Four Months!

Little explorer: With many more to follow... a trip to the Rocky Mountains. A few weekends ago Sawyer and I ventured to Shunda Creek Hostel for a stagette. Lucky Sawyer. The weekend was wonderful. We hiked, hot tubbed (sort of), and had a huge breakfast. Thanks Kim for the wonderful getaway and thank you Laurel for providing the excuse.

New smile: smiling + giggling + blowing bubbles = slobbery messes. Don't get me wrong, Sawyer is still adorable; he's just adorable in sopping clothes.


Newest trick: Sitting in his Bumbo. I know that this doesn't quite count as sitting up but it's a pretty big step. He just doesn't seem at all like a baby when he is vertical and playing with toys.

First: Going to bed at 9:30. It's been a long journey of sleepless nights and fitful days but Sawyer now seems to wind down at around 9:30 instead of his usual midnight. We are so thankful for the schedule change and are embracing our few hours of "free time" in the evenings.

Favorite moment: Sawyer now seems to play shy. If he does end up having a quiet side, he definitely comes by it honestly...

Trying to learn: Two fists are better than one. If it's not his soother in his mouth, it's a few fingers or a fist (or both fists for that matter). These past few weeks Sawyer has learned the art of grabbing, holding and somehow everything seems to find it's way to his mouth. Now if only he could figure out how to put his soother back in.

You Know You're in Alberta When...

You know that you live in Alberta when...

...one weekend you bundle your baby up tight, layer after layer of warm clothes and blankets to battle the blizzard outside.

And the very next weekend...

...the heat is so intense that you bust out your baby pool and everyone gladly goes for a dip as a much needed reprieve from the heat.

A Family Affair

It's coming to the end of slipper season; a mixed blessing.
We love the soft warmth of our Padraigs.
Yet, we love the feeling of bare feet in the summer.

Our slippers have served the three of us well through the cold, cold days of winter and long into the blustery days of spring.
But now we say hello to summer.

Because before we know it we'll need our slippers again.

Fifteen Weeks...

Firsts:
1. Babysittering. Sawyer has had small little stints of time away from Trev and I but nothing like this past weekend. Thanks to Sawyer's super Uncle Dave, a bottle and Sawyer's stroller (but mostly Uncle Dave) Trev and I managed to shoot a wedding. That's an amazing five or six hours of bonding time with his uncle!! (THANK YOU DAVE) That brings up the next 'first'...

2. Sawyer attended his first wedding. Attending the ceremony and tagging along with the wedding party all day should have given him a good glimpse of what a wedding entails... even if he did snooze through most everything.

-Watch out Moose, he's catching up!-

Likes: Daily explorations in the neighborhood. Sawyer now stays awake for the better part of a walk and just seems to enjoy the scenery flashing by.

Newest trick: Sawyer is now a grabber; hair and jewelry beware.


Communication: Surprisingly, Sawyer is not speaking yet, but he defiantly lets us know his thoughts and feeling through sounds and gestures. From coos to cries, giggling to grunting, and not to mention smiles and screams, Sawyer is mastering the art of getting what he wants.

Favourite moments: Kimchi now sits and watches Sawyer play with his toys. When the toy is dropped Kimchi swoops in for the grab and he's off. What Kimchi doesn't realize is that one day in the near future Sawyer will be bigger than him and mobile.

Mother's Day

My boys spoiled me on this, my first Mother's Day.

I enjoyed a long sleep, waking to a clean house and breakfast in bed. Not to mention a long stroll by the river and a wonderful amount of time just being together as a family!

All my favourite things. What more could I ask for.

Happy 백일, Sawyer!!

-Eddy, initiating Sawyer into a Korean tradition.-

This week we were fortunate enough to be able to celebrate Sawyer's 100th day of life with Eddy, our good friend from our days in Korea. In Korean culture the 100th day of life (or Baek-il) is a very important day. This day marks the end of the difficult first days of life, celebrating the survival of the child and for the first time looking at the future with hope. Baek-il was born out of the time past when infant mortality was high and many babies sadly did live past three months. How blessed we are to live a life that makes this horror hard to fathom.

-Happy 백일(baek il) little man!!-

On the 100th day after the child's birth, a party is thrown; family and friends are invited, and a feast of rice cakes, wine and red and black bean cakes is prepared. It is believed that if the rice cakes are shared with more than 100 people the child will be blessed with a long life. People in return send gifts of rice, money and gold symbolizing future wealth.

While Sawyer didn't celebrate in a fully traditional style, we did mix up some killer rice cakes, the most delicious home cooked Galbi and he was showered with gifts from his uncle Eddy.

Thanks for the memories, Eddy!