An Officer and Some More Officers

What a beautiful Officer Family weekend Hayden had. First off, his Uncle Dan and Aunty Alexis finally got a break from all of their hard work to come and visit. Hayden loved petting Uncle Dan's furry face and cuddling up with Aunty Alexis. He also got to see a great student at work as Aunty Alexis studied for several hours on Saturday morning. Let's hope some of them smarts rubbed off onto him. He also wanted to wish a very much deserved "congraduations" to his Uncle Dan!

Saturday night was an evening out for all the Officers except for the lowest ranking one. Little Hayden spent some time with Nai Nai and Yeh Yeh. They were experts at feeding, bathing, playing with, and soothing Hayden to sleep. Since they proved their expertise, Mommy and Daddy are thinking of going out more often! Thank you Nai Nai and Yeh Yeh! Hayden had a lot of fun and so did his Mommy and Daddy.

Our evening out started off with some delicious pizza with Cousin Beckie, her friend Shawn, Uncle Dan, Aunty Alexis, Grandma Elaine, and Grandpa Doug. Next time though, they will decideed to get the French Onion soup and the burger. Then the crew headed out for an evening filled with the soothing sounds of the Susie Arioli Band. Cousin Jordan blew the crowd away. Mommy enjoyed it so much that she sometimes even forgot how much she was missing Hayden.

On Sunday, Hayden said goodbye to Uncle Dan and Aunty Alexis and made them promise to visit soon. Then we were off again to see some more Officers. All the Officer ladies gathered in Brockville for a lovely wedding shower for cousin Jen. They had tea, wine, lovely conversation, more wine, opened gifts, sipped some wine, and had a lot of fun. Meanwhile, all the Officer boys (including the lowest ranking Officer) were at Uncle Ian's cottage for some groin scratching and burping. Hayden, excelling at both of these tasks, fit right in for his first Male Officer gathering.

What a great weekend it was. How lucky we are to be amongst the ranks of such a wonderful family.

First Love

Hayden and I went to a new exercise class today. I plunked him down to play with a bunch of his toys next to a little girl. As soon as she eyed his horse, she started inching toward it. I worried about Hayden's reaction because I know about his somewhat unhealthy relationship with that horse. He watched her grab it, looked longingly at his beloved horse's butt, and then...like a little gentleman, he just let her play with it. Soon enough, he made that little lady so comfortable that they started to share the horse. Then, like all the ladies in his life, she really wanted to get close and snuggle with him. At this point, her mom got a little nervous and took her away. Hayden's rolling with the punches though. He's already forgotten all about her and looks a little relieved to get his horse back.

Mountain of Fun

We had a great time in Mont Tremblant this weekend. Hayden got to see the beautiful mountain, hang out with his Aunty Jaime and Uncle Jonny, and get some delicious fresh air into his lungs while enjoying the beautiful weather. He was an excellent weekend guest and behaved like a little gentleman. He was even perfectly quiet for both car rides! Perhaps that is why he is a little cranky right now; he's just so sad the weekend is over and he used up all of his good behaviour over the weekend.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

I finally caught that piece of hair on film. I know, I know, I've gone a bit loony with this piece of hair. I can't explain it, I just think it's funny. The hair I speak of is this one long piece that stands up like Alfalfa's. Here it is.

It was such a gorgeous day today. Hayden finally got to explore the vast expanse that is his lawn. Notice the pre-crawling position. Take that pesky-moms-with-ever-so-gifted-babies.

This weekend, we're taking Hayden to Mont Tremblant. Aunty Jaime has kindly invited us up for the weekend. We're pretty stoked. One of the families that Scott works with gave us this backpack carrier and we're excited to take a hike with it.

So, we hope everyone enjoys the beautiful weather this weekend. Here's a video clip of Hayden wishing everyone a happy weekend!

Helmet Head

Now that Hayden has learned to roll, we've discovered a downfall to hardwood flooring. Everytime he rolls, his poor little head lands with a thud. He doesn't seem to mind so much but the noise is a bit much for our poor nerves. Here is a picture of my solution until we think about something more permanent. Good thing there aren't other kids around to point and laugh.

Fresh Feast

This weekend I made some fresh homemade baby food for our little food connoisseur. On the menu was a delectable selection of organic sweet potatoe, carefully steamed to supple perfection, and pureed with just a hint of fresh milk into velvety goodness. For dessert Monsieur was served an elegant portion of sweet organic pear, slowly simmered in crystal clear spring water, and blended with it's own juice to create a warm sugary treat. After dinner, I scraped the remains from the floor and his eyebrows and then wiped the spit up from his chin with his dirty bib and shirt.

New Kid On the Block

Here is Hayden in his beloved Bumbo. He didn't always have such a loving relationship with his Bumbo but ever since Aunty Heidi brought him the tray, he just can't get enough. He loves to sit in it and play with his blocks, suck on his horse's ass, or just chill out. Check out this new video of Hayden and his Bumbo and his blocks.

Hop Hop Hop

Hayden hippety hopped from one social engagement to another this busy long weekend. First of all, he just had to go and see his favourite Great Grandfather to wish him a very happy 91st birthday. It was fun to have lunch at the Chinese Buffet in Montreal with his Great Papa and all of his relatives. He was so popular at the restaurant that the chef just had to take a picture of him.

Aunty Heidi and Cousin Nico were also in for a visit. This was a great opportunity to collect some very valuable collateral for later on in the teenage years.

Hayden also had Easter dinner at the McCann's with Grandpa and Grandma. Of course, like any gentleman would, he grunted politely while taking a big dump at the dinner table.

He capped off the weekend with a lovely visit with the ladies. Mama's friends Casey and Brandi came over to meet Hayden for the first time. Aunty Jaime joined in as well for a lovely dinner and great conversation. Hayden got a taste of what happens when girlfriends get together after being apart for a while. After he got over the initial shock of the vulgarity of it all, he really started to enjoy himself and got into it.

Hayden didn't only hop around this weekend, he also learned to roll with it. He's rolling from one end of the room to the other. At first he would only go in one direction but he's now starting to go to the left and right. He can make it pretty far. Now that he's mobile, I'm guessing that's pretty much the end of life as we knew it.

Checklist

Standing with support...check

Sitting in his own Big Boy chair...check

Making solid poops...check

Having stinky feet...check, check

Loving Alanis' lumps...check, check

Growns Up

Hayden is tackling so many more things on his "To Do" list. He can now sit on his own for quite some time. He's still very wobbly though. He can roll over pretty easily. When lying on his front, he is also beginning to scoot. I can also prop him standing up by the back of the couch and he can stand there on his own for a bit. He prides himself on knowing the difference between to and too, as well as their, there, and they're. He's also learned how to set the VCR. Too bad they're becoming obsolete.

Straight From the Horse's Ass

Finally, spring has arrived. It was nice to spend some time outside this weekend. Scott got right down to work and cleaned out the sheds, got the garden into shape, and raked the lawn. Hayden and I did this while he slaved over all that labour:

and this:

We don't feel that bad since we're still learning how to sleep for longer than 3 hour chunks. Is that normal? Don't tell me if it's not.

While sleep may not be his best subject, Hayden is learning how to excel in other areas of the curriculum. Hayden can now independently reach and grab at something specific. He is also showing preference for certain objects without assistance. Sorry for the report card language. I'm trying to get back in gear for September. Here is Hayden reaching, grabbing, and showing preference. He loves this toy horse that Uncle Dan and Aunty Alexis got for him at Christmas. His favourite thing to do actually, is to suck on the horse's ass. Sorry but it's true. If he drops it and can't reach it, he gets quite upset and won't stop fussing until that butt is back in his mouth.