My Daddy!!

I can't believe how quick the first 6 months has gone by. Malcolm is now sitting and babbling and we are working diligently at starting this baby crawling. lol...he's probably had enough. Well, he's on solid food now and hates broccoli and cauliflower. But LOVES prunes...go figure. And though I am still nursing, we have eliminated one feeding and replaced it with formula so at this rate I should be nice and dry by month 8 or 9.

Lately I really miss my Dad. I wonder what he thinks of his grandson and I hope that he visits him. I have seen the amazing presence of Dad since he left this world and I strongly pray that the innocence of Malcolms thoughts and acceptances will allow him to communicate with his Grandpa Jim...the funniest man I know. I don't need to say that I know in my heart that Dad is still around...because I don't know in my heart...I JUST KNOW!! I feel it, I see it, and I could tell you some astonishing things that prove life after death. I love knowing that I still have an extremely strong two way relationship with my Dad that noone can beat. I'm not crazy or loopy or drunk. It is what it is and I love him so much for allowing me to be a part of his life still. I will never ever say the words goodbye to my Dad. Goodnight, talk to you tomorrow, see you in my dreams is all I ever will need to end my conversations.

Goodbye Friend Clarinet

The year was 1986 and we were told we had a choice. We could choose band or computers. I chose computers, so did Jason Beagle. We were the only two in all of grade 7 who did not choose band. We were forced to take it. I cried and cried...I DID NOT WANT BAND. But alas, Jason took a flute home and I took a clarinet. It was the beginning of a very fond relationship.
My clarinet was purchased used, I think I paid $150.00 for it. Someone before me had left their toothy imprint on the mouthpiece and I was embarrassed. I thought people would assume it was me because of my bugs bunny genes. 3 years until Junior High was over and wouldn't you know it...I actually CHOSE band in highschool.

Mr. Sweet was everyone's favorite. With his shiney head and super humour, what a joy. He was so fun. He took us all on our first trip to NovaScotia. A mishmosh of children trying to be adults, from football players to drama students, we were all there. That was the best. I still remember that first year we played the theme to Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. WE WERE GOOD!!

December 7th 1990 we attended Handel's Messiah, and that night I met my first boyfriend. He sat with me in the bus on the way home and although some smart kid threw gum to the back and it landed on my hair, and the fact that the spaghetti straps on my dress broke that night...I gave my phone number away and was on my way to falling in love. I still remember telling Jocelyn that I really liked her hair. Boy the things you remember on the most important days.

My Clarinet helped us to attend Nationals in BC and Internationals in Hawaii. Again Mr. Sweet packed up all us young people and took us across border so we could win, which we didn't. But it was the best trip we ever had. Say hello to a couple of Marines and bond with a new group of friends. At this time, I was no longer with my boyfriend and my new friends introduced me to happiness once again. I appreciate them even now for that.

June 1993 school ended and I put my Clarinet down for many years only taking it out to remember and play a small ditty here and there. Not until 2008 did I start playing in a band again. I auditioned for the Edmonton Cosmopolitan Music Society and was taken on at an intermediate level. I loved it, I was once again in the spotlight and was playing at the fantastic Winspear Centre this time. It's too bad the average age in the band is around 65. I would have stayed.

The season has ended and so too my relationship with my Clarinet. It was there for much happiness and much sorrow...but it's time to retire you my friend and let someone else build their memories with you .

5 months

Today is Malcolm's 5 month birthday. He has grown so much. I look back at pictures of when he was first born and boy was he tiny.

This weekend we took him on his first camping night out at Mulhurst. He did very well and so did mom and dad. And oh, by the way, the whole suckie fiasco is gone. No sooner did I mention it on Facebook and on my blog that now he has not woke up once in the middle of the night for it. 9 to 9 my little man...what an awesome sleeper.

Now if only my sister will get married soon and start popping out a few for him to play with.

Suckie Be Gone

I never should have introduced the suckie. Malcolm is almost 5 months old now and my wonderful 7 and 8 hr sleeps has now dwindled. I wake up 3, 4, 5 times a night to find a suckie that has been noticed is missing. Poor little guy. I can't wait until he can put it in his own mouth. Do I continue to get up night after night and wait patiently for his independence? When will that be?

Gosh, I love you so much Munchkin...let mommy sleep please. haha.

At least Malcolm is not a screamer..he's very quiet actually but still, I awake and off I go to the room.

My baby, growing so fast and now...no sleep for me.

Okay, tonight I am letting him fuss it out. It's good for him and it will work. I know it will...I just need to be patient.

It's been a while

I haven't written on my blog for sometime now. I have discovered Facebook, although years later than everyone else it seems, and now that has taken over my time.

Let's see, what can I say, my Malcolm is 41/2 months old now and has lost most of his hair. Oh my sweet baby who had so much at birth, now it's gone. But man does he look older. Our days are getting better, if that's even possible. He still sleeps through the night and slowly I am managing to only have to get up once if at all to help him back to sleep in the middle of it. I think I am the one who needs the suckie for him to go to bed...not him.

Malcolm laughs alot and plays alot, and he's finally rolled from Back to Front, last night, when I wasn't home of course. But he did it and now I can capture that one in his baby book to remember always.

I still have plenty of Leslie time and it coincides nicely with Mommy time. This is the best ride I've been on in my entire life.

April Fools

Last weekend my Mother In Law threw us a baby shower and had given us an excersaucer for Malcolm. This morning we got a phone call from her telling us it was recalled. How horrible. I don't even know what part could be broken because each piece is huge and plastic. Lo and Behold...10 minutes later...she calls back. APRIL FOOLS!!

nice...that was a good one. I was all worried that I would have to take the whole thing apart and try to houdini it back into the box.

I finally finished making the thank you cards for the past presents we've received...but now Mom is throwing another shower this weekend so I'll need to make more. LOL. Just when you think you are done.

What a weekend!

The invitations are done!! Thanks to my sister and my girlyfriends for all the help you gave me for working on the invitations for my MommyInLaws birthday. I had so much fun and am quite sure we came up with a stunning invite. She will be happy I am sure. The colours of Gold and Wine are just perfect and I can't wait to show them off in person.

Now for Mother's Day I want a CuttleBug. Thanks Tamie for letting me use yours to make card pasta. I love it!!

Not only did the craft day in Millet go really well....but my son....my most intelligent, physical specimen created by me and Jay....(okay it can really happen I think!!) Finally rolled over. He rolled for the first time last week and while I was running upstairs to get the camera he finished the task at hand and I MISSED IT!!. But Lo and Behold, thoughtful Malcolm did it again yesterday for both Mommy and Daddy. Not once, Not twice, TOO MANY TO COUNT. He's a rolling machine now. front to back, front to back.

Now if only I can get my doggie to stop stealing the knitted toques from the bouncy basket. grrr.

3 months old

Yesterday was Malcolm's 3 month birthday. I can't believe it.

Jay and I went to a store called Kidzlands yesterday and the owner actually said "Oh Mom. tsk tsk tsk" when he saw my baby had that ring of bald on his head. GRRR. Does he not know that new babies lose their hair...does he not know that my kid sleeps on his back which is recommended by doctors and pediatricians. DON'T tell me I'm a bad mom when I know exactly the amount of time that I spend playing with Malcolm and interacting with him is WAY more than some parents ever do. I wanted to punch this guy. LOL.

Anyway, tonight Jay and I are finally going on a date. We are going for Supper at Tony Roma's and I can't wait. First he needs to come home though so I can hop in the shower. Maybe one of these days I'll shower when he's still at work.

Tomorrow is craft day in Millet and I'll be working on the invitations for my MotherinLaws birthday. I really hope they turn out and are acceptable. I'm going to make a few different ones just so we have a few to choose from.

The above picture is Malcolm's 3 month picture and I've attached another one where he is in the outfit that my Auntie Glo brought him back from Thailand.

Flat Head

Apparently my son has a flat head. At least that is what his pediatrician said this morning. He is in the top 75th percentile for weight and height but his head circumference is in the 10th percentile. Not only does he have a flat head...he has a small head. But...It is very heavy said the doctor so I guess it's chalk full of brains. YAHOO!!

Malcolm is 13lbs 14oz and 25inches long today..his 3rd month birthday.

So how do I get rid of the flat head? He is supposed to sleep on his back, is it my fault he sleeps 9 or 10 hrs a night? I'm not willing to give that up. I give him tummy time, he doesn't lie flat on me. i just don't know. I hope it changes. My poor small headed flat headed baby.

Mommy loves you Flat Head. Mommy Loves You.

10 weeks now

Well, it's been 10 weeks now and the baby photographer came over on Friday. I think we got some really good pictures so when they come over in 2 weeks to show us, I hope we can pick out some great shots. There was one that was taken with Malcolm just in his diaper and a tarzan stripe up his chest. Priceless.

Mom is back from Thailand now and had the time of her life. I will get some pics from her to post so stay tuned for those. We had a visit with her this weekend. The last time she saw Malcolm he was only 6 days old so it was good to see her reaction to how much he has grown and accomplished since then. Back then he was still a little ragdoll.

Thursdays is my Mommies group. I love going. There are some mom's there that I can see me truly getting along with and becoming friends and the great thing is they live in my neighborhood so we will be able to get together and stroll once the weather warms up.

My sister is getting married this "....". I can't tell you cause it's a secret!! But it's going to be fairly soon and I can't wait. I am so excited for her and her new husband is just awesome for her!! They fit together nicely.

The pictures posted are of Malcolm at his 2 month mark plus some smiley shots. Enjoy!

I knitted a purse

Well apart from the fact that the dog was sick and Jason was sick, this has been a pretty good week. I finally returned to Band practice. YAHOO!! It was Tuesday night and I was gone from 7 until 9:30. Yup a whole two hours...and Daddy took care of everthing. A feeding, a nap, and a bath were all taken care of by the time I got home. AWWW. I was so happy to get away even if it was just for a short period. I'm surprised, and Jay probably is too, that I actually let go of the reigns a bit for him to have at it.

We started Sophie, our dog, on raw food on the weekend. She's had ear infections and we're trying to combat that. So far so good, and today I gave her a MUCH NEEDED bath. I think she has actually been jealous that Malcolm gets baths in the tub and she hasn't had one since he's come home. She was very happy to have one and even sat nicely in the tub for the very first time.

My sister in law, Chantel, gave me an idea the other day when she was over. She wanted to make a bag on her knitting loom, so I decided to try it too. Here is my first attempt. It is actually a very sturdy bag and nothing will fall through. I will definitely make more of this, and it was really easy too.

Spending spree

I can't wait. Tomorrow I am going shopping. I am heading to Michaels to buy a heat gun and some valentine's ribbon that is all on sale. Then I'm heading to Wal-Mart to buy a new memory card for my camera. I am using my Dad's but this one is only 512 MB which really amounts to about 20 pictures I can take at a time. Not sure why he didn't want more but I certainly do.

Jay's sister Chantel is coming for a visit tomorrow and we are going to "play". She may bring her knitting looms for us to work on but in any case we are also going to visit Jay's Mommy at her work so Malcolm can be introduced to her coworkers.

2 nights ago Malcolm slept from 10 until 7 and last night he slept from 11 until 8. I LOVE IT!!

This picture is of Malcolm in a sweater my sister Cheryle knitted for him. She is very talented and I am looking forward to knitting more this year since I am off of work. Maybe I'll attempt something harder than a pair of booties. haha

A Mother need not worry

Malcolm had his Dr. appt on Monday. Everything is fine. He is now over 11 pounds. Can you believe it? The Dr. said he would have been happy if he was 10 pounds. Apparently he is a very good feeder. I was worried because Malcolm only feeds 7 times a day and only 15 minutes each time so I wasn't sure he was getting enough. NOW I KNOW!! Also, I was worried because he was sleeping so long at night and I wasn't sure if that was normal either. Well according to the Dr. it is A-Ok for him to sleep in the night and I don't need to wake him up or worry. So guess what? Last night I slept from 11 pm until Jay's alarm went off at 7. Awesome!!

Had craft day over the weekend and that was so great to reconnect with friends and for them to meet the baby. I learned card making and am so excited to start doing my own. I'm really going to try hard not to hyperschedule myself this year (last year I set aside certain days to knit, certain days to cross stitch) that didn't work...so this time around I am going to dedicate certain weeks instead. Yes I know that is still scheduling to a "Possibly" unhealthy degree, but I can't help it. I need to work off a To-Do list and I enjoy that. call me crazy.

We had a really busy day yesterday too. I met up with my coworkers for lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory downtown, then took the baby to meet Jason's coworkers....then shopped at the mall. Busy Busy, maybe that's what tuckered him out.

Today I am going to figure out some excercises to start doing. I lost 13lbs 3 days after baby was born and have only lost 2 since then. So I guess the rest is up to me. 20 lbs to go. STARTING RIGHT NOW!!!

Sleep

Halloween was fun, we were invited to a murder mystery party. Jay was a mummy and me, well, not sure really but I was supposed to dress like Janet from Rocky Horror Picture show. I was 7 months pregnant so just wore a lab coat and wig. Jays costume I made out of gauze and a bed sheet. He looked great!

7 hours of sleep. That sounds great doesn't it? Well that is exactly what Malcolm slept last night. We have been very blessed to have a wonderful little sleeper in the night. Malcolm never sleeps less than 5hrs so we are doing pretty good.

I can't wait for the weather to warm up though so I can actually go out with the stroller. I need to just suck it up and bundle up and go I think just to get me out. With Jay taking the car to work all the time I think soon we will start the mornings where I drive Jay to work that way I can take the car to the mall and do something with other mommies.

In February I start my "New Mommies" group. That goes for 6 weeks. Also, I have a friend who takes her baby to West Ed Mall once a week just to get out of the house so I think I will start to join her.

I love being off work right now, but it's already flown by so fast. I hope the year doesn't speed by like this.

This weekend I am heading to Millet for Craft Day and to help Cheryle to organize Mom's house. Mom is in Thailand for a Month right now so it will be a surprise. I hope she brings back lots of pictures that I can post.

First Blog

Well, this is a first for me. I hope to write as much as a possibly can in this, my first year off of work to be a mommy.
Today is Sunday and Jason is upstairs doing homework while I am downstairs waiting for the next feeding. I am constantly asked, "So, do you like being a Mom?" To which I answer honestly " I do not quite feel like a Mom, more like a milk maid so far. Until baby Malcolm begins to interact with me and smile and coo for me, I'm sure I will feel more like a Mom then. But right now I am enjoying the quiet, surreal moments with him and yes that does include 4:30 in the morning. I love my little boy and want to inhale every moment of his tiny tiny infancy.

Now I am going to try to compile, compose and create my blog so bear with me.