Henry at 9 months

Today, Henry is 9 months old! And it was harder than ever to get a good shot of him...

If I could describe his month in one word, it would be BUSY!!

Looking for some trouble to get into!

Henry is on the move... always. He is doing the army crawl, standing beside tables and couches, trying to take steps (with help, of course), trying to pull himself up on things, opening drawers and doors, turning on lights, and exploring everything... it has been busy, but it is such a fun age.

Playing with my toys.

Checking out all of the fallen leaves

All of this playing makes me dirty, Mum!

This month Henry had his first Thanksgiving and his first Halloween! He also, unfortunately, suffered his first bad cold. But he's all better now! Here are a few highlights!

I got to spend Thanksgiving with Nanny's great big family at the cottage! It was the highlight of the month.

Thanksgiving Hike

I ate Thanksgiving dinner by the lake. I am a lucky boy!

My pumpkin

I have LOVED all of the leaves this fall. So fun!

My Family - October 2013

I love the park more and more!

Exploring

I love bedtime stories!

Halloween!

It was a zoo on Halloween!

Daddy taking me out trick-or-treating!

Since becoming vegan...

Since becoming vegan, a lot of changes have happened over here! Mostly, we're getting weirder.

Yep, I've officially decided that becoming vegan makes you more than a bit...different. Joe and I are living life pretty far from the norm these days. Most people think we're a bit nutty (or a lot nutty, depending on who you talk to!) But it seems that once you start thinking with your health/the environment/ethics in mind, you can't stop! The more you learn, the more you research, the more you feel compelled to change. Is this a good thing? Well, we think so!

For example, Joe and I have reduced the amount of oil we consume. Drastically. Rather than vegan, Joe prefers the term "Whole Food Plant-Based diet". It is much more specific. We are drinking green, kale smoothies for breakfast every day. We even feed that stuff to Henry! We try to incorporate green, orange and raw veggies every day. In an average week we eat about $80-100 worth of fresh fruit and veggies, plus a bunch of beans and nuts and seeds and grains. We are trying to avoid refined flours, oil and sugar. We have reduced our salt use. We use a pressure cooker. We have even been moving more and more towards eating organic, especially the dirty dozen. We make almost every.single.thing from scratch. It goes on and on. Needless to say, eating this way makes you skinnier, and full of energy! But it keeps you busy, too.

Some home-made vegan yummy food!

And the changes I'm talking about go beyond diet, too.
Learning about veganism makes you begin to question the rest of your life. Your leather shoes...do you continue wearing them? (We do, since we have already purchased them, but it is something we will consider next time we need new hikers or dress-shoes!) Your CAR! (You all know we're car-free, so I won't go on that rant again). Our clothes... I don't know the last time I bought something that wasn't previously owned. Our toiletries and soaps/detergents... we have been slowly switching over to all-natural products - Lavender is my new thing. We buy local and support local whenever possible.

And let me talk to you about plastic: While this is something we've been doing for a long time, Joe and I are trying even harder to reduce our plastic/garbage:
- We choose our grocery store based on the one that lets you bring your own jars in for their bulk section. And we use glass jars over plastic where possible. Yep, we carry (yes, carry, since we walk!) glass jars to the store.
- We use care-bags for fruits/veggies/nuts/seeds/anything we can
- We use cloth bags when we shop/buy food, but I know most of you do, too!
- We stopped lining our garbage bins with plastic bags. We put our garbage loose in the garbage can. It works!
- We buy things used. It helps to avoid new plastic packaging.
- We use cloth diapers for Henry

And house stuff.... now all of our changes to our house have an environmental factor. For example, we got a REEP evaluation done this past summer (which gave us an idea of the energy efficiency of our home). That inspired us to spend a lot more money on a furnace when ours decided to give up, so that we had the most energy-efficient one. Sigh. 

All of these changes definitely keep things interesting. It kind of makes your head spin! But it does make you feel good inside.

Going Car-Free

Recently Joe and I made a big decision and we are so excited!
We decided to go car free and are selling our car.

Yes, this might sound crazy to most people, but hear me out!
Now that we live downtown, Joe and I have been using the car on average about 1-2 times per week. So, we decided to tally up what our car was really costing us to see if it is really worth having.

Once we added up the car payments, insurance, gas, repairs, maintenance, etc. we were floored. We split it up and figured out that if we use our car 2 times per week, it was costing us $110 per trip on average. What?!?! That is definitely too much money.

So, we talked about our options. Obviously, we can walk most places we go. We are also looking into buying a bike trailer for Henry. (We will probably go with the Chariot Chinook, but are still doing some research to finalize our decision). That way, if we want to go a little further than what is easily walkable, we can easily hop on a bike.

That left the problem of trips that require a car. Some of our family members and friends live out of town and we’d like to still be able to visit them without it being a big ordeal. Joe and I also like to go hiking on trails or on mini trips that are driving distance. We definitely still need to use a car sometimes. Luckily for us, in Kitchener there is something called Community Carshare. Basically, you pay a membership, and then you can book the Carshare cars when you need them. You pay an hourly or daily and per km rate, and it seems super simple. The best part is, there are a number of cars located within walking distance from our house. There are also different kinds of cars to suit your needs. If we ever need to, say, pick up a piece of furniture or move something big, there is a cargo van. If it is just one of us running a quick errand, there is a mini electric car. Perfect.

We had a community Fall Festival last weekend and the Community Carshare had a tent set up there, so we signed up! The cool thing was that one of my old students’ mom’s was there promoting it. She has been a Carshare (and otherwise car free!) member for a few years now, even with 2 kids and one who was 6 months old when she joined. That made us feel better about doing it with Henry in tow, and possibly with future children as well. 

This whole decision has felt very liberating for both Joe and I. I'll let you know how it all goes once the car is sold!

2 weeks in!

It has been exactly 2 weeks since our moving day! And let me tell you, we are so happy with our new neighbourhood. Moving day was a fluke-thundery-humid-downpour kind of day, but everything went smoothly thanks to our friends and family who helped out. We are so grateful to them.

Our new home is exactly what we wanted. Our neighbours are very friendly, and there are often kids playing in the street (and even sometimes in our backyards!) One of our neighbours described it as a “front-porch community”, and it is so true. Everyone is visible which makes it easier to meet and get to know your neighbours. 

We even had one neighbour who made us a welcome gift using rocks and driftwood she collected at Lake Erie. It is Joe, Henry and I! It was so thoughtful, and I love it! 

Speaking of front-porch communities, we have definitely been spending all of our meals and down time on our front porch. It is the best.

There is a definite difference from our last home. While we did have friends in our last neighbourhood and people were nice for the most part, something just didn’t sit right after we moved in (I know, I mentioned that before when I explained why we were moving). Our new home, however, feels perfect. I can definitely foresee us here for the long run, and that is exciting! No more quick turnarounds on houses for us. We’re sick of paying lawyers, realtors, land transfers and address changes (etcetera, etcetera) anyway!

Lucky for us, we have been able to unpack and organize everything since we are both of for the summer. We’ve even made a few day trips to the beach and visiting friends and family! And we hope to do a little more of that before Joe returns to work.

I will be posting our new house tour soon. 

Summertime, and the living is easy!

Moving day is looming. Just over two weeks until closing day!

But... it has been hard to get much of anything done! The weather has been scorching hot, and the pool claimed our past week :) It was the first time I truly enjoyed our pool. And of course, it is right before I will say goodbye to it!

Henry wasn't so sure about the pool at first, but quickly learned to love it! It has been a lot of fun, and we have had lots of friends and family over to enjoy. 

Not so sure...

Ok, this is FUN!

We have also had more-than-the-usual time on our hands, so you may wonder what else has kept us busy!

Well, we have been making lots of yummy food. We even tried our hand at our own sushi. It was a lot of work, but sooo worth it!

Sweet potato, avocado, cucumber and sesame seeds. Yum!

And of course we have started packing. Henry has learned to love the Jolly Jumper, which has helped us to get some work done!

I also got my hair cut short. Henry was getting too good at grabbing it.
This is the only picture that shows it. And also my nephew, Braden, is the best 2-year old swimmer. Ever.

Last but not least, I have been doing a LOT of reading. I think I shall write a completely different post about some of my summer reads and recommendations. 

That is life lately, in a nutshell. 

Henry at 5 months

Whoa... where did the last month go?! Nevermind the last five months! As usual, it is hard to believe that our little guy is a whole month older.

This has been a really fun month, and Henry is really starting to develop his personality. We have been enjoying our time with him, and are excited that Joe has 2 months off for summer holidays!

Making one of my funny faces

This month was an exciting one; two of Henry's uncles, Bob and Mike, moved back to Ontario after a long time being away. Henry also started sampling some foods (just tasting so far, not really eating), enjoying the summer weather, rolling over both ways, grabbing things more deliberately, making funny faces and laughing a lot more!

Cucumber feels good on my gums!

It has been fun watching him change. I am excited to see what the next month brings!

Spending time outside

Playing with my cousin, Spencer. Check out my Kramer hair!

Stay tuned for more photos from my first visit to the cottage!

2 Years

Today is our 2-year wedding anniversary! It is also 3 years from the day that we met. (In case you didn't know... we got married 1 year from the day we met.)

We have been the real-life example of the old childhood chant; "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage!" Yep, that describes our 3 years together pretty much.

It is amazing how much we have accomplished in these 2 years of marriage.

- We have sold and purchased 2 houses! (Whoa...crazy! More to come on that...)
- We gave our entire home a face-lift
- We have travelled in 7 different countries (Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, France, Belgium, Germany, and of course, Canada)
- We had a baby!
- We both found our dream jobs at great schools where we plan on staying.
- We became committed to eating a plant-based diet.
- I'm sure I've missed something. Needless to say, we have been busy!

I have felt so happy and so lucky since meeting Joe. I still sometimes have to do a reality check that he is really my husband, and that we really have a baby, and that life is really this good. I don't know what I did to deserve this life, but I sure am happy in it :) I look forward to many, many more years together.
I love you, Joe!

Henry at 3 months

Happy May 1st! Today marks 3 months of Henry! You know what that means... time for my monthly photo-bomb! I must say, he is adorable!

It has been the longest and quickest 3 months of my life...is that possible? I mean to say that it's strange to think about life before Henry. It seems like he has been around forever! At the same time, I feel like it was just the other day he was born. I think I say that every month...

We think Henry weighs in at around 14 1/2 pounds these days (according to our scale), although he hasn't been officially weighed for a month, and we likely won't have him weighed again until his 4 month appointment. He's a big guy!

Henry loves going for walks in the carrier these days. We have been enjoying the nicer weather. He loves getting fresh air and checking out the neigbourhood. Although, he does get tired sometimes! We are very excited about the forecast for the next few days! It looks like it is going to be summery!

He also LOVES his Daddy. He is so happy every day when Joe gets home from work. They're a pretty cute pair!

We have been adjusting to life with a baby. I'm definitely feeling the lack of sleep and lack of "me-time". I did go out with my sister, Erin, the other day for a girls night and it felt so great. I am realizing I need to do that more often! (Thanks, Erin! I'm still feeling refreshed!) That being said, Joe and I bought a Yoga Wag-Jag and we are excited to book in some time away from Henry together.

All-in-all, he's a pretty great dude, and we love him, even when he's cranky!

There you have it!

pssssst... don't forget to check out his month-by-month photo here!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Happy St. Paddy's Day everyone!

Henry is enjoying his Irish heritage today and even dressed for the occasion!

Our little guy is 6 weeks old! It is hard to believe. Although it feels like he has always been a part of our family!

On an unrelated note... This article came up today on my Facebook page from the David Suzuki Foundation, about Green parenting. It mentioned the idea of diaper-free toileting, also know as "Elimination Communication". I had heard about it before but brushed it off as cray-cray! 

However, today I thought I would read a little further and was linked to this article, written by a mom following this practice. The idea sounded rather simple in some way... and I realized I already knew many of Henry's "gotta-go!" cues and timings. Of course, if you know me, you'd know that I am willing to try almost anything that helps me to reduce my environmental footprint. So... 

*Did I just publish a picture of my newborn babies' poop? Yep, I did!

Wouldn't you know it... it WORKS! Let me tell you... I was SO excited when he not only peed, but pooped too! My excitement was almost embarrassing... and the cutest part was, he was looking up at me smiling and cooeing while this all happened, as if it was the greatest thing he'd ever done. Oh the bonding.

I was so gung-ho that I kept it going... and so far today he has gone in the toilet 5 times (He is still wearing his cloth diapers, but I am just taking them off when I think he has to go. And I have changed 3 wet diapers, so it hasn't been perfect.) I calculated that if I saved 5 diapers a day, I would save about 75 loads of laundry a year. Isn't that amazing? 

The downfall so far? We don't have a main floor bathroom, so I have been sprinting up the stairs every time I think he has to go. Very tiring, especially when you also have to hold a semi-squat positions while making a "pssss" noise until he pees, which can take some time. After the fifth time, I had physically reached my max! But I can also see this as an upside... bring on the baby weight loss!

I never imagined this would be the highlight of my day...ever. 

The verdict: I love the idea of this, but we will have to see how it goes. I can see it becoming more of a hassle than it's worth. But, I'd ideally like to use it as much as possible. It doesn't hurt!