let's catch up!

hi there!

 where have you been? 

okay but really, where have i been is more like it? absent...vacant...yes. i've been pretty MIA for no particular reason and when i looked back at my last post i couldn't believe it was in september! have i seriously not blogged since then? eek! before i get back on the blogging trail i thought i would take this post to catch up. a lot has happened since little mila turned one. she basically went from baby to toddler in one sleep. i swear she noticeably grows in a blink.

i went back to work at the end of august! i found the process to be somewhat of an emotional roller coaster where some days i couldn't wait to jump in and share my creativity again; and then there were days when i couldn't even get in the mindset, was so nervous, felt displaced and really timid about knowing anything outside of feeding and nap schedules. eventually i settled on not settling on any emotion and to just ride it out because there was no accurate way to feel about any of it. i plan to have a more official blog post on the matter but after a few months in the "new normal" this life feels pretty standard now. not only do i like being back but i love seeing mila in her school setting. her little individual is budding more and more every day and it's fun to see how she forms relationships with other kids and teachers on her own.

we celebrated a lot! the end of the year is always my favourite time because it's when the importance of family and friends is heightened a bit more then usual and i have always get reflective on the past year while feeling excited about the year to come. there is also jay's birthday and my favourite holidays in the mix. i'll admit i feel like i failed on this year's costumes for halloween. we went as three blind mice but everyone thought we were mickey mouse. must rectify for 2015!

this handsome guys and i snuck out for an anniversary date night to a movie theatre in our 'kind of new' hood. it was the sweetest two screen theatre that reminded me so much of northern california. it was really great to spend time with just the two of us too. those days come at a premium now so even if we are sitting silent next to each other in the theatre the post movie synopsis' we talk about always makes for a perfect date.

m and i flew out to colorado to surprise my mom before christmas. it was a really special trip because it was also the first time i got to meet my new baby niece and mila got to meet her new cousin- plus my mom's reaction when she saw us was priceless. i grew up with this side of our family and to reconnect with everyone, meet new babies and hug my grandma is just about the most wonderful way to end a year if you ask me. it's amazing how even after being removed for so long i can still come back and feel right at home there.

we experienced our first 'real' baby fever which ended us in the ER and a diagnosis of a double ear infection and upper respiratory viral infection. everything has worked itself out just fine, another three ear infections have come gone and we are currently battling a double ear infection now upping our count to five. i recently recovered from bronchitis so our house has been no stranger to antibiotics, rest and disney movies.

last but not least, in case any of you remember, i gave up chocolate for a year last valentines day and have stuck with it! more on that to come as well but for now, it's just a little update and i'm pretty proud for sticking to it!

hope you all had an amazing holiday season and happy 2015!

life lately

we are almost celebrating two months here having little m around and while at times it has been a bit of a challenge trying to navigate mommy-hood and understanding what she needs i have to say, it has been the best time of my life. every week there is something new that she has discovered and i sort of love seeing her figure things out in her own time. jay's new role as dad is also pretty spectacular. i really didn't think that man could get any more handsome but seeing him goof it up with our baby pretty much makes my heart implode daily. she sure does love her dad more than anything! though i have noticed she smiles so big when she sees the two of us sticking out our tongues or making cooing sounds in front of her. i always imagine her thinking "dance monkeys, dance!" whenever we go on and on trying to get smile after smile out of her. but it's worth it to see those eyes light up and that little gummy smile go from smirk to grin.

we have started a few routines with her now and she is starting to really pick up on them. in the morning we read her wurthering heights for babies. she loves the illustrations in the book and just sits there and stares as i point out "castle" and "clouds". then she'll reach out, smack the page and give a little smile. it's ridiculously adorable. in the afternoon we read miss twiggley's tree. it was a favourite of mine from childhood and takes up fifteen minutes easy. she doesn't really get the book yet but i think she likes hearing mom's voice fluctuate when the hurricane comes. at night we are all about goodnight moon. we never go through front to back and usually drop new things to say goodnight to while she looks at the pictures. the other night jay said "goodnight moon, goodnight red balloon, good night pat falloon" (pat falloon is apparently a retired hokey player. the things you learn married to a canadian). after our book we swaddle her up and go around counting the light switches we turn off in the house. sometimes she is in to it, and other times not so much but it's what we do around these parts to set bedtime in motion. i hope one day she'll reach out and turn the switches off herself.

other then that i finally got called in to take my citizenship test, woot! i'll be taking the test next week on halloween which seems sort of perfect seeing as it is my favourite holiday and the day before jay and my anniversary. this might just mean that for the next week mila's afternoon book will be the 'discover canada study guide' instead of miss twiggley's tree. i'm sure i can make it sound fun when i read about the rights, responsibilities, historical and economical growth of canada. sounds fun already right? 

then i just need to work on getting little miss m her dual citizenship. maybe i can knock both out in one week! likelihood of that happening is slim though. we'll see!

  

life lately...

...has been busy!  

work has picked up a lot {as it always does towards the back half of the year}. there have been babies and weddings; visiting friends and weekends away; plus the returning love for my own bed when i wake up on a saturday morning to coffee, jay and two happy kittens.  it seems lately my weeknights are on reserve for handsome and weekends on reserve for friends. i'm not sure how much quality time jay and i will get to spend with each other over the next few weeks.  last week we walked home from the subway sharing an umbrella in the rain, which we typically do, but this time i felt myself swooning over that little moment.  coming up, our time may just be as grand as pouring a drink and sitting on the same couch while i am head down in laptop.

on the brighter side of things, i try to remind myself of all the good things that are consuming me.  things like a job i love, girlfriends i finally found in this city {and also love!}, and so many fun activities that leave me feeling really proud of our friend on tour, our friends about to get married, and the fast approaching two week trip to europe with a few details still needing to be planned out.

it may not be the most romantic time right about now but i sure am dreaming a bit more of this trip.  i am anxiously awaiting a full two weeks of husband time and limited days of crammed full schedules of places we aren't dying to see.  really, i can't wait to wake up and say "what's on tap for today, the louvre or musee d'orsay?" 

all of which isn't really that bad now is it?

le sigh.