicate 'yes'. True, it was nice to have a 'yes' child while it lasted, but he's getting the hang of how and when to use 'no'. For awhile there, he had it backwards:

T: "milk?" (sign language)
ME: "you'd like some milk?"
T: "noooo? noooo?" (vehiment head shaking)
ME: "okay, Mommy will put the milk back in the fridge"
T: "Waahhh" (stomp, stomp, 'milk')

So yeah, he's come along way from 'no' being a blank stare, to head shaking for no reason, to 'nooooo? nooooo?' when he meant yes, and finally to appropriately using 'no' when he actually means it. Ahh, communication is key.

MOMENT: Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock

He has also really taken to singing lately. He jumps up from my lap to do actions during storytime at the Library and makes requests including: Row, Row, Row your boat, Old MacDonald and Tick, Tock - Here we are Together as enjoyed at the table in this video with a touch of an authentic (and appropriate) 'nooo' thrown in for good measure:

Giving a Hand

This was a Sunday of giving for Tavish - a helping hand for his digging Daddy and a standing ovation for "Hey Buster", a neighbourhood children's band ...

MOMENT: Helping Hand

"We" took on the big project of moving a tree from the backyard to the front this weekend. I think that "we" appreciated the break and 'help' from Tavish as much as Tavish appreciated helping. I was pooped just watching ...



MOMENT: Musical Appreciation

We hustled to a cd release party post-nap and arrived to much hustling about from the large under 3 feet crowd in attendance. It was overwhelming, but Tavish was a trooper. We secured a safe spot on the floor to watch the band. Tavish watched intently and stood instinctively at the end of each song to applaud. When they took a break, he repeatedly said "thank you" (sign language) to the band members from across the room. He would tap his head emphatically (hat) and point to one of the singers - guess he was most thankful to the one wearing a hat. I think "Hey Buster" found a new fan to add to their list of toddling groupies.

Repeat-a-Read

I've recently supplemented Tavish's extensive book collection with some Library books. He is loving them. Some a minimum of 4-10 times a day, others 2-3. Here are some highlights ...

MOMENT: "Duuuh? Duuuh?" (Duck, Duck)



To say that he loves this book would be an understatement. The handy part, I love it too. The illustrations are cute and the message is wonderful: "oh-oh!" (something happens), "I can help" (does something helpful), "thank you" (the helpful animal is thanked). Repeat. It even coordinates well with two of his favourite signs: 'help' and 'thank you'. It also encouraged "duuuh" in addition to pointing at ducks. Love it.

MOMENT: Kept in Waiting



This one features animals as well, but instead of manners - these animals are demonstrating patience. Nice. Basically "the bridge is up", the bus ("buh") can't go, "so everyone has to wait". Then more vehicles come, one at a time, and everyone has to wait (until the bridge eventually goes down). It's great, he says the vehicle that is added "Byy" (bike), "Truh" (truck), "dodozur" (bulldozer), "tactore" (tractor) and is often doing the 'wait' sign too. Gotta love the Library.

Tavish on the Go! Go! Go!

It's true, being constantly on the go invigorates me. I need to be going, doing, visiting, playing or something, most of the time. Tom is a good sport and makes the best of it because being on the move without him simply isn't an option - I love my Tom-time. So, we spend our time together doing stuff. After rhyming off plans, potential plans or ideas for plans on any given weekend, Tom will take pause to initiate this standard conversation:

TOM: What's the pace of the weekend, Kath?
ME: Go! Go! Go!

This conversation became extra entertaining when Tavish starting piping in a few months ago "guh, guh, guh" whenever he heard this banter. I was touched - he gets it!

MOMENT: "More Go-Go Peese"

Now, Tom believes that our family has a hierarchy of "go". He claims that I'm "go-go-go", he is "go" and that Tavish is a lovely balance of "go-go". You watch this video and decide if two "go"s are enough for Tavish. Oh, keep in mind that this video was taken on a weeknight ...

"Dog"

It happened, a sound effect was replaced by the real deal.



MOMENT: Dog has your Tongue?

"Wuuuh" and vehement pointing has long been how Tavish excitedly shared his dog sightings. Last night marked the end of the "wuuuh" era. We were walking up to our front door and Tavish says clearly and matter-of-factly "dog. dog. dog." There was only one dog, so I assume that his excitement is now being demonstrated through repetition. Just like that, a sound became a word. Within an hour or two he was playing with Mu-na-ma-na (Potato Head) and he said "arm" and "eye" too. There weren't sound effects for those before, but there weren't clear words either. Seems like time has found a talker in Tavish after all.

FLASHBACK: "Apple"

Waaaaay back in February, Tavish said his first word. This was exciting in and of itself, the fact that I unintentionally caught it on video was fabulous. Tavish was 'helping' with the groceries and I thought his healthy food choices from the bag was entertaining, so turned the camera on him. There it was, his first official word. Here is a talking Tavish at almost 11 months and his narrating Mommy who kept her excitement under wraps. Sure the desperate saying of "apple" was me shamelessly and pathetically trying to unsuccessfully provoke a repeat performance, but the parental freak-out was avoided, right? "Apple" has not said by Tavish again until recently, but his sign for apple almost daily is sure to help keep the doctor away.

Mommy's Little Helper

I guess it's a classic case of "monkey-see, monkey-do" ...

MOMENT: The Lure of Laundry

It seems that our little fella likes to keep on top of the laundry. He's quick to lend a helping hand by getting it out of his room and into ours. I wonder if he'd be eager to use the washing machine too? Hmmm, tempting ...

Friend & Food?

Tavish's ability to communicate by animal sound has proven to be an asset at the table. He is not too chicken to say what he wants ...

MOMENT: Bok-Bok-Bok

Tom and I were serving chicken the other night. Tavish liked it. He asked for "more" in his sign language. Tom clarified: "you'd like more chicken?". Tavish paused pensively. "Bok, bok?" Tom replied: "yes, chicken. Here you go". Next thing we know, our communicating protege says "more bok, bok pees". Hope it's not too early for Tavish to accept that his chicken friends are fun and tasty!?

Halloween Happiness

Halloween has indeed found a fan in Tavish. He went bananas over it, which makes sense ... he was a monkey! (har, har) He participated in the preparation of the pumkin, added sound effects to the costume and paraded with pride.



MOMENT: Pumpkin Pleasure

"Gum-pa-geh" is now a household favourite for Tavish. I guess that the pumpkin was a labour of love for him. It's beginning to overstay it's welcome, but I don't think Tavish will accept that. I thought I was brilliant to take it outside with us today to play with the intention of leaving it there. Tavish would have none of it - he refused snacks inside after demanding it, only to bring pumpkin to the door with a smile. A good little problem solver - he can have his pumpkin and eat with it too! (sigh). Guess it all started when he spent time in scooper heaven:



Then came the joys of being a poker face. Tom cut out the face in wee-pieces so Tavish could poke the pieces in or pull them out. The whole thing became a homemade shape sorter. After every piece was put into the pumpkin, he wanted "more":



Posing with "Gum-pa-geh" has been easy, he'd hug it all the time if he could. It has been lit and enjoyed with every meal since Saturday. Tavish even helps Daddy blow it out. Not too sure Tavish will take its absence well. Here's a wee-tribute to the soon-to-be-late Gum-pa-geh:







MOMENT: Marching Monkey

Tavish the Trooper or Marching Monkey? Both. He was a trooper and a marcher on the brisk neighbourhood parade and potluck. It was a chilly one. Note the thickness of the costume - there were a lot of layers under that monkey suit!

BOO!

To help introduce Halloween, we read "Halloween Faces" that Grandma gave Tavish for Halloween this year along with last year's "10 Trick-or-Treaters". So far, I'd say that Tavish is catching on and finds this holiday pretty entertaining ...





MOMENT: Ack! Eek! (hehehe)

The first time I read "10 Trick-or-Treaters" yesterday, Tavish went into hysterics. To share the funny with Daddy, I read it last night to before bed and we caught it on video. A little less funny than the first 20 or so times I read it, but seemingly still enjoyable. Happy (almost) Halloween.



Thanks to these festive books, Tavish started pointing out "gum-pa-kins" on our walk and can now identify skeletons, vampires, witches and ghosts ...

MOMENT: Boo for Baby

Tavish refers to everyone under the age of 5ish as "baby". However, there appears to be one special "baby" simply called Baby. You may have noticed Baby in the video? He discovered her in a drawer of random hand-me-down toys in his room awhile back. Now she is in his crib with him most of the time when he's in there playing and/or sleeping. This morning I opened Tavish's door to see him reading "10 Trick-or-Treaters" to Baby and heard him say "Boo!". Sure enough, he was on the page with the ghost. Certainly the funniest start to my morning in a long, long time. Oh, here's a photo of Baby ... probably self-explanatory that Baby was a hand-me-down from a friend's daughter?



We are looking forward to our neighbourhood Halloween Parade and Potluck on Sunday. No doubt, an entry to commemorate it will follow. Hmm, wonder if Baby should join us? BOO!

Slip Sliding Away

Until recently, if we are at a playground and there are seagulls or squirrels to be found - Tavish is following them. However, the simple slide has garnered smiles and several squeals of delight as of late as well. Fun.



MOMENT: Wee! Heehee! (repeat)

Move aside, Tavish has discovered the slide! He climbs up to the top of any and every slide without reservation. Even the twirly swirly ones designed for "big kids". If he can get up to the top (with or without help) he'll go down to the bottom - a smile while sliding, a laugh at the landing and some "more" signing when walking back. Ahh, the joys of the slide. When I join him, I can feel all kinds of unimportant stuff slip sliding away. Wee! Heehee!

All Fun and Games

No really, it is. We're a funny, funny family and we like to play games. We're pretty sure we've always had this much fun, but Tavish seems to really, really enjoy the games lately ...

MOMENT: Funny, Funny Daddy

This is not the first time we've witnessed hysteria around here, but it is the first time it's been caught on camera. I challenge you to remain straight-faced through this video. Consider yourself warned, what's going on here is highly contageous ... in a funny sort of way. haha.

Say What?

He's talking! Well, okay ... not 'talking-talking' but he's well on his way to clear and accurate communication with, um ... er, well - animals. Lots and lots of animals ...

MOMENT: Talking is for the birds

Tavish often gives a blank stare (or, the stink-eye) to new people. I guess he has a 'shy' streak? Nah, doubt it as this 'shyness' is pretty quickly put aside when I ask: "Tavish, what does a cow say?". He does sometimes hold steady on the blank stare though when he's simply not up for connecting nor impressing. Most of the time though, he is up for it and is keen with the long "mooooooooooooooo" followed by a huge smile. For some reason, he is extra pleased with himself when he immitates a cow. From here it moves onto chickens, ducks, snakes, owls, dogs and more - depending on how interested the stranger is and how many animals Mommy can remember. To be fair, his repertoire of animal sounds has become quite extensive. As a result, this 'show and tell' conversation could be quite a lengthy presentation that perhaps isn't for everyone so I try to exercise discretion. If you're reading this though, then it probably is for you so I'm throwing discretion to the wind. So, although the video below is missing some sound effects, you get to witness some of Tavish's animal talk without the risk of being delivered the stink-eye! Enjoy.

Adequately Thankful?

It was another weekend filled with things to be thankful for: family, food, fall colours and friends. The 'extra' day of our weekend was a 'go-go-go' pace for us and, as usual, I loved every hustling and bustling minute of it.

MOMENTS: Pumpkins, Pint, Paddle and Pizza

After a sleepover at Grandpa Mike's and a great Thanksgiving feast there yesterday, we set out on our day's adventures. First, I have to write a disclaimer: I have a thing with fall colours. A serious one. I will literally gasp when I see trees and shrubs that bare red and/or orange leaves. Sure, I like the yellow and green leaves too - but they fulfill more of a supporting role in the show that is autumn. So, I take photos. Lots of photos. Photos with colourful leaves especially:



Our stop at a 'pumpkin patch' on our way home this morning started the fall-themed photo taking. It was actually a pretty disappointing 'patch' as all of the pumpkins had been picked. Fortunately, there was a truck load of pumpkins (literally) and our son is too young to mind if he sits among pumpkins already picked or not. So, the fall colour splendour of today began:



Then we stopped for lunch at a brilliant little pub in Carp called the "Cheshire Cat". We shared a great meal with Grandpa and were pleased to see so many other families spending their holiday Monday over a shared pint. It's such a quaint place to be thankful for good company and good food:



Post afternoon nap, we headed out on the Rideau River at Mooney's Bay - just a few minutes from our place. Tavish was elated. I'd read him "One-Dog Canoe" before his nap to warm him up. He spotted the paddles and lifejackets at the door immediately when we came downstairs. "Booa, booa, booa". Yes, Tavish was ready to hit the water. He donned his lifejacket like a pro, was itching to get into the boat as soon as he got near the water, then finally got to enjoy the ride:





All of this adventuring must have worked up an appetite in our little fella because he ate almost 1/2 of an entire homemade pizza! Whoa. I guess he was very thankful for the feast:



Thank you fall colours for the beautiful backdrop. Thank you to our camera-that-can for capturing some of these moments of motherhood. Thank you Tavish and Tom for being you and for sharing these moments with me.

Thank you also to the little girl in this cartoon ...



... I couldn't have said it better myself. Although one day a year isn't adequate - Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Mu-na-mah-na-ma-na

What's the matter? You don't speak Tavish? Allow me to translate for you: Tavish would like to play with the Potato heads. Two of them actually. Oh, and an entire bucket full of 'parts', several of which don't actually fit. BUT hand-me-down beggars cannot be choosers and he's thrilled about every bit and piece of it.



MOMENT: Eye spy with many eyes - glasses, earrings, high 5s and hats (oh my)!

When we received the potato heads from a thoughtful friend, we figured it was a bit too early for Tavish to really enjoy it. So, I tossed all of the random bits into a bucket and onto a top shelf - then promptly forgot about it. We were somewhere else when we noted his fascination with another potato head. Oops. Ours has been spilled about our floor and enjoyed daily since. He loves those things. The single pair of blue glasses have been worn (read: tried on) by ... well, anyone who will indulge him (including Chomper). In my opinion, he looks charming in them - you can see for yourself in the first (short) video below. There are also a few items that are less clear about what they are, namely the green circles that I dubbed 'earrings' one day. This could be foreshadowing for the future of Tavish's earlobes - he loves holding them up to his ears. (big smile) The best might be all of the arms that are about. I once took one and held it out saying: high 5! (blank stare) Fine. So, I enthusiastically high 5ed the hand. (laugh) Now, every single time he is about to put an arm into the bucket, it gets an excited high 5. You'll see evidence of this below. You're welcome, I shortened several minutes of potato head footage into two shorter clips. Finally, he's long had a thing with hats (hand tap on the top of his head), we never step out of the door without one. There have to be half a dozen in there and each has had a turn, or two ... or a hundred, atop Tavish's (and Mommy's) head. When we clean up all of the pieces - and they get cleaned up often (then dumped out again shortly after), there is hat donning, high 5ing, earring holding and glass wearing all en route to the bucket. The whole thing is an entertaining spectacle, if not a little time consuming as well (sigh). I think we've created a Mu-na-mah-na-ma-na monster!

Hairstyling and Humidifying

The other day brought about a moment of reflection and change in our family's sound-full sleeping. We said goodbye to a dear and reliable aid and hello to a new one. This all started with you, Dr. Harvey Karp ... although, I'm not confident that we followed your suggestions in the purest form.



MOMENT: Ode to Sleeping Soundly

Every good story must start from the beginning. Since having Tavish, our sleep sucess started with Dr. Harvey Karp's "Happiest Baby on the Block" advice for helping a newborn sleep. Lest we forget that sleep means everything to new parents - remember that for the duration of this tale, please. His system worked for us. We followed the "S"s: swaddle (Tavish had no arms for the first several months of his life), side (he loved it so much, he slept better if he was propped on his side), shhhh (* the starting point of this entry) and swaying. Tom was an expert at all of this. Especially, he was a determined, dedicated and highly effective shusher. Dr. Karp suggested trying to do it as loud as the baby was crying. To be fair, Tavish is a loud crier and one fateful evening after a fair bit of crying (Tavish's mostly) that had been accompanied by a dehydrating amount of shushing from Tom, I heard this ... "noise". Tom discovered my hairdryer and turned it on. It was an instant success - Tavish was mesmerized. Soon, we couldn't live without it. It was our sleep assurance. Don't judge, apparently even eco parents will waste energy for the promise of sleep. So, there was my hairdryer from 1988 in full-time demand. It had seen so little action since the perm of 1990, but it didn't let us down. Well, eventually it did. I won't go into a tale of questionable sounds and harmless sparks, but it eventually was put into the cupboard to be used only in the case of a 'sleep emergency'. A few weeks ago, I found it and nostalgically decided to let it go to its final resting place. From my teenage hair and my early days as a new mother, thank you, "Hot Stuf" (not a typo, it's missing an 'f'). You contributed to my good teenage hair and my mothering patience in those early days. You will always be remembered fondly.



It was oft suggested to us to try static from the radio (yeah, like you can get any of that in Toronto) or some other method of electronic 'shushing'. We tried, we really did. Tom even downloaded a 'hairdryer' sound bite. Didn't work. We needed that hairdryer! However, it wasn't fool-proof at first. Turning it off sometimes meant that Tavish's eyes shot open - ack! So, my industrious hubby put the hairdryer on an extension cord. Ah-hah. We could then sneak into the room, duck with the dryer (haha, if he did wake - he wouldn't know who the culprit was!), crawl out of the room, then turn it off. Voila! That worked, mostly. When we moved to Ottawa we discovered that there was static on the radio so gave it a shot. We could also turn it down slowly without jolting Tavish awake. This system used significantly less power - perfect. Well, almost perfect. We live on a busy street near a traffic light and on more than one occasion, the static shushing was taken over by very LOUD music blaring through the speakers. We were frozen with fear then ran in to see our baby sleeping through it. Huh. Then the music disappeared. It took us a few times to realize that the snippet of heavy metal, country or rap was brought to us by people waiting at the stop light using their ipods on a 'station' of static. Hmmm, there must be something else ...

Enter: humidifier. This was winter so the air really was dry anyway. We found that our stairs and floors upstairs creak loudly and unavoidably. Our wee social one always awoke and was concerned about what he was missing. Sigh, wonder where he gets that? The humidifier served a double purpose: humidying and 'shushing'. Winter turned to spring, the water wasn't filled anymore - we just relied on the humidifier fan. It was perfect and has been embraced into our night and nap time routine. We can walk confidently up the stairs, Tavish sleeps well and it will be very simple to add some water as winter is quickly approaching again. Below is our new humidifier. Yes, the other one bit the dust. More waste. Ugh. But it's so hard to resist sound-full sleeping.



Thank you electricity. Thank you Tom's resourcefulness on finding alternative 'shushing' solutions. Thank you Tavish for sleeping so well. Now you can all sleep well knowing that we are getting the rest we need and that our home will be well-hydrated this winter and all with a side of 'shushing' ambiance. Now that truly is perfect - we really do have the happiest baby AND parents on the block!

You Spin me Right Round, Baby

That's right, Tavish is an all-star spinner. He has some pretty impressive balance at the end of it too.

MOMENTS: Dizzying Clarity?

We see Tavish spinning often these days. Always the same direction. Always in our living room or dining room. He sometimes takes a moment to de-dizzy before walking (like in the prompted video below), but most of the time he enjoys taking on the challenge of walking immediately after. This is highly entertaining to watch - he bumps into things and laughs hysterically. Maybe we all should spin around every now and then to get a little more enjoyment out of a short walk in an every day place? Or maybe he just sees the world more clearly this way? Either way, the 80s song "You Spin me Round" inevitably gets stuck in my head: "You spin me right round baby, right round ... all I know is that to me, you look like you're having fun ...". Here's to many more happy spins, Tavish ...

Liberty or Loss?

I'm a nursing mother. Correction, I was a nursing mother. How does Tavish feel about that? Well, I'm sure there are moments for him like the illustration below, but it was largely his decision so I think he's mostly just fine with it. The real question is how do I feel about this? Well, I feel free, unsure and ... astutly aware of the passage of time.


MOMENT: It just ... happened

I has been one week today since our last feeding together. It sounds like an opening line at a support group or something - I'm not that torn up about it, but I do recognize that it's a milestone. Since I created a blog to have a place to record these moments, I'm writing about it. I decided to let Tavish direct the pace of weaning since there really are so many perks to nursing (his health, my health, the cost, the convenience - to name a few) and we have the fortune of being together full-time. So, for at least 2 or 3 months, he's been down to nursing only 1 or 2 times in a 24 hour period. We tried to introduce whole cow's milk a few months ago which was met with flat-out rejection. We tried whole goat's milk later which was accepted with hesitance and caution. It was quite the scene the first time he requested "milk" (sign language) at the table with his Dad. It went something like this: pause, "milk" (done slowly and intentionally), watch his Daddy reach for the sippy cup, pause, look down at his hand, "milk", have the sippy cup offered to him, slowly take a sip, stop suddenly, eyes bulge then 'bleck' - repeat. Over the last month though, goat milk has garnered a fan in Tavish. When he requests milk during the daytime, it will be asked of either Tom or I; we were down to just once in a 24 hour period. Last Thursday, he woke up at 5am and the 'usual' happened: I stagger in to retrieve him from his crib, bring him to our bed, nurse him, tap Tom, Tavish sits and puts his arms up, Tom returns him to bed, we all sleep. Friday, he woke up at 730 and when I entered his room, he requested food. Um, okay - let's go with that. All day, "milk" from the fridge did the trick. Same thing happened Saturday morning. I considered us weaned. Then Sunday morning happened, at 530. Tom went in. Crying escalated "Mama? "milk, milk, milk" with vehement pointing to our room. There was no sleeping for anyone until 700am. We entered his room, Tavish requested food. Not milk. Not Mommy. Ah, it all of a sudden dawned on us - milk in the night is a habit ... more of a routine that encourages him falling back asleep. So, we decided to stick with the state of weaning he'd started. It's over. Although, he did ask for milk during the day on Tuesday after his nap, I said "okay, let's go get some milk from the fridge" - he quietly demonstrated his displeasure with that suggestion and asked to be picked up. Once he was on my lap, he asked "milk" and pointed at me. I replied gently "no, Sweetie - milk is downstairs in the fridge". He wimpered a little, then snuggled into me "would you like to read a story?" - fist nodding (yes) and we did. That was that. All before he turned a year and a half. I mostly think it's liberating for both of us. Ultimately, the only real 'loss' is to our wallets ... the Mama Mart was always open, always available, always set at the right temperature and always free!

MOMENT: We're okay Mommy

Only a few hours after the above entry, Sir Tavish requested some milk. So, with a full sippycup we headed for the couch. I find that in the afternoon, he drinks a lot of it and it's nice to snuggle up together. That's exactly what we did. While he drank away sitting on my lap, he slowly reclined to a cradle position. He was relaxed, I was content - it was a nice snuggle. When he was finished he sat up, looked at me, smiled then leaned in for a big, looong hug. He patted by back and rubbed my arm. When he pulled out of the embrace, he gave me a kiss on the cheek. Aw, did he opt to read this blog while I was out of the room or something? What an intuitive little fella. These truly are the moments of motherhood that are to be remembered and cherished.

Bookshelf

Tavish has long enjoyed books. Right from the beginning, we would lay next to him and read to him, holding to books up so he could see the pictures. Dr. Suess books used to elicit excited leg kicking. He enjoys quiet time amid a stack of books to flip through. Board books have been requested in his crib for months now. Recently though, board books have been taking a back seat to the full-sized paper books. He's incredibly gentle (no casualties to report at this time) and we think he has excellent taste ...



MOMENT: Paddling Pleasure

Yay! He likes it! We know that paddling in our little red canoe is enjoyable for the whole family after several successful paddles this summer with Tavish. Now I can be reminded of this more often as this great book is one of his current top picks for books: One-Dog Canoe. This warms my heart on these cool fall days (where the heck did summer go so quickly anyway?!?). The illustrations are wonderful. Tavish can point out all of the details starting with the obvious: boa (boat), wuuuugh (dog), wa-wa-wa (water - with sign language accompaniment) but also the sound effect for fish (picture a guppy face), woohoo (loon) and can point out the beaver, wolf (awwwo), moose, frog, turtle and the paddle. I remember reading this to Tavish in the car last spring on our way to take him for his first ever paddle ... he loathed the lifejacket then, now - he scrambles right into in and waits eagerly to be put in the boat. It's now a family passion ... again, yay - he likes it!



MOMENT: Love is in the Air

I purchased this collection of stories back in Toronto when I was pregnant. At a Shopper's Drug Mart, no less. I believe that there may have been some nesting going on at the time. Needless to say, the stories have been brought out from time to time, but now - the book is saught out by Tavish. There are five sweet stories in there and he enjoys hearing all of them in one sitting. Many of them have animals which elicits sound effects as well as other images that he loves "bah bah bah" (ball). Yup, more warm Mommy heart over here. How can you not become a giant mush-ball? My baby wants to snuggle and listen to stories about how much I love him. The secret bonus for me is that I get to share lots of kisses on his head while I read it. Ah, I'm in love.

The Apple of our Eye

Today was a Bedford family day of fun at Mountain Orchard. There were apples to be picked, hay to be jumped into, a corn maze to be explored and a tractor ride to be experienced. Good stuff.






MOMENT: The Fruit of our Labour Day

For Tavish, it was the tractor that stole the show today. From the moment he got out of the car (after he got over his excitement over seeing Grandpa Mike), he was fascinated by the tractor that was there to pull a wagon full of eager apple pickers to the orchard. He stood next to the huge wheels in awe. It was big. "Vroom Vroom". He would become relentless in his requests for food, until the tractor started up. Didn't matter if it was nearby or a few rows of apple trees away - instant distraction. Although it was the tractor that undoubtedly made memories for Tavish, it was the apple eating ... er, um ... I mean 'picking' that created a sticky sweet memory in our minds. Literally. After a small snack (the tractor was nowhere in sight, so his original mission was back 'on'), we brought Tavish over to the apple trees. We helped him pick an apple. Sitting down immediately (we've been working on sit-while-you-eat thing), he bit into the apple. Cool - I picked it from that tree and now I'm eating it. Nothing could come between he and his apple ... well, other than the occasional tractor sighting. He had juice everywhere and was very content - the world just flowed along past him. Other children were eagerly filling bags, wanting to pick more and more. Tavish just sat there, eating. When that apple was done, we took him to another row - mmm, MacIntosh apples. First pick: sit and chew. Two apples down. Um, how much fiber is too much fiber anyway? When there was barely a core left of the second apple (although, he does share often with Mommy and Daddy mercifully), we were off to pick some more. If our back was turned for even a moment, an apple made its way into his mouth. Let's hope the saying is true that an apple (or two+) a day keeps the doctors away because with the pile of apples on our kitchen counter, we're going to have one healthy baby!

Country Mouse

We were off to a local farm in the greenbelt to purchase some goods for our first soiree into canning. We knew there were some organic and bio-dynamic tomatoes to be had, but we did not know about the fun that was to be had with chickens, ducks and a cat - oh my!





MOMENT: Tavish talks 'animal'

I'll admit it - I dressed him in overalls on purpose. However, I had no idea how well Tavish would fit in at this farm. It's hard to believe that his parents are mice of a different breed: city mice. However, Tavish was at ease following around the chickens. He spoke to them: "bok, bok, bok". Sure, they waundered away - but maybe they understood him? He had less luck catching up with the flock of ducks. He gave it his best: "qwa, qwa" - but it was more difficult to discern and it turns out that they are faster movers and shakers than the chickens. The barn cat took a serious liking to Tavish though. Finally, there was something following him around. It rubbed up against him and purred. Tavish laughed, even when he was knocked over. He looked like he fit in so well there. Huh, maybe we've got a little country living here in our city home afterall?

Pizza Pleasure

I wouldn't exactly describe Tavish as being picky when it comes to food, but make this guy some homemade pizza and it's instant belly bulge!



MOMENT: Some for you, more for me

Last night I decided to make some pizza from scratch. This isn't a first by any stretch, but it was a first for Tavish joining in. As a result, I opted to make the toppings more digestion friendly for the little fella (smaller). It was a wholewheat flax thin crust pizza with: spinach, zuchinni (grated), broccoli, red pepper, tomato, onion, cheddar and goat cheese. I'd offered him a piece of homemade pizza awhile back and was flatly refused. A different story last night. I'd no sooner go to take a piece for myself after cutting him a few pieces for his plate that I'd see him emphatically signing "more, more, more". He loved the stuff! Who knew flour, tomato sauce, veggies and some cheese could pretty much take a child over? It was like he was possessed - pizzaessed I guess. Sauce and crumbs were everywhere. His belly bulged as usual at the end of the meal, but his face had the extra appearance of gratitude. Well Tavish, it was my pleasure to make pizza for you, next time - I'll make more though ... Mommy and Daddy's tummies were not bulging when the pizza was gone!

Friend Frenzy

Our 3 dear friends, Jode, Carol and their son, Jasper, came to Ottawa from Toronto for 3 nights of delight. Jasper and Tavish were 'due' 3 days apart and their Mommys spent a great deal of time together during our pregnancies and for the first 3 months of the boys' life (before we moved to Ottawa). Um, it's starting to sound like 3 is the magic number. Anyway, Tavish and Jasper really were each others 'first' buddy and after a hiatus from with each other because of geography, they rekindled their 'buddy-hood' seamlessly, entertainingly and heartwarmingly. For the boys and their parents, it was a frenzy of fun.



MOMENT: You're funny! No, you're funny!

The boys took to each other quickly and easily - no problems at all. Tavish was excited to see Jasper in the morning. I'd go into his room and although he lately has been less welcoming when you get in there (I don't get it, why cry out for me repeatedly and then when I get in there, want to stay in your crib - huh?), but all I had to say was: "would you like to go and see Jasper?" and the fist was going (yes) accompanied by the usual "uh-uh-uh" and his arms up. When we were part way down the stairs, Jasper would come running to see Tavish and they'd smile ... then laugh. Just getting to see each other was funny. Once they were together - the funny times began. They'd often be found one chasing the other laughing hysterically, sometimes 'yelling' and frequently stopping for a hug. Seriously, it was that cute. When we were at the Children's Museum and they'd stumble upon one another, there was the hug and some more following and laughing. One time Tavish had to crawl through a small area and just decided to continue crawling, so Jasper got down on all fours and played along. Then, they'd laugh - presumably because they were crawling? After swimming at the hotel, they played peek-a-boo with the lockers. Funny stuff. Tavish was also spotted playing peek-a-boo purely for Jasper's entertainment from the 'little house' in our backyard. He'd close the shutters and then open them with a delighted squeal and huge smile. "Jasper? Did you see that? You've gotta come check this place out!" Hahaha, yes Tavish - you're funny. In the playroom at the hotel, they took turns 'driving' the firetruck ... by 'driving' I mean that one would sit in it and the other would push them around. At one point, Jasper crawled into the truck with Tavish. Hahaha, no Jasper - you're funny. Neither of them seemed to mind the close quarters. Ah, friendship blooming at a young age. Perhaps it's partly the influence of modeled behaviour? Carol and I tend to squeal with excitment when we see one another and although I'm putting words in her mouth - we find each other pretty funnny too ... hmmm. Good friends are good stuff.

Family is Everything

It's true. There were many wonderful moments of 'family' on our Mcfayden Family Reunion Weekend in Nestor Falls. I will share only a few ...




MOMENTS: Children Caring for Children

Generally, the older great-grandchildren (Connor, Liam, Cameron, Logan and Paige) were running all over the place playing together while Tavish and Warren stayed closer to the adults. Although the child to child interaction with these two 'babies' was wonderful. When Logan arrived (the first other 'child' to arrive), Tavish toddled over, looked up at him and smiled. He just stood there, staring and eager to be involved in anything Logan had going on. It was followed up on our last night in town over dinner, where Logan hugged Tavish (smile) and they played together. Cute cousins. On the weekend, Tavish was sitting on my lap when Cameron came into the room and Tavish reached out for a hug. When I told Cameron he wanted to go to him, Cameron said "okay". I helped Cameron hold Tavish for a hug ... Cameron said "wow, he's heavy". The ended up sharing a chair for awhile and Cameron read Tavish a story. When Tavish looked up at Cameron while he was listening to the story, he spotted Cameron's hat and patted his head (hat). I translated: "that means hat". Cameron stopped reading when he heard that "oh, here you go" he said and plopped his hat onto Tavish's head. Tavish was elated. It was cute. When Cameron left he said "bye Tavish, I'm going to go and play with my other friends now". Aw. The adoration for younger children continued - Tavish was entranced by Warren. "Bay-bee". Tavish was always looking for a way to hug Warren when someone he knew was holding him. He was gentle and always patted the baby lightly on the back (or the arm of the person holding Warren, it turns out). He also stood at the side of the playpen when Warren was sleeping and would whisper "bay-bee, shhh". It's great to see all of these children being gentle with one another and enjoying being a family.

MOMENT: Shy Guy

I learned something about our little guy: he's friendly and responsive, but not always immediately and never when picked up prematurely by a 'stranger'. Huh, guess there aren't a lot of people who pick him up other than us usuals. So, when we passed through Nestor Falls on our way in from Winnipeg, he was overtly uninterested in going to anyone other than Grandma, Grandpa or Mommy. No Auntie Katy. No Uncle Merle. This was more obvious with more people over the weekend. There was no way he was going to sit quietly in the arms of anyone beyone the three of us. As the weekend progressed, Tavish extended his list of acceptable people to be picked up by. Uncle Murry had worked his way onto the list as had Auntie Katy, maybe others too. I love our family and how it keeps growing; it was wonderful for me to have my son among my extended family. After years of watching the other great grandchildren grow up at these functions, it was touching to see my son included in it. It had that: 'it takes a whole village to raise a child' feel to it. I didn't worry when he was out of my site, I knew he was okay. Everyone has their eye out for everyone, especially the children. It was wonderful. I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with a longing for my Grandma to be there with us. She would have loved every moment of it. I miss her, but it feels so good to know that she met Tavish and that her unconditional love lingers on through her family. A family that all cared enough to come together simply for the purpose of being together. Tom, Tavish and I are so fortunate to be surrounded by family on both sides and it is nice to see Tavish become less shy with family as time goes on.

Moose Madness

The excitement and wonder of all animals commonly found in Northwestern Ontario, and less frequently stumbled across living in downtown Ottawa, continued over the McFayden family reunion weekend in Nestor Falls at Uncle Merle and Auntie Katy's.



MOMENT: Me and the Moose

On our drive 'home' from Winnipeg, we stopped in for a quick visit with Uncle Merle and Auntie Katy. This is where Tavish groggily exited the van, only to spot a moose straight ahead. Okay, so it wasn't a 'real' moose - but it sure had the appeal of one. Tavish marched past everyone and over to the moose to point emphatically. "Would you like to sit on the moose, Tavish?" (insert, hand nod (yes) with a smiling "uh-uh-uh"). He loved that thing. Very cute. When we returned for our weekend, he was in moose heaven. Literally. My Aunt and Uncle have a collection of moose all over their place. There are at least 5 moose statues that Uncle Merle built that are visible from the highway in addition to the seemingly endless moose in their home: carved, stuffed, painted - you name it. There were a few that stood out for Tavish though: the stuffed moosed that was pushed around by Tavish in a mini-stroller, a cartoon statue that he often took pause to sit next to and pat, and - of course, the love-at-first-site moose that he could view from the inside. If only seeing a living moose was as easy to spot by looking out a window or going on a short boat ride like the loons were. Sigh. Guess we'll have to come back to these parts and take the little man out for a walk in the woods ... hopefully we can convince people to do that with him without a gun! haha.

Looney at the Lake

I have so many fond memories of summers spent on Footprint Lake. It is such a pleasure to see Tavish discovering so much of the beauty and fun that this magical place has to offer. Now I have even more fond memories here that include Tavish's childhood ...



MOMENTS: Birds of a Feather


Tavish is sticking together with the loons. Any loon, albeit the majority were in photo form. He discovered the coffee table book pictured above and truly enjoyed looking at every page. Every page. It was fun and only got better when Grandma said "Tavish, did you hear that? It was a loon!". Very cool. There he was with his nosed pressed to the formerly clean window watching the small family of loons swimming in the bay. Recognizing this new affection, we were sure to point out all loons when we were out in the boat. He watched with such interest and admiration. My little loon lover, I'm so glad that I brought him up here to discover some northwestern Ontario beauty.

Unfulfilled Expectations

Well, Tavish and I are on our journey 'home' for 10 days ... but it's not that straight-forward, of course. Our trip is all about being mobile and 'sleeping' around. We will never be in the same place for more than 3 nights. Here's the plan: 2 nights in Winnipeg, 3 nights at the cabin, 1 night in Nestor Falls, 3 nights in Fort Frances, 1 night in Winnipeg. GULP! After our sleepless nights in Maine (a yawn escaped me just typing/thinking about it), I was a bit anxious about this 'plan', especially since it would be Tom-less. Eeks. I had visions of screaming, increased nursing, bags under my eyes, desperate bed-sharing for hoped silence, and complete exhaustion for all. However, I'm pleased to report that after night #3, Tavish has far exceeded, surpassed and dismissed my expectations. Yay! (If you're reading this, please, please, please knock on wood right now ... seriously, I'm begging you.)

Here are a few "moments" from our trip so far ...


MOMENT: Assigned Seats

It has always been a treat to fly with Tavish, this time was no different. Again, I don't know why I found myself being a bit apprehensive about it - he has 'changed' in that he is older and more developed in his abilities, but he is the same kid. Anyway, he LOVED the airport in a whole new way. Planes out the windows = "oooooo", luggage vehicles driving around on the tarmac = "uh! uh! uh!" supported my emphatic pointing, and any other large vehicle = "vroom, vroom" as has become a standard. He thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it and was glued to the window of the airport, then the window of the airplane - taking in every detail of everything he saw, and seemingly the details of the information I contributed. Across the aisle from us was a family with a 22 month old. The poor little one did not seem nearly as excited about the experience. To summarize, there was a lot of unhappy 'sounds' from her for a long, long time. Tavish kept pointing over at her saying "bay-beee" and looking quite concerned. (aw) A young, single lady took the aisle seat in our short row. Poor girl. She glanced over at us with trepidation as she clearly tries to resist the 'flight' response to this scene and deplaning before it was too late. Mercifully (for her especially), the expectation exceeding started early on this trip. She was endlessly intrigued by his sign-language skills and became quite enamoured with Tavish by the time we landed. I think that, in the end, Tavish was successful in doing his part to keep the Canadian birth rate up as I am convinced that the 'poor' lady deplaned in Winnipeg being, at the very least, on the fence about swearing off children for good!

MOMENT: "Are we there yet"

Okay, it's true that this sentiment was uttered and wondered repeatedly on our drive from Winnipeg to the cabin, but not by Tavish. No, he was a treat. It was his all-of-a-sudden-impatient Mommy that moaned and groaned about the distance ... it was like I hadn't done this drive a bazillion times before, sheesh. Tavish quickly fell into a slumber when he got into the van (I felt compelled to follow suit) and was pleasantly self-entertained for over an hour when he woke up. When I opened my eyes (in the front seat), my Dad silently informed me that he was awake. I looked back to find that his traveling partner however, was not - Grandma was napping. I guess this encouraged Tavish to play quietly? (aw) Even after Mom awoke and was reading, Tavish continued to entertain himself quietly. It wasn't until we passed a huge motorhome that he made a sound: "bu-bye vroom-vroom" over and over again. Then, he and Grandma had a grand ol' time back there with laughter, giggles and all sorts of signs ("Kath, what does {insert sign description} mean?"). Very fun. He made it until about 5 minutes away from Merle and Katy's before he indicated that he'd had enough. I'd been antsy since I awoke ... I guess I should have set lower expectations for traveling with Mommy.