To sleep, or not to sleep...?

Well, there are no pictures of the banana bread....I guess that speaks for itself!! Thanks for the recipe Kara!

We have surpassed the 3 month mark with Ezra. He is almost 15 pounds already-he's a big boy! We continue to have sleep issues...but it could be worse. We start our evening routine at 6:30pm with baths-both kids. Up until recently Ezra had his in his little tubby in the sink, Peekaboo in the big tub. This past week Ezra started having a bath with is big sister! When I take him out, I put more water in for her while I dress and feed him. At 7pm I read him a story and then try to put him to bed....ugh! He falls asleep long enough for me to get Peekaboo out of the bathtub, dressed, teeth brushed and stories. I put her to bed and close the door just in time to hear Ezra's first '"ech, ech...." I go in, replace soother, hold his tiny hand for a minute... This continues every 5-10 minutes for the next hour or so. By 8:30 pm, most nights, he is (finally) asleep for a few hours. He wakes at midnight to eat, and again around 5, then is up for the day by 8:00am....

Just shows how 2 kids can be sooooo different. When Peekaboo was his age, she went to bed much later (9-10 pm) but I fed her, put her in her bassinet and left the room. I wouldn't hear from her again until 2-3 am for a feed, and then she would just as easily go back to sleep after that until 7-8 am.

Now, I know there are parents out there who would kill for the apparent ease with which he goes to sleep, but I can't help but wonder....Should I can the soother? I am going in to replace it, maybe he needs to 'learn' to do without? On the other hand, parenting does not stop at 8 pm. These poor, little, helpless souls depend on us for comfort and soothing, reassurance and calming. The advocates of 'cry-it-out' must not be able to put themselves in the place of a tiny infant waking alone and sad in the dark and silence, just wanting the reassuring presence of the person they care about most in the world. And so, I will continue to run into the bedroom 45 times a night, replacing a soother, holding a hand, knowing that I can ease the mind and comfort the soul of this precious little guy.

Banana bread

We decided to do something with the bananas that are quickly ripening on our counter. I had remembered my friend, Kara-the self proclaimed Queen of Baking Banana Bread, had recently posted her recipe on her blog. We are trying it out. Check back for results, as it is currently in the oven!
(Nothing like baking on a day when it is 28 degrees out! What was I thinking?!?)

Contact from the South

Anyone who lives about the 60th knows what it is like to try and shop here. You become a pro at the online purchase of just about anything. We are lucky to have my Mom and 2 sisters in Ontario who periodically send us fantastic packages in the mail. We received one such package today-yahoo!

After battling to get Peekaboo using the toilet, successfully, it is frustrating to not be able to get her any 'big girl panties' in town:(

Ezra has outgrown every teeny, tiny pair of socks we had-thank goodness it has been 24 degrees, and he hasn't needed socks! I cannot get something as simple as Peach Jam for my breaky at either of the local grocery stores, ugh!

Previous packages had included awesome shoelaces....with no shoes, for Peekaboo. She was very confused by this, why one would come without the other. This package-new shoes!!

Our package was loaded with items we needed-thank you Gramma B and Aunties-and items we may not have needed, but things that certainly brightened our day!! I mean, who doesn't need a pink, Disney Princesses, storybook, fleece pillow?

Thanks!

3 Month-old growing pains

So, Ezra. He is adorable, smiley, kind of goofy....and driving me crazy between the hours of 7-9 pm. We were doing great for a while. My good friend, and Public Health Nurse, Frances suggested swaddling at the 4 week mark when he would cry for an hour at 9pm. Once he got a bit bigger, and wigglier, we stopped that. Then came the suggestion that he was going to bed too late, so we started his routine at 6:30 to have him in bed by 7:30. For weeks it worked. I gave him a bath, read him a story, nursed him and put him in his crib almost asleep. There was a night that I actually didn't hear from him for 7 hours!
Now, he cries. He cries and he cries and he cries. I put him in his crib sleepy, within 20 minutes he cries. I give him his soother, he cries, I swaddle him, he cries. He is now not going to sleep for the night until 9 or 9:30- even though he is in bed by 7:30. He cries, on and off, for almost 2 hours.
I really hope this is just a phase or a milestone or a something...

Summertime fun!

It has been absolutely lovely here for the last few weeks. Sunny, warm and the bugs have been blessedly absent....knock on wood. Yesterday and today, rain, rain and more rain. We do need it, but we don't want it!!

Last weekend the local SPCA put on a fundraiser, Dawg Day. It took place at a local business, The Woodshed. Peekaboo and I baked some dog cookies for them to sell, she was a great help (and the dogs don't mind so much if she licks her fingers while making their cookies!!)

We took NeWT to the Kid's Animal Parade, and we won "Happiest Dog"! Anyone who has met NeWT knows that this title is well earned! Peekaboo posed for a picture with the certificate that she won, and it appeared in this weeks paper.

This past week Peekaboo took part in a Scavenger Hunt at the park. She was given a piece of paper with pictures of the things she was to find, great idea for those non-readers!! It was lots of fun, and at the end she got a prize!

Northern Crafty

So, having lived in the North on and off for the last 5 years, I have learned lots of new things. The most awesome is my leatherwork (if I do say so myself!) I have learned to make a variety of articles using different materials indigenous to the area. I first learned how to make adult slippers of moose hide with beaver pelt trim, then learned how to make mini slippers for mini people! The leatherwork is not bad-the beading....takes a looonnngg time! Each bead is stitched down individually-crazy eh?!






I have had a lot of fun playing with different beading patterns (ie. the curling stone and broom for my sister, scotch thistle for my Mom!) I have made tiny, baby slippers for my kids, and big, man slippers for my man! I have made "canvas topped", and have experimented with different furs too! These canvas topped slippers have silver fox trim-fancy eh!?

I also learned how to make mitts (I made this pair for myself) and gloves (those are for Tim, and I am NEVER making another pair-turing the fingers the right-side out was almost impossible!)

Lately, I have been using deer hide. My Mom got me some tanned hides from a man she knows who hunts. He got the hides tanned, but then didn't know what to do with them. I am happily turning them into slippers and mitts, and will readily accept any other unwanted animal skins out there!! I know a woman in town who has a husband who traps, I traded her one of the hides for some fur and sinew-bartering is great!

I don't do a lot of beading over the summer, but during the winter darkness it keeps me occupied...and my family in cozy footwear!

The parade

Happy Canada Day!

Today was the Hay River Canada Day Parade! Yahoo! We managed to get everyone organized and downtown in time for it's 10:30am start. Peekaboo has developed a sensitivity to loud sounds like horns and kids banging their hands on a table repeatedly (this happens at play group and she gets very unhappy-who can blame her!?) At the Santa Claus Parade she cried because of the fire engine siren. Knowing that sirens make up a good portion of any decent sized parade, we needed to come up with a solution that would have her able to enjoy the parade without being bothered by the sirens. So, she wore Tim's ear protectors that he uses when shooting! She looked hilarious, but they worked!! The only problem was trying to get her attention....she couldn't hear me!

The local blackfly and nosee'um population also enjoyed today's fesitvities-ugh! The bugs were out is full force, unfortunately.

Aside from the noise, and the tiny, buzzing company, it was a lovely parade. Afterwards, there was a carnival (of sorts) with free hot dogs, and some games for the kiddies. There is also a river raft race. Only 2 rafts were entered this year, and one sank! We didn't hang around long, the bugs were too bothersome and nap time was quickly approaching...

Happy July 1st all!!