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.

Caleb's tree

I'm sad to say that we are leaving our little seaside paradise and moving closer to town. BUT, I'm very happy to say that we will still be on the ocean, in another beautiful small community called Purcell's Cove. We've been spending way too much time in the car commuting these past few months and we decided that a move would make life much easier for all 3 of us. So September 1, we start another new chapter. I can't imagine we will ever live in a place quite as beautiful as Duncans Cove and our spectacular, private view will be missed. Luckily, we will still be able to see the ocean from our new bedroom! We will leave here with many wonderful memories - long walks with Arlo, watching whales from our back deck, encounters with deer, fox, porcupines, raccoons, coyotes and wonderful birds, wild storms and raging seas, sea urchin shells on our front yard, exploring the old World War II bunkers and tunnels of Fort Chebucto, discovering wild orchids, fog horns and singing seals, backyard bonfires and BBQs with friends, but most of all I'll remember this place as Caleb's first home. Spending the first 18 months of Calebs life here has been a dream. I'll never forget the many nights and days nursing, cuddling and reading to him in my Nana's old green chair while staring out the window at ocean. It still makes me laugh to think that he knew the word 'boat' before he knew 'car'.

We will also miss our neighbours and we are thankful to have been welcomed into this close knit community. One neighbour told me that they have named a tree after Caleb that is growing on a small path we use to get between houses. They figure they both sprouted about the same time! They plan on diverting the path to let the tree grow and wanted us to know that Caleb can come back to his birthplace anytime and visit 'Caleb's tree'. I think we'll will definitely be bringing him back here in the years to come.

Caleb's tree

Sweet summertime (and sleep update)

Summer doesn't get much better than this!

We had a great weekend in Fredericton, our first in a few months that Caleb has been healthy enough for some serious outdoor fun! He had a blast playing with Aly and Ava, trying out a sprinkler for the first time with Grammie and Grampie and spending an afternoon in a canoe on the Saint John River.

Getting ready to hit the river with the gals

It was nearly impossible to keep him in the canoe. He wanted not only his hands, but also his head in the water!

I can't quite believe I'm writing this again, but Cale hasn't been sleeping well during the night lately and once again we need to get back on top of the situation. We lost ground while he was sick, both in May with his ear and in June with his flu/urinary infection. He ended up sleeping with us for would nurse throughout the night. We always lose ground in Fredericton partly because it is just too exciting being around family, but recently it is because he can climb out of the playpen where he sleeps. Our little monkey just swings his leg over the top of the pen and pulls himself right out. So I obviously feel like I can't leave him alone in his playpen for fear of him getting seriously hurt, so again he ends up sleeping with me for most of the night.

But now we are both home, healthy and ready to get back on track with Cale sleeping through the night. We think that he mostly wakes up for the comfort feed and at 17 months, we are more than ready to put an end to the night feeds once and for all. We also are ready to move towards weaning altogether so as of tonight, we are going to stop the night feed and Alan will be the one putting Caleb to sleep. This is a big step because nursing has been a key part of our nighttime routine, but we need to start somewhere and we felt like it would be easiest to let the bed time feeding go first. I'll still nurse him in the morning, but hopefully that will be it. It will just be once a day for a couple of weeks and if that goes well, we will stop all together. I feel ready and I hope Caleb does too. I do admit there is a bit of 'he won't need his mama anymore' fear, but rational me knows that isn't true. Nursing has been an incredible experience and I feel very lucky that it has gone so well from day one, but he is growing up and this is a step we need to take.

Alan just emerged from the bedroom and there are a few tears, but I think Caleb will be asleep in no time. I'm happy but I will be ready to give him a huge cuddle in the morning. The tears have already stopped and he has fallen asleep. All on his own.

Dad's #1 fan

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

Who's the fairest one of all?

This is one of Caleb's favorite games. Trying on different hats and admiring himself in the mirror. My dad took these photos last week.

And when he sees a look he really likes he goes in for a kiss!! Too cute.

Canada Day weekend with my favourite little guy

Photo by Greggy at Crystal Crescent

Caleb is feeling much, much better which is good news for me because I have him all to myself this weekend. Alan is playing a couple of gigs and will be home late Saturday night, but until then, Caleb and I are enjoying a fabulous long weekend in the Cove. It is fun to have nowhere to go and nothing pressing to do. We took a couple of extra long walks on this beautiful sunny day and I love seeing what grabs Cale's attention along the way. Today I was slightly ahead of him when I heard him burst out laughing, start clapping and say 'grass, grass'. He was pointing at a field of tall grass that was swaying and moving in the strong wind. I wouldn't have even noticed and he wanted to stay and watch for 20 minutes. I was more than happy to join him and watch the grass 'dancing'. We finished off our long walks with some ice cream. I'm really glad I knew enough to take off his shirt before giving him the bowl!

Signing for more ice cream

Much needed post ice cream bath

At 17 months (maybe it is time to start saying one and a half ??!!) Caleb has lots of new skills. Some we strongly encourage, several we do not. Flushing the toilet, opening the fridge door and pouring milk into dada's shoes are in the latter category! Winking, laughing, sneezing and coughing on cue and stringing two words together are developments we are much happier about. A couple of his favorite expressions at the moment are 'whatsthis' when he wants to know the name of something and 'did it' when he is proud of himself for accomplishing something like climbing a set of stairs. He also really likes us to clap and provide lots of positive feedback for whatever it is he has just done. It is hard, however, when you hear 'did it' and he has climbed up to the back of the couch or onto a super narrow window sill! Oh yes, things are getting much busier around here all the time, but I'd rather have a super active little boy than a sick little boy any day. I'm looking forward to another day in the sun tomorrow, although I may not bring out the ice cream this time!

It's no myth

Sick little guy being comforted by Grammie at our family brunch

I had been warned by several people that once your child starts daycare they are constantly sick. I didn't really believe them, but now I know that it's no myth. Caleb is finally recovering after a week-long illness. He has been vomiting since being sent home from daycare last Thursday, unable to keep any food down. A few nights he woke up at 3 am asking for 'crackers' 'cheese' and 'pastas' but as soon as the food entered his mouth he would be sick. I am sure I set a new mommy record for both the number of times being directly puked on AND the most laundry loads done in a 48 hour period. I honestly got to a point where it didn't even make me blink. The most concerning thing about this particular bought of illness is that he seemed to be in a lot of pain when he peed. Not good at all. After two trips to the doctor's office we were told to collect a pee sample. This is much easier said than done. While I was at a conference, Alan spent 5 hours chasing a bare-bummed little boy around the house with a tiny bottle! He had no success until after 5 pm when it was too late to take the sample to the IWK lab. So this morning, my parents who are here visiting, were chasing a bare-bummed little boy around the house hoping to collect the precious sample! Finally Alan stuck him in a warm bath and we had our sample in less than 30 seconds!! Thankfully the results were clear, so it must have been just a bad flu virus. Now he is down to just a runny nose which I can handle and he seems good enough to return to daycare tomorrow.

Starting to come around with Grampie

We were really hoping that he would be in top shape this weekend because we were in Fredericton for John and Maureen's 40th wedding anniversary and the entire family was in town to celebrate. Several of Alan's family hadn't seen Caleb since last summer, so we wanted everyone to see his great personality, but alas, everyone met a sick little man instead. He did try to be in good spirits, and glimpses of his happy self did pop through at times, although he did throw up on a second cousin at our family brunch. It was the first time that all 4 of the Jeffries cousins were together and Caleb enjoyed their company as much as he could. He also managed to get in a few nice hugs and kisses to his many aunts and uncles. I just hope that we left only good memories behind, and not a trail of sick family members!

Cale, Lauren, Monica and Malcolm together at last!