February 2007

February 04

We’re Alive

Well I’d like to thank you all for your patience as we have been lacking in the blogging for a few weeks due to the fact that we no longer are living in Bowmanville.  Thank you too for all the emails telling me to blog something already- as you can see I took it under advisement, and I am now attempting to give an update. 

 

Let’s see, where to begin?  Well, it all started at Christmas when bruce was offered the position of Sr Planner in Renrew County.  It basically hasn’t stopped since.  We have been diligently house-hunting every weekend since that time, but finally had to move up here when bruce started his job last monday.  We are staying with hugh and Claire Ghent- Bruce’s “aunt” and “uncle”.  They have been more than accomodating with our baby and 2 dogs.  Luckily, they also have dogs, so the 4 of them can be seen at any hour romping and playing in the snow.  Dude and Nevis were enjoying themselves so much that we were surprised to see Nevis sitting on the front stoop yesterday, looking like he wanted inside.  We let him into the hall and he collapsed.  Both he and Dude we exhausted!!  Their eyes were bloodshot and Dude was shivering.  Neither one had napped in 4 days!  Needless to say we are alloting designated nap time now.  Their dogs have a dog house, but ours are persona non grati there as you might imagine.  Speaking of sleep, Bronwyn has been sleeping on average 14 hours a night- straight!  occasionaly she wakes up to nurse, but mostly stays asleep until at least 6am- then goes back down until 9:30ish!  I feel so spoiled.  I has been suggested that it might be the fresh air, but whatever is causing my little Rip Van Winkle to sleep so soundly, I will take it!

 

So, back to our story…

 

Bruce and I finally found a house we liked, and if anyone is still unsure whether God is behind this whole change in our lives, this might put it to rest.  The hosue wasn’t listed per se, but Claire knew a lady in her Bible Study whose neighbour might be selling her home, so she called her up and we went around to check it out.  We knew instantly it was the one.  It is a 5 bedroom, raised bungalow with a granny suite downstairs.  It has 2 full baths and a woodstove in the living room downstairs.  We have no plans for the second kitchen immediatley, but likely, will not use it for it’s intended purpose.  It has a 2 car, heated, insulated garage with it’s own woodstove, and another storage shed.  It is situated on an acre of extremley fertile land.  The present homeowner sent us home with 3 pumpkin squash (the size of pumpkins) and 3 jars of pickled peppers from the graden.  Bruce immediately saw the potential in the garden too and fell in love with the possibilities.  We are right off Highway 17 on a small sideroad.  And, best of all, the neighbours to the right are a young couple with a brand new baby!!  We have already met a couple of the neighbours at the church we attended this morning too!  Everyone is extremely friendly and inviting.  The only catch is that the house won’t be ready until end of April- so mark it on your calendars folks- painitng party in Pembroke!

 

So on to the Bronwyn Update.

 

I know some of you will have skipped right down to this section, but I encourage you to go back and read the previous part about our new house.

 

Bronwyn is developing in leaps and bounds.  She is eating a wide variety of solids and loving every second!  She squeals like a pig if I am not fast enough with her food, and by fast enough I mean immediately following my shoving the spoon in her mouth!  She has graduated to a much coarser texture and seems to prefer it.  She has also had such delectables as a piece of pumpernickel bread, a snow pea, a section of grapefruit and mango/pineapple appleasauce.  All were met with gusto, but the grapefruit was not finished for teh record,  She is drooling more lately and to sooth her inflammed gums I have started freezing pieces of banana for her food catcher.  She was extra cranky one night so I gave her an ice cube which she proceeded to gnaw with fierce determination until the entire cube was either in her belly or all over it!

 

She has also developed a penchant for vegetable juice.  Allen’s makes a no sugar, no salt variety with 10 different tyoes of veggies (so much for one a week!), which she adores.  I mix it with water and put some in her sippy cup and she usually finishes it off after her meal.  Haha- so last night I nursed her, then maybe an hour later started her dinner.  She ate 2 tbsp of barley cereal fortified with high-calorie formula, then ate a serving of squash (2 tbsp) then proceeded to finish her banana from that morning 9at least 2/3) and finsihed with about 2-3 oz vegetable juice and water!  I brough her upstairs, bathed her, changed her, and read her a story, then gave her a shot to nurse before bed, figuring I would be out of there in a few minuted (after all her belly was sticking out over her diaper!), but she proceeded to haul back a full nursing session!  This little Piggy lives in Deep River!

February 09

germs

Bruce doesn’t like to share food.  Never has.  At the beginning of our relationship, we went to Canada’s Wonderland for one of our very first dates.  It was Christian day so we went with lots of other people, and I decided to exert my new-found girlfriend status by snagging a bite of funnell cake off of Bruce’s plate.  I learned quickly that this is not acceptable with Bruce.  He once stabbed a friend of his with a fork for trying to take a fry off his plate.  Bruce doesn’t share.  So, when I noticed Bronwyn chewing on his toothbrush the other day I was in a Seinfeldesque quandry.  Do I tell him about his toothebrush, and give him the opportunity to get a new one?  Or do I pretend it never happened since it wouldn’t actually hurt him?  I opted for the high road and filled Bruce in on the toothbrush situation; but, he just smiled, and said “that’s ok”. 

 

You wouldn’t think Bronwyn’s fingers would be big enough to wrap a grown man around….

February 18

Lost & Found

I have been contemplating weaning Bronwyn for a few weeks.  Not because it is too difficult to keep it up (in fact it is easier) but lately she has been so interested in her food, that I wonder if I am doing this all for me?  But then a few nights ago she was cranky and tired and overwhelmed and frusterated with being a baby, so I took her in my arms, and I walked up the stairs.  I laid her down on the bed and nursed her while talking softly and letting her play with my finger.  She didn’t immediately settle, but when she finally got into it, and she looked up at me with her big eyes of indeterminate colour that are such a perfect blend of my eyes and Bruce’s eyes (but with my eyelashes thankfully), I realized that she wasn’t ready just yet.  

She already has a fiercely independent “me do it” streak even though she will only be 7 months on thursday.  When I met our old neighbours’ brand new baby for the first time last week and held her and smelled her and marvelled at how tiny she was, I realized suddenly how un-babyish Bronwyn has become.  She is looking more like a person every day, with sharp fine features and curious eyes.  And when I saw Joan’s girl, who just turned one, I started reminiscing about how Anne looked when she was Bronwyn’s age now.  I’m losing my little baby, but I have a good feeling that she will make a pretty wonderful toddler. 

 

Brownyn isn’t ready to make the transition to adulthood yet though.  Yesterday she did something that is most decidedly baby.  I was rinsing out yet another diaper when Bruce yells down the hall “come quick and bring the camera”.  I rush to grab the case wondering what new feat my offspring had mastered today.  I was not prepared for the cuteness that greeted me when I entered the room.  Bronwyn was lying on her back, stark naked, hands firmly clasped around her left foot, industriously sucking away like the tiniest, cutest vacuum you could imagine.  When I leaned over to marvel at her flexibility, she gave me a big, gummy grin which effectively broke the seal and had her waving her hands around looking for this wonderful, oddly textured toy that had just been here a moment before.  Luckily when she gets really excited she draws her knees up to her chest so her flailing fingers found what they were looking for, and in seconds her mouth was once again exploring this tasty new treat.