Lucky Sparrow

My mom (Gramma Patsy) is on this trip with us, and she noticed that there are a lot of sparrows living here. Sitting on the deck, she said "Boy, if I were a sparrow, I would much rather be born in Hawaii than in Calgary!'. Now, whenever a sparrow lands on our deck to eat our crumbs, she whispers 'lucky sparrow'. She now tells Rhys he is a 'lucky sparrow', too.

Okay...some pics from Day 6...

The view from our 'Lanai' (you can see my feet resting on the deck rail in the bottom left corner):

Whale watching from our deck, taken with the zoom lens:

We went onto the rocky shore (just outside our room) this morning, because we were told you can see Sea Turtles. It was such a challenge to find them! No pics of the turtles themselves, but lots of Warren looking for them! Rhys is in the Baby Hawk (we didn't buy a new carrier...):

Beauty shot of mom & I:

Took a long drive up to the Lavender Gardens, on the side of the island volcano, which brings us to Resolution Photo, Day 6:

Even amongst all the excitement, babies need to be fed:

It was a sleepy ride home:

Then, watching the sun set at 6:15pm...a ritual we do every night here. It looks different every time:

We brought along Rhys' 'Gro Egg' room thermometer so we would know how hot it was where he was sleeping. The thermometer was very 'unhappy' tonight (28 degrees Celsius is in the DANGER ZONE!):

Resolution Pic, Day #5, and Eat Your Heart Out pic..

Day 5 Family Pic: In front of the largest Banyan Tree in the U.S. Of course, can't see all of the tree - it was so big it grew extra 'trunks' just to hold up the branches!


And this one...just to make you jealous :-) I'm drinking a Maui Waui with a handmade flower clip in my hair, right on the ocean. Heck, I'm jealous of myself!

Resolution Pic, Day #4

Day 4, Maui Ocean Centre Day:

This pic was taken in the Uber Cool aquarium tunnel at the Maui Ocean Centre. A glass tunnel surrounded by sting rays, hammerhead sharks and so much more.

'T' - I'll take some pics of our condo & views etc, to post soon. At the end of each day, I'm just so darn tired!

Mr. Rhys, seeing fish for the first time:

Resolution pics, Day 1, 2 & 3.

First off, I just want to say that getting a daily pic of our little family has been more difficult a resolution than expected. It takes serious commitment, for reasons I cannot figure out!

Day #1, Travel Day:

Day #2, Grocery Shopping & Settling In Day (my mom is still learning about 'head room'. I know I'm short, but Warren and I should be able to fit into the same frame!):

Day #3, Farmers Market, Park & Pool Day:

Cronin Travel Nightmares

Okay. I'll admit it. That title is a bit of an exaggeration, and was intended for shock value. Mostly to shock my dear friend KW, who is planning a trip with her little one in a month or so, and who I know will be checking my blog and hoping to read all good things to glean some courage for her trip. Kirsty, it wasn't all that bad, I promise!

But, having said that, who wants to read about a perfect travel day with no headaches? NO ONE. People want the dirt. And there was some.

First off, we arrived at the airport 3 hours before departure and barely made it in time to board. We literally strolled up to the gate, didn't stop, and heard they were boarding travellers with young children. No time to buy a magazine or a bottle of water!

Travel Tip for KW #1: US security is nuts these days. Get there early.

Rhys was a rockstar on the plane. However, take off was tough on him, mostly because he hadn't napped at all since we needed to take him out of his stroller through security, and he was totally overstimulated. Fun Fact: The flight was 7 hours long, and Rhys slept a total of 45 minutes (once for 15 minutes, and once for 30 minutes). He cried for maybe 6-10 minutes total (felt like longer) as he fell asleep. The rest of the time (6 hours and 10 minutes) he was awake and happy.

Travel Tip for KW #2: Bring a small diaper bag within your diaper bag (that has just one or two diapers, some wipes and cream) to take to the change table, because the changing area is TIGHT quarters! Also, a binky leash is a must.

When we landed, we were in love with Rhys for being so great on the plane. That's when our luck turned a little bit. We learned a big lesson that I couldn't stop beating myself up over. We should have brought OUR OWN DAMN CAR SEAT, instead of renting one with the vehicle. I'm sure all the seasoned moms out there are thinking 'Well, DUH!', but I wanted to avoid the cumber some cargo and the part of having to install it when we got there. WELL. Turns out the car rental company doesn't install them for you. We assumed they did. Cut to us, 7:30pm Maui time (10:30pm Calgary time), after travelling all day, in the dark, in the rental car parking lot, trying to read & comprehend an instruction manual for the sketchiest looking car seat we've ever seen. HOLY CRAP it was hard not to lose our cool. My mom said Warren & I handled it great, but I was seriously having an internal meltdown. My mom was strolling Rhys around (who is normally fast asleep at this time) while we went through 2 different 'styles' of car seat trying to figure out at least one of them. Oh. My. Gawd. I want to barf just thinking about it. It sucked. But, in the end, it got installed. Then, once we were on the highway, Rhys (who was WAYYYY over tired) began to shriek and cry for 20 minutes straight to the point where he was spitting up and coughing he was so worked up. That was stressful. It felt like we were torturing him. Poor little soul. 'Sorry this is so rough on you buddy, but mom and dad really want a hot holiday, so...sorry'. Oh, I felt like the worst mom ever.

In the end, he fell asleep in the car, and was a trooper when we had to transfer him to his new crib, in a strange, hot, humid place. He slept well after that.

Even with all that, I can tell you it's worth it. This condo complex we're staying at is a GEM. Truly. We are so blessed.

Pics and more stories to come, I'm sure. Now - off to bed! Need to recuperate, even after a laid back day today.

31 days

This year, my New Year's Resolution took on a 'baby steps' approach. I decided that instead of one or two massive resolutions that span the entire year ahead, I would instead come up with a new resolution for each month, as the year goes on. Today marks the completion of my January resolution, which was to blog for 31 days straight. I (surprisingly!) really enjoyed it, and only 2 days were tough and felt like I was forcing myself to write something. I expected to struggle a lot more than that.

February will be a bit unique, because we'll be on vacation for almost half of it. So, keeping this in mind, my resolution will be vacation-oriented (read: fun!) and will also be 2-part.

1st half of February resolution: While on vacation, I will make sure, each and every day, to get at least one photo of Warren, Rhys & I together, just the 3 of us. Hopefully we'll get creative with them. And, I have a hunch that Cedric might make his way into some of them, too. It'll be a 'Where's Cedric' type of thing :-)

2nd half of February resolution: To make a digital photo album through Blurb of our holiday, by the end of the month.

Today: LAST MINUTE PANIC. Checking lists. Then an excited, anxious, sleepless night. Up early tomorrow. Catching a plane. Facing our fears. Leaving our comfort zone. LANDING IN THE TROPICS. Saaa-weet!

PS - Mr. Leonard Cohen is getting a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy's tonight!

PPS - Glee Club Ladies - save a spot for me in the Congo line! See you when I come back.

Tic Toc

Yesterday: Wore me out. A trip alone with Rhys to Superstore will do that to me. Superstore really is a soul-sucking place, and I should try to limit my visits there as much as possible.

Today: Marks 2 sleeps till we leave. My cousin is coming over once more to get all the deets on the dogs and living in our house. Where the towels are kept, how to record The Bachelor on the PVR, where I hide the chocolate, that sort of thing. I'll make sub sandwiches (and hazelnut lattes!) for lunch while she's here, and there is a rumour that she might be bringing over homemade CANDY APPLES. My newly menstruating body is excited about that. Then, more packing. More checking lists. More laundry. Something frozen & quick for dinner. Oh right...and feeding, changing, playing with and cleaning up after a baby. That needs to happen too.

Okay Saturday. Warren is working this weekend, so go easy on me please.

OMG! Shawna, this one is for YOU!

Watch the video in this article:

MADTV iPad

(This is from years ago - they totally called it!)

Ya....so that happened.

Well, it would seem I may have figured out the cause of my sudden nausea and intense stomach cramping on Wednesday. And no...there is NOT another Rhys-y-pie on the way, as one of my dear friends suggested ;-P

Nope. The opposite, in fact. Aunt F***ing Flow arrived. SIGH. This means a few things to me. 1st, it means I friggin' need to bring friggin' tampons on holiday. BOOO! 2nd, it means the end of the bliss that was life without Aunt Flow. 3rd, I'm taking it as a sign from my body that pumping 4-6 times a day for 2 straight months is ENOUGH. Move On. Rhys doesn't care. So, I'm officially weaning myself. 'Weaning' Rhys is a joke. He goes from bottle to breast to formula to pumped milk like a pro. I love his morning nurse, but I honestly don't think he gives a hoot.

So...now what happens? Do my breasts shrivel up and die? Do they go back to their former mediocre selves? Do they blossom into glorious orbs that exceed their previous glory? And I just bought 3 new bras, too. Curses!

To lighten the mood, some random baby/dog cuteness:

"Wow - Papa sure does a good job of cleaning our your ears, River!" :

Today: A trip to Superstore to buy formula, jarred baby food, diapers (for Rhys and his mom! Curses!) and other odds & ends to pack for Maui. And, if it's warm out, maybe a walk around the neighbourhood.

PS - Get well soon Warren! Rhys wants to snuggle his Papa.

Thursday Bonus

Yesterday, Mac announced their new 'Tablette' computer. Warren, the ultimate gadget consumer, tried to sell me on it.

Warren: Hon, the iPad would be perfect for you! It would be great for all your blog reading. (He then sat on the couch, holding an 'imaginary' iPad and began scrolling through the 'imaginary' touch screen, to illustrate this for me...)

Amanda: In what Universe, is it remotely justifiable that I spend over $500 dollars to read my blogs?

Warren: (looks at Amanda blankly with a troubled frown on his face...)

Amanda: ...NOT the one we currently live in.

(I have to admit they look cool though. Wish they'd called it an iTab instead of an iPad. Makes me think of a Maxipad, for some reason).

Crumby.

Yesterday was kinda crumby. Warren & I both woke up feeling yucky. Warren had a sore throat and a really raspy voice, and I was feeling nauseous. Warren was clearly the sicker of the two of us, and I was convinced my queasiness was due to hunger or something. An hour or so went by and Warren's voice & throat were feeling a wee bit better. My queasiness was not. A barfing session ensued. BLECH.

So, I did my best to be on 'Rhys Duty', while Warren tackled our to-do list. It almost seemed like Rhys knew we were sick, because he was quite subdued all day, and even had an extra long nap in the afternoon (thank-you baby!). We were worried that he might be sick because he was so low energy, but nothing else seemed different about him.

Today: The cleaning lady is coming to try and make our house somewhat suitable for our family members to live in while we're gone. While she's here, Rhys & I & the dogs will be hiding at Nana & Grandan's place (Warren's parents). Tonight we'll try to get a couple more things done. Ick.

What wonderful things are YOU doing today? Come on people, cheer me up!

Test Run

We were very fortunate to inherit a bunch of second hand summer type clothing from our friends. I imagine it might be hard to find sun hats and swimsuits for infants this time of year? One of the items I was particularly happy to find was a 'Body Glove' swimsuit for a baby Rhys' size. Of course, I had to make sure it fit! So I dressed a very unhappy Rhys (hence the soothie) in his Body Glove Swimsuit and finished off the look with a colorful sunhat. He looks like a professional diver, don't you think? Scuba lessons anyone?

So I figure if we leave with this ensemble, some sun screen, and some swimming diapers, he'll be good to go in Maui :-) Oddly, though, the list of stuff to pack for him is, in reality, WAY longer than that.

This would make a great father/son portrait except for the mass of spit up by Rhys' foot:

Today: Warren is off, so we'll continue to tackle our 'leaving for holiday soon' to-do list. One item on the list, is to look for a good backpack-style baby carrier to take with us. Warren isn't confident the Baby Hawk will be good enough. Since he'll be the one carrying Rhys in it, I can't argue too much. Any tips on good ones? A woman in our baby class recommends the Ergo. Anyone have this or used it before?

Tuesday

Yesterday I tried to blast through some 'to-dos ' on our 'get ready for holiday' list, but by evening both Warren & I were feeling under the weather (I refuse to say we were feeling 'sick'!). So we decided to pack it in earlier than usual, Warren made some tea with honey and lemon, and I downed some Vitamin-D & Advil. Made for some messed-up dreams, but I must have slept well because I feel a bit better this morning.

Today: I am signed up for a 'Feeding Your Baby' class, but I'm not going to attend. Sorry, Rhys, but your Dad & I still won't know how to feed you 'properly'. Guess we'll keep winging it...

Instead, today calls for a long, hot SHOWER. I want the washroom filled with steam. Maybe 2 (large-ish) to do items will be tackled. Then, if I'm feeling good tonight, some exercise.

Birthday Recap

I didn't do the best job getting appropriate pictures from my birthday celebrations, but I'll post what I do have.

First, dinner at my mother-in-laws, with my mom, Warren, Father-in-law and Rhys last Wednesday. A pic of me & Rhys with my Marble Slab 'Oreo' birthday cake:

Then (the well documented in photos) Ladies Night at Theresa's on Friday.

I was greeted with '30th Birthday Party in Progress' yellow tape covering the front door:

Turns out, I'm a total HAM (who knew?!)...

Wearing my 'Never Grow Up Gangsta' necklace:

30 candle with homemade cupcakes! :

What, I have to share these? :

I'm trying to remember what we were laughing about?! :

Oh, the masks. Don't ask :

Opening Prezzies:

Ya, little buddy. That's how a felt at the end of the night, too:

(Editor's note: CUDOS to Keri for coming to girl's night with her little 7 week old and staying past midnight!!! Seriously! You are a better friend that I!!!).

Then, on Saturday, we went our for dinner with some more great friends. HOWEVER, I completely forgot to have the waiter photograph us all at the table. So all I have from the night is a lame self portrait I took before we left:

If nothing else, I figure that pic will come in handy to analyze any new wrinkles/chins that may crop up over the years...

Lastly, brunch at my dad's house on Sunday. Didn't take the pics I should of, but here's my dad feeding a very grumpy grandson:

Thank-you Family & Friends for treating me to a such a special 30th birthday. You all rock.

Good Morning.

Sweet, sweet, Sunday morning.

Mr. Rhys slept until 9am. Glorious 9am. Then Warren & I enjoyed lattes and fresh cinnamon bread that Gramma Patsy brought over for us last night. Ahhhhh...

Yesterday: Got a haircut. Bought a new 1950's inspired swimsuit. Went to Murietta's for dinner with Tiff, Sean & Sue. So GOOD. So FUN.

Today: Brunch at Grampa's house! Then...some exercise. Then....need to start packing! 8 more sleeps to Maui.

A Special Day

Yesterday was a good day. And not just for me.

I was going to write about what an awesome group of Lady Friends I have, the laughs we had, the plates of sugary treats we did not consume, the silly masks we wore, the lovely drawings and the thoughts they represented, and of course the thoughtful gifts that were given. But, I'll save that for another day, because when I came home I checked my blog list for updates and saw THIS. If you missed what happened to this family last spring, look here. I've been following their blog ever since they lost their daughter. Reading their words as they cope with that magnitude of grief. And now, I share my birthday with their newest little darling. Their sun.

Today: Haircut in the morning, and dinner with friends tonight. Let the b-day celebrations continue!

Thirty.

Thirty years ago today, my mom gave birth to little baby girl, and named her Amanda.

Thirty years ago today, my dad held a little angel in his arms, and probably wondered what the heck he had gotten himself into.

Now their baby girl is 30 years old, and has a baby of her own. How totally odd. I wonder what that must feel like. There is a line in 'Fiddler on the Roof' that goes: "Is this the little girl I carried? Is this the little boy at play? I don't remember growing older. When did they?" .

(Editor's note: I made this pic B&W to hide my greasy hair and lack of make-up...I'm not sure that it worked...).

Here's my Grandma holding me, 30 years ago in January 1980:

And her holding Rhys (his Great Grandma), in December 2009:

I have a very blessed life as I exit my 20s. In fact, I'm pretty confident that my 30's are going to be KICK-ASS, too!

Yesterday: Rhys got his H1N1 shot, and barely cried! The nurse said that vaccine is warm, so it hurts less. Here is a pic of Rhys NOT napping in his crib yesterday:

Today: DECADENT GIRL'S NIGHT with my Lady Friends. 'Nuff said :-)

BREATHE.

Yesterday: Surprisingly, Team Cronin was a well oiled machine. We managed to maneuver seamlessly from appointments to errands to celebrations, without any hiccups. Even Rhys rocked it.

The part of the day that I was dreading most, was the visit to the daycare. The reason we selected this particular daycare in the first place was for two reasons:

1) The incredibly convenient proximity to our house.

2) It's a precursor to the Montessori daycare (kids there are top priority to get into the official Montessori daycare when they are 3).

Other than those 2 things, we didn't know much about it. It doesn't have much curb appeal. From the front it looks like a tiny little hole in the wall, in a strip mall beneath an apartment building on one of the ugliest roads in Calgary. YUK!

I was really anxious about the whole thing, and I was starting to visualize the daycare and the staff. I was imagining a dark, dusty room with no sunlight. I imagined an old, grumpy caregiver with a giant hairy mole on her face. I imagined being made to feel like an over protective parent who asks too many questions. I imagined leaving the meeting in tears at the thought of leaving Rhys with anyone else besides his Dad. In retrospect this was all really silly, because on the phone the staff were super friendly, professional and accommodating.

In short, I was SO RELIEVED when we left. I really, really, really liked the daycare (and so did Warren). It's small. They don't have tons of kids. It was really clean and orderly and the kids were having fun. They provide meals. The price is great. The Director of the centre thinks we have a really good chance of getting Rhys in. For now, we'll read all the stuff they gave us, and look for another daycare (or 2) as a backup.

Today: An afternoon nap is a MUST (for me!). Rhys had a restless night after the day we had. I may venture out with Rhys to get him vaccinated from the H1N1, since we're going on an air plane soon and he's now old enough. I'm making a full chicken for dinner. I was going to bake it in the over, but Keri said it tastes great in a slow cooker...hmmm....

The Gnome Away From Home

Meet Cedric. He's a tiny little Gnome, slightly shorter than a shrub:

He'll be coming to Maui with us. Good thing he has a passport and a suitcase:

He was an early birthday gift from my cousin :-)

Today: Is UBER busy. Warren is off. Rhys has a doctor check-up at 10am. Warren has a dentist appointment at 11am. I have an appointment at 1pm (that was rescheduled from yesterday). We're going to visit a daycare at 3pm. We need to pick up a cake from Marble Slab. Then off to Nana's for 5:30pm for an early birthday dinner.

Serenity now...serenity now...serenity now....

Left Hanging

Rhys had his 6 month shots yesterday. For his last 2 shots, I nursed him immediately afterwards to comfort him, and it worked both times. But since then, Rhys has lost interest in nursing, so I wasn't sure what to expect. As Warren held him, I sat in front with my boob ready to go. First needle: Look of surprise, shock, then tears. Second needle: Full on Red Face cry. I whip out my boob, Warren hands me our screaming child, and...nothing. Rhys wouldn't even consider the notion. So there I was, Red Faced Child in arms, and my sad, cold, naked breast dangling in the air. It was the equivalent of that awkward high five you go to give someone, and they don't reciprocate. Rejected. Luckily our sweet little champ only cried for a few moments, and then was distracted by Warren's silly faces & noises.

Before the appointment, true to the 'baby rules of the land', Rhys was having a fantastic nap. I had to walk in and wake him up. I took that opportunity to snap a few pics of him sleeping, in the flesh. Not through the baby monitor :-)

Today: I have an appointment at 1pm, and at 5pm my cousin is coming over to get the low-down on our dogs. She'll be dog/house sitting for us in less than 2 weeks. Because we're going to Maui. YA. So I think I'll also starting making some lists today...yes...lots of lists...