. . . the pup will play!
Cassius enjoyed the Easter weekend with a *treat hunt* at Parker Pet Care, our go-to boarder in Toronto. The staff treat Cash like royalty and he returns the love through wet doggy kisses and peeing on their floor every time we drop him off.
Another week gone already. It's crazy how quickly they seem to be slipping through my fingers.
Have you started thinking about resolutions? Do you do that sort of thing? I don't, but maybe this year I'll start. What do you have in store for 2011?
[day 313: after almost 2 hours of fun at an indoor playground Indy found this sandwich board to be more exciting. go figure.]
[day 314: I couldn't get the camera out fast enough to capture Cassius's nose inside E's slipper. weirdo.]
[day 315: I was trying to distract myself from the pain of my first gym visit in over 2 years(!) with the pretty leaf.]
[day 316: unbelievable fog on the drive home from girls' night.]
[day 317: my latest library acquisition and my fancy new bookmark.]
[day 318: another at-home haircut. wow, he looks like a little man!]Indy has been obsessed with pumpkins ever since the first orange squash was on display for the season, so the build-up to Sunday night was exciting, to say the least.
We carved a pumpkin for our porch and walked around the 'hood in search of ghouls and ghosts. E wouldn't let Indy trick-or-treat because he didn't want him to feel bad about not being able to eat the candy. I was hoping to distract Indy and eat it all myself. Oh well. At least E saved a few mini Coffee Crisps for me.
modeling their costumes before the big day. cassius wasn't thrilled that his was so small.
scooping out pumpkin guts.
waiting for trick-or-treaters
our first family jack-0.A truncated week, but at least I'm back on schedule. This week has been a whirlwind, and I did manage to find a photo op in each day!
[day 186: I can't get enough of this kid!]
[day 187: Thankfully, everything is going to be alright.]
[day 188: Dog days of summer.]
[day 189: Venturing into the wading pool.]
[day 85: Pavlova...yum!]
[day 86: Michelada--beer with Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and lime...a Mexican staple!]
[day 87: Proof that spring has arrived.]
[day 88: A new haircut.]
[day 89: Cassius & Indy making sure all's right on the street...don't you love Indio's *lounging* outfit?]
[day 90: Morning drive to Maria's includes a little light reading.]
[day 91: Hope the Easter bunny was good to you.]
E and I aren't that into V-day, but we always commemorate it somehow, usually with a nice dinner. This year was a bit different because both Indio and Cassius were sick, which left little choice for a romantic interlude.
But once Indy was tucked in and Cassius was fed and walked, E and I sat down to dinner of Swiss Chalet and some Little Penguin cabernet-sauvignon. Now, I've heard of wine in a Tetra Pak and have even tried quite a few screw top wines that were great, but this was my first wine that came in a plastic bottle! And it was really tasty!
As we were drinking it, all I could think of was how great a plastic bottle would be during the summer when we go to the beach, on a picnic or just a jaunt in the park. Genius!
Maybe it's time to rethink the stigma behind a box of wine. ;)
I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's day with your loved ones.
Lately, I've been feeling the *winter blahs* and have absolutely no motivation to do things I really should be doing. [Why put away laundry when you're just going to wear it again?] I've spent a lot of time worrying about things that I really have no control over, but when I sit down and think about all that's surrounding me, I realize there is so much good stuff to be grateful for. So, in honour of my 100th post, I decided to write an entry of *gratitude*. I have to credit Faiza's blog for inspiring me to write this post, especially the quote she posted recently:
This week was inadvertently Indio-heavy: 43% of the photos contain my little guy. [ETA: I originally had 60%...apparently there are only 5 days in my week.] Good thing he's cute.
[day 29: Cassius sitting pretty for the camera.]
[day 30: Saturday CNN catch-up--I woke up to find all 3 boys sitting in front of the tv like this. Isn't it cute that both E and Indy have their feet crossed?]
[day 31: Inspired by a couple of other Project 365 blogs I follow [here and here].
[day 32: E teases me all.the.time about the lack of fruits and vegetables in my daily repertoire, but I really do like them, especially these oranges. They are the prettiest shade of pink inside!]
[day 33: No one felt like cooking dinner so we decided to try Julie's Cuban restaurant. Kind of fitting that Indio is wearing his *Che* shirt.]
[day 34: A current favourite around here.]
[day 35: Quick after-work stop at the grocery store, toddler in tow. Lots of good times were had in the produce department with the incessant cries of "banana!" as we walked by all his favourite foods. Guess it's better than screaming for candy.]I've been feeling all *woe is me* because E left for NYC this morning and I'm here all by my lonesome. As much as I love Indio and our pup, Cassius, it's definitely harder taking care of both of them and finding the time to eat even once a day when I'm on my own. Add to it that I'm working 3 days a week, which means I need to get up at an un-Godly hour to get ready before getting the two of them ready.
Front of envelope. Don't you love her lettering?
Back of envelope.
Wonderfully colourful inside message
As we prepared to leave our beloved Brooklyn for our new home in Toronto, E and I often talked about how great it was going to be to have lots of open space for Cassius and Indio to run and play.
In our efforts to show E's dad and baby sis a little bit of Toronto during their short stay with us, we drove to the Beaches today with Indio and Cassius in tow. We walked to the boardwalk and the leash-free park along the Lake's edge. Indy was absolutely mesmerized by the sound of waves lapping up the shore. He watched the children running in the water, oblivious to its un-summery temperature while Cassius made new friends in the dog park [more to steal their tennis balls than to be social].
We could not divert Indio's attention from the water until eventually he fell asleep in the Ergo. Hmmm, maybe a solution to our restless afternoons when he refuses to nap?
In the last week I have dealt with more *pooplosions* [baby and dog poo explosions] than any woman should have to. I don't know how much more I can handle! From Indio's infamous every-other-day-I'm-eating-solid-food non-solid explosions to Cassius taking a initiatory *loose* dump in my childhood bedroom less than an hour after we arrived at my folks' place last Monday.
On top of these *surprises,* being the sole-caregiver for Cassius during the Toronto garbage strike has made for necessary detours on our walks to find appropriate receptacles to dispose of his waste.
Lucky for me, the germaphobe that I am, E was out of town this week, leaving me to deal with the messes on my own.
I can still manage the stench of a baby poo since Indio's eating repertoire is pretty bland. Doggy doo-doo, not so much.
E's flight lands at 12:30pm today. I'm ready to hand over the rubber gloves!
We've been in Toronto for almost 4 weeks and until Thursday, I was without a baby carrier. If you asked me 8 months ago what kind of carrier I would be using with Indio, I probably would've replied, "Carrier? Why would I use a carrier when I'll have a stroller and two perfectly functioning arms?" I registered for a Baby Bjorn anyway, more because *everyone was doing it* and because I thought all carriers were alike.
How wrong I was! Little did I know about the assortment of carriers, wraps, and slings that are on the market these days. Little did I know how much some of them cost!
At first the Bjorn was great. Teeny-tiny 6lb Indio fit snugly in the Bjorn, which we used for walks in the park with Cassius since it was easier than putting Indio in the infant seat and attaching it to the stroller, then lugging it all down the apartment stairs just to go to the park and being a new mom, I didn't trust the "two perfectly functioning arms" not to spontaneously throw Indio from them in the middle of the street. [Remember, I was sleep deprived and hormone full.]
But around the 4 month mark when Indy's weight was now in double digits, the Bjorn wasn't as comfortable and really it just felt like I was lugging around sacks of potatoes on each arm. My back wasn't happy and Indio wasn't as happy as before.
So of course, I started reading. Reviews, websites, mommy blogs, product inserts, anything I could get my hands on about the latest and greatest carriers out there. Did you know there are some women who buy these things like they buy shoes: never enough to just have one!
One carrier I kept seeing in Fort Greene on moms and dads and kept reading about online was the Ergo Baby Carrier. A fellow Brooklyn mom and friend, J lent me hers probably because she was sick of me hemming and hawing about forking out $120+ for something that might only work as long as the Bjorn.
Well, from that first walk home from J's place with the Ergo securely fastened to me, I was a convert! It was like carrying a baby cloud! So light and fluffy! Gone were the sore shoulders, aching back, and screaming baby. All Indio's weight was squarely placed on my hips, which are much more appropriate for supporting a baby! I barely felt anything on my shoulders or back. And I would be able to use it until Indio was 40lbs! [Will I really be carrying a 40lb child regularly?]
I used J's Ergo every single day until I had to give it back because we were leaving Brooklyn and she was getting ready to have baby #2 this October, so she would need it once again. And stupidly I didn't buy one before we left for Toronto.
This week, while E was back in NYC for business, and I was on my own with both Indio and Cassius I realized just how much I missed having an Ergo. The ease at which I could take Cassius out for a walk with Indio strapped to me was gone. I had to lug out the stroller just to go for a stroll. We ended up staying with my folks for most of the week just so I wouldn't have to take both boys out at the same time.
While perusing the Dear Born Baby website I noticed that they had a few of the Ergos ON SALE! This is generally unheard of so of course I couldn't pass it up! As soon as Indy was in bed, I dragged little bro to the Thornhill baby store because of course I wasn't going to wait or pay for shipping! I bought myself a black-retro Ergo and used it the minute I got back to my folks'. I took Indio and Cassius for our inaugural walk. It made my day to be able to pick up dog poop and tire Cassius out with the Chuckit all while holding Indio *hands free*.
[Not me, just an image I found online.]In an effort to show E and Cassius that I really do enjoy having a dog, I offered to take Cassius out today for a run in the park while E busily prepared his presentation for his workshop in NYC next week. This job usually falls on E, though we manage to take one *family walk* each day.
In the 17 months we've had Cassius I have never taken him off leash when walking him on my own, but I decided that today would be the day. I brought along with me the most invaluable tool for any dog owner, especially those with a high-energy dog like Cassius: the Chuckit. It's a long-handled ball launcher that allowed me to throw the ball much farther than I can naturally and I didn't have to touch one drop of dog slobber. Fantastic! After only a few throws across the field, Cassius plopped down in the shade of a tree. Mission accomplished.
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