Monday was our “stay at home” day this week. We had a busy weekend and wanted a quiet day for Austin.

Tuesday our neighbour Denise came over for lunch. Afterwards, we drove to Walmart to pick up a couple of items. We were able to get everything we needed and return home in time for Austin’s nap. After Austin’s nap, we had a short visit from neighbours Christine, Steve, Olivia and Alex. They returned a glass baking pan and chatted for a few moments. In the evening, Austin and I got outside for a short walk before bath time and bed.

Wednesday was a tough “tooth” day. Austin has two molars that have just broken through the gum line and he was in a lot of pain. We had lunch with Daddy at Cora’s then picked up a couple of things at the grocery store that we forgot to get at the Walmart on Tuesday – doh! We returned home and tried to get a decent nap since the morning nap was so short. Unfortunately, Austin could not get comfortable and his afternoon nap was short as well. In the evening, we went to the Eppel’s to celebrate Erich’s birthday. We had a great dinner followed by an awesome carrot cake decorated with the Champions Online logo and Erich’s Champions avatar. He was thrilled! Denise – you set the bar too high! Austin’s going to be expecting this type of thing from me in the future and I’ll have to curse you.

Thursday was our play date with Sandy and Zara. They drove to our place from Guelph and we spent a number of hours playing, reading, eating and visiting. In the evening, our neighbours Steve, Christine, Olivia and Alex came over for dinner. All the kids stayed up past their bedtimes because we were having such a nice time chatting. Oops!

Friday was another quiet day. We got out for a short walk but did not venture far.

Saturday started with brunch with Mike, Denise, Erich and Erin. We dressed Austin in the cutest little button down shirt and took a million pictures (you might have noticed). In the afternoon, we went to Rogers to rent some movies and picked up Chinese takeout for dinner. We had a short walk around the neighbourhood to enjoy the beautiful sunny weather and pushed Austin in his new trike that he got for Christmas. It was great until we hit a few areas with snow. Most sidewalks were bare so it really was a lovely outing.

Sunday was a quiet family day. Austin is getting a cold/flu and was not in a good mood. We did not run any chores. We stayed close to home venturing out for a walk (this time with Austin in the backpack). We relaxed and watched a couple of movies but really tried to take it easy and enjoy the day.

Now that Austin is getting his molars, we are seeing a big change in his eating behaviour. His mouth is sore so he is eating much less than normal. This might be a concern for another baby but Austin usually eats so much that half of his normal amount is still plenty of food. I hope this phase passes quickly. It is hard to see our son in pain. It affects his food, his diapers, his mood, his sleep, really just everything!

Wow!  This may have been our most social week to date.

Monday we had a delicious lunch with Denise followed by a quick visit with Christine and the new baby.  We kept our visit short hoping that Christine might be able to catch a brief nap.  New babies are a lot of work and totally mess up your sleep routine.

On Tuesday, Lisa and Ashley came to visit Austin.  They stayed for over an hour and tired Austin out so that his afternoon nap was well deserved.

Wednesday we had lunch with Daddy at Cora’s.  In the afternoon, we dropped off some food to a neighbour who recently lost her husband to cancer.  She wasn’t home but we left our packages in her mailbox.  On our way home, we stopped to see another neighbour (Brian) to invite him to our beer and wings party on Saturday night (I don’t have email addresses for everyone on the street yet but I’m close).  He invited us into his house for a tour. His place is much larger than I expected and has some nice customized storage features. In the evening, we headed to the Eppel’s to celebrate Erin’s birthday.  We had dinner followed by birthday cake and the ever exciting opening of the presents. Austin was bouncing off the walls with the combination of sugar and the crinkling tissue paper.  Big times were had by all.

Thursday we drove to Guelph to have a play date with Sandy and Zara.  We had a wonderful time followed by a good long nap after our return home.  When Austin woke, we popped over to Steve and Christine’s to drop off some food.  We stayed for another short visit but left before we could become a burden. In the evening, Austin stayed home with Jeff while I popped out to a visitation at the funeral home for our neighbour.

Friday was a quiet day at home until the evening when we went to Pete and Jenn’s place for dinner.  It snowed all day so our driving was slow and slippery but we persevered and had a fun time eating good food and catching up with our friends.

On Saturday, we had a neighbourhood party.  All our friends brought beer for a “tasting”. We ordered 20 lbs of wings from Wings Up and threw together a non-alcoholic punch and a veggie tray. If you haven’t had chicken wings from Wings Up you are missing out! The kids ran around downstairs while the adults chatted on the main level. It was so much fun that we hope to have another neighbourhood party soon.

Sunday was our one day to stay home and relax.  We needed it.  We drank too much beer and had to rehydrate.  We have tons of beer and wings left over to get us through the next week.  Yummy!  Bad for the waistline but good tasting stuff!  We did get out of the house a couple of times: once to get a few groceries and a second time to get a helium balloon for Austin.  It was nice and warm outside (above freezing for a change) and the balloon gave us an excuse to get out for a walk.

It was a busy week but one filled with fun, friends and good food.  I really, really have to start a diet!  I keep saying that I’m ready to begin but it hasn’t happened yet.  Argh!

Monday was a holiday here in Ontario – Family Day.  We spent part of the day at a local fundraiser for Waterloo Region Family and Children’s Services in New Hamburg.  It was very busy with lots of people and activities. Austin got a balloon on a stick and was very pleased with his new toy.  It’s amazing how the smallest things can bring the most joy.

On Tuesday, Austin and I met my former boss, Ian, at a local restaurant for lunch.  Later that afternoon, Austin and I went to visit Denise, Erich and Erin for an hour.  Austin was tired as he missed his afternoon nap so we didn’t stay long.  Our neighbour had her baby boy and all is well!  We dropped off gifts for the new baby and the new big sister later in the evening.

Wednesday we went to Cora’s to meet Jeff for lunch.  Austin loves having lunch with his daddy!  He is quite the “rock star” at Cora’s.  We go every week and he is considered the cutest regular.  I quite concur.

Thursday we had a play date with Sandy and Zara. We had a big time. The kids took every single toy out of every single toy container.  Sandy and I watched over and over as Zara would pick up a toy and Austin would go over and take the new toy from her. Apparently a toy is much more interesting once someone else has picked it up.  We’ll have to work on Austin’s “sharing” behaviour or lack thereof.  It doesn’t exist at this age.

On Friday, Jeff and I went out for a five course/ten beer dinner tasting event at ArtBar. Denise, Erich and Erin came over to babysit Austin.  He was thrilled and didn’t even notice us leaving.  We had a great time and managed to cab home to relieve Denise before the clock struck midnight.  Great way to end the work week!

Saturday started slowly with large bottles of water and copious amounts of coffee.  Jeff did not go to Aikido but we recovered enough to join the Eppels for brunch. In the afternoon, Jeff, Sandy and Zara came for dinner. We ordered pizza and watched the kids play. It was wonderful to spend a relaxing evening with our friends.

Sunday we spent the whole day in Niagara Falls with Nan, Jean, Janice and Toni. Nan is going to Florida tomorrow and we wanted to ensure she had her “Austin Fix”.  We played hard all day before heading out to Betty’s for dinner.  It was a wonderful visit and we returned home late and popped Austin right into bed.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, we babysat Liam every day so Cole could return to work.  It is a short term gig as Liam is enrolled in a daycare. Unfortunately, there’s some sort of outbreak at the daycare so he can’t start until everyone is healthy again. Liam was initially shy but warmed up as the week progressed.  He became quite confident and outgoing by the end of the week.  It was a great experience for both boys.  Liam learned how to climb all over this parents and Austin learned how to throw things.  Why do kids always pick up the questionable habits first!  Why didn’t Liam learn how to hug and Austin learn how to not be so shouty?

Yes, Austin is very shouty lately. Volume is up while enunciation stays at a low level. We’re hoping to hear some real words soon but are prepared to go for an assessment if his vocabulary does not expand.

So to recap the non-babysitting events of the week…

Monday, our fabulous neighbour Steve delivered a “Thomas the Tank Engine” table.  He and his wife Christine picked up a larger version and were looking for a home for the redundant table. It is the perfect height for Austin’s toys.  He can stand and play with his cars.  It is awesome!

Wednesday, Jeff came home for lunch as we could not meet him for our regular date at Cora’s.  Lisa and Ashley were here visiting Austin so we all had lunch together.  On Wednesday evening, Austin and I went over to have dinner with Denise, Erich and Erin.  I wanted to get him out of the house since he’s been in all week. He had a blast running around with Erich and Erin and was exhausted when we got home and popped him into bed.

On Friday, Jenn and Aaron came for lunch.  I tried a new recipe, Cheesy Cauliflower Soup. Fortunately, it turned out well – a good thing since I really couldn’t whip up something on the fly with two babies hungry for their own lunches!

Saturday was a relatively quiet day.  We went out to do a bit of shopping in the afternoon and got some new clothes for Jeff.  In the evening, Erich and Erin came for a sleepover. We ordered pizza from Papa John’s and watched Return of the Jedi.  It was so much fun!

On Sunday, Erich and Erin returned home in the morning.  After Austin’s nap, we hit the grocery store for supplies then Toys R Us to get a gift for our neighbour Olivia (who is expecting a new baby brother on Tuesday of next week).

We had a wonderful week together.  Austin continues to grow and change.  We try to catch photos of him in various tasks each day so our friends and family can marvel at his progress as we do. We are truly blessed to have the privilege of raising this beautiful boy.

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!