Roddie Report: Smile for your Mama Again!

Obviously, I can't get enough of Roddie smiling at me, and I hope you feel the same way :) Here are a few pics, as well as some video, of some quality time we spent together this afternoon. Enjoy!

I call this his little man picture, despite the frilly pillow in the background... hey, it has a little train bear on it!

Roddie Report: 6!

I am happy (and rested) to report that young Rod slept for a full six hours last night, more than half of it in his pack and play! Hooray!

It may be the little cold Norah brought home to us all, or maybe Matt got him good and sleepy on the sofa before he put him down, but either way, I was pretty pleased with the little guy's performance! All this, and not quite 6 weeks old!

The (Social) Lives of Babes

Who knew that our social calendar would become booked once again after we had kids? After a couple of years of being the only ones in our circle with a kid, our circle has expanded exponentially. It turns out that other people with kids like to get together and commiserate, er, I mean, let the kids play together. Oh, who are we kidding, at 2 and under it's really a parents play date - as evidenced by the fact that some occur on Friday nights and include beer!

My blackberry has been buzzing off the hook this morning (yes, I know there is technically no hook any more, but you techies get what I mean) with details for a daycare playdate, two neighbourhood playdates, a playdate with an old friend who's new again and her kids, a walking date with 2 six weeks olds with the wife of an old acquaintance I ran into at the hospital of all places, a party for this same 6 week old, a lunch date with a neighbourhood mom - and all of this occurs in the next 2 weeks!

I expected this flurry of social activity once the kids started school - you know, bus stop chit chat, PTA, and so on, but I'm pleasantly surprised to have it happening now! With our pre-kid friends no longer a convenient distance away, even though many now have kids, the logistics of working parenthood make it difficult to get together often. We're happy when it happens, of course, but it just doesn't happen often enough!

So it turns out the suburbs are filled with people like us, who moved here so they could afford to buy a house or they work out here. Also turns out that a lot of them are really nice people and fun to hang out with... thank goodness for the kids or we would never have met!

Roddie Report: Smile for your Mama!

Lest you think this blog will continue to be all about Norah, here's the first Roddie Report! Overall, he's doing well, getting big, and is giving us a decent amount of sleep, most of the time! Well, depends on what you think of as a decent amount of sleep I guess, but let's just say, it's enough to get by, and I've managed to shower pretty much every day before breakfast. He's also getting more alert and spending more time awake during the day. Also, as of his 1 month appointment last week, he had gained 2 lbs and 2 inches since he was born and generally got a great report.

The best thing that he's been doing is smiling at me, all the time. At first I thought maybe it was gas, but he does it regularly and in definite response to me, so it can't be! It's hard to really capture it in a picture, but here's an attempt. You probably won't *really* appreciate it anyway, since I think it's special, just for me.
The other thing he does is follow me around the room with his eyes (and ears?) If someone else is holding him, he will often track to me, watching my every move. (He also nurses with his eyes wide open which can be a little disconcerting) Here is a quick video from last night, as I walk back and forth in front of him with the camera.

Norah News: Bring it on!

As many the mom has posted, it's harder than you think to blog while on maternity leave. Having done this before, I know I need to keep myself busy, but the reality of a 5 week old baby is that you never really know what your schedule will look like. I nixed some plans for the past couple of days to simply take it easy after our White Mountain adventure, and it's just as well as young Rod was all over the map schedule wise! Regardless, today I'm looking forward to a lunch date with an old friend - who is actually bringing me lunch - kudos Keith!

There have been a lot of changes over the past few months, some obvious, and some not so obvious. A not so obvious one that I've been struggling with is my evolving relationship with Norah. She continues to be very kind and caring with her little brother, and can absolutely be a joy to be around. She is also a two and a half year old who has experienced a lot of change in the past few months and she's testing the limits, and her parents! I'm told this is good and normal and it's up to us to set and enforce the limits, but that doesn't make it any more pleasant - suffice to say I've come to understand how a single teenager can affect the dynamics of an entire household. Couple this with my own physical and hormonal changes not to mention the logistics of nursing and caring for a newborn, and you have yourself a challenge!

I feel as though, until recently, I'd been not quite myself since the beginning of summer, between the polyhydroamnios, just being 7, 8, and 9 months pregnant in one of the the hottest summers on record, and now of course also being Roddie's mother as well. In the meantime, Norah decided she wanted to wear underwear, seems to have grown at least a foot, the relationship between Matt and Norah has evolved, and even though I didn't recognize it - so has the relationship between her and I. Mornings used to be a leisurely and very special (to me at least) time that we had together, where she'd mostly do what I said, and if not I could easily pick her up and make her. Now, it's a lot more chaotic, and tinged with a little guilt as I return home after dropping her off at daycare as she moves up to preschool (a decision made in less emotional and more rested times!)

The fact of the matter is, until recently, I wasn't sure I could handle her and Roddie on my own. There, I said it. As I grow stronger and we all get into our new groove, I'm learning how to relate to this new Norah, the one who seems to have grown up so much over the summer. It caught me by surprise, the idea that I had to figure out how to relate to my own kid again, but cutting myself (and her) a break once in a while and a little patience has gone a long way. I still see glimpses of my baby girl, who needs a hug now and again (on her terms, of course) and she's come around to bonding with me again - a little learning on her part as well I guess. I also see a very smart, caring, determined, and independent little girl, who will no doubt continue to challenge us as the years go by.

Bring it on Norah, I'm ready!

White Mountain Adventure

This past weekend, we took the kids to New Hampshire, on a bit of an adventure. We stayed over night, and went to a mountain top and on a hike, saw some waterfalls and even stopped at a favorite pub for refreshments on the way home. The weather was perfect, we slept like logs, but were up too early, the trail was not crowded, we saw the glider in the notch closer than ever before, and the leaves were just starting to turn. Just like the old days, when Matt and I were courting, right?

Well, we stayed in a hotel, we had movie night, we took a tram to the top of a mountain we've both hiked and skied, one pack was heavy, but not with gear, with kid. The other pack was worn on the front, not the back, the hike was under 2 miles, including the paved path from the parking lot, and the refreshments included milk in a covered cup, not a single Pigs Ear, and our arrival at home was heralded by many tears of an overtired toddler and a hungry baby, rather than unloading the car and crashing on the sofa.

It was great!

We got a few funny looks about taking a baby so young on such an adventure, and to be honest, I am not sure how much Roddie really got out of it, as he was asleep much of the time (love this carrier!!) but Matt, Norah and I really enjoyed ourselves, and I think it was good for the family as a whole - not to mention a great story for Roddie when he grows up - 5 weeks old, at the top of a mountain! For me personally, it was great to get out and use my muscles again - it's been so long! At 5 weeks post partum I feel better and more physically able than I have in months!

Here is Matt and Norah looking out the window of the tram

At the top, overlooking Franconia Notch and the mountains where we used to play!

Norah doin' her thing...

Mom and Roddie near the top of Cannon Mountain

Norah with the glider in the background

Family Foto Day 1: Overlooking Franconia Notch

Mom and the kids chillin' in the hotel after a long day

Family Foto Day 2: Hike to Kinsmans Falls

Sibling Love

Slowly but surely, we're getting into a routine around here. Norah is a very proud big sister, and Roddie is getting bigger and more alert by the day, and will surely be giving her a run for her money before long. Monday night they both looked so adorable in their jammies that I had them pose for a couple of pictures. I think they look even cuter together!