We have a beautiful sugar maple tree in our front yard whose leaves turn a beautiful red colour in the fall. Yesterday I was out raking them up and Maeve came out to help. She kind of liked walking around on the leaves and kicking them up in the air. She really liked it when we threw them up or dropped them around her. That is, until the landed on her and she got dirty! She is very picky about being clean.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
A Busy Week
Even though it is late October, we're still enjoying warm weather here in Southern Ontario. Today was sunny and ~22 degree Celsius. We took advantage of the good weather and went to the park and then for a hike in the woods. I guess housework and yardwork will have to wait another weekend...
We had a busy week. I travelled to Boston on business Wednesday and Thursday, so Baba was a single parent for a couple of days. Wednesday was my first night away from Maeve since we got her. I missed her terribly. Luckily, I was pretty exhausted from a long day of travel and work, so I slept a bit.
Both Baba and Maeve made it through relatively unscathed. She was a bit confused as to why Baba was dropping her off at daycare.
I brought her back a little stuffed lobster. At first she was afraid of it. But now she carries it around the house.
Daycare is going well. She seems to be getting more used to things everyday. She still cries a little when I drop her off. But lately she has been interacting and participating. One of the teachers is making it a little project of hers to get Maeve to give up her soother. She's gone a few hours each afternoon in the last couple of weeks without it. Maeve's even starting to use her words at daycare. At first she was quiet as a mouse; just nodding, pointing and grunting to communicate.
Our little monkey must have a very accurate internal clock. Baba usually picks her up at 4 from daycare. The teachers say that at about 5 minutes to, she starts to cry. I'm pretty sure she can't tell time, so I'm not sure exactly how she can tell...
We have noticed some changes in her behaviour that we think might be at least in part due to daycare. She has started saying "mine" in regards to things (whether they are actually hers or not is another matter). I guess that might just be a factor of her age, but I'm pretty sure she hears "mine" a lot at daycare. :-) She also a lot more comfortable with other kids. She used to shrink away and not want to interact. Now she will high five them or give hugs. She'll even hold hands with her three and five year old cousins and walk with them.
I hope this means that she's through most of the trauma of her recent life changes and her true personality is starting to emerge.
Trying out her little red wagon. She loves it! Thanks Anne Marie and Jeff!
Travelling in style.
Adventure climbing in Elora.
Dinner at the Shepard's Pub. Sorry, no Guinness for you pumpkin.
We had a busy week. I travelled to Boston on business Wednesday and Thursday, so Baba was a single parent for a couple of days. Wednesday was my first night away from Maeve since we got her. I missed her terribly. Luckily, I was pretty exhausted from a long day of travel and work, so I slept a bit.
Both Baba and Maeve made it through relatively unscathed. She was a bit confused as to why Baba was dropping her off at daycare.
I brought her back a little stuffed lobster. At first she was afraid of it. But now she carries it around the house.
Daycare is going well. She seems to be getting more used to things everyday. She still cries a little when I drop her off. But lately she has been interacting and participating. One of the teachers is making it a little project of hers to get Maeve to give up her soother. She's gone a few hours each afternoon in the last couple of weeks without it. Maeve's even starting to use her words at daycare. At first she was quiet as a mouse; just nodding, pointing and grunting to communicate.
Our little monkey must have a very accurate internal clock. Baba usually picks her up at 4 from daycare. The teachers say that at about 5 minutes to, she starts to cry. I'm pretty sure she can't tell time, so I'm not sure exactly how she can tell...
We have noticed some changes in her behaviour that we think might be at least in part due to daycare. She has started saying "mine" in regards to things (whether they are actually hers or not is another matter). I guess that might just be a factor of her age, but I'm pretty sure she hears "mine" a lot at daycare. :-) She also a lot more comfortable with other kids. She used to shrink away and not want to interact. Now she will high five them or give hugs. She'll even hold hands with her three and five year old cousins and walk with them.
I hope this means that she's through most of the trauma of her recent life changes and her true personality is starting to emerge.
Trying out her little red wagon. She loves it! Thanks Anne Marie and Jeff!
Travelling in style.
Adventure climbing in Elora.
Dinner at the Shepard's Pub. Sorry, no Guinness for you pumpkin.Sunday, October 14, 2007
O Pumpkin! my Pumpkin!
Now that I'm working again and she's in daycare I'm going through Maeve withdrawal. Having been with her 24x7 for almost 8 months, I now feel like I barely get to see her. Pat does most of the morning routine while I get ready for work. I drop her off at daycare and Pat picks her up. He gets a couple of hours of Baba and Maevey time before I come home and then we only get two hours together before bed time. So we try to make the most of weekends.
This weekend, we got to visit Uncle Peter, Aunty Carolyn and Cousin Connor. We bundled Maeve up and headed out to the pumpkin patch. My favourite nickname for Maeve is pumpkin. Now, having seen a field full of them, she's probably wondering why I would call her that. She's neither round or orange. Mama must be a little crazy...
Nevertheless, she had a great time and braved the cold with a smile. I have to remember to start bringing mittens with us everywhere!
Wow, this pumpkin is heavy! A little help over here please?
Gosh, you're strong uncle Peter!
I'll just push these pumpkins over here.
Our little pumpkin and her pumpkin head parents.
Faster Baba!
Wow! Look at all these pumpkins!
Weeeeeeee!!!!
Can we stay here forever? Or at least until I get hungry.
Thanks for a great day Aunty Carolyn!
This weekend, we got to visit Uncle Peter, Aunty Carolyn and Cousin Connor. We bundled Maeve up and headed out to the pumpkin patch. My favourite nickname for Maeve is pumpkin. Now, having seen a field full of them, she's probably wondering why I would call her that. She's neither round or orange. Mama must be a little crazy...
Nevertheless, she had a great time and braved the cold with a smile. I have to remember to start bringing mittens with us everywhere!
Wow, this pumpkin is heavy! A little help over here please?
Gosh, you're strong uncle Peter!
I'll just push these pumpkins over here.
Our little pumpkin and her pumpkin head parents.
Faster Baba!
Wow! Look at all these pumpkins!
Weeeeeeee!!!!
Can we stay here forever? Or at least until I get hungry.
Thanks for a great day Aunty Carolyn!Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Triple Header Weekend
It was a busy weekend here at the Forde house. The triple header was birthday, baptism and of course Thanksgiving.
Friday was my 40th birthday. Pat, Maeve and my parents took me out for a nice dinner and then my parents babysat while Pat and I went to a movie. That's my second movie out in 9 months. Not too bad for a first time parent. ;-)
On Saturday, I took Maeve to our Music Together class in the morning and then we had an open house in the afternoon. Unfortunately, it was 28 degrees and humid out and we don't have air conditioning. The house got so hot that my cake was melting before I even blew the candle out. Or maybe the house was hot because of all the candles... Good thing the firehouse is at the end of our street. Anyways, I think everyone had a good time.
Here's Maeve, Evan, Bram and Miller (you can only see Mil's hand) helping me blow out the candle.
Maeve's party trick was walking around with a duck stuck to her nose.
On Sunday, Maeve was baptized. We've been trying to plan this for a long time, but could never coordinate everyone's schedules. Finally, this weekend seemed to fit for everyone.
The day started out with a glitch. Grandma Forde had given Maeve a beautiful dress that we wanted her to be baptized in. But I somehow managed to jam the zipper. Luckily I had a backup dress.
When Maeve saw the water being poured into the font, I think she was hoping for a nice bath. But she had to settle for getting water on her head.
Getting a bit wet and not crying!
The Fordes and Fongs. Love to Carm, Dan, Alex and Geoff who were with us in spirit!
With Maeve's Godparents: Uncle William and Aunt Colette.
A big hug from Aunty Col!
Playing with cousin Kiera's cell phone. She's only 18 months and already loves cell phones!
We went for a lovely brunch after the service and were so stuffed that we didn't have room for a Thanksgiving dinner. We kept Maeve up for 2 hours past her usual nap time, but she did great. Not a tear or a whine from our little trooper. I think she was so happy to have all of her family around her that she ignored how pooped she was.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Friday was my 40th birthday. Pat, Maeve and my parents took me out for a nice dinner and then my parents babysat while Pat and I went to a movie. That's my second movie out in 9 months. Not too bad for a first time parent. ;-)
On Saturday, I took Maeve to our Music Together class in the morning and then we had an open house in the afternoon. Unfortunately, it was 28 degrees and humid out and we don't have air conditioning. The house got so hot that my cake was melting before I even blew the candle out. Or maybe the house was hot because of all the candles... Good thing the firehouse is at the end of our street. Anyways, I think everyone had a good time.
Here's Maeve, Evan, Bram and Miller (you can only see Mil's hand) helping me blow out the candle.
Maeve's party trick was walking around with a duck stuck to her nose.On Sunday, Maeve was baptized. We've been trying to plan this for a long time, but could never coordinate everyone's schedules. Finally, this weekend seemed to fit for everyone.
The day started out with a glitch. Grandma Forde had given Maeve a beautiful dress that we wanted her to be baptized in. But I somehow managed to jam the zipper. Luckily I had a backup dress.
When Maeve saw the water being poured into the font, I think she was hoping for a nice bath. But she had to settle for getting water on her head.
Getting a bit wet and not crying!
The Fordes and Fongs. Love to Carm, Dan, Alex and Geoff who were with us in spirit!
With Maeve's Godparents: Uncle William and Aunt Colette.
A big hug from Aunty Col!
Playing with cousin Kiera's cell phone. She's only 18 months and already loves cell phones!We went for a lovely brunch after the service and were so stuffed that we didn't have room for a Thanksgiving dinner. We kept Maeve up for 2 hours past her usual nap time, but she did great. Not a tear or a whine from our little trooper. I think she was so happy to have all of her family around her that she ignored how pooped she was.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
A Happy Post
Despite how it may seem from my last few posts, our house is not a bastion of negativity. We are in fact a happy little family. :-)
Maeve had a relatively good day at daycare today. She only cried for about 15 minutes after I left and even played a little bit with the other kids. She was happy to go outside and played in the sandbox. She only slept for half an hour at nap time, but still that's not too bad over all. When we arrived at 4 pm she burst into tears again. I guess she'd been saving it up. Luckily, those tears didn't last long either. I wish she had more words so that she could tell us if she understands that we will come back to get her every day.
Since it was such a nice day, we took her to the park to feed leaves to the goats and play on the swings and slides. When we got home, she was so tired that she was stumbling over her own feet. After dinner and a little story time, she's gone off to bed an hour early. Hopefully that doesn't mean she'll wake up an hour early tomorrow!
The name Maeve has Irish origins and means either intoxicating or joyous, depending on the source you're reading. She is both of those to us. We are thankful every day that she is now part of our family.
I'm going down the slide by myself this time.
Why can't I wear all three hats?
Sharing a cup of tea with Aunty Carolyn.
Maeve had a relatively good day at daycare today. She only cried for about 15 minutes after I left and even played a little bit with the other kids. She was happy to go outside and played in the sandbox. She only slept for half an hour at nap time, but still that's not too bad over all. When we arrived at 4 pm she burst into tears again. I guess she'd been saving it up. Luckily, those tears didn't last long either. I wish she had more words so that she could tell us if she understands that we will come back to get her every day.
Since it was such a nice day, we took her to the park to feed leaves to the goats and play on the swings and slides. When we got home, she was so tired that she was stumbling over her own feet. After dinner and a little story time, she's gone off to bed an hour early. Hopefully that doesn't mean she'll wake up an hour early tomorrow!
The name Maeve has Irish origins and means either intoxicating or joyous, depending on the source you're reading. She is both of those to us. We are thankful every day that she is now part of our family.
I'm going down the slide by myself this time.
Why can't I wear all three hats?
Sharing a cup of tea with Aunty Carolyn.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Bottle Alert!!
We recently bought a new sippy cup for Maeve. It was by a company called Born Free. The reason I was drawn to it was that it claimed that the valve design is easier for the child to suck and therefore reduces the risk of inner ear infection.
I also noticed that they said the bottle was bisphenol A (BPA) free. I'd never heard of bisphenol A so I decided to look it up. Yikes! Turns out that Bisphenol-A is a hormone-disrupting chemical considered to be potentially harmful to human health and the environment. It has been known that scratched and worn polycarbonate feeding bottles will leach this chemical into liquids. The bottles we use (Dr. Brown's) are polycarbonate. We've stopped using them!
Alternatives to polycarbonate bottles: glass, polyethylene or polypropylene. Right now we've gone back to the Playtex bottle with the disposable liners.
According to one document here are some examples of polycarbonate products
Safer alternatives: Non- polycarbonate product examples
If you want to find out more:
http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/environmental-health/childrens-health/chemicals-in-baby-products
http://www.bisphenolafree.org/
http://www.newbornfree.com/pics/bornfree/index.htm
ABC News clip on You Tube (here)
I also noticed that they said the bottle was bisphenol A (BPA) free. I'd never heard of bisphenol A so I decided to look it up. Yikes! Turns out that Bisphenol-A is a hormone-disrupting chemical considered to be potentially harmful to human health and the environment. It has been known that scratched and worn polycarbonate feeding bottles will leach this chemical into liquids. The bottles we use (Dr. Brown's) are polycarbonate. We've stopped using them!
Alternatives to polycarbonate bottles: glass, polyethylene or polypropylene. Right now we've gone back to the Playtex bottle with the disposable liners.
According to one document here are some examples of polycarbonate products
- Bottles: Avent; Dr. Brown’s; Evenflo (clear); First Years; Gerber (clear); Playtex Vent Aire; Sassy; TupperCare
- "Sippy” cups: Gerber Suzy’s Zoo & Sippy Snacker, Playtex First Sipster & Sparkling Sipster
Safer alternatives: Non- polycarbonate product examples
- Bottles: Evenflo glass or pastel polyethylene plastic; Gerber polypropylene opaque plastic; Medela breastmilk polypropylene storage bottles and polyethylene milk storage bags; disposable bottle systems with polyethylene plastic inserts (e.g., Playtex Nurser, Playtex Drop-Ins)
- “Sippy” cups made of polypropylene or polyethylene: Avent Magic Cup; Evenflo cups (inner lining); First Years Take & Toss; Gerber Color Change, Sport Fun Grip and Soft Starter; Playtex Sipster, Big Sipster & Quick Straw
If you want to find out more:
http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/environmental-health/childrens-health/chemicals-in-baby-products
http://www.bisphenolafree.org/
http://www.newbornfree.com/pics/bornfree/index.htm
ABC News clip on You Tube (here)