Slipping and Sliding

She dressed herself!

Many north-American cities were dealt some very strange weather these last 2 weeks, and Montreal was no exception.

For the first time in nearly a month, we decided to go out for a walk. We had avoided outdoor adventures for a few weeks due to the colder than average weather. However, Monday forecasted above average weather, with a high of 5C! So it was that after breakfast, I bundled up the girls and headed out to a local cafe for some croissants. The baby was in my carrier, our almost 2-year old sat in the stroller, and our toddler was on foot next to Mama.

As if on cue, the rain slowed to a drizzle. We hadn't gotten very far when we ran into the concierge, who warned us about the sidewalks. "Oh, we are just going down the street," I remember saying...

We did eventually make it to the cafe. It took us over 30 minutes (normally it would take 10). The streets were empty, and we were the only ones on the sidewalk. I should have turned around, but I was driven by the thought of being cooped up indoors for another week.

The icy sidewalks made for some interesting slipping and sliding. The stroller maneuvered surprisingly well, and the baby and I stayed upright. Our toddler, however, slipped  every few metres. The falls were buffered by a soft snow suit, and she did not shed a tear...

While in the cafe, the wind picked up. The employees ran out in search of their fly-away garbage bins, while the customers watched in disbelief. I called my dear husband, and begged him to pick us up. Thankfully he was working from home that day, and our adventure had a good ending!

The Wet Hallowe'en

We set off in the rain towards our friend's house for Hallowe'en. The baby stayed at our house with Grandma, while the two older girls donned their Hallowe'en costumes, and eagerly got into the car. Would the rain let up, or would their trick-or-treating experience be dampened by the poor weather?

In the end, the rain did let up, and when we set out door-to-door at 18h, there was only a slight drizzle. #1 wore a costume given to her by her aunt. She was dressed as a fairy. Her younger sister wore #1's costume from last year, and was Hello Kitty. But when our oldest daughter saw her sister's hat, she too decided to wear her Hello Kitty hat, leading to a bit of confusion. A few people even mistook them for twins! The girls eagerly followed around their friend, who was dressed as a Rock Star. In fact our middle daughter refused to hold Mama and Papa's hand, preferring the company of her friend.

We lasted about an hour, when a down-pour ended our trick-or-treating. The girls were very excited about their goodies. Once we removed the peanut-containing candy bars, they dug in. #2 has since forgotten about her candy, but our oldest regularly asks to see "her Hallowe'en bag".

With their Rock Star friend 

Their Stash

Trying on her friend's pink wig

Return to Normalcy

CC walks on our terrace for the first time

I would have never imagined that the return to normality would have been blog-worthy.  But after two long weeks, I have a new appreciation for the normal state. The baby's cough has finally subsided, her sleep is less disturbed, she is not as cranky during the day, and her appetite has returned. My cold (which I caught from the Brat) is also improving.

Now if only those May showers would make way for some May sunshine!  I am running out of ways of entertaining the Brat indoors. We are somewhat limited as I have opted not to go to any germ-infested indoor playgrounds.  We do roam around the hallways of our condominium complex, throwing and then chasing the baby's ball (once the neighbours have left for work); but we are inside our condo for the most part.  She skims through and alternately chews on her books, boils a pot of water on her play kitchen, presses the buttons on the large variety of plastic musical toys, pushes her cart around, and builds and then knocks down towers. Her newest activity is climbing up on everything and anything.  She quickly mastered our couches, and has now moved on to the side tables, her play kitchen, her crib, and even the horizontal handles on the kitchen drawers.  Her repertoire lasts approximately one hour before boredom settles in.

Desperate, I googled indoor activities for rain days; a plethora of activities came up geared towards older children, but nothing for 1-year-olds.  I yearn to teach her to colour, but realize that at this stage she would be more interested in eating the crayons.  I look forward to teaching her to read, so that she can sit quietly for longer than one minute.  But mostly, I simply wish the sun would come out so that we can get ourselves some natural Vitamin D!