Just The Three of Us

It occurred to me that Easter was our last holiday as just three. The Easter bunny visited on Easter Sunday and Eloise had fun finding treats left in the garden by the sneaky rabbit. A little chick that peeps, a Franklin book and of course, a healthy selection of chocolate, filled her Easter basket and we spent the rest of the afternoon in a choco-coma from the morning's booty. 

As usual, my mom prepared a spectacular family dinner, finished with a layered meringue and lemon cream cake, served frozen, that was honestly one of the best things I have ever eaten. We took the opportunity to don our Sunday best for dinner and snuck out for a family photo, just the three of us (plus Noodle).

I like the devious look on Eloise's face as she prepares to devour yet another chocolate egg and I'm happy to have fit into that very pink dress for the occasion. Pink leopard, totally Easter-chic, right? 

Merry Mexico

 

We returned home from Mexico to snow on Saturday night, quite a shock after a week of sunny skies, bare feet and pool time. Our trip was the perfect combination of relaxation and family time, and our only worries all week were where to lounge and go for dinner. Cabo San Lucas is such a beautiful place and the resort we were at was spectacular. We are so thankful to Grandma Pat and Grandpa Bill for having us to their 'Mexico House'.

Eloise was using Spanish greetings with ease by mid-week, saying hola to everyone, gracias to waiters bringing drinks and buenos dias to passersby. She was more confident in the pool and ate pretty well too, even if most of her vegetable intake came in the form of french fries. Apart from pool time, a highlight of our week was definitely a day trip to Todos Santos where I had the yummiest shrimp tacos I've ever eaten at a funky spot called Tequila Sunrise and everyone else enjoyed enormous margaritas prepared by the restaurant's charismatic owner. After walking and shopping we headed to Cerritos Beach when Chris was able to catch some surf and Eloise and I played in the sand (after a brief temper tantrum, naturally).

On vacation I am a lounger and I like to judge my relaxation on how much I am able to read. I managed to read one book cover to cover this trip - with a toddler underfoot! - so I'd say it was a complete success. The book, a recommendation from my friend Renee, was Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, a perfect beach companion just as Renee suggested. This book is a captivating page turner with a charming story and interestingly connected characters who are all struggling to find themselves in one way or another. I love a book that ends with resolve for each of the characters and as we touched down in Vancouver Beautiful Ruins did just that.

Until we visit Cabo again we will all be dreaming of Mexican sunsets, warm sand, lots of swimming and one very happy little girl. 

8 weeks

8 Weeks

The interesting thing is, by the time you read this I will be newly into my second trimester and hopefully past the doldrums that come along with the first. Right now I don't look pregnant and I don't really feel pregnant yet either. The intense nausea of the past weeks has mostly gone and I am usually able to make it until 10pm before I need to go to bed. Save for constant hunger, bigger boobs (woohoo!) and some serious bloating around my middle, I'm pretty much just me, so this stage is really the hardest. You're also not supposed to tell people you're pregnant yet - though I never can manage to wait the full 12 weeks - so it's not like I've been able to publicly explain why I've been a little more than off for a few months.

We haven't told Eloise yet (remember, you're reading this a month after it was written) but I am pretty certain she knows something is up. I say this because she has been particularly maternal to her Peeps lately, carrying them around and playing mommy. She spent most of this evening tucking Piggy and Pengy into a handful of blankets in various spots around the house, carting two bottles and warning Granby in a very Mama-bear way to back off, the Peeps are asleep. She's going to be a great big sister. 

According to my Babycentre pregnancy app our Sea Monkey is now the size of a kidney bean and thankfully, it's tail is starting to disappear.

10 Weeks

Tired of constantly asking Eloise to stop crawling all over me, elbowing my sore boobs and bouncing on my tummy, Chris and I decided it was time to explain why. So we told her she was going to be a big sister and she followed up with, "the baby is in my belly!" Since then we've talked about the baby more and explained how once the spring comes this year she is going to be a big sister. This seems to make sense to Eloise because we recently borrowed a Franklin book from the library where Franklin had to wait for spring for his sister to be born; a perfect parallel. 

I'm still feeling quite tired and on top of pregnancy fatigue we've been battling a bad cold for a week now. Poor Eloise has had the worst of it, but I was in bed for two days as well and then Chris got it. I still don't have the energy to do anything really active and I've been super sluggish and lazy. I'm really looking forward to feeling like me again and I think I can almost see the light at the end of this first trimester tunnel. 

My belly continues to pop out little by little and my skinny jeans are no longer buttoning. I'm praying for a proper bump when I'm on the beach in Cabo in a month because at this point it still looks like serious bloat to the untrained eye. I decided to go through maternity stuff this weekend since I fear I am not far from maternity pants and I am super thankful for the vast maternity wardrobe I've accumulated. Renee, I owe you big, you've easily clothed me for the next six months. 

Here We Go Again

Just like with Eloise, this pregnancy started in equal parts delight and disbelief. Mostly because it seemed like we got pregnant just when we'd given up on trying, but also because it's really hard to feel pregnant when your jeans fit and your stomach is still flat. I took two pregnancy tests to confirm it and I stared in amazement as the 'plus' symbol appeared both times. The good news is that I now have good reason for feeling like hell for weeks with an insatiable appetite, constant nausea and utter exhaustion. Honestly, this wonderful surprise came up when we least expected it.

It is both hard to believe and so, so exciting that we will once more have a baby in the house now that ours is a self-described Big Girl. Eloise is going to be a big sister this spring with the predicted due date mid-May and we'll wait again until Baby's birthday to find out the sex. This time I can only hope for a birth more in line with what we hoped for of the first time, but like with Eloise, a healthy baby is all I want. We've been accepted at a highly regarded, nearby midwifery clinic who have delivered the babies of several friends and I must say, I am really looking forward to being pregnant again. You can remind me I said that when I'm 40 weeks pregnant and peeing every 15 minutes.

And, if you happen to be learning our exciting news this way rather than in person, please know that it's just because I couldn't wait any longer to share!

Good Ol' Heylia

Heylia provides wine touring comfort for toddlers.

As our trusty Volvo, a massive thing we affectionately call Heylia (it's a Weeds reference), nears ten years old she is sadly starting to show her age. Certain functions, like control lights that no longer light and power seat memory that no longer memorizes, are gone and there are a few new moans and groans that will inevitably mean costly trips to the mechanic. A friend recently asked about a bubbly grumble coming from the air vents and I told her that Chris just likes to say it's those pesky baby unicorns again. Ignorance is bliss, right?

Heylia has been with us through our biggest milestones to date: our first condo, adopting Granby, several moves (our beast can haul an entire three-seater sofa), countless road trips, bringing Eloise home from the hospital and many, many weddings. Even though poor Heylia is always covered in a thin layer of muffin crumbs, has a little "eau de wet dog", and goes through gas a bit quickly for my liking, she is incredibly comfortable, hauls anything and everything and is all ours. Clearly I'm attached.

Our Volvo has been good to us but, realistically, even good things come to an end. As we near the ten year milestone, I feel a little sheepish admitting we've started seeing new vehicles. We're looking for something brand new or no more than a few years old that will come without the worry of costly repairs to an old car. We're looking at smaller, more fuel efficient SUVs and even a stylish station wagon (really, not an oxymoron) and as exciting as it would be to have a vehicle with fancy bluetooth, in dash navigation, and a back up camera, getting back into Heylia after a test drive still feels like home. She smells like home too.

The Trouble with Vacation

The trouble with vacation is that it always ends too soon.

We took off for the Okanagan over May Long weekend for some R&R and ended our trip with a bang in Osoyoos for my best friend Lindsay's wedding. It was such a nice trip. The weather wasn't entirely amazing, but Chris and I got just what we needed: time to relax, time for Eloise and each other, and time to sleep. We also toured wineries, lots of wineries.

Eloise seems to have grown up more during our trip, increasing her vocabulary with more complex words (conversation, disappear, excellent) and full sentences, becoming more independant and keeping us wholly entertained with her energy and antics. She loved spending time with everyone at Grandma Pat and Grandpa Bill's, swimming in the pool, terrorizing the pets and galloping around the house several times over. She was such a good girl the whole trip I am reminded how lucky we are to have such a special, charismatic child to share with the world.

Here are a few snapshots from our time away.

"Grandpa Bill sits on the lawnmower. It's funny."

"I want to smell the wine. Mmm, smells good."

"I a bit scared to ride my bike. Too big for me." (maybe next time?)

"I drive the cart too, Dada."

The view from our suite at the lovely Spirit Ridge.

Have you ever seen a more beautiful bride? I am so lucky to have been part of Lindsay & Lorne's wedding with these amazing ladies, what a perfect way to complete our trip.

Family Photos

We received the photos from our family shoot with Cat Watson and I'm so excited to share them. Cat did a wonderful job and clearly made an impression on Eloise - when we were out for a walk this week we walked past the spot where our photo shoot took place and Eloise said, "See Cat? Cat here?" and "Aw, Cat nice."

I feel somewhat organized this year as I did get around to ordering our Christmas cards from Tiny Prints today and should even have them out in time for Christmas.

 

Cat's photos have a beautiful, soft quality and you can see more of her work on her blog. A million thanks to Cat for capturing our family so well!

PS. Remember my post on what to wear for family photos? I think our colour combo really worked :)

Our Dog is a Wimp

This is Granby and he is our dog. But don't tell him that, Granby truly believes he is our first born child.

He demonstrates behaviour similar to what I've seen in older children when a new baby comes along: he is needy, attention starved and has separation anxiety. We left him alone on Halloween night for 20 minutes and he ate half a baguette and pooped on Eloise's train set, right on the tracks. Clearly some sibling angst.

Granby is clever and good at getting what he wants. He likes to sit shotgun in the car, sleep on beds and rest his head on a pillow. He is a wimp and hates going outside when it is wet. The only way he will do his business in the rain or cold is if you stand outside with him. He watches tv with Eloise and growls protectively at dog-like animals onscreen (real, cartoon, or puppet). Like Eloise, it's not enough for Granby to be with you, he needs to be on you. Unlike Eloise, he is 60 pounds and quite bony.

Granby is also the best dog I know. He is gentle and even more patient; he lets Eloise ride him, chase him, pull his hair and never gets upset when she takes away his ball. He cleans up after Eloise's meals, taking the place of a mid-day vacuum in our kitchen. His constant yearn for attention is certainly annoying, but our loving Granby is the reason Eloise's first word was 'dog' and why her face lights up when she sees him every morning. 

He is definitely my girl's best friend.

Five Weddings

And the theme of the year was weddings.

Over Labour Day weekend Chris and I attended wedding five out of five and ended our "year of weddings" with a bang. I should mention that only one of the five was in the City, so we were going to weddings literally all over the place - Puerto Vallarta, Toronto, Victoria and Quadra Island. My dear friend Ari's wedding to Tyler was the perfect way to finish with a weekend-long celebration on beautiful Quadra. It was a very special wedding and we had way too much fun with many of my oldest friends. Turns out these parents still know how to have a good time.

Don't get me wrong, I love weddings. Love, love, love weddings. But after attending five weddings since April I have learned that it is a very different thing to be a guest than to plan a wedding like I do for work. Travel plans and expenses, careful outfit selection and gift giving, being a guest requires personal rather than organizational planning, which turned out to be more challenging. Plus, if it's smoking hot like it was in Toronto you can't retreat to the kitchen with the caterers to cool off.

Next year I hope we can take it a little easier. I am already looking forward to the weddings of two of my best friends (that's you Linds & Kel!) and am planning to jam-pack my schedule with as many clients as I can handle, but for now I'm just happy to look back on the photos from this year's weddings with fondness.

Five weddings, five outfits and only one skirt repeat. Yay me!

Breezy and bright in Mexico for Devon & Kris.

Pastels and a fascinator at UBC Farm for Julien & Bracken.

Gauzy for 40+ degree weather in Toronto for Katherine & Gus.

Just the two of us (and a favourite dress) in Victoria for Ruth & Ricky.

Family time in a floor length dress for Ari & Tyler on Quadra.