Afternoon Nap Time

Clearly, Sir Callum has a firm grasp of the concept of “nap”. This is after 2.5 hours of solid sleeping, without so much of a complaint coming from his room. A gold star!

And here? I think it is safe to assume that Miss Bear wasn’t paying attention when the ground rules were being laid out. Again.
At least she’s smiling.

Falling Back Into Routine

I love the fall. I love the colors, how the light warms everything. I love the smell, the beginning of rain. I love pumpkin pie. I love Thanksgiving and the antipation of Christmas, christmas crafts and Halloween. Fall, to me, feels like falling in love. I fell in love in the fall, in fact.

Basically, this is the best time of the year.

Since the weather is still dry and warm while the sun is out, we decided to do a simple dinner at the beach. We picked a fabulous day for it. Perfect evenings like this is why we live here.

It’ll be the last evening in a long time that can be spent so simply. This week begins the busy fall agenda with classes for the kids, volunteer commitments, a new running schedule for both Steve and I, plus there is a discussion about going back to work part-time. And let’s not forget the crafting that is to be done in the coming weeks. Much goodness in the works, if only I can find that hidden hour that keeps slipping away from me. Damn time.

Even Claire got to partake in the beach picnicing and had sweet potato tonight, for the first time! She’s on solids! ~sniffle~
The changing seasons has made me realize that she’s moving into the third season of her short little life, having lived through the spring and the summer already. My baby girl is rapidly growing and I feel like time is slipping away from me.
I must be hormonal or something, because two sappy posts in a row? Weird.

Just dishing out some sap.

There are certain things about parenthood you hope to forget, like temper tantrums, the current lack of a sleep schedules, and for me, the agony that is breastfeeding. Then there are those subtle things you hope to remember forever, like what a little social butterfly Claire is, or how intense Callum can be when he’s giving something his full attention.

Sometimes I look at the kids and wonder who they will become and what parcels of their personality today will shape them later in life. How much of who they are is pre-determined and how much is going to be a result of what life throws at them.
And then you can’t help but wonder what life is going to throw at them, and how you’re going to prepare them for it, or protect them from it.

People are constantly judging and sorting kids. It is such a rare moment where we can just allow our kids to be kids. Moments where they can, at will, empty the water cooler to make “cookies” or freely add their own art to every page of a book, or take off all their clothes and just hang out naked for a while. Why can’t kids hang out naked when other people are around? They’re kids.
.
I worry sometimes that I’m going to get too caught up in what I should be doing, what my kids should be doing, and what is expected, that I’m not fully enjoying how precious and fleeting these moments are. And I wonder how I’m ever going to remember those subtle, beautiful things that make my kids, and the kids I love, special.

The Sick.

We’ve been sick, in some form or another, since Calgary. This is sort of part of the agenda when we go to Calgary, we return full of germs.
Steve thinks Calgary is full of germs. I think it is more likely due to getting on an airplane. This time, Callum has suffered for over a week with a cold that won’t end. Steve, too, has been suffering from some sort of cold, and poor Miss Claire had a couple of days of a low-grade fever, followed by days of sniffles. I had a night of a fever, followed by several days of what feels like razors in my throat. I’m considering calling the doctor today. The kids are sleeping 3 hours in the afternoon (which is nice) and I inevitably crash once they go down (not so nice, I like to get stuff done when they’re napping).
There has been more medicine consumption in the last week in this house than there has been in the last few years.
The most annoying thing, for me, is that I have a list of tasks to accomplish that is a mile long, and it keeps being put on hold while I try and feel better. Except the stress of it is probably making me more sick than if I could just get it done.
To add to the sick drama, Claire is in some sort of transitional place. She is definitely ready for solid foods, and has been getting cereal twice a day, yet she still nurses ALL NIGHT. I’ve been too sick to put a stop to this, because getting up and down all night long and going to her room is too much energy. We can get her to sleep, say by 9 pm, and then by 1 am she’s awake. And then again at 3, and again at 5. It’s like we’re back in the newborn stage, and she’s feeding for an hour at a time, too.
I’ve tried feeding her more during the day (and I’ve added in another day-time bottle), giving her cereal, and I nurse her then Steve gives her a bottle before bed, all to no avail. I have a feeling she doesn’t feel well and just wants the comfort of nursing and Mama, but Mama kinda wants to sleep in her own bed without a baby.

Bliss…

both my kids are asleep.
in their own beds.
start up the band!
(eh, ok, maybe not the band, that might wake them up! Here’s hoping it lasts longer than 20 minutes, too)