Gardens and things

After her 3rd breakfast this morning, Fiona and I climbed back into bed for a half hour and watched my old boyfriend Jamie Oliver (pre-ross) prepare a meal for his family with ingredients that he picked straight from his garden.

Jamie made a simple, rustic pasta sauce from his home grown tomatoes which he had canned last summer. He simmered them with basil, oregano and garlic which were all fresh from his garden Once he had combined the sauce with the linguini noodles, he topped it with his fresh home grown peas and baby basil leaves. It looked so tasty, fresh and healthy and it put me into a daydream about one day turning the yard on Kelly Street into a fully stocked organic produce store...with a little chicken coop and everything. It is a common daydream of mine and one which I hope to bring to fruition in the distant future.

~ ~ ~ Now visualize those dreamy swirls that take you from reality into dreamland on television and fast forward 5 years~ ~ ~ ~

Come supper time, I would ask Fiona to please go and gather the veggies and salad for the evening meal. She would be dressed in a white eyelet dress (that I sewed for her of course) and oversized gumboots and she would skip merrily out into the garden and after carefully selecting some of our finest fare, she would return to the kitchen with a melange of fresh, sun-ripened ingredients for our dinner.

Now come back to reality for some actual update on tonights dinner plans. Fiona is having her usual delicacy, Ross has gone downtown for a liquid dinner with Fred. I have cooked myself a fresh sockeye salmon which was caught just yesterday in the Fraser River,now thats a salmon thats worthy of a daydream.

Linda the midwife was here today. Fiona weights 9.8 and is gaining about an ounce per day which is excellent. Linda is still coming as she is trying to help us get Fiona to sleep more at night time. She thinks Fiona should be sleeping 5 hours and then another 4 after a midnight feeding...right now she sleeps about 4 or 5 in total and then she is up again and ready to party, so I will try anything Linda has to suggest ! ! ! She suggests going back to the system that we were feeding her on when she was born. Spend an hour feeding her every 3 hours and then as the evening comes I should spend an hour feeding her every 2 hours. This is a grueling schedule and it means that it makes it difficult to go out for daytime adventures, but it should only be for about a week and then we should see an improvement in her night time habits. Right now I survive on about 5 hours sleep in a 24 hour period and I think thats just about enough of that !

First day back to school for students today and I too have the feeling of 'new beginnings'. Our lives are beginning to settle down after the initial excitement of baby Fi and I can visualize a routine beginning as we get to know her likes and dislikes.

Likes - being out and about having mini adventures
Dislikes - sleeping at night

So if I follow her schedule, we will be on-the-go 24/7.

The photo in pink was taken last night right before our company arrived. She was in a great mood as she was getting ready to meet her first friend. There is a couple in our bulding with a week old baby girl named Zoe and they came down for a visit. It went very well, they are super nice. We fed Fiona up very well right before they arrived and so she was sitting on my knee in just her diaper smiling and laughing with her buddha belly hangin' out for much of their visit. SUPER CUTE

The other photo was taken last week at Cristy's cabin on the island. Mom and I took Fiona for her first journey to one of my favourite places. Fiona and I sat alone together on the dock of the lake, on a chair facing the water and the mountains. The morning sun was shining, though the temperture was more autumnal. We were wrapped up cozily in lots of fleecy blankets and after her morning 'snack' we made a nice little nest on the dock and had a nap together. It was amazing to be out in nature ; she is a BC girl already !

Tub time with Fiona Irene

Fiona's new swing

Maternity leave rules !!!

2nd day of being alone with the baby and I sure do hope this was an example of a typical day for Fiona and me. We shopped, lunched, went to the park and visited friends...it was totally perfect.

Dont worry Grandmas, they are feeding me well.

Good evening all. It is Saturday night around 10 o-clock and Fiona Irene is finally having her first nap of the evening. She was very alert today and mainly just wanted to eat constantly and observe her surroundings. Our current mantra for life is " sleep is for the week"

We had a very relaxing day today. A late start, then out for lunch followed by a nap on the couch , a board walk and a lazy evening. Our first full day together as a family of 3 ...well 6 if you include the entire menagerie.

Tomorrow is another lazy day which will begin with 2 and a half hours of Coronation Street in the AM . My Uncle D'Arcy is coming to tke us for dinner in the evening and other than that we will just be chillin and lying low.

Better go, I think I hear a dog fight outside. (Read: Loki is likely attacking another unsuspecting K9)

SR

THATS OUR BUILDING IN THE BACKGROUND...