Rolls, Music, Toys, the Fu, The Sled, The Cup, The Food

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA!

















We’re beta testing the new Blogspot layout. And as a result, there are bugs! To avoid more layout/missing pictures frustration we present text and pictures as opposed to text with pictures.
Below are photographs showing the big, little C’s roll over technique indicating where he can end up when the momentum comes to a stop.
He is also showing a growing interest in Tofu’s toys. Kudo’s to the ‘fu for not reciprocating and eating Cadence’s play things.
Some shot’s of his piano duet w Mom.
We tried getting him to drink directly from a cup. Milk was wasted but it’s a necessary step along the way.
Proof of teeth!
We bought a new sled that fits the car seat (with the help of a bunch of bungee cables) We went snowshoeing behind our house for 2 hrs! Tofu wore the sweater…
Last weekend we went to Roy’s restaurant in haileybury for the Traditional Indian Food buffet. Awesome food and we’re still stuffed.
Today Tofu was posing on the steps while Mr C played w the pots and pans. Rounding things out w a bit of percussion in a way…

Technical Difficulties...

I have no idea why, but the pictures have all disappeared from my last post! Will try to figure it out as soon as I can...

The Box

Wow, it's already the weekend again! We're going skiing again this afternoon, and getting ready for another work week. I forgot to mention last time that last weekend we also took Cadence swimming for the first time! Had to buy some Huggies swim diapers, and we bought a floatie thing for him but he was too small so we just held him and floated him around. At first he was pretty quiet & calm, but then he started kicking and splashing up a storm. Not a lot of exercise for mom and dad, but that will come soon enough I'm sure.

One day this week Drew took a used box and fixed it up so that he and Cadence could play the game of putting toys inside, and then one by one discovering them as Cadence took them out. Here's a play-by-play:

Again my apologies for the sideways pictures...hm.

Here's Cadence taking some toys out one by one (and notice that he's sitting up all on his own! He can't get to sitting yet, but if you put him there he'll stay for quite a while)
Cadence with one leg inside the box...


Cadence putting 2nd leg into the box...


And eating the box...


I just had to share a photo of Tofu in his new winter sweater--Christmas gift from Doreen's friend and neighbour Margaret. Don't be misled by the sad look on his face; he's very thankful.

Winter is here!

Life's been going on, as we try to get a routine together. Cadence is still eating cereal, and although there are a few pictures here of him happily (sort of) in his high chair, he now refuses to eat in it. Oh well. Winter's also finally arrived (for good? who knows...) so we're enjoying the snow, the cold, etc. Cadence has also gotten two teeth since my last post...sharp little things they are!

Here's Cadence in his high chair, looking at daddy after his dinner.



And here's Drew getting him ready in his nice warm snowsuit. Can you tell that he's smiling?


Ok...I'm having a tonne of trouble getting pictures to orient themselves the right way, so I give up. Please turn your monitor on its side for the following:



Cadence and I having a laugh in Sudbury two weekends ago.


On the way to the x-country ski club. Cadence has graduated to his big-boy car seat, and I have to ride in the back with him in order for it to even fit in the car (the front passenger seat is pushed all the way forward). That's what we get for buying the deluxe model (but it's got arm rests, and a cup holder!)


And here's Drew posing with sleeping cadence (in the sled) after our perfect afternoon of skiing. The baby fell asleep as soon as we started moving, and stayed asleep in the sled for about 20 mins after we were done, inside the lodge by the fire. Was a great day and I can't wait to go again!

Christmas, Happy New Year, and Eating

Happy New Year! My apologies for taking so long to add a new post; life's been pretty hectic...not that it's really slowed down, but we're getting the hang of it now I think.

We had a great Christmas here in NL, and amidst all the fun we actually took very phew photos. Oops. Here Tofu was helping Cadence open a present on Christmas morning.


We went to Toronto for a couple of days, and Cadence had his first TTC ride! Here he is with Leah and I on the Spadina streetcar.


Over the holidays Cadence had a stretch of eating (nursing) every 1-2 hours around the clock; I gave it a chance to end thinking it might be a growth spurt, but after four days I gave up. We gave him rice ereal for the first time while in Toronto. Now he's eating it twice a day, and I think tonight we'll start another cereal. It's pretty fun, learning how to read all hiss signals (does he want more? Is he bored? Drew even tried the airplane trick one day when he wasn't at all interested, and then he at the whole bowl!)

Getting Ready for Christmas

Last Saturday we went to our friends' farm for their annual Christmas Tree Party. Cadence & Clayton were bundled up together as they were carried along. Unfortunately all our snow has gone, but on the up side the weather was great for having babies out. Also good for picking out a nice tree, since it's not disguised by all the snow.

Here Cadence watches as Drew and I decorated the tree. I wonder what he thinks about all of this.




Last Sunday we went to another party, and Cadence was lulled by the music. He hung out with our friend Eva, and each time the music stopped he'd fuss, then sit quietly again once the tunes began.

Broken Wrist, Sweater, & Sled

It's been a crazy time. I learned to drive standard last Thursday, which was good fun, and then that evening I was playing basketball, fell, and broke my wrist! We're managing, and Drew's doing fantastic at taking care of both Cadence and me.




This is my favourite picture of Drew and Cadence.


Here's Cadence wearing the outfit that his Aunt Lee and Uncle Steve gave him when he was born. It's for a 12-month old, according to the label. Hm.


Yesterday we took a turn around the yard in the new sled that Doreen (Nana) sent Cadence as an early Christmas present. He sat right up in it...I think it'll be perfect for getting around this winter! I think Tofu was hoping we'd tie him to the front, so he could fulfill his dream of being a sled dog. Maybe next time.

Finally, it's winter!

Well it finally snowed...the snowmachines are out, sounds like the cross-country ski club's open, and we're darn excited! Aside from the "to let the car warm up (idle)/not to let the car warm up" debate that Drew and I can't seem to resolve, all is peaceful and it's starting to feel like Christmas.

On the weekend I was lucky enough to sit down at the computer when my friend Miia was doing the same in Ghana, and we had a great chat on MSN. Here Cadence was trying to get a look at what I was doing, or maybe he was playiing with the dog, or maybe he just fell over. Anyways, here he is. Big thanks to Doreen's friend Helen for the sweater...we're certainly into sweater weather now!


Our backyard...three cheers for snow!


Drew started a five-week "Tickles and Toes" class with Cadence at the library. Here they are at last week's class. This is the closst we've found to a "mom's" group so it's great. He was quite into massaging this little girl's head, and Drew reports that she seemed into it too.


Cadence is practising standing up, and he gets pretty happy in doing so. He also seems to get super happy when we make drum beats with our mouths. I wish everyone were this simple to please.

Yellow Shirts, Christmas Lights, Poncho

Grampa and grandma came by last Saturday for a short visit; here Cadence and his grampa are wearing matching outfits. They don't seem too upset about it.

Last night Drew played National Lampoon and put up our Christmas lights. We all went out in the (freezing) rain to check out his handy work.

Thoughts about the Discovery of Toes

I want to add that watching Cadence discovery things like his toes is a remarkable thing that could easily just pass by, be noted, and then stuffed into memory away wherever we stuff away all the other little milestones we surpass. As some of you know, I have two dear friends who have been travelling the world discovering all sorts of wonders and beauties (their favourites seems to have been in Mongolia. I think that's where mine would be too.) In reading about their large-scale adventures, I can't help but feel like it's all relative, and that even though we're sitting put on our living room floor making funny noises and drum beats and faces all the time, we're bearing witness to an equally amazing level of discovery.

Try to imagine what it must like to actually discover your toes. To see that, hey, these things are here and when I move my legs they move too and if I'm just agile & quick enough I can get a hold of them. And, if I can just manage to hold on long enough, and keep my leg from pulling the other way, I might get to connect them with my one true sensory perceptor--my mouth. To see what it's really all about.

I've always felt that I want to live more in the present, but had difficulty maintaining the conscious resolve to do so. I must say the going through labour was a whole lot of here-and-now. But getting to watch another human go through each and every day differently, learning new things, making life-changing observations and discoveries, is both an honour and a much-appreciated opportunity to try and do the same.

Here's to living in the now, and the fact that we can learn so much from someone so small.

Toes

Although all the snow has melted, we're going to try and put up our Christmas decorations today. I've always tried to wait until Dec 1, but we figure a week in advance won't hurt anything. Looking forward to baby's first Christmas, and our first family Christmas in the house!

This week was a big one for Cadence. One day mid-week Drew was out with the dog, and I had to go to the bathroom so I put Cadence down on his back, on his playmat. I came back in about one minute, and there he was, still on his back, but about three feet away on the floor. Apparently he has figured out how to do the complete rollover sequence! I feel like the whole planet has subtly shifted. We're told that he'll likely get around by rolling, then start inching on his belly, and eventually start crawling. It has begun. So now we need to get on our hands and knees & look at the house from his perspective, to get things baby-proofed. But first the Christmas decorations! :)

He also stays sitting (for a little bit) when put in position. Doing very well in the exersaucer; we think it's something he might like to own since this one's from the toy library & we only have it for three weeks.

And, yes, he's found his toes. He will work for a very long time trying to get a good enough grip to get them into his little mouth. We think it's quite amusing.

Happy Birthday Drew!

Drew had a birthday this week. Here's what Cadence made for his daddy:

The Exersaucer, Chewing

Drew brought an Exersaucer home yesterday from the Early Years' Centre. Cadence appears to be a bit unsure about it, but I think he's just now ready for it. He did a few short turns around it, so he seems to have the hang of it already.


Oh--and just in case you thought he might be done with his chewing phase, think again.

Naked in the Coffee Shop

This photo is from a few weeks ago, when Sharilynn was herre with Jordan. She was good enough to send her pictures from the visit, and I just had to share this one.

Out and About, and Eating Everything

A nice weekend...yesterday we went to two different church bazaars in Haileybury. Cadence was a hit, and Drew got to buy a tonne of baking (which I haven't been doing as much as I used to...)

Here's Cadence in his car seat, ready to hit the road. Note if you can the new blue mittens (with strings!) that we bought him at the church bazaar. Somehow the mittens on strings really hit home for me--we have a little child who will one day be running around losing his mittens! Every once in a while we have little moments of "hey--we have a baby!" and "hey--he's going to grow into a real little person!" and "hey--one day he's going to just up & say, 'yo mom & dad, i'm taking the car. can i have 20 bucks?'"


In the car (obviously).


He's still into the swing, and will usually sit in it for about 2/3 of any given meal. He is increasingly frustrated, however, by the fact that he can't put the little toys attached to the swing in his mouth. So we have to attach things that will actually reach.

Pumpkin Time

Cadence's first Hallowe'en was a nice one...lots of snow came just before, so it was starting to feel much more like Christmas. Hallowe'en was a bit milder but not a busy one for us--not a single kid! Here's Cadence posing with our pumpkin, and a pic of our backyard last weekend.