bedtime battles.

And the teething continues. 

Which I can assume is the only reason why the 1-5am wake up calls also continue. 

Or so I keep telling myself in hopes that the wake ups will stop when the teething ends. 

Nowadays, she usually goes down to sleep (naps and for the night) fighting and screaming. 

She'll cry and squirm (and scream) while I bounce, swing, hop, lunge until she finally gives in. 

Maybe because she's over tired by the time I finally get her to sleep... (my bad) 

But there's also some times when she'll be so smiley and chatty.  Talking and giggling, and touching my face, and she drifts off, just like that.

Tonight was one of those nights.
I love those nights.

(1 month)

(2 months)

(5 months)

(11 months)

(1 year)

(Today)

And now I get to sit down for what feels like the first time today.

And it's the weekend.

Hallelujah.

***all pictures from this post taken on my iPhone4s***

a little dip.

Well, we were all complaining about it not being hot enough this summer,
and I guess we got our wish.
So thank goodness for friends with access to a pool.
Especially when they turn off our water for repairs blah blah blah...
and close our pool for the entire summer for renovations (the timing is impeccable).
Considering what happened the last time Bean went into a body of water other than the bathtub,
I was a little nervous...
But first things first.

Just exuding enthusiasm right here.

Some pre-swimming stretching.
And big brother already enjoying himself.

Pouty McPouterson.

She's about to start enjoying herself I swear.

Told ya.

But she spent most of the time trying to skim dead bugs and totally grossing me out.

And the rest of the time she spent trying to eat rocks, grass... and of course bugs.

Wooooo pool days!!!

pieces of the weekend.

Morning at the park.

"doggies!"
(or anybody else that walks by!  because I insist on waving to everyone!)

At Ed's for some ice creams...

 Picking out flavours is serious business.

Eating is also serious business.

It's been a year since we were here last.
The little baldy bundle.

(do we always match outfits? um ya, we do a lot of the time. she hasn't learned to say "no" yet.)

Teething is a b*tch for everyone involved.

 A little dinner at the Distillery.

"Cheers!"
(is it the weekend yet?)

staying at home.

I wanted to post this yesterday, but the storm and blackout kinda made things difficult.
We were lucky enough to just get away with a few hours in the dark,
but I know many are dealing with damages still today.
I hope that everyone in Toronto is able to return to normal soon.

******************

Shaun and I both grew up with our moms at home.

It was something that we took probably took for granted most of time, but now as parents, 

we can appreciate the work and sacrifice more than ever.
We hoped to provide our children with a similar situation, but the reality of living in a large city like Toronto makes that kind of difficult...
After a lot of discussion, we decided that I would take an additional 6 month leave of absence, but return to work after that.
So my leave started this week, and even though our wallets will be a little thinner for a while,
we know it's the best decision for us.
The thought of having to put my girl in daycare at 18 months makes my stomach queasy, but I know most mothers go back to work after a year, and many even sooner than that,
so I feel incredibly lucky and grateful that I have this extra 6 months at home.
And I'm determined to savour and make the most out of it.

(and take as many pictures as possible in the process)

long weekend bits+pieces.

Hope you had a great long weekend.  

(or a regular weekend if you don't live in Canada)

I'm a little late (what's new) but I have a teething child who's been waking up between 2-4am 

and can't fall back asleep.

Nothing refreshes your appreciation for a full-night's sleep like standing in the dark for 1&1/2hr 

every night trying to sway a baby back to sleep.

Even though I complain (sometimes a lot), I'm also kinda loving it.

Cause she's growing out of the baby stage so fast, I know it won't be long 

before she doesn't need me to rock her back to sleep.

Anyways, back to the weekend.

It was great weather, and busy but not too busy.

I even got to see a movie!

Big deal? Yes, if the last time I went to the theatre I was still pregnant. 

Other activities included, but not limited to:

Practicing walking.

Swinging!

Toronto Ribfest... about 200% more crowded than a few years ago.

With three kids, a stroller, and a wagon, it was definitely an experience.
Makin' memories...

"where are our ribs?!!!"
(Rib eating not pictured.  Stuffing face, sticky fingers, and squirmy children
leaves no room for picture taking.)

Food, then rides.  An obvious sequence of events.

"but can you believe that we aren't tall enough to ride any of them?!"

Squealing at the rides.
That girl is going to be a thrill seeker just like her mama.  I can feel it.