hasta luego.

 

We are finally packed!!

Wow, I cannot believe that in a few short hours we'll be boarding a plane for our first family vacation. Even more unbelievable is the amount of stuff a 9 month old requires to travel! Kris and I both have a carry on bag (one for the breast pump and things we couldn't survive without if our luggage was lost, and another for things Kale could potentially need on the plane - diapers, snacks, toys, books, etc.). We have a giant duffel bag for all our clothes and another full sized suitcase full of snacks, toiletries, more diapers, more toys, Kale's life jacket, a baby sun tent, and the list goes on. We probably did overpack and we might be taking less if we were going somewhere else. However, we know we can't get things like baby tylenol or extra sunscreen in Cuba so we're loading ourselves up. It literally took us all day to pack and now it's time for a couple hours of shut eye before we have to leave for the airport at 2:30am. We are so excited for our trip and I can't wait for Kale to enjoy some sunshine and warm weather and for Kris and I to enjoy a mojito or two. I'm sure I'll have LOTS to post when I return, but for now - hasta luego! 

Mind voting for us while we're away?

he's gloating.

Someone is pretty impressed with their new skill.

Family Day 2011.

Family Day 2011. 

 

07:00am. 

I'd like to believe that Kale actually slept for four straight hours last night, but it's more likely that I just don't remember waking up during that time. Regardless, I woke up feeling rested and decided to start documenting our day. Kris is clearly excited to have his picture taken.

07:03am. 

We try to keep Kale in bed for as long as possible so we don't have to get out. The length of time he'll put up with this is decreasing every day. After he demands to be let out of bed we let him scuttle around on the floor for awhile but it normally takes about 30 seconds before he pops his little face over the edge of the bed and screams for us to wake up. How are we supposed to say no to this face? 

07:08am. 

When all else fails, give him the iPhone. This will distract him for at least two more minutes.

08:00am. 

Haircut! I can't believe this was his SECOND haircut! 

10:30am. 

I just want to point out that I got dressed first. Then Kris put on a plaid shirt. Then he put Kale in one. Also, please note that this is a true family portrait since Kale's BFF the toothbrush is included. 

12:00pm

We went to Kris's parents with his brother and partner and had an amazing breakfast. After we got a picture of all the men (including the toothbrush).

01:00pm

Kale kept himself busy hanging out with the dog and farrett. 

4:00pm

We came home and played with bubbles! 

4:30pm

Kale took a nap and Kris and I watched the documentary Surfwise. 

07:30pm. 

After dinner and the tub, Kale was attacked by the tickle monster. Thank goodness he had his toothbrush to protect him.

melts my heart.

this week in 365.

 

Check out my 365 project. 

http://harvestingkale365.blogspot.com/

weekday recap in iphone pics. (featuring papa!)

I'm having a hard time figuring out which pictures are from which day, so I just grouped them together this week. The highlights? Cuddles, smiles, and yes - waking up at 6am.

MAMA'S PERSPECTIVE

Top left: In the morning we try to keep Kale in bed with us as long as possible so we don't have to get out. This is getting harder and harder as his mobility skills get better and better. Once he's had enough of rolling around in bed with us, we put him on the floor in hopes that he'll amuse himself for five more minutes. He normally ends up pulling himself up on the bed after 30 seconds and peeking over the edge at us. At this point my heart melts and I forget that it's 6am.

Top centre: nom nom nom. I love watching him eat - even if he does make a huge mess. Much like waking me up at 6am, this is only something Kale can get away with.

Top right: For anyone wondering whether Kale is still BFF's with a toothbrush, the answer is yes.

Centre: This week I had an evening meeting one night and some time carried over from last week and so I was able to take Wednesday and Thursday mornings off. It was so nice to get some extra cuddles in while Kale napped - not to mention getting caught up on Parenthood. Also, Kale has the BIGGEST smiles when he wakes up from a nap and I soaked them all in.

Bottom left: Kale loves to hide things under the couch. The remote, slippers, toys, etc. Here he is finding a new home for papa's slipper.

Bottom centre: I've been on the lookout for healthy snacks that we can take to Cuba with us. I'm not a fan of giving Kale store bought, processed food, but I found some organic and naturally flavoured fruit sticks at the grocery store this week. I gave him one in the car (bad idea...everything is now sticky) and when we got home he refused to let go of it so I could take his jacket off. He ended up sitting by the door with one arm still in his jacket, finishing his fruit stick, while I put away the groceries.

Bottom right: Kale has adopted my love of Vitamin Water. Well, he loves chewing on the bottles at least. Which is actually a cheaper habit than mine.

PAPA'S PERSPECTIVE

Top left: Kale is eating. I still love watching him eat, and will continue to put pictures up of him doing so with no other point than to reflect on how cool it is that Kale can eat!

Top centre: Kale loves the fridge. Randalin lets him sit with the door open checking things out, which he seems to love more and more everytime. He doesnt seem to take much out, but in this case had some salad dressing. He loved it. I personally am not a fan of him playing in the fridge and complain about energy consumption as he does, so when his mom's not around and the fridge is open, I have to be the bad guy and keep him out. Maybe thats why he loves it so much when he's allowed in!

Top right:  Again, eating. I had my camera out for the first picture, so i just kept on shooting! 

 Bottom left: I posted this picture on twitter, and Emily asked me "where did you find a doll that looks exactly like Kale?!?" I call it baby Kale, and its straight creepy. Nana E gave it to Kale for x-mas, and it was apparently Randalin's when she grew up. Thats what kept me from throwing the creepy fella away! But, the more he sticks around, the more Kale seems to enjoy his company! And if he's cool with Kale, he's cool enough with me not to get the boot.

Bottom centre:  EWWWWWW Work tools. I worked this week for two full days. What a terrible week that turned out to be. We did a ton, nothing went wrong, but i was away from Kale and it threw off my routine. 2 things i would prefer to avoid at all costs....

Bottom right:  This was in the Conestoga mall in Waterloo. We took a tour to a few malls, and when we saw this it blew my mind...i guess its so kids can roam around and play for a break from the stroller. Or so you can pen the kid up and go to the bathroom... Its wild! The glass is a nice touch, as is the locking door. I think we need one at home for the cat....

a small problem.

We leave for Cuba in just over a week and so we're doing our best to prepare. Last night we went to the mall so I could get a new bathing suit (post-preggo bathing suit shopping....ugh), we bought a new backpack style carrier to lug Kale around Havana, and I introduced Kale to the world of airplane approved snacks (cheerios!). We've been making a mental list (that really should be a paper list) of everything we need to pack, I have Kale's summer gear all stacked neatly in his crib (because we might as well as use it for something, right?), and, with the exception of a dress to wear to my friends wedding, we generally feel pretty prepared.

There is however, one small problem.

No, it's not the fact that our flight leaves at 6am (which means we're going to have to leave for the airport at 3am...gross), or that we'll be arriving in Cuba at 9am, but can't actually check into our room until 4pm. No, those are small hurdles. We'll deal with it. That's what the mojito's are for, right? Dealing?

The small problem is this:

Kale REFUSES to wear a hat.

He has flat out refused to wear a hat all winter as well. We have been trying every day to get him to wear one. We clap and smile and cheer when it's on his head and he thinks it's great. Then he'll stare us in the eye, slowly reach up, and without breaking eye contact - remove the hat. Sigh.

Please tell me you have a solution? I do not want to be that crazy lady walking around with a sun umbrella.

Voting for us won't solve our problem, but it'll help us feel a teensy bit better....

this week in 365.

Check out my 365 blog - http://harvestingkale365.blogspot.com/

weekday recap in iphone pics. (featuring papa!)

Despite this week being really busy at work, I actually remembered to take more iPhone pictures for this weekly recap. I like doing these little recaps because I can look at these pictures and its a good reminder that my whole week wasn't actually swallowed by work (which is normally how I feel by Friday). Here's the business:

Ok, I have no idea why we look that happy. I mean - I know we just woke up when I snapped that picture, which means it was sometime between 6 and 7am. Which is way too early for us to look that happy. Oh wait - we're not happy. We're just giddy with sleep deprivation. 

There's Kale in the top left photo, holding on to the end table and shaking it with all his might. Considering it's from Ikea, I'm surprised the table is still standing. 

Kale poses for a picture with me before I head out to work and papa straps him in his new carrier. We're training for our trip to Cuba later this month. 

Kale LOVES to see himself on the screen of my phone and I love to make the boy happy, so we have about 8,614 photo's of us just like the top two. 

On Wednesday we had to take a two hour drive so I could do a presentation at a college. Since we all know how much Kale loves the 6 minute drive to the grocery store, we were NOT looking forward to this trip. We timed it well and he ended up sleeping for half of it and when he woke up I gave him a banana and that seemed to keep him amused. Phew. Crisis averted. 

Kale had his 9 month check up. He pretty much loves going to the doctor's office so he can ham it up for everyone. Here is in the lobby, practicing looking cute. 

When I dropped Kris and Kale back at home after the doctor's appointment, they curled up on the couch for a nap. There should be a law against this. It was SO HARD to leave them and go back to work. 

Thursday night we went to Kris's parents for dinner. This was the second time this week we were over at someone else's house for dinner and OMG - is it ever exhausting chasing Kale around a place that isn't babyproofed. 

After dinner Kris's dad rolled out some blueprints for Kris to look at, but it was Kale who demanded a close up. 

Friday morning I had a meeting that I had worked all week to prepare for. It was such a relief when it was over and I was so excited to have the weekend to hang out with Kale. I came home for a couple hours and then went for some much needed hair care. I got some highlights, which is a huge step for me because I've been getting the same solid colour for probably 3 years now. I haven't decided if I like the highlights or not, but it was nice to have a couple hours to just relax and digest my week.

It was a long, hard week for me and I'm so happy that I have the weekend to hang out with Kale with no major plans. Just hanging out. Awesome.

PAPA'S PERSPECTIVE: 

1)Sometimes I enjoy just laying on the couch like a lazy person while Kale scuttles around on the floor occupying himself. Its way better than laying on the floor...but when Kale gets bored he comes to the edge of the couch where he stands and yells at me. This is Kale standing and yelling at me. 

2) I have always been a big fan of baby wearing, so having another carrier of any nature to do it is a big plus with me! This backpack is awesome because Kale can't grab anything I'm working on, which allows me to do exciting things like dusting, dishes and vacuuming without bothering the little man! (or having him slow me down!) 

3) I think this picture really captures how the cat feels about Kale 

4) And this one shows why. Sometimes Bubbie will flop down and refuse to move, so I get my arm in the middle and let Kale flop all over the cat...it normally ends up with Bubbie up the piano or on the other side of the house.

 

5) We got to go on a family trip to Barrie this weekend. With Kale asleep in the back, and Randalin using all sorts of colourful language while she trip to fix her computer, I got to drive in silence looking out the window. A big favorite thing of mine and something Randalin would lie and say I am terrible at. Allegedly my hands follow my eyes and I swerve all over the place...pffft. 

6) While Randalin was busy at the college Kale and I went to check out his great aunt Tiny's place. When we first showed up his teeth were bugging him. But Diamond (the dog) took his mind off things. I'm not sure who was more excited but these two had a non-stop blast for nearly an hour. 

7) At the end of the day we had to go shopping (the Georgian Mall has some serious stores that Guelph lacks). Randalin and I split up so we didn't have to waste time and Kale fell asleep on my shoulder. With his sling in my pocket I had this random dude hold him so I could put it on. He didn't even wake up! Amazing! Psych! That's our good friend Mitch. I've known him since I had a mohawk and wore terrible clothes! Rather than attempt to hang myself while shopping I hung out at the Boathouse Row where he is the manager  until Randalin

9 months.

A combination of things being extremely busy at work and my laptop crashing meant that blogging took a major backseat this week. Don't think exciting things didn't happen though! I have lots of blogging to catch up on, including a hot date with google reader this weekend (prepare for comment overload). Also, Top Baby Blogs reset their numbers, which means I'd like if everyone could take a moment to give a couple clicks and a vote so we can continue to meet other awesome mom's in the blogging world. Just click here (and then click the next screen to vote):

Ok, so it seems like a lot of people are excited Mubarack resigning his Presidency and I don't want to steal Egypt's thunder or anything, but something equally exciting happened here on Monday. Kale turned 9 months old. 

Here's the dirt on our own little dictator.

Weight: 20lbs. 4oz. (I didn't know his weight at 8 months, but at 7 months he was 18lbs. 12oz.)

Height: 28" (compared to 27.5" at 7 months)

Kale's growth has slowed down a lot. He used to be in the 90 percentile for weight and now he's around the 50 percentile for both height and weight. I tend to ignore the percentile thing because I think it's more important to pay attention to whether your baby is happy, healthy and meeting milestones, but the charts do verify the fact that he's not growing as fast as he used to. This is also verified by the fact that he's now fitting into his clothes for longer than 5 minutes before growing out of them.

What size clothes is he wearing? 

We can still stuff him into 6-12 month shirts, but his arms tend to look like sausages. We do it anyway because I refuse to believe that I have to buy more winter clothes. I'm trying to hold out until Spring based on the findings of Mr. Wiarton Willy (for you American's, that's a famous groundhog in Canada. Yes, we have famous Groundhogs.). He's still good with 6-12 month pants and 12-18 month diaper shirts.

Milestones in the last month: 

• Pointing. Kale started pointing last month, and while we would indulge him and take him closer to everything he pointed at, we were entirely sure he was putting one and two together. Then the other day Kris asked him "where's Bubbie?" and Kale pointed to the cat. At that point we called Harvard for early registration because the kid is clearly a genius. 
• Waving. Again, he's been waving for awhile, but he used to wave at EVERYTHING. His toothbrush, the radio, thin air. Now when someone stands by the door to leave the house he waves bye. If Harvard doesn't take him, I'm sure Yale will. 
• Standing. It seems like the only reason Kale crawls anymore is so he can get close enough to something to help him stand up. A few times he has let go of whatever he's holding for support and managed to hold his balance for longer than I would like to see. "Kale, put your bum on the floor" is a popular saying around our house. 
• Teeth. Kale cut his first top tooth and a second top one is ready to sprout. It actually looks like they are his eye teeth and not the two middle ones. Clearly he's a vampire. 
• Sleep. Kale continues to hate sleep. Most likely because sleeping means less time available to crawl, stand, open doors and cupboards, terrorize the cat, terrorize his parents, and do all things that require constant supervision. However! This month he has started going down at night a lot easier. I mean, it's never been hard, but now it's two or three bounces on the exercise ball with him and he's out. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.
• Dancing. Kale has introduced some brand new moves into his repertoire this month. Adding to his killer headbanging moves, he now does some great arm flapping and bum scooting whenever he hears music. This includes during his music class, where he basically loses his mind. 
• First haircut! The Beiber hairdo just isn't in fashion anymore, so we chopped the locks. 

Special outings in the last month. 

Kale continues to HATE the carseat and so outings are still somewhat limited. We've found a couple things that make him a bit happier: (1) warming up the car so he doesn't have to wear his hat and fleece jacket in the seat. It makes for a bit more room and he seems to be more comfortable. (2) food. The other day we had a two hour trip and I armed myself with banana, avocado, and hummus and it was a fairly tear-free drive.

What is his routine? 

I've been back to work for a month now and while I'm still trying to find my rhythm, Kris and Kale have settled into a pretty good routine. Kale normally wakes at 7am and from the second his eyes open, it's GO!GO!GO! We used to be able to trick him into staying in bed with us while we slowly woke up by showing him my iPhone, but that seems to work for shorter and shorter periods of time these days. I'm normally out the door around 8:30am and Kale's down for a nap betweeen 9 and 10am. He sleeps for about an hour and a half, but we still have to hold him for his naps because he still ALWAYS wakes after 30 minutes. Trust me - we've tried EVERYTHING (well, except for letting him cry it out - that's just not for us). Anyway, after he wakes up he'll have breakfast - usually oatmeal or yogurt with some fruit. The boys hang out and play until I get home for lunch and then Kale is back down for another nap between 1 and 2pm for another hour and a half. Kris normally watches bad movies and naps during this time too. I get home around 4:30-5pm and after Kale and I hang out, I make dinner, we eat together, and then Kale crawls around naked for awhile. I think this is the highlight of his day. We get in the tub around 7pm and then hang out and play until he's ready for bed around 8:30pm. Kale seems to be happiest when we follow this routine, although he adapts pretty well when we throw a wrench in things and are out for the day.

Kale's favourite things to do: 

• Eat. Kale will eat anything and everything we offer him. He loves the obvious stuff like banana's and avocado's, but will happily mow down on some curried chickpeas and chicken too. We mostly just offer him two meals a day (breakfast and dinner), but we've started with lunch here and there. Mostly to occupy him while we eat our own lunches. I've worried a bit about him not nursing enough since being back at work, but I've gained more confidence about it. He nurses in the morning before I leave, at lunch, after work, before bed and then a few times throughout the night. He doesn't take much pumped milk when I'm at work, which worried me, but he seems to take what he needs.

• Chase the cat. Despite Bubbie laying down the law by planting his claws between Kale's eyes one night, Kale still loves to chase the cat. His whole face just lights up when he sees him. He'll crawl faster to get to Bubbie than anything else. 

• Dance and sing. Kale loves his music class so much. Kris came with us to class this week and despite being a little weirded out about sitting around a circle with a handful of other mom's and their babies singing songs, I think he's glad he came because he got to see Kale in action. Kale sings (WHOOOOO!WHOOOO!WHOOO!) and busts a move the whole time. I think at first the other mom's thought my kid was crazy, but now they know he is and they've just embraced him. 

• His toothbrush (formerly known as Kris's toothbrush). Kale's BFF. He takes that toothbrush everywhere with him. We often have to pry it out of his hands after he's fallen asleep.He's in love. 

Here are some of my favourite pictures from this past month:

 

need a laugh?

Need a laugh? 

Check out this face. 

 

Need a close up? 

teeth.

Kale got his first tooth just shy of 6 months and its neighbour wasn't long to follow. Since then he's been his regular drooling, red cheeked self, but we weren't seeing any signs of more teeth in his mouth. I was pretty happy about this since I'm convinced he's going to look like a four year old if he gets top teeth. Plus, his tongue makes a nice cushion over the bottom teeth while nursing and I'm a little unsure what's going to cushion the top. Anyway, last night before going to bed I commented to Kris that Kale's red cheeks and chin rash have totally disappeared. This could only mean that our second round with the evils of teething is far, far away. Pleased with this assumption, I nestled into bed with my two-toothed baby.

Fourty-five minutes later we woke to wailing. I settled him back down and we drifted back to sleep. Fourty-five minutes later we woke to wailing. Repeat. Repeat.

Repeat.

Kris and I took turns all night - one hour with Kale, one hour trying to sleep through the wailing. Finally, at 4am Kris and Kale slept on the couch for two straight hours.

We woke groggy, depressed and well, slightly annoyed.

And then I stuck in my finger in Kale's mouth and low and behold - up top, off to the left, a sharp little tooth had begun to poke its way through.

Tonight in the tub I managed to peek inside his mouth and a twin tooth was taking up residence on the top right. I think they're actually his eye teeth, not the front.

Clearly he's a vampire.

6 years.

When Kris and I announced to my parents that we were expecting, it took my mom all of five minutes to start planning our wedding. I gently (but firmly) told me my mom that there were no plans for a wedding. She was completely baffled as to why we wouldn't want to and when I challenged her to give me a reason why we should, she sputtered something about our baby needing parents with the same last name.

Today Kris and I are celebrating six years together and we still have zero intentions of getting married (much to my mother's dismay). If Kris and I believed that being married was important for our family, we would have hit up City Hall and tied the knot before we got pregnant. But we don't. So we didn't. Maybe one day down the road we'll change our minds, but it's hard to imagine that happening.

Sometimes I get the stink eye from people who see me with Kale. I watch them look at my left hand and see a bare ring finger. I see their eyebrows raise when I refer to Kris as my "partner" and not my husband. Sometimes I just imagine this, but it annoys me just the same. Sometimes I think I should just throw a band on my finger and start referring to Kris as my hubby, but I actually think this is disrespectful to people who actually are married. I feel like I'm co-opting their business. Their values. And I don't want to do that. Because it's not that we're against marriage. It's just not for us. Sometimes when bright people ask if we're married, we say "no, we're sociologists." We actually think this is funny (and maybe we're the only two people out there who do).We're critical of institutions. We don't think it's right that some people are "allowed" to get married and others aren't just because of who they love. We're athiests. To us, these are all good reasons not to get married.

So, happy anniversary to my PARTNER of the last six years.

You are so cool.