Forgot to mention that Zoë had her 15 month check-up recently. She's almost at the 50th percentile for weight and is above average for height. Her rate of growth has been extraordinary - when she joined our family in October she weighed 14lbs and at that age the 3rd percentile is 16lbs. Now she's over 22lbs. And her rate of growth by height has been even steeper. She definitely eats more than either of the twins so it's not surprising that she's gaining on them.
She's also talking more and more. And with language comes opinions - she's no longer passive and smiley 24/7. She's much more headstrong and determined than even a month ago.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Toothpicks
It ain't easy being the little one, but here's a video of Zoë holding her own while working on her fine motor skills.
Bon voyage again
We're off to Montreal for a week of conferencing for Kate and hanging out with my family for the rest of us. My mom always takes more and better photos than me, so I'll try to post from la belle province.
- Here's the gang trying out our new sunshade. We had it down at the beach today and it's pretty righteous looking.
- Kate's parents have been visiting and last weekend we spent the day at the amusement park on Centre Island in Toronto. Her are Jacob and I on the ferris wheel. And Lois and Molly being brave with their hands up.
- Zoë hanging out with Papa
- Here's the gang trying out our new sunshade. We had it down at the beach today and it's pretty righteous looking.
- Kate's parents have been visiting and last weekend we spent the day at the amusement park on Centre Island in Toronto. Her are Jacob and I on the ferris wheel. And Lois and Molly being brave with their hands up.
- Zoë hanging out with Papa
Monday, May 24, 2010
Jacob's Enthusiasm
If there's a more enthusiastic guy out there, I haven't met him.
Today's quote, unprompted, said with an ear-to-ear-grin
"Baba, I really like lakes and swimming pools and cars and boats and hopper-coppers (helicopters) and ferry boats. I really like everything".
We're heading down to Toronto for a day trip - including a ferry trip to the islands.
Today's quote, unprompted, said with an ear-to-ear-grin
"Baba, I really like lakes and swimming pools and cars and boats and hopper-coppers (helicopters) and ferry boats. I really like everything".
We're heading down to Toronto for a day trip - including a ferry trip to the islands.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Sleeping Beauty
Working on sleep habits seems a lot different for an adopted child. Zoë came to us as a good, independent sleeper. She had obviously learned to comfort herself, playing with her fingers and tucka-tucka-ing herself to sleep. We ruined that sleep independence, but we so with our eyes open (literally, I'm afraid).
She was so tiny when she joined our family that it only made sense to give her bottles on demand, at whatever hour she demanded. So, while most 9-15 month olds would have been weaned off the middle of the night feedings, we were un-weaning her. The nutritional sustenance joined with the bonding experiences of knowing that her night cries were being answered and the comfort of having her new parents lying beside her, giving her the food and love she needed. Zoë has put on weight such that I think she now weighs more than the twins did at her age. She's healthy, round in all the right baby places and happy as ever. Mission accomplished except that we weren't getting much sleep and Zoë spent much of the night tossing and turning and was taking longer and longer to get back to sleep after having a bottle.
When we got back from T-Bay Kate was talking to a family doctor friend who said that Zoë is now such a healthy weight that there is no further reason to keep feeding her in the night. And that stopping the bottles is probably a good time to also stop lying next to her while she's trying to get to sleep. So, the new regime started a week ago and it seems to be a huge success. She has slept through the night 5 or 6 times in a row and gets herself back to sleep quickly if she wakes during the night. The initial getting to sleep is still inconsistent and she's definitely pissed off when we leave her room in the evening, but all three of us are better rested in the morning. So it seems like a success so far.
She was so tiny when she joined our family that it only made sense to give her bottles on demand, at whatever hour she demanded. So, while most 9-15 month olds would have been weaned off the middle of the night feedings, we were un-weaning her. The nutritional sustenance joined with the bonding experiences of knowing that her night cries were being answered and the comfort of having her new parents lying beside her, giving her the food and love she needed. Zoë has put on weight such that I think she now weighs more than the twins did at her age. She's healthy, round in all the right baby places and happy as ever. Mission accomplished except that we weren't getting much sleep and Zoë spent much of the night tossing and turning and was taking longer and longer to get back to sleep after having a bottle.
When we got back from T-Bay Kate was talking to a family doctor friend who said that Zoë is now such a healthy weight that there is no further reason to keep feeding her in the night. And that stopping the bottles is probably a good time to also stop lying next to her while she's trying to get to sleep. So, the new regime started a week ago and it seems to be a huge success. She has slept through the night 5 or 6 times in a row and gets herself back to sleep quickly if she wakes during the night. The initial getting to sleep is still inconsistent and she's definitely pissed off when we leave her room in the evening, but all three of us are better rested in the morning. So it seems like a success so far.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Two Jacob Stories
Our main computer is on the fritz, so I can't post any more Thunder Bay photos just yet. So here are a couple of stories about the irrepressible one.
1. This was a harrowing tale, so I'll start with the news that there was no lasting damage (except perhaps to the psyches of two parents and a grandmother). So, we were walking along the boardwalk beside the very cold Kam river in Thunder Bay. I had Zoë in the backpack and suddenly I heard a splash and Jacob was gone. Within a split second, Kate jumped into the river, brought Jacob to the surface but struggled to keep him and herself afloat as it was freezing, he was panicking, there was nothing to hold onto, and her clothes and boots quickly became waterlogged and heavy. It was too far from the boardwalk to the water for me to reach down and pull either of them up. There was a ladder about 20m away, but Kate couldn't make it that far. Finally she was able to grab something underneath the boardwalk and that allowed her to catch her breath and boost Jacob up enough for me to grab him. I pulled him up and put my sweater on him. Kate swam to the ladder and I helped get her out (while Molly held onto a shivering Jacob very affectionately). Lois arrived back with the car at the same time as the fire department showed up. They gave Jacob and Kate some blankets and gave Jacob and Molly each a teddy bear. Great PR move as Jacob refers to the incident as "remember when mama and I fell in the river and the firemen came and saved us". Besides a few nightmares for the adults and some trepidation at walking on the boardwalk beside the lake back home for the boy everyone seems okay. But that was the worst 5 minutes of my life.
2. On a lighter note. We have a storytelling game for kids where each card has three pictures, showing a sequential story, which the child then has to tell. Such as a mom gets food out of the fridge, cooks it on the stove and then serves it to the family. Kate went through a bunch of them with the twins demonstrating how it works. Then she showed a card to Jacob with pictures of a girl in 3 stages of getting dressed. What's the story here Jacob? His eyes light up and he says:
"These three girls climbed up a tree and got stuck. So they use a rope to get out. Then they jump in the river but get eaten by a shark." How does their mother feel Jacob? "Oh, she feels sad". What about the shark Jacob? "He feels saaaaad too".
1. This was a harrowing tale, so I'll start with the news that there was no lasting damage (except perhaps to the psyches of two parents and a grandmother). So, we were walking along the boardwalk beside the very cold Kam river in Thunder Bay. I had Zoë in the backpack and suddenly I heard a splash and Jacob was gone. Within a split second, Kate jumped into the river, brought Jacob to the surface but struggled to keep him and herself afloat as it was freezing, he was panicking, there was nothing to hold onto, and her clothes and boots quickly became waterlogged and heavy. It was too far from the boardwalk to the water for me to reach down and pull either of them up. There was a ladder about 20m away, but Kate couldn't make it that far. Finally she was able to grab something underneath the boardwalk and that allowed her to catch her breath and boost Jacob up enough for me to grab him. I pulled him up and put my sweater on him. Kate swam to the ladder and I helped get her out (while Molly held onto a shivering Jacob very affectionately). Lois arrived back with the car at the same time as the fire department showed up. They gave Jacob and Kate some blankets and gave Jacob and Molly each a teddy bear. Great PR move as Jacob refers to the incident as "remember when mama and I fell in the river and the firemen came and saved us". Besides a few nightmares for the adults and some trepidation at walking on the boardwalk beside the lake back home for the boy everyone seems okay. But that was the worst 5 minutes of my life.
2. On a lighter note. We have a storytelling game for kids where each card has three pictures, showing a sequential story, which the child then has to tell. Such as a mom gets food out of the fridge, cooks it on the stove and then serves it to the family. Kate went through a bunch of them with the twins demonstrating how it works. Then she showed a card to Jacob with pictures of a girl in 3 stages of getting dressed. What's the story here Jacob? His eyes light up and he says:
"These three girls climbed up a tree and got stuck. So they use a rope to get out. Then they jump in the river but get eaten by a shark." How does their mother feel Jacob? "Oh, she feels sad". What about the shark Jacob? "He feels saaaaad too".
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Zoë's First Time at Camp
- Here's Zoë waiting for the boat to get loaded to bring us over to camp. The motor wouldn't start (do boat motors ever?), so Kate rowed us over. Prompting Jacob to say "Papa used to have a motorboat. Now it's a rowboat"
- Jacob pacing, thinking "how much stuff can we have for a two-day trip?"
- Zoë walking into camp for the first time
- Oh how I love to go up in a swing
- Kate and Zoë by the lake
- no, she didn't sleep any better than at home, despite hogging the big bed
- it wouldn't be camp without a reading of Big Joe's Trailer Truck. It looks like I'm giving Jacob the full hockey-playoff-beard-staredown. You think I look scruffy in this picture, you should see me now. But if my ugly beard is helping the Habs knock off the Caps and Pens, I can't shave it now, right?
- Zoë telling me funny jokes
- there was a movement afoot to claim that Zoë's first steps took place at camp. But there was really just a series of: push, stumble, faceplant. Journalistic integrity precludes me from calling that walking.
- Jacob giving me a decorated container of raisins for my birthday (39 for the first time)
- me pulling off the, "wow, a decorated container of mixed nuts - that's fantastic" look
- Molly and grandma helping Zoë blow out the candle
- Jacob pacing, thinking "how much stuff can we have for a two-day trip?"
- Zoë walking into camp for the first time
- Oh how I love to go up in a swing
- Kate and Zoë by the lake
- no, she didn't sleep any better than at home, despite hogging the big bed
- it wouldn't be camp without a reading of Big Joe's Trailer Truck. It looks like I'm giving Jacob the full hockey-playoff-beard-staredown. You think I look scruffy in this picture, you should see me now. But if my ugly beard is helping the Habs knock off the Caps and Pens, I can't shave it now, right?
- Zoë telling me funny jokes
- there was a movement afoot to claim that Zoë's first steps took place at camp. But there was really just a series of: push, stumble, faceplant. Journalistic integrity precludes me from calling that walking.
- Jacob giving me a decorated container of raisins for my birthday (39 for the first time)
- me pulling off the, "wow, a decorated container of mixed nuts - that's fantastic" look
- Molly and grandma helping Zoë blow out the candle
Back Home
I always gripe about it snowing in T-Bay while the weather is beautiful down here. So I should admit that while it snowed here on Mother's Day, the weather was great up north.
Here are some more photos from our trip. Stories to follow...
- floating boats
- perfect spot for a snack
- sisters at the sand table
- I want to do what my big sister's doing
- in the ball pit with grandma
Here are some more photos from our trip. Stories to follow...
- floating boats
- perfect spot for a snack
- sisters at the sand table
- I want to do what my big sister's doing
- in the ball pit with grandma
Monday, May 3, 2010
No Snow...Yet
We're up in Thunder Bay for 10 days - lovely weather so far (and by lovely, I mean there hasn't been a full-on blizzard yet), but stay tuned. The trip here was completely uneventful - not a peep from any of the three kids on the drive to Toronto or the flight to T-Bay.
So far we've managed one fat lip (Molly), one bloody nose (Jacob) and three sleepless nights (Zoe), so it's just like home. We had a great hike up Rabid Mountain (with a northwestern Ontario accent, Rabbit Mountain always sounds like Rabid to me), with the twins making it all the way up unassisted.
Kate and I have taken advantage of the grandparents to go for runs and swims (Kate even brought her road bike with her, for a full on triathlon training week).
Here are some photos:
- playing with Papa in the sandbox
- going on a family walk
- checking for heffalump tracks
- swinging Molly
- Jacob and Papa, discussing weighty issues of the day
- throwing stones with grandma
- picnic time
- serious cookie eating
- more serious cookie eating
- on top of Rabid Mountain
- Jacob in full flight
So far we've managed one fat lip (Molly), one bloody nose (Jacob) and three sleepless nights (Zoe), so it's just like home. We had a great hike up Rabid Mountain (with a northwestern Ontario accent, Rabbit Mountain always sounds like Rabid to me), with the twins making it all the way up unassisted.
Kate and I have taken advantage of the grandparents to go for runs and swims (Kate even brought her road bike with her, for a full on triathlon training week).
Here are some photos:
- playing with Papa in the sandbox
- going on a family walk
- checking for heffalump tracks
- swinging Molly
- Jacob and Papa, discussing weighty issues of the day
- throwing stones with grandma
- picnic time
- serious cookie eating
- more serious cookie eating
- on top of Rabid Mountain
- Jacob in full flight
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