Happy Halloween!

It’s Henry’s first Halloween, so of course we had to dress him up and take him out!

Here’s our little horse (donkey), who amazingly had a second nap for the first time in at least a month so he was in a good mood to play along and wear his costume the whole time. Even the head!

Nick left work early so we could take him to Flying Squirrel for their Halloween party. There were so many little kids dressed up and it was adorable.

This Ghostbuster mom and her Stay Puft Marshmallow baby were my favourites.

I can’t believe a year ago today, I went into labour with Henry. I spent my Halloween eating a sub, dealing with contractions as they got stronger, and hanging out with my doula, Aimee, til we had to go to the hospital. What a difference a year makes.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Thanksgiving in Canada

Last week, we flew up to Canada to spend my birthday/Nick’s birthday/Thanksgiving with my family!

Sure, waking up at 5am and traveling for 7 hours wasn’t the funnest birthday activity, but the payoff was HUGE. We spent a quiet evening with my parents at their beautiful cottage and I ate 3 delicious birthday cupcakes, made with love by my Mom.

None of this cupcake actually made it inside Henry’s mouth.

Henry enjoyed running all over and exploring my parents’ place. Last time he was there, he was only crawling!

On Saturday, we went to my sister’s place in Oshawa for Thanksgiving and met these two tiny babies!

My Grandparents and brother & sister-in-law also met us there. My brother brought me a much-appreciated birthday gift: two giant Dairy Milk bars! (Canadian chocolate just puts American chocolate to shame.)

For the first time, Henry got to run around with his older cousins. No one complained about him being boring this time!

In fact, I think Henry got much more attention than he ever expected!

Kids have been a presence at family gatherings for years now, but this time, it was like a kid explosion! Good thing they are absolutely adorable.

My Dad needs a bigger lap for all his grandsons!

These two just might be coming down with baby fever soon. I hear it’s contagious.

My sister Jenn is doing an incredible job at raising four kids (FOUR!!!). I asked her if she ever loses track of where everyone is and she admitted that yes, sometimes she does. You can’t really blame her – the twins are the quietest people in the house!

Although Henry didn’t sleep properly any of the nights we were there (he became my bed buddy), it was so great to get this trip in to see my family and meet my new niece and nephew. See you again at Christmas, Canada! Hopefully this time with more rest ;)

When Second Graders Eat From The $220 Tasting Menu

This story from New York Times Magazine is getting a lot of attention – and one of the 7 year old tasters is the son of my sitter, Caylan George! While most of the kids are perplexed by the fancy food (“Why am I eating soap right now???”), Caylan actually seems to enjoy a few items.

Read into this how you will, but the moral of the story is kids usually have simple tastes. Enjoy the sweet video, complete with a toast to “Justice for all” and “Vampires!” at the end.

[photo: NYT]

Happy Birthday To Me

Lucky number thirty-three! I’m on a plane to spend my birthday (and Nick’s on Saturday!) with my family for the first time in five years. We’ll also be celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving while we’re there. I can’t even wait to hold my new niece and nephew!

Smell ya later, NYC.

11 Months with Henry

Henry, you are 11 months old today!

Fall is such a nostalgic time. I’ve been thinking a lot about this time last year, when I was very round and pregnant, and getting everything ready for his arrival. I can’t believe Henry will be a toddler instead of a baby soon!

But at the same time, yes I can. He’s beginning to really be more independent in the ways he plays, and much more opinionated. He’s more his own person than ever before. Whereas when he was smaller, there was a formula to make things happen, like sleep or eating, now you have to take into account his preferences and mood.

The last two months or so have been a real transitionary period for both of us. It took me a while to relax and realize everything is a phase and whatever’s happening at the moment is just what needs to happen; it won’t last forever. Like sleep. His second round of learning to sleep through the night lasted about 3 weeks before he started waking up and nursing twice a night again. Between his leap and the cold he had a few weeks ago, I figure he needed the comfort and perhaps even the nourishment. He’s been very distracted by the excitement of daytime, sometimes I don’t think he always eats properly during the day. My newfound laissez-faire attitude tells me to just go with it for now.

He is managing to eat solids better these days though, which is great. I’ve been buying organic packaged baby food in addition to the food I make so that he gets a better variety and actually eats his greens. (They need to be hidden in fruits now, apparently!) He’s been enjoying things like buckwheat waffles and grilled cheese sandwiches, along with apple and orange slices.

He “broke vedge” with chicken broth while he was sick. He slurped that stuff down! Now I have a few chicken and veggie meals to try with him, coming up in the next few days.

I have been enjoying a newfound sense of freedom with the recent discovery that our amazing sitter, Valerie, can get him to fall asleep for a nap on her. I am not jealous of this new sharing of cuddles AT ALL. This takes a huge load of pressure off me, so I don’t have to plan my whereabouts around when he’s going to nap, as I’ve been doing for 11 months now.

Henry is so close to walking! He can move quickly while holding onto something and can take up to 4 or 5 steps on his own before plopping onto his butt. He has started dancing to the songs his talking toy puppy plays and has mastered the art of squatting to pick something up off the floor.

He also enjoyed meeting his newest, smallest friend, Royce Vastano last week. At one point during the visit, he made his way over and held Royce’s tiny hand. (Heart melt.)

See you again with a ONE YEAR OLD!