Sunday, October 30, 2016

October 2016

We spent October in Naperville while our things were moved to Seattle.  We had fun doing lots of fall-ish activities including collecting leaves, visiting a pumpkin patch and perfecting our bike skills.  James Robert started attending a pre-school two days a week and they had an adorable Halloween Parade.  

Friday, September 30, 2016

September 2016

September was a bit of a blur with so much happening.  We said goodbye to our friends and left Oakville at the end of the month, but enjoyed all the gorgeous Indian Summer weather before we left.  

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Thomas' Baptism

Before leaving Canada is was important to us to have Thomas baptized at the church we attended while in Oakville.  The Knox community was an incredible part of our past two years.  It was especially special to have our friend, Jacqui baptize Thomas.

We were joined in celebration by both sides of our family; all of his cousins, Aunts, Uncle and Granparents made the trip and we were so grateful for them to be there. 

I'm learning how to use the memories feature on my iphone which created this video of the images from that weekend... excuse the given music as I haven't figured out how to change that yet! 

Friday, September 16, 2016

Lake Love

Our almost nightly excursions to walk by the lake are prettiest in the late summer/ early fall.  The sunsets are cotton candy colored and there is a hint of crispness in the air.

With only a few weeks left to collect lake glass for his collection, James Robert and Mat have been hunting in earnest.  This week, Thomas also wanted in on the fun and absolutely loved being down by the water and listening to the waves (we're hoping that this bodes well for our impending move and the ability to be on the water).

Monday, September 12, 2016

Officially American!

As of this morning, Thomas is officially an American citizen!  We visited the American Consulate in Toronto to process his citizenship and apply for his American passport.  After raising our right hand and pledging our information to be true, he was unceremoniously congratulated as being American on spot.  He may not remember the experience, but it certainly will be a memory Mat and I will keep for a long time!

Saturday, September 10, 2016

TCL 3 Months






Weight: 13.5 lbs

Health: In the last 2 weeks of Thomas' second month we noticed a big improvement in the reflux and colic symptoms.  He is still taking Zantac twice daily and that seems to help tremendously.  Besides a stuffy nose, overall health is great.

Sleep: In the last two weeks, Thomas has started to put himself on a much more routine sleep schedule; he gets tired every night around 7:30 and has began to sleep longer stretches over night (usually waking once or twice during the night) and then is up at 6:30AM.  He is napping more regularly too and transitioned to sleeping in his own room in a crib.  We also discovered that although he fights it, Swaddle Me blanket is very soothing for him.

Diet: Still exclusively breastfed and hasn't taken a bottle at all this month.

Clothes: Mostly 0-3 month items still.

Baby Gear: Most of the month we were still getting a lot of use out of the Rock and Play before moving to the crib.  We tried a new carrier (the Baby Bjorn) which is easy to use and with the warm weather has been great.  The Baby Bjorn bouncer is also a new favorite because Thomas is starting to understand that when he kicks is bounces and loves the movement.  This playmat from James Robert has proved to be a big hit!! Oh, and his wubbanub goes everywhere with us.

Crying: Thankfully, Thomas is trying much less this month than last month.  And it is remarkable to see that he can be soothed more easily and responds to us with a smile.

Likes: Thomas is happiest in his bath!  We have started doing more regular bedtime baths and he absolutely loves to splash and kick.  He also loves to babble and doesn't miss an opportunity to join in the dinner conversation with his cooing.  Thomas is tracking things with his eyes and loves his playmat with black and white images.  This month showed a lot of growth!

Milestones: Sleeping longer, rolling onto his side by himself (not rolling over yet), increased babbling and best of all smiles for all of his family members.  

Friday, September 9, 2016

James Robert Kinders Class


This week, James Robert graduated from the preschool class to the kinders class at his school and he's been so proud and excited about the accomplishment.  In order to move into this class he has been diaper free for a month and even won the "student star" award for excellent listening and participation.

The kinders class will be working on more pre-K type activities as most Canadian children go into full-day kindergarten the year they turn 4.  James Robert's favorite activities are the music lesson, French circle time and yoga!

We're so proud of him for making this transition and for his enthusiasm (with so many changes he's been a real trooper).  He will only be in the class for the next coming weeks, but it was surely a boost of confidence for him that I know he'll take it into whatever school he goes to in Seattle!

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Canadian Baby Passport

By virtue of being born in Canada, Thomas will be a dual citizen here and in the US.  With upcoming air travel planned, we quickly worked to get him a passport.  Little did we know how hard and funny it would be to get his passport photo taken.  We've been chuckling since this gem came in the mail and it will doubtlessly provide years of laughs when we travel.
It feel a bit surreal to see your child have a passport with a different country on it than yours!  But next  week we will be headed to the US consulate to start the paperwork for his US passport and citizenship.  What a treasure to have this experience for him!

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Lake Boys

Every summer I look forward to taking pictures in the same spot by Lake Michigan.  This year was hilariously hard to get both boys to cooperate, but I'm so glad that I continued the tradition nonetheless.  After about 3 minute, James Robert had enough and ran down to the water and Thomas needed to be fed.  But I loved sitting on the beach nursing him and taking stock of the passing of time in this special place.  Here are some of the pictures we got this year (previous years are here, here and here):
















Up North 2016

This year was a very memorable trip Up North! Most notably because Tommy joined the crew!  But also because Aunt Kris and Uncle Peter hosted all 20 of us (plus 3 dogs) in their home.  It was a wonderful week full of good weather and great memories.
Tommy was loved on by all of his cousins, Aunts and Uncles; it was so sweet to see all of the kids quickly warm to him.
Thanks to mostly great weather, we spent a ton of time in the lake.  And this year, we all enjoyed the paddle boards; even some of the kids got up on them and had a ball. 
 

We took a trip into Suttons Bay one day, played at the park and dipped our feet in the water.  Then Baca, Mat and James Robert took a special 'boys only' sail.  James Robert loved that special time-- if you ask him about the day he will tell you about how cool it was to watch Daddy jump off the boat and getting in the water with him.


The best part of the week was watching all the kids play together.  Just look at that M22 picture- we are running out of room on the couch! 


After our annual trip to Boondocks, we snuck in some family photos by the lake.




Wednesday, August 10, 2016

TCL 2 Months

Weight: a bit over 12 lbs at your well visit!

Health: We started medication for reflux this month which helped to calm some of your symptoms.  Overall, you're in the 50th percentile for weight, height and head size!

Sleep: Sleeping doesn't come easily; most evenings you cry from 5:30-10PM and you sleep best when on a walk in your stroller ( you love the outdoors) or on Mommy's chest.  The longest stretch you've slept is 3 hours.

Social: You are becoming more alert when awake and tracking things with you eyes and cooing.

Diet: You weren't thrilled with the first bottle we tried to give you, but overall a steady appetite and eats well.

Clothes: You moved into mostly 0-3 month clothing this month.  Dressing you in summer baby clothes is SO fun!

Baby Gear: The rock and play has been great for sleeping because of the incline and our stroller has gotten quite a workout since it's one of the places you feel most comforted.  And the Ergo and ring sling have been life savers to keep you close and also have free hands.

Crying:
Phew!  I'm not even going to elaborate.

Likes: Eating, being outside, walks in the stroller.

Milestones: Making noises! 

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Brotherly Love

A few days ago, James Robert asked me if he could hold Tommy all by himself.  It is the first time he has asked to hold his brother and only the second time doing so (the first time was at the hospital and he hasn't shown interest since).  
I quickly picked up my camera to capture this moment. The pride and joy the James Robert beamed was unforgettable!  

Tommy has spent a lot of time crying, so having a few moments for the two of them to bond while he was not crying really made James Robert happy.  Upon his suggestion, we put down the play mat for them to lay together and it was the first time they were really engaging with each other.  Tommy was easily entertained by James Robert showing him all of his cars and trucks and even gave him a few big smiles!

 
Their brotherly love made me as happy as it made them!

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Newborn Family Photos

When Thomas was just shy of a month old, we met up with the Jeff and Diane who took our family photos back in October.   

These pictures are such a treasure. It was the first time we all got dressed and left the house (which was a lot more challenging than it seems).  And although there were toddler shenanigans and newborn fussiness, Jeff and Diane captured such tender moments.