The cuzes

We just spent a few days down in Orlando, Florida with Josh and Jenn and their adorable baby Aiden. Kieran loved meeting up with his aunt, uncle and little cousin. Kieran and Aiden are only 2 months apart, and I think they're going to hvae a lot of fun in the future. On our last night there they both stayed awake way past bedtime. I suspect that Kieran (the older cousin) initiated this sleepover plot! He went swimming for the first time and peed all over his face for the first time. Babies are fun.

A week in the life of

On Monday Kieran and I went to a very sad funeral. It was for a mom and son. The son died during childbirth because of complications and a c-section (this freaked me out - I had a c-section) and then the mother died from a blood clot the day she returned from the hospital. Can you imagine!?! They were buried together - her holding him in the coffin. There are 2 sons left behind who could really use your prayers. It was a very sobering moment to be singing "Amazing Grace" on a frigid, windy, snowy day as this coffin was descending into the earth, I was holding onto Kieran's stroller and the family was weeping. I needed a big long Kieran cuddle when we got home.

Wednesday we went to the dentist as a family. Of course Kieran didn't have any teeth to be cleaned, but he was passed around to all the staff and found the colourful toothbrushes interesting to look at.

Yesterday I was singing the national anthem and praying at an awards dinner for a home that supports people who are deaf and blind (did you know there are 15,500 deaf-blind people in Canada? that seems like so many!) I was watching a woman translate for her friend - making signs in her hand (just like Helen Keller's friend did). It amazed me that there could be so many different words and signs in such a small space. The dinner was at the Royal York Hotel and Kieran was the only baby, so he got passed around a lot (I'm so thankful he has my social skills!) During my singing, Jim Flaherty (Minister of Finance and special guest) smiled at me. Ooooooh.

Today we're heading up to Jackson's Point for our church's Easter camp (Passover dinner tonight) and then we leave for Orlando on Saturday. I can't wait to meet my nephew.

Happy Easter everyone!

Kissing time

People often ask me what my daily schedule is like. I don't really have one. I kind of just see how things go. (It's actually kind of freeing to live this way for a time!) There are no set times to do anything, but there are certain elements that are involved in every day. There's story time, eating time, changing time, nap time, bouncing/washing dishes time, watch the fishies time, swing time, gym time, often Tim Hortons time and... my favourite... kissing time! Of course I kiss Kieran all throughout the day, but I also reserve time just for kissing. I lay him on his back and kiss him all over. He always smiles and giggles and squeals, and it's the highlight of my day.

Kieran has discovered his tongue, and is sticking it in and out, in and out with pride. It's very cute. He's also enjoying scratching different surfaces and discovering the different sounds and touches. For 4 nights in a row he's woken up drenched in pee (I feel like I've forgotten the art of diapering - what happened? any tips?) He loves bouncing in the jolly jumper. He's growing and getting cuter continually. Gotta go.. it's kissing time!

It took us all day to eat lunch

Not because it was a huge lunch. But because when you have a baby and you don't have a car, you need to plan. We wanted to meet my friend for lunch downtown at 12, so at 9 I started preparing and we left here around 10. We did catch an excellent art exhibit on the way (in honour of Refugee Rights Day) and then arrived home after 3pm. Sometimes TTC is excellent and accessible. Sometimes streetcar drivers refuse to help you and subway elevators aren't working.

We did meet an interesting man on the subway. He struck up a conversation as soon as we got on. He was in full Blue Jays gear and complimenting the baby. Then he shared that he used to hold his friend's baby, but the last time that he did this (or spoke to his friend) was in 1986. The friend - John - refused to speak to him because he thought the Blue Jays fan was being strange with his wife. "I wonder what that baby girl looks like now. I guess she's a woman. I miss that friend and his family." The gentleman shared (in 4 stops!) that he has a learning disability and a mild form of psychosis. He wonders if he'll ever have a girlfriend. He had one girl that was a friend, but she blocked his number, because she said he was too intense. I felt bad for the guy. He was very friendly and obviously very lonely. He just wants love and acceptance. Would I be his friend? When he mentioned psychosis, he looked at the stroller and said "there's no cure. I just have to live with it." What a lonely life.