Thrize.com

I didn’t do a stitch of laundry on the weekend so I spent part of Monday catching up. After six loads, everything in the house was clean and put away.  We delivered receiving blankets, a change pad and a DVD of pictures to Steve and Christine.  We delivered a piece of cake from Steve and Christine’s shower on Sunday to Gwen (another neighbour).  Austin and I went out to Swiss Chalet with Steve, Christine and Olivia.  It was a wonderful and productive day.

Tuesday was another great day for visiting.  We had lunch with Jeff at Cora’s then delivered 12 month clothing to our neighbours Steph and Gord for their son Griffin.  They will pass it on to Christine and Steve when they are done with it.  On our way home, we stopped to visit Denise, Erich and Erin.  We only stayed for half an hour as they had other company visiting as well.  We had another neighbour, Ann, come over for a dinner of Spaghetti Carbonara.  I found a recipe on the internet and it worked out okay.  The day just flew by!

On Wednesday we started the installation of a new closet system in our master bedroom. I had to pop out for an eye exam so Denise came over and babysat Austin.  We had such a good time, she invited Erich and Erin to join us for dinner and we ordered Chinese food from Lai Lai.

Thursday the closet installation was completed.  Austin and I spent the afternoon vacuuming the house and reorganizing to make the master bedroom layout work again.

Friday we had a visit from Cole and Liam.  Cole has just returned to work at Medicalis after her maternity leave. We are trying to get Liam accustomed to our home because we may be babysitting him for a couple of days next week.  He is signed up for a daycare but has not been able to attend as there is some sort of outbreak occurring at the present time. Liam and Austin had a great time playing together.

On Saturday we drove to Brampton to visit with friends from our adoption parenting class. The boys are 4 years, 15 months and 12 months and managed to play together sucessfully. We had a delicious meal with our friends and before we knew it, it was time to pack up and return home.  Austin was exhausted and slept the whole way home in the car.  We played hard to try to tire him out again before bedtime.  He has a cold when he finally did fall asleep, he woke often to adjust his sleeping position – trying to find a way to breath more easily.  Poor little monkey!

On Sunday, we had no plans.  We only left the house to look at bathroom designs.  We need to redo our main bathroom.  We know what we want, now we need a contractor.  We spent the rest of the day close to home spending time together before the work week begins.  We had a wonderful day, the perfect end to a busy week.

Monday was a quiet day at home.  Jeff skipped Aikido and came home early much to Austin’s delight.  He loves to have as much time as possible with his Daddy!

Tuesday was relatively quiet during the day.  Denise came over for a tea in the afternoon.  Jeff and I had to hit the bank to transfer our RRSP accounts from our current financial advisor to our TD Waterhouse account so Austin had dinner with Denise, Erich and Erin.  Apparently he made an absolute pig of himself eating Denise’s spaghetti – a new favorite.  Jeff was again home to put Austin to bed.  Good times for Mommy!

Wednesday we met with Jeff for lunch at Cora’s.  Afterwards, Austin and I headed to the bank, Winners, and the grocery store before heading home.  Denise, Erich and Erin came over for dinner with us.  We had nachos followed by a delicious raspberry tart.  Austin went crazy for the nacho chips and did not want to eat anything else.  This is not a good sign!  Jeff got home in time to put Austin to bed and I headed out to my weekly dance class.  This session, my friends and I are taking an introduction to belly dancing class.  This is week 2 and we’re enjoying it so far.  We have much to learn.

Thursday we had a visit from Lisa and Ashley.  They stayed to feed lunch to Austin before heading out.  In the afternoon, we went to Busy Bees indoor play center for Griffin’s first birthday party.  Steph, Donna, Gwen, and Griffin met us there. Austin had lots of first experiences including his first slide, first ball pit, and lots of new cars and trucks for transportation.

On Friday Austin and I met Andrea for lunch at Marbles.  We had a wonderful visit.  Austin made a disastrous mess but that is normal.  After his afternoon nap, we headed over to the Eppel’s for a short visit before returning home to have dinner with Jeff.

Saturday, Dale and Judy drove from Georgetown to meet Austin.  We spent the afternoon visiting at home then shared dinner at our favourite Chinese place.  It was wonderful to catch up.  We must make it to Georgetown soon.  We refuse to let so much time pass before we meet again.

Sunday we hosted a baby shower for Steve, Christine and Olivia.  Most of the neighbourhood were able to attend.  We had lots of good food, good conversation and fun times.  We haven’t hosted our neighbours since we adopted Austin.  This party was well overdue.  We’re determined to do another soon.  Nothing helps beat the winter blues more than a party!  Two more weeks before the baby arrives – perhaps we can book a “Meet the Baby” party and start a new trend.

This is how the chair works, right?

On Monday, I took Austin to the doctor for his 15 month checkup.  He was not happy about his inoculation but he only had to get one needle because he’s already had chicken pox (December 2008 when he was just a wee baby).  He is growing well and his development appears to be right on track. After a nap, Austin was feeling great so we popped over to visit Denise for a late lunch.  He loves his Aunt Denise.  We stayed long enough to visit with Erich and Erin when they got home from school before returning home. Jeff had to stay late at Aikido to practice for an upcoming weapons test so he wasn’t home to see Austin before bed.

Tuesday we drove to Niagara Falls to visit with Austin’s great-grandmother Nan.  We had visits from Jean, Marena, and Toni while we were there.  We arrived at 10:30 and stayed until about 4:00.  We ate, played and read books.  Austin had his naps in the car so was raring to go when we got home.  Fortunately, Jeff was able to slip out of Aikido and arrive home in time to pop Austin into bed.

Wednesday Denise babysat Austin while Jeff and I met with our financial advisor.  When I returned home, Denise left to participate in a school event.  Aunt Lisa was able to pop over for a visit.  She and Austin continue to find new ways to play with his toys.  It’s so great to have someone try new things with Austin.  It really helps him to be creative. After she left, Austin and I went into the Medicalis office.  I had to officially resign so that I can stay at home as a full-time parent to Austin.  I am sad to leave Medicalis.  It is an excellent company filled with wonderful people.  I intend to maintain ties with the company until I am ready to return to work full time.  In the evening, Jeff was taking a weapons test at Aikido and was not home to put Austin to bed.  He was able to get home in time to look after Austin while I popped out to start a new “Intro to Belly Dance” class.  It certainly is a great core workout and I’m thrilled to be getting some exercise.

Thursday we went to visit Aunt Sandy and Zara for our regular play date.  Austin did not nap in the car on the way to Guelph so we had a shorter visit leaving at 12:30 so Austin could get a good afternoon nap started.  He was so tired, I was able to transfer his into his crib and have him continue his nap when we got home.  We spent the afternoon playing until Jeff got home.  Austin hasn’t seen his daddy for his bedtime ritual as often as usual this week and was thrilled to have hours of playtime with Daddy before bed.

Friday was our day to stay at home.  We had a delivery of a closet system from Ikea in the afternoon.  In the evening, Daddy and Austin had alone time as I popped out to meet my friends for dinner and a movie.

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day so we popped Austin into the backpack and took a short walk through the neighbourhood.  After a nap, we headed to Best Buy to pick up a couple of things before heading to the Eppel’s for dinner.

Sunday was a quiet day at home.  We played, read books and watched “The Wiggles”.  It was nice to have a quiet day at home.

Daddy and Austin

On Monday, Austin and I stayed home all day long.  We had a contractor visiting to do trim work in our hallway and in the basement.  Austin was intrigued by the activity but terrified of the air compressor.  When Michael went home for the night he left the compressor downstairs and Austin had quite the little talk with it.  I think he’s capable of trash talk.  It’s probably good that we can’t understand what he is trying to say.

On Tuesday, Michael returned to build a cupboard to contain our electrical panel.  Our neighbor Cole and her son Liam came over for a playdate.  They boys had a great time taking toys from each other.  To distract them, we gathered some snow from outside and let the boys play with it on the kitchen floor.  It was lots of fun.  In the afternoon, we bundled up and delivered baby shower invitations to our neighbors.  We are having a baby shower for Christine at the end of the month.  It was cold so we didn’t stay outside for long but it was nice to get Austin out of the house.

Auntie Lisa came to visit Austin on Wednesday.  They had a great time playing with all of Austin’s new toys from Christmas.  He had to show Lisa every single one.  In the evening, the Tap Chicks came over for tea.  Tanja brought cream cheese topped with a preserve made from carrots, ginger and coconut (yummy) and a lemon tart for snacking.  Austin was not about to be left out and cried until we took him out of his crib and allowed him to join the party.  He lasted for about an hour and a half before crashing again.

On Thursday, Sandy and Zara came over for a play date.  We had a lovely time dancing, playing with toys, and watching “The Wiggles”.  Austin was exhausted and had a big long nap when Sandy and Zara went home.  Jeff was tied up at work until late but made it home to tuck his little man into bed.

On Friday we stayed close to home.  Erich, Erin and Denise came by in the late afternoon for an after school snack and a visit. Austin was thrilled! Everyone went home for dinner just minutes before Daddy arrived with Chinese food. Austin loves fried rice and pushed handfuls of rice into his mouth at a time.  Unfortunately, it did not appear to agree with him and he was up late (until midnight).  Yikes!  Oh well, it happens sometimes.

Saturday started early.  We are trying to get Austin back onto his regular schedule.  We fit in a nap before heading over to the Eppel’s for brunch.  This is the day Austin got his first nosebleed.  He was running through the living room after brunch and tripped and fell on his face.  Poor little Monkey!  It was not a big deal and stopped bleeding almost instantly. It was worse for the onlookers than for Austin. In the early afternoon Austin got his second nap before Jeff, Sandy and Zara arrived for a dinner date.  Jeff and Sandy cooked an Ethiopian dish for us called Doro Wat.  It was delicious and something we hope to add to our repertoire moving forward.  The kids had lots of fun showing off for their larger public audience. They seem to play together well.  The only time we hear crying is if one child is picked up and the other is still on the floor.  Neither wants to be left out of the fun!

Sunday was a quiet day at home.  It was a warm day (getting up to +1 C) so we took a short walk around the block.  The rest of the day was spent playing in the house.

Austin has been drooling heavily for some time now.  We might see molars in the near future.  I’ll keep you updated.

Monday was a quiet day.  We spent the day inside playing and napping.  In the evening, we dressed up and headed over to have dinner with Denise, Erich and Erin and took the opportunity to return the air mattresses and an air pump that we borrowed over the holidays.

On Tuesday, we had an afternoon visit with Christine, Olivia and Steve.  We brought over some coconut macaroon cookies for tea and delivered a copy of the birthday photos we took at Christine’s party on Sunday.  On our way home, we popped over to see Kate and pay her for a photography session that we purchased for Christine’s birthday gift.  We spent the rest of the day snug as a bug in a rug at home.

Wednesday is our day to meet Daddy at Cora’s for lunch.  Austin had a wonderful meal while smearing his hands all over Daddy’s work shirt.  We retuned home to play, had a nap, and hosted dinner for our neighbours Denise, Erich and Erin.  It was a busy day but lots and lots of fun.

Thursday is playgroup day.  We picked up sandwiches at Vincenzo’s and drove to Guelph to have a play date with Zara.  The kids (and the Mommies) had much fun screeching and bouncing about.  Sandy made fresh chocolate chip cookies for dessert – yummy!  On our way home, we stopped at Costco to pick up the Wii Fit Plus game and balance board.  I’ve got to do something to get back into shape after the holidays!  When we got home, the house was bathed in the scent of a pork roast simmering away in the crock-pot.  I’m not a huge fan of food from the slow cooker but it is convenient and in this case, relatively healthy.  Daddy and Austin spent the evening together while I popped out to donate blood.  Unfortunately, my iron was too low and I was denied.  Another full day.  How does anyone do this and work full time?

Friday was a beautiful sunny day.  We had a visit from our neighbor Christine.  We spent the time together setting up a Baby Registry on the ToysRUs site.  She is due in February so I’m trying to pull together a baby shower for the end of January.  In the evening, Denise and I popped over to a neighborhood birthday party for our friend Jocelyn.  She is turning 30 and feeling very old.  There’s something about the decade birthdays that invite reflection.  I’m turning 40 later this year.  I find that as I age, I enjoy life more.  I worry less and generally have more financial and emotional support from friends and family.  It just keeps getting better and better!

On Saturday morning, we went to the Eppel’s to have brunch after Aikido.  It was a beautiful sunny day but way too cold to do anything outside with Austin so we stayed in for the rest of the day playing.  I popped out for a couple of hours to check out a nearby dance studio with my friends.  We had a great time trying out different styles!

Jeff and I decided to spend the entire day inside with Austin on Sunday.  Jeff is going to have guests at work and will be away from home most evenings next week so he needs his Austin fix.  We took tons of pictures with our new camera.  We’re still trying to figure out how it works and staying in all day gave us lots of opportunity to play.

We had a busy week.  Austin continues to grow.  We have packed away all his 12 month clothing and are now using his 18 month stuff.  He’s 23 pounds but I can’t tell you his height.  I tried to get him to stand up against his growth chart for a measurement but he was less than cooperative.  Maybe next week.

Monday was the start of our attempt to get back onto a schedule.  We spent some time putting pictures up on Austin’s walls. His bedroom is finally complete with postcards from Ikea framed over his crib, black iron words (“family”, “believe”, and “love”) hung on the wall, collages made by my coworkers, and pictures in frames and in stands throughout.

Tuesday and Wednesday were quiet days at home alone.  We stayed in, ate leftovers, and continued our efforts to get Austin back onto his regular schedule.  It’s hard to explain to our son why he cannot have chocolate at every meal but we are making progress.  We did a little cleaning, a little grocery shopping but nothing strenuous.

Thursday, Jeff’s parents arrived from Niagara Falls to spend a couple of days with us before returning to Florida.  Austin was thrilled to see his grandparents and promptly had them pushing him around in his trike and feeding him suckers. Aunt Lisa came by for a visit and had another chance to see Austin playing with his grandparents.  Jeff and Judy brought lobster for our New Year’s Eve celebration.   I hate to admit that I was only able to eat two.  The third was too much for me.  I’m so ashamed!  We toasted the past year, the baby (obviously), and the upcoming year.  It was a wonderful way to ring in the new year.

On Friday morning, Austin and Mommy baked a loaf of banana bread.  Austin is intrigued by the mixmaster.  To be totally honest, he is interested in everything that we say or do. This was the day when Austin decided he was going to practice standing on top of other items.  He stood on his toys.  He stood on his books.  He stood on the bottom drawer of the coffee table.  He’s been practicing standing on items for a week or so now but, for some reason, it all just clicked and he became a master climber.  He actually pulled his Fisher Price car into the middle of the living room then climbed on top for a “King of the World” moment.  Daddy promptly put the car in the basement.  We took advantage of the fact that we have extra eyes to watch Austin and we took down the Christmas tree and packed away our seasonal decorations.  I unpacked a couple of my gifts and found space for them in the kitchen.  I recently got a mixer and received a food processor from Jeff’s parents for Christmas.  My kitchen counter is starting to look crowded with all the fun toys!  Jeff and Judy offered to babysit so Jeff and I went to dinner and a movie.  We saw Avatar and it amazingly did live up to all the hype.  I have underestimated James Cameron.  I apologize Sir.

On Saturday morning, Jeff’s parents spent a couple of hours visiting and playing with Austin before leaving to return to their winter home in Florida. They had noticed Austin making a new sucking type of noise on Friday night so we inspected his mouth and found two new bottom teeth breaking through the gum line. This will take the grand total of teeth up to 8! Jeff and Judy bring out great growth and development spurts when they visit. Having two more people to play with challenges Austin to “take it up a notch”.  For example, he has become quite adept at clapping.  Previous to this week, he would clap occasionally but not consistently.  Judy has him clapping to songs now.  As always, Jeff’s parents will be totally missed.  To keep our little man busy so he didn’t notice the absence of his grandparents too much (it didn’t work but we tried), we decided to dump cornmeal and rice on the kitchen floor and provide Austin with spatulas, spoons and tongs to play.  He had a great time making a huge mess.  We had to run after him a couple of times to keep him from spreading the cornmeal into adjoining rooms but we were successful and able to get cleaned up and have dinner a little early.  Since we had a couple of hours before bedtime, we decided to bundle Austin up and pop out to see the “Wonders of Winter” light display in Waterloo Park.  It was -12 Celsius with a windchill of -23 so we knew we would be keeping our outdoor time limited to ten minutes.  We had to limit our driving time too so we could rush home and unbundle Austin before he died of heat stroke!  All in all, we had a great day.

Sunday was the 40th birthday of a dear friend and neighbour, Christine.  We bundled up and drove to Guelph to celebrate. Austin had a wonderful time at the restaurant.  He was allowed to eat lots of different foods including ice-cream and visit friends up and down the table.  When we returned home, Austin had a well deserved nap then settled into his regular routine of playing and eating before heading to bed.  He is going to miss his daddy when Jeff returns to work tomorrow!

We’ve certainly had a great Christmas and a fun kickoff to the new year.  2010 is looking like another winner!

Monday was a quiet day at home.  Austin and I picked up a couple of items at the supermarket and prepared a simple meal of spiral ham, baked potatoes and asparagus.  Mike, Denise, Erich, Erin, Danny and Delores joined us for dinner and we exchanged early presents with Erich, Erin, and Austin.  Austin got a number of items including a Leap Frog microphone that plays different songs  He is in his element running about the house singing and dancing like a star.

Tuesday and Wednesday were quiet days at home.  Jeff took a vacation day to stay home with us on Wednesday.  Unfortunately, a few things had not been tied up at work so he ended up working from home a couple of times to get everything done.  For the rest of the time, we relaxed and finished our wrapping and cleaning.

Thursday was Christmas Eve day.  We started the day with a visit from Lisa, Ryan, Ashlie, Kayle, Dawson, and Chloe. They brought gifts for Austin (a huge piggy bank and a soft teddy bear) and a beautiful frame for us.  Now we have to print some photos and get that frame up on the wall.  In the early afternoon, Jeff, Judy and Nan arrived.  We cooked all afternoon (Beef Bourgeon) then had a delicious dinner.  In the evening, we started opening presents for Austin.  We had way too many for Christmas day alone.  Austin opened up a V-Tech bouncing turtle from Grandma and Grandpa Avery.  He was thrilled with the flashing lights and music.  He tried to dance while bouncing with limited success.  Jeff and I left Austin with Jeff, Judy, and Nan and headed next door to Steve and Christine’s to visit with our neighborhood friends.  We enjoyed ourselves immensely.  When we returned home, we visited with Judy, cleaned the turkey, and prepared quiche before heading to bed.

Christmas day was magical.  We popped the turkey and a couple of quiche into the oven then proceeded to unwrap gifts. After 90 minutes of unwrapping, we paused to have breakfast then returned to complete our gift exchange.  Austin doesn’t really understand the whole concept of unwrapping yet. He would grab a piece of paper, rip it off a package, stuff it in his mouth and try to run away. We spent most of our time prying his jaws opening and fishing said pieces of paper out.  Austin was thrilled with a plastic trike that he received from his Grandma and Grandpa Avery.  Grandpa then spent much of the rest of the day, touring Austin around in his new trike while we visited with Uncle Dave and prepared dinner.  Austin also received a beautiful hand stitched “transportation” quilt from Nan.  It is made up of different squares (planes, trains, trucks, a trike, a hot air balloon, etc.) and bordered by navy blue trim.  It is simply gorgeous!  Nan is so incredibly talented.  She presented Jeff and I with a cross stitch picture of Austin taken the first day that we met our little monkey on his 7 month birthday.  It is so special to us and will hang in our living room where we can see it everyday. Judy is continuing in her mothers footsteps.  She made hats and scarves, blankets and sleepers for our gifts this year.  Our turkey was 22 pounds and so we did not eat until later in the evening but snacked on cookies, quiche, and chocolate (oh, so much chocolate) throughout the day.  After dinner, Jeff, Judy and Nan headed back to Niagara Falls for the night.  We popped Austin into bed, did a bit of cleaning, and baked a couple of batches of cookies for our Boxing Day visiting before heading to bed.

On Boxing Day, we drove to Niagara Falls to have dinner with Austin’s great grandparents (Jeff’s paternal grandparents). Jeff, Judy and Nan met us at Myrl and Marion’s and we spent the afternoon visiting and exchanging gifts before enjoying a beautiful prime rib roast. Austin received a gorgeous set of Bunnykins china and a silver spoon.  He loves his spoon and we had to watch him carefully to ensure he did not wedge it under the couch cushions or behind a cabinet as he used it to test out everything around him. We’ll pack the china away for a few more months before we allow him to use it.  He’s still learning how to use dishes.  We had to head out immediately after dinner cleanup as Austin was falling asleep on his feet. When we returned to Nan’s we popped the baby into bed and visited for a short time before crashing ourselves.

On Sunday morning, we spent a quiet morning visiting with family.  Janice, Marena, and Jean came to Nan’s to see Austin.  Marena brought Austin a book from France.  He was entranced as she read to him.  After lunch, we packed up and started for home.  We stopped at Great Wolf Lodge to visit with Toni and decided that we must bring Austin back to play in the pools in the future.  When we got home, we unpacked, did laundry, started putting gifts away, and relaxed before bed.

Jeff and I truly enjoyed our first Christmas as parents.  It was so rewarding to watch Austin discover (and rediscover) new gifts.  We were lucky to have so many friends and family around to share the experience with us.  We are truly blessed.

Monday was a quiet day at home for Austin and Mommy.  In the evening, Denise came over to babysit so Jeff and I could go to the Intel Holiday party.  We had a potluck at The Brick.  We enjoyed good food, good beer and a cab ride home.  It was perfect.

On Tuesday, Michael came over and added trim to our kitchen.  Now we have to paint (but that’s not going to happen until after the holidays, guaranteed).  In the afternoon, Austin got the second half of his H1N1 shot.   On our way home, we stopped at Bonnie Togs and got a new snowsuit.  We had to get the 24 month size.  I’m so glad we tried it on. When we got home, we popped over to Steve and Christine’s for a short visit before returning to our place for a quiet evening.

Jeff and I met at the Midas to get the winter tires put onto both cars on Wednesday.  We took Austin out to lunch at Swiss Chalet while we waited.  Unfortunately, the wheel covers on my car were not installed correctly and I lost one on the way home.  In the evening, I returned to Midas and retraced my route by foot until I found my wheel cover.

On Thursday, Sandy and Zara came for a playdate.  We had a great time watching the kids play together.  After lunch, the girls headed home and Austin fell into bed for his nap.  When he awoke, we returned to Midas to have our wheel covers put onto the car.  they did a great job of fixing the problem quickly and efficiently.

Friday was a full day.  I took Austin to Cora’s so he could have lunch with Jeff while I met Sandra Ford for lunch at Uptown 21.  We had a wonderful meal and got caught up with all the latest gossip before I returned to pick up Austin from Jeff.  Austin had a nap in the car while I circled the uptown Waterloo area.  When he awoke, we headed into the Social Services building for Austin’s 12 month developmental screening.  He is doing well in all areas except for expressive language.  We’ll be working on his word development before we return for his 18 month assessment in June 2010.  When we got home, Judy and Jeff arrived from Florida.  My husband Jeff and I left Austin with his grandparents while we popped out to Gord’s birthday party at ArtBar.  We had a wonderful time eating delicious appetizers and drinking great wine/beer. We returned home in time to pop our baby boy into bed.  We sat and got caught up with Jeff’s parents.  After a couple of rum and eggnogs, we ordered pizza and unpacked Christmas presents from .  It took awhile – Jeff and Judy are planning to spoil their only grandchild.

On Saturday, Lisa, Ashlie, Capricia, and Chloe came over to visit with Austin.  We gave them 2010 calendars full of pictures of Austin gathered from our admittedly huge supply.  It was great to have Judy and Jeff meet Austin’s birth family.  Later in the evening, we decorated the house.  Austin enjoyed “helping” put up the tree.  We lost a few ceramic knick-knacks as Austin explored his new environment but nothing that cannot be replaced.  It was wonderful and magical and exactly the way that Christmas should be.  The Hallmark singing snowmen and Snoopy toys were a huge hit.  I’m sure we’ll have new musical toys in the future.

On Sunday, Jeff and Judy left for Niagara Falls to visit with Nan before returning for Christmas.  Jeff and I bundled up our baby boy and finished up a bit of Christmas shopping.  Austin continued breaking Christmas decorations.  We’re almost out of breakables.  It was a quiet evening – a great way to finish up the week.

Monday was a busy day.  Austin and I did some Christmas shopping at Winners and Moores.  We were able to finish up most of what we need to purchase  - thank goodness.  Christmas is approaching quickly and we’re not yet ready.

Tuesday was a quiet day at home.  In the evening, our neighbor Christine came over to babysit Austin while Jeff and I went to the Medicalis Christmas party at Verses.   We had a wonderful evening and returned to a happy sleeping baby.

Wednesday, Austin and I met Jeff at Cora’s for lunch.  When we returned home, Lisa came over to visit giving me an opportunity to start cooking a new dish, Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon.   What can I say.  Like approximately twelve thousand other people, I have been inspired by the book (and the movie), Julie & Julia.  I didn’t have mushrooms so our neighbor Erin brought some over and stayed to play with Austin.  In the evening, Christine, Olivia, and Steve came over to share supper with us.  It turned out wonderfully.  I will definitely make this dish again.

On Thursday, we drove to Guelph to have a play date with Sandy and Zara.  It was a short visit because the weather was inclement.  We didn’t want to take a chance and get stuck on the roads when they got busy.  At home, Austin had a nap while I started cooking Denise’s recipe for Butternut Squash soup.  In the evening, we had Peter, Jenn, and Aaron over for dinner.  They brought more Weebles for Austin.  How generous!

Friday was a big day.  Jeff and I took Austin to the FACS office and signed off on our final paperwork for our adoption.  In the afternoon, Austin and I went to the Waterloo Optometry clinic for an eye appointment.  No problems found.  In the evening, I went over to babysit for Mike and Denise leaving Jeff at home with Austin alone.

On Saturday I mailed a package to PEI before returning home to stay with Austin while Jeff went out to do his Christmas shopping.  In the afternoon, we took Austin to the Medicalis Children’s Christmas party.  Austin was able to watch a magician, visit with Santa, get a gift, and snack on high fat, high sugar foods all in one 4 hour period.  On our way home, we stopped at a shoe store to get new winter boots for Jeff.  It has been cold, wet and snowy and we can’t avoid the impact of winter any further.

Sunday was a great family day.  Jeff, Austin and I stayed home together for the morning then did our liquor store and grocery store shopping for the holidays.  In the evening, we went over to Mike and Denise’s house to celebrate Denise’s birthday.  Mike made a wonderful meal of potato and bacon soup, pork chop with mashed potato, parsnips, and apricot, and a special chocolate/apricot cake covered in a chocolate ganache.