The best-laid plans...

So, I had planned on blogging every day this week--and next--but then my husband left for a 10-day conference out of the country, my toddler became insanely clingy, my teething infant came down with a cold and a fever, and I had a couple of urgent tasks crop up that should have only required about an hour of my time but with all of the above took me 12 hours to complete.

I hope to get back on schedule once my mom arrives from Arkansas later today, but I might try to shower, eat something, and change out of my coffee-stained pyjamas first.

Be back soon (I hope)!

Archer is on the move ...

Although I said yesterday that my recent hibernation has kept me from blogging this past month, another big reason I haven't been on the computer much is because my youngest has been demanding my vigilant attention. A little over a month ago Archer started to crawl. A few days later he could pull himself up into a stand. Then the climbing began ... 

At first it was just the bookshelves. Then he started getting into my cupboards. Then a couple of weeks ago Colin taught him to climb stairs. Now Archer can climb up all 12 of our stairs. And, yes, in case you are wondering, he has also fallen down them.

I'm sure Colin must have gone through this, too, but I don't remember it being such a headache. Of course, back then there was just the one child with two parents hovering over him. Now I am at home with the children, and I'm finding the need to be in two places at once rather exhausting.

To give you an idea what it's like, here's a composite of a typical afternoon in our household (make that a typical hour):

Wake up from nap and practice vocalizations ...

Go downstairs ...

Check out the boy in the mirror ...

Start hittin' the bottle ...

Shine the grill ...

Do some art (AKA suck on the markers) ...

Suck on everything ...

Make a mess in my kitchen ...

Make a mess in his kitchen ...

Pull everything off the shelves ...

Find new ways to swipe Colin's toys ... 

"Why are you lookin' at me? I don't know where your lens cap is ..."

Hibernating

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I posted here. I would say that the time has just flown by, but I think, in fact, the opposite was true. During the deep midwinter here life seems to just slow to a crawl. I guess you could say I've been hibernating.

In the past month I've felt the need to do a lot of quiet, "homey" things. I started sewing again after a Christmas burnout. I've taken up knitting for the upteenth time (but this time I think I might actually get the hang of it). I've cooked almost all of our meals from scratch. And I've started reading again after a post-natal hiatus of about seven months. I don't think I've ever gone so long without reading a novel in my entire adult life, but in the past month I've more than made up for it. I must have read a dozen books since the New Year--wonderful, thoughtful, lose-yourself-in-the-story kinds of books--and it felt, oh, so good!

But we haven't been completely holed up at home, mind you. The kids and I go out nearly every day: to Waldorf School and the farmer's market and play dates and museums. I've actually had to put the brakes on some of our adventuring just so that I can be sure we stay home at least two days a week. For the sake of their well-being (and mine) we need full days of "down time" to recuperate. If I were being really conscientious I will schedule one day at home for every day spent out on the town--one "in breath" for every "out breath"--but I am not disciplined enough for that.

Still, I've tried to make plenty of room for those quiet moments at home, so that when Archer wakes up from his nap we can spend half an hour in bed just giggling. So that when Colin says, "Mama, let's make bread," I have the time to let that five-hour process unfold--and the patience for all of his toddler shenanigans with my measuring cups. So that I can take the time to help Colin learn how to put together a jigsaw puzzle or to look at the same board book with Archer over and over and over again. Because I know these quiet days won't last forever. Soon I will be back at work and I will have to move heaven and earth to find such leisure in our days again.

In addition to all of our going out and staying in, I've spent a lot of time soul-searching this past month. A few weeks ago we found out that changes at our old day care mean that we are no longer guaranteed spots for Colin and Archer when I return to work. I cannot begin to express how this has turned our world upside-down. Since then we've visited countless day care centres, looked into hiring a nanny--we've even considered keeping me at home. We've thought about renting other homes in other neighbourhoods--we've even toured a couple of houses we'd considered buying (and we were not previously thinking of buying a home). Literally every single aspect of our lives has been up for reconsideration because, really, if you can't feel good about where your children spend the bulk of their day nothing else really matters, does it?

None of those concerns is settled yet, but nonetheless I feel the mood here shifting. The days are getting longer and warmer, and the kids and I are moving into new interests and routines. This is all just to say that I plan to be back here more often in the days to come (in fact, I've got posts planned every weekday for the next two weeks!). This is all just to say I am coming out of "hibernation."

Now we are three ...

My big boy turned three yesterday. It still sounds funny to my ears because he is the "big" boy around here, and yet, he is only just now three. But there is no doubt about it: He is a boy and no longer a baby. And if you don't believe me, just ask him, and he will tell you. As he tells us. About a hundred times a day.

In honour of my big-boy-who-is-no-longer-a-baby, we had a little birthday celebration yesterday. I hesitate to call it a "party" because only our family was invited--just the four of us--and we kept the festivities really simple. As much as he enjoys going to friends' birthday parties, throwing one of our own would be a disaster. The combination of sugar, excitement, and other kids playing with his toys would be a recipe for a complete meltdown, and I wanted him to enjoy his birthday not spend it crying.

Instead we spent the day doing things that he loves the most: visiting the dinosaurs at the museum, jumping on bouncy castles, and baking, decorating and, of course, eating the birthday cake. (It came in a box. We dyed it pink, purple, green, and blue. It looked awful, but he got to decorate it himself and he loved it. He had three pieces.)

We opened all of his birthday letters and read them aloud--a little tradition I started for his first birthday. Although I must admit he was much more excited by the obnoxious singing, dancing disco-hamster card I bought him than the heartfelt epistles of his nearest and dearest. That's a three year old for you.

And, of course, there were presents. 

Since Colin's birthday falls just after Christmas and since, heaven help us!, we do not need any more toys in this house, I put a ban on friends and family giving him birthday gifts. I know, I'm horrid.

Nonetheless, his grandmothers couldn't help slipping a little something in the mail, and Kevin and I got him a set of three Automoblox. And as he's been dancing around the house with them for the past 24 hours, telling us all about "these really cool, awesome toys," I might have to lift the ban next year and go "full toy." (So quickly do our ideals crumble...)

Whatever! We had an absolutely wonderful day, full of smiles and laughter and absolutely free of tantrums and tears. And if you've ever had a two year old--I mean, a three year old--then you know just how rare and wonderful those days are. 

Happy third birthday, Colin Henry Beach!

Guess who ...

... turned three today?

How to Fly with Babies

You would think that after flying internationally with babies dozens of times that I would be an old pro at it. On the contrary, I have only now figured it out. It was just on this last trip to Toronto to visit family that we had a truly successful flight, so, assuming that this wasn't just a one-off, I thought I'd share a few of my hard-won lessons about flying with babies:

1) Go to bed early. If, like us, you have to wake up at 3:00 a.m. and leave for the airport at 4:00 a.m. to make a 6:00 a.m. flight, then this means everyone must go to bed by 7:00 p.m. the night before. If you are lucky and don't have to leave before the crack of dawn, go to bed early anyway. Once you have children, you will never again get to nap on the plane.

There's just something about little boys and "things that go"... 

2) Get to the airport early. Getting to the airport two hours early (or three for an international flight) may seem excessive, but where little kids are involved there are always unexpected delays. Combine two or three unexpected delays, and you've just missed your flight. Trust me, I've done it. And there is nothing worse than waiting around an airport all day on stand-by when you have kids in tow. Now we just get to the airport extra early, have a big breakfast after check-in, and let the kids stretch their legs walking up and down the terminals. By the time we finally board, everyone has a full belly and is ready to have a little morning rest.

Archer burns off a little energy before the flight.

3) Bring a movie. We usually fly cheap no-frills carriers, but on this last flight to Toronto our plane had an in-flight movie, and Colin, my little restless flier, sat mesmerized for the entire three-hour flight watching The Lion King, The Smurfs, and all those other Disney movies we don't have at home. (And Kevin and I got to see all those new releases we've missed in the past year!) The price of a fancy-schmancy iPad or a portable DVD player may seem a little steep, but if they buy you even three hours of peace on your flight, they are worth every penny and the next-best thing to flying First Class.

4) Bring a car seat on the plane. Since Colin turned two he has been riding in his own seat on the plane, and until recently this was a disaster. He would spend the entire flight un-latching his safety belt and trying to crawl under the seat in front of him. Then, on our flight back from Arkansas last October, he fell asleep in Archer's infant car seat just before boarding, so I brought the whole thing on the airplane. And although it was not technically legal, it worked beautifully. This time, I brought Colin's own toddler car seat, and it worked even better. I don't know why more parents don't flight with car seats for their young children (I have almost never seen another parent do this), but I do know that I will never fly again without one. Sure, they are bulky, but you can buy a special backpack or carry-on case for them for about $25, and that--plus a portable DVD player and some diapers--are the only carry-ons you really need.

We were all smiles on this last flight--except when Mama pulled out the camera.


5) Bring a change of clothes. Did I just say you only need to bring a car seat and a portable DVD player? Well, bring a change of clothes for each kid, too. There is something about the change in altitude and cabin pressure that is the perfect recipe for explosive poo. This usually happen right after take-off and before you are allowed to move about the cabin and change a dirty diaper. We've started putting the nylon diaper covers that we use with our cloth diapers on top of the disposable diapers that we travel with and this seems to contain most of the mess. Most, but not all. So pack a change of clothes just to be safe.

6) And pack a few special toys. I also travel with a small back-pack for Colin that I stock with a few special things that are only for flying: a couple of Matchbox cars, some finger puppets, a few small animal figurines, a small notepad and some crayons, and a couple of miniature paperback books. Colin feels like such a big boy carrying is "pack-pack" as he calls it, and it saves me a lot of time that his toys are always close at his hands. To make things easier on me, I bring the same number of each item: three cars, three puppets, three animals, etc., so I never have to wonder if he's lost something under his seat. I just ask myself, "Are there three of them?" If so, we're good to go.

 Colin shows off his special "pack-pack" ...

... and Archer tries to make a get-away with some of its loot.

7) Stay calm. Whatever you do, don't let the stress of flying get to you or it will make your kids stressed, too. After years of flying with kids, Kevin and I finally started to see a pattern in our kids behaviour on travel days: just before checking in both kids would start crying and they wouldn't stop until we go through customs and security check. They weren't tired, they weren't hungry, they weren't yet bored with the novelty of flying. Finally we figured it out: they were nervous because we were nervous. In fact, we were sweating bullets because the lines were long and we were worried about missing our flight. Now, we get to the airport extra early so that we beat the crowds and we make sure that whatever curve balls get thrown our way we "Keep Calm and Carry On," and now everyone gets on the plane smiling.

What are your tips for traveling with children?

Siblings, siblings

We're back in Edmonton after a quick and very last-minute trip to Toronto to visit Kevin's family. Kevin's younger brother, Chris, just got engaged to a very nice girl named Sujin who was visiting, and this was our one chance to see them both before they return to South Korea to live for a few years. 

Since this was the first and only time that we were likely to have "all" the family together for a while, I thought that it warranted a picture--bad sweaters and all. Kevin's mom, Shirley, is really big on family, having been an only child herself and having lost her mom at a young age.  I know it really pains her that both her sons live so far away and that she only gets to see her grandchildren once in a blue moon. So a photo of us all is about the best present I can give her.

Similarly, Shirley's gift to me was the reminder that the hard years of raising very young children really do go by so quickly. Before I know it, Colin and Archer will be living thousands of miles away, consumed with raising their own families, and I'll never get to see them enough. I promise to think about while I'm out tonight enjoying some much-needed time away from my family ;)

In the meantime, here's to siblings--and coordinated outfits:

Kevin (right) with Chris, circa 1978.

Me, with my brother, Stark, circa 1984.

At Seven Months ...

It's been a busy month, so I'm just getting this in under the wire, but technically Archer is still seven months old for another week so here goes ...

At seven months, Archer ...

-weighs 18.5 pounds and is 25 inches long. This puts him in the 50th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for height, which makes him stocky. Must be those Beach genes, although I still think he takes after my side of the family in terms of good looks ;)

-is so mobile! He sits, he stands, he crawls, and as of this weekend he pulls himself up. Kevin says he even saw Archer pull himself all the way onto a low shelf that we have in the living room. Was Colin this mobile at such a young age? I doubt it. But no doubt Archer's physical precociousness is due to wanting to keep up with a big brother who never stops moving.

-has become very vocal. No longer content to just babble and blow raspberries, Archer wants to be a part of the conversation, and, in this house, that means he has to compete with some very big talkers. So far, Archer has discovered that being the loudest gets everyone's attention, even if no one knows what you're saying.

-is such a curious, easy-going, and happy baby. I still get stopped by strangers who are amazed by his cheerful good nature and constant smile, but this month his dominant trait seems to be his curiosity. This baby is into everything--and likes to put everything in his mouth, including (eek!) a broken Christmas ornament! Fortunately, I got to him quickly that time, but I can tell I'm going to have to grow eyes in the back of my head for this one. 

(Pictures were all taken at our weekly play group.)

Christmas in Pictures

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas!