Scenes from our new home

Cornfest

First dinner party (and a sneak peak of Caleb's Halloween costume!)

Hooray for puddles!

Post-bath jam

After school snack on the patio (or 'relaxin' as Caleb says)

New friends

Hallelujah!

Harvest

Checking out some tunes with Teresa and Dad

Thanks to the Jeffries/MacEachern team, all three of us had a wonderful Harvest Jazz and Blues weekend this year. Caleb was able to enjoy some of the afternoon shows and in the evenings he was well taken care of at the Jeffries' house, spending time with Aunt Teresa, Uncle Tommy and family friend Sue. I was a bit worried about how Cale would go to sleep, but I knew that after raising 5 kids, Grammie Jeffries would be able to handle any situation. Grammie tried to put Caleb down at 8:30, but after 45 minutes of talking and singing with no signs of falling to sleep, she let him come back down to join in on the family fun. Everyone was sitting in the kitchen chatting, and not wanting to miss out, Caleb grabbed his booster seat, dragged it into the circle, sat down, crossed his arms and legs and started gabbing right along with everyone! I wish I was there to see it, but Alan and I were out on the town enjoying Taj Mahal at the Playhouse. So much great music, family time, friend time and Alan time...can't wait to do it all again next year.

Having a dance with Cousin Monica at Officer's Square.

Bedtime woes

New rock throwing grounds

The switch to our new house has gone very well in all aspects except for one...our dreaded sleep issues have returned. After being spoiled by several weeks of Caleb going to bed easily and sleeping through the night, we were once again faced with bedtime woes. The first few nights, Caleb woudl cry once we entered his room, tensing up with the anticipation of the bedtime routine. He didn't want to read books and he wanted to be put down in his crib even less. For 3 nights we sat with him for 3 hours, alternating shifts of patting and singing and trying not to loose patience as the exhaustion set in. Now that we have neighbours, I'm extremely conscious of Caleb crying for fear of keeping others up or worse yet, having someone think we are somehow torturing our child each night. So instead of opting to let him cry for 15 minutes, we stayed by his bedside desperately willing him to fall asleep. I was really feeling like Caleb's sleep issues were my biggest parenting failure. How did I ever let it get to this? I tried to consol myself by thinking that he had not only just moved into a new house, but also started daycare full time and switched to the toddler room - many changes for a young boy to take in all at once, but still I was feeling quite down about my parenting skills.

The next 3 nights Alan was away, so I had to face the battle on my own. I decided to take a new approach and try to make him feel safe and happy in his new room. I shamelessly enticed him into his room before bed by saying in an overly enthusiastic voice 'Let's have some chocolate in Caleb's new room!!'. He fell for it. We were in the room without tears. He then agreed, without much hesitation, to let me read a couple of new Dr. Seuss books I had picked up from Value Village earlier that day. Finally I asked if he was ready for bed. He said yes, followed by 'pat you' (since I often ask 'do you want me to pat you?' at bed time). So I patted away and quietly sang and magically, he fell asleep - after only about half an hour. A long time, yes, but a huge improvement from the previous nights 1.5 hours. The next night, it was the same (minus the chocolate bribery) and with no patting involved. After only 15 minutes, he was asleep and I only had to hold his hand through the crib slats. This seemed like a better option until I had to very, very slowly release each of my fingers from his grasp and then tiptoe ever so quietly out of the room so as not to wake him. Once I was out, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Last night was even better. Great time reading books, happily laid down and was asleep within minutes.

I think we are getting back on top of our sleeping dilemma...at least until we head home for Harvest this weekend...but I have 4 solid nights of sleep ahead of me before then AND I'm planning on pawning him off on the in-laws for a night or two while we're home!! If our sleep troubles reappear when we get home, I know we can get through it, as we always do, with patience, love and an emergency chocolate stash.

New cove we now call home

New Home

I'm sneaking in a quick blog post while I have internet access at work. We are quickly settling in to our new place and should be back online next week. Caleb loooves our new space. He wakes up in the morning saying 'new house' and goes to sleep saying 'Elwynn' (his new 22 month old upstairs neighbour). He is especially excited about the blue jays that have started arriving at our feeder, his sand box and the fact that he can access the food in our open cupboards. Alan and I are less excited about the latter, but we are really enjoying the new space as well. More updates to come next week.

Playhouse for the kids
Our ocean view (Purcells Cove)

7:30 am sandbox magic

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Rainbow

We are almost ready to say good-bye to Duncans Cove. We had a great visit with Grammie J and Aunt Teresa over the weekend. Bonfires, shooting stars, great home cookin', and a wildlife extravaganza. In a 20 minute span we saw seals, breaching porpoises and an osprey fly by with a fish in it's talons! They helped with chores and kept Caleb entertained while we packed, purged and cleaned. Caleb is noticing the changes. He will look into a room and say 'bed gone?' or 'books all gone.' He doesn't seem to mind, but I know he will be very happy to see all his old things unpacked in our new space.

Caleb's other major change is daycare - this week he started full time and next week he'll be transitioning into the toddler class. I admit my first reaction when I got the call was to burst into tears. I couldn't help it! Even though he has been going part time for months, this seemed like a huge change and suddenly a lot less time with my little boy. I feel incredibly lucky to have had 19 months with him and thankfully, he loves his daycare, so I know the transition will go well. His favorite little friend, Hadley, will be moving to the new class with him so he will be happy about that.

I did feel better this morning when I dropped him off and realized that it was 'music class' day, which, being on Mondays, he has never been able to attend. He apparently loved it (his music teacher says he has music in him!) and I felt assured that he is going to have days full of fun, learning and adventure - although I may keep him home once in awhile just to get some extra time with him. Playing hooky from daycare is ok, isn't it??


Caleb was also given his 'report card' today! An update on his skill development over the past few months. I'm proud to say he is doing excellent in all departments - motor skills, language, sensory, social skills - I almost feel like I should get a 'my child is an honours student at Wee Care Developemental Centre' bumper sticker! I'm so happy he has such great teachers and that we found such a great place for him.

In other news, Tyvonn and I went to Brad Marchand's Stanley Cup parade today. There were several thousand Bruins fans gathered downtown, and somehow Ty and I ended up in a special area with mostly media and family so Tyvonn ended up being one of about 5 people who were able to touch the cup. It was a big day for all of us. Now back to the packing!

Tyvonn touching the cup! Thanks, Brad!

There's a new cowboy in town

Howdy partner

This weekend Caleb finally had a chance to see Alan play on stage. He hasn't been able to see his dada play since last summer, so I couldn't wait to see how he would react. We spent the weekend in PEI at the 60th birthday party for our friend Rheo's dad. About 100 people, all dressed up for the country-western theme, showed up to celebrate, and Alan and Rheo entertained with two rockin bluegrass sets and plenty of late night jams. To say Caleb was excited doesn't fully capture the mood. First off, he didn't nap at all (a first ever experience) and secondly, he was at a party and he looooves parties. He spent the first few hours running around non-stop, hugging people's legs, chasing other kids, chasing himself, rolling on the ground and of course yelling 'party!'. So by the time Alan came on stage, Caleb was already having the time of his life and seeing his dad play was icing on an already iced cake! Caleb danced and would cheer 'daddeeee' loudly at the end of every song. I was kept busy trying to foil his constant attempts to climb up onto the stage. Somewhere in the excitement someone handed him a ukelele, so here he was, instrument in hand trying desperately to be on stage with his dad. Rheo's grandmother finally yelled to me 'just let him go', so I did. Caleb was incredibly proud when he finally got up beside his dad. I was worried he'd get caught up in the cords, or try to make Alan lift him up, but all he wanted to do was stand there, play his ukelele and smile. I could just picture Alan as a toddler doing the exact same thing on stage beside Grampie John. So adorable.

'Let's play Baa Baa Black Sheep next, guys'

Can you spot the third musician (on the left)?

After Caleb finally crashed inside the house (thanks to dad's bedtime skills), Alan and I were both able to enjoy the party. Together. I admit at times over the past 18 months I've felt almost like a ghost of my former self - Alan is able to see our friends often while playing gigs, while I'm usually at home with the babes. So this weekend felt like I was really getting the best of both worlds - a super fun day with Caleb and then a super fun night with Alan while our baby was sleeping peacefully (something I couldn't have imagined even 6 months ago). I almost feel like I'm starting to figure this 'family life' thing out!

This was the only time he sat down all day

Family fun weekend continued

How to stay cool on a summer's day

This is our last full weekend that we will spend in Duncans Cove, so we decided to let Friday's family fun spill over to the rest of the weekend. It happened to be Sou'Wester Days in Sambro, a neighbouring fishing community, so we decided to head to the festival to see what it was all about. On Saturday, we played 'duck pond', 'chocolate wheel' and other games, all purely for Caleb's enjoyment, of course! We also went into a giant bouncy castle, which he was hesitant about at first, but once he saw his mama bouncing away and having a great time, he figured it must be safe and started enjoying himself. The highlight of the day was when some firemen noticed Caleb pointing at the fire hall and saying 'fire truck', so they very kindly showed us around and even let us hop right inside of a truck, which made for one extremely happy little boy.

Hi dad!

On Sunday, while Caleb was napping, I went to the community wharf to witness the 'Blessing of the Fleet'. I've heard of these events taking place around Nova Scotia, but had never been able to attend one so I had no idea what would take place when I arrived. During this centuries old ritual, a priest blesses the fishing fleet to ensure a safe and bountiful season. A Coast Guard boat led about 50 fishing and sailing boats, with their families on board, out of the harbour to the open ocean where the priest says a blessing over the VHF radio. Although I stayed on the dock, it was still quite a sight to see. To top off our super fun weekend, we went to the local church for a community lobster chowder dinner complete with delicious chowder, fresh rolls and strawberry shortcake.

Heading out to sea

As we attempt to help Caleb learn and experience new things each day, I love that we end up at places like fairs, parks and petting zoos. One of my favorite things about parenting is that it makes you prioritize having fun. A big part of our job now is to play, whether we are chasing each other in the yard, racing cars, throwing balls, dancing, singing, coloring or watching cartoons, being a parent makes you a kid again and I don't know if Alan and I have ever had quite so much fun.

Family Fun Friday

Today started out cloudy and cool, and poor Caleb had to go to the doctor to get his 18 month shots. I was surprised that he remembered the doctors office and immediately clung on to me and began to get teary. Things didn't get much better when the doctor attempted to weigh, measure and poke him with needles. But we got through it (75 percentile for height and weight - 29 pounds) and Cale cheered up quickly and managed to wave and say goodbye to everyone.

By the time we got home, the sun finally appeared through the fog and rain, so we decided to go on a family adventure to Hatfield Farm in Hammonds Plains. Alan played with his bluegrass band at a farm function a few weeks ago and came home saying that Caleb would fall in love with the many animals in the petting zoo. Sure enough, Caleb could hardly contain himself once he realized that we were actually going to be able to get up close and pat the animals. Whenever he sees an animal he always says 'pat', but it never really works out since we usually only see pigeons downtown or a wild animal on the yard. So today was the moment he'd been waiting for. He very kindly said 'hello' to all the animals and laughed and smiled as he touched the soft fur. A few animals even ate out of his hand which he really got a kick out of. All in all, it was a wonderful day and I know he wasn't thinking about his shots when he fell asleep tonight.

The calves were adorable

Laughing with an alpaca

Getting up close and personal with the goats

Dad even decided to teach one some dance moves

Moosecall weekend

Jay taxiing us from the camp

This past weekend Caleb and I headed back to NB with my Little Brother, Tyvonn, for our 3rd annual trip to Moosecall camp. It is a weekend that both Tyvonn and I look forward to all year. This year my dad and uncle Jay came along for the trip. The weather was great, we saw lots of wildlife (including a bat inside the camp), Ty caught 4 fish (no salmon, but he couldn't have been happier) and Caleb had a chance to show off his ever expanding vocabulary to his grandparents. His favorite quotes of the weekend were 'diaper off' when he wanted to play in the river naked, 'big rock', 'greggy house', 'thank you' which makes his mama very proud, and 'Tyvonn' which he must have said at least 800 times. I can't even imagine what he'll be saying on next year's trip!

The birch bark hat almost fits this year!

The Miramichi Streaker

Fishing buddies

One and a half!

Today is the day. Our boy is officially one and a half. A full fledged toddler, you might say! Some days I feel like he is still a little baby, but most of the time I feel more like he is a 6 year old trapped in a one year old's body. His speech, memory, independence, humour and grown up looks (I think it's the bum chin) blow my mind everyday. Here are a few things I want to remember about Caleb at 18 months:

Weaning: We've successfully transitioned to one feed a day. First thing in the morning and that is it. This has been great for our night routine, because it is no longer just me who can put him to bed. Alan is now putting him to sleep 90% of the time, which means I get to relax, read, and enjoy a bit of extra free time in the evenings. Alan loves it, too, and it is great to hear him calling out for 'dada' if he has trouble falling asleep....ole mama is off the hook!

Sleeping: After many ups and downs, and likely more to come, Cale is sleeping once again from 7-5 am. We abandoned the bed and he is back in the crib. We spun it around so the lower side is now against the wall, so once again he is safely contained, at least for another few months, anyway. At 5 he comes into bed with us, nurses and sleeps until 6:30 or 7. We have often thought and talked about dropping this bedtime cuddle, but it seems each morning at 5 am, it is so much easier just to bring him in with us instead of listening to him cry himself back to sleep.

Talking: He is a real talker now and it is amazing. Our days are like a game of show and tell. Point and say the word, then point to something else. In the car it is 'bus, bike, tree, car, truck, dog....' at home it is 'juice, cup, monkey, book, phone, guitar, apple sauce....'. But the most amazing thing is his colors - he'll get yellow, red, blue and orange consistently correct. Green has him stumped.

Potty training: He loves the word potty and knows what it means, but we've only had the one successful attempt.

Favorite past times: climbing stairs, singing, playing in dada's new truck, swimming in lakes, watching dad mow the lawn, reading, playing in puddles, coloring and hopping on pop

Favorite toys: firetruck, balls, hockey stick, rocks, vacuum

Practicing up to be in dad's band someday

The Great Escape

Can it really be time for a big boy bed??

Our little Houdini can climb out of his crib. He just swings his legs over the side, holds on to the railing and drops down to his feet. It is actually quite a graceful maneuver! Needless to say, Alan was very surprised when he put him down for his nap and two minutes late Caleb emerged from his room and walked into the kitchen! This is a serious gamechanger for us because suddenly Cale can no longer be contained. We can't leave him to cry if he wakes up at night for fear of him falling, which means we need to stay in his room until he is sound asleep at nap time and bed time. So yesterday afternoon, we decided it was time to convert his crib to a bed. He was sooo proud of his bed (and insisted on helping dad put it together). But when it came time to actually go to sleep, things didn't go quite as planned.

Dada's little helper

I have heard of the 'imaginary force field effect' when kids first transition from crib to bed and they lay there calling for their parents to pick them up in the morning because they don't realize they can get out on their own. Let's just say this was not the case with us. Our 7:00 bedtime, turned into 8:00 bouncing and laughing while we took turns watching him and pretending to be asleep. By 9:00 the frustration really began setting in until finally at 9:15 he fell asleep. He has been sleeping through the night consistently for the past 2 weeks, but of course, last night he cried out at 12 and a split second later he was at our bedside. No force field was going to help us last night. After an hour of trying to get him to go back to sleep, we gave up and let him sleep with me. Maybe he just isn't ready for this transition or maybe we should keep trying for a few more nights and hope it gets easier. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!!

Little monkey jumping on his bed. Quite cute at 2 in the afternoon. Much less cute at 8:30 pm.