Highlights of our Ontario Trip

It seems part of the reason I have been so slow at updating, is that our last month or so has been a busy time of visiting family and friends in Ontario (as well as here in Calgary!), and as a result we have SO many great photos of our times together---it's hard to narrow it down to just a few selections! Here are some of our favourites...

Charlie loves his baby cousins

Malcolm and Uncle Dave

Cousin time

The Beautiful Birthday Girl: Chloe turns 1!!

First swims

Granny and Granddad time

The Dukelows at their Beach Paradise

Sisters....Cousins!

Congratulations Kathy and Mike!

Sisters!

Cousins!

Relaxing in the Bob

Naramata

What a great and much needed vacation!

We spent a week in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in the town of Naramata:

many little boutique wineries, lots of fresh fruit (blueberries and peaches--yum!!), sunshine and great friends. Here's just a taste:

Mark

We lost a great friend on July 24th...

Mark Skinner was a beautiful soul, with a gentle, kind heart, and was a truly gifted musician.

He was greatly loved, and will be terribly missed.

We send so much love and strength to his family, who have also been dear friends for many years...

Rest in peace my friend...

6 weeks old: Stampede and other Adventures

It has now been 6 weeks since our little girl was born: she is growing quickly and no longer seems like such a "newborn". She is getting stronger, physically: trying to hold her head up, and moving herself around during her "tummy time". She is also becoming a social little girl: smiling and cooing when we talk and sing to her.

We have been enjoying spending time together as our own little family, as well as introducing Elise to many new friends and new adventures. We had our friends Chad and Maria here for a visit last week during Stampede, and braved the crowds at the grounds to watch the Rodeo. We also headed to Canmore for the day on Friday, where the boys enjoyed a mountain bike ride together at the Nordic Centre, and the girls did a mini hike at Grassi Lakes.

Getting out and about with Elise, we are hoping to prepare her for the next few weeks of travel to the Okanagan and Ontario. So far she has been pretty adaptable: LOVES being carried in the Baby Bjorn, but HATES her carseat (which is a bit stressful for her Mom when we are trying to get around the city!).

I'm continuing to take hundreds of photos of our little beauty--Dave figures we will need more space on our hard drive if I keep up at this rate! :)

3 weeks old!!

I can't believe Elise is already 3 weeks old! It's definitely true that time seems to fly much faster when measured by growing children!

So far things are going really well. Our teeny little baby is already outgrowing her newborn sleepers and diapers, and seems to be growing and changing every day.

She is sleeping well--for 2 hours at a time that is--and obviously eating lots (and consequently filling lots of diapers!). She is starting to have more awake/alert time, and has both of her parents fascinated by how intently she can look around and take in the world around her.

We are coping well, for new parents that is! There are definitely times when neither of us feels like we know what we're doing ("Is she hungry AGAIN? Already?"), but for the most part it feels pretty natural and she is a relatively easy baby--as long as she is fed, changed, and cuddled often.

Grandma and Grandpa Jackson had a nice visit with her for her first few days/week, and were said to say goodbye. Granny and Granddad Brewin are on their way tomorrow night for their first visit, and we are all looking forward to seeing them.

Other than "baby stuff", we have been keeping pretty low key the last few weeks/months. Dave is still busy with his MBA courses ("Marketing" at the moment), and has been trying to fit in the odd mountain bike ride or home workout, along with busy times at work. I've been really lucky to have a pretty quick and easy "post-partum" recovery, and am now feeling pretty much back to myself. We have been experimenting with pumping/bottle-feeding on occasion, which has allowed me a few hours out of the house without worrying about Elise going hungry. I was able to go to a Yoga class last week, as well as a few solo trips to the grocery store (a big treat for me!!). Elise has also been dragged on countless errands, and visits around the city. She is usually pretty happy to visit people (loves the cuddles!), but is not yet a big fan of her carseat. Hopefully once she can see what's going on around her a bit better, she will enjoy it more!

We have a few trips planned for the summer: a week in the Okanagan (Naramata) with our friends Steve and Tannis, as well as a few weeks in Ontario, including my cousin Kathy's wedding and our annual Family Reunion. We're keeping our fingers crossed that Elise will be a good traveller!