May

See you later, May! - May 31, 2009
What better way to wrap up the weekend then spending it with the family. Milo got to check out that crazy sun toy from Kaden's early days...he seemed equally terrified! Kaden got his hands on my Cabbage Patch doll who made the trek back from Ottawa with us...Ellis. He enjoyed getting him undressed and dressing him up again (well...Daddy had to do most of the work). And of course....there were bubbles!

Ring around the cranium - May 30, 2009
Milo is loosing hair - a typical stage of baby development. I find a pile of it left on his mattress every morning! It rubs off from the edge of his round head that touches the bed the most, which makes the most hysterical pattern on his little scalp!

We spent Saturday night at dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. Take note of Kaden's snazzy duds...they were not the ones we left the house in though. Poor little bear - we think he suffers from motion sickness (a trait passed down from his Daddy). It seems somewhat random when it hits, but I think we know now to always pack a second outfit (well certainly after tonight's incident anyway). Fortunately, Kaden popped just as we were approaching Sherway Gardens. A quick detour off the highway and a sprint into Sears saw us back on track and looking good! Kaden had hoped to show G & G his bubbles but the rain had other ideas. So Kaden enjoyed watching rockets, submarines and airplanes with Grandpa and then helping Grandma with the salad spinner!

A salad spinner by any other look still spells fun!

Photo-ops - May 29, 2009
My boys are all pretty cute. Kaden took another go at holding Milo too - he puts his arms so carefully around him. Adorable.

I don't really think that Milo knew he was holding the rattle, but he seemed to have fun playing with it. Of course - everything goes in the mouth!

And then I got to have a little fun with Milo - raspberries made him laugh - and wearing my glasses made me laugh ;]

Smiles and Love - May 28, 2009
Kaden and his best bud enjoy a little 'grooving' time at playschool - they were so cute sitting at the table together listening to the CD and singing along (I think there was a book to following along in too). Later that day Milo showed off his ongoing cuteness and enjoyed some brotherly love!

Check out that sweet smile...no dimples though (takes after Daddy)

A new take on tummy-time - May 27, 2009
Instead of squishing Milo's face into the blanket I gave him a bit of a boost. It kept him a little happier for a little longer anyway!

Chat chat chat... - Late May, 2009
The fish on Milo's swing give him the gift of gab...having his big brother out of the room also gives him some quality air time!

More weekend fun and Milo's two-monthiversary - May 24, 2009
We sure had a busy day! After talking with Kaden for weeks about gardening we finally made it to the garden centre to get some plants and flowers. We're not doing too much in the yard as we are only renting, but it's nice to have some potted plants around. Kaden had fun scooping dirt and was pretty helpful...until he discovered that he could fill and dump Ali's water dish with the watering can...then I was on my own ;] While Kaden and I were busy on the deck, Daddy was busy trying to give Ali a bath. Once the dog was sufficiently soaped and rinsed, Kaden got his hands on the hose. Turns out he's strong enough (and clever enough) to pull the trigger and spray the water. He had a ball watering the grass and his hand...and his head! We got a fair bit done in the morning and then while Kaden was snoozing I got Milo to keep me company in the back hall while I finished the final pots.

What goes up, must come down!
       

After Kaden's nap he discovered a new surprise to add to our backyard fun - a sandbox (thanks Nanna and Poppa).

Yup...two months old. Amazing. Milo is smiling and chatting and seemingly soaking in everything going on around him - especially his big brother's escapades. Milo had his two month appointment and vaccinations. He was less than impressed with the needle pokes, but recovered remarkably well. And up until the doc stuck him twice in the leg he was all smiles and sunshine. Milo now weighs 13lbs - chubs.

And of course what sunny day would be complete without bubbles!

To round out our weekend, the boys had bath time together. Milo actually quite enjoys his bath (except for the transition between the warmth of the water and the towel)! And Kaden enjoys having Milo there too. He hands over the shampoo and soap from the tub and looks forward to Milo's bath water being dumped back into his. Check out those curly locks!

Weekend + Warm + Backyard + Friends = BBQ! - May 23, 2009
After Daddy and Poppa figured out what was wrong with our bbq we grilled a meal or two, but today we hosted a proper bbq complete with backyard fun! We had our good friends over for dinner and after some fun play outside we hunkered down inside (it started to cool off...and three booster seats/high chairs are a lot to cart outside!) to eat. Fun times.

Holding Milo - May 22, 2009
We don't really leave Kaden and Milo alone together, however we do occasionally walk out of a room to get a kleenex or dispose of a diaper, etc. After stepping out of the playroom for a few seconds I came back to find Kaden standing beside Milo with his hands on Milo's hips. When I asked Kaden what he was doing he replied that we was going to pick Milo up. Good to know...even a few seconds may be too long! Anyway, after talking about how Kaden shouldn't/couldn't pick up Milo I asked him if he wanted to hold Milo. He got all set by sitting on the couch with a cushion for support and steadied his arms as he sees us do to cradle Milo. Unfortunately the timing wasn't the greatest in Milo's "cycle" and despite Kaden's best efforts Milo only cried. The cuddle didn't last long, but it's a start.

Variety is the Spice of Life - May 21, 2009
With Milo's waving arms I decided to hand a different toy from his bouncy chair bar. This one hangs down pretty much into his face so that no matter how he moves his arms he's bound to connect. He seemed to enjoy it...

...although what choice did he have?!

Cuteness - May 20, 2009
It will be funny when both boys smile "on command", but for now our group shots showcase only the toddler-grin! Milo shows off his own toothless grin while sporting his sunhat, which is little big, but necessary.

Kaden loves Milo. He tries to be very helpful and often wants to touch/kiss/rub/hold/rock Milo.
In this particular instance he wants to help rock Milo in his bouncy chair. I thought I was being clever when I told Kaden that
to be gentle he should only use one finger to rock the chair. Turns out his one little finger is pretty strong!

May Two-Four - May 15 - 18, 2009
It's fun to refer to the long weekend in May as "2 - 4" again...if you say as much in BC you'll just get a strange look (they also don't sell beer with that same terminology either as it turns out...if you want 24 beer you get a "flat" of cans!). But I digress. We took the kids on their first Ontario road trip. We were a little skeptical as to how our little puke-a-tron (aka Kaden - who seems to suffer from motion sickness from time to time - a genetic trait passed down from his Daddy...gee thanks...) and Milo (who to this point had no love lost on his car seat) would do for such a long period of time in the car. Turns out they were stellar. We rolled the dice and decided to leave after Craig got home from work on Friday night. The hope was that after a stop for dinner the kids would fall asleep and we could plug through to Ottawa. Our boys made us proud (and probably tricked us for thinking it will be a good way to travel for our next trip), but after a stop for dinner and a short stop to get Kaden into his sleeper, Milo nodded off around 8pm and Kaden followed suit around 9pm. Every time we passed a rest stop we debated whether we should pull in just in case Milo would rouse...as it turns out, it was Craig who could have used one last stop, but the 416 into Ottawa has nary a pull-out unless you want to get all the way off the highway. Regardless, we made it safely to Nanna and Poppa's in just over 5hours. Kaden woke to give everyone a big smile as we unloaded into the house and then drifted back off to sleep once settled in the crib. Milo also woke to take in a night cap and then continued to sleep until about 4am and then again until about 8am (unheard of)! Daddy enjoyed a sleep-in too!

The weather for the weekend didn't look promising. We thought we might take in the park on Saturday morning, but rain started to fall as we were talking about getting organized to go. Fortunately Poppa had a brilliant idea to go to the museum to see the dinosaurs. Kaden had fun racing amongst the dinos and mammals (and he was very clear in his decision not to touch them) and had an even better time up on the "bird floor". There was an animal hospital where he could look at x-rays (more importantly he could flip the switch to turn the viewing light on and off) and there were buttons to press to hear various bird songs. Milo enjoyed the museum as well...in full nap mode!

After afternoon naps we went to Uncle Drew, Auntie Glenda, Ben and Mia's house for dinner. It was fun to have all the cousins together again. It will be nice to have many more visits like this as the kids will be closer to grow up together. Milo was a hit and enjoyed a new set of arms to snuggle and snooze. We also celebrated Poppa's birthday, which made Kaden happy as he still really likes to sing the happy birthday song and pretend to blow out candles! Kaden and Daddy took some self portraits during a break in the meal and we ended the evening with a rousing game of hungry hungry hippo (also a big hit...and big noise)!

The following day Kaden and Daddy did make it to the park although it was very chilly. We also had a visit with some of my parents friends/neighbours. After that afternoon's naps we were off to Auntie Martha and Uncle Cliff's for dinner. Another big celebration with the cousins, our extended family and some friends. Auntie Laura was even in town. After a delicious dinner the room became hysterically divided. All of the boys (and Mia) were watching/playing video games on one side and all of the ladies (and Milo) were oohing and ahhing over the babe on the other! Kaden doesn't watch tv and has never watched video games before - he was in awe. All he could talk about afterwards was "car crashed into bus...pow"!

On our final morning in Ottawa Kaden and Daddy spent some time outside playing with bubbles before getting strapped back into the car. The car ride home was definitely longer. There was less sleep to be had from both our boys and so more stops were needed. Also, as we got closer to Toronto the traffic slowed us down. When it was all over it took us just over 6 hours. Not too bad in the grand scheme of things.

Kaden's getting better at making bubbles.

Jungle Arch - Take 2 - May 14, 2009
Without his brother cutting in on the action, Milo got a little time to explore the jungle arch tout seul. Our little mister grabby hands even managed to snag a rattle...most likely unbeknownst to himself!

What do you think he's trying to tell me?!

More fun to discover! - May 11, 2009
Today Milo took a seat in his beloved bouncy chair with the fun addition of rattles dangling above his head. He seemed to dig them - he smiled and cooed. And whether he meant to or not he swatted at them a couple of times. Good fun. We pulled them out again at dinner to see if we could distract him long enough for us to eat dinner. You can see the three kids in 'action'.

Crazy arms - meet rattles...

Happy Mother's Day! - May 10, 2009
All I wanted for Mother's Day was a shower...and I got one...thank you! We started the day with waffles courtesy of Daddy and Kaden. Delish. Craig then took the boys to the park so that I could shower in peace. Perfect. After a quiet afternoon we drove to Mississauga to join the family for a Mother's Day dinner at The Mandarin - a favourite for family celebrations that I got to attend for the first time now that we live in the city. Kaden enjoyed eating with chopsticks and Milo got passed amongst the grans and great-grans/aunts (he didn't stay in that corner long!). A good night.

Fun under the jungle arch - May 8, 2009
Milo took his first spin under the jungle arch today. Kaden thought it looked like fun enough to join-in! They're pretty cute. I did try to take some video/pics of Milo going solo, but they still ended up being pretty toddler-centric. Perhaps another day?

A typical day with the boys - May 7, 2009
Milo is still a gassy-jack, but I've discovered that sometimes it's easier to coax a good belch from him when he's sitting up (as opposed to on my shoulder). He looks pretty cute in said position as well. Kaden continues to be a big help around the house and he's even getting better at snapping the asparagus close to the bottom all by himself. He's also getting very good at the stairs (only one major spill thus far with no major damage). We head out after dinner to wait out front for Daddy. Favourite pastimes in the front yard include going up and down the stairs and in and out of the gate!

What goes up must come down (hopefully with feet firmly planted on each step)!

Can you believe it has been six weeks?! - May 5, 2009
Kaden and I whipped up a batch of muffins in the morning in anticipation of a visit from Grandma and Grandpa the following day.

Then it was time for Milo's milestone update! April showers bring May flowers don't they?!?

Enough already!

Despite not being able to catch in on film, Milo is getting more chatty and more smiley each day.
In an attempt to catch Mr. Personality in action I managed to capture his "crazy arms". He's also got a set of legs to match (hidden from view here).
I think soccer is definitely in his future...or at least interpretive dance!

Snacktime at the library - May 4, 2009
The kids and I happened upon story time at our local library (we just happened to go check out the library the week before with Nanna and showed up at exactly the right time). Our good friends joined us this week. We had a few minutes to spare before the session began so we sat for a snack in the hallway. Milo snoozed happily in the Bjorn during our outing and continued to do so in his car seat after we got home. Look how big he's getting!

More weekend fun - May 3, 2009
We continued to enjoy the weekend's bright sun by taking a spin to the park. We spent most of this visit "kicking" a ball and playing in the sand...Milo of course took it all in in his sleep!

We're still trying to convince Kaden that you can kick a ball, not just throw it.
Either way is fun anyway.

Playing in the sand is always a hit - especially when you get to direct Mommy or Daddy.
First we create...then we destroy. Typical!

The Beaches - May 2, 2009
This is Nanna's last weekend with us (sniff, sniff). Poppa came back to Toronto to pick her up so we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and check out our neighbourhood. Lake Ontario is mighty close to our house...it makes it feel a little more like home. The boardwalk down by the beach is incredible. We walked for quite some time to check it out and then ended back at a little rock-filled spot on the beach. Kaden discovered the best toy/game ever - throwing rocks into the lake. What fun!

So far we've managed to stay high and dry!

It was a busy day, apparently! - May 1, 2009
Wow - we squished a lot into our first day of May. Daddy had the day off work so he took Kaden to Gymboree in the morning. It was a special day there. To go along with this week's theme, Kaden's instructor managed to get a real fire truck to come at the end of class. Awesome! Kaden had a great time checking out the fire truck. Of course, when he was up in the driver's seat he was asked not to touch any buttons. Yeah right - our button monster?!

Fun with Fire Trucks!
       

After class, my two older boys came home to pick me and Milo up to pay a visit to Nanny and Great Papa. Milo managed to spend the entire time asleep (similar to his last visit) and Kaden enjoyed some lunch and continued to chat away (also similar to his last visit)!

We ended the day with bubbles. A new crowd pleaser for sure. Most nights now when we're done dinner we go outside to wait for Daddy and then it's bubble time! Of course...anytime is also bubble time ;] Kaden is getting quite good at blowing the bubbles, but with the wands we're getting him to use "big arms" to get the bubbles out. Stomping bubbles is also fun to do!

"Big arms" in action!