We Love September

Ivan suggested that I experiment with adding multiple photos to the blog rather than a video for a change. I agreed since we've been doing so many different activities that it would be nice to share some of the lovely shots we've taken. Well after sitting here wasting precious minutes of nap-time, I am unable to do so. Please accept the couple of images I was able to finally add and enjoy them despite their weird placement!

So, as I mentioned in the last post, my mom (Grammy), Richard (Opa) and Jonathan (Uncle John) visited us for the second time this summer. With a brief sojourn to Kingston, Ontario in the middle, they stayed for just over a week.We took advantage of the lovely weather to make several half-day trips to various attractions around the city, such as Battlefields Park, Old Quebec City and the Quebec Aquarium. This was Alexis and Mathilde's second visit to the aquarium, and they loved it even more. Grammy and Opa each carried a Gully in their arms and so both of them were able to see the fish while I managed the stroller. I think Alexis had the most fun during this particular trip, since she spent more time out of the stroller this time. We enjoyed a lovely lunch together and were treated afterwards to a display of the aquarium's seals and walruses. I'll say it again; I am a huge fan of the aquarium! Ivan and I would also like to again thank them for looking after the girls for us while we went into the city to enjoy some wood-fired pizza and the Bodies exibition! Mathilde wishes you know that she is working on her bed-time issues and will be happy to go down with no argument next time.
This weekend we hit the trails with our new baby back packs from MEC (and Toni and Hal). We found a nice loop just off the National Trail that gives us access to one of the lakes. This is probably River Heaven, since we were able to take him off-leash and give him a swim at the same time. Yesterday we climbed the 'mountain' on a different trail, which is maintained by the municipality of Lac-Beauport. It was a lovely trail, but strict leash rules are in place and River knows that trails mean freedom. He was a bit hard to manage. None-the-less we enjoyed the treck and the tea that Ivan packed to refresh ourselves after the ascent. Alexis and Mathilde do very well in their packs and even manaage to take little naps.
As for the girls themselves, there are all kinds of new things going on for them! Alexis' third tooth finally poked through this morning, so we've been sleeping a lot better. Mathilde has taken to growling like a tiger, which is sort of scary but mostly cute. Alexis waves at us, her reflection and perfect strangers. (As if we need to attract even more attention to ourselves!) The girls are also on the verge of mobility. They are rocking back and forth on their hands while seated and reaching for toys that have travelled way out of reach. I know it's just a matter of time, but still, it's nice that they mostly stay where they are put.
Ivan is leaving for Belgium in mid October. He'll be gone for two weeks. I'm trying to decide whether I should tough it out here on my own, or attempt a trip out East. This could only be pure madness! I've got a few days to think it through. On that note, I am off to get lunch ready for the girls. Ivan is making lamb tonight and so the girls will try that for supper. Have a wonderful week, all!

Day Tripper(s)

Hello all! Sorry my postin schedule is off, but we've just been having so much fun lately that there simply has not been enough time to post! Grammy, Opa and Uncle John arrive tomorrow, so I thought I'd get one out since I'll be even busier enjoying their company. It really is such a treat when we have visitors. First, the girls just seem to love all the attention. I often lament that I don't get to hold them as often as I think that they should be held, and when people are here, they get so much of it. It's wonderful for them. Secondly, I get opportunities to accomplish things that I wouldn't ordinarily be able to do (like have a shower!) Let's face it, more hands is just that; more hands!
As I eluded to, we've been having fun. We took a day on the weekend where no work was to take place and dubbed it "River's Day." The intention was to do something that River might enjoy for a change. We had been told that Fort Levis on the South Shore was the only off-leash dog park in city and it's environs, so we packed a picnic and everyone into the old Subaru and took off across the river to explore. Sadly, it turned out that it is really only an unofficial off-leash park and so Riv Dog remained on a long line, which Ivan thoughtfully packed just in case. Turns out he prefers to stick very close to his pack anyway, so we didn't have to give him much slack.
The girls enjoyed the explorations around the old fort very much and spent much of it laughing at River. (In case of potential boredom, add family pet). Ivan carried Mathilde around in the backpack cum child carrier that cousins Charlotte and Nicholas sent along for us to use (thank you, thank you, thank you!), and I toted Alexis around in the Baby Bjorn. (Which reminds me to return the second one that Tanya and Mike loaned to us. Yay, twins!) We completed the visit with a small picnic which everyone enjoyed. It's the only time River is permitted to partake in our meals. I figure, it's not like he can pack his own food, and he's working out too, so....
Well, as I say, we're looking forward to our visitor's arrival tomorrow. Ivan will be heading to Belgium for two weeks in October, so if there's anyone out there with some vacation time and no where to spend it, think of the girls and I! And with that, I'm off to bed.

Here Fishy Fishy!

Before I forget, Mathilde is pleased to announce the arrival of one pearly, white (sharp!) tooth. This arrived without the use of tylanol or even too much fussing. As I write this, the poor child is screaming over the baby monitor. (Papa is on scene). So Alexis has two and Mathilde has one. We are very proud and even sang her the Happy Toothday song, which goes to the tune of, you guessed it, Happy Birthday. She really liked that.
We took the Gullies to the Quebec Aquarium on Saturday as repose from the extreme heat and humidity that we've been experiencing. (Extreme to us, anyway). We were not sure what to expect from the girls, being so young, nor were we sure about how we would feed them and look after their needs while there, but off we went anyway. It was FABULOUS!!! It was the perfect activity to do with 8 month olds. They were able to get right up to the glass and watch as giant fish swam by them just centimeters away. I cannot think of anything more fun and interesting for them. In terms of how well they were set up for infants, the experience was excellent. They had a quiet eating area with a microwave, and I even felt comfortable enough to nurse there. There is a very fun glass elevator, which the girls enjoyed, to get you from level to level and most importantly, there is air conditioning! There are also wonderful tours and shows, but we'll save those for when the girls are older. There are even more activities outside the building, such as exhibits featuring polar bears, walruses and seals. There is also a water park to help the toddler set and above beat the heat, and a tree-to-tree obstacle course for older kids. And if you are so inclined, there are lovely gardens to enjoy. I just know that we could get so much mileage from this place. I'm already ready for our next visit! Thank you Quebec Aquarium!!! Oh, and before I forget, we also got a shot of Ivan with the old Quebec bridge as a backdrop. I'll have to beg Jocelyn for the details, but to the best of my knowledge, their Great Grandfather worked as a draftsman(?) on this project. I'll definatley get the details on that.
So, just a short post today. Everything is going very well despite the heat. We look forward to Fall's cool weather and beautiful show. Surely the time will pass quickly as my impending return to work looms ahead. Oh, and a happy belated birthday shout out to Jeanette (aka Grandma). We hope that you had a lovely day!

Bring On the Corn on the Cob!

We have two new teeth! Well, Alexis has them, really, but we are all going through it with her! She cut her first on on July 30th (the day my dad and Mary arrived for their visit) and the second one was in place this morning. We could tell it was on its way too because poor sweet Lexi has not been sleeping very well. Mathilde has two bottom teeth on their way, but she seems to be taking it all in stride.
We had a visit to the pediatrician last week. Alexis weighs 16lbs 2oz and Mathilde weighs 16lbs 10oz. (I may not have that exactly right, but that's close anyway). The important bit is that they are both in the 25th percentile for their height and Lexi is in the 25th for weight, while Mathilde is in the 30th. I always balk when I see 25 and percent in the same sentence, but these aren't math scores we're talking about. They're simply taking after me (for now) in the stature department, and their weights are just perfect for their heights. They are lovely, developing normally and doing very well. Dr Tremblay also gave us the green light on all foods. I thought this was strange, since there are many foods that normally aren't given until after the first year (egg whites, berries etc,) but he said that the American Pediatric Society has changed their opinion on allergic foods and it believes that earlier is better. I don't think Health Canada is on board with this yet (I just checked a couple of weeks ago), but since the girls seem to be doing so well with all the foods that we have given them so far, we'll enjoy the summer's bounty to its fullest without worrying too much about following guidelines. We'll follow gullies instead!
For those of you who don't know, we found child care for November when I return to work. One of our neighbours had a baby 4 days after Tilly and Lexi were born and we'd kept up with her here and there since we met her in the hospital. A while back she mentioned that she didn't want to return to work and thought she might open a daycare in her home. After a while, and much discussion on the subject, Ivan and I decided that we would prefer this type of arrangement over the daycare centre setting (which costs only $7.00/day in Quebec if you can get a spot). We approached her about it and she decided to do it; a decision that we were very excited and happy about. Today, she had us over to discuss the contract and general operation of her daycare and we got to see the work that she and her husband did to their home to prepare for it. It exceeded all of our expectations. It is as professional as any business can be, as warm and inviting as any home could be, and as fun, exciting and educational as any school could be. She will have our girls, her own girl (same age as ours) and her son (age 3). Once the three girls reach 18 months, she will take another 3 year old. There is a sweet little "classroom" where they will spend their indoor time with tables, mats and toys. There is a sepparate area gated off from the main area for the toddler-set where the only toys they will have access to are age appropriate and free of choking hazzards. Everywhere you look are pictures of the alphabet, objects with their names, how to properly wash your hands etc. I have no experience with day cares, so I imagine her ideas are not novel, but to us they indicated that we had made the right decision. She begins classes in September on First Aid, early childhood education etc and she is so enthusiastic about our girls. And they live across the street! Her husband works with mentally challenged youth in homes and hosptals and is darling. Well, they both are fantastic people and we have begun a friendship with them aside from our business relationship. I hate to call it that, but money will change hands, so I suppose that's appropriate. My biggiest fear now, aside from leaving them, is that they won't want to come home at the end of the day. I think that's the best fear we could have. I have to say, we certainly have been fortunate in life. We have so many blessings to be thankful for.
On that note, we are so very thankful that Dad and Mary (aka Grampy and Mimi) could make it for a visit. We all enjoyed their company, and after a very short warm-up period, the girls adopted them as part of their every day life. Family visits are so important to us and we cherish each second that we get to spend with you. So never ever feel like you are imposing on us; we'd rather you be here than be away. Just don't come all at once, please!
On that note, I'm off to sleep. It could very well be short lived, so getting to it sooner than later is imparative!
But before I forget, because this blog will probably end up ultimately being for Mathilde and Alexis, I must mention that the girls look to be on the verge of crawling. They're not actually crawling, but all of the gears are turning and the light has very obviously turned on for them. I will keep you posted! Have a great week everyone!

Lexi Talks (Well sort of)

Well, if you were starting to become annoyed with my more recent posts, you're not alone. I was annoyed by them myself! This is what happens when you spend too much time alone with infants and not enough with adults. Okay, it's a poor excuse, but I'm going to stick to it! I went back and edited last week's post a bit for sentence structure, spelling and grammar. I was in a hurry to get it out, but that's another poor excuse for laziness. I'll keep this post short and sweet in an attempt to get back on track; back to what's really important.
So, as the title implies; Alexis is finally babbling. Normally, babies start this by the end of 7 months, but Alexis decided to keep me guessing. Yesterday, in fact, I'd resigned myself to the fact that maybe she just wouldn't do it. That doesn't make any sense though, since I'm pretty sure that babbling is the necessary precursor to speaking. Anyway, this morning, while enjoying a luxurious sleep in, I dreamed that Alexis was in the next room and I could hear her saying Da da da da! very loudly. I went in and hugged her and praised her excitedly. But then I awoke from the dream to the same thing. Da da da da da! Over and over again. I called down to Ivan and asked if that was Alexis, expecting him to say that it was Mathilde, but it was indeed our Lexi! She'd begun babbling. And she hasn't shut up since! It is the sweetest sound, I can tell you. And the best part? Listening to both of my girls babbling away. We get Ma ma ma, Ba ba ba, Da da da and some ell sounds are starting to emerge too. It's so neat to see them try different things with their tongues. It seems to be related to eating too. As I give the girls progressively chewier things to eat, they need to figure out how to manage their tongues to avoid the food falling out of their mouths. It seems that as they do this, it gives them the idea to pair sound with the action and thus gives them more sounds to work with. I might be off the mark on this one, but it's what I've observed anyway. It's so fun to have new sounds filling the house.
I've included an extra, bonus feature for Nick and CJ, which includes our favourite furry beasty. I might add that this beasty is becomming more and more enamoured with his Gullies, while they just as in love with him. Alexis laughs and laughs at him and his antics, and of couse, they LOVE to pull his fur. River will put up with that for a little while but then he makes his escape shortly after the fur pulling has begun. Every once in a while though, he'll wander over to where his girls are and sniff at their necks, while wagging his tail wildly. When we return from being out, he greets them as missed members of his beloved pack, and he certainly loves them for the delicious morsels that fall on him as he waits below their high chairs. He's been so great with them and with me. He follows me upstairs when it's time to put the girls down for a nap and lies between their cribs until I'm done settling them, and he's with me when it's time to get them up. Mostly he leaves their toys alone unless he's being silly and trying to engage Ivan in a good game of Chase Me! Anyway, enough about River, though we'd be lost without him.
I apologize about the quality of the first video, (It's hard to film them when they're swinging), but I just had to get Lexi whacking Charles Tulo in the face while scolding him for being "bad bad bad." Well, not really, but one could imagine! Enjoy and we'll be back next week.

We're 7 Months Old!

It's hard to believe it but it's true! These Gullies have reached the ripe old age of 7 months, and suddenly they are completely different girls. Both Mathilde and Alexis are able to sit up unassisted for long periods of time (basically until they're bored or tired). They now sit on the floor with their toys and play together, which has been a God send for me. I can get up and do the odd thing while they entertain themselves and each other and so really, we've achieved a whole new level of independence from one another. It's also really fun to sit on the floor and either play with them, or just watch them play! I've become so juiced up about it all that I just ordered about 7 books on infant development, learning and play from the internet. This will probably only serve to drive me insane, but at least I can maximize our play time and set them on the right path.
We've made leaps and bounds in the food department. As you can see from the video, Ivan and I introduced fish to their diet last Sunday. It was a white fish (turbot), and we poached it in water on the stove to cook it. Then we just served it to them like that. They really seemed to like it, so I think we'll do that once a week. We're looking at starting them on tofu, yogurt and lentils next. Maybe we will even try some cooked egg yolk next week. They've been enjoying apples, pears, peaches, plums and bananas for their fruit, and vegetables include: squash, yellow beans, sweet potatoes, peas and carrots. For snack time they've been having rice crackers with some cottage cheese. I tried grated mild cheddar cheese, but we had a repeat of the avocado incident. Ugh.
So why fish? As you know, I've been a vegetarian for 20 years now, and I do not eat fish. Ivan, however eats meat occasionally and would enjoy more fish in his diet. I've never known exactly how I feel about raising children as vegetarians. I am reluctant to entertain the fact that is it unhealthy to raise them as such, because there is no scientific evidence (that I know of) to show that a child absolutely requires animal protein to grow up healthy. There is, however evidence that the introduction of the fatty acids that are found in fish can improve their chances of avoiding asthma, improve brain development and lower the risk for heart disease. On the other hand, we might consider the risks associated with exposure to mercury and PCBs. I might add as well, that we can derive the same benefits from eating what the fish eat (aquatic vegetables for example), but I do not know of a reliable source for such products. Dulse excluded, but I can't even get Ivan to eat that! How can you win? Ivan and I discussed what was important to us as parents and how our decisions would affect our children, and decided that although we both agree that a vegetarian diet is ultimately healthy, we have an obligation to expose the girls to all things that may be good for them. They will make this choice for themselves later in life. In the mean time, we can seek out the best sources for their meat (organic, locally produced, hormone-free etc). And for my vegetarian friends, yes I'm aware that it may be said that I have the ethical responsibility to teach my children about eating sustainable foods with the least impact on the environment while showing compassion to the creatures we share the planet with. I think I believe that you can do both. I, however, will remain a vegetarian as it is a choice that I've made for myself and works for me.
So enough of my lecturing. These last two posts have been fairly controversial, I suppose, but I want to include our beliefs in the blog somewhat for the girls. Ivan and I intend on collecting the posts and publishing them in a book at the end of the year. I think it's really important that they see our decision making process. They will always know that we love them, but it may not always be clear why we do the things we do. Next week, I'll be back to tales of the Gullies and their leaps and bounds, which is really what you want to read about. Never mind what the parents are up to!
Have a lovely weekend everybody!
P.S. Toni, the girls absolutely LOVE the books that the kids picked out for them. (I do too!) That little bee is delightful, and it's so much fun to dress the bear. Although I'm not sure exactly why he needs the mouse in his pocket....Thanks, and hugs and kisses to Nick and CJ from Tilly and Lexi. xoxoxo

Play Time

Yesterday on Oprah (yes, I get to watch Oprah sometimes) the show featured an eight year old girl who had been so severely neglected that she was essentially functioning at the level of a 6 month old baby. The story caught my attention for several reasons. First, while studying Developmental Psychology at university, I learned that in order to understand what role our environment plays on who we become, we need to essentially remove the environment to see what effects its absence has on us. For example; the best way see what effect play has on a children is to take it away at a critical period and see what happens. Well, that's unethical (good thing), so it becomes really hard to study such a thing. Basically, we wait until we find a child who has been very badly neglected, isolated and hope that the caregivers of the rescued child will allow us to study him or her. There are many studies conducted on children who grew up in orphanages where babies received very little stimulation; where there were 40 or more cribs lined up in a nursery and only the perfunctory care was provided. From these children we have learned that play (among other things) is absolutely essential to the well being of a child and future person. The other reason I was interested is because anything to do with 6 month-olds catches my attention these days.
So, what was the point of showing the world this little girl's story? There has to be some relevance or it doesn't make very interesting tv. It really just serves to fulfill the voyeuristic need in us. For me, at least, it brings home the importance of stimulating a child from her very first day on this planet. And not with TV, video games and stand-ins for human on human attention. Okay, I know that for some of you reading this blog, this viewpoint may offend, and it certainly is not my intention to do so. We don't have enough evidence yet to show us what effect (if any) all this has on our children. We will find out soon enough. But in the mean time, I can, with what I learned about how children develop, infer (as others have) about what might potentially happen. Oprah's guest (child Psychologist Bruce Perry) suggests that one potential outcome may be a generation of apathetic people with the inability to show empathy towards other human beings. As a result of reduced one on one interaction, these kids may end up simply not being able to relate to one another as adults.
Ivan and I have long discussed these issues. We don't have the solutions to the world's problems, that's for certain. But we do share an important philosophy about parenting. And that is that we both want to engage fully in our childrens' lives. That for us means, watching TV with our children (when they do start watching it), reading to them, playing on the floor with them and eating together as a family around our table. It means activating their imagination through play, pretend and games. As I write this I realize how arrogant I might come across. We didn't invent these concepts. Anybody who has been in the field of caring for or teaching children knows all of this and so much more. But it's something we both feel very strongly about, and we are always seeking out information on the subject. It sort of makes Mathilde and Alexis a hobby of ours, albeit a very important and time consuming hobby! And speaking of....I can hear said children upstairs, awake from their morning nap, "talking" with one another. That's my cue to get them dressed and saddle up the stroller for a nice, long walk.
Thanks again for reading, and have a wonderful weekend. P.S. check out the webpage for updated pics of The Gullies!