Paprikash & Poppycock

Red Apple Falls

2011-11-27T12:27:00.014-05:00

It was a busy fall season for the Dankyu's (our newly-amalgamated family name that some friends and family have adopted). We got out of Ottawa for several fun-filled weekends and visited different friends and family as we eagerly awaited the arrival of Juli's little brother.

We still don't have a picture on the bike, but while the weather remained nice Juli could often be found eagerly waiting for Dad at the door with helmet and snacks, ready to go for a riding adventure. Or else modelling Mom's recent knitting projects - the sweater was actually a gift for her cousin Evan, but she wanted to make sure it was ready to go.

Wild Flower Child
At the end of September we went to a wedding outside Peterborough for Kevin and Christina's wedding, where Juli was a flower girl.

Mom and Juli loaded up and ready for another adventure together as they head for the bus (they left a day before Dad to attend the rehearsal).

The bride and groom after a sunny outdoor ceremony at a country club on the water

Our little flower girl, killing time before dinner with her new-found gymnastic moves

Juli found a golf cart while waiting for photos

Mom and Dad enjoying the reception after Juli retired with the babysitter

Juli finally made the transition from her crib mattress on the floor to a real big-girl bed, and as you can see she's quite happy in it.

Juli Turns 2
We had a little birthday party for Juli at home in Ottawa but foolishly we did not have a working camera for the event. Fortunately for Juli and us, the celebrations continued over the course of a week or so and we had other photo opportunities.

Celebrating more "happy to you" at Nana's in Orillia over Thanksgiving.

We got to play some ball in the backyard

And we visited with cousin Evan to see how much he's grown. Juli is still enjoying her favourite chair at Nana's before he gets a taste for it.

Halloween
Juli got right into the dress-up spirit with her day costume thrown together with Dad while they did errands, and then her 'official' costume for trick or treating in the evening.

We called this the "Hipster Fairy", complete with sass for the photo shoot.

Sporting the "Tiger" as she has her first taste of trick or treating around the neighbourhood. Dad was more excited at first, but once she got into it she didn't want to return home.

It took a few weeks after for her to realize the neighbours only gave out candy once a year.

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...
In early November we visited Toronto for a weekend. The main event was a long-awaited trip to the zoo, but we also had a good visit with Uncle Jeff and Aunt Alanna, who hosted us at their apartment.

Juli was entertained (and well supervised) on their balcony and enjoyed modelling Uncle Jeff's endless supply of hats.

After a long day of exploring the city we made a gourmet meal and Dad got artsy with the self-timer photos

Our deliciously-gourmet desserts

Dad's combination of the four as we split them up to sample each one

The Zoo!
As Juli continued to grow more fascinated with animals of all sorts, we knew that we had to take her to the Toronto Zoo - and Mom and Dad were kind of eager to return as well. It was a perfect sunny day, and a great family outing - and as the photos may show, her excitement exceeded our expectations. If you look closely, you can see her mind being blown, and her expression toward us was often "Can you believe we're seeing this?!!"

Some early learning about the birds and bees, or turtles as it were - this seemed to be happening all over the place during our visit

Had a great visit at the baboon exhibit. At first Juli didn't seem to notice them, and they didn't notice her - they just sat and rested with their backs to each other.

Slowly building excitement and developing a relationship as they take notice of each other

Finally, a big hug for her new friend

One of her favourite animals of late, the hippo, thanks to her favourite bed-time book "Belly Button Book" featuring cartoon hippos. She didn't recognize them in real-life at first, but this was her excitement once she made the connection

Watching the penguins put on a fun show

Giving a heart-felt 'hello' to the moose

Towards the end of the day, after seeing the arctic wolves having a nap, Juli finally decided she might be ready for a nap too. Conveniently on the ground while heading for the exit.

Our latest family shot, on our way home

July! July! (and a bit of August too)

2011-09-05T12:36:00.020-04:00

July 9th: Juli and Kristin visited Dr. Last - an invaluable mentor and friend - for tea and treats. It was lovely to see his bright smile and hear his stories and memories of his late wife, Wendy.

July 10th: Kristin's birthday
Unfortunately Graeme had to miss our daytime events, but Juli helped Mom celebrate turning 31 by going to the New Edinburgh Neighborhood Picnic, followed by making peanut butter cookies. She did a great job helping dump the ingredients and press the fork in to make delectable treats; mom was very happy and proud. When Dad came home, he treated mom to even more gastroflare, with a gorgeous steak (doused in blue cheese butter...) and other decadent fare.

En route to the New Edinburgh Neighborhood Picnic. Juli loved the watermelon, freezie and splash pad.

Making peanut butter cookies with Mom! She was so cute helping and I really loved how our fancy napkin doubled as a toddler-sized apron.

Birthday dinner at home with Graeme

July 15th: Bluesfest (and start of Meghan's visit)
Our friend Meghan came to visit us for the weekend and thankfully endured our chalk-full itinerary. Friday night we all went to Bluesfest for Cuff the Duke (see below, and for whom Juli is clapping for here), followed by Blue Rodeo.

Cuff the Duke - a favorite of Mom and Dad's (and apparently now Juli)

Meghan and Mom (and Juli in the carrier - love the Ergo! - can even wear her pregnant) at Bluesfest enjoying hit after hit of Blue Rodeo.

Saturday morning we woke up early to prepare for our Gatineau Picnic (it was of course 'gourmet' themed - so there was some final cupcake prep that needed to be done, as well as all the crostini's...). The picnic was beautiful and we had such a lovely time with Juli and friends.

Juli at Lac le Peche in Gatineau Park. It was such a perfect day, and she really enjoyed swimming in the lake.

Gourmet picnic with friends (featured here: Sarah, Francina, and Rich)

It wouldn't be a gourmet picnic without a Graham bear beach scene decorating raspberry cream cheese vanilla cupcakes. Really...it wouldn't. Totally fun to make (thanks Caitlin for your creative vision and help!)

On Sunday we enjoyed a lovely brunch at the Fraser Cafe, one of our favorite local haunts.

Despite the frown, Juli REALLY loved this crazy yummy smoothie.

July 22nd-31st: Family vacation!
For the 3rd year in a row we enjoyed sharing a week at the cottage with the Geiferts. But first we visited Nana Sue and Papa Dennis in Orillia (where Mom was celebrated again for her birthday - really spoiled!) and PopPop Dave and Nana Jackie at Brooke and Sandy's wedding in Deermerton.

On the dock of the cottage with Nana Sue.

Juli loved swimming with Daddy in Lake Couchaching. Unfortunately she hasn't been as keen about deep water since then, and mostly prefers to swim in pools/beaches she can walk into. But she's definitely been discovering her fins this summer and we're excited for her fall swim 'Sea Turtle' class.

Juli jamming with PopPop before the party got underway in Deemerton to celebrate Brooke and Sandy's wedding.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Michelle with the newest addition to the Danko-clan...Evan Adam Danko!!! (2ish months here)

The Dankyu's

This is such a lame picture, but I love that we're celebrating the victory of having completed 'Thunder Road' as a duet on karaoke. Go team.

This was shortly after we arrived. We were really happy to be there.

Townes let Juli borrow his chair...she really made herself comfortable (and even had to get her water bottle to put in the drink holder).

One of the many yummy dinners we traded off on making. This one happened to be Graeme's famous cobb steak salad.

Wouldn't be a trip to the cottage without a chacheuterie plate...

...and a badminton tournament (Mom and Dad were the first to be cut).

Helmut helping Aunt Ange (and Trav) make homemade ravioli (!!!) for Graeme's birthday dinner.

Celebrating Dad's 33rd birthday (not sure how I was the one in the picture - sorry about that...).

The Geiferts (Brad, Lindi and Townes)

The Dankyu's

Katrina's wedding
At the end of our vacation we headed down to Sauble Beach to celebrate another wedding (Katrina and Kevin) with Kristin's family.

Going to the beach - Take 1: Not expecting Juli to be that keen on swimming (as per her recent interactions with water), we came ill prepared...

So she improvised. :)

Going to the beach - Take 2:
Okay, this time we were prepared for fun. Juli knew exactly where we were going and for the remainder of the visit would often try to venture off to the beach herself, saying 'beach, beach!'

The water at Sauble was warm, sandy, and very shallow for Juli to wade into at her leisure. Just perfect for her.

We had never seen her get excited about anything this much before. It was totally awesome.

Finally, on the last leg of our journey home to Ottawa, we stopped in at Nana's in Bracebridge.

Juli on the jet-ski with Cousin Rena - don't worry - Mom made sure it stayed stationary!

Although Juli was apprehensive about the deep water, she really wanted to try out the floating ring. It was a fun 2mins, but she was still a little nervous.

Daddy playing guitar with cousin Rena at Great Nana Danko's in Bracebridge.

Juli - half-dressed, playing with buckles, listening Daddy play guitar at Great-Nana's in Bracebridge....yup, she's a Danko.

Camping
Mid-August, Kristin's dad and brother visited us and we went on a 3-night camping trip in Gatineau Park. Just gorgeous. Juli had a blast and did amazing in the canoe.

The family shot before leaving on our adventure.

Canoeing!!! We did it. Well, importantly, Juli did it. She loved it - helped sing songs, watch for ducks, everything.

Papa canoeing with Kevin (taking picture) alongside us.

Our campsite - a lot fancier than we expected for canoe camping. Quite nice.

This was a fun game Juli discovered while camping - flying with her legs off the ground. We think she's really going to love her toddler gymnastics class this fall.

Family shot while Juli napped during an afternoon outing.

Daddy being adorably playful.

Papa John

Camper Juli setting up Uncle Kevin's tripod.

Family shot on the way home after 3 great nights.

[please note - any AMAZING pictures that look like they were done by a professional, were done by a professional - my brother Kevin. I'd like to take credit, but it's all his. Mostly these are pictures from the camping trip and Juli swimming]

Oh Canada!

2011-07-04T05:57:00.014-04:00

This weekend was such a wonderful fun-filled family weekend, it was worth sharing.

It started on Thursday night with Kristin and Juli attending Graeme's rec softball game. Graeme's awesome hits and outfield catches were super fun to watch. Juli even learned to clap at the sound of the ball hitting the bat, and to make a "woo-hoo" sound to cheer on Dad. It was almost enough to distract them from the swarms of black flies emerging from the adjacent bog. Along with visiting some dogs, Juli found some local kids playing hoops and decided to give it a whirl - her and a 7 year old firecracker really had a good game going before mom got involved.

Juli's first bike ride after the game.

On Friday Graeme had to work so Juli, Kristin, and friend Misty ventured downtown to take in Canada Day festivities and attempt to watch the Royals. It really was amazing to see such a mass of Canadians celebrating. Although we had a good viewing spot along the processional route, we decided to seek refuge from the heat (assisted by frozen yoghurt) in a shady spot on Major Hill's Park. So no shots of Will and Kate, aside from the big screen (see below)... that's still something right? Actually, Kristin had seen the royal carriage and the 50 RCMP officers trailing it on horseback earlier that morning from her coffee shop outing, she just didn't realize what it was (or have a camera) at the time.

Boats in the canal and downtown (Pop-pop needs to come for the next holiday...)

Ottawa downtown

Our spot for watching the carriage and the festivities via large screen (Will on screen)

Mom and Juli (Juli post nap, still groggy)

On Saturday, after Kristin had a morning run with friends and we got ourselves organized for the day, we headed out to Gatineau Park for a family picnic/swim. It's a shame it took us 3 years to do this, because it was gorgeous and super fun!!! Juli hadn't taken to swimming previously (especially in non-heated water), but just kept venturing further out into the water until she was submerged and kicking away - what a fish! She also enjoyed playing in the muddy sand for what appeared to be a very long time, given that we had forgotten to bring her any toys to play with. :) Combined with the wonderful picnic, and post-swimming ice cream, it was a wonderful day.

Juli and Kristin enjoying watermelon at Meech Lake, Gatineau Park

Finally, on Sunday we went for a long sunny drive through the country and picked up fresh strawberries in order for Kristin to try and make jam for the first time. Unfortunately the humidity and our late start made it 'inadvisable' to pick the strawberries ourselves, so we (embarrassingly) bought the pre-picked berries with the sincere intent to do the labour next time (hopefully, raspberries in a couple weeks). Juli looked adorable in her 1920's-esque striped frock and new haircut (really just a trim from mom) - until she devoured 5 strawberries and looked like a baby vampire. Jamming was a good excuse to disinfect our kitchen (okay Nana Sue, you can visit now) and the process appears to have gone very well - that is the lids all 'popped'. Thus, we're encouraged and excited to try more canning through the summer.

Pretty (and yummy) strawberry jam

This Year's Model, part 2

2011-05-10T00:08:00.038-04:00

Get ready for some pictures of Juli - we've got plenty of them. Here is our long-awaited catch-up post covering a good chunk of the last year, from July to December.

On the Best Coast
In late July we took our first family vacation together and visited Vancouver. Mom and Dad had been missing friends and the city in general since moving to Ottawa 2 years before, and we thought it would be a good time to introduce Juli to our favourite Canadian city (sorry Ottawa - you're a close 2nd)

Juli did very well on her first plane ride, which was coincidentally full of other babies (I think the captain said there were 8 or more on board). It got a little long after the first couple of hours, but she made a friend in the seat ahead of us.

We spent our first day exploring Vancouver - visiting some favourite spots like Granville Island and Zulu Records, but we were also on a mission to see and do a few things we missed out on while we lived there. One of those spots we always seemed to miss (during their odd business hours) was Go Fish, a take out fish and chips stand near Granville Island. After reading rave reviews, we were happy to eat there for lunch, and it very much lived up to the reputation.

All this to say that Dad snapped this very tourist shot using the auto-timer while waiting for Mom to pick up our food.

After walking around all day we finished off the day in perfect Vancouver style with a picnic at Spanish Bank beach for Nadia's birthday.

We stayed until the last bit of sunshine had left us

Day 2 was spent with our favourite Vancouver family, the Toons. We finally got to meet Ezra, and saw how big Rocky had grown, as well as Lisa's belly with their 3rd little guy on the way. We lucked into the Fusion Festival which was happening right near their place in Surrey, where they had delicious food from around the world and some free music too.

From there we took the ferry over to Vancouver Island to stay in Tofino for 2 nights - another place we never got to explore while out there.

We had a beautiful cabin to stay in

We hiked through the rainforest trails

And had fun on the beaches. It was a bit cooler there than we expected (it was typical summer temperatures), but we had enough sunshine in Vancouver to hold us over.

As you might guess from her expression, Juli was unbelievably happy when we finally set her down to play in the sand

Then back to Vancouver again on the ferry

For the second leg of our trip we were hosted by Nadia and Shelley, who made a wonderful homemade gnocchi dinner for us on our first night, then offered to babysit Juli the next night so that Mom and Dad could go out for a fancy dinner together at Lumiere, which has unfortunately closed since that time.

We did some more exploring with Nadia on our second-last day, starting at the Kitsilano pool for a morning swim. What a bathing beauty!

And then one more visit with the Toons as we returned to our old neighbourhood on Commercial Drive for breakfast. We were excited to visit Little Nest, a little kid-friendly cafe that opened just before we left - we always thought of returning there once we had kids.

We had to return to Granville Island to take in the brewery. For one reason or another, we always ended up there with our guests while in Vancouver, so it was fitting that we returned as guests ourselves.

And then some famous 4th avenue cupcakes to finish things off

And on our final day, we tackled the Grouse Grind. While this was an adventure that we had previously completed, along with Pop Pop and Uncle Jeff when they visited us in 2007, we added to the challenge on this occasion by carrying Juli on the 2.9km vertical trail running up the side of Grouse Mountain. It also happened to be the hottest day of our trip, but we survived and made it to the top (and wisely paid for the gondola ride back down).

The view from the top. Until next time, Vancouver.

At the Cottage
One of our favourite traditions over the last couple of summers has been joining Brad and Lindi, as well as other friends, to rent a cottage near Dorset. Last summer we were lucky enough to visit twice, first on the July 1st weekend, and then again at the end of the summer.

Playing with her boyfriends Townes and Helmut

Tried some swimming in the lake but Juli was not having any of it...

Juli was taunting Townes with her mobility

Despite all the combined toys, of course the egg carrier was the most cherished item

We tried for the perfect pose of moms and babes, but this was as close as we got

Testing out Uncle Martie's ride

Dad's prized charcuterie plate

From the end of the summer visit, with Darryl and Jocelyn

Around the House

Juli enjoys having a little bit of yard to explore at our new place

Little DJ in training - we have a few 'play' records for her to get into

Showing off her first couple of teeth

"My ever-changing moods"

Trying new foods: The Lemon Series

A favourite dress-up item - mom's scarves

Improvised sleeping arrangements - Juli was quickly outgrowing her crib when she began climbing last summer, so she has been sleeping on a mattress on the floor, allowing Mom and Dad to lie down beside her, and the freedom to roll without injury. Win-Win for all.

Dad got excited to start biking in the fall and purchased a bike helmet for Juli, but unfortunately they would have to wait until spring to get riding

Under her high-chair, looking for scraps

Getting ready for winter in her parachute jumpsuit

Helping Dad while he unpacks groceries by sorting the oranges from the box to the bowl

Lindi & Townes visit Ottawa
Just in time for Juli's 1st birthday we had a visit from two of our favourite Guelph friends. We did some exploring around Ottawa, and they helped us prepare for the party, including the amazing name banner that Lindi created for the occasion.

Look at that smile...must have had a good flight

Had to have a little jam session while Beans Giefert was in town

Almost there - still need a little help staying vertical

Juli's 1st Birthday Party
We celebrated on her birthday in Ottawa on a weekday evening, with mostly adult friends and co-workers of Kristin's - a few little people dropped by as well.

And the party continued at Nana's...

Thanksgiving in Orillia & Barrie

Nana Sue made some pretty sweet caterpillar cupcakes

Hangin with Uncle Adam and Maggie in the backyard

Next day in Barrie with Grandma Jackie, Brooke, Izzy & newborn Delilah

Fall in Ottawa
Mom and Juli went for a fall walk/photo shoot to a park near our house, and we took a similar stroll later in the fall with friends from out of town.

A secret lake hidden within upscale Rockcliffe Park in Ottawa - you wouldn't know it while you're there, but this is right in the city

Halloween & Kristin goes to England

Thanks to gifts and hand-me-downs we had a surprising amount of Halloween outfits to wear (still wearing a few that didn't fit back then)

Of course we had to try on the cutest costume ever on a few different occasions, just to get some more use out of it

And while Dad and Juli went to visit in Orillia over Halloween, Mom was shipped off to London, UK for 'work'.

Najpapa tagged along and they stayed a few extra days to see the sights. Many of the scenic photos came from a walking tour they took in the country

Visitors in Ottawa

An early Christmas dinner with the Konnyu's

And dinner with Nana Sue and Grandpa Dennis, returning to an old favourite The Wellington Gastropub, where Juli was entertaining with her new-found voice

And she had her first taste of restaurant food when she was treated to a bowl of mashed potatoes.

And a holiday visit from Kyle, visiting home from Vancouver

Christmas

Juli got to open a big gift before we left home, and she was excited to test it out right away - a new potty!

At Nana Sue's on Christmas morning with Uncle Adam. Christmas hats weren't enough - Nana had to dress her up in a tutu as well.

Juli discovered this chair during our visit at Halloween. She promptly kicked out the stuffed animal who was calling it home and it has become her favourite throne away from home.

Post Christmas visit with Kinley

And a visit with Townes, who was not happy to be around Graeme - this was his reaction for most of our visit while he was in the room.

And finally, a wonderful New Years Eve dinner at home in Ottawa.

On to 2011! We'll try to get that posted before next year...

This Year's Model, part 1

2011-05-08T12:37:00.010-04:00

Hello P&P, remember us?
Well, I don't even know where to start. It's too late for apologies and excuses, but I won't let that stop me. While it has been a terribly long time since our last post, I can honestly say that getting this blog caught up has weighed heavy on our minds for the better part of a year, and now with a few minutes to spare while Juli naps, I'm going to have a go at it.
We were thrown off track last summer when our laptop hard drive suddenly bit the dust, and we lost every picture we had taken of Juli (except for the ones here on the blog). It was quite discouraging at the time, but once we accepted the loss of those early pictures we tried to get back into the practice of blogging about our little girl, not only to share with our friends and family, but also to continue to document her life. But by that point our other projects were keeping us busy, and it seemed that anytime we had a chance to work on it, we took advantage of not doing anything. As Nana Sue reminded us with her grandmotherly wisdom in reference to our lack of blog updates "Juli suffers the fate of all new parents." While I have wanted to prove her wrong, I suppose we were a wee bit naive and ambitious in the early days. Having time off from work in the early days helped too.
So the time continued and the eventual update mounted into a very intimidating project, but here we are, attempting to climb that insurmountable mountain of memories. We went through and picked out our favourite photos from last year - from about the time that our computer crashed, up until Christmas - and we thought we'd start with that. Once this update is out of the way, hopefully we can stay on top of things and try to capture the little moments, as well as the big changes.
Going all the way back to last May...

Dad was on paternity leave from May - September, but Nana Sue got her first chance at babysitting while he attended the music therapy conference in Halifax during the first few weeks of leave.
Juli attended her first rock concert on Toronto Island in June, featuring a full day of bands, including Broken Social Scene and a reunited Pavement. She was bobbing along to the music (mostly refused to wear her ear muffs pictured below), and had a great time hanging out on her picnic blanket with her friend Townes, as well as Uncle Adam and Jeff and many other adult friends

we moved across Ottawa to an area called New Edinburgh in June and have been enjoying the 2 bedroom "half-a-house" that we rent there, with wonderful neighbours, daycare and babysitter nearby, and the Governor General's place just down the street. And Juli finally has her own room!

we took an amazing family vacation to Vancouver in July to visit old friends
had a visit from Aunt Valerie at the end of July, which unfortunately turned south when mom developed appendicitis, forcing her into the hospital, and causing us to miss the Ivy Family reunion
we took 2 fun-filled trips to a cottage in Dorset, once at the beginning and again at the end of the summer with friends (including Juli's friends Townes and Helmut)

Dad returned to work in September and Juli started at an amazing home daycare right around the corner from our new place, adorably named "Les Petits Lutins" or "The Tiny Hobgoblins" Daycare, and has made many new friends there
Juli celebrated her first birthday in October and enjoyed 2 parties, one at home and one at Nana Sue's over Thanksgiving in Orillia. In Ottawa we had Lindi and Townes visit from Guelph for the occasion, and had a house full of guests from Ottawa drop by to celebrate

Mom went to London, UK over Halloween for work and Dad and Juli took their first trip together to Nana Sue's during that time. Also took this time to wean off breast milk

Sometime between November and Christmas, Juli officially began walking (see video for step-by-step progress)
Had an early Christmas celebration in Ottawa with the Konnyu's, including Najpapa, Granny, Uncle Kevin and Michael, and mom did some excellent cooking for us all

Spent Christmas morning at Nana Sue and Grandpa Dennis' in Orillia with Uncle Adam and Aunt Michelle, Uncle Jeff and Alanna, then with the Danko's in Barrie at Pop-Pop and Grandma Jackie's house on Boxing Day

Dad had to return to work in Ottawa after this, so Mom and Juli had their annual post-Christmas adventure travelling around by bus and train and visiting with friends in Mississauga and Niagara-on-the-Lake

I tried my hand at editing various video clips of Juli learning to walk. It's still a bit long, but it captures all of the 'ups and downs', so to speak.

Perfect Day

2010-05-04T11:03:00.002-04:00

So we've been good parents, but terrible, terrible bloggers....

We've got a recap post in the works, dating back to January, but for now Dad wanted to capture the excitement as he takes over for mom on his paternity leave. Four months of summer and Juli! Mom is excited to be back at work, but as might be expected, just a little bit jealous of Dad's timing.

So Day 1 went off without a hitch...much more smoothly than was expected. We saw Mom off to work, we cleaned up around the apartment, we ate some cereal with bananas (a new favourite), we danced and almost went for a nap, and then Dad got out one of his music therapy drums, and we did this:

All this only took us to about 10am, and Dad was starting to realize there was a lot of time in the day to fill (and truly appreciate Mom's work over the last 7 months). The rain stopped and it turned into a sunny day so we went for a walk, and Juli sat in the stroller without her car seat for the first time. Dad thought she'd be feeling lonely, not seeing his face as usual, but she was having a great time looking out at the world from her new perspective, and didn't even care to look at Dad. We picked up lunch and met Mom at work - perfect timing too, as Juli just started crying as we approached her work (and then fell asleep). We returned home for an afternoon nap (made possible by some milk from mom). To finish off the afternoon Juli happily played on her mat with a new stacking block toy, Dad folded some laundry and they listened to some records together. We picked up Mom at work to go see an apartment (we're moving at the end of the month...hopefully) and we were hoping our "perfect day" would include some news on this front, but unfortunately we're still waiting to hear.

That brings us to Day 2, which has been more of the same - except today we even worked in a morning nap. We've packed up a lunch, and we'll be meeting Mom soon for a picnic at Dow's Lake and see all the tulips.

I suppose this all sounds a bit domesticated, especially for any other men reading this, but I'm pretty sure I was born to do this. Stay tuned, we'll get you caught up with lots of pictures and more video - we promise.

Let's do the time warp

2010-03-28T23:23:00.016-04:00

So we were looking at the calendar, getting ready to go away for July 1st, and we realized that it has been a ridiculously long time since we wrote a serious blog update. We gave ourselves a deadline to update it before we leave with this post that dates back 6 months! It was started in March, but includes pictures from back in January. Oops. I guess we've grown busy with our parenting, and unlike when she was first born, I can't update while she sleeps in my lap - that just doesn't fly anymore. More truthfully, I think we've come to appreciate doing other things with our down time, but we still really want to keep up with this and continue documenting our wonderful little girl as she grows. So here goes...

I won't be able to provide as much detail as in previous posts, which may be good if you're into the whole brevity thing (Big Lebowski quote anyone?), but I'm sure the pictures are what people are interested in anyway.

While her expression here doesn't quite capture it, we were excited to cheer on Team Canada to gold in olympic hockey

We got out for a skate on the Rideau Canal during the brief time it was cold enough to open

She started sticking out her tongue in all sorts of ways, which she continues to do now

The Bumbo chair has been great for short breaks around the house

But the bouncy chair is still a favourite for attempting take-offs...clothing optional

Tummy time is increasing, working hard on that crawling position, but doing more faceplants than anything else

And of course nothing beats good ol' naked time...except maybe chewing on her feet, while naked

Mom tried putting together the "Jumperoo" while Dad was at work, and this was the first result

Luckily she got it right on the 2nd try...as her expression shows, this is definately a favourite

A couple of bathing beauties...unfortunately no pictures allowed at the pool

But we did get permission to capture Juli at Mom & Baby yoga

Riding the Daddy Express

Very proud of her rolling

We spent a long weekend in February introducing Juli to friends in Toronto and Mississauga and meeting brand-new Townes in Guelph

Out for lunch in Toronto with Tanya, testing out the new carrier. Though she swears it's not true I think we scared her away from ever having kids after Juli howled on the streetcar ride and all through lunch.

But she was very quiet at Kevin and Christina's in Mississauga

In Guelph with her future husband Townes...but they don't know it yet. Actually, I don't think either one is aware of the other's existence.

Babies mostly slept, as they do, and we had a good visit with Lindi and Brad

Back in Ottawa, visiting Nadine on her rooftop patio with Jen. Juli seems to have a thing for mouths and teeth (future dentist?) and tends to grab in this area. She definately appears to be in control of this situation.

On March 1st Mom and Dad went on a real date while our friends Nadine and Pat kindly babysat (first time with a babysitter other than a grandparent). We had an exquisite dinner at Play Food and Wine before heading to see one of our favourite bands Wilco at the National Arts Centre. It was a wonderful night, and everything went smoothly at home...or so they say.

Of course we had to get her a souvenir

One of our bigger developments during this period was the introduction of solid food. She started out with rice cereal, and then hesitantly moved on to carrots:

Being the independent baby that she is, Juli has insisted on feeding herself, though her aim needs some work

When going through some clothes from Aunts Vava and Donna, courtesy of the Bethany Bargain Bin in Digby, NS, we discovered this outfit. While it still works for a quick snack, it appears to be missing something. Juli thought it was as funny (and cute) as Mom and Dad did.

Out in the neighbourhood with Mom, showing off an incredibly cute hat and the beginnings of her "hamming it up" for the camera

Then Dad's hat

And Mom's hat too

I Get Around - Juli's Christmas

2010-01-18T23:11:00.012-05:00

Juli celebrated her first Christmas holiday in her family's usual fashion: rushing around to see all her family in a few short days. It was a success, squeezing in visits to all sides of the family (except Najpapa, who was away for the holidays) and we even had a little time to relax in between. Juli was very calm and easy to care for despite all the moving around, right from the start - she slept 4 hours straight on the trip from Ottawa to Orillia (no stops!), and every car ride after that.

We started Christmas eve off with a visit to cousin Darren and Denise in Brampton - a quick introduction for Juli and to meet their growing little ones before they left for a dinner. While in Brampton we took a quick skate downtown in Gage Park, though Juli just watched from the sidelines while Mom and Dad alternated laps around the circle. We decided that this might just have to become a Christmas eve tradition.

Post skating at Gage Park, Brampton

Next stop that evening was the annual Findlay celebration in Georgetown at Aunt Kim's. Juli visited with her Granny and Uncle Kevin again, and was introduced to a majority of the great aunts, uncles and cousins in the Findlay family - definately not a small feat for one evening's visit. We stayed late for the gift exchange, including the popular "regift" exchange, then headed back to Nana Sue's in Orillia, arriving earlier than past years...around 2am.

Family photo courtesy of little cousin Cora (pictured on the right).

We were able to sleep in a bit Christmas morning as we waited for Uncle Adam, Aunt Michelle and Uncle Jeff to join us in Orillia for our gift exchange and as usual, a gourmet brunch provided by Nana Sue. We had bigger plans for the day, but ended up spending it in our p.j.'s watching movies, which suited us just fine (especially when the p.j's are as cute as Juli's).

Christmas morning with Nana Sue, in one of her cuter seasonal outfits

Relaxing in bed with mom

Next stop, Boxing Day at PopPop and Jackie's place in Barrie. During this visit Juli got to meet someone very special to the Danko family, her Great Grandmother, aka the one-and-only "Nana". Between Nana's loving and experienced embrace (who has held 5 sons, 13 grandkids, and 8 great-grandkids by our count) and her new swing courtesy of PopPop and Jackie, Juli was entertained and quite content throughout our visit. She even tolerated her Dad and PopPop in their usual hootenany of singing and guitar-playing without any fuss.

With Nana Danko

Loving the swing

Matching or clashing outfits?

This brought an end to Dad's holiday, as he had to return to work in Ottawa on the 27th. But Juli and Mom decided to make the most of their holiday visiting, and went on a little adventure on their own. Dad dropped them off in Mississauga to visit old friend Christina and Kevin, where they stayed the night. They gave mom a few breaks during their visit, but while mom was not around, they decided Juli might make a cute gift herself (see below).

From there they took the train to Kingston to visit friend Brooke (visiting back from Australia) and her family at their cottage.

First train trip, en route to Kingston

Meeting Brooke

There were many adventures on this leg of the trip, beginning with hiking in to the cottage from the road, and continued with:

Juli experiencing a new kind of bed, sleeping in her first drawer

Mom proving she was back to her former self at wall-climbing

And Juli meeting Santa (with some help from Brooke's dad)

The last ridiculous outfit of the season, we promise

Mom and Juli joined Dad at home on December 29th, after another successful train ride (thanks mostly to Mom's very strategic packing before we left Ottawa). We had a quiet New Year's Eve, as anticipated - both due to Juli's early bedtime, and Dad having to work the next day - but we had fun continuing our tradition of cooking a gourmet dinner. This year's meal was inspired by Juli's Great Aunts Valerie and Donna out in Halifax and prepared lovingly by dad: we had an appetizer of breaded scallops in garlic and butter, followed by caesar salad with homemade dressing, spinach fettucini with asparagus and smoked salmon (Pacific, of course), and finishing with cheesecake for dessert. It was so delicious that Mom promptly fell asleep afterwards at 10pm, but was up again for the countdown with Dad. Mom had also started pumping milk just before the occasion, so she was able to enjoy a glass of wine with her meal.

Since the New Year Juli's been continuing to grow and develop new skills everyday, including spending more time on her tummy (she's kicking her legs, but no movement yet):

...enjoying her playmat and discovering toys (by discovering we mean putting everything in her mouth)

...and of course, putting on daily fashion shows with the new 3-6 month clothing line:

"The Bookworm" outfit, as labelled by Dad, featuring her corduroy dress

Her first hoodie, from Mom and Dad at Christmas

Dressed up with mom, featuring a new Rabbit-fur toque from our friend Kyle, and felt brooch created by Mom

"The Little Duckling"

A wee bit early, but testing out the pink Converse hi-tops

Tune in next time as Juli goes swimming, skating on the Rideau Canal, and if we're lucky, we might even catch her rare, but adorable laugh on video.

When You're Smiling

2009-12-14T23:27:00.017-05:00

We’re sorry – it’s been way too long since our last update. In baby time a month is like an eternity, especially to the grandmothers out there (big sorry). But we’ve been bonding and enjoying our family time together, and we’ll take it as a compliment that everyone we’ve encountered has asked when the blog will be updated…we didn’t know we had so many readers as when we stopped writing. Also, we thank everyone who checked in on Kristin after the last update – we didn’t mean to worry anyone, or to sound as dramatic as it might have appeared, but it was nice to know we have such a caring support network out there.

SuperBabe...here she comes to save the day

So, first things first: Mom has fully recovered, feeling great and back in action – not that she ever really stopped, outside of a few days of bed rest. She’s been out on the town with Juli for some appointments and Christmas shopping, with Dad a few times on family outings downtown, and to her work Christmas party just this afternoon.

Uncle Jeff, with Alana in the background

After Uncle Jeff and Alana’s visit to Ottawa, mom and Juli returned with them to Barrie where Juli got to meet Uncle Adam and Aunt Michelle (and Maggie the dog) and mom had some extra help for a few days. Nana Sue, Dennis, Pop Pop and Jackie all had another chance to visit with their granddaughter while back in that area, and Dad came the next weekend to pick them up.

A bathtub away from home

Uncle Adam in his natural environment (with Maggie)

with Auntie Michelle, exploring her playmat

Pop Pop and Jackie

Nana Sue and Dennis

We’ve been getting out in our Hintonburg neighbourhood in the last few weeks. We picked out a beautiful little tree at the Parkdale Market, and hauled it home (note: Dad has now successfully carried home both a large pumpkin and a Christmas tree while wearing Juli…just sayin’). Juli has also taken in her second art show after visiting local bike shop and café Cyclelogik for a group show of local artists, also meeting our friend Caitlin at the same event. And just the other night we gathered with other locals to watch the Olympic torch pass through our neighbourhood, just a few blocks from our place.

As mentioned, we’ve been enjoying our time together around the apartment. We’ve been getting into the Christmas spirit, decorating the tree and torturing Juli with ridiculous Christmas outfits and monstrous winter parkas. Mom even made her an adorable stocking for her first Christmas.

We’ve also been doing all kinds of sophisticated reading to Juli: Mom’s been reading Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, Dad’s reading the Massey Lecture Becoming Human (appropriate, no?) and all together we’ve started A Christmas Carol. It might not be coincidence then that Juli has started cooing up a storm, and responds to us when we speak to her.

She also gives us a beautiful smile almost anytime we make eye contact. We can’t get enough of watching her grow, and she seems to develop more personality every day.

Just Be Simple...and stay in bed

2009-11-16T17:54:00.007-05:00

"Word. I'm just sittin in my chair, like a grown up. No biggies"

So another two weeks has passed us by, and we've neglected our blog again, as Nana Sue eagerly called to inform us last night. Well, we have been busy, but as the title suggests, we've also been forced to take it easy...very easy.

Currently Mom is on doctor-ordered bed rest and Dad was given a doctor's note to stay home from work to help with the little one for a few days - and to try to keep mom from doing anything. Fortunately there are no serious medical issues, but Kristin is not recovering as well as she should be at this point - likely due to not following the initial advice to "rest for the first 6 weeks". It's like telling a bird not to fly though...even with the current order, dad had to deny several requests to go out over the past weekend. Hopefully this rest will do the trick though, as dad is returning to work tomorrow, and as soon as he does, mom and Juli will be out the door (actually, they are already planning for Mom & Baby yoga tomorrow morning).

And speaking of work, Dad just found out he'll be (finally) starting to do some Music Therapy work, beginning this week! The practice with Juli paid off...

Last weekend Juli finished off her grandparent meet & greets when PopPop Dave (we were so happy he agreed to this name...from one of our favourite shows "Arrested Development") and Jackie came to visit us in Ottawa. We had a whirlwind two-day visit that included eating out for two dinners and a brunch, a movie and an afternoon at the Museum of Civilization. We were amazed at how well she did, enjoying it all while snug in her baby wrap and barely making a peep the whole time. She might have been sleeping, but we could just feel her soaking up the culture.

We forgot to get our camera out the whole time they were here, but fortunately PopPop sent us these to post:

First visit with PopPop Dave

Back to the Wellington Gastropub...one of mom and dad's fav's

With Jackie and Dave, and Juli, the pre-dinner entertainment

"Just having a few brewskies with the grandparents...no biggies"

"Hold on to your dessert, here comes PopPop"

We also had a visit from Kristin's close family friend Suzann and her friend Cheryl.

Suzann generously brought us a food processor as a gift from her family, which we are very excited to own. We know Juli still has some breastfeeding ahead of her, but Mom and Dad - self-professed "foodies" - can't wait to start making her some gourmet baby food.

"What's this about solid food?"

"Winter? Ha! Bring it on"

Everything is Moving So Fast

2009-11-02T12:28:00.005-05:00

4 weeks old!!!! We can't believe how fast its gone and how she already seems like a little girl. As Graeme mentioned, we've been a little deliquent in our postings, so here's a little catch up of our going on's.

But first, the award-winning photo of the week, captured by Uncle Kevin:

How cute?!?! Sadly, the smiles aren't consistent yet, and are more the result of passing gas than any act of Mom or Dad's.

We had a few more visitors in the past few weeks. First, friends of Mom, Chantal and Sandra, visited from Halifax and Montreal, respectively. With a better sense of what we're doing, and Mom on the mend, we've worked up more courage to leave the house, and Juli had her first dinner out with Mom and Sandra.

Dinner with Sandra: unfortunately, only the picture with Dad (who conviently showed up for dessert) worked out

In the spirit of getting out and meeting other new parents (and new parenting skills), Mom signed up for a few (FREE!!!!) courses at Mothercraft - an amazing local non-profit organization for kids 0-6. This is where we found our doula and I'm just amazed that such a place exists - workshops, drop-in play times, toy-lending library...how cool?!?! We signed up for Infant Massage and Mom & Me yoga. So far we've done the Infant Massage on two Saturdays - week 1 she ate, week 2 she slept....but it was nice to get the handouts, and practice on the doll all the same.

We've also been spending some time at the local knitting shop, where Mom enjoys tea and conversation with the friendly proprietors and slowly works away on her next Juli project (a 2nd toque).

Juli has now met both Dad and Mom's coworkers, visiting Dad's group home one early morning, and Mom's office this past Friday (she heard there was a Halloween potluck!).

This past week, Juli also got to meet Uncle Kevin and Granny.
Granny, the baby whisperer, and Uncle "Bedhead" Kevin

Granny spoiled her with songs and a shopping spree for fancy outfits, while Uncle Kevin featured her as his photographic subject with his artistic eye. Speaking of art, one of the best purchases we made before Juli was born was a family pass to the National Gallery of Canada. While Dad was at work last Thursday, Mom, Juli and Uncle Kevin took advantage of the passes and attended the members evening featuring the 3 new exhibits. It was a beautiful show, especially Daphne Odjig, and such a relaxing way to pass the evening (of course Juli stole the show and had a few admirers of her own).

Yesterday, Dad got to catch up on some time alone with Juli while Mom took Granny for high tea at the Chateau Laurier as a belated 60th birthday present.

Trying out a few pre-maternity clothes...Graeme calls this the 'Hot Mama' shot and made me post it. Sorry.

Two moms about to enjoy Afternoon Tea

Dad of course took this opportunity to introduce Juli to the fine hobby of record shopping!

Juli looking the part for music shopping in her totally cool overalls

Mom and Dad have been attempting to take breaks from our lovey-dovey family time to do things we love on our own. Last week, this meant Dad got to take in a live show of two of his favourite bands - Julie Doiron and Herman Dune - and this week Kristin gets to see her favourite dance company, Toronto Dance Theatre. Yah!

But as a family we've been loving our time together, both at home (dancing to Paul Simon and The Boss)....

"ohhhhh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road!"

and out and about...

Blistery walk through Gatineau park, collecting fall leaves for Juli's baby book.

And finally... HALLOWEEN!!!!!

We've realized how much more fun holidays are when kids are involved, if only for all the outfits you can embarrass them with as teenagers. Exhibit A below:

Our little carrot...

in the carrot patch

Been a long time since I rock and rolled...and blogged

2009-10-26T15:57:00.011-04:00

We had a good run, but our blogging has finally started to slack. I'm not sure if we'll get back to the semi-daily posts of the first few weeks, but hopefully we can keep up with covering the exciting events in our ever-changing baby world. The following post was in the works, so I'm going to put that up, then follow with a recap of the last few weeks.

Dad was very excited when he recently discovered a way to soothe Juli as well as play his guitar:

So far she seems to love it - I was able to play for a solid hour like this. Previous to this arrangement, she had enjoyed a song or two while in her bouncy chair, but was always eager to be picked up again (and I don't think she appreciated hearing Ryan Adams' "Come Pick me Up" as she waited for me).

I've been thinking about how strange it is to have only played my guitar a handful of times since Juli was born. Of course I knew I'd be busy, but this would have been unthinkable before her arrival, since playing guitar has been a daily ritual for over 10 years. But as with other changes since her arrival, I haven't really had time to even notice, let alone miss it, and my desire to be "Ultimate Daddy" has taken its place. While I expect to get back to more of a daily practice routine (especially with my new rig) I've realized that a lot of my pre-baby playing was to kill time, as with many of my pre-baby activities. But now that she's here and I'm experiencing the craziness of fatherhood, it doesn't feel like I'm missing anything. It's more that I have a greater value for my time and I don't want to waste it (even if that was an option), and I feel a bigger purpose and responsibility for managing my time, for Juli's sake. I definately feel more organized as a dad - less of a procrastinator for sure. And now instead of looking for ways to waste time, I look for something productive to do with it - and for the record, guitar practice is a productive use of time, just not all day long. I do consider this blogging business to be a bit of a time waster, but it's justified as one that is appreciated by the grandparents. Hopefully this is not new Dad naivity coming out - perhaps my ambition and adrenaline will fade, but I'm hoping that I'm a changed man and can continue this productivity.

Enough ranting...there's dishes and laundry to be done.

Mom in her rock gear, sans guitar

Both Sides Now...the bootleg verse

2009-10-17T20:23:00.008-04:00

One of my favorite Joni Mitchell songs is Both Sides Now. Unfortunately, in order to fit the restricted space allotted on those old tapes, the most important verse – ‘Babes’ – was cut to the production room floor, and only in the last week has it resurfaced. I’ve included it below for those who may have not yet come across these additional lines from our favorite Canadian songstress.

Eyes of deep and trusting love

Hands that seek and squeeze my thumbs

And peaceful coos while in my arms

I've looked at babe that way

But now it's night and I can't sleep

You feed, you spit up, and you bleat

Who is this life we must safe keep?

And who in turn are we?

I've looked at babe from both sides now

From brow to toes and still somehow

It's babes' serene face I recall

I really don't know babe at all

I like this song, and particularly this verse, as it captures the dyad of emotions I’ve experienced as a new mom: thrilled and amazed, to be sure, but equally overwhelmed and distraught. I’m reassured by the wisdom of other moms and our midwives that these feelings are largely due to hormones and exhaustion, and that the first two weeks are the most difficult, particularly for first-time moms. I trust this to be the case, as each day I’m feeling more capable and optimistic, and less burdened by fears, guilt and anxiety (‘Are you SURE that’s just a pimple and not chicken pox?’, ‘What’s the difference between ‘spit up’ and ‘projectile vomit’?, ‘What do you mean she’s ready to feed again?’). She’s so precious and so vulnerable, and the weight of caring for her is such an awesome responsibility and gift.

Today Nana Sue came for another visit. Mom and Dad introduced her to Juli’s ‘favourite’ songs from a children’s folk album we received as a shower gift: “Crawdad” (Graeme’s favourite), and “Just Kidding” (Kristin’s favourite). Later when Graeme went to work, the ladies explored the local baby shops and knitting store. Nana Sue treated Kristin to what the salesperson described as a ‘flattering’ nursing bra for Kristin’s increasingly unrecognizable bosoms (again, spit up makes the idea of trying to use just one nursing bra utterly laughable).

After a lovely dinner with Nana Sue and Dennis, Mom and babe had a quiet evening, just the two of them: swallowing, spitting up, snuggling, snoring, repeat…

Mama, You've Been on my Mind

2009-10-16T08:43:00.004-04:00

Dad went back to the grindstone this week, working in the evenings, which has been a bit of an adjustment for the ladies of the house. What has made it even more difficult is the fear that Dad will bring home the flu bug that has been circulating his work since he was last there. So far so good - but dad's been sleeping in a different room, just in case, in addition to other sanitary precautions. This has allowed Kristin and Juli to spend some good mom and daughter time together (I think Kristin is working up to a post on this) but they've also been happy to have some visitors to keep them company.

Juli enjoying her animal cards with Mom

First, our Ottawa friend Elise came by and generously brought some dinner, and helped clean up around the apartment, which was very appreciated. Then Nadia came all the way from Vancouver to have a visit...well, maybe she was in the area for other reasons too...and Juli rested peacefully in her arms.

And best of all, Nana Sue finally got to meet her granddaughter.

She filled our freezer with food and even offered to babysit while we went out for dinner. We had to work up our courage for this, but once Juli was well fed and sleepy, we figured it would be safe to slip out to our favourite neighbourhood eatery, the Wellington Gastropub. As expected the food was amazing, we managed to have some adult conversation, and mom was able to have a full beer this time (last time there she was a few months pregnant). It was so good that we tried to send our babysitters, Nana Sue and Dennis, to the same place, but unfortunately they got a little turned around and ended up back at their hotel.

Nana will be back for a visit in a bit, and its off to work again for Dad.

Attempting a family photo

Out on the Weekend

2009-10-12T22:49:00.010-04:00

Our first family Thanksgiving was celebrated gently and close to home, and while we didn't get to celebrate with most of our extended family, we were happy to have Nagypapa here for a quick one-night visit. As usual he spoiled us with food and his infamous "stories", and took as many photos of Juli as his camera batteries would allow.

Proud Nagypapa

Although mom is still recovering and moving slowly, we treated her growing cabin fever with a brief walk in a nearby park to take in the autumn colours and take our stroller out for its maiden voyage. Juli slept comfortably the entire time, which at this point, tells us that she enjoyed it - or at the very least, she wasn't hungry.

We were also fortunate to be invited to a Thanksgiving dinner with Ottawa friends hosted by "mamma" Maria, our friend Paulina's incredibly welcoming mother. It was also Paulina's birthday, but Juli stole the attention with her natural cuteness. However, the real star of the evening was the roasted duck that was prepared in place of turkey - probably the most delicious Thanksgiving meal I've had (sorry Mom).

"Mamma" and her spread

Another bit of excitement over the weekend was that Juli finally dropped her crusty old umbilical cord and has a pretty little belly button (Mom's cheering for it to become an "inny" but so far it still pokes out a bit). Dad noticed it was first off while changing her, but we had a bit of a laugh while hunting around the apartment for it - eventually we discovered it in the bootie of her outfit. While we're all about the mementos, we agreed that we didn't need to hold on to this keepsake, and perhaps a photo would suffice instead.

Today we had our last home-visit by our midwife, and though mom had a few concerns, they were all quelled as we were assured Juli was healthy and doing very well. As documented below, our little bundle of trout...I mean joy...is now fetching a whopping 8lbs and 1 oz at market price.

To cap off the weekend, Dad chose "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" as his first book to read Juli, and began reading to both his girls. While Kristin promptly fell asleep during the first chapter, Juli rested in his arms for an astonishing 5 chapters. It was quite adorable, and very encouraging for future readings.

Unfortunately the "familymoon" is over and Dad is back to work tomorrow...it will be very difficult to leave this cutie.

Dad's favourite photo - and her first inkling of a smile

Practicing her future rock star salute

Baby Baby You're my Baby

2009-10-11T07:58:00.010-04:00

Happy 1 week birthday Juli!

The last few days have seen us thrown head-first into the world of parenting. Nothing too crazy, but enough to give us a good test (and keep us from writing here).

The biggest challenge was having to return to the hospital after discovering Kristin had an infection from her post-labour stitches. It was a minor problem - go get examined, receive antibiotic - but frustratingly complicated when adding a newborn baby into the picture. We're trying not to be hyper-paranoid about germs, but as a 5-day-old we wanted to avoid bringing Juli into the cesspool of sickness that is the emergency waiting room, if possible. This meant that Dad waited in the car with her, but since it was important to us to continue breastfeeding her, mom had to come out to do that. Again, not a huge deal, but we were initially told to expect a 10-12 hour wait (we love public health care...we really do). Luckily in the end it was "only" 5 hours, but it was a long and worrisome wait nonetheless. All this happened on a day that we had planned to take it easy...in the end we managed, and hopefully we're a bit stronger for it.

Other than this misadventure, I think we've had it pretty easy so far, especially with both of us at home. Juli is a pretty happy baby, as long as she's fed, but she's keeping mom busy with this task. The feedback Kristin has received so far is that the breast feeding is going very well, and as of Friday Juli has already gained an ounce on her birth weight, which is apparently quite good. I know it's been a bit painful for Kristin so far, but it's important enough to her that she is pushing through, and as with any other challenge in her life, always trying to improve her breast feeding abilities. What a mom.

We've had a few visits at home with friends, our midwife, and our doula to keep us entertained, but as we planned, it's been nice to have this first week to bond, just the three of us. And while we've had a few panicked moments of "What do we do now?" or "Is she supposed to be like that?" I think it has been good for us to work through these things on our own, and gain some confidence in our parenting abilities before too many visitors arrive.

Victoria, our incredible doula

Ceremonial "new dad" cigar with Nikita

Speaking of which, as I write this we're awaiting the arrival of Juli's "nagypapa", which is her Hungarian grandfather (Kristin pronounces it "naj-papa"). It will be exciting to introduce her to her first grandparent - and we know he's excited because he left Toronto before 5am to get here.

Juli and Graeme: ‘Tougher than the rest’ - Oct 7/09

2009-10-08T08:59:00.005-04:00

What a day! Day 3 as a family of 3, and the celebration of our 2 years as a family of 2. Both celebrated with zeal, largely due to the amazing-ness of my two babes.

Juli shone on her day 3 home visit with the midwife – showing off her well honed suckling skills and weighing in at an impressive 7lbs 9oz to prove it (apparently weight loss is normal for this stage, but only 2 oz is quite good).

Later, she told those cardiologists at the children’s hospital to take their heart ultrasound and shove it. She had a heart murmur that was initially detected at birth (and hence the reason for us being observed overnight at the hospital) but it was declared ‘innocent’ by an EKG, thus rendering the ultrasound unnecessary. Go Juli!

Tonight we celebrate the ‘cotton’ year with some Indian take out, a little Pinot Noir, and some decadent sweet dessert – courtesy of Dad’s afternoon outing at the store (carrying Juli in pouch, to boot, to let mom sleep).

Indian food, or baby poop?

While we’re talking ‘amazing Dad/partner’ – I can not express how much that man of mine was everything I needed to make birth manageable, dare I say... enjoyable? And every moment since, from total elation to total exhaustion, has been made the best it could ever be by his ceaseless energy, understanding, and love.

Favorite things about the birth:

born on a harvest full moon - could anything be more beautiful?
hearing Graeme’s birth soundtrack (including some of his own songs)
that she came out!

Favorite things about Juli:

Sparkly blue eyes
wrinkly old fingers
the way she looks at me like I actually know what I’m doing (kind of her, isn’t it?)

My Favourite Things

2009-10-07T11:39:00.010-04:00

Some of Dad's favourite Juli things...

She loves to hold her right hand up to her face. Sometimes it's just one finger on her lips, like she's pondering a question; other times it's her whole hand on the side of her face. Remember Bill Murray in "Lost in Translation", being awkwardly posed for the whiskey ads? Like that.

Her first musical inclinations seem to be as a conductor, as she will often wave both hands back and forth, as if leading an orchestra. And just today I even got her to wave along with me for a few seconds.

When she sneezes (adorable on its own), she always has two sneezes in a row, just like dad.

Mid-Sneeze

After feeding, while in her alert state, she seems to love sticking her tongue out, and well...that's just too cute.

When she suddenly awakes from sleeping, she throws open her arms to toss off her blankie, which is cute in its ferociousness. Also kind of like Daddy wakes sometimes: "Who the...what's going...where am I?"

She seems to love her baby-wrap carrier (see Mom's earlier post), and is quite peaceful once inside it. But what makes it even better is feeling both her hands on my belly, giving me a rub.

And although it's heartbreaking to hear, when she really gets her cry-on, she gets this sheep-like quiver to her voice. Makes me want to do anything I can to soothe her (so far that's been "Let's go see what mommy has to eat")

I'm sure other babies do all these little things and more, but we maintain that she's the most adorable baby we've ever known.

A Day in the Life...

2009-10-06T17:26:00.009-04:00

It's only been a few hours since the last post, but Julianna seems to have grown and changed so much already - from her birth weight of 7lbs, 11 oz (forgot to include that before). So we thought we better get some more photos up here.

Here's Kristin in early labour, slowly making her way to the family birthing unit - conveniently, the furthest unit from the main entrance. Declined the wheelchair - what a trooper.

Working through the contractions - according to the clock, exactly 1 hour and 34 minutes before the birth. Gotta love Kristin for trying to smile here...

We'll save the actual delivery shots for the next time you come for dinner...Here she is, right after the delivery, like the Gram Parson's song, "Still Feeling Blue".

With a little more colour, trying on her first outfit

Hanging with dad

Homeward bound...

Show us your eyes!

Settling in at home with her brand new toque knit by mom

Bath time with dad

She liked it going in, but not so much on the way out. But look at that hair!

"Until tomorrow I'll just keep moving on, until tomorrow, the whole world is my home"

Good morning starshine, the earth says "hello"

2009-10-06T07:42:00.005-04:00

She's finally arrived! She was a week and a day overdue, but Julianna Evelyn Danko came into the world Sunday October 4th at 10:14am.

After attempting various tricks to get the labour started, an hour-long walk downtown to see a movie finally got things moving. Mom and dad went to bed around midnight on Saturday, and contractions began around 1 or 2 a.m. Our amazing doula came to our place and supported Kristin, and at 4a.m. Dad called the midwife, who said she'd meet us at the hospital. Kristin was dilated 6cm upon arrival, so we knew Juli was well on her way. Mom made good use of the jacuzzi tub to ease contraction pains, then a few different positions in and around the bed with a birthing ball - no pain medications were required. When it came time to start pushing, the midwife became worried about the baby's fluctuating heart beat, so we got Kristin up on a stool for a good hard push. The baby's head broke through, then we moved Kristin back to lie down, and with the next push - to everyone's surprise - she popped right out on to the bed. If you can picture someone splashing out of a waterslide tube, that was pretty much what happened.

She went right on to mom's chest, cried out immediately, and dad cut the cord (he was also going to catch her, but it happened too fast).

Due to the quick delivery, she had some mucus in her airways and was a little bluish in colour, so they did some suctioning and gave her some oxygen, but after that all was well. She returned to mom in 10-15 minutes, and sucessfully had her first breastfeed.

We spent the first night at the hospital for observation, but got the good word to head home on Monday afternoon. The first night mom needed lots of rest, so dad held on to Juli for a majority of the night, too scared to put her down for more than a few minutes. When he finally worked up the courage to set her down and try to sleep himself, he awoke to find mom holding her. The second night at home mom and dad were a bit more courageous, and set her in her crib next to their bed. She joined them in bed for nursing every few hours, and seemed very comfortable lying between them.

As dad writes this, Juli is quietly inspiring him and enjoying her bouncy chair, while mom catches up on her sleep, gearing up for the next seating of breakfast. It's almost that time...we'll try for a photo recap later today.

9 months and counting

2009-09-27T22:51:00.039-04:00

Welcome to our silly little baby blog. Kristin and I hesitantly enter the world of blogging, hoping that it will be a good way to share pictures and our new parenting thoughts in a non-facebook venue. We hope you enjoy sharing our new adventure.

I'll begin with a photo recap of the last 9 months or so. Initially we were going to try and take regular shots each week, but of course that only lasted about 2 weeks...instead we have a more natural series of Kristin's growing belly.

So here's the first of many pictures of Julianna

And of course, the beautiful mom-to-be...

We thought she was so big here...

Almost full sized...

With Nadine, our most enthusiastic Ottawa baby supporter (and potential baby thief):

with Sandra for a birthday brunch in Montreal

With Heather for a dinner at our place

and a backyard lunch with Lacey to kick off maternity leave

Enjoying the summer...

A familiar scene in recent weeks...

Fancy lady, out on the town

And of course, the baby showers

The first of many knitted baby creations...

And then there's dad - on his first father's day, with "Where the Sidewalk Ends", a childhood favourite

Enjoying himself while putting together various devices with confusing directions...

And mastering his chocolate chip cookie recipe:

Yes, this is a necessary part of the baking process: