Happy Halloween!

Simon (aka Mickey Mouse) wishing you all a safe and happy Halloween.

Our Unlucky Rav4

For the second time in a few weeks, we had to call 911 for someone to come out and fill out an accident report. We were lucky again with no injuries, but this time our car didn't fare too well. Here's what happened...Simon and I were driving back from Saunders Farm in the Rav4, Matt, Emjae and Braedon were following behind us. I was heading through a four way stop sign when the overhead flashing light came crashing down onto the car. I managed to get through the wires and pulled to the side of the road. Thankfully the light didn't come through the windshield which it may have done if I were driving a lower car. It did however, do some damage to the body work on the front and side of the car in addition to giving both Matt and I quite a scare. It turns out that the utility pool feeding the wire to the light was rotten and the winds managed to sway it enough to snap taking the overhead light with it. So considering, we were quite lucky to get away with just minor damage to the car.

Thyroid Problem

I have been dragging since I gave birth and it's been getting progressively worse. Matt was missing a lot of work because some days my joints even felt asleep which makes lugging around my heavy baby a bit of a challenge. I was convinced that I had post-partum depression and was just hoping that it would pass. Finally I gave in and went to the doctor and it turns out that I have a thyroid imbalance - no idea if it's hyper or hypo but I have a prescription to fill and then we'll see from there how my energy improves.

Fuller Thanksgiving

As Gramma had to work on Thanksgiving the Fullers decided to celebrate on the 13th. As always the food was amazing and this was the first meeting between Simon and his great Aunt Brenda. As always Simon was on his best behavior with only a couple of little melt downs, but I blame my uncle Geoff for those. Some of the highlights include:
-The look Simon gave Gramma during dinner (still would like to know what she did)
-playing on the floor
-Entertaining all in his jumper
-And laughing at all those fools who make the bed even though they will mess it up again in a few hours.
Pics will be coming soon, but I know those people in Vancouver are still a little new with the internet ;)

Simon's First Hair Cut

Since Simon's hair was getting a little shaggy, particularly over his ears, we decided that it was time for a little bit of a trim. Matt took Simon to get his first official hair cut today - Simon was all smiles until they put on the cape and broke out the scissors and then there were a few temper moments and some tears. He looks so much older now with his hair cut straight across at the ears.

Here's some photos:

As Promised...

Simon's magazine debut was earlier this fall - I bought a whole bunch of copies but obviously couldn't send one to everyone but here is the layout that was published. My friend Jennifer is responsible for it all including the photo. These days I hardly have time to shower, let alone scrapbook!

Simon @ 7 months

It's hard to believe how fast Simon is growing - it almost seems like there is a change in him daily now as he is fine tuning his existing skills and learning new ones. At seven months Simon:

-is eating apples, peaches, apricots, pears, bananas, prunes, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, butternut squash, creamed corn, rice, oatmeal and barley
-absolutely loves bath time - you have to be careful about taking him into the bathroom because he gets excited just seeing the tub - he basically just sits up in the tub and splashes like a maniac
-is sitting like a pro and usually only "falls" when he wants to squirm around on his belly
-is in the midst of another cold and is a total pain when you try to remove the snot crusties
-is wearing size 4 diapers - they are totally huge but the size 3s just didn't cut it anymore
-loves to screech at the top of his lungs - especially when you repeat it back to him
-is a happy baby - we always joke about how he needs to be more expressive
-sleeps on his tummy
-is not crawling yet but moves around like nobody's business - he is proficient at the pivot and moving backwards
-wears mostly 6-12 month clothing although it's still a little big on him
-loves Ba Ba Black Sheep
-is starting to recognize his name - although like Matt, he has selective hearing
-loves his solid food which has it's downside sides - solid food = solid poop
-giggles like a madman when he's tired
-has a predictable cycle in terms of naps/bedtime although the timing is different each day because he never wakes up at the same time
-loves to play with his stacking cups - we build towers, he knocks them down
-loves his train - first he knock off the blocks that spin and then he turns it on and off repeatedly
-has his first and second tooth through - the middle two on the bottom
-is all about his jolly jumper and exersaucer
-is out of his bucket seat and into a gorgeous new car seat covered in cow print
-is totally fascinated with his hands
-is starting to become difficult with diaper changes since he's on the go
-is still nursing 4-7 times a day
-is not even close to sleeping through the nights - in fact, he's regressed in terms of sleep
-loves nothing more than to grab a fistful of hair
-is getting up on his knees and rocking back and forth
-weight to be updated once I get him in to be weighed

A Brookstreet Thanksgiving

Well this year was a little different than most. With Mum laid up with a broken leg, Dad overwhelmed with work and taking care of Mum and Matt and I tired out by our little guy, our options for a home cooked Thanksgiving dinner were limited. So we decided that this year we would all take a break and order Thanksgiving dinner from the Brookstreet Hotel. Nothing compares to homemade, but it was pretty close and the fact that prep. and cleanup were minimal made it a perfect day. Simon even got in on the festivities and had a Thanksgiving feast of pumpkin, apple and oatmeal. He also serenaded us throughout dinner, first with his piano on his jumper and when we turned that off his high pitched screams. The other bonus, the cleaning lady come on Tuesday so any residue mess was taken care of the next day! I'll post a few pics when I download them from the camera. Nothing of dinner but of Simon in his Thanksgiving outfit.

No Stopping Now

Food is no longer an issue with Simon - he's like a baby bird with his mouth wide ready for each and every spoonful that you're willing to give him. Overnight he went from 1 tbsp. to 4 tbsp. of cereal per serving. Now his repertoire has increased to corn, carrots, sweet potatoes, plums, apples, peas, butternut squash, oatmeal and rice. We're going to try out barley soon so that he can eat Cheerios and we've got a lot of other combinations both homemade and store bought. The only downside to this all - the output is nasty.

Bank Account and an RESP

It's official, we finally got around to getting the paperwork done for Simon's RESP and bank account. Matt and I were both lucky to have lots of financial help to get through school and it's a big part of why we're doing well for ourselves now so we wanted to provide the same advantage for Simon (and future siblings). Since we get that $100 cheque for Simon monthly for the next 6 years, we figured we might as well put it all into savings and hopefully by the time he goes to school he'll have enough to do whatever he wants without having to worry about the financial aspect of it.

Prelude to Crawling

Simon's started to figure out what he has to do, he just hasn't managed to put it all together. He can get around on the floor now by rolling and pivoting and he can move backwards quite easily by the forward motion still stumps him. For the last few days, he has been getting up on his knees and rocking - it's the cutest thing - but then he falls before managing to go forward. He should be on the move anytime which means that Matt and I have to get our butt in gear and start baby proofing.

Carrots are a Hit

Finally Simon is responding to solids. I think now that he has the hang of the spoon and a flavour for something other than breastmilk or gripe water, it will only get easier. We tried carrots mixed with oatmeal. The first day he liked it enough, the second day got better and by the third day (and the end of the jar) he decided he liked it so much that he wouldn't waste any by spitting it back out. Aside from the slight orange stain on his face, you almost couldn't tell he ate.

Lunch with Alana

Simon and I met my old colleague Alana for lunch in Wellington Village. Alana and I have been meaning to meet up for awhile and it's just been a bit more complicated with a little shadow to schedule around. Alana is pregnant with her first baby, a girl, due around Christmas. She's the first person I know who is pregnant with their first since I've had Simon so finally someone who can benefit from my 6 1/2 months of experience with motherhood :) She seems ready to go especially since Simon was such an angel. I am so proud of my little boy when he is a model baby especially around people who are soon to be parents. I can't tell you what we did right but there must be something there.

Accident

We were involved in a minor traffic accident on Sunday on our way over to Matt's parents. Some yahoo was riding up Matt's tail all along Hazeldean and then brushed us at the corner, stalled and then hit us again. It was not a big deal and there was no damage but as is customary, we wanted to exchange insurance information and as we reached into the car for a pen, the guy took off. I was in total shock. The best part was that he left his buddy standing on the sidewalk. We got some information and we're hoping that it was truthful because it's all they have to go on. This guy is going to be kicking himself it he gets caught because hit and run is pretty serious compared to an accident that caused no damage.