It's Almost Summer, Right????

After being teased by our recent warm spell, my tiny Dictator and I have been trapped inside the house almost all week. Our only outings have been to go to the grocery store (necessary evil), to a successful Starfish & Duck swimming lesson (scream-free and full of underwater dunking, followed up by a delightful lunch with friends Guida & Joel, who are expecting their second tiny Dictator any day now) and an exercise class at the mall (followed up by a quick trip to Girl Guides where the Dictator was adored and showered with compliments.) We have been through all the toys repeatedly, right to the bottom of the toy box, and we look out the window at the backyard while I tell the Dictator all about the wonders of grass. Bert and Ernie reminisce about the good old days when they didn't have to pee in a snowbank. Yesterday Bert licked the strip of metal on the bottom of the door and his tongue got stuck there. We are all looking forward to the promise of warmer weather this weekend. I keep these pictures on the fridge to remind us that summer will come back again someday.

PS - Happy government birthday to Grammie today, happy real birthday to Grammie tomorrow! You would think after all these years she would have gotten that birth certificate fixed, no????

Safe & Sound

How long will it be until we find Little Tally tucked away, all safe and sound, in Bert's bed? Here he is, keeping a close eye on his favourite toy.

Land Lubber

How can this little baby who loves her bath so much not be a fan of the pool? Pan Am Pool has the warmest kiddie pool in the city. It is like a giant bathtub, full of fun toys and other babies. And yet, my little swimmer was not a fan today. Sure, she smiled at her baby classmates and flirted with their moms, but she was all screams when it came time to play with her own Mama. I'm trying not to take it personally.....

My Old Buddies Bert & Ernie

When we first brought "the boys" home, we named them based on their height. Bert was taller, so he was Bert. But within days, we thought we had misnamed them. Ernie loved to cuddle and was happy snoozing in your lap for hours. Bert was full of mischief, he was independent, he would wander off and get into EVERYTHING. We started call the puppies "Bad Bert" and "Easy Ernie."

Then, about a week later, Bert jumped off the deck and broke his little leg. Poor little guy. He was so sad. He spent 8 weeks in a cast, cuddling on our laps, while "Easy Ernie" took advantage of the situation and became more dominant everyday. Before we knew it, Ernie was king of the castle and Bert was the lapdog.

Now, it is clear that we named them correctly. Ernie is no longer easy. He is full of mischief and gets into everything. He is trouble on 4 legs. We call him "Your Majesty" and it is clear that he just tolerates us living in his house. He loves to ignore us. Good old Bert, on the other hand, will follow us around the house all day long. If you sit on the floor he scrambles to get on your lap. When Talia was first born, he would sit at my feet and not let Ernie or anyone else near me while I fed the baby. Even though we generally don't let the dogs close enough to the baby to lick her, he is forever trying to scooch in for a smooch. His favourite part of the day is when she is in her bouncy chair or carseat, at his height. We have a rule that the dogs are not allowed on the baby's blanket when she is on the floor - we might as well give up, since Bert is impossible to keep off and Ernie couldn't care less!

Dear Superstore

Dear Superstore,

I know we've been together for a few years now. And it's true that we've had some good times. But you're just not there for me when it counts. Like when I need green onions. And for goodness sake, is it too much to ask that a giant supermarket chain have skim milk? Listen, I have a baby now. I don't have time to run around, willy-nilly, getting lost in your huge expanse while looking for peanut butter. I'm going back to my former boyfriend, Sobeys. Sobeys always has green onions when I need them. Don't get me wrong, I hope we can still be friends. At least when I need to buy diapers and clothes.

Take care,

T Mc Q

ps - After a disappointing trip to Superstore, it finally warmed up and we went out for a walk/sleigh ride. Next time I get to ride in the sleigh.

Pass the Cereal....

Ta Da!!! Finally, last night we started Talia on cereal!!! She is almost 6 months (will be on the 11th) and is finally full. We just couldn't wait - my normally chill, easy-going, laid-back dream baby has been a devil baby for the last week or so. Screaming every 1.5 - 2 hours for milk (instead of casually accepting some milk 4 times a day) and up at all hours of the night (instead of sleeping through as she has since she was only a few weeks old.) So we fixed her little red wagon, and she loved it! With a nice full belly, last night she slept from 8:30pm to 9:15am - now THERE'S that baby of mine!

While it's really exciting that she's such a big girl, it's also making me a little sad. She's never going to be that serious little newborn (in the top picture) again. The last 6 months have gone by so fast!

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Bottle

M'baby is growing like a weed, and yet she's in the 4th percentile for weight and less than the 3rd percentile for height. (So much for a freakishly tall guy and a freakishly short girl cancelling each other out in their offspring. My genes rule.) Don't let this fool you, though, she is definitely becoming a big girl. Here's our big girl figuring out her new sippy cup. To give you some sense of scale, I've included a picture of her Daddy with the same cup.

ps - a big shout out to Nicho for an awesome 3rd birfday party yesterday. Cupcakes, helium balloons, Barrel of Monkeys..... a perfect day!