Let's Go to the Park!

Thanks to the recent warm weather, we made our first trip to the park this year. Our toddler had been countless times in previous years, but our baby had never actively participated. Last summer, she had either been sound asleep in her stroller, or lugged around in a baby carrier.

This last monday, as I picked up our toddler from pre-school, I suggested an impromptu trip to the park. There is a very large park across the street from her school that includes a wading pool (not yet open), a sand pit, and separate play structures for ages 1-4, and 5 & up. The weather was unexpectedly nice, and our trip was unplanned, so we had not brought along any sand toys; also I was unsure if the swings had been installed. As it happened, there were many children willing to share their sand toys. Additionally, the infant and toddler swings had been installed that same morning.

Overall, we had a great time. The baby had a large smile on her face the entire time, as she tried a swing for the first time in her life, and slid down her first slide. Our toddler was able to use the monkey bars without assistance for the first time. However, she declared herself "big enough" to use the big kid play structures, which made it a little difficult to watch both girls simultaneously...

On her first swing!

On the rocking whale

Already trying to climb up the slide!

Our little monkey!

In the sand pit.

The Snow Storm and the Flat Tire; or How my Sister Saved the Day

Looking Cool!

A Croissant Break

What are the chances of a snow storm in April?  I am not exactly sure, but I recently found out that the average number of days of snowfall in April in Montreal is 3.5, with an average accumulated snowfall of 13 cm (Snowfall Montreal)!

So I should not have been too surprised when we had a snowstorm last Friday. An estimated 25cm of snow fell on Montreal. But we also received ice pellets and freezing rain. I did not change my plans for the day. The girls and I headed to a playgroup in the morning, and then to Grandma's around lunch time. The baby and I left at around 14h to head home, as our toddler generally sleeps over at Grandma's on Friday nights.

But I was surprised that I got a flat tire on the same day as an April snowstorm. The last time I had a flat tire was about four years ago, and it occurred right after driving over one of Montreal's enormous potholes. This time around, I was not aware of the trigger, nor was I aware of the flat tire. The baby was sound asleep in her car seat, and the dashboard started rattling as we were halfway home. I was on the highway, wondering if I could make it home. As the next exit approached, I realized rather suddenly that I had to pull over. I pulled into a Tim Horton's parking lot within a few hundred metres of the exit, got out, and this is what I saw:

It was a good thing I stopped, I told myself! If you look closely, you might see the large nail in the tire. I called my husband in a panic, but he did not answer. After calling him a few times, I sent him the above photo. He returned my calls shortly thereafter. He confirmed that our Audi Roadside Assistance had expired. Unfortunately, without a car, he could not be of much assistance. I was mostly worried about the sleeping baby. She would no doubt wake up soon...

I reached my sister shortly after this conversation with my husband. She had just finished school (where she teaches), and came right over. She was driving my mom's car which had been fitted with an infant car seat a few years ago. We drove the baby, now awake, and crying, back to Grandma's. I returned to the car, and thanks to my sister's CAA membership had the tire changed. The snowstorm notwithstanding, CAA was surprisingly prompt. The back-up tire was a full size all-season tire, so I was able to drive without a noticeable difference. I returned to Grandma's, and arrived home safely with both girls by 18h (by this point, my toddler decided she no longer wanted to sleepover at Grandma's). My husband had left work early, and met us in the parking garage. Boy was he a sight for sore eyes!

The weather has since improved. Most of the snow has melted, and just 1 week after the snow storm, the temperature reached a high of 20C!

Cabane-à-Sucre

A few weeks ago, I proposed a visit to a cabane-à-sucre to my husband. Much to my surprise, he did not know what I was talking about! "Sugaring Off," I suggested the english term. Still no idea!

And then I realized that although maple syrup is plentiful in Ontario from where my husband hails, a visit to the local "sugar bush" is much more a part of the Quebec culture.  I remember the yearly field trips during elementary school, and most years in high school as well.

So I explained the usual procedure: A visit of the sugar cabin's maple trees from which sap is collected; a sleigh ride; a very typical (and not so healthy) meal of ham, eggs, fried beans, sausage, pork rinds, and pancakes; followed by some optional square dancing to french-canadian music, and ending with a taste of maple syrup toffee poured over ice. 

My husband was not convinced that our daughters were old enough for such an adventure...Coincidentally, within a few days, our toddler's pre-school announced that the kids would be making a trip to a cabane-à-sucre, and the parents were invited along!  And so it was that last Friday, as my mother watched the baby, my toddler experienced her very first cabane-à-sucre...and her mother was there to capture the special moments on film!

On the bus ride over

Enjoying a ride in a horse-drawn carriage 

Her first pony ride!

Eagerly awaiting her meal!

Eating a typical cabane-à-sucre meal

Maple toffee

Yummy!

Some more please!

The Stay-at-home Rash

Doing nothing in particular. If you look closely, you can see the rash around our toddler's mouth.

There are many different types of rashes, and in fact many categories of rashes. For the sake of this blog, I will divide them into infectious and non-infectious. Unfortunately, our girls had the infectious type. And so the last week of March saw us stay home.

I would later find our that there had been two other cases at my toddler's pre-school. The parents of both had failed to advise the teachers, and one child actually continued to attend school!  The baby showed signs of infection two days earlier than her sibling. She had a fever for two days, followed by a very non-specific rash. A few pink papules on her cheeks, but mostly on her elbows and knees. The evening the rash appeared, I took her to see her paediatrician, who diagnosed a very non-specific"viral exanthem", meaning a rash due to a virus. It wasn't until her sister developed a rash around her mouth two days later that I knew what we were dealing with. After inspection of her hands and feet, it became clear that they had "Hand-Foot-Mouth disease", an infectious rash usually caused by a type of Coxsackie virus.

Our toddler missed an entire week of school. But because the girls were infectious, our activities were limited. We went for a walk with the double stroller every morning, usually ending up at what my toddler calls the "sticker store" but is in fact the local Dollar store. The afternoons we spent at home, doing a variety of activities such as reading, singing, dancing and arts and crafts. Thankfully our girls got along quite well during our week in quarantine.

Just when I thought I could not handle another day in quarantine, two things happened. The paediatrician  confirmed that the girls were no longer infectious, and I remembered that my husband was off for Good Friday.

We all managed to sleep in in Friday morning, something very rare as of late. We also enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of pancakes and bacon (for the non-vegetarians). We then headed to the Biodome, a Montreal-area family-friendly facility that allows visitors to walk through replicas of four eco-systems. There are apparently over 4,500 animals from 250 different species, and over 500 plant species.

Both girls were very intrigued. The baby seemed to be looking at everything and everyone, quietly taking in her new environment. Out toddler seemed a little frightened by some of the animals, but overall seemed to enjoy herself.

All in all, it was the perfect end to an imperfect week!

Entering the tropical forest

Watching the fish?

Enjoying the slide adjacent to the otter slide