At last

This blog has been sorely neglected for the past couple of months. Just give me a second to do a bit of dusting and sweep up the cobwebs. Okay, there we go.

A lot has happened since I last wrote, which partially explains the lengthy absence. Samson turned one, Ian got a new job, and we relocated from the cold and snowy north to the mild and rainy coast. We're still getting settled in our new place, but it's starting to feel like home.

Samson has adapted very well, and is thriving as per usual. He now knows where his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, feet and belly button are. He has mastered the sign for "light," and knows the ones for "more" and "nursing" -- though he still prefers to just stick his head down my shirt! In the past couple of weeks he has gone from scooting with sporadic walking to walking almost all of the time. He toddles here, there, and everywhere, with mom and dad busily chasing after him. Oh, he also knows that shoes go on his feet and keeps trying to put on his new Converse high tops from our friends. He loves shoes, just like Mom! In the last couple of days, he has also starting demanding that we put his sunglasses on.

Here are some photos of our most recent adventures:

Trying his first bite of birthday cake:


Really getting into the carrot cake (thanks Auntie Sylvia!):


At a pumpkin patch, can you spot our little piggy?


Checking out the pumpkins with Daddy:


Family photo!:


Halloween, our little monkey:


Sam the monkey doesn't find this scarecrow very scary at all:


Modelling the aforementioned sneakers:


Walking:


I wear my sunglasses inside:

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Sam in September: a photo post

He finds borscht funny:


Visiting with Suzanne:


Sporting a serious Alfalfa:


Working on standing alone [he reached for the couch just as the camera went off]:


With Daddy, in almost-matching jackets:


Putting some [pulled] pork on his fork. Or fingers. Also on his forehead, and in his hair:

Woefully behind schedule

Hello blogosphere, long time no see.

I had great intentions for updating in August, but life got in the way. It was a really busy month, what with all the travelling.

Samson and I had a great time at the cabin. The weather was [mostly] great and we did lots of playing in the water and visiting with our cousins. Here are a couple of my favourite photos from that part of the trip:

Samson modelling his sarong:


Beach babies:


Samson enjoying some wild Northwestern Ontario blueberries:


Having LOTS of fun in the lake:


Measuring up to the tree that Ian and I planted during our wedding four years ago:


Sam and I followed up our Ontario adventures by flying back to the lower mainland, where we met up with Daddy and attended Sam's great-grandmother's 90th birthday party. Samson also got an early birthday present from Granny and Gramps:


Yes, that's a tensor bandage on his head. Don't ask.

After a few days of visiting, we hit the road for a long and meandering journey home. We didn't want to make Samson spend too much time in his car-seat and we had some friends to visit so we took four days to make the trip and stopped in Penticton, Kamloops and Valemount along the way. Here's a family portrait from our riverside picnic outside Valemount:


On the final leg of the trip, we made a stop off in the Ancient Forest. It's an inland rainforest located about an hour east of Prince George, filled with cedars that are thousands of years old. Check it out!:


We're happy to be home and Samson is keeping us very busy. He's standing on his own a lot, and thinking pretty seriously about taking a few steps. His other favourite activities include looking at [and chewing on] books and terrorizing the cats.

I've decided not to go back to work when my maternity leave ends, so as of September 21st I'll officially be a stay-at-home mom. I can't wait!

Ontario: Ours to Discover

Samson and Mommy [that's me!] flew to Ontario last Friday. Sam was a real trooper on the long flight from PG to Toronto, he didn't sleep much but he was very happy. He was a real flirt, charming everyone from the flight attendants to the cute little boys across the aisle who wanted to visit with him every five minutes. "Hey Sam-son, is Sam-son awake?!" Too sweet.

We spent a few days in Toronto visiting Uncle Bryce and Mark along with Grandma and Grandpa. It was a busy trip -- Samson went to the beach, the mall, several restaurants, and even went for a swim in Mommy's friend Julie's pool.

Last night we flew with Grandpa and Grandma back to Thunder Bay, and we'll spend a few days here before heading to the cabin for about 10 days. We've had a real baby boom in the family this year and we're excited for Samson to spend some time with McKinley [age 1], Asher [3 weeks older than Sam] and Oliver [4 months]. Grandma bought Samson some really cute beach shoes and a hat to keep the sun and bugs away.

We've taken some pictures but Mommy has to figure out how to put them on G&G's laptop before I can post them.

More to follow!

Beach Babies

Today we took Sam on his first trip to the beach, along with his friends Oscar and Solomon [and their parents, of course]. It was a really hot day, nonetheless Sam was not too sure how he felt about COLD water. But after he got used to it, he had a grand old time splashing around and playing with Oscar's floating dragon.

At last, my tooth has come along...

This morning Samson and I were lying in bed nursing when he stopped, turned his head and started to chew on my index finger. And there, just peeking through the surface of his lower gum, was the edge of a sharp little tooth. At last! Sam has been showing signs of teething for months [the chewing, the drooling] so I think we're all pretty excited that a tooth has finally emerged. This also explains his uncharacteristic crankiness yesterday.

Alas, the tooth is so new we do not have a photo of it. You'd probably be hard-pressed to see it even if we used the macro setting. We'll try to get a shot of it when it has come out a little further.

Tonight, Sam's friend Solomon and his mom Sarah came over for dinner because Solomon's dad is out of town. Both boys are pros at pulling themselves up to standing and it seems Solomon shares Sam's fascination with our vinyl collection. Here are a few shots of our future audiophiles.

Discussing their favourites:




Distracted by a cat:

Bad Bloggers

It's been a week since our last post, and I regret that I don't have any new photos to add. We've been busy! Samson has been crawling all over the place, pulling himself up to standing, and even getting a bit cocky and doing some "one-handed" standing at his toy-box or laundry basket. He takes one hand off and then checks to see if we're watching, as if to say "Look what I can do!" He also sometimes doesn't seem to realize that he can't walk yet, and lunges towards something while standing. Luckily Mommy and Daddy are on hand to catch him!

Today Samson has a little bit of a fever. I'm not sure what's behind it, but he has been a bit tired and fussy all day so we put him to bed early. I'm going up to join him shortly, as he seems to sleep more soundly when we're nearby.

In other news, it's been a challenging week for our extended families, pet-wise. Granny and Gramps Giesbrecht had to put Tucker down yesterday. He was a good dog and we will all miss him. And Samson's Uncle Bryce had to take his Siamese cat Skeezix to the pet hospital this week, after he stopped eating following some "fang sharpening" [dental surgery]. Skeez is home now and hopefully on the mend.

On a happier note, we've booked tickets for Samson and I to travel to Toronto and Thunder Bay for some visiting in July and August. We can't wait, and hope that Daddy will be able to come too.

Up, Up and Away

Samson has mastered the art of pulling himself up to standing over the past few days.
I took this video yesterday, and already he is much faster and less hesitant in his movements. I'll take more videos soon, since he has also been practicing walking while holding Mommy and Daddy's hands. For now, this will have to serve as your Sam fix!

At the Petting Zoo

Today we took Samson up to the local petting zoo so he could get a "real-life" look at some of the animals he sees in his picture books. Noah's Ark has all sorts of creatures, from geese and ducks to yaks and emus. I think Ian and I had more fun than Samson did, he seemed a bit taken aback by the noises and how large the animals were up close!

Some type of ruminant [alpaca? llama?] trying to eat our child:


Petting the goats:


Meeting the horses:



This baby goat was born the morning of our visit! She was so tiny and so cute!

The Week in Photos

I've been meaning to write a post all week long, and just haven't had a chance. So today, I present the week in review via photos.

"Helping" to feed himself:

This preceded a period of a few days during which he refused to eat any solid foods. Sigh.

Goofing around with Dad:


I think he looks like Mugatu from Zoolander in the top one!

Chowing down on some frozen banana after a feast [he'd decided he liked food again by this point], it feels sooo good on his sore little teething gums!:


Hanging out on the front lawn:


He's tres cool, non?

Little Man on the Move

Samson has been very busy lately, and I put together a few little videos to showcase his activities.

Babbling at Holly:



"Petting" Holly:


Doing Yoga:


Crawling to get the ball:

Mommy-less Night

So last night, Mom decided to head out to the movies. Around 6:40 she headed out to the extremely feminine Sex and the City 2. I heard it was awesome. Sam and I were left to fend for ourselves as menfolk. We tried going for a walk, which resulted in a grumpy kid and a sweaty dad. We returned home and I managed to get the kid to sleep with a sippy-cup full of mom's magic juice. He slept for an hour, then woke up at 9 howling. This is a nightly occurrence, so I figured he'd just get it out, then go back to sleep for the night.

Turns out, he decided to just twitch and sleep-tease me until mom came home around 10. How they made that movie 3 hours I'll never know. Out of protest, I now officially boycott Sex and the City and all related products. Take THAT.

Pool Party!

Samson's little buddy Solomon invited us over for a pool party today.
Sam really loves the water, whether he's in the bathtub, a swimming pool or a kiddie pool. I can't wait to take him swimming in the lake at the cabin this summer!!!