Just 1 Word

Just 1 word to describe my Baby Girl

The Latest Jungle Gym

Is there such a thing as Parental Abuse?  I have the bruises to prove it.
 

Or does being a parent mean you are also a Jungle Gym.

 

Look whos Talking

Baby's first words.....

You dream of hearing the word mama for the first time.  She did say it once, many months ago, but not again. 

The first word she used on a consistant basis was

BALL

Followed closely by

Apple

Banana

Meow

Along came Daddy, Duck, Puppy, Yup, No, Bubble and Up.

I started to think that my name was UP since that is all she would say to me, arms outstretched.

Wait....

Did you hear that?

I think she said "Maaaaa"

Close enough, I'll take it!!!!!

Kiera's Book Review

I am an avid reader, and I have always wanted my children to be as well.  Here are 2 books that not only will Kiera sit still for me to read them, she will actually pick them out her self from the mountain of books she has.

The first one is "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle.  This was one of my favourite books as a child too.

Its the story of a Very Hungry Caterpillar, as you probably guessed.  What Kiera and I like is the holes they have actually put in the food the caterpillar ate.  I was never allowed to put holes in my books.

The other one she loves is "I Love You Through and Through" by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak.

This book is about what we love about our little ones.  I had never read this book until we picked up for Kiera, but I love it now.  It shows that no matter what, we will always love our baby girl.

"I love your happy side, your sad side, your silly side, your mad side....

I love you through and through...yesterday, today and tomorrow, too."

Texting Wonder of the World

As we pulled into the Tim Horton's parking lot, I looked at the vehicle we were pulling in beside.  In the driver's seat was a lady with a cell phone.  She had the slide down keyboard type, and she appeared to be texting.

I took a second look and realized that the texter was in her late 70's or early 80's, and she was texting better than I can.  Thats when I realized that Baby Girl will be so far ahead of me by the time she is 10 years old, that I only hope to understand enough to keep her out of trouble.

As for the older texter, I just tell myself she is a mature looking 16 year old. 

Things you may not know about me

Things you may not know about me

1. Tulips are my favourite flowers.  Roses are a close second.

2. I played pool in a league, but I am far from a pool shark.

3. I had heart surgery at 21 years of age.  I had a hole between my left and right atrium.  Luckily it has been repaired.

4. One thing I cannot live without is my books.

5. I wanted to be a professional baseball player when I was younger.

6. I am a geek, a nerd, and any other term you can think of.  Here is proof:

* I worked in the school library for grades 6 and 7.

* I wanted to be a computer programmer in grade 12, but changed to a BBA when I started University.

* I studied Japanese in High School with Sensei Hara. I still remember how to so “So Sorry to be Late”

* I competed in a Math Competition in grade 7 and a Public Speaking Competition in grade 8.
* I was a member of Counterattack from grade 8 to 12.

7. I took Drama as an elective in high school.

8. I hate confrontation.

9. I may not be religious but I am spiritual.  I do believe in God.

10. I hate doing the dishes.

11. I am a Vehicle Rock Star.  I love to sing in my car and I don't care who sees.

12. I suffer from a Mental Illness.

13. I love trivia tidbits.  Especially useless bits that can be brought up in random conversation.

14. I love studying the history of the areas and cities I love in.

Favourite Quotes

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

“When she smiles, she just melts my heart” ~ Michael Dillon (about Kiera)

The fundamental job of a toddler is to rule the universe

Never underestimate a child’s ability to get into more trouble

To the world you may be just one person; but to one person you may be the world.

Dance as though no one is watching you,

Love as though you have never been hurt before,

Sing as though no one can hear you,

Live as though Heaven is on Earth. ~ Souza

... the only difference bewteen me and the rest of the population is that I acknowledge how crazy I am and they're all in mind-numbing denial.

"Sanity is a cozy lie" ~ Susan Sontag

If everyone woke up tomorrow morning and said,

"It's possible; whatever it is, it's possible,"
and spent a whole day having an "it's possible" day,
then we would be going down the kind of road I'm interested in
because I do believe it is possible.

It is important to live each day with a positive perspective.
It is not wise to pretend problems do not exist,
but it is wise to look beyond the problem to the possibilities that are in it.
When Goliath came against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought,
"He's so big, we can never kill him."
But David looked at the same giant and thought,
"He's so big, I can't miss him."

My Promise to Kiera

I Promise

To remember you are a gift

To help you know we are always together

To trust myself when caring for you

To dance, sing and play with you

To hold you but never hold on to you

To teach you by example, not just words

To inspire you to love yourself and your body

To try not to criticize you even if I disagree with your choices

To help you see that you are perfect just the way you are

To trust you to make your way through the world

To celebrate each milestone in your life

To support you as you take on new endeavours

To create a loving and enriching environment for you

To show you how to laugh at yourself

To teach you forgiveness

To show you life’s blessings

To help you see that happiness is not dependant on circumstances

To teach you not to take life too seriously

To empower you to trust yourself

To help you always reach for the stars

Things I Love

The first sip of coffee in the morning

The sound of a cat purring

A child’s smile

The sound of a rainstorm

The smell of fresh peaches

The feeling of my husbands arms around me

Discovering something new

Receiving a card or letter in the mail (snail mail especially)

Listening to old stories

Laughing so hard that I cry – a family trait

The look of a fresh snowfall

Dancing in the rain

Mellow Times

Where does time go? 

As a child, I prayed for time to speed up. 

 Now, all I can say is SLOW DOWN. 

I miss sharing our lives with you.  So much has happened since the last time I have blogged.

I have lost 40 pounds (well since May).  Although, I am a little off track now.

I am back at work.  Is it possible to love and hate something at the same time?

Kiera is 13 months.  I think this is the hardest one for me.  I am not ready for this.

So much to tell you about.

Later.

Tonight, I am in my hotel room at work, missing my family. 

And thinking about life.