Wow, am I ever behind. I would blame it on being back at work however that only happened at the end of October and I haven’t updated August, September, or October. So my excuse is lack of time. Updates take a lot of time, and that’s just something I didn’t (and still don’t) have. But I am going to make an effort now on my lunch break to do an update. Sorry there’s no photos, I don’t have any at work, but I’ll try to put some up this weekend.
August – in August we went to Safari Niagara (pretty much a small zoo) but what was cool was that Aurora and I got to feed a giraffe!!! They have a bus that goes around the zoo so it’s convenient for Chris since there’s not too much walking for him to do, but we also can get off at certain stops and see the animals.
We also went to Canada’s Wonderland in August before my niece and nephews went back to school. We all had a blast! Aurora absolutely LOVED the rides, I loved being able to go on the rides (couldn’t last year because I was pregnant with Sophie) and Sophie loved people watching and being held by some aunts and an uncle. We got there early, stayed late, ate bad food, it was great! Aurora talked about it for weeks afterwards. I can’t wait to go next year when Sophie can go on more rides.
August also saw the girls share a room for the first time. We did sleep training with Sophie and it went surprisingly well. She seemed to catch on right away. She did great the first week, hardly making a peep, but then had weeks of trouble after that. She got a cold so I figured that was part of the problem, then maybe she was teething, and finally we figured out she’s afraid of the dark, poor thing! So we’ve put a nightlight on in her corner and shes’ doing much, much better. Them sharing a room isn’t ideal cuz if 1 wakes they usually wake the other, but it’s working and it’s what we have to do right now.
September – In September we went to an airshow since Aurora loves airplanes!!! We had fun, although she wasn’t impressed with how loud they were, and after a while got bored. Still, it was a nice family outing and I think we’d do it again. She also went to Chudleigh’s apple farm which is a tradition of ours. We went on wagon rides, went through hay mazes, picked (and ate) apples, went to the petting zoo, went down slides, and my favourite, ate roasted corn on the cob! There was such a difference between what Aurora could do last year and this year. I can’t wait for next year for Sophie to join in on the fun (she slept a lot).
October – October was my last month of mat leave I did not want it to end, and I was stressed about a job as I still hadn’t found one. Luckily there was an opening, albeit temporary, at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation which is where I worked before my mat leave (again, temporarily) and after an interview I was offered the position. Phew! My first day of work was the first day my mat leave was over so the timing was perfect.
During October we tried to get in as many playdates as we could and went to indoor playgrounds fairly often. Aurora went to her first movie at the movie theatre with Chris; they saw Puss in Boots and surprisingly Aurora sat through the whole thing! She had a great time and often talks about it and says she wants to go see another one. Lucky for her she and Chris are going to see Monsters Inc. in 3D next week!
We went trick or treating with my sister, Danna, and nephew, Zachary, around their neighbourhood. Aurora dressed up like a dog and had so much fun. She thought it was great following Zach from house to house getting candy, and was in awe everytime another piece of candy was dropped into her bucket. She even said trick or treat and thank you to some people (she’s shy, remember?). Sophie came with us, I carried her, and she loved the people watching. She’s so curious. Sophie was dressed as the cutest pig there ever was. The weather cooperated with us luckily, it was mild but no rain like was forecast (and like we had all week). Aurora’s already saying that next year she wants to paint her face.
A big accomplishment in October was Chris finishing his MS rehab program!!!! It was grueling, involved appointments 4 days a week, and was about 2-3 months long, but had made a very big difference. Now if only he’d do his physio exercises at home!!!
November – I’m putting my return to the workforce under November as my first day back was October 29 and I don’t feel those 3 measly days merit posting under an entire month. The return to work has been difficult. The first day of day care the girls were fine. But the second day Aurora bawled; I guess she was onto us. She didn’t want me to leave her, she wanted to go home with me. It broke my heart and I cried in the car as I drove away. That week she cried 2 or 3 of the days at drop off (it’s such a distance memory now that it’s blurry). Sophie was just fine that week. However, the next week Sophie cried every day. And some days, just for good measure, Aurora would cry too. Seriously? I couldn’t catch a break. It took 3 or 4 weeks before the tears completely stopped however still Aurora sometimes cries in the morning at home when we’re getting ready or in the car on the way there, but is all smiles and walks right in the door when we arrive. Overall they’re doing well at day care, eating well, napping well, and getting along with the other kids. Aurora is still quite shy so doesn’t say much when she’s there, which is funny cuz she just won’t shut up at home! They do lots of crafts which I love, and our day care provider really takes good care of them.
Our big update for November is that Sophie turned 1 year old!!! It’s so cliché, but children really do grow up too fast. The past year has flown by, and I can’t believe my baby isn’t a baby anymore. She still doesn’t have any teeth, or much hair, but a few days before her birthday decided walking would finally be her preferred mode of transportation over crawling. She rarely crawls now, and is even trying to ‘run’ to get away from, or catch, Aurora.
Her party was a huge success! We had a Yo Gabba Gabba theme, complete with character cupcakes thanks to my sisters, a ‘put the eye on Muno’ game, and decorations. She destroyed her birthday cupcake, and was more interested in her birthday cards than gifts.
December – I’ll do a December update now since my next one will focus on Christmas. December has seen us all suffer from the stomach flu. It spread through our household like wildfire and try as I might, I was the last in our family to get it. Of course the day of my work’s holiday party, which I had been looking forward to for weeks (and years actually since I haven’t been to a work holiday party since 2009) was the morning I started throwing up. However, we are all now better and crossing our fingers we’re done with sickness!
We’ve received some funding from the MS Society and will be getting our first house cleaning next weekend. I’m soooo looking forward to that cuz washing the floors and bathroom and keeping up with the dishes is just not something Chris and I are able to do.
And now for updates on the girls. Sophie had her 1 year check on November 26 and weighs ~18lbs 5oz (I have the exact weight at home) and is 29.5” tall. She’s taller and weighs less than Aurora did at this age. As I said, she has no teeth, little hair, but is walking and sleeping like a champ. She’s still breastfed but gets a bottle of some breastmilk, some homo milk, once a day at day care. She eats pretty much anything given to her. She’s become more cuddly since I’ve started work, I guess it’s cuz she misses me (awww). She says “dada”, “mama”, “Aurora”, “hi”, and I swear just yesterday she said “banana”. She’s a climber and very mischievous. Aurora has quite a bit of hair now in comparison to even 6 months ago, although not enough for a proper ponytail. She has almost all her teeth, just waiting for 2 more 2nd year molars to come in. She’s been struggling with sleep lately. We’re giving her a lot of diaper free time to get used to using the potty but haven’t officially starting potty training. She still loves to sing and dance and right now her favourite song is “Jingle Bells”. She’s still a great mommy to her baby dolls, and a wonderful big sister to Sophie.
