Could life be fuller?

Life is crazy busy right now with packing, cleaning, moving and parenting. We're emotional about leaving Calgary and moving to a new place, though it is our hometown and not altogether unfamiliar. We're probably also a little overtired. 

But little E continues to truck right along, eating well and sleeping well, and giving us great joy with her increasingly visible personality and antics. We can't help but fall more in love with her each day.

Lasts in Calgary

As we prepare to leave the city, B and I have made a mental lists of places we want to visit one last time before we leave. This included the Calgary Farmers' Market and Heritage Park, among others.

Friday night, at my request, we loaded up the stroller and went for a stroll in Prince's Island Park. We've been there quite a number of times before, for Canada Day, Folk Festival, Shakespeare in the Park and random bike rides and walks.

  It's a beautiful place to walk in the evening. 

Music from buskers can be heard throughout. 

People from all nationalities and all walks of life are there: 

out walking or biking or picnicking or playing games, 

or hitching rides in strollers, as Mom and Dad walk.

There are plenty of places along the river to stop to admire the scenery,

or to have a snack.

  The ducks and geese waddle along, 

showing off their fluffy offspring and begging for food.

The evening sunshine reflects off the river 

and the office towers and condominiums of downtown, 

giving the park a lovely gentle glow.

Prince's Island Park is a pedestrian's treasure, 

comparable to St. James Park or Hyde Park in London England.

And we're going to miss it.

Jus' Hanging Out

When the Mom is sick, 

Mom and Baby spend a lot of time hanging out on the couch trying not to distract Dad.

It's definitely medicinal that baby E is so cute!

Baby in the Closet

Before E was born, a number of people told us how helpful it was to have a baby swing. Thankfully, among the generous handmedowns received from B's cousin was a swing--with five speeds, parent and baby activated modes and plays music to boot! We hauled it out yesterday in the hopes of finding a new way to sooth and entertain E, particularly in the cranky evening hours.

While the swing does work well in the evening, we found it works even better in the morning.

Since progressively more of our stuff is packed away in boxes, we have space in our office--the perfect space for a baby in a swing--in the closet.

So Baby swings and watches Dad work and has a little snooze when needed. Life is good.

Nightlife

Lately, E has decided that the best time of day to be awake is from around six at night until one in the morning. And, of course, she doesn't want to be alone, she wants to have the company of her parents.

So this morning we decided that she has a new theme song.

Presenting The Cars with their nineteen eighty-something hit "Let's Go (I Like the Nightlife Baby)."

A month already

Little E is already a month old! Time really flies. We've already noticed lots of changes in her, and she's already experienced a whole lot of things.

- She is learning to like baths, and to endure diaper changes.

- She doesn't like being put in the car seat, but once in, she enjoys stroller rides and puts up with car rides.

- She does not like cabbage (second hand, that is) but doesn't seem to mind coffee.

- She's gotten breastfeeding totally figured out, but maintains that meals should be no further apart than three hours and that a frequency of every hour and a half is preferable.

- She enjoys being outside, so long as the mosquitoes can't bite her and the sun isn't directly in her eyes.

- She likes to think she's got great muscle control in her head and neck, but the truth is she needs to do a lot more head-ups (like sit-ups, but only involving one's head) before having this one figured out.


She's attended
a wedding,
a garage raising,
two church services,
been part of her first Mother's Day celebration,
and taken road trips north and south.

She's hung out with
two sets of grandparents,
three great grandparents,
several aunts and uncles,
a great Aunt,
two friends almost exactly the same age as her,
and lots of other important people.

Canadian Milk

Colds, Folk Music and Moby Wraps

Little E has her first cold. No fun at all to be all stuffed up with no understanding of nose-blowing or proper coughing. But tucked up in the Moby Wrap, listening to James Taylor and his real-time back-up singer of one (me :D), puts her right to sleep, leaving me free to do some chores with both hands free.

The sun is slowly sinking down, and the moon is rising.
So this old world must still be spinning round,
And I still love you.
--James Taylor (see music video)

Morning

One advantage to being up at 5:30AM to take the baby for a stroll so her mom can sleep is that the light is just perfect so early.  This dandelion was being lit up just right by the low sun, so I took advantage of the timing to get a back lit shot of it.  Might have to make early strolls a habit...

She's Ours

Last night we visited some friends who have a daughter, A, five days younger than E.
Five days younger and a good pound and a half lighter. It was neat being able to look at the two babies side by side and compare family traits.
Little A is a more feminine version of her older brother, and has the fair skin and hair of her parents.

E has put on over a pound since her birth, according to her two week check-up, and is definitely a sturdy little girl.
Our friends say she looks like her dad and mostly I would agree.
Except her nose. She's got that from me, and the chin too, I think.
Whatever the case, we think she's beautiful and we look forward to seeing how she changes and develops over the coming months and years.

Diapering and whatnot

The problem with cloth diapering is that you have to change diapers way more often than with disposable, because the cotton doesn't pull the moisture away from Baby's bum like the products in disposable do.

Or perhaps the problem is when the child eats every hour and a half, day and night, and fills diapers equally as often.

Perhaps that's why God made babies so beautiful, so that you can't stay exasperated and frustrated in your overtiredness...because your heart just melts when you look at them, even after the fourth feeding in as many hours, in the middle of the night.

And it helps that the diapers are cute too. We're using Bummis Prefolds, and are quite pleased with how they're working, though we do go through almost thirty diapers in two days.

Favourites

K and E's favourite place to be for the last thirteen days is as follows:

But my new favourite place for us is anywhere outside with the Moby Wrap. E is still uncertain about it, but I'm looking forward to spending lots of time getting fresh air and sunshine and exercise together.

Good, Better, Best

Our prenatal classes emphasized the importance of pregnant women getting enough protein in their diet, and they especially argued that pregnant women should be getting at least one egg a day to get proper nutrition.

I do not like cooked eggs very much. Never have, ever since I was little. The make or break factor of food for me is texture. And eggs, like mushrooms, are just...wriggly. Not my favourite. [Caveat: I do like a good omelette or eggs Benedict or some other exceptions].

That said, I can fully appreciate the nutritional benefits of good eggs.

So, I offer you a comparison. On the outside of the bowl, generic store-bought egg yolks. In the middle, one free-range heritage-breed egg yolk specially delivered from the farm by my mother. Guess which is better for you?

Parenthood

It's still surreal.
I look down at this tiny squeaking bundle and am in awe.
Can we live up the responsibility we have as parents?
With God's help, I pray that we can.

Elspeth Maren, born on a blustery April day, at home.
Into the hands of our capable midwives and sister-in-law; coming too quick to make it to the birth center.
We are so blessed.

Random Acts of Tulips

We've never planted tulips here.

For that matter, I've never planted tulips at all.

But in the past couple of springs, as we've loaded up the flower beds with compost,

and watered faithfully during the dry summer months,

the tulips have taken hold. 

Last spring we had a few small blooms, in red I think,

which appeared with no encouragement.

And this spring we have yellow and red blooms,

which appeared in the dry and warm early spring,

and which have continued to cheerfully proliferate through the late April blizzards.

A gentle sign of God's sense of humour, I think, 

and of the potential for life.

Butter Chicken and Self Image

While trying to find a butter chicken recipe for M I ran across this funny video on one of the recipe pages.  I think it is kinda fun.  It is worth watching right to the end.

Announcing

There are many ways that we mark the arrival of spring:

The first robin singing high in the tree tops

The prairie crocuses peaking their furry heads up

The first buds on the trees

The City of Calgary signs announcing when street cleaning will commence in our area. 

But one major sign, of which we were reminded by our friend over at Calgary Gardening Adventures, is the first signs of rhubarb growth. I had totally forgotten to look for our rhubarb's appearance--I guess I was caught up watching the tulips grow and bud in the front yard. But when I read Dan's blog about rhubarb, we rushed out to check the status of our own.

So, good news! Spring has officially arrived. Our rhubarb looks to be in fine form for the coming season. Too bad we'll be missing most of the harvesting. I hope the new residents enjoy rhubarb as much as we do!

Eggs and Dye and Such

At the instigation of a creative and organized friend of mine, our small group from church got together and decorated eggs to make "Easter trees." B and I felt a bit dorky about how much we enjoyed the project...we spent more time at it than did most of the kids in the group! We didn't get around to actually hanging our eggs on the tree until after Easter, but we thought we'd post a picture of the final product. It looks so neat and cheerfully spring-like.

Book Review

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book totally changed my perception of heaven and hell--for the better! C.S. Lewis is a classic writer who explains things very well through the use of metaphor, for adults and children.

View all my reviews >>

Birth Control

Interesting article on the birth control pill: check it out.

Classical Music

We've been anticipating tonight for weeks because we're going to see the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Calgary Philharmonic Chorus put on Bach's St. John's Passion. We know one of the tenors and one of the baritones and are somewhat familiar with the music and it's going to be GREAT.

...Just as great as the following performance by Beaker:

Spring has Sprung

While listening to one of my favorite Baroque radio stations I heard the following song, and thought it was quite fitting, as things are awakening for spring around here.  Have a listen to this classical piece by Bach, and the photos are of things dead from last fall, and things awakening.

Postcard

One of the relaxation techniques we've been practicing in prenatal classes is to picture a place where we feel utterly at peace. Here is one such place.

Waterton National Park is so peacefully beautiful it almost makes me cry.
This picture was taken from the top of a grassy hill--
prairie grass of the rolling hills just before the mountains start. 
It's early morning, the air is yet cool and the sun is shining gloriously. 
Below us we can see a bull elk grazing, aware of our presence but not threatened by it. 
The wind brushing past us smells of earth and pine 
and the air is just cool enough to keep us actively aware of our surroundings in our reverie.
In this place, 
prairies meet lakes meet mountains,
culture meets nature (that's the Prince Edward Hotel on the peninsula),
and we meet God.

Saint Patrick's Prayer

On this Saint Patrick's day, I thought I would post the venerable saint's "Breastplate Prayer," which I find very meaningful and thought-provoking:


I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever,
By power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan River;
His death on cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the Cherubim;
The sweet 'Well done' in judgment hour;
The service of the Seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death-wound and the burning
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Daylight Savings

May I just say that I detest the spring switch to Daylight Savings Time.

Every year it messes with my system. And I thought it was just me until I logged on to Facebook this morning and read at least ten other people's comments on dealing with insomnia last night. At least it makes me feel better to not be alone in this frustration.

And, in case you've never experienced it (oh fortunate you!) insomnia is absolutely no fun at all. It's horrible laying in bed awake when the whole rest of the world seems far away in dreamland, leaving you behind.

It's almost enough to make a person want to move to Saskatchewan, where the smart citizens have chosen to ignore Daylight Savings and keep their morning light.

Finally, I would like to set the record straight about who is responsible for implementing this hour-changing nonsense. There is a common misconception that it is the farmers of the world who want later daylight.

Wrong. It is NOT the farmers' fault. They would get up with the daylight regardless of when it occurred. It is the white/blue collar workers who are to blame. Who want more evening hours to go golfing. Or  to spend time with their families in the daylight. I get that. But I still don't think it's enough to warrant messing with our sleep/wake schedules.

Harumph.

Learning to play makes you smart

Learning to play makes you smart

Our kids will definitely be learning to play a musical instrument...and they'll probably listen to Mozart as babies as well. :D

Quilting: Modified Log Cabin

I've started a new quilting project. It's based on the log cabin design, but with variation. It's tricky simply in that it doesn't stick to strict measurements or consistent layout over the entire quilt. It's going to be a serious challenge for me--and seriously bright and multi-coloured when all is said and done!


Today I finished cutting out all the strips and now have to sew them together in the stripey patterns required.

Little Baby Ducks...

I know I've blogged this song before, but I just can't help it. It's in my head this morning and it's such a great song.

The Insides

Again, just some preliminary designs and concepts.  The whole kitchen was enclosed, cut off from the rest of the space, and we plan on opening the whole thing up. 

Why, what nice socks you have (220 days)

 

March

It is March, and gorgeous outside already.  We noticed yesterday that we've got some green "stuff" coming up already.  Hopefully we don't get another hard frost, or we may have some very brown "stuff" later.

2010

Tulips are coming up, and some of our perennial flowers are as well. 

One thing I appreciate about taking lots of photos is going back into my archives and digging out things from exactly a year ago.  Here are the past two years.

2008

 Walking in Nose Hill Park in early March, same conditions as now.

2009

One year ago I was taking engagement photos for J&M, while they skated!

At It Again

From the makers of the "treadmill video" comes another really great one.

Just an Old-Fashioned Love Song...

Just an old fashioned love song
Playing on the radio
And wrapped around the music
Is the sound of someone promising they'll never go

You swear you've heard it before
As it slowly rambles on
No need in bringin' 'em back
'Cause they're never really gone

Just an old fashioned love song
One I'm sure they wrote for you and me
Just an old fashioned love song
Comin' down in three-part harmony

To weave our dreams upon and listen
To each evenin' when the lights are low
To underscore our love affair
With tenderness and feeling that we've come to know

Just an old fashioned love song
Comin' down in three-part harmony
Just an old fashioned love song
One I'm sure they wrote for you and me

To weave our dreams upon and listen to the song

Canada's golden Games leave critics red-faced

Canada's golden Games leave critics red-faced

We're sure going to miss watching coverage of the Olympic games, but it was sure fun while it lasted. Hurray for Canadian patriotism (it does exist!) and for Canadian athletes "owning the podium" in the end after all. The Closing Ceremonies, while I definitely question some of the choice of artists (Nickelback?!) well done. Best moments: having the fourth pillar rise at last, and William Shatner and Michael J. Fox speaking (I have to admit, I had no clue who Catherine O'Hara was) made us smile. Also, when the president of IOC officially closed the Games and there was much protestation from the stands.

What fun. :)

Getting Some Fun

I often will listen to my music shuffled, so I get a good mix of different styles during my day.  Once in a while I catch up with some old favorites, or songs that really mean something to us right now.  Here is one example of that.  I think this is a good model for life, don't you?  It is an old standard sung now by one of my favorite modern female singers, Madeleine Peyroux.

When we want to love, we love
When we want to kiss, we kiss
With a little petting, we're getting
Some fun out of life

When we want to work, we work
When we want to play, we play
In a happy setting, we're getting
Some fun out of life

Maybe we do the right thing
Maybe we do the wrong
Spending each day
Wending our way along

But when we want to sing, we sing
When we want to dance, we dance
You can do your betting, we're getting
Some fun out of life

So, How About It

It officially crunch time!  We're now racing the clock to get things set for our renovation extravaganza.  We plan on over hauling our newly bought house over the months of summer this year.  So you'll be seeing a lot in the ways of that over the next 6 months, as we won't have time for a lot of other things.  Here is a conceptual idea of what we'd like the front to look like once we're done.

Olympic Pride

Twenty-two years ago, the Winter Olympics were hosted by our city.
This was the last time they were held in Canada. With the 2010 Olympics going on in Vancouver right now,
we thought we'd offer a few snapshots from the past.
Whereas the slogan for the 2010 Olympics is "I believe,"
in 1988 it was "Share the flame" --hence the little candles.
We're absolutely enjoying all the coverage,
though perhaps we get a little too caught up, glued to the television.
Oh--and in case you were wondering,
that's B and his older brother E in the first picture, and the boys with their mom in the second one.

Taking the whimsy out of magic: A review of Lev Grossman’s 'The Magicians'

Taking the whimsy out of magic: A review of Lev Grossman’s 'The Magicians'

Posted using ShareThis

A friend of mine has started writing literary articles for an online newspaper and, while I've not read the book she's critiquing in the above article, I thought I would share the review. N, I completely agree that Whimsy would make for an appropriately unusual first name. :)

Man ticketed for raising poultry in yard - Canada - Canoe.ca

Man ticketed for raising poultry in yard - Canada - Canoe.ca Wouldn't it be great if Calgary would change its rules on this? I don't think a few hens would be any stinkier or more obnoxious than a yappy dog or a cat that defecates in other people's flower beds...

I DARE YOU

I was reading through my Google reader this morning and came across this post.  Rather random blogger I read, but they had a good point.  Here is what they said: "I DARE YOU to watch this video and not want to change your life and start doing something you love IMMEDIATELY".

Now I will admit, this video does make me want to fulfill the inner traveler in me.  Maybe not entirely change my life, but certainly do some more traveling on our continent.  It also kind of makes me want to grow my hair out real long and be a traveling troubadour. 

The video reminds me of Dutton, Montana and our trip we took down there two summers ago.  Oh, such good memories of that place now.  Even though this video was shot in Texas they look quite similar, funny because they are 1687 miles apart.

And now in the words of another great go-get-er blogger, GO! 

Hoarfrost Magic

There is nothing quite as beautiful

As a frozen winter scene

At times with proper moisture

Hoarfrost crystals can be seen

It’s like climbing into another world

As thick ice forms on everything

Nothing else is quite the same

As what these crystals bring

Beauty beyond anything else

Forms on the world around

Gathering up and clustered

Just like a frozen shroud

There’s a stillness in the air

When Hoarfrost crystals form

The quiet world is engulfed

From this beautiful winter storm

So if you are so fortunate

To see the hoarfrost magic

Grab your camera and capture

Nature’s icy antics!

-Marilyn Lott

Sunshine on my shoulder

 The sunrise this morning was brilliant and clear.

We opened the curtains wide to let the yellow light in;

warming the house and making the day seem full of promise.

Treading New Paths

While in principle, snowshoeing is merely walking with wide and awkward aluminum or wood platforms attached to your feet, it completely changes the way you travel through an outdoor space.

When the world is covered in deep drifts of snow, the potential paths are unlimited. A snowshoe-er does not have to stick to a pre-existing path, or follow a logical route, but rather can forge on in any direction, through drifts of any size. Want to tackle that giant overblown drifted hill? Go ahead! Want to mogul through the bush, around trees and over small shrubs? There's nothing stopping you except the width of your snowshoes getting stuck between tree-trunks.

I've commented many times on how much I love Nose Hill Park for the sense of natural peace it brings. When, over Christmas, B and I had the time and energy to head out there, to our delight, there was several feet thick of snow lying on the ground--and uncommon event for Calgary. So in the afternoon sunshine we headed out, up over the hills and across the sections of open plain. Through the deciduous forests and the sections of deep brush.

We encountered coyote, porcupine, mice and deer, all thriving in this wilderness park in the middle of the city. The only animal that seemed concerned about our presence was the mouse--probably because we could have stepped on him without noticing. The others seemed not to care that we were sharing their habitat. Who are these crazy galumphing beings who make their own trails? Why are they taking the path of MOST resistance?

I can't say that snowshoeing is a quiet venture, wherein one can spend time philosophizing on the greater ideals of the world. It's hard work, and the heart pumps and blood rushes and breathing is heavy. But when you stop (to catch your breath) and survey the world from your solitary vantage point, with the late afternoon sun shining and very few other individuals braving the elements to join you, the world is truly beautiful.