First day at "School"

"One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child"

- Maria Montessori

Tavish with his new lunch bag - ready for the day!

MOMENT: Fearless and Tearless

There has been a great deal of build up and anticipation (read: anxiety for Mommy) for today and it finally came: we took Tavish to a "school" (Montessori ... elaborate daycare). I've had my reservations, mostly selfish but they were quickly put at ease today. What a trooper our son is. He confidently walked up to the school with his lunch bag slung over his shoulder (even though it only contained a snack for today), climbed all the stairs and went right up to "Miss Danielle". I held my breath to see what would unfold only to watch Tavish excitedly show her his lunch bag. We've been emphatically told that the goodbye is to be swift and brief. So, I asked for a hug which was given with an accompanying "bye Mommy". That was it. I turned and left. I didn't make it to the bottom of the stairs without tears welling in my eyes and falling on my ride to work. I watched the clock with anticipation: 'is he okay?', 'does he like it?', 'has he been there too long for his first day?' etc, etc. 


Tom picked up a happy toddler three hours later who came complete with a huge smile and reluctance to go. Oh, so he's fine? The note from his teacher read:


"Tavish had a great first day! Got several lessons (beads, drawing, cylinder block, chopsticks and others) Had a good snack. No tears at all and seems happy! Tomorrow he should be fine until 1:30. Thanks, Miss Danielle"

When we asked Tavish tonight, "would you like to go to school longer tomorrow?" he replied "no". I held my breath then heard the rest of what Tavish said "I want to go now". I hope this is the first of many firsts that are going to be this smooth, fearless and tearless (at least for Tavish!)

Tavish-o-Lantern

Halloween has been so much fun this year! Tavish's interest in 'ba-gum-pa-gums'a year ago remained and evolved - he proudly stated he was going to be 'a pumpkin` when asked, even before we re-introduced the holiday to him.

MOMENT: Carving, Creating, Parading and 'Treat'ing

There's been build up to this holiday involving themed crafts and colourful creating. I even got to work re-purposing an old orange sweater to turn our Tavish into a jack-o-lantern. Tavish and his construction-worker Daddy led the charge in their bright orange costumes at the second annual neighbourhood Halloween parade. Then he experienced Trick-or-Treating for the first time at the neighbour's. Grandpa Mike is such a good sport!

Hope your Halloween was as spooktacular as ours was. BOO!

Transition - Final Phase

It was time for a bigger bed for our bigger little boy. The assembly was a job for the Bedford boys - Grandpa Mike, Handy Daddy and Builder Tavish had a project ...

MOMENT: Handy Helper

Tavish was Daddy's Little Helper by providing entertainment, company and some more 'twisting'. He's all settled into his 'new' room with his "big crib". He can crawl in and out with ease but would find it difficult to fall out of while sleeping. Perfect. The final touch involved dusting off the ol' sewing machine - Mommy made a duvet cover! He's all set up and very excited about it ...

Seeing Seattle

Tom's sister and family moved to the Pacific northwest for work. We missed them so made a trip out of it! Grandpa Mike came too - the whole Bedford family was together again.

MOMENTS: Rain brings Rainbows

So many adventures were had. We hit up the Aquarium where Tavish touched and watched all kinds of neat things; we hiked through lush forests; enjoyed ferry rides with family; let Tavish take the wheel during our lunch visit to Microsoft; and enjoyed three boys playing and singing together as cousins. So, although being in Seattle in October means rain, the end of the rainbow accompanied us on a highway one day providing a nice reminder that if you want the rainbow, you've got to put up with the rain!

Transition - Phase I

Tavish loves his crib, often referring to to his nap time as "playing in my crib". Although it might seem wrong to take that happiness away from him (fine, it's our happiness too - the confinement has been handy), it's time for the crib to go. Phase(out) I involves removing the bars and putting the mattress on the floor.

The "before" photo: A Baby's Bedroom

MOMENT: Twisting with Tavish

Tavish was integral to the phase-out construction. He twists and likes to help with little assistance.

So far, the absence of bars have led to three smooth nights of sleep with few 'thuds' and lots of excitement. It is worth noting though, that there has been no 'napping' at all since the rails came down. Surely the novelty of bedroom freedom will fade at some point, right? Let's just hope that excitement isn't replaced with the joy of escaping because (knock in wood) there have yet to be bedroom break-out attempts.

Stay tuned for Phase II - single bed assembly. Coming soon ...

Skipping Rocks

Tom must be the best rock-skipper I've ever met. I've witnessed him skip rocks into many different bodies of water over the years; he loves it.  It appears that the love of rock throwing may be contagious or at the very least, hereditary.

MOMENT: Tavish See. Tavish Do.

The love of rock throwing, he gets from his Daddy. The love of using sound effects might well come from Mommy. (blush)

PS - please pardon the plumber pose ... (heehee)

Mommy's lil' rock thrower.

Happy guy.

Adventures of the Green Potty

It's true, Tavish is potty-trained. Happened pretty easily with the help of his portable green potty. It was the absence of a toilet on our main floor that prompted us to purchase the green potty. It's gone everywhere with us. Yes, only the best vistas for out-and-about business will do.

MOMENT: Oh the Places Your Potty Will Go!

It's been to the park. It's been on the side of the road.  It's been in a boat ... and many other creative (and practical) places. Always ready in a timely manner too. Thank you, green potty - you've served us all well.

Standard canoe trip gear.

A pause on our portage is not a problem!

Needing to piddle on a lake paddle.

Bike ride beach break with a bonus.

A new Footprint Lake landing landmark?

No interruptions to beach time in Cape Cod.