Mountains, museums and the very first Metro ride

Hey dad, let me take the wheel! I'm so happy to say that we've broken Odie in! He has been wonderful in the car for the past several days. Very, very few tears, lots of sleep and an overall feeling that peace has been restored during our car time!

Hotel buddies for life

After spending a few consecutive nights in hotels, we were incredibly happy to pull into Brevard, North Carolina where we were greeted by my dear friend Carolyn, on the doorsteps of her beautiful home. Perched on the mountainside and surrounded by nature, the home has been built over the past several years by her husband and it is truly a work of art. Carolyn is a friend of mine from when I attended Susquehanna University in '98-99. Another great friend from those years, Emily, lives only an hour away in Asheville. It was wonderful to catch up with them both and spend a few days in this remarkable part of the world.

Pisgah National Forest is the 'Land of Waterfalls'. Hiking with Carolyn (and Cale's trusty pirate flag)

Rooftop Patio at Carolyn's. Caleb's favourite place in the State. We had a Equinox party and bonfire up here one night. 

Father and son bonding time at the Asheville Pinball Museum. $7 for all you can play!

From North Carolina, we continued on through Tennessee and into Virginia on route to Washington, D.C. We knew Caleb would love seeing the national monuments and especially the wonderful Smithsonian museums. Most people may not be willing to take a 6 month old and a 5 year old into a big city for a day of viewing museum exhibits, but it was well worth the journey. Cale was ecstatic to ride on his first subway, and then he whole-heartedly absorbed as much as he could at both the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum. He is such a sponge and now officially knows more than I do about outer space, rockets and satellites! 

Natural History Museum

Riding the Metro!

The thing I am enjoying most about our trip is the time we are spending together as a family of 4. This is our first chance to just be together for an extended period. Each day we have so much time to talk about things, laugh, play, cuddle and make memories that I will always treasure. I'll miss this feeling when we get back to our regular life next week.

Georgia on my mind

Making new friends (and new faces) on the St. Augustine Pier. Cale with Brown Pelicans and a Brown Booby waiting by the fish cleaning station

Hello from Hilton Head, South Carolina! We've crossed a few state lines and now have some real miles under our belts. We left Kissimmee heading north and made it as far as St. Augustine where we spent two days in the sun. We found a beautiful State Park (Anastasia) where we played on the beach,  ate some frozen bananas and did some hiking. On Cale's insistence, we stopped to read all the local vegetation signs along the trail which makes the scientist in me smile.

We then headed to Savannah, Georgia, where we unknowingly found ourselves in the midst of the 2nd largest St. Patrick's Day celebration in North America (second only to NYC). We stayed a few miles outside of the historic downtown core, and there was no way we could have gotten any closer. We waited until the parade was over after dinner before we ventured into town and saw the remnants of what looked like a really great party. Literally every person we saw, adults and children alike, were decked out head to toe in green and most had half drunken, sun-burned smiles on their faces. We took a wrong turn heading into town and ended up at an amazing park in the centre of town where even the water in the fountain was green! One of favourite things about road trips are the little mistakes like these that turn into beautiful memories. Savannah was one of the spots that many people had recommended we visit, so we spent the morning touring the waterfront before continuing on into South Carolina.

Savannah waterfront

We are quickly coming to terms with the fact that Odin is basically the one in charge on this trip. As much as we might like to wander around parks and towns for hours, or push on and drive to a distant town, we are traveling on Odie time. We need to work around his schedule, making sure he gets adequate naps and doesn't spend too long in the sun or cooped up in his car seat. Speaking of car seats, Odin is not a fan of his. There have been tears, many, many tears while we drive. Basically we cringe and try to bare the screams until he falls asleep and hope that he won't wake up until we get to where we are going. It definitely is a challenge, and I'd like to say that each day gets better, but we only drove for 50 minutes today, so it is hard to say. The second we take him out of said car seat, he is a delightful little boy, grinning and charming everyone around him.

Thankfully, Cale is perfect. We couldn't ask for a better traveling partner for a road trip like this. He can easily spend hours in the back seat listening to music, asking great questions and drawing in his travel journal or making 'tickets' for each of us to get into an upcoming party that will begin when we arrive at the next hotel. Today was a 'Family on the Road' party which came with a very detailed $5 ticket that allowed each of us to bring 5 people with us. Very generous! Cale is also an amazing backseat big brother. He gives us updates on how Odie is doing, passes him toys to play with and doesn't let the tears get him down at all. He may ask for us to turn up the tunes to drowned out the cries, but other than that, he is just taking it all in. We reward him with as many play ground stops as we can find. We are basically on a play ground tour of the USA, and we're ok with that!

Hilton Head play ground. Grammie and Grampie Jeffries - the pirate flag was purchased, after very careful deliberations, using the $5 US you gave to him. He is doing a 1 man parade in this photo!

Even Odin is enjoying our play ground adventures.

One thing Odie is loving on this trip is eating whole solid foods. We seem to be doing the 'baby led weaning' method out of sheer need. We have no means to blend up food, so we let him share whole pieces of fruits and veggies which he delights in chowing down on. Cucumbers, celery, carrots, apples and frozen banana are current favourites. 

Road Trippin'

We are officially on the road! After spending a wonderful 5 days in Cocoa Beach, Florida with Greggy and Linda, we have set off to explore the East Coast. Our Honda Accord is jam-packed full with winter clothes, summer clothes, diapers, lego, craft supplies, books, swim wear, picnic essentials, a cooler and ourselves!

What is this thing they call 'sunshine'?

I flew with the boys from Bangor to Sanford on Monday. Alan dropped us off at the airport and drove (almost straight) for 24 hours until he reached us. He stopped in Virginia the first night and made it to our condo on Tuesday just after the sun had set. I thought he would be slightly delirious from the solo trip, but he was in great spirits and ready to join in on the family fun for the rest of the week. What a trooper. Made me feel like we were young and head over heels in love all over again! I think Alan and I are especially excited about this trip because we did a similar road trip in 2003, almost 12 years ago to the day. We crossed all through the States and Canada in a Dodge Caravan that we had decked out into a camper. That trip brought us some of our happiest memories and convinced us both that we wanted to spend our lives together. We've always dreamed of retracing our route with our family one day, and although we aren't crossing the entire continent this time, we are finally on the road, making memories with two little boys in tow. This trip, we'll be trading in the camp sites for hotels and play grounds and laundromats, but the magical feelings of the unknown adventures that lie ahead have already started to take hold.

Dad's here!

There was so much to see around Cocoa Beach - the Brevard Zoo was a huge hit and Cale fed both a sting ray and a giraffe out of his hand! The highlight of the trip so far was visiting the Kennedy Space Centre which is truly an amazing facility. That same night we were lucky enough to witness a NASA rocket launch, which we woke Cale up for at 10:45 pm to watch from our beach. He was over the moon (no pun intended!).

After leaving Cocoa Beach, we spent a wonderful day and night with Alan's uncle Neil, aunt Sue and cousin Jason in Kissimmee. Odie is recovering from yet another ear infection, so it was great to have a home base for him to rest up before we start really putting the miles on. Cale is a little unsure about leaving Florida. He wasn't sure if it would still be warm if we drove to Georgia, and he's proclaimed that he'd much rather be swimming in a pool than playing in a snowbank.

I thought Odie was going to crawl across the table to get some more banana from Linda!

Cale has abandoned his dreams of becoming a magician when he grows up and instead, has decided that he'd like to work for NASA and design rockets. He's scared of heights so being an astronaut is off the table for now!

Caleb's new favourite chef, Uncle Neil! He was particularly impressed with his homemade jello and even asked for the recipe!!

6 months!

Ahhh! Half of a year has already come and gone! Wow. I feel like I need to take a deep breath and just soak it all in for a minute. Odin Alistair Jeffries, my scrawny little baby, is turning into a handsome, strong and adorably chubby boy right in front of my eyes. His 6 month doctor's appointment revealed that he is just shy of 18 lbs, and is continuing to perfectly follow the 50th percentile growth curve. We are beginning to uncover his personality as each day he reveals new glimpses of who he is going to be. He is his own little fella, that's for sure.

I can't help but compare him to Caleb, but as Alan said the other night, we are dealing with a whole different beast here. It's so true. At this early point in his life, Odie seems quite rough and tumble, and very, very independent. He is at the stage where he loves to be surrounded by toys so that he can taste each one individually, then throw it on the floor. I remember Cale dropping toys, but Odie actually puts some muscle into it and throws them down to the floor. I've said out loud, on more than one occasion, that he has a really good arm! He loves to eat solid foods, but only if he is holding the spoon by himself....at 6 months! It's like he let me feed him for one day then decided, "It's ok mom, I can take this from here.' (See video below). He also has learned a new sound that he's been practicing on repeat for the past few days. It is a blowing sound that is basically a 'pfffft'. So for the past few days most of our conversations have been followed by a baby saying 'pffffttt...'. It's as if he is completely dismissing what we just said, and it makes it pretty hard to take anything seriously.

We invited Monica over for her first ever SLEEPOVER last weekend and I'm very happy to report that the cousins all had a great time. We even had a chance to Skype with Amelia and Jack. CousinFest 2015!

Sick baby blues

All bundled up: So sick, yet still so cute. He didn't move from this position during our hour long walk over the weekend. 

Odin has developed an ear infection that has him feeling sore, feverish, fussy and very lethargic. I love that he will finally rest his head on my shoulder and cuddle instead of squirming and attempting to stand on his own all day, but there is nothing worse than the completely helpless feeling of a sick baby crying in your arms. Cutting new teeth (he now has 5), drooling and a runny nose hasn't helped the situation. He's basically a snotty mess but hopefully he will be on the mend soon and back to his smiling self. I miss my happy little man, and my arms are tired from not being able to put him down!

Oh, hello there bottom teeth!!

Before he was struck down with his illness, we had a very exciting week. Odie tried his first bites of food. We started with rice cereal, and have added bananas (successfully) and carrots (not so successfully). Cale was super excited to be part of feeding him. Once we had decided to give it a try, he began chanting at me to 'Pump some milk! Pump some milk!' so we could mix it with the dry cereal and get the feeding started!! I can't believe how quickly my little man is growing up.

Odie wasn't nearly as excited as Caleb was about trying his first bites.

But he soon discovered how much fun and messy food can be!

I'm so out of practice that I didn't even think to put a bib on Odie!! I won't be making that mistake again anytime soon!

As the end of February approaches, we are getting ready to pack our bags and move once again. We've been staying at a great house in Douglas, overlooking the St. John River. It is the home of friend's parents who spend the winter in Florida and we've been here since November 1. Staying here has worked out wonderfully well for all of us. I'm a bit embarrassed to say that this is the 9th home that Caleb has lived in. How crazy is that??? We are destined to be vagabonds for life it seems. The Unintentional Nomads will be the name of our first family band.

Next up for us, however, is something I'm super excited about - a giant road trip!! I'm flying with the boys to meet up with my parents in Florida and Alan, being the wonderful man that he is, is driving solo down to meet us. The 4 of us will spend a week with my parents and then take 2-3 weeks to drive back up the coast together, stopping to visit friends, family and hopefully some amazing roadside attractions along the way! A family adventure was something we really wanted to make happen during my maternity leave and I'm so excited that my dream is coming true in only 2 short weeks!! 

We're hitting the road, and *hopefully* they won't be snow-covered!

True love

Happy Valentine's Day

We are at home, preparing for *another* snow storm and enjoying our day together. Nothing too special, but special all the same because we are together, healthy, happy and surrounded by love. I must say that the love a mother receives from her children is a truly miraculous thing, but the love a mother receives from a young baby is on a whole other level.

Anyone who has spent anytime with Odie and I knows that his love for his mama runs deep. Really, really deep. I don't remember it being quite so obvious with Caleb, but with Odin it is hard to ignore. He literally lights up when I enter the room. He fixates his eyes on me and stares with sheer adoration. I'll often catch him staring at me, and when I catch his eye, he bursts into a giant, heart-melting smile. If he is fussing or crying in someone else's arms, he will stop as soon as he is back with his mama. He can go from a scream to a smug smile in 1 second flat. This is quite a superpower to hold over someone, and I take his unwavering trust and love very seriously, even if it makes me laugh at times (and likely frustrates others). Knowing that just my presence or my touch can have such an impact on him is amazing, and it may lead to attachment issues or something down the road, but for now I am revelling in it, knowing that it won't last forever. And to be fair, he does love others as well...his dad for sure, as well as his brother, grandparents and other family have all won a special place in his heart. He often treats people to his smiles and laughter, so he does spread his love around, but he definitely saves his best love for me!

Odin's eyes are a really interesting colour right now. They are very bright, but they aren't blue. More of a grey/green/light brown shade. 

 I left the room the other day and Odie was broken hearted, as if he knew for sure that I'd never be coming back. And the thought crossed my mind that I will never leave him and in fact, he will be the one who will one day leave me- off to college, off to travel, off wherever life takes him - and I'll be the one left behind, watching him go, brokenhearted (but hopefully not expressing it through a screaming fit). Caleb was also attached, and still is to a large extent, but he now needs his mother less and less all the time. He even asked me while we were playing last week if I could pretend to be Ava! Ouch, my first time playing second fiddle!

Caleb is also learning about love, and how to be a loving big brother. There are many lessons he has learned including:

1. Never touch a sleeping baby, no matter how cute he looks
2. Never put your finger in the mouth of a teething baby
3. Try your best not to kiss a baby when your face is covered in jam, or other sticky substances
4. It feels great to hug a baby, but it feels not so great for the baby if the hug is too tight
5. It is most effective to be more than 5 cm away from a baby's face when trying to make him smile or laugh
6. Roaring suddenly within close proximity to a baby's unsuspecting ear may result in crying
7. Most of all, don't stop trying because the rewards, when they come, are so incredibly worth it.

I'll add to this list as I continue to notice these little things that make me smile!

The most magical of birthdays

As Yoda would say 'Your birthday it is'

After my super fun birthday potluck last week, I asked Caleb what he would like to do for his upcoming birthday party. He replied, 'I want my party to be exactly like yours, but with way more decorations!'. On January 29th,  the day that my boy turned 5 years old, I was awoken at 5:30 am. Cale climbed into bed and told me that he was going to take a tour around the house.  I asked why, and he replied "I can't wait to see all the decorations". I asked him why he thought there may be decorations around the house and he looked at me very seriously and said 'Mom, I know what parties are all about'. Well, thankfully Alan and I did decorate the night before and following an inspection, Cale was very satisfied with our work, especially when we discovered the treasure hunt we had set up around the house that lead to a brand new big boy bike hidden in the garage.

I love that birthdays are a chance to celebrate the special people in my life. I wanted Caleb's celebration to be extra special because he is honestly the best little boy anyone could hope for. We had our special day all planned out well in advance, in fact, I overheard Caleb telling someone that he wouldn't be able to go to school on his birthday because he just had too much fun stuff to do! So he skipped class and we set out on an awesome adventure.

First stop - Hot 92.3 Radio station. Yes, Caleb has developed a taste for pop music (his father is suuuper happy about this!). Cale has a fort under Greg and Linda's stairs where he set up a radio and keeps the dial on his favourite station. I had called the station a few days before and asked if it would be ok to bring him in for a tour - and they were incredibly obliging. He met the djs, sat in the studio chair, talked about his favourite song (Uptown Funk) and was gifted with stickers and a 92.3 t-shirt. Very cool.

Taking over the dj booth!

Next stop - UNB biology lab. Because of Cale's love of microscopes, I had arranged up a meeting with Dr. Rick Cunjak who had set up his lab with a ton of water samples, insects and other fun stuff for us to look at. Cale was very interested in everything he saw, asked great questions and again, I chalked this up as a hugely fun and successful venture! Our celebration day ended with a family pizza party, brownies and ice cream.

Budding scientist

Our kids party was planned for Sunday and we still had one more super surprise up our sleeves. Another one of Caleb's interests at the moment is magic, so for his party, we hired Perley the Magician to come and entertain the kids. Caleb couldn't believe it when Perley walked in...with 3 giant tupperware containers filled with magic tricks and props! He put on a great show and had the kids squealing in delight. Cale was beside himself, surrounded by friends and family and just loving every minute of his special day. 

How could you not be excited seeing all of these great tricks!

Party time!

To top off our most magical birthday week, we watched the Patriots win the Super Bowl Sunday night. I didn't want to jinx it earlier, but I think that Odin is the Pats' secret weapon. Each time he wore his Brady jersey this season, the Pats won the game. 15 wears, 15 wins!! My dad is going to retire this lucky jersey once he outgrows it! We'll probably have a little ceremony, just to give us something else to celebrate!

Odie probably would have been voted the Super Bowl MVP, had the Patriots only known about their secret weapon.

I also decided to keep my tradition of interviewing Caleb on his birthday and I'm pleased to share this special video below! Enjoy!

First Tooth (and other fun news)

This past weekend we celebrated my 36th birthday. I've been informed that this means I am still in my 'mid thirties' and not yet my 'late thirties'! Either way, it was a great weekend. Being a parent to an almost 5 year old, means that birthdays are very, very important days. I still clearly remember last year when I crushed Caleb on my birthday - not only did we have No decorations up but we also went to work as if this was just another normal day. Not this year, my friends! We had a huge potluck with several friends on Friday night, a family bowling party on Saturday night, plus balloons, flowers, cupcakes and my very own birthday cd - recorded by Caleb and Alan. It's only 2 songs long - Happy Birthday followed by You are my Sunshine, which is a bit hard to listen to on repeat, but it was a truly fantastic gift!

Getting some help blowing out my candles

The biggest surprise of my birthday was when we discovered that Odin had cut his very first tooth! He's only 4.5 months old, so I really wasn't expecting this, but sure enough - there was a sharp ridge popping out of his bottom gum. I feel like this little fella is going to be ready for college before I know it!

Toothy McGee

And now for some random winter fun pics!

People have commented on how much Odie looks like my uncle Jay, but we also hear that he looks like Grampie John. One friend noted how funny it was that we have one child that looks exactly like me (Cale) and one that looks exactly like Alan (Odie)!

Getting some love from Aly. The boys are so lucky to have such amazing cousins!! 

More cousin fun with Monica and Tanya!

This may be my favourite photo of all time - Caleb sporting a velcro suit at a bouncy castle event! 

Four months young

Our little fella just keeps getting cuter in his old age

Odin has been busy growing and learning. In the past 8 weeks he has grown 8 cm and gained nearly 4 lbs. He is knocking off milestones like nobody's business. He has an ever growing repertoire of sounds, is settling into a nap routine, he can reach and grab things with a surprisingly high success rate and he rolled over for the very first time last week.  Reliving these stages has been incredibly fun and absolutely fascinating. Watching his little hands reach out and latch onto a toy is just amazing, realizing he has dipped his hands into my bowl of chilli is a little less amusing but somehow incredible at the same time!

Caleb is thriving as well. He'll turn 5 at the end of the month and his independence, intelligence, memory, thoughtfulness and humour astounds me everyday. I love that his journey now includes a little brother - his partner in crime and sidekick for life. I've had the opportunity to witness some incredibly tender moments between the two of them, like seeing them hold hands in the backseat of the car, hearing Cale sing and talk sweetly to Odin if he needs to be calmed and watching as Cale cheers him on as he attempts new things. Life in this moment is truly wonderful.