Big News

We've had some significant happenings in the last couple of weeks.

The Girl
Violet is pretty much toilet trained. I remember an optimistic post I wrote almost a year ago about how she was almost toilet trained...but then she realized that toilets are for suckers.
In typical Violet fashion, she's gone from using a diaper 99% of the time to using the toilet 99% of the time from one day to the next. I don't know what the change was, she wasn't motivated by any of the incentives we kept offering (gymnastics class! taking trains with Nana!). She's very proud of herself, as she should be. Now I don't have to worry as much when she 's running around as a naked fairy.
The Boy
Jem crawled yesterday! He's also working on tooth number seven (but that's not as exciting for me- he's been biting me). He's also reached the age where I can plop him down with some Cheerios and he will happily feed himself, somehow picking up the little Os between his first and second fingers (who needs opposable thumbs anyway?). His lips pucker when he's concentrating.Still is a strapping boy. Here he is showing off his 'come hither thighs'.

The Student
Lauren has gone back to Kingston for the summer to be with her favourite man - HER FATHER, and also that guy she likes..what's his name?...oh yeah, Alex. We're going to miss her a lot.

Spring Day

It feels like such a relief to have the snow close to gone and the backyard accessible again. It was a long winter, and I was getting pretty sick of it. A couple of days ago Violet saw someone walking by wearing shorts and a tank top. She cried out "SHE'S NAKED!" at the top of her voice.
Today was so nice that we spent the afternoon cleaning up the garden and setting up the patio furniture. Violet took a few trips on her tricycle up and down the driveway and Jesse wore Jem on his back while we worked. Grandpa came over and we all had dinner together OUTSIDE. Glorious. Jem was very happy to sit in the grass, pulling up fistfuls and trying to eat them.
Violet put grass on her head and in her shoes, then tried to cram her feet back in to them. Happy Spring!

Who could resist?

It was only a matter of time before I was going to dress them in matching outfits.

Knees and bum

Jem is going to be 7 months old in a couple of days, and I don't know where the time has gone. He is just such an adorable snuggly boy...also quite stubborn and not at all shy about voicing his displeasure about things.
He's reached the next level on his way to crawling - getting up on his knees and rocking. This is sooner than UV did this (she was content, and still is, to have us fetch things for her). Jem wants to get places! In other news:
Yesterday I was trying to set up a tricky photo-shoot for a client involving small and expensive pieces of jewellery. Oma was cleaning up the breakfast dishes. Violet was wandering around between us trying to get us to smell her hand. We kept shooing her away, trying to finish up our tasks, but eventually Oma had to ask what her hand smelled like. "Like bum!" she announced.

Coconut

Jesse brought a coconut home to show Violet it's marvels. We all sat on the kitchen floor to watch them get it open. She had a good time hammering.
Jem had a good time watching her hammer (well, he finds anything she's doing fascinating). After much hammering and prying, the coconut was opened. Violet held a piece for a while as we encouraged her to try it, but in the end decided she wanted a yogurt instead. As Oma put it, it was a "little too organic for her".In other news:
Elsa's been feeling left out because I never post pictures of her. She insisted I post this picture of her with her coconut hat on.

Getting around

Easter

Jesse has been battling the flu the last couple of days, so we haven't been out much. This morning he felt a bit better, so I wanted to drag everyone to Ikea...but when we got there we discovered it was closed...then even the Loblaws that is always open was closed... but then we went for dim sum to cheer us up!...and then Violet threw up all over her bed when we got home.
Not sure if she's getting sick, or ate too much dim sum, or maybe it was the entire chocolate bunny she ate this morning. Whatever the cause, I'm stuck in a house with the sick and whining and have no food.
In other news:
We dyed some Easter eggs on Friday. Violet was disappointed to discover that they were still the same old boiled egg flavour on the inside, despite looking like candy.

Violet's really been into singing songs lately. When she sings, she's really into it - belting it out with her eyes closed and her whole body swaying. I took this photo as she was leaving with Oma to go to her playgroup. She looked so cute with this hat on.It took four days, but I finally got a good picture of Jem's goofy teeth. It looks like there might be another tooth coming in the middle too (those poor little gums!). In that case, he'll go from the vampire to a more of a hillbilly look.

Update your blog already!

Yes I KNOW readers need their UV and Jemy Bear fix. It has been a while, but I have a few excuses. Perhaps we've joined the Scientologists, and we can no longer expose the kids to the public scrutiny that is my blog (where is little Suri anyway?).
Anyhoo -
The alternate title for this post was: What We Did During March Break

We were having fun in Toronto! We went for a babyshower (any day now, Jack!) and since March Break started the following week, we stayed for a few days.
So you want to know when not to go to the Toronto Science Centre? During March Break.
Violet is one of those types that wants to find the quietest corner of a space and play there. There was no quiet corner in the Science Centre; it was filled with other people's children. There was still a lot for her to enjoy. I had got her all excited to see an astronaut (one of those white space suits) that I remembered from the Science Centre of my day. It wasn't there anymore! Instead, there was a young woman dressed in a l-a-m-e navy jumpsuit that said "I'm an astronaut!" when she overheard we were looking for that space suit.
"Hey Violet, look! a REAL astronaut!", I pointed her out.
It took a hilariously long time before Violet was convinced that this regular looking person was the astronaut (she kept looking everywhere except at this lady). Then she looked pretty disappointed. Then she cheered up when the boring astronaut lady gave her a package of freeze dried ice cream. Sugar makes everything better, and then we found this:
Other highlights....
Dancing with the interactive light show - Heckling the balloon juggler until he finally had to give in and let her try -
So, it was a pretty great place to go. Jem mostly snoozed his way through the place.
He can sit up now, and also shriek like a velocoraptor! He's got two more teeth coming in the top, but they're the eye teeth, so he'll soon look like dracula.
He overcame a bit of his shyness this weekend with all the relentless socializing. He's still a bit of a Mama's boy, and a total coy flirt (and I love it).Hope you all had a good week!

She's been quiet for too long....

If Violet's been quiet in her room for a few minutes, you can be sure that she has done one of two things -

1. Stripped down naked.
She's always loved nudity, but now that she can undress herself, there's no stopping her. Especially in the middle of dinner with friends. She's dancing with her shadow here-2. Drawn on her face.
Marker usually, or eyeshadow if she's already lost her marker privileges for the day.
She's still pretty keen on giving me imaginary barium beverages - I asked her "why all this barium, Violet?" and she said "because you're a special girl and you make me laugh". That's pretty much how I feel about her too.

Violet, Paleontologist.

We all went to the Museum of Nature last Saturday. The Museum is still about 2/3 closed for renos, but the part that is finished feels world class, and really, everyone is just there to see the dinosaurs anyway...and the exhibit on traditional Japanese flower arranging of course!
Dinosaurs are what we promised Violet - and perhaps we sold them a little too enthusiastically, because on the way to the Museum she kept asking,
"Big dinosaurs with big teeth?"
"Do they make noise?"
"Do they move?"

We wandered through the fossil room first, and they had one of those tables set up where kids could dress up as accident prone paleontologists and dig for fossils.
Triceratops teeth!
Then on to the dinosaurs. Violet saw the exhibit, and ran ahead of us into the room. Then she froze. It looked like 10 dinosaurs were about to eat her. She looks so small! We spent a good long time looking at them before she would consider touching one of them. Jem was unimpressed by the dinosaurs.

In other news:
Violet bit Jem. Chomped down hard on his poor little finger. That was our first case of sibling violence, but it seems to have been an isolated incident.

They still love each other.

Tea Party

This morning I was having a tea party with Violet. She's a real hostess.
"Here, have some chamomile tea, it will make you feel better" she said handing me the cup.
"Thanks Violet, this is lovely tea"
"It has barium in it!"

(She got the 'barium' from one of Curious George stories she loves)

Family Portrait #2

Violet drew our family. I don't know why Jem is drawn 3 times and I'm sideways (drunk again!), but I think it's amazing. 

Super Sister

When I returned from Toronto a couple of weeks ago, having been apart from Jesse and UV for a couple of days, I was surprised by how much Violet had missed Jem. She gave me a perfunctory hug, then asked "Where's Jem!? Can I see him!?".  She peered into the car seat, grabbed his hand, and then held it while we wheeled our way, slowly, out of the train station. Since then she's been super-sister. I think she's clued in to how much he adores her. She can make him stop crying just by sitting next to him, and she really likes that. She brings him toys, holds his hand as he jumps in the Jolly Jumper, and provides a running commentary on his actions.

"Mommy! He's taking his socks off again!"

"Mommy! Jem is talking to me!...what's he saying?"
It warms my heart. 

How can you not love a face like this?
She helped me in my first attempt in making bread from scratch. The process wasn't as difficult as I had imagined, but the result wasn't as wonderful as I had imagined.

She just tells it like it is, that girl.

Since we're on the subject of eating. Jem has started more interesting solids.

Squash!

Shoe leather!

Jolly Jemper

Man, I am on fire with these titles!
We bought Jem a Jolly Jumper a few days ago. Does he ever love it! We can't stop laughing at his screeching and bobbly head.
Sorry for the nausea inducing close-up.

Putting the Fun back in Funeral

My paternal Grandfather passed away last Thursday, peacefully (well, I imagine a morphine drip is peaceful), surrounded by his children. He had lived independently until a few days before his death and had reached the excellent age of 90. Even though he has been a part of my life since as far back as I can remember, I didn't really know him; he was always so quiet, or out gardening. I wish I had asked him more about his life, especially about his immigration to Canada from Ukraine.

Jesse and I packed the kids in the car and drove to Toronto to attend the funeral. I hope this doesn't sound too morbid, but we had a nice time. We even got a little giddy about our 'funeral date night' when my Mom looked after both kids for the evening wake (yes, it's been a while since we've been out alone together). The services and gatherings were really nice, but it was the bonus time with family we don't get to see very often that made it so fun.

We took both kids to the service the morning after the wake, and I was obsessing over what to say to Violet about the body in the casket. As it turned out, I had to hand her over to Aunt Nina while Jem was fussing, so I missed the moment. Violet didn't seem phased whatsoever by the body, but she did start to get a little noisy after a while.

Nina asked her to be quiet.

She asked "Why am I being quiet for?"

Nina said "For Jesus"

Violet pointed to her Great-Grandfather in the casket and asked "Is that Jesus?!"

I could only see from the back that people were doing their best to keep a straight face. At the lunch after the service, Violet managed to get three different people to give her a slice of cake. She then ran around the hall for an hour shrieking "I'm ping-pong running!".

Jesse and Violet headed back to Ottawa in the car on Monday, but I decided to stay with Jem and take the train back later. We all delayed flights and work to spend that extra time together, and I'm so glad we did. It was nice to just have one good natured baby to take care of (though I missed both UV and Jesse very much) and just hang out together.

Jem had a good time too- especially reading a magazine in his new hat with Uncle Max.

Sitting and Nursing

I seem to be spending much of my time sitting and nursing Jem. Sitting around and nursing. Sitting around and nursing. Violet doesn't seem to mind, either snuggling in beside me or drawing with her crayons close by (of course, if Oma is here she is playing with her). She's still being a sweet big sister, and her interest in him is growing now that he's more fun. I'm often cautioning her to be gentle, but he never seems to mind her attentions, whether it's enthusiastically dangling toys 1 cm from his face or trying to rip his hands off pulling him to sit up. He just adores her.


I started him on some brown rice cereal last week, and he seems to enjoy it. Four months is maybe a little early for cereal, but the kid has teeth already; I figure this is nature's way of telling me he's ready for hamburgers...I mean cereal. He reached out for my face last week during a nursing session - so sweet. I'd forgotten about all these little baby milestones and I enjoy them even more the second time around.
I thought he would be a bit too young for the exersaucer. Apparently not! He's been hanging out in there quite a bit lately. Violet was never that into it, but he can happily spin around and grab/chew things for a while. This has, of course, renewed Violet's interest in the exersaucer. She can get herself in, but not out. Today she got herself in, and then asked for a banana. Since I was nursing (surprise!), I told her she could go and get it herself. She said "I can get it! But I'm stuck. Lift me out like a rocket!". I guess our numerous trips to the Museum of Science and Technology have made an impression.



In other news:
We were watching Pocahontas ( a recent fave of hers) and she informed me "Pocahontas lives at Value Village".


The past couple of days, she has been particularly contrary; a lot of whining and crying. Today was a better day, and as she brushed her teeth tonight, she told Jesse "I was pretty grumpy yesterday, hey?".
I find that so neat.

The Babes

Happy New Ears!

That's what Violet just said to me as I slipped into her room to give her a kiss before her nap. She was describing a drawing she had done at her playgroup. For Happy New Ears.

We had a lot of family come to stay over the holidays- the most this house has ever held. I really love having a house full of family, and it really feels empty now that they are gone. Violet loved having so many patient and loving people to cater to her whims. Now I just have to deprogram her sweet, innocent brain of all the choice phrases her Aunt Nina taught her to say.

Despite the fact we had all just rolled out of bed, many of us were sick, and the size of Angie's head, we're a pretty good looking bunch.

It is nice to get back into our routines now that holidays have passed...I guess what I really mean is thank goodness Oma is back.

This was Jem's first Christmas.

He met some family for the first time.

He cut a couple of teeth, my poor little apple-cheeked Jemy Roll!

We noticed a striking resemblance to his Djido.

And apparently he is a Leaf's fan...and a thug.

In other news -

Again, another pit-stop story.

Coming back from Toronto (where we had a super time, and Violet received a train set that is keeping her busy most of the day), we made our usual half-way stop.

While we were eating, a sappy Josh Groban song came over the speakers. Violet stopped eating and got really into the song, looking really emotional with a faraway look in her eyes. She looked as, pointed at her face, and said "the music makes my eyes look like this".