A Sweet New Tradition

Until I started looking for a sugar shack, I never realized how unique to our region of the world that this tradition is. Yet in 20+ years of living in Ottawa, I have never been to a sugar shack. Well in the vein of establishing new family traditions, we decided that a trip to the sugar shack for maple syrup season was a must. We headed out bright and early for a trip to Fulton Farm in Pakenham. Simon was a little under the weather and managed to sleep in the car even though he had just woken up for the day a 1/2 hour before. When we got there we immediately headed inside for breakfast - pancakes, sausages and of course, maple syrup! Normally this would be a dream breakfast for Simon but he was far too interested in looking around at everyone coming and going (apparently we're the only people in Ottawa that have never visited a maple syrup farm!). After breakfast we headed out to check out the other activities. It turns out this wasn't a great year to come since the weather wasn't warm enough to produce the syrup so we didn't get to see any of the production or actual sapping of the trees. We did however get to sample taffy on the snow and the yummiest cotton candy ever - I'm seriously debating going back just for this. We expect that Simon is going to love this yearly tradition judging by his appreciation of the snow taffy. After his initial taste, he quickly realized that he would need to bite down to get more of that yummy maple syrup flavour!

Simon's One Year Appointment

Going to the doctor was a challenge now that Simon is mobile and not content to sit on my lap and look around. He had to be everywhere - climbing the chairs, going to visit the nurse in the back, pulling stuff off the walls, trying to get into the crayons... And to make things harder, the office was totally overbooked and it was almost an hour before we got out of there which never happens. Simon showed off his balancing skills and generally put on the charm for the nurse and doctor. He barely cried for his two shots but was hysterical getting dressed since by that point, he was ready for a nap. Of course I did the bad Mommy thing and dragged him off to playgroup since it happened that his appointment was on a Wednesday.

Here's Simons statistics at one year - weight 23lbs. 8oz. and 28 inches - he dropped way down on the height/weight percentiles (about 50 for both) from as the doctor phrased it, "super baby curve to his more natural genetic curve".

Happy Easter - At the Barkers

Let me preface this by posting the email thread that went into planning our dinner timing. It had all of us laughing at our desks and each of us tried to out-do each other with our responses.

From John....
Mom is calling around now, and we are all invited. Monday looks like the best day, as far as I can tell. Is everyone on board for Monday Easter dinner? We can do it here, or at Mom and Dad's, if Mom and Dad will let us all back in the house. Last time I went over, the door was locked. The nerve...

From Eric....
Why am I the only one CC? Is it because Debbie makes all my decisions?

From John....
Eric, I just CC'd you for reference. I didn't put you in the to: field because:
1. Yes, Debbie makes all your decisions. Didn't you read the small print at your Wedding?
2. You are special
3. I wasn't actually sure if you could read
Don't feel bad, eventually we'll live close enough to each other that we can insult each other in person...

From Debbie....
Monday is fine with me, but if not, go ahead without us on Sunday.

From Eric....
Ditto!!

From Lynsey....
Monday is good for us... we are going to Shawn's parents for Saturday brunch.

From Maureen....
Sounds good to me. John are you okay with that?

From John....
Mo, Uh, I typed it, so I think I'm ok with it. Let me check with you though to see if I am OK with it. You may tell me that I am not ok with it, at which point I'll have to consult the rule book.

Eric, Did you get a rule book? I only got page 1 which is just the table of contents.

From Eric....
This is found in Appendix A labeled Mind Melt!

From John....
Make 2 billion copies, 'cause no other man has ever gotten a full copy before.

From Matt....
We are good for Monday. PS - I need a copy of that book Eric.

From Vanessa....
He'll have to bring it to you in parts - it's pretty heavy and Eric hasn't been around the Barkers long enough to build up his muscles moving around furniture.

PS - please don't leave it lying around the house like you do with all of the other papers that you bring home :)

From Eric....
Ill bring the Cole's notes instead...as Matt's attention span would not last past page 2.

From Dad....
Mum is currently out someplace shopping, so hold the final arrangement for an hour or two (or several - she went to HomeSense), but I suggest we do it here on Monday largely because I cannot imagine where we can all park on John's street (as the mud-river is politely called).

Also of course, we are in dire need of a fire alarm test at 81A and the Yorkshire Pudding should tell us if the system still works.

From Dad....
Mum has decided! Monday Easter DINNER at 81a - 5:30pm - Roast Beef and the usual accompaniments - we look forward to seeing you all.

From John....
Can we make it Sunday instead?

From Dad....
Not a problem John, your dinner on Sunday will be alongside the third snow bank on the left past McDonalds in Portage La Prarie. For everyone else 81A at 5:30 on Monday.

Well we all turned up Monday for the Roast Beef feast and it was chaos as all Barker events are now that our family has grown so much. Simon arrived in high fashion in his Easter tie. We thought that it would drive him batty but he knows when he looks good and he likes to flaunt it. Granddad finally got to take Simon for a spin on his tricycle. He had been waiting to do this since he put it together after Simon's party. Watch out anyone who got in his way as there was no stopping him on his laps of the house - poor Olive is already jumpy with all of the kids around and now she has to worry about being mowed over by a tricycle. True to Dad's prediction, dinner was announced by the fire alarm and we all took position to combat the smoke - I stood under the fire alarm and waved a pillow, Braedon hit the fan, Eric opened the back door, Mum opened the kitchen door and Dad opened the dining room window - you would think that we had done this before :) Dinner was yummy as usual and Simon loved the yorkshire pudding which means more people to compete with at roast dinners. He followed that up with more ice cream (we can't help it, we're soft as he loves it so much - it's a good thing we never buy it otherwise we would probably let him have it at home everyday) served by Granddad. He was very demanding as usual. After dinner it was the usual kids gone wild - everyone was screaming, crying, climbing and playing - three kids under 5 can create quite a lot of noise. It was a fun celebration and it's hard to imagine that there will be another Barker next year to add to the mix.

Happy Easter - At the Fullers

Well we had part I of II of Easter festivities today. We spent the morning at our place lounging in our jammies (Matt and I were totally defunct parents and forgot to give Simon his Easter basket and plastic eggs to play with) and then headed off to the nursing home to wish Granny a Happy Easter. Simon was a little ADD kid there and kept us on our toes doing a rotation of escape, unravel the toilet paper, open the drawers, check out the trash can, play with the tape recorder, pull out some kleenex, and then try to escape again.... We got some nice Easter pictures of the two of them and then headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's place for an afternoon nap. Once Simon regained his energy, he started up again, this time focusing on the kitchen cupboards and the magazines. He showed off his dapper outfit and generally just entertained us all with his antics until dinner. Simon loved the ham but passed on the parsnips and carrots in favour of peas. Ice cream was on the menu for dessert and Simon screamed if it wasn't coming fast enough. Grandma had to scrape the bowl clean and then show Simon that it was empty so he didn't keep demanding more. The easter bunny will have to remember to show up tomorrow so we can get some pictures before part II of Easter festivities.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Simon's new favourite game is monkey-see, monkey-do. He is into copying everything he can. His newest favourite is the head shake. Matt started it with him when he needed something to keep him awake on the car ride home. Basically he shakes his head and then says to Simon "your turn" and then Simon shakes his head. This has evolved and Simon can now connect the words no, with a head shake. So if you say, "Simon, no thank-you", he smiles, shakes his head no, and then continues doing what he was doing. We can't wait until the day he can connect no with stopping what he is doing - does that day ever come??

Simon has also taken to copying Brutus. Tonight at dinner, he and Brutus were wrestling with Brutus' giant moose. Brutus would grab onto to the moose and then do his kill head shake, Simon would then grab onto/flop onto the moose and also do a killer head shake. It was hysterical to watch and we caught a few still photos which obviously don't do the whole thing justice but fun to see none the less.

Stepping

Well they aren't the first steps that he has taken but they are the first steps that he has taken with a purpose of actually walking and not just diving at an object. Simon was standing by his bus while I was a few feet away refueling from all the heavy moving with a Gatorade. He decided that he needed some (as he does with all of our drinks) and cautiously started to walk towards me. Five steps later, he was there and sipping out of my bottle. He took a few more steps here and there this evening and we're thinking in a few weeks when he gets a bit more confident (and a bit less excited about the whole thing) that he'll be a full-time walker.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

In honour of our Irish heritage - Simon is 1/8 Irish although everyone is Irish on Saint Patrick's Day.

Simon's Birthday - Family Party Edition

Well the family party was a bit of a scramble since our floors were in the process of being replaced so there wasn't much time for the monkey themed party part II, like I had originally planned. Instead it was lunch and store bought cake. It was kind of disappointing since I was so excited for his first birthday but in the end I was worn down from our week of being homeless and in upheaval. Simon didn't seem to mind though. After a long cuddle with his uncle John to start the party, he jumped right into the festivities. He loved having his high chair in the row with all of the other adults - especially since the ones beside him were feeding him ice cream. The balloons were also a big hit, both for Simon and Braedon and Emjae. I'm thankful that I got two bunches since Emjae and Braedon both wanted ownership of one. We had to blow up a balloon for Simon to play with on the floor so that he could get in on the fun too! Cake was not Simon's favourite this go round. The chocolate cake was a bit too rich and made him a little sick. He got some great gifts from the party goers. Granddad and Nanna bought him two table and chair sets - we had wanted one large table but we saw this little one and it was too cute to pass up so we got two! Grandma and Grandpa gave him a hooded towel and more money for his education fund as did Granny Lay. And the aunts and uncles got together to give Simon a tricycle which Simon loved to climb all over - the box that is. I was a bit of a control freak when it came to the gifts because we have so much stuff already, but it was so nice not to feel overwhelmed by more toys. And last but not least, Great Aunt Kaye (emphasis on the great) bought him some more bibs (the bibs from England are such great quality and design and I love everyone she picks as my new favourtie) and two cute t-shirts with attitude. I can't wait until the summer so that I can get pictures.

Finger Painting

Being couped up for the winter is getting old. I feel like Simon may be getting a little bored with the same activities day after day. When the weather breaks we take him outside as much as possible but this year it seems that warmer weather always brings snow which equals blowing snow by way of all of the shoveling and snow blowers. So needless to say, aside from frequent trips to Costco and the mall, we have been really housebound this winter. Cue the finger painting. We needed a new activity and thought that markers and finger painting would be fun for Simon. Well it was fun, but mostly for me and Granddad. Simon did like to hold the markers but he was really offended when you tried to show him how to make marks on the paper. And the finger painting. He didn't really show much interest until we put the paint on his legs and even at that he didn't want to relinquish hold of his markers to smear the paint round on the paper. He did manage to get really messy though - mostly from the way he was holding the markers. Thankfully for Crayola, the mess washed away quick and painless. Next time we're hoping for a more enthusiastic participant.

Cake: The Prelude to the Party

Mum thought that it was necessary for Simon to have cake on his actual birthday (in addition to his party later on in the weekend) so he had a trial run of some cake and ice cream. I think he would like to make this a regular event!

Build-A-Monkey

We wanted to do something special as a family for Simon's first birthday, but activities for a 1-year old are limited (especially for a 1-year old who still naps every 3 hours during the day!). We decided to go to the Build-a-Bear workshop in Bayshore, which we figured would provide entertainment and a lasting gift in one shot. In honour of our new little climber and to make it reflective of Simon's first birthday theme, we choose a monkey carcass to turn into a cuddly animal. Simon was tired and spent most of the time cuddled up to his daddy when he wasn't trying to eat fluff off of the floor. The whole experience was cute and something that Simon would definitely enjoy more when he's older but we got some cute pictures and Simon loves having some company in his crib; he spends the first few minutes of the day telling his monkey about his dreams and the last few minutes before falling asleep chatting about what he did at daycare.

Happy Birthday Simon!!

It's hard to believe that at this time last year, I was in the hospital in labour. It's even harder to believe that you would wait until almost midnight to make your arrival. Our life hasn't been the same since. We have a whole new appreciation of the words love, family, tired and broke!

At ONE year, Simon:

-has mastered standing independently and can do so for up to 10 minutes as long as something captures his attention.
-loves to eat, as long as he's feeding himself. His favourites: pickles, ice cream, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, pears, peas, ham, Cheerios, cheese, raisins and animal crackers.
-loves to go out - Costco is his favourite, especially if I get a vanilla ice cream! He is the biggest ham when we line up at the cash - lifting his shirt to show off his belly, waving, chatting and of course smiling.
-gets a look of glee when he's using his walker especially when Matt and I are at either end of the room helping him turn.
-is not walking independently. I think it's a result of his look of glee as he smiles with his whole body and throws off his balance.
-is still waving like royalty - it's his favourite thing to do of all his baby tricks. He even waves to his food as he throws it from the high chair.
-likes to join in on clapping - when he's watching rugby with Granddad, at the hockey game, when the wheel is spinning during Wheel of Fortune....
-is a bit of a bully when it comes to the dogs. Brutus knows to stay away but Olive and Oxford are of the opinion that any attention is good so they stick around for the grabbing and the slapping.
-loves to get into everything! The liquor cabinet is his favourite and he has quite the attitude when you tell him no.
-is going to daycare 3 days a week and spending the other two with his grandparents.
-is still wearing size 4 diapers and we anticipate that he will be in this size for awhile.
-wears mostly 12-18 month clothing
-hasn't been weighed or measured for awhile but we have a doctor's appointment at the end of the month so we'll update his one year stats then
-smiles about half the day, sucks his thumb the other half
-is sleeping from 7:00pm to 7:00am most days
-has seven teeth, four on top and three on the bottom
-is a big wiggle worm when it comes to diaper changes - one day soon he's going to succeed in throwing himself off the change table
-loves to be tossed about - he is happiest in the air or upside down.
-captures the attention of everyone, everywhere. He will stare and stare and has even been known to shout until people look at him.
-loves to be cozy and warm. If we gave him a feather duvet in his crib, I think he would burrow down and sleep for days on end.
-likes his milk warm and from a bottle, no chilly stuff or sippy cup thank-you
-does not like his toys to be put away. First things first, every morning he dumps the containers out and spreads the chaos around.

Let it Snow

Well we are almost at a record breaking winter for snowfall. Yesterday alone, we got approximately 50 centimeters of snow. Matt shoveled twice yesterday and still this morning he woke up to knee deep snow - almost shoulder deep on our front walk. I bundled up Simon and we went out to "help" Matt. It turns out that we weren't much help but Matt did manage to flag down a passing snow plow and paid the guy $20 to finish of the heavy stuff.

Here's some pictures of Simon all bundled up outside at my parents and some pictures with Granddad that give you some perspective on exactly how much snow that we have.

Back to the Grind

This was my first week back to work after a year on maternity leave. I am so glad that we have the luxury of being able to take that time off since he changed day to day. Matt and I have staggered our hours to maximize Mommy and Daddy face time. The downside is that I don't even see him in the morning and Matt spends a good part of his time with him eating (Simon is the slowest, most dramatic eater!). It was tough to get going this week - particularly since we had two horrible snow days that made for a long commute. We also had to juggle our care arrangement on Friday since we also needed my Mum to watch Brutus who was under the weather.

Simon has adjusted like a champ. He loves going to daycare and judging from the notes we have gotten back from Ursula, there are no real issues. He's eating, sleeping and getting into everything, much like he does at home.

From Ursula:

Simon was great, he's a very busy boy and no drawers or cupboards are safe from him.

Simon is very interested in the cat but cautious with her. He will stand close to her and laugh but he is not touching her (yet!).

The boys were really good with him and Simon enjoyed watching their antics. He got very excited and was "jumping" up and down, slapping his thighs laughing.

Simon had a brillant day! It's like he's always been coming here. He crawls straight to the kitchen to see who's here (only slightly distracted by the potted plant and humidifier today) and then goes to flip his basket of toys.

Simon spent Thursday at Granma and Grandpa's - he helped them out with childproofing the house and rearranging the cupboards. I'm guessing the next week everything will be nailed down/shut.

Friday was spent with Nanny and Granddad. He did his usual rotation of beating up the dogs, typing on Granddad's computer, throwing all of the stuff off of the play kitchen, crawling through the chairs and watching the dogs play outside.

This coming week will be a bigger test with the time change throwing off his schedule at bit. Not to mention that our floors are being ripped up and replaced so we're not sure what we're going to do about sleeping yet!

He's Pregnant

He's pregnant....or at least you would think he was judging by his latest food favourites. Simon adores pickles and you guessed it, ice cream. The first bite of both always makes him shudder but he can't get enough of them. We took him to Costco this week and we shared an ice cream. Simon sat patiently in the cart and waited for his turn - Daddy was smart by getting chocolate so he didn't have to share :)

Wordless Wednesday

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Publish Post

Simon's Play Group Birthday Bash

We've developed quite a friend base in the year that I have been on maternity leave. With all of our babies being so close in age, we decided that a combined birthday party was the was to go. So we planned a giant bash for the March Monkeys - Simon, Anabelle, Tyler, Nikolas and Ryan. Unfortunately, Niki didn't get to celebrate with us since he was exposed to the spots at that pesky daycare (why do we have to go back to work again?). The rest of the birthday babies had a blast though and were spoiled rotten by their baby buddies. Simon in particular enjoyed the balloons - he was almost guaranteed to be within 2 feet of the balloons at all times. He enjoyed his special monkey cake - banana cake with chocolate frosting compliments of his Nanna. He was a surprisingly neat eater - so much so that he was able to wear his shirt for the remainder of the day. Round 2 of his birthday party, aka the family party, will be in two weeks.

Hockey Afternoon in Canada

With all of our attention focused on our Pittsburgh versus Ottawa game in Pittsburgh, Matt and I failed to look ahead in the schedule to see when the next match up was. Well it turns out it was another Saturday afternoon affair and although tickets were sold out (at least those that were less than $200 a piece) we were lucky to be able to get seats from Debbie at a great price. Matt was super excited to be able to take Simon to his first hockey game, particularly since it was between his two favourite teams.

We made sure that Simon was well rested, packed lots of snacks and then dressed Simon up in his new Pittsburgh onesie. Simon was memorized by the Jumbotron and enjoyed the play on the ice and his adoring fans all around (despite the fact that he was cheering for the wrong team). Everyone laughed when he burst into tears after the first Pittsburgh goal, especially when he was perfectly fine with the rowdy celebrations after the Sens scored!

Two periods was his threshold and he required a significant amount of entertainment to get him through the third period. Thankfully since we were in the front row he was able to stand in front of us and bang on the rails. The game was close and I was dreading having to entertain him through an overtime period but thankfully Ottawa pulled through and Matt had to endure another Penguins loss to the Senators.