Long Weekend

We had a great long weekend. Unfortunately, I didn't get my camera out until late on Saturday. So there are no pictures from Leigh and Jenn's barbeque, which was a blast. Here are a couple from the Lew/Sui barbeque.

Naomi with Bak-Bak

Adam with Poh-Poh and his new toy "from Uncle Norman."
He's on to you, guys. Just ask him who gave him the new digger and drill.

We let Adam stay up too late on Saturday, which made Wonderland on Sunday challenging. It didn't help that he's still fighting off a cold. Our biggest mistake, though, was spending too much time at Splashworks. We thought he was just cranky but then figured out that he was actually afraid. Apparently, he likes playing WITH water, but not IN water. Actually, it's not very surprising - considering he's entering a fearful stage. He's suddenly afraid of a lot of things that never used to bother him (e.g., some loud noises) or that he used to really like (e.g., dogs.) Hopefully, he'll be over it next year, since we have 2010 season's passes. Dion was really disappointed that Splashworks was a no-go.

Probably, Adam's favourite part of Wonderland was waiting in line since he got to cuddle.

Meanwhile, Naomi worked on going bald and on sucking her thumb, for which she still lacks the requisite coordination.

Adam did perk up in the afternoon, despite being beyond tired. He'd had some alone-time in the stroller, eaten, and spent some time in the traditional playground, which is familiar territory. He even consented to going on rides with Dion, i.e., without me.

Adam rode the jalopies and trains twice each.


Dion and Adam on "James"


Naomi at the playground


Dion, Naomi, and Fred Flintstone on the carousel


We rode the carousel three times. Adam got Dino (the purple dog, he called it) each time.

Uncle Peter and Aunt Leela

I could hardly choose ...

which, from among the many shots from this "roll," to blog. Here are a few.

The sun went behind clouds for a few minutes which gave the really blue shots. They look great "warmified" but I avoid digitally correcting my "good" shots. It feels a little puritanical, I know. I am, however, willing to correct quick snapshots that capture a cool moment but are technically poor.

I would title this ....

"The Difference Between Moms and Dads" were it not that I am responsible for half of the ridiculousness in this photo.

Naomi's positioning on the counter - that's all Dion's doing. He had her while making dinner after our soak in the whirlpool. Meanwhile, I was showering and dressing Adam. So that "outfit" - that's all my doing. Furthermore, we don't normally keep rattles on our kitchen counter. Adam brought them for Naomi.

cottage - kids (& a couple of adults) inside

cottage - kids on the beach

l-r: Adam, Nathan, Sophia, Clare

Clare. my favourite subject for the week. I got so many great shots of her.

Sophia. adored by Adam. She gets that Greek goddess thing from her mother.

Naomi. What? You can't tell she's on the beach? Well, yes, that is her car seat. I didn't really think she'd want onesies full of sand.

Nathan. hard to capture that fabulous grin on "film." He's just too lively and busy.

Adam. just Adam.

play time

much better

before



after

I finally got around to cutting Adam's hair. I only retouched the bottom since his last haircut from the barber was a really short crew cut. This look required about 8 Hersey's kisses and 3 viewings of "Thomas and the Birthday Mail."

I need to find a new Thomas episode on Youtube. That one - really sexist. "Rosie isn't very strong but she's still really useful."

Check Up

Naomi had her 2-month check up yesterday. A clean bill of health but she just played around with her rotavirus vaccine rather than swallowing much of it. $80 well-spent (by Manulife)?

age	WEIGHT			HEIGHT
mos	lb,oz	%ile		in	%ile
0	7,1	34		20.0*	72
1	9,12	47
2	12,10	77		22.5	34

*Our paed measured her at 19.75" (63%ile).

FTR, there was an error in Adam's last checkup update. He was 38", not 36", in case you were confused.

apres-nap

with two of his great loves: Olga and Mommy's screwdriver.

Smile!

Naomi started smiling last week (almost 6 weeks) but she has really turned it up a notch this week. I gotta say that she really looks like me here but it's a little deceiving - those "freckles" are actually baby acne that's just healing up. I did retouch the photos but not for her. I removed the dirt from the floor :P

Naomi's Christening and 1st Visit to Ottawa

Naomi had her baptism on Sunday. Here we are with her in the Paterson ancestral christening gown.

Every stitch of it, including the lace trim was handmade by her greatgreatgreatgrandmother. She's the fourth generation of Margaret to be christened in that gown at what is now Centretown United Church. Adam, my brother, maternal cousins, and I also wore it for our christenings at the same church.

Adam missed the actual service since we couldn't convince him of the importance of whispering. I'll bet he and Auntie Jean had a good time in the nursery, though. Naomi was angelic. She only woke up to greet the congregation on her walkabout with Rev. Hewlett and even then she didn't so much as squeek.

We had a really lovely visit in Ottawa. Unfortunately, I had my hands so full that I didn't take many pictures. Dion returned to T.O. on Sunday but the kids and I stayed until Wednesday. The car rides to and from weren't even too bad - only two stops each way, and despite Adam's inability to sleep in the car. He didn't sleep at all on the way there and slept for only about 30 or 40 minutes on the way home.

As always, I left wanting more. But I plan to be back at the beginning of October for Kiefer's (son of Doug and Melanie) baptism.

more first visits