Goldie Lock-less

Pauly is now 20 months old and growing so fast.  This has become more apparent to me as I recently made the choice to have his hair cut.  Now, this wasn't a rash decision.  On the contrary, it took me some time to finally make up my mind.  And of course I discussed this with Paul who at first, was opposed to the idea of chopping off the little guys hair.  But after a few days he came to the same conclusion as I.  Pauly's hair was getting too unruly and he no longer had that messy baby look.  Instead he was beginning to look like a bird was nesting somewhere atop his head.

So off I went with camera in hand.  I was expecting him to be uncooperative and throw a fit so I was prepared...Smarties!  He did not disappoint me, although I must admit that I thought it was going to be worse.  I chose the Thomas the Train seat in hopes that he would be a little more distracted but that didn't last long.  As soon as the hairdresser began wetting his hair, all bets were off.  He wiggled and dodged and even tried climbing out of the chair but settled back down once the basket of toys was handed to him.

Things were going well until the first snip.  There was more dodging and the crying started so, out came the box of Smarties.  It was good for a few minutes then he noticed that someone was still "playing" with his hair.  I started naming all the toys and their colours and he did well from that point on.  The dinosaurs had a battle and the ski-doo went for a ride.  Then we were done.  There was no buzz cut or faux hawk (at least not yet).  I just had them trim what was already there.  It wasn't perfect but close to it.

It took me a few days to get used to it but I love it.  And the best part is he still has his curls.

Before

Pep Talk

"Mama...What's going on?"

"I can handle this... vroom vroom"

"Dinosaur goes raaaaaa"

"I'm not sure I like this"

After

Sock Fuzz

Today I was organizing the many pictures and videos I have (a task that is truly never ending) and I came upon this video that I shot a couple of weeks ago.  

I was getting Pauly ready for bed and that's when he discovered it...sock fuzz.  It just makes me laugh and I thought I'd share.

Bathroom Bliss

This time around I'm going to forgo the hallmark-esk post and write about something I'm totally stoked about. You might recall that my upstairs bathroom was in need of a complete overhaul and although we (and by we I mean Paul) had gutted it awhile ago, this project was put on the back burner. If you need a refresher you can check it out here. Well...we've finally gotten back to it, yippy!

 We changed the layout and with that came some major replumbing and updating. Our home is 60+ years old so Paul and my father-in-law took the opportunity to replace the vent stack and some plumbing under the kitchen sink.

With that completed the new toilette was installed.

Simple dual flush

 The next step for us was buying the bathtub. We decided on a BainUltra and it came in two weeks ago.

Arrival of THE BainUltra

 It's a "drop-in" style tub so Paul had to build the box for it first.

Daddy teaching Pauly

Pauly helping daddy

Bain Frame

The tub is still sitting in our living room but I can hardly wait for my first Bain experience. You can count on reading about it but don't hold your breath. There's still so much left to do.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Thursday was my mom's 60th birthday. We kept it low key as per her wishes and only celebrated with pizza, cake and coffee. She had a wonderful time with her daughters and grand kids but...my sister and I decided that a ladies night was also in order. So today we went out to dinner and left the kids with their fathers (except Riley since I'm exclusively breast feeding). We all gathered together afterwards including aunts and cousins but, it has been a while since we've done the mother-daughters thing.

Years ago, spending quality time with my mom was not something I thought I'd look forward to. We didn't have the best relationship and our views on life were very different. Now that I'm older, wiser and have children of my own, it's something I cherish and very much appreciate. I love seeing her happy and right now her grand kids put the biggest smile on her face. It's priceless to see her eyes light up when all five kids are together at her house, playing and causing a ruckus.

I wouldn't be fooling anyone if I said my life was perfect. But when you have a mother who looks past your mistakes, forgives your stubbornness, and is always willing to put her life on hold in order to make yours a little easier, those rough patches don't seem so bad anymore. I'm lucky to have such a wonderful role model and I hope that one day my children will think of me in the same way.

I love you mom and happy birthday.

Joys of Motherhood

As many mom's know, there's so much joy in raising children. The dynamic between children and their parents vary depending on wether you're the father or mother. Things like how attached children are to a specific parent and what kind of caregiver you are varies during a child's life. On those extremely chaotic days I sometimes find myself thinking about fatherhood and how much easier it seems to be at the other end of the spectrum. I wouldn't want to change places permanently but, is the grass really greener on the other side? I can't answer that question but here are some things I would never give up in order to find out.

1. I will always know each of my children nine months longer than anyone. During this time I will experience their first kicks and hiccups. I will know when they are restless and when they are resting. And until they are born, they will be safe within me.

2. Only I can birth my children. Fathers are very much involved but let's face it, a mother does all the hard work. And even though labour and delivery is no walk in the park, when you are the first to hold a child you've been growing for so long, it's worth every agonizing moment.

3. Hormones. Oxytocin is a powerful thing. It can reek havoc with your emotions but in the end, it's responsible for that feeling of pure unconditional love.

4. Knowing exactly what my children need. It took a little practice but over time I have come to know the personalities of my children. I know when it's time to eat, nap or just cuddle with mommy.

And finally...
5. The bond created between a newborn and mom is definitely not worth giving up. I sometimes watch as my husband struggles to calm and sooth Riley and I realize how important it is for me to be there for her. When she seems unconsolable in the arms of someone, and all it takes is mommy's arms and a short lullaby to calm her I know I couldn't want anything else out of life. Don't get me wrong, when she is fed, changed and doesn't need a nap, she is very happy spending time with dad and I love watching them together but, motherhood is the absolute joy of life.

So I'll end this post with one of my favourtite quotes:

“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.
She never existed before.
The woman existed, but the mother, never.
A mother is something absolutely new.”
-Bhagwan Rajneesh