First Snowfall

Trudging through the snow

I should specify; this is not our daughter's first snowfall, nor this winter's first snowfall. However, it is this winter's most significant snowfall so far, and what will probably be our daughter's most memorable snowfall.

While there have been a few snow flurries recently, the snow never stuck around until this last Tuesday night. I had made plans for Wednesday involving the car, but when we awoke, I quickly realized that my plans would have to be changed. We have not yet installed our winter tires, and there was quite a bit of snow on the ground, and still falling. I resigned myself, and actually told baby # 1 that we would be staying in all day. We did venture downstairs in our condominium complex to check the mail. There, we ran into a little boy her age, accompanied by his grandmother. He was suited up in an impressive snow suit, and they were heading out to enjoy the snowfall. And that's when I decided that we could certainly do the same. While I do not currently own a full snow suit (that would fit given my current shape), I donned my long winter coat, and dressed the baby up in her metallic pink snow suit.

We headed out the back door of our condominium complex, and I thought we would simply loop around and enter through the front. As it happened, baby #1 enjoyed the snow so much that we stayed out for an entire hour. And that's when I realized that if I am to enjoy our harsh winters, then I am going to have to start dressing warmly, and attempt to rediscover the joys of winter. I have fond memories of tobogganing and skating with my sisters growing up, but sadly, I do not remember the last time I enjoyed being outdoors in the winter. I avoided what was left of the winter when our first daughter was born in February of 2010, and only briefly went out with the stroller last winter. But I have a feeling that all that is about to change.

Now if only our winters would start a little later on in the year, and last not so long, the task at hand would be so much simpler...

The Upside to Changing Time Zones

Trying on Grandma's earrings

Last week, we travelled to San Francisco for a medical conference. We had a wonderful week, except for the Brat's really early wake-ups. She woke up at 4:30 every morning. We brought her to our bed, and tried to convince her that it was too early to play. She eventually fell asleep, and slept from 6 to about 8 AM local time. This went on all week, with only a slight improvement near the end of the week.

We returned home Sunday just before midnight Montreal time, and put the Brat to bed by 1AM. We weren't sure what to expect the next morning. Much to our surprise, she awoke just before 10 AM local time. She had woken up only briefly in the middle of the night. Would this pattern continue through the week?

Since Monday night, we have been putting her to bed around 10PM, attempting to do so a little earlier each night. Much to our surprise, she continues to sleep in in the morning... For the very first time in her life. Prior to our trip to San Francisco, she would awaken no later than 6:30AM.  However, since our return, she has woken up no earlier than 7:45AM!

Of course, by putting her to bed late at night, we don't have much time to ourselves prior to our bedtime. Now if only we could strike that perfect balance...

Greetings from San Francisco!

I waffled about whether or not to go, and finally decided that I would attend a medical conference in San Francisco less than a month ago. Initially we were unsure if we were going to bring the Brat along, and eventually decided that it would be too much for my mother if we left her for an entire week. And of course we would miss her horribly...

So here we are in sunny San Francisco. Of course, everything  is relative...The high today was only 20C, but it was a pleasant change from Montreal where we haven't been outdoors for longer than a few minutes at a time in well over a month.

I mostly dreaded the flights, as there are no direct Montreal-San Francisco flights. However our daughter behaved herself surprisingly well on the way over. She stayed in her seat (actually our lap) for the most part, and took a two hour nap on the second, and longer of the two flights.

We arrived on a Monday evening, and my conference started on Wednesday morning. My husband and I would have probably planned our trip a little differently had we been without child, but we found it nonetheless amusing. Here is our week in photos:


Her first cable car ride:

Captivated by the cable car

At the San Francisco Zoo on Tuesday:

Backing up with her very own tractor

On her first ever carousel ride

Wednesday took us to the the Aquarium by the Bay in Fisherman's Wharf:

Looking at a starfish

Thursday at the Yerba Buena Children's Garden:

Warm enough to remove shoes and don a hat!

Friday, the only rainy day all week took us to the Exploratorium, an indoor kid's science centre:

Making music at the Exploratorium

Saturday at the Westfield Shopping Center:

Trying on some Ugg shoes

Overall the trip exceeded my expectations, but for one small matter. The three-hour time difference. It was a breeze for my husband and I. As for the Brat, she had no difficulty falling asleep a few hours later in the evening. The problem has been the really early mornings. She has insisted on waking up at 4:30 every morning. Despite getting only 6 hours of sleep...my husband and I pretend to be asleep when she awakes at this crazy hour, and she eventually falls back asleep, but 2 hours later! Perhaps upon our return, we will be rewarded, and she will sleep in a little later every morning...

First Hallowe'en

Officially this would be her second Hallowe'en, but her first was uneventful. Last year, she was only eight months old, and we hadn't made any plans for the evening. Then we received an invitation to dinner, and some brief trick-or-treating with our friend's then 4-year-old daughter. We accepted the invitation, but did not purchase any costumes for the occasion. However, for the trick-or treating, I dressed the baby in her cold-weather outfit that resembled a teddy-bear. I placed her in my front-facing baby-carrier, and we ventured out in near-freezing weather. At the time, she loved the front-facing carrier, but we rarely went our after dusk. She lasted all of 5 minutes. And so ended her first Hallowe'en experience.

This year was a different story. We received a similar invitation for dinner and trick-or-treating. At 20-months-old, I did not think that she was quite ready for trick-or-treating. Alas, I think she knew something was in the air, or perhaps she fed off of our energy...but for only the second time in her life, she did not take a nap during the day. At the last minute, I decided to purchase a half-off costume at Toys-R-us that we could easily adjust and that would fit nicely over a snow suit. Almost daily, she plays with her Thomas-the-Train train set, so as soon as I saw the train costume, I decided that perhaps we could give this trick-or-treating thing a try after all. The suit in question was James the Train, no doubt one of Thomas's friends. The package read "up to 6 years of age". I assumed it would be a little on the long side, but nothing a pair of scissors couldn't rectify. Here is a photo taken at our friend's house just prior to departing for trick-or-treating:

CC as James the Train

She did surprisingly well for her first real trick-or-treating experience. She held her 5-year-old friend's hand the entire time, and actually did most of the directing, pulling her new friend here and there. Here is a photo of our daughter with her regally-dressed friend walking the streets in search of well-lit, decorated houses:

CC with her friend the Snow-Fairy

Initially she was reluctant to approach people's homes, but she very quickly got the hang of it. Although I held her pumpkin-shaped candy receptacle for the first few houses we visited, by the end, she was expertly holding it out for her prizes. She lasted almost an hour. Here is a photo of her candy stash (minus a few items that her parents ate):

CC's first Hallowe'en loot

The stash has significantly lessened since, mostly thanks to her parents. But we wouldn't be good parents if we allowed her to eat all of her candy...