the birthday weekend

Turning 1 is such a big deal that there seem to be events for the whole weekend. Of course the celebration kind of started on Wednesday when Nan arrived, but we have been busy.

We revisited the pre-birth dinner at Gina's. Last year on January 24th Mommy and Daddy enjoyed dinner at this restaurant despite some water breaking and the anxious news that the next day would be the big day. This year Jake enjoyed some of Nan's shrimp quesadilla.

We had a special lobster dinner at Ann and Dick's.

There was the great cake preparation involving Mommy, Daddy and Nan. Nan brought Mommy's Nannny's (Jake's Greatgrandmother's) recipe for carrot cake. This cake has been a huge favorite in Mommy's family forever, and was always a requested cake for birthdays and weddings of the cousins. And since Mommy likes to make cakes, she planned to make one in the shape of Jake's favorite toy....a BALL. Special cake pans made it pretty easy.

And of course there were presents to wrap and put together. Nana Grace sent money to buy books with. Nan and Poppa bought Jake his own Little Red Wagon which every Little Dude needs.

Mommy and Daddy gave Jake a special present, it was actually Daddy's when he was a Little Dude. It's a silver cup with Daddy's name on it, and now on the reverse side it has Jake's name on it. Every Christmas Daddy would get to enjoy a little teeny bit of beer out of his special mug. Now it is Jake's special mug.

Jake also got a train, fire engine and a helicopter. What a lucky boy.

We had Vanessa, Rob, Zoe, Dick and Ann over for cake and playing. Zoe wore her special fairy dress just for the occasion.

Special Birthday dinner made by Daddy included pork tenderloin with a fabulous butter sauce. Happy Birthday Jake!

Turning one, Jake now weighs 23 1/2 lbs and is 31 inches tall. And with all of the things that he can do, it's hard to list just a few milestones, but here are some new ones:

• can stand and balance on his own
• he has a good vocabulary, and can say many words including mommy, daddy, nan, kitty, bird, ball, water, cup, bubbles
• he can stack things on top of each other
• understands 'no'
• looks in the right places when toys (or the cats) roll out of sight
• starting to show a sense of humour
• feed himself with a spoon or fork
• shows affections with hugs and kisses
  

Thank you Jake for such a wonderful year. You have brought so much joy to our lives. And you are a fun person to have join our family. We love you. Happy Birthday.

nan arrives in time for the big birthday

Hurray Nan is back! Jake is in love with his Nan. He is so happy that she is here. The two of them are best pals, hanging out all day long. They read books together, they have snack (Nan lets Jake eat half of her toast and cream cheese breakfast every morning), they change diapers, they look out the window, they go for walks. All day long they are laughing and talking, enjoying each other's company.

Nan is here for a week, and has come to help celebrate Jake's first birthday. She has also been giving Mommy and Daddy some nice breaks, allowing for some time out to relax at a pub after work, or go for dinner. And of course she is always helpful around the house with some cleaning or tidying and some making meals. It's so nice to have her back for a visit.

Thanks for coming Nan, we all love you.

another typical day

Heading into the second year, it's just around the bend. Looking 

back, the year has certainly changed dramatically. A typical day is a good example of what we do differently. We all get up around 5:30 a.m., after a full night's sleep (no more wakings around the clock to feed). Mommy nurses Jake, while Daddy gets the coffee on and the oatmeal made. 

We all have breakfast together, talking about the day or the week ahead. There is time to play in the morning, but given that Mommy has to leave the house at 7:00 to walk to work and start work by 7:30, we are on a tight schedule for getting showered and dressed starting at 6:30. Jake enjoys the exploring time in the bedroom while Mommy or Daddy are getting ready. After Mommy leaves with a wave bye-bye, Daddy and Jake play until it's time for the morning nap at 8:00. 

The hour and half nap is usually a good time for Daddy to nap too if he needs it, or to get some chores for the day done, or to just enjoy some time to himself. The morning nap is followed by snack (something like toast, apple, or banana), and then they are off to a playgroup for the rest of the morning or meet up with friends. 

After lunch the afternoon nap happens around 12:30 or 1:00. This one always seems to be a tough one for Jake to want to take, and he often wakes up upset. But his protests of having had to sleep are often abated with a visit to Lucy for a cuddle, or a good drink of water. Afternoon snack also helps to put him back in a good mood. 

The afternoon is a good time to play in the house, or head out for a quick errand. Mommy returns home around 3:45 and it's such a great feeling to get a family hug. Sometimes Daddy and Jake pick Mommy up from work and they head to a nearby park or beach. 

At home, Jake usually has a toy or book that he has enjoyed that day that he wants to share with Mommy. And we all get caught up on what the day has brought us all. Dinner happens at 5:00 p.m., with usually all of us in the kitchen helping to get it going. Well Mommy and Daddy helping, and Jake being busy opening cupboards and playing with mixing bowls. The after dinner cleanup is a well oiled machine, with either Mommy or Daddy putting away the leftovers and washing the dishes, and the other wiping down the dinner table and floor (Jake isn't the tidiest of eaters yet), sweeping up and getting Jake's bath time and bedtime gear set up. Bath time might one of Jake's favorite things, when we call for it at 6:00 p.m. he crawls to his room to get undressed and he is nothing but smiles and excitement when he hears the water running. 

By 6:30 Daddy gets Jake into his pajamas and his sleeping bag, we all kiss goodnight, then Mommy nurses Jake. This is followed by at least three bedtime books, then a quiet song with the nightlights on, and it's already 7:00 p.m. When Mommy puts Jake into his crib, he cuddles his special yellow blanket, rolls over and goes to sleep. Goodnight Jake, have a good sleep, see you tomorrow.

i'm at the table

Big change in eating meals and snacks. Jake has moved from his highchair with a tray, to his blue chair that let's him sit right up to the table. He now feeds himself right off his own plate, and is front and center for the family meals. The chair was a luxury that we purchased with gift money from Nanna Grace and Ann when Jake was born. We knew that it would make Jake feel special to have his own chair that he could eventually get up and down from himself, and also allowed him to sit right up with us from an early age. And Jake is so proud to be such a big boy, eating right at the table with Mommy and Daddy. Mealtimes are a special time to enjoy each others company, and Jake's company is easy to enjoy.

mommy heads to work

The day has finally arrived. Mommy heads back to work full-time. The year has gone by quickly, and it's difficult not to have mixed emotions. For Mommy it is a good feeling to resume research in science, but saddening to miss the time during the day with Jake. For Daddy, it's an exciting time for planning and leading the days with Jake, but anxious as well for being on your own with no breaks or adult conversation. For Jake it's great, since he gets to spend his time with his parents and doesn't have to head to daycare. Adjustment time for everyone, but an exciting time as a family.

new year, new baby groups

The holiday season has passed, and we are settling into a daily routine again. In a couple of weeks, Mommy will be heading back to work, but for this week the three of us could check out some of the new baby groups that Jake joined. Now that he is approaching toddler-hood, he can partake in more active groups. To give you an idea, one is called Roaring Rascals. Yes they get to act like rascals and roar around the gymnasium chasing balls, crawling through tunnels and zooming around in little push cars.

Today we checked out Beach Tots, which is a play group down on Departure Bay Beach. The community hut was set up with play areas, a snack table, a craft table, a plasticine table and easels for drawing. At the end of the hour there was fun circle time, with stories, songs and dancing. Jake loved being with the older children, and crawled all around checking out the dolls and kitchen play area, the cars and building blocks, having a snack and playing some musical instruments.

Daddy and Jake are going to be busy; Tuesdays are story time group at the library, Wednesdays are Beach Tots, Thursdays are Mother Goose song group and Fridays are Roaring Rascals. Becoming a toddler is a busy job!

happy new year

This time last year we were waiting for our Little Dude to arrive. It was so easy to know what to wish for in the upcoming year. And the last year was so great, how could it possibly be topped. What to wish for? Well, continued great times for one thing. Our family is healthy and happy and that's all that you need.

We have a big year ahead. Mommy heads back to work, and Daddy flies solo with taking care of Jake. And Jake has some walking, some talking and lots of exploring ahead. Hmmmm...the two Hendrickson men alone all day. Maybe Mommy should make a wish for "No getting into trouble you two!"

Happy New Year everyone. And thank you Jake for making 2008 a wonderful year. Here's to 2009.