Appointments

We've just returned from a quick trip out to Vancouver for our regular check-up with Aedan's doctors. The appointment went really well. Aedan's A1C hasn't really changed since our last appointment 6 months ago: he is still in a non-diabetic range, which means we're managing his blood sugar really well. I've noticed myself that he seems to be in a much tighter range lately, so that means the 5 mg of Glyburide spread over 3 doses a day is working great. We picked up a new blood-glucose meter, one that uses a much smaller sample than what we've got now, set an appointment for 6 months from now, and we were free to enjoy the rest of the day in Vancouver.

Vancouver was absolutely beautiful, warm and sunny, with lots of flowers blooming. The air smelled of damp earth, cut grass, and green things unfolding. We had lunch on Granville Island, and then watched Aedan play in the park. I have to say, it wasn't easy to come home knowing we're still a month and a half away from weather like that!

On our way back through Whitehorse, I met with my midwife, Christina. That appointment also went really well. We talked about my low energy and decided I should start taking an iron supplement: I'm using Floradix. I told her about the headaches I've been having, and she said the iron supplement might help with that, as might getting more exercise and fresh air. She gave me the name of a chiropractor in Whitehorse, so I might book an appointment with her for my next visit. She confirmed that I seem to be about 14+ weeks pregnant, judging by where my uterus was sitting, and then we listened for the baby's heartbeat! It was so good to hear that pulse; it makes things seem more real to me.

Not the most thrilling or lyrical update, but an important one nonetheless. Enjoy your Sunday!

A moment I'd like to remember...

From my journal, April 2nd:

A pause in our walk so Aedan can run up and down a little rise in the path, while I contemplate the sun, so high and warm in the sky, not long ago barely able to peer above the hills.  A raven calls from the tree tops. Aedan stops, points, says "bird" in his way. The raven calls again, and my boy answers, crying "Ah! Ah!" with a big smile on his face.

Surprise #2

I've been keeping this one under my hat for a while now, but can't do it any longer...

I'm pregnant!

Just like with Aedan, I found out just as we were getting ready to go on our vacation. Not very good timing! It's part of why I didn't get as much out of this trip as I'd hoped...I spent half of it experiencing morning sickness and a serious lack of energy.

I'm about 13 weeks along now, due October 6th. I'm not feeling as connected to this pregnancy as I was with the first, maybe because I'm so busy chasing around a toddler so I don't have much time for reflecting. I look forward to the first stirrings from within. I think that will change everything. We have an appointment with our midwife in Whitehorse in a little less than two weeks, and I wonder if we'll get to hear a heartbeat.

As I enter the second trimester, I'm eager for the tiredness to abate. I feel like the house is always in shambles and I have to force myself to get anything done. The dogs haven't had a proper walk in weeks and my body is missing yoga practice. I'm making a conscious effort to get more iron in my daily diet, and I think that's helping. I'm going to ease myself back into my regular exercise routine, gradually lengthen my walks day by day.

Breastfeeding is becoming challenging for me, and I flip-flop between desperately wanting to wean Aedan, and an intense desire to work through it and let him wean when he's ready. I feel very antsy, almost irritated, while he's nursing, and my nipples are quite tender. It doesn't help that it seems like he wants to nurse often these days...and I believe my supply has begun to drop off. To top it all off, he started biting again yesterday. He's also got some red cheeks and has been chewing on his finger, so I wonder if he's just go a bit of teething pain right now. I think most likely I will work through this and let him wean naturally. It's what I've wanted for him all along, and he obviously still needs to nurse, whether for the calories, the comfort, or both.

I wanted to include a belly shot with this post, but I don't think I've got much of a baby belly to look at, so I'll forgo it for now!

18 month old baby

Well, okay, he's actually closer to 19 months old by now. I've been meaning to make this post for a while! And I suppose he isn't really much of a baby these days. No, Aedan has fully embraced toddlerhood!

What is he up to these days? He TALKS! Wow does he ever. When he's awake, he keeps up an almost constant stream of babble, with about 20 recognizable words thrown into the mix. It amazes us how quickly he can pick up a new word; we go through periods where it seems like he learns a new word every day! Some of his words are: gah-gah (dog), ball, apple, date, wah-wah (water), bird, ice, and heavy. I think that last one is kinda funny, he usually says it when he picks up a big book or a wooden toy my dad made for him. Oh, and let's not forget "mama" and "dada"!

Aedan expresses himself in many ways. He still signs regularly, though I've slacked on teaching him new signs. But he still uses dog, milk and outside on a daily basis.

He's also become quite adept at expressing his frustration (much to our frustration!). I suppose toddlers are tempestuous creatures, and Aedan is no different. He'll be happily playing along and suddenly burst into tears because something hasn't gone right. He cries when he's getting tired (but he also signs that he's getting tired), he cries when he's getting hungry (I'm learning to anticipate his meal times), he cries when he can't get his way.

We must keep reminding ourselves: babies are not manipulative! It must be so hard to go through your day having a good 90% of your efforts frustrated. Although, he's getting better and better at most things he likes to do!

Aedan loves stacking his blocks, whereas before he only loved knocking down the towers that Mama made. He can build them up quite high, though, and he likes to add non-block things into the mix, trying everything from bits of fluff, to bottle caps to a ball.

And speaking of balls, he loves those, too! His throws were pretty random and uncontrolled until recently, but now he's really good at throwing in one direction (straight ahead!) and he's a bit obsessed with having two at a time. Maybe he'll be a juggler!

He also loves to climb: furniture, Mama, stairs, whatever (or whomever!) he can get his hands and feet gripped onto. He seems like a bit of a daredevil to me, but what do I know about toddlers? Maybe they're all like that.

He loves to play outside, too. I still walk the trails with him on my back, but lately I'll let him down for the homestretch. He can walk a good distance, and likes to chase the doggies. He also loves being pulled up and down the lane in his little sled. This summer should be interesting...we need to get a fence up around the yard!

Aedan is still nursing, but I feel like my supply has really dropped off recently. In response, his appetite for solid food has grown immensely! He polishes off some pretty impressive plates of food, eating pretty much everything we do. He loves fruit (grapes being a favourite lately), dates, oatmeal, tofu, beans, broccoli...anything we put his way. It's wonderful! I feel like we're establishing a really healthy food-foundation for him. It's a lot of time spent in the kitchen, but I'm so glad I've committed to cooking almost all of our food from scratch, and keeping only nutritious, wholesome foods in the house.

Life with a toddler is exhausting, challenging, and joy-filled. I learn so much about human development, and Mama-development, every day!

Spring Moon

Only a week ago, it was close to 40 below at night, clear and sunny and cold during the day...and here we are, all of a sudden surrounded by the first signs of spring!

~ The snow is melting off the rooftops, crashing to the ground in great thick sheets that rumble the whole house

~ The city and highways departments have been working to grade all the roads down to pavement or dirt

~ Ice Guessing tickets are on sale!

~ Starting seeds and dreaming of the garden (still lying under at least 3 feet of snow!)

~ Melting and drip-drip-dripping everywhere

~ Letting the fire go out today!

~ Opening doors and windows and letting the fresh air blow through the house

~ No long underwear and no plugging the car in!

~ Small flocks of snow buntings flitting around. I love these birds, so starkly black and white, and still remember the first time I saw them, right around this same time of year!

Now is the long haul before all this snow is gone, and the first green shoots of lupine and bluebells start to poke their heads up in the yard. 

What are the signs of spring where you live?

Finally...Nicaragua!

Granada was gorgeous, beautifully restored colonial buildings: 

Granada had lots of really unique, colourful doors!

Isla de Ometepe was calm and quiet after the bustle of Granada. It was a bit buggy, but had lots of natural beauty to fill our days!

Volcan Concepcion

Ranchers would bring their livestock down to the lake each day for a dip!

Volcan Madera

San Juan del Sur was the ocean...and not finding quite what we wanted. Still...there were flowers and ice cream and sunsets!

We learned so much about what we want from a vacation, and about travelling with a toddler. Last year, in Belize, we stayed in one spot. We found that got a bit tiresome after 2 weeks...this year, we visited 3 different places over the course of about 2 and a half weeks. We found this to be a bit too much travelling. Aedan was a real trooper, but each move meant resettling of nap times, getting comfy in new surroundings, finding kid-friendly places to play...we're getting closer to finding what we want, closer to the perfect vacation. Learning about yourself, what you're capable of and what you're not capable of, is definitely one of the most exciting parts about travel!

P.S. In case you were wondering...I kept up with my photo-a-day challenge all through Nicaragua...and lost it while visiting family in Ontario. Maybe next year!

Suprise!

Oh my, I didn't expect it to take me this long to make it back to this space! Nicaragua seems so long ago now, and I promise I'll get some pictures up soon. The days following our return from vacation have been a bit hectic, to say the least...

We've been preparing for our wedding!

On March 14th, we drove out to Tombstone Park with a couple of witnesses, our friend who is a marriage commissioner, my parents, sister and brother-in-law, and we got hitched!

We've been talking about doing this for awhile now, and we picked this particular day because it kicks off the Spring carnival weekend in Dawson. We thought that if any family made it up, it would be a really fun time for them to be in town. And it was! We spent a busy week cleaning the house and yard up, getting ready to hold the casual reception here. We kept things small and fairly private, as that is the kind of people we are (well, except for sharing my life on a blog. Heh heh!)

An hour before we left the house, we picked out a few readings from a selection our friend the marriage commissioner had in her arsenal, and pocketed our own written vows and our wedding bands. It was a gorgeous day, clear and sunny. After driving along the Dempster for awhile, we pulled into a runaway lane a couple kilometers past the Tombstone Interpretive Center, with a beautiful view of the snow-covered mountains. We built a little fire, and as we gathered in a loose circle around it, the wind died and we began. It was short and sweet and heartfelt, and seemed so right for us. Aedan slept through the whole thing on my back, but we were happy that he was "there", and not just back in the truck sleeping (or crying or running around).

Back at our house, we signed the papers and it was officially official. We had a friend cooking for us, pulled pork and baked beans and roasted veggies and potatoes and coleslaw and 3 different desserts. More friends joined us for a bonfire. Aedan had a blast running around the yard with his friend Emery and pretending to drink beer.

It was a beautiful day, a beautiful evening, and we are so grateful to everyone who helped make it special. I never thought I'd get married, but all of a sudden it felt like exactly the thing I wanted to do. So there ya go. I'm a Mrs. Bush Mama now!