More than a phase
Once again, it has been way too long since I've posted on here - but I was prompted to write again with (what I consider to be) a big change in Evie's routine...Breastfeeding has ended in our house after just over two years! I can't think of anything other than eating and sleeping that I've done every consecutive day for over two years - so to me, this was definitely more than a phase in the life of a baby. So anyway, I thought about how often I posted about Evie's changes through the first year and felt this warranted a few words :)
Some of you that I talk to often about this might be surprised, since Craig and I really saw no end in sight for Evie (and I wasn't feeling too pressured to cut her off). Since I went back to work a year ago, we were really only nursing in the morning and before bed (and the odd time when she was upset or in the middle of the night), so it wasn't a huge burden and to be honest, I think we both just loved the comfort and closeness from nursing. There is nothing else that will calm a baby or a toddler so quickly. Evie always seemed pretty eager for her milk, even though I knew she wasn't getting much from a nutrition standpoint for the past few months.
I've had a few overnight trips for work or vacation over the past year, and generally I'd pump while I was away and would still get a few ounces each time. Last weekend though, I had one overnight in Edmonton and when I pumped I barely got anything and from what I could tell, it was just colostrum. I have heard that it's pretty common for milk to dry up during pregnancy and so I think it was my body's way of telling me that baby #2 needs the nutrition now. Anyway, having seen how much milk was actually being produced (which you never know if you are just breastfeeding), the next night when I was back home and putting Evie down I just asked her if she wanted milk or wanted to sing songs and to my surprise, she said "snuggle, sing songs in chair" - so just like that we started just singing a few songs in the rocking chair before bed. I was never too worried about the morning feed, as she is usually pretty focused on getting up and ready to play and eat breakfast. So that is how it finally ended - pretty ideal for me, as I don't think I ever could have forced her to wean - but knowing that it was really her choice, meant that it wasn't really sad for me (which is something I've been asked).
In a way, I am a bit relieved - it will be nice to have a 4 month break before our next little girl arrives, and hopefully (knock on wood), that will be enough of a break that Evie won't revert back when she sees a baby nursing constantly. That has definitely crossed my mind though...just what a toddler in the 90th percentile needs: The high-fat post-pregnancy milk meant to jump start the growth of a tiny newborn :)
In terms of other updates, we've had a pretty busy summer and fall. This weekend feels like the first in a while where we actually have some downtime. Our day home was closed for all of July, so we took lots of vacation time then and had both my and Craig's parents come out at some point in the summer or fall. We also traveled to Vancouver for an extra long weekend for our friends' Heather and Nicholas' wedding. Then in early October, we were back in Ontario for just over a week taking in the fall colours (Alberta's larches have nothing on Ontario's maple and elm trees), visiting family and friends, and celebrating at a surprise birthday party for Craig's dad. While it's always nice to come home and return to routine, I think I much prefer a busy schedule to sitting around inside.
It is still really incredible to watch Evie learn these days. I remember being worried at her 18 month check-up that she was only saying a few words and now, 6 months later, she is talking in 5-6 word sentences sometimes (mostly ordering us around) and repeating pretty much everything she hears. The other day I was at the dog park with Hudson, Ruby and Evie and speaking to the dogs I said "OK guys, let's go home and see Craig"....and now a few times in the last day she has repeated "Go home and see Caig" (no R sound intended). He is not too happy about that of course. She is getting more and more into imaginative play, and loves "cooking" for us in her play kitchen. It's neat to see how she obviously watches me cook as she will pretend to fill her pots with water, then shake in spices, stir and dish the food out to her dollhouse figures, who are all seated together at the table. She also loves playing grocery store (picking all the toy foods, paying for it at the cash register, and putting in the bag, and repeating....over and over again). She is also really into "crafts" (cutting, gluing, sparkling). I recently had to purge the Evie art gallery we had going on in the living room, as we were running out of wall space.
Although her attention span isn't that long yet, it is way more fun to play with a toddler than a smaller baby. While it can be tiring, it's neat to watch them learn, explore and try thing on their own. Well, except on rushed weekday mornings when Evie insists on dressing herself and that her shirt belongs on her legs :). I'm hoping that we can continue building her attention span for when her sister arrives. One good thing about a March arrival is that I'll almost always be able to let her play out in the backyard (which she will do happily for hours on her own).
We have started potty training, and it is going reasonably well but she is not quite at the point where she cares enough to tell us she needs to go (and we might not be committed enough to put her on the potty every hour). I think we may need to go the route of trying underwear and letting her feel a "wet" diaper, since she seems to have no problem going in her diaper if the option is there. She often makes it through the night dry, and will use the potty then, but during the day it is probably about 50/50 at this point.
Here are some semi-recent pictures and videos:
Here is baby girl #2. I am pretty excited about having another little girl. I grew up with a younger sister who was my built-in playmate and is now a great friend, so I'm happy that Evie will also have that experience. It's also a bonus that I don't have to re-paint the nursery or buy new baby clothes :)
Unlike the first pregnancy where I took a picture of my belly every week, this is the first one I've got - at 22 weeks. I'll try to remember to take at least 3 more :) I've had a pretty good pregnancy but it's definitely been harder to be as active as I was the first time around, particularly when it comes to running. I've been doing 5 km about 3 times a week, then doing indoor workouts the other days. I don't even know how I managed to do a half marathon at 20 weeks with Evie.
Evie showing off her crafts and taking some virtual documentation before they were recycled
Evie was pretty excited to finally figure out how to use the scissors (if only she would have listened to our lessons on how to hold scissors earlier :)
Enjoying the bubble piano at the Telus Spark science centre in Calgary
Evie on Halloween. After I broke a sweat wrestling her into the costume and attempting to paint her face, she did have fun. Now she is constantly asking us for "trick or treats", and she knows that Craig is way more likely to give in to that question.
I made a very small effort to show her that everyone wears costumes
Evie in her new hockey jersey from Uncle Mac and Auntie Jocelyn
Evie wearing a mustache like Pop Pop at his birthday party
Toddlers are busy little creatures, but they still sleep like babies :)
Canoeing at the cottage we rented for a few days while in Ontario. Despite the fact that the life jacket looks like its pretty uncomfortable, she liked being out on the water.
"Hiking" in the forest in Ontario
The much needed effects of Gravol...Evie is more motion sick than ever unfortunately. She threw up about 2 cups of milk and goldfish on our flight back to Ontario (it was pretty turbulent) - luckily Craig managed to catch pretty much all of it (well, if you call lucky having to sit with hands that smell slightly of vomit for 4 hours). Gravol does the trick for longer trips, but she will often puke after 15 minutes of city driving, so that is the most inconvenient part. Most of those drives, I sit in the back (if we are all going somewhere) and attempt to minimize the mess...ah things I didn't think I'd be doing 2 years ago.
Feeding the goats at the Calgary Corn Maze - luckily she was at their height so they didn't jump on her like they did to Craig and me.
Corn maze wagon ride
Evie is really big on "helping", which generally consists of a combination of eating, spilling and attempted stirring. I can't complain though, she really tries to follow directions and is happy to be involved.
She especially loves making coffees (this video is long...). I think Craig's caffeine intake has doubled since I'm not really drinking coffee and she is constantly wanting to make coffee for somebody.
She loves going to the park, and the teeter totter....usually when she recites this song back to me, the words she can recall are "dirty milk, dirty milk" - makes me laugh
I'm sure I've posted about how great the library in Calgary is before...this summer we discovered that the downtown library has a real fire truck that kids can climb in and turn on the siren, honk the horn etc....definitely not your traditional library find. We can easily spend a morning there in the fire truck and preschool play area.
Out for walks in the neighbourhood
Hiking around Johntson Lake
Evie was pretty excited that Ruby wanted to lie in her lap (actually Ruby was forced to since our car was so packed with camping gear).
Hiking the hoodoos trail in Banff, we made it about a km before finding a beach where we stayed and ate snacks and threw rocks....This new kind of hiking is tiring in a whole new way
Snuggling on a cold morning while camping
Possibly her favourite part of camping was getting to try potato chips for the first time, and figuring out that all the food was in these easy-to-access, toddler height bins.
She liked sleeping in the tent
That's all I've got for today, and I can hear Evie calling me after her nap now. Let's hope I get at least one post in before Evie's little sister arrives in March! (but don't hold your breath)
Some of you that I talk to often about this might be surprised, since Craig and I really saw no end in sight for Evie (and I wasn't feeling too pressured to cut her off). Since I went back to work a year ago, we were really only nursing in the morning and before bed (and the odd time when she was upset or in the middle of the night), so it wasn't a huge burden and to be honest, I think we both just loved the comfort and closeness from nursing. There is nothing else that will calm a baby or a toddler so quickly. Evie always seemed pretty eager for her milk, even though I knew she wasn't getting much from a nutrition standpoint for the past few months.
I've had a few overnight trips for work or vacation over the past year, and generally I'd pump while I was away and would still get a few ounces each time. Last weekend though, I had one overnight in Edmonton and when I pumped I barely got anything and from what I could tell, it was just colostrum. I have heard that it's pretty common for milk to dry up during pregnancy and so I think it was my body's way of telling me that baby #2 needs the nutrition now. Anyway, having seen how much milk was actually being produced (which you never know if you are just breastfeeding), the next night when I was back home and putting Evie down I just asked her if she wanted milk or wanted to sing songs and to my surprise, she said "snuggle, sing songs in chair" - so just like that we started just singing a few songs in the rocking chair before bed. I was never too worried about the morning feed, as she is usually pretty focused on getting up and ready to play and eat breakfast. So that is how it finally ended - pretty ideal for me, as I don't think I ever could have forced her to wean - but knowing that it was really her choice, meant that it wasn't really sad for me (which is something I've been asked).
In a way, I am a bit relieved - it will be nice to have a 4 month break before our next little girl arrives, and hopefully (knock on wood), that will be enough of a break that Evie won't revert back when she sees a baby nursing constantly. That has definitely crossed my mind though...just what a toddler in the 90th percentile needs: The high-fat post-pregnancy milk meant to jump start the growth of a tiny newborn :)
In terms of other updates, we've had a pretty busy summer and fall. This weekend feels like the first in a while where we actually have some downtime. Our day home was closed for all of July, so we took lots of vacation time then and had both my and Craig's parents come out at some point in the summer or fall. We also traveled to Vancouver for an extra long weekend for our friends' Heather and Nicholas' wedding. Then in early October, we were back in Ontario for just over a week taking in the fall colours (Alberta's larches have nothing on Ontario's maple and elm trees), visiting family and friends, and celebrating at a surprise birthday party for Craig's dad. While it's always nice to come home and return to routine, I think I much prefer a busy schedule to sitting around inside.
It is still really incredible to watch Evie learn these days. I remember being worried at her 18 month check-up that she was only saying a few words and now, 6 months later, she is talking in 5-6 word sentences sometimes (mostly ordering us around) and repeating pretty much everything she hears. The other day I was at the dog park with Hudson, Ruby and Evie and speaking to the dogs I said "OK guys, let's go home and see Craig"....and now a few times in the last day she has repeated "Go home and see Caig" (no R sound intended). He is not too happy about that of course. She is getting more and more into imaginative play, and loves "cooking" for us in her play kitchen. It's neat to see how she obviously watches me cook as she will pretend to fill her pots with water, then shake in spices, stir and dish the food out to her dollhouse figures, who are all seated together at the table. She also loves playing grocery store (picking all the toy foods, paying for it at the cash register, and putting in the bag, and repeating....over and over again). She is also really into "crafts" (cutting, gluing, sparkling). I recently had to purge the Evie art gallery we had going on in the living room, as we were running out of wall space.
Although her attention span isn't that long yet, it is way more fun to play with a toddler than a smaller baby. While it can be tiring, it's neat to watch them learn, explore and try thing on their own. Well, except on rushed weekday mornings when Evie insists on dressing herself and that her shirt belongs on her legs :). I'm hoping that we can continue building her attention span for when her sister arrives. One good thing about a March arrival is that I'll almost always be able to let her play out in the backyard (which she will do happily for hours on her own).
We have started potty training, and it is going reasonably well but she is not quite at the point where she cares enough to tell us she needs to go (and we might not be committed enough to put her on the potty every hour). I think we may need to go the route of trying underwear and letting her feel a "wet" diaper, since she seems to have no problem going in her diaper if the option is there. She often makes it through the night dry, and will use the potty then, but during the day it is probably about 50/50 at this point.
Here are some semi-recent pictures and videos:
Here is baby girl #2. I am pretty excited about having another little girl. I grew up with a younger sister who was my built-in playmate and is now a great friend, so I'm happy that Evie will also have that experience. It's also a bonus that I don't have to re-paint the nursery or buy new baby clothes :)
Unlike the first pregnancy where I took a picture of my belly every week, this is the first one I've got - at 22 weeks. I'll try to remember to take at least 3 more :) I've had a pretty good pregnancy but it's definitely been harder to be as active as I was the first time around, particularly when it comes to running. I've been doing 5 km about 3 times a week, then doing indoor workouts the other days. I don't even know how I managed to do a half marathon at 20 weeks with Evie.
Checking out the city skyline from River Park dog park near our house
Running at the dog park....it's a good workout for dogs and toddlers alike
Evie showing off her crafts and taking some virtual documentation before they were recycled
Crafter in action
Evie was pretty excited to finally figure out how to use the scissors (if only she would have listened to our lessons on how to hold scissors earlier :)
Enjoying the bubble piano at the Telus Spark science centre in Calgary
Evie on Halloween. After I broke a sweat wrestling her into the costume and attempting to paint her face, she did have fun. Now she is constantly asking us for "trick or treats", and she knows that Craig is way more likely to give in to that question.
Evie in her new hockey jersey from Uncle Mac and Auntie Jocelyn
Evie wearing a mustache like Pop Pop at his birthday party
Toddlers are busy little creatures, but they still sleep like babies :)
Canoeing at the cottage we rented for a few days while in Ontario. Despite the fact that the life jacket looks like its pretty uncomfortable, she liked being out on the water.
"Hiking" in the forest in Ontario
The much needed effects of Gravol...Evie is more motion sick than ever unfortunately. She threw up about 2 cups of milk and goldfish on our flight back to Ontario (it was pretty turbulent) - luckily Craig managed to catch pretty much all of it (well, if you call lucky having to sit with hands that smell slightly of vomit for 4 hours). Gravol does the trick for longer trips, but she will often puke after 15 minutes of city driving, so that is the most inconvenient part. Most of those drives, I sit in the back (if we are all going somewhere) and attempt to minimize the mess...ah things I didn't think I'd be doing 2 years ago.
Feeding the goats at the Calgary Corn Maze - luckily she was at their height so they didn't jump on her like they did to Craig and me.
Corn maze wagon ride
Evie is really big on "helping", which generally consists of a combination of eating, spilling and attempted stirring. I can't complain though, she really tries to follow directions and is happy to be involved.
She especially loves making coffees (this video is long...). I think Craig's caffeine intake has doubled since I'm not really drinking coffee and she is constantly wanting to make coffee for somebody.
She loves going to the park, and the teeter totter....usually when she recites this song back to me, the words she can recall are "dirty milk, dirty milk" - makes me laugh
I'm sure I've posted about how great the library in Calgary is before...this summer we discovered that the downtown library has a real fire truck that kids can climb in and turn on the siren, honk the horn etc....definitely not your traditional library find. We can easily spend a morning there in the fire truck and preschool play area.
Out for walks in the neighbourhood
We got out for one camping weekend this summer, which went surprisingly well (much better than last summer). Evie loved being outside and we had pretty decent weather (still cold at night, but you can't really avoid that in the mountains).
Wading at Johnston Lake in Banff
Hiking around Johntson Lake
Evie was pretty excited that Ruby wanted to lie in her lap (actually Ruby was forced to since our car was so packed with camping gear).
Hiking the hoodoos trail in Banff, we made it about a km before finding a beach where we stayed and ate snacks and threw rocks....This new kind of hiking is tiring in a whole new way
Snuggling on a cold morning while camping
Possibly her favourite part of camping was getting to try potato chips for the first time, and figuring out that all the food was in these easy-to-access, toddler height bins.
She liked sleeping in the tent
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