Category Archives: Thoughts

Waving, Not Drowning

I know it’s only the first full week of school and I’m only half way into it and I have to allow time to adapt to the new schedule, but this being a parent of a pre-schooler has made our lives a little crazy – well, crazier than usual anyway. I’m not sure if it’s the extra artwork he is bringing home (I think I’ve counted 8 pictures of Darth Vader so far) or the extra hour of commute each day or the fact that I now have PTA meetings and teacher conferences, but this feels like a full-time job.

Good thing Thomas is taking it all in stride. Sure, on Monday morning he whined about being tired and that he didn’t want to stay, but by Tuesday afternoon he declared loudly (and unprompted) that pre-school was fun, fun, FUN. I think some of that has to do with a teacher who’s son is similarly obsessed with all things Star Wars and can effectively hold up her end of a conversation about the power of the Jedi.

I’m sure we’ll get into a rhythm soon, but in the meantime I am comforted by the fact that Thomas seems to be having the time of his life.

First Day

The day started early for my four (!) year old. I asked him if he’d grown overnight but he said “not enough to be four years old”.

We made it out the front door before 8am – a minor miracle.

The backpack and Star Wars lunchbox were early birthday presents.

He had a little trouble looking away from the lunchbox.

Then Kei walked with the boys to… daycare. Mum and I picked Kei and Thomas up about three blocks away for the drive to school.

The drop off was quick and (relatively) painless. Thomas was excited but nervous. After spending some time looking around the classroom the teacher asked the parents to leave, and that’s when Thomas looked at me and said that he didn’t want to be left there by himself with people he didn’t know. I told him he’d have fun and then the teacher came over to distract him while I left. I lost it a little when I walked out the door. It’s hard to leave your baby by himself with people he doesn’t know…

And of course I forgot to take photos in the classroom. I had to make do with some paparazzi-style shots through the barred classroom windows. He seemed to be ok…

We picked him up 3 hours later and asked him numerous questions about his day until he told us he was tired of answering questions.

Then we went home and he napped for three hours. I’d say that was a successful (if exhausting) first (1/2) day at school.

The day ended with a little family birthday celebration and more presents. Thomas took it all in stride, but it may be a little too much for his mother.

Brothers

What do you do with 30 minutes at an airport waiting for your Nan’s plane to arrive?

You do what brothers do. You run around, wrestle, laugh and have fun. You make strangers laugh (even the ones who may be just a teeny bit annoyed at the two crazy boys running around).

You take advantage of the fact that your little brother is now mobile enough to make chasing him somewhat of a challenge (although he’s not so great at doing the chasing yet).

And you make your mum hope that you will always be friends – just like you are right now.

Under-Appreciated Beauty

I have recently come to the realization that I take a lot of photos of weeds. It’s not surprising given they are the most common form of life in our yard. Taking photos of weeds, though, has given me a true appreciation for their beauty.

Sure, they might be prickly and grow, well, like weeds, but I think these poor under-appreciated plants have a unique beauty that is brought into focus with the help of a camera lens (and a little editing).

And, for the record – how do you distiguish a weed and a wildflower? I suspect it’s mostly bad PR.

15 Months

At fifteen months you…

  • Make me laugh every day
  • And for the record, YOU laugh very easily. I hope it remains this easy to snap you out of a bad mood.

  • Have a LOT of teeth – and really enjoyed brushing them for a little while until you realized that it’s more fun to shut your mouth in this little game we call “just try to get that toothbrush in”. All with a grin on your face of course.
  • Are getting faster. You are now officially walking and rarely crawling. I enjoy getting you out of the car, pointing you toward the front door and watching you walk up there all by yourself…
  • …Which is especially important because you are getting very heavy.
  • Love shoes. The shoe rack by the front door has not remained in order for more than 15 minutes in the past few months. You pick them up and carry them around the house, sometimes stopping to give them to me or Daddy or Thomas (and always the appropriate footwear for each). You also like trying them on.
  • Are very cuddly and always carry a blanket around. Monkey is becoming a close friend.
  • Enjoy playing with your brother. You two chase each other around the house, laughing along the way. It is one of my favourite sounds.

  • Love to dance and sing. I catch you humming to yourself sometimes – also one of my favourite sounds.
  • Are banned from holding a stick of any kind (includes drumsticks, chopsticks, stick sticks). It’s just too tempting for you to hit people with them – particularly your big brother. You also like to hit with your hands. We’re working on that.
  • Still eat almost anything and everything although I did catch you spitting out a green been the other day (I fear you have a bad role model in your big brother). Every morning you climb up on the stool your brother sits on at the breakfast table and eat his leftover granola. It’s a little gross (your mother is not a big fan of leftovers), but at least nothing is going to waste.
  • Have quite a dramatic flair, throwing yourself down on the floor when you’re unhappy. It usually takes one quick tickle to get you back to your normal self.

  • Love to blow raspberries – by yourself, on Daddy’s tummy and even Mummy’s arm. It is hilarious.
  • Are great at going down to sleep. Each night at 7pm I take you upstairs, read you a story or two and then put you in your crib. Then you wait until I put a blanket on you (despite 100 degree temperatures you MUST have a blanket), lie down and go straight to sleep. No crying, no fussing.
  • Staying asleep, not so great.
  • Are one of my very favourite people on the planet… and I’m sure I would say that even if you weren’t my baby boy.

Lost Lake… A Few Finds

Lost lake was a dream for taking photographs. I adore looking at journalistic-style photography – being able to read a whole story in a look or expression is amazing to me. And, while I may never travel to Africa or Morocco (although I still have hope that one day…), my group of friends have become my own private source of journalistic photography.

Usually when we get together I have only an hour or two to capture some great photos AND actually have a couple of conversations. The great thing about Lost Lake was that I was presented with the gift of an entire weekend.

Here are some of my favourite captured moments from the weekend.

I wish I knew what was so funny.

Surprisingly, I had no concerns sending my child out on a crowded Kayak into the middle of an enormous Lake. Good thing I have photographic proof to remind me of just how relaxed I was on the trip.

Such a natural smile – AND two cute babies. What’s not to love about this photo.

Conversations over breakfast.

Boys with their Daddies.

And more boys with with more Daddies.

And just boys on their own, concentrating deeply on consuming a slice of watermelon.

This one screams American Gothic to me.

And, finally, arguably my favorite shot from the weekend. The shadow off to the side makes me feel like I am peeking into a secret moment. The lighting is beautiful and I caught the shot right before she tried to blow a bubble.

Moments.

I’m Going to Talk About the Weather

I know it’s a cliche to talk about the weather, and probably not a topic that will win me more readers, but this is seriously ridiculous. They are projecting that it will reach 105 degrees in Portland today. That’s above 40 in metric (i.e. makes more sense) temperature. Tomorrow may reach 104.

The problem? Air-conditioned daycare is closed and I am home with the kids on “vacation”. I had wonderful plans for the zoo and the park and other outings that would allow us to enjoy some summer weather. Instead we are going to head to the mall. If only Samuel was old enough to see a movie. I wonder if other parents would mind if I brought my squirmy 14 month old son to see Ice Age… it’s a thought.

Anyway – enough with the whining. A few things I am thinking about today:

  • Happy to support my friend Lauren who is having a printing GC giveaway on her blog. Check it out here.
  • Grateful that Samuel is now walking more than he is crawling. Time to buy some shoes (I know, bad mother).
  • Enjoying Thomas’ sense of humor and the way he laughs uncontrollably when we watch America’s Funniest Home Videos together. Although, I find myself constantly saying “Don’t try that Thomas. That’s not safe Thomas.”
  • Looking forward to editing some photos from a fun shoot on the weekend. No kids involved so this was a challenge, but I think the clients will really like the results.
  • Relieved that I finally have a backup system for my photos with our new Mac. I know it’s been way too long.
  • A little tired of Yo Gabba Gabba – the latest obsession.

And…Excited to begin going through photos from our weekend trip to Lost Lake. Here’s a preview.

About 5 minutes

I estimate that I have approximately five minutes before Samuel wakes up from nap, so just going to share a few quick things that are in my plans for this long weekend.

Taking more photos of everday life. My camera has been taking a little break lately but I miss having those daily reminders of what we do every day – and the feel of the camera in my hand. I also need to take advantage of the fact that the rose garden near our house is only in full bloom for a few days.

Working on my patience with Thomas. He and I have been challenging each other the past couple of days and I think we need  a few non-stressful days to get back on track.

Getting this one healthy. He had a fever of 103.5 yesterday. Right now the round-the-clock doses of Tylenol and Motrin are helping but we’re keeping an eye on him. I called the nurse yesterday and she said it could last up to 5 days! He’s relatively happy when the drugs kick in which makes the whole thing bearable. It’s just hard to watch when the drugs start to wear off and he just lies there moaning. Poor baby.

Eating lots of ice cream. It’s going to be a warm weekend and if that gives me an excuse to partake in a little gelato, then so be it.

Oh, and sitting in my house on the evening of July 4th, listening to fireworks, hose at the ready and praying that my children will sleep through it. I know – what a party pooper. I can appreciate beautiful fireworks displays as much as the next person, but it’s the personal displays that worry me.

So instead of enjoying them in person, I’ll watch out the window and play a little game of “which is the firework and which is the gunshot?” (we live in a neighborhood where sometimes it’s a tough call).

Now that I’ve sufficiently freaked out my family back home, I’ll sign off. Happy 4th of July to my US neighbors and happy Saturday to my Aussie ones (I guess it’s still 4th of July though…)

Nicole

Random Monday

A few things that are interesting/insipiring me today:

 

Thankful for sunny days and short holiday weeks.

Happy Monday.

Nicole

Broken Hearted

He’s still tiny, can only say a few words (well, we think they’re words) and is not even walking (although has been teasing us for months), but this child has so much power over me.

For a few months now, he has been a Daddy’s boy. That’s not a bad thing – it gives me a bit of a break – but still, as a mother you secretly want you child to prefer you. In fact, it seems wrong if they don’t. I carried him in my belly, nursed him and spent every waking moment with him for the first few months of his life. Don’t I deserve to be the favourite for just a little while longer – at least until he is three when his strong personality and stubborness will make him the perfect daddy’s boy.

It hit an all time low the other night when Samuel would NOT come to me. He gripped onto Kei’s shirt so tight that I had to peel his fingers away just to put him to bed. He bent his back and squirmed in an effort to get out of my arms.

In the safety of his bedroom, between stories, we had a talk. I told him how much it hurt me and how much I loved him and he responded by pointing to a picture of a rooster and babbling something. (The kid makes no sense). Then the next morning as soon as we reached daycare he couldn’t wait to get out of my arms again and reach for his teacher.

Everyone tells me it’s a phase but a large part of me feels guilty – for giving up on breastfeeding at 7 months, for no longer having Wednesdays off which means he spends more time in daycare than with me, for being busy whenever we are together – getting ready for daycare, cooking dinner, getting ready for bed.

… But one more possibility crossed my mind tonight. My eyes were hurting yesterday so I wore my glasses for the first time since I had Samuel (I usually wear contact lenses). Maybe Samuel didn’t like mummy in glasses.

Still, I made sure I spent more time with Samuel tonight. I put the laundry on after he had gone to bed, and we had frozen pizza for dinner so I didn’t have to cook and had more time to play. I think it worked a little bit. He was not afraid to come near me and we had a few moments of bonding over play food and wooden blocks.

Just to be safe, though, I’ll be putting my contact lenses back in tomorrow.