Our Precious Gift of Life

This weekend was our first camping trip as a family. Although it started off a little unplanned it turned out to be a great weekend and one of many more to come.

We had camping plans for this weekend with Rachelle, Greg and Adelle for a few weeks and we were all very excited to be getting out of the city and taking in some extended amounts of fresh air and campfire smoke. On friday night mother nature decided that it wasn’t really a good night for camping as there were terrible thunderstorms and severe thunderstorm warning and watches for the region that were expected to last through the night. Around 7:00 pm on friday we decided the camping was off for the night but the car was packed and we left early on Saturday morning to set up our campsite and continue with our planed hike. This turned out to be a very good decision when we talked to the campers who had been out the night before they spoke of toonie sized hail that pile up 6 inches or more.

Family leaving for their first camping trip

Our campsite was just right for two tents, a picnic table, a play area for Aidan and Adelle and campfire pit. Once we got set up and settled with some firewood we had lunch and went for a hike. We hiked along the Elbow River a few kilometers past the campground which was very flat with some shade. Aidan got his first experience in a hiking backpack and although it was a little off centre, he seemed to like it a lot.

Kevin, Kathleen and Aidan at the beginning of the hiking trail

Aidan in the hiking carrier

After hiking we made a wonderful camping dinner and sat down to a campfire. Rachelle and Greg invited a few guests for a campfire which was loads of fun. The campfire consisted of many traditions including marshmallows, smores, spider wieners, and sunflower seeds.

Aidan was a great camper. After we got him all bundled up for the campfire in a fleece suit we borrowed from Adelle, he was all ready to enjoy the sights and sounds of his first campfire. Then at his usual bed time, I laid him down in the sleeping bags and he feel asleep right away. After about an hour in the tent he got too hot so I peeled off a layer of clothes and he was good to go for the night. Aidan and I shared some sleeping bags and it was such a great night long cuddle. The only thing we forgot to do was put the water for the baby bottle in our sleeping bag to keep it warm and it was a little frigid in the morning ( OK, a lot frigid)

Mom and Aidan ready for the campfire.

All weekend Adelle was so good with Aidan. They loved to play together on the blankets or in the tents. Adelle was always very helpful in whatever needed to be done. She helped Kevin feed Aidan his breakfast on Sunday morning and was always helping him gather up the balls he threw too far for his reach. I suspect that they are going to be great playmates in the future.

Adelle and Aidan playing at the campsite.

After packing up our campsite we went for another hike before heading home to unpack and get ready for the week.

Kathleen, Kevin and Aidan

This year we did not take Aidan to the Stampede grounds to experience the event first hand, however, we did take him to a Stampede party with lots of cowboys and country music.

As expected, all he wanted to do was take everyone’s hat off and throw it on the ground. Once he got over that fun he did enjoy his first merry go round ride at Heritage park and a swing on the boat swing. The highlight of the day was a trip on the Hertiage Park steam train. We got to ride in the caboose where the sides are open and he could see all the sights go by.

Aidan’s first cowboy hat.

Aidan on the Swing

On May 31, Aidan was christened at our local church in the presence of parisheners and some select family and friends. It was a very nice ceremony and a special day for Aidan.

We are very grateful for Aidan’s fantastic loving godparents Greg and Rachelle Forgeron who have been endlessly supportive of Aidan, Kevin and I since the day they found out we were expecting. We are blessed to have them as part of our lives and a special part of Aidan’s network of people who love him. We are truely looking forward to many great years ahead with them.

Memorable moments from the christening:

- Aidan tried furiously to take the book from the priests hands as he said the blessing over the water.

- Kevin could sleep again because he no longer had to worry about Aidan peeing on him when he dunked him naked into a basin of water facing him ( while he was dressed in his Sunday best).

- Aidan ( our quiet baby) whaled in church and we couldn’t leave because he needed to receive his final baptismal blessings at the end of mass.

I have included a few pictures of us at the christening. ( Aidan agitated a budding tooth right before the photo opportunity so he looks a little sad - and he was)

Kathleen

On June 7 2008 our family ventured away from cold and rainy Calgary spring to the tropical island of Maui. It was a whole 9 days of fun in the sun, sand and sea. We couldn’t have imagined having a better time than we did just enjoying each others company and spending lots of quality time as family. There are never enough hours in a day to spend with our little man and experience the world through his eyes.

After arriving in Maui we settled into our condo on the Ka’anapalli coast, near the west Maui mountains. It was a spacious one bedroom place with a full kitchen and living room giving us lots of room to spread out and tonnes of room for Aidan to play. The best part of our accommodation was not the clean spacious room or the king size bed however, it was the breathtaking view from our 5th floor perch overlooking the ocean. This is not a postcard, it is a photo taken from our room and this is what it looked like from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm the whole 9 days we were there.

Our first adventure to the beach was a huge success. The beach at our resort was partly shady in the morning so we could find a piece of sand all to ourselves and not get too much exposure from the equatorial sun. The water didn’t slope very gently but we learned that we could sit in the sand where the waves rolled in and out and have a great time. Only when we were done did we find our bathing suit bottoms full of sand. Here are some pictures of us enjoying Aidan’s first experience with sand and salt water.

The next day we adventured out to the Maui Ocean Centre, a wonderful exhibit of marine life and educational information about the marine ecosystem in Hawaii. It was very well done and tonnes of fun. Aidan still doesn’t appreciate much of it, but Kevin and I had a good time and Aidan didn’t seem to mind coming along for the ride in his woven wrap. This day changed Kevin forever as he learned that there are really only 3 kinds of sharks that eat humans - and this seemed to ease his fear of the ocean slightly. Aidan got his souvenir from the trip at the Maui Ocean Centre. Affectionately named “Ocho”, this octopus puppet brought smiles to his face from the initial meeting. Here is a family picture of the three of us at the Maui Ocean Centre, and a picture of Aidan and Ocho.

We took a few more days to explore around our condo and swim in the pool and ocean. The beach infront of our place stretched for miles so it was great for walking, but you had to pay attention to what the tide was doing or you got more wet than you planned. The people at our resort were very nice and it was full of other families enjoying time together. When Kevin found out that there was a “Bubba Gump” restaurant nearby, we he had to go sit on their patio for some afternoon cocktails and shrimp. This also gave Aidan a chance to practice Forrest Gump’s favorite sport (see picture below). The sun goes down in Hawaii at 6:30 every night all year round so we had plenty of time for dinner and an evening swim before bed most nights.

Mid week, we decided to brave the road to Hana. Hana is an isolated little town on the south tip of Maui but it is not Hana that you really go to see. The road between Kahului ( on the east coast) and Hana is as scenic as any in the world. There are waterfalls, swimming holes, fruit stands, Tarro fields, coral churches and much much more along the way. The difficulty is, the 55 mile stretch of road has 617 hair pin turns, and over 60 one lane bridges. And did I mention that this road that winds along the cliffs of Maui’s east coast is very very narrow. This was a long but beautiful day for the three of us. Although it was difficult to pull over in many places due to the road and the number of tourists, we did manage to see a lot of the scenery along the way. If we had more time and energy, we could have taken a few hikes along the way but we decided to save that for another day. We did stop for a while and admire the kite boarders and wind surfers at North America’s best windsurfing beach. At the end of our two way trip along the windy narrow road we stopped at a locally renowned restaurant called “Mama’s Fish House” for some pacific fish (Mahi Mahi and Ono).

We had a very relaxing and enjoyable wedding anniversary in Hawaii. Kevin bought me a real, traditional flower lai to wear out for dinner. I’ll be dreaming about the food we ate at Pacific’o that night for many years to come, it was so fantastic. Here is a picture of Kevin and I on the beach at sunset on our third anniversary. ( PS Even in Hawaii it was not as hot as our wedding day!!)

Our final adventure in Hawaii was a 5 hour catamaran tour to a volcanic crater a few miles off shore. This tour left very early in the morning from a harbour about 30 minutes from our hotel. They served us continental breakfast as we sailed along past the gorgeous dormant volcano Haleakala. By 9 am or so the top of Haleakala is covered by cloud, so it was fantastic to see all of its majestic beauty from the water at 7:00 am. Aidan seemed to think that the boat was equally as good as his mother rocking him side to side for a few hours and tucked his head into his wrap and went for his morning nap. When we arrived at Molokini crater, we snorkeled and played in the water with Aidan for a while. Then boarded the boat for a fantastic lunch and preview of a video one the the crew members took while we were in the water. It was then that Kevin realized - he had been swimming with sharks!!!!! The camera man took video footage of a small white tip reef shark swimming by some of the guests and going under our boat as it was anchored for our adventure. The camera man also got a few great shots of Aidan, the youngest member on board! On our boat ride home we went to a place where the green sea turtles hang out and we got to see some HUGE sea turtles going about their merry lives in the ocean.

In our final days we enjoyed walking on the beach, swimming in the pools, and relaxing on the grass. Travelling with a 7 month old didn’t really hold us back from doing what we wanted to do, we just had to do it differently. We had a fabulous time and we came back with tonnes of great memories and a lightness in our hearts.

Aidan turned 6 months old on May 5th.  How time flies, and how our our son grows.  He is really beginning to take on a jovial personality who loves to play and explore.  Things Aidan has begun to do in the past month:

-Eating solid foods, including rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, squash, carrots.  He really loves his vegetables, and every time he sees us eating, his mouth starts chewing, even though he has nothing.  He is longing for more than what we give him!  Needless to to say, he has taken to the high chair very well.

-Swimming: Mom takes Aidan swimming once a week, at which time he loves to float in the pool and watch the other moms and children.  Mom even took Aidan down the big water slide one day!  What a treat for a young man!

-Pulling hair:  Yes, it was only a matter of time, but now he is a real grabber.  When he runs out of things to grab, a handfull of hair is easy as pie!  At first, it was nothing cause he wasn’t pulling very hard.  Now he’s at the stage where I think he’s close to pulling out clumps of hair!

-Sitting:  Aidan is really great at sitting on his own.  He loves to play with his toys on the floor, or sitting on the couch beside his Mom or Dad.  On occasion, especially when tired, he will jerk to one side or the other causing a tumble.  Overall, he has mastered this skill!

-Tummy time:  Aidan really wants to crawl!  He will be on his tummy, and lift up his head and stomach off the ground, then tuck his knees and give a little push backwards.  So far, he can move around and a little backwards.  One day, he will be all over!

-Teeth:  We finally received the first tooth!  The bottom left centre tooth (looking at him).  Others are sure to follow soon, as he lets us know once in a while that something is coming.  His top gum is also quite white!

-Speech:  He loves to gab away when he is happily jumping around in his exersaucer or in his Jolly Jumper.  I swear he says ‘Mom’ every time something hurts, and ‘owww’ too!  Once in a while you can make out a word from his speech, but we know not to get too excited about things like that.

-Jumping: Aidan loves to jump everywhere.  He loves to jump in his jolly jumper, in his exersaucer, when standing on anybody.  He really has strong legs!

Can’t wait to live Aidan’s next days and weeks!

Yesterday marked a momentus occasion for Aidan. After weeks of staring at our food, watching jealously as we ate and drank and many attempts to steal our food, Aidan got to eat his own food.

He loved it. As a matter of fact, his mom couldn’t manage to get it on the spoon and into his mouth fast enough. He ate a whole tablespoon and a half of rice cereal.  The love of food begins.

Today marked the end of our great visit with Grandma Donovan. Aidan has been sick so the visit was very low key and full of some moments of complete illness by all of us, but it ended on a high note with a few days of pure fun with Aidan.

Thanks for the visit mom. It was great to have you.

Aidan will be 5 months old on Wednesday April 5, another sign that he is growing up. As he grows and matures he is starting to show a real personality. In the past few weeks alone he has started babbling non stop day and night, sitting on his own, showing emotion when he drops his toys or we take them away, looking for toys after he drops them, and admiring with determination items of food that Kevin and I are eating. <>On Friday the public health nurse took his measurements.

Pictures with Mom and Dad