Perfect like strawberries and a post with lots of pictures!

An additional day off makes such a big difference. There is time for some of everything, running errands, having friends over for dinner, starting a new book, playing, and relaxing. The highlight of our weekend was visiting a berry farm not far from here. Not only were we eating while picking deliciously warm-from-the-sun strawberries, we got to ride on a big truck out to the fields, watch silly stinky pigs race, hungry sheeps, cute bunnies and an air castle. A kid's dream! Miles was mashing the strawberries in his hands getting juice all over himself (and us). His hair was truly strawberry blond after that!

Speaking of a kids dream, we did some rearranging downstairs to create more of a kid-friendly space for playing. We moved the dining room into what was the TV room (who has time for watching TV?) and extended the living room area. Now, we can wind-up a car and really let it go, without it hitting dining room chairs, speakers, etc. Ahh, a big relief. I am sure Miles didn't care, but it was bothering the little kid in me...and I am sure he doesn't mind.

After the farm, we checked out a new restaurant located nearby on a lake. The weather couldn't have been more pleasant and we got a table close to the water without a wait. I love it when everything works out without much effort. After dinner we walked to the nearby playgrounds - yes, we WALKED! Well with some help, but Miles is getting really good at it and more importantly carries a big smile while forging ahead.

Can't wait to see what next weekend will bring.

flash backs

Seeing pictures of Cate and Winnie in the hospital brought back all my memories from being there a little more than a year ago. Parts of it seem like yesterday and others like a century ago. So much has changed. Look at this little boy waiting for his dinner (not always that patiently).

Baby Miles is not so much a baby anymore. He is a little boy who just got his bangs trimmed, drinks milk out of a cup, crawls up the stairs all day long, has 6.5 teeth, and eats beans and rice for dinner. Much easier to manage than those first couple of months. Memories, some of which are hazy and buried under a blanket of sleep deprivation, and others that are crystal clear. The moment we left the hospital and felt like we just came out of of movie theater, all disoriented and reminded that life was as usual outside (you mean time didn't stop?) while we were bringing a new life into the world, a life that we were responsible for. Holy shit.

The moments where Frank would come home from work and I was still laying in bed breastfeeding. Yes, that's all we did (with tiny naps in between). Or the few times I just started crying for no discernible reason. Or the moment when Miles smiled the very first time.

These days I am just amazed at how much you have developed, how smart you are, and how much you eat!

Winnie is here!

Yesterday, super mama Cate birthed this beauty: Winifred Catherine Ryba "Winnie"

We can't wait to meet you!

Hello Beach!

difficult times

Last week was extra busy at work with many late nights. Friday morning Miles woke up congested, cranky and what sounded like wheezing. We went to the doctor and came home with a nebulizer which improved his breathing greatly. Frank came home in the afternoon so we could switch off and I could go to the office. By Sunday Miles seemed much better happily playing on his own but still not eating. By then Frank caught the same cold. Monday night, Miles refused to lay down, crying hard on and off until 1 am when he finally collapsed in my arms in the rocking chair. He woke at his normal time, 6 am seeming OK but still refused to eat. He had a normal day at "school." I was so exhausted by 2pm that I went home to sleep fearing that the impending night was going to be challenging again. He ended up falling asleep in his bed, but not without a fight and some Tylenol.

This morning I decided to go to the doctor again to check on his ears. My gut feeling was confirmed - a double ear infection, his third one in 4 months.

Caring for a sick child is the hardest part of it all. It requires extreme patience, especially during the night. I am at home with him until this afternoon when we switch off again. There is no doubt that caring for Miles is more important that anything else, but why do they seem to get sick at the most inconvenient times? These days it all feels like a big test and I am nervous about what grade I will get.