Update on Kate

Owen got his update, and so the big sister gets one too. Kate is all kinds of awesome these days, but is also a typical 2.5 year old. Pushing boundaries, slightly defiant and asking 'Why?' about a million times a day. Bullet points for her too? Why the hell not.

- She is still doing great with Owen and loves to hold him and kiss him.
- Swimming lessons started three weeks ago and she loves them. She talks about it all week. Part of the excitement is the two new swimsuits, if I'm being totally honest. But she confidently jumps into the pool (sometimes without letting me know she is about to) and is working on blowing bubbles. Lessons will segue right into the neighbourhood pools opening, so we will be all set for the summer.
- She is pretty much potty trained and only wears diapers for night sleep and nap. We're even diaper free for preschool and errands around town.
- She had her first hair cut this week, although you can't tell. I just trimmed one side of the back where about ten hairs were inches longer than all the rest. Still, big excitement about it.

A photo of our big girl:

Update on Owen

Owen turned eight weeks old yesterday and will be two months old on Monday. It's one of those weird time lapse things where it seems impossible that it's been eight weeks already, but it's also only been eight weeks? Here is a bullet point update on the little guy:

- At our six week check up (which happened at 7.5 weeks) he weighed 14 lbs! Not quite as chunky as his sister was at this age, but he's getting there.
- The last four nights he has slept from about 10:30 or 11 until about 7. Eight hours of sleep in a row is heavenly.
- He's starting to smile, which is totally awesome. The feedback from a newborn in the first six weeks (or so) is all negative. Just crying or not crying. To get some positive feedback makes a huge difference.
- He will take a bottle of breast milk if the source is not available. We'll try to keep that working, since at some point Kate decided that she would rather starve than drink from an evil bottle.
- He is an easier baby than Kate was. We can put him down for the night while he is still awake and after a bit of fussing he will fall asleep. Kate had to be nursed to sleep for months and months. He's also easier during the day. A big part of it is that Kate had reflux so I think she was just uncomfortable a lot of the time. It's very refreshing to have a baby that doesn't constantly barf.

On that lovely note, some photos of our little boy:

Not so far away

This afternoon both kids were sleeping and I decided to make some pastry for pies to have in the freezer and so that I could make some quick quiche dinners in the coming weeks. I pulled out the tools I always use and during the process noticed a pattern. I always use exactly the same tools each time. The same mixing bowl. The same wooden spoon. The same measuring cup. The same pastry cutter. I have other bowls and spoons, but these are the ones I use to make pastry.

And what was the pattern? The bowl was my mum's. The pastry cutter was her mum's. She gave me the spoon. The measuring cup and rolling pin were hers. And the butcher block island that I work on every day is the same one that she worked on every day and which was a wedding present to her and my dad.

She's not so far away.

The Easter bunny

Photo by Cheri.

More weekend pics coming soon.