Changes

Yesterday our family got some lovely news. About Easter time we learned that another great-grandbaby is on the way and yesterday we learned that the wee child is a boy. Liam will be joining the Headrick family in October and his parents (my cousin Amy and her man, Stephen) couldn't be happier.

This is all so exciting. This is a new year full of new blessings and it's wonderful to see the family growing. Of course, this means that another sweater (or twelve) will be in the works (including the one my mum is stitching up for her). Michael will have another playmate, and Grandma will have one more reason to get out of bed each morning and fight her Alzheimer's.

These are good changes. Now, if you will excuse me, there is a sweater that needs to be cast on.

Quietly

We had a rough start to today. Alex is sick, Michael has been fussy (teething pain is awful) and Rito just wants attention. Right now, they are all sleeping and I am so thankful! I am updating my blog, enjoying the peace, and having a bit of a knit on something wee to keep my son warm. We are all settled into our new home and are enjoying the extra space. The garden this year is more of an experiment to see what will grow on our stoop and how well, so there isn't much other than berries and a few herbs and tomatoes. 

Michael has been a very good helper bee with preparing the garden:

The above photo is of four generations (my grandmother, mother, myself and my son). This was taken on Mother's Day and is very precious to me.

Last year on the same day, we took a photo of the four of us, hoping that Grandma would live through her Alzheimers Disease to meet her first great-grandchild and the Lord granted that prayer. She loves the little guy and I must say, the feeling is quite mutual.

Happy Mother's Day

I used to think Mother's Day was overated. The cards, the flowers, waxy chocolates purchased at the very last possible moment before mum woke up to eat the overcooked scrambled eggs and gulp down the watery coffee. It all seemed so commercial. And then, I woke up to this and it all changed my mind:

I still think Mother's Day is a bit of a scam- one day to celebrate our mothers, like them or not, and then forget to call, visit, or otherwise thank them for all the time, effort, money, and love they poured into our lives. I realize that this may upset a few mothers out there, and I'm okay with that. I'm not against Mother's Day itself, just the idea that we only need to honor them one day a year. 

Let's remember why we are mothers, let's remember why we love and appreciate our mothers. Let's take this day and stretch it out a little longer than one short season.

To my own mother- I love you. Thank you for helping to shape me into who I am today. Thank you for teaching how to be a mother to my own child. I love you.

New Home

Today our little family moved into a lovely new apartment with enough room for play, dining and breathing. I'm sorry it's been so long since I have last updated this blog, but I want you to know it hasn't been forgotten. I'll try to post again next week......

Pictures

Today is Thursday and a little wonky. Not that all of my Thursdays are wonky, but I think this one will be. Alex worked the early shift today so he had to get up at 4am. Michael decided this would be the time that he also would wake up. So, here we go again. I got up to feed the boy and then we snuggled for a bit. Actually, we snuggled a lot, because when I finally woke up and looked at the clock it read 9:47am. Wow, I was more exhausted than I thought.

So now we are both up and fed and getting started on our day. Right now, Michael is talking to the little boy in the mirror and practicing his crawling skills. That's right, he's crawling now! And teething. Oh the teething. I think I may need a vacation from the kid before they come in- the crying, the drool, the late nights. Oye. He is sitting up on his own now too- it's amazing how fast he is growing. Every week he is doing something new.

He is kind of starting solids- not too sure about them yet

Learning to use a napkin after meals (you're welcome to his future wife...)

Making new friends

Dying Easter eggs!

We have started going to the park (he's not sure about the sunglasses, but I think they are rather cute...)

And of course, we are teaching him to read- this is my favorite children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

I would love to write more, but Michael has a cat toy stuffed in his mouth...Love to you all, and I'll try to write again soon.

I Wouldn't Trade This For Anything

Life has been a little busy since we brought Michael home. A typical day with him looks something like this:

7am: Daddy and Mama finally fall into something that resembles sleep when we hear the familiar cooing and slapping of feet in the crib. Mama wakes up and goes to tend the we one.

9am: The wee one has been fed, changed, snuggled, and is now talking to the cat and playing with his toes.

11am: For the past two hours, Michael has been chatting away. He has been fed, changed, snuggled, taken outside for a walk, and been told at least three times that he is extremely cute.

2pm: I'm not sure who invented the idea that babies should be placed on a nap schedule as early as possible, but I think that they should meet our son. For the past three hours, he has been screaming ad crying his little heart out to anyone that will listen- with walls as thin as ours, that would be at least two of our neighbors. He has been fed, changed, snuggled, told stories to, walked around, and given many kisses.

5pm: After a forty seven minute nap, Alex is home now and I'm off to work.

7pm: Michael has been fed, changed, snuggled, walked, fed again, and much to the dismay of his daddy, is still wide awake and very grumpy.

9pm: I'm home from work and both daddy and child are in tears and in great need of mama.

11pm: Michael has been fed, snuggled, in fresh clothes (again) and is now sleeping again.

1am: There is stirring from the crib- looking over, there is Michael smiling and waning to eat again.

5am: Michael has been snuggled, fed, changed, walked around, burped and put back into his own bed.

8am: I finally feel like I'm falling asleep when I hear the familiar slapping of feet and cooing. As exhausted as I am, I wouldn't trade this for anything.

In Case You Were Wondering

I've been informed that it has been some time (read: over a month) since I have last posted anything onto this blog. So, here goes. This post, brought to you with love by moi.

How To Infuriate a Knitter:

1) Drive by any building that has the words "wool, knitting, or sheep" in them.

2) Hide the knitting.

3) Should the Knitter in your life spend 47 hours of their life on a pair of intricately cabled socks, be sure to wear them exactly once before claiming that "they are not really your color".

4) When cleaning the house, be sure to deposit the knitting within reach of small sticky children and the cat. Extra anger will be guarenteed if this is done to projects worked in very expensive fibers.

5) Plan all of your family vacations with a route that does not pass by any of buildings that contain the words "wool, knitting or sheep".

6) After putting on the sweater that your Knitter stitched for 5 months, take extra care to find only the pointiest nails that you might unravel it upon.

7) Create a knitting budget and then be sure to put a limit of $5 or less. This is sure to do the trick; no knitter can follow that.