6 Months

Today is Griffin's 6 month birthday and since I have already posted many of his amazing accomplishments in my last post, I will add just a brief commentary and a few vids highlighting some of his new skills (that being the tongue stick out, sitting and of course rockin the jumperoo!).

Unofficially my sweet boy you must tip the scales around 19 lbs and are bursting out of all your 6 month clothing. Nobody makes you laugh more and harder than your big brother and I love watching your relationship with him grow with each passing month. You adore solid food and I swear eat more than your brother, and thanks to some serious sleep training, are now doing some "good" nights and even better naps - dare I say I might actually get regular REM cycles again?! You are so close to being able to sit up without a safety net of cushions all around you and you are still the biggest cuddle bug, and for that I am so thankful.

A week of firsts....

Sweating, sleeping and cruisin in San Fran

We are still a few days shy of Griffin's 6 month bday, but he had such a big week of firsts that I wanted to blog/brag about it early.

1. After MANY weeks of slow torture and much drool - his first tooth appeared! (followed very closely by the second on the bottom front)
2. First plane ride to San Francisco, which was accompanied by his first heat wave (it was 30 degrees both days!!)
3. First real roll over from back to front. Except that he gets mucho pissed once on his tummy. He also started the roll over at night in the crib, which means mucho crying because he can't right himself and/or gets stuck in the bars.
4. First "sleep thru the night". After 2+ weeks of sleep training, Griffin actually slept from 7:30 until 6:28am 2 nights in a row with only one wakeup (me waking him intentionally to feed). This was followed by many nights of terrible sleep after San Fran, but ah well.
5. First actual jumping in the jumperoo (as opposed to just sitting there, or having his brother bounce him) - its too funny and will try to post a video clip.
6. And what parental blog entry would not be complete without a mention of poop. Griffin also had his first bout of constipation while in San Fran - bu-bye ooey gooey breast milk poos!

30000 Calories and counting

The cousins. Impossible to get all 5 still at the same time!

Consuming chocolate egg # 200

Choo! Choo!

What better way to start off the easter caloric indulgence weekend than a sunny trip to Stanley Park to ride the train and to...hunt for chocolate eggs! Of course, approx. 90% of Vancouver's population also had the same idea so it was a bit crazy but fun nonetheless. I think Griffin enjoyed his first train ride!

Saturday was all about indulgence for me...I cashed in my bday prezzie and spent 2blissful hrs at the spa, so lovely. We then were treated to a deelish meal at Jose and Pilar's which was capped by not one, but two huge slices of easter cake (and about 4/5 glasses of vino - yum!).

Sunday was easter lunch at the Days...again, much much food, not as much drink (only due to the early hour) and much more dessert (incl. Paigey;s birthday cake!)and chocolate.
And I wonder why my jeans are tight these days....
...and there is still more chocolate in the house : )

29 (+8)

Jasper's favorite closed eye pose

Griffin and Mum

The Fam before the big night out at White Spot!

How is it possible that its my 29th birthday...again. So to deflect the attention away from myself, lets also give a big shout out to all the other big bdays this month.

HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY NEPHEW LOGAN!!
HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY SAVVY!!
HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY NIECE PAIGEY!!

And for the best birthday present of all today (well besides the trip to the spa) ....Jasper's first real pee on the potty! Hurrah!

I HEART Sweet Potatoes

Just a little more about Griffin's first foray into solids. Waaaaayyyy long ago, the humble sweet potato was what Aaron and I dined on the very first night we met, and was the first food Jasper liked, and now same with wee Griffin. To say I have a dear place in my heart for this sweet orange tuber is an understatement.

Cinco!

Tummy time!

Chillin with big brother!

Griffin and Great Grandpa Bendt!

Face time

Hanging in the Jumper-roo

Griffin is 5 months old and getting soooooo big! Already tipping the scales at 18 pounds and growing the most adorable leg rolls I have ever seen. He is mastering the art of rolling front to back (still hates tummy time, but is getting stronger nonetheless) and back to front. He is sitting up (and tipping over) but we are working on the balance part. He loves to rock out in the jumper-roo and can even touch the ground now, and do a complete 360 to check out all the toys. He started solids last night (good old sweet potatoes) and is loving them thus far (incl. lunch today). He is also about to start sleep training - perhaps the one hiccup in his otherwise impeccable baby record. Sweet sweet boy, such a joy to have around xoxoxoxoxoxo

And he's up!

Luckily this milestone didn't end in a major header off the bed as Griffin decided to sit himself up on his very own (and remained balanced in this position) for the very first time while I dashed downstairs to grab a diaper...whemph!

Spring has Sprung

We celebrated the first sunny day in a very very very long time on Saturday which just happened to also be the first day of Spring - so what better thing to do than a trip to Maplewood farm?! We may have visited a tad early as most of the females at the farm still had their respective calves/kids/foals/eggs etc safely ensconced in their bellies, but it was a great outing nonetheless and Jasper got to log some QT with his cousins.

Introducing......Christine Day v2.0

The cousins meet for the first time!

Proud Auntie (and partial namesake)!

Proud Dada!

Wee Christine - just 15 hours old!

Alison and Greg welcomed gorgeous "little" Christine Elizabeth last night at 11:33pm weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs 9 oz (which I think at least 3 lbs of which is hair!). GJAC is so excited to have another niece/cousin, and baby Griffin is excited to not be the youngest anymore! Lots of love to the entire Day clan xox<

Bdays and Bathtubs

The Bday Girls

Ole Mor logging some laptop time

Brrr - its cold!

Griffin's Early Conservation Efforts

We ventured up to Cabin Nielsen for the weekend to celebrate Mimi and Ole Mor's birthdays and to log some QT with the cousins. Unfortunately, the boys were dropping like flies - Everett and Logan with fevers and Jasper with an epic barf (sorry Mimi's couch!). But depsite the cloud of germ, we had a great time and I got to replenish all of the calories (and more!) that I lost last week while sick - YUM!

It was also our first visit since the logging of the resort to prevent the spread of the dreaded pine beetle..what once was a beautiful treed recreational area is now a frozen tundra, sad for us, sad for the environment indeed.

Griffin was also introduced to the big boy tub over the weekend and he LOVES it - I think we might have a little Michael Phelps (minus the bong) on our hands....

4 and 5

Oi, posts a little late again due to heinous stomach bug that has decided to take up residence in my guts for the past few days, but now that I am able to eat again, I am also able to type!

Griffin is 4 months!

Little Griffin, time is FLYING by. You are now 17 pounds (!!), you are starting to lift yourself up into sitting (go abs go!) and have good head control. Your chins have levelled off at an even 3 we think and have the cutest little indented knuckles.

You are grabbing at anything and everything and like to hang in the exersaucer for ages. Your smile could melt even the coldest heart and you give them out freely to anyone and everyone. We think some little teeth nubs might be coming in considering the amount of drool produced lately and the lack of sleeping both day and night (sigh). You love watching your brother play and your surroundings and especially love cruising in the Volvo. As much as I want to freeze time as it is going way too fast, seeing the growing bond between you and your brother is absolutely priceless and I can't wait to see it grow stronger and stronger.

Marley is 5!!

Wow! Our little niece Marley turned 5 last week and it seems like we just went to the hospital to meet you for the first time. Marley has grown into the sweetest, most sensitve and loving little girl and we are soooooo happy to have her in our lives (and to give me the occasional dose of girly).

I Heart My Boys

Late post, but we don'tmake much of V Day around here anyways...Love all my boys sooooooo much!

Griffin...A Portrait by Jasper

From our budding little photographer....

Cinco

5 Years of wedded bliss!

Griffin, Aaron and me on our romantic date to the Canucks game

Yesterday was our 5 year wedding anniversary. Because of the wee boys, we didn't exactly have a romantic extravanganza planned, but we did mark this special date with a trip to our favorite restaurant and a Canucks game (boo - 9 straight losses!).
Since part of my efforts to be eco-friendly includes not purchasing cards anymore I have decided to declare my love for my hubba on the blog for all to see, and to be preserved (and not recycled) for the future.

Aaron, my sweet husband, I don't know what I did to deserve you in my life. You are the most hard working, intelligent, loving, funny and wonderful husband any girl could wish for. On top of all that, you are one amazing father - and watching you with our boys makes me love you all the more. How about we have one more?! : )
xxxxooooo

3 Months!

Little Griffin is celebrating his 3 month bday today with a terrible cold, but despite that he is happily chatting and cooing away at me as I type. Last week, he weighed in at 14.5 lbs and is already into the 6 month clothing. Time to go shopping!
His neck is getting stronger by the day and we like to spend some time each day in the exersaucer. Tummy time is still not his favorite, but I am sure he will thank me when he doesn't grow up with a flat head : )

Welcome Rowan!

Mama Tanis and Kayna

Auntie Caldero and Grffin

A little late on this happy post, but a big loving welcome to little Rowan Winter Frame, a little sister for Kayna and another gorgeous daughter for Tan and John. Congrats to the Frame family!

Just a few days prior to Rowan's arrival I attended a lovely Mother's Blessing at Tan's house. As was mentioned at the blessing we don't often celebrate important milestones or rights of passage like becoming a mother or the art of motherhood itself. So, it was nice to focus a lot of love and attention on the mother to be and share a lovely afternoon with a great group of women.

Jasper's Major Milestone!

Well its only a wee trickle, but its the first official pee in the potty!

The View From Up Here

Wow. A view you usually only get to enjoy while cruising at 25000 feet....

The building peeking through the clouds is the Shangra-la Hotel downtown

Griffin's New Trick

Much Ado About Nothing

Ready for school

The Brothers Nielsen

Griffin post-barf

Well, its been 10 days since I last posted, but I really have nothing exciting to post about. Griffin had his 2 month shots today, poor lad, and Jasper continues his love affair with school now that he is in the "big boy class" (I think he was tired of towering over all the smaller kids by at least a head).
I am sprouting new wrinkles by the day (and no, they are NOT laugh lines) AND I finally know what they mean by the term "dish pan hands" (from changing 100 diapers a day and washing each time). Goal for 2009 - only one child in diapers!

Happy New Year Smiles!

Surprisngly the entire Nielsen clan made it PAST midnight last night to officially ring in the New Year. I don't think that has happened since, well, last year : )

Here are some New Year smiles from wee Griffin...he likes to have his chins tickled.