Our Baby Size Life!

Archive for August, 2008

Well Sam hit the 6 month mark on August 20th, which traditionally brings about the fact that most babies are ready for some heavy-duty feedings. That’s right folks, that 8oz of milk doesn’t get you as far as it used too! So Melissa and I started feeding him a little bit of cereal after his bottle every morning and afternoon. We started him off easy of a couple teaspoons of rice cereal mixed with water and so far… he seems to love it! As you can see from the pics, Mom and Dad still need a little training handling the spoon, as Sam always wears a little of the food he’s eating, and not through his own actions!

We’ve started feeding him barley cereal and his reaction was the same to the rice cereal: a slight hesitation, rumpled brow, mild frown… but then he’s somehow convinced it’s great grub and hungrily empties the spoonful. Of course we feed him in his brand spanking new high chair, which he loves being in. Whenever we eat supper, Melissa and I put him in the highchair and he sits at the table with us… because he likes being part of our dinner time. That’s right, we’re now into family dinners! Sam also likes playing with your typical measuring cup set. However, he tends to stick the handles of the measuring cups into his mouth, instigating an involuntary gastric reversal… he makes himself puke! Here he is on the left about to do just that.

After his belly’s full, Sam is ready for some hardcore baby playing! Tupperware beware! But to give those tortured plastic containers a little break, Mom takes Sammy-boy outside for a little spin through the air! Next week we start the vegetables which will guarantee some funnier reactions on Sam’s part. We can’t wait! Check back here for some pics and video, hopefully you’ll have some laughs! I know I won’t when I start changing those diapers…

So it was my parents 41st wedding anniversary this year, and I know what you’re thinking: they haven’t killed each other yet?!?!?  Well, no, as a matter of fact, things are never better if you ask them!  And who could argue with that!  41 years!!! Let me type it out for you, just so you get the full weight of it’s implication: f-o-r-t-y  o-n-e  y-e-a-r-s!   That is one hell of a commitment people!  But it’s easy to see why they’ve made it to 41, besides their deep love and understanding for each other, they are two of the greatest people I know, who just give you all they got when you need them.  So yeah, I’ve got the best parents in the world! Sorry to all you other people out there thinking the same thing.

My brother and I have started this tradition-like anniversary gift for our parents of takin’ them out to play golf.  My family is a golfing family, so this is a great day out for us!  If my sis could make it into town with her family, who also like to golf, we’d have two foursomes out there terrorizing the links!  Maybe next year, right sis???   The pic on the left is one I took of my Dad teeing off on the 17th hole.  It’s been reduce in size for uploading, but the detail and contrast of light and dark makes this, perhaps, one of my favorite shots I’ve taken.  No offense to my bro, pictured on the right, in a similar shot with a slightly different angle, which I also love, but now hold a grudge against because he beat used to beat me up when we we’re kids!

The weather was fabulous and we all had fun, each of us making both great and not so great shots with my brother taking first place honors (freakin’ cheater).  One day man!!! One day you shall tremble in fear at the thunder of my drives and the ring of my irons!  He beat me by about 30 strokes, so he’s lucky that day is still pretty far off…

Back at home Melissa and Sammy were having fun being out an about the town!  Hmmmm… maybe I can get Melissa and Sam out on the course with me.  I know she likes hitting golf balls, because she likes to picture one of her old bosses head in place of the ball.  That gets her some good distance too!  I’ll just have to get Sam some clubs and teach him the basics and we’re set!!!  Fischer Price clubs here we come! Tiger Sam!

Just don’t beat you’re Dad eh?

So, Mom and Dad, while Melissa and I are on our 11th year, we still have ways to go.  But your love, commitment, compassion and let’s face it, hard work, is inspiring to us.  And in this day of easy-out marriages, it’s an honor to have parents who believe in something greater than themselves!

With lots of love from your grateful kids, Happy Anniversary to you both!

Well, my vacation has been over for just over a week now, and I put off posting about those wonderful last few days, because… well they were just so damn fun! I have to say that I did NOT look forward to going back to work! I guess everyone feels that way about their vacation right? Well, as you can see in the pic on the left, I loved my vacation with Meli and Sam! Lazy mornings… or was that in the afternoon? I forget… and you know what? That’s the point! They were fun, stress free days with family and friends. Check it out!

After getting back from Wildwood, we spent a couple days just lounging about relaxing and getting ready for our next trip down to see my sister in the Toronto area. She doesn’t get to see Sammy often, so we just had to go down there with the pamper packer and get her to change some diapers! And she did! Ummm, I think she actually changed ALL OF THEM. We got there on a Friday afternoon around 2 pm and my sister got home from work at 5, and we never saw Sam again until three days later when we had to leave! She was adamant in taking care of her “Sammy-kins” while she had the chance… Even getting up early for that morning bottle! Meli and I could sleep in… we loved it! My brother-in-law FINALLY got to hold Samuel, as the only other time he saw Sam was last Easter and he was sick with a cold! Here he is on the right, a nice shot of uncle and nephew taking a break on the deck. We had some great meals while we were there, which is the usual when we go to stay with them. They always seem to outdo themselves! I kept my two nephews busy as we played a ton of sports: Whiffle Ball, Basketball, Hockey and Football. We even played some Holey-Board and I brought down my RockBand video game for some nighttime shenanigans! Needless to say, we did rock! The singing was a little weak… I kid! I kid! We had some good laughs. The three days we were there flew by, we all had so much fun, it amazing Sam found a little quiet time to catch up on his reading!

Arriving back home, we took it easy having fun just the three of us. Lazy days just playing around outside with Sam, and taking a lot of pics. I love those days. The kind of day when you don’t plan anything… not even what’s for supper, and I love supper folks. Melissa had the great idea of throwing a blanket outside and just sitting out there staring at the clouds… Sam was a fan of this activity, he kept staring at the leaves blowing in the nice summer breeze. Sam also has a favorite toy. It’s a gift from our friends Aaron and Soizic (thanks again!). It’s a big, blue, plastic tube filled with air and it has three jingly balls rolling around inside it. He just loves it! It’s lightweight so he can grab, kick, punch, toss, yank, chew and pretty much abuse it any way he wants. Here’s a couple shots of him playin’ around with it!

Our last weekend on vacation together was a busy one. We had friends Josée and Sylvain over for supper on the Saturday (that’s Sam and his friend Maxime on the left, after a post meal walk) and my cousins wedding on the Sunday. That’s right, a wedding on my last day off before headin’ back to work! Talk about finishing your vacation in style! The wedding was great fun, the party was rockin’ and the wedded couple are very much in love… But we had to leave early as we didn’t want to inconvenience our babysitters on a Sunday night. I mean, seeing as Sam’s babysitter was, in fact, my boss, I consider myself lucky he accepted to babysit until 11pm on a Sunday night… with work the next day no less! But that’s Norm for ya! A good guy through and through! Luckily Melissa’s sister was there to keep him in line! *wink wink* Thanks again to you both, we appreciated the rare night out together! That’s it for now folks, as always… thanks for reading!