Okay, instead of a long-winded story about why I haven't posted for A WHOLE YEAR, I'm just going to continue on as if that never happened. I look back at what I wrote for Ada's first 18 months, and I am happy that I have those stories and thoughts written out, and I'm sorry that I have missed this past year of experiences. I feel like I should be re-introducing Ada since she is a very different girl from a year ago. Also, now I need to introduce a new member of the family that didn't exist a year ago - Ada's little brother Elliot.

So here is Ada in a nutshell:



She is now an active two and half year old, and she is beautiful, happy, and fun to be around. And for me, sometime a little exhausting to be around. She talks non-stop in her broken 2 1/2 year old way, with cute pronunciations and expressions galore. She has been described as a "walking narrator", since she gives us up-to-date running commentaries on her current thoughts and actions, usually in third person. "Ada running! Ada jumping on couch! Ada looking out window! Ada eating lunch!" She loves words, and is always trying out new ones and learning new things at an inconceivable pace. She loves to draw. She draws faces on every piece of paper she has access to, and loves to colour in her colouring books. As much as she also loves to paint, she sees it more as a science experiment and prefers mixing colours and making a general mess, which is what being two is all about. She loves to bake, especially with daddy; crafts, especially involving scissors, glue, and glitter; and exploring the outdoors, especially if it involves puddles and/or mud. For a two year old, she has a pretty varied appetite, but prefers her rice to be plain, her cheese to be cheddar, and her tofu to be peach/mango. She has her mother's sweet tooth. Her routine consists of GO! GO! GO!, then a solid 2 hour nap mid-day, then GO! GO! GO! until she drops into bed for a solid 11 hours. She is loving and gentle, especially to our two cats and her little brother, and loves nothing more than running around with another toddler while in a fit of giggles. And while she has been stubbornly testing her boundaries and exploring everything to the limit, I wouldn't have it any other way.


And now, introducing Elliot William:



Elliot was born at 12:01am on November 24th, 2008, at 7lb 14 oz. Now coming up on 4 months old, Elliot gave me a dream pregnancy and a complication-free birth. He has been a pro at nursing since day one. And now that he has overcome is Evil Gas and daily vomiting, he has more opportunity to display his happy, calm little personality. Now if only he would learn to take a bottle of expressed milk now and then, mommy would get a chance for some much needed "me time". He is my "little man" - all boy, solid build, with the longest eyelashes possible. He seems to be keeping mommy's dark hair and daddy's blue eyes, and is one handsome little guy. He loves to watch all the kids running around at Ada's groups we attend, loves splashing in his bath, playing with the arch on his chair that lights up and plays music when he kicks his feet, and is a real talker. He insists on going to bed at 7pm every night, and is usually up only 2 times for a nurse, and will often sleep in to 8 - 8:30am. He loved the "calming vibrations" mode on his bouncy chair, until it broke from over-use. Overall, he is a content little guy who is all smiles for his big sister. I can't wait to get to learn more about him as he shows off more of his lovely personality.


As for me, I'm keeping busy with these two. Some days can be rather overwhelming, but I'm lucky to live in such an accessible neighbourhood, and to have friends and family to go to when I need them. I'm looking forward to getting some "me time" again (ie overlapping naps and a baby that takes a bottle so I can get out once in a while). But I don't want to forget the current times and appreciate what I have while I have it, instead of looking back and saying "Why didn't I realize how good I had it?" I know I do - I have it good.