Meighen

Wow, what a whirlwind.

My folks came in a day early arriving on the 22^nd. They stopped in for a little bit then Meighen and I went to their hotel after dinner for a swim. They had the most wonderful pool where my folks were staying. There was a big pool with a waterslide, a kiddie pool with a small slide and a large hot tub. Meg had a lot of fun.

On the 23^rd Meg and I were all over. We took my sister shopping to get the last of the Christmas dinner supplies. Since it was super cold we didn’t end up doing the Trail of Lights at Downsview Park. Ah well, maybe next year.

The 24^th was my family dinner. My sister hurt her back prepping so Ben, Meg and I went over early to help get the turkey in the oven. We stayed way longer than usual and Meg had a bit of a meltdown having missed her nap. All was redeemed on the 25^th when my family came over to open presents. Meighen had a blast. When she got up Christmas morning she didn’t notice the presents under the tree or her stocking. After an hour so finally saw it and immediately started playing with her stocking toy (one of those wire/wood bead things you see in the doctor’s office where the beads slide along the wires from side to side). We had a nice breakfast, just the three of us then opened gifts with Auntie, Grammy and Grampy. Meg got so many wonderful things – clothes, toys, her own chair for the living room, a tea set and much more. She’s been having a lot of fun playing with everything. Later Christmas Day we went back to the hotel for another swim. Meighen is so fascinated with how the older kids run, splash and dive. She’ll be a fish in no time.

Boxing Day we had brunch with Pere (Ben’s Dad) and his brother’s family. We had a lovely ham lunch and the Meighen had fun playing with her cousins. All three of them got wheely bags/suitcases this year. It was cute watching them all run down the hall with their bags. I can picture them all running off to Europe or something when they’re older. Later that day Ben’s Mom and step-dad arrived and spent a few days with us. We had a nice visit and great food.

Last night was the Richard family dinner at Ben’s brothers. We exchanged gifts and had yet another great supper. Meg got right in there running around with her cousins but gets a bit overwhelmed when they rush at her and try pulling her away to play.

So it’s Tuesday and we have one week left of vacation. Ben’s out doing a bit of work tomorrow and Thursday. We’re hoping to get over to his friend’s to drop of a gift basket. He and his wife just had twins! I did a bit of shopping today and had a quick visit with Auntie. We’re hoping to return the crib and change table to Ben’s Aunt and Uncle this week. It will free up a bit of space in Meg’s play room. I’m hoping to sort out all the baby stuff and repack it into larger boxes. Hopefully that will give us a bit more room to work with. Amazing how much space baby stuff takes up.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a great one. Onto an exciting 2010 filled with growth and prosperity.

It’s been a busy week! Meighen’s photo shoot went good. She was having fun on set running around, lounging on the couch and sharing her toys with the production crew. She didn’t get a haircut there but it was brushed, styled and gooped a bit. She had a bit of moisturizer on her cheeks and gloss on her lips and was ready to go. The actual shoot didn’t go as well though. She was very serious and was nervous about being around a new man without Mum and Dad beside her. They got a couple good shots but ultimately went with the other baby who was all smiles when it was show time. Ah well. We’re not disappointed and fun during the experience. We still have the pics from the shoot and will get paid for coming out so it’s all good.

Meighen’s getting really good with words. She can string a few together to make little sentences like “go see Dad”. It’s cute. She’s also mastered “no”. We hear that a lot more than “yep” but she’s still sweet about it.

Christmas is almost here! Having the week off is helping me get in the spirit. I finally got the tree decorated last Friday and Meg’s picked out a few favourite ornaments she continually pulls off the tree. I didn’t put all the decorations on it because I figured she’d be into it. We’re keeping the presents hidden till Christmas morning – one less thing for her to get into.

Grammy and Grampy are arriving today and staying at a hotel close to our place. We might do Downsview Park’s Trail of Lights tomorrow night then doing Christmas Eve supper at my sisters. Christmas morning everyone will come here to open presents and have brunch. We’re doing Boxing Day day brunch with Pere before Mere arrives to spend a few days with us before heading to Ben’s brother’s for a couple days. I think there’s another holiday meal in there somewhere, just waiting for the details.

Meighen’s still doing awesome without her high chair and crib. She wakes up in her bed most mornings and barely fusses over night. She’s so sweet in her big grown up bed but looks so little.

Yesterday was Meg’s 18 month check up. She got two more shots but now that’s it till she’s four, hooray! She took them like champ and didn’t fuss at all. She’s now 23 lbs and 33 inches. She’s still taller than 90% of kids her age and in the lower 20% for weight. She’s a tall and skinny kid – but so are her cousins.

I think it’s time to go. Meg’s bringing me her snowsuit piece by piece and her boots too. Someone wants to go out.

Last night was a big night of changes for Meg. We started using her booster seat at the table instead of the high chair. She did amazing, like she’s been doing it forever. Then again she’s been to a lot of sit down restaurants with us so she knows the drill.

We also took the crib and change table out of her room and moved the queen in (without the rails). Unfortunately it takes up most of her room but she still has her bookshelf and dresser (which now doubles as a change table). We don’t use the glider much anymore so it’ll go into the play room. Anyways, I did up the bed with just a fitted sheet and the feather duvet. I sat with her a while till she fell asleep, which didn’t take long, and she stayed there the whole night. I thought she’d take advantage and wander the top floor but she didn’t. She still cried once overnight but I snuggled up with her and she fell asleep quickly and I went back to bed. For the first night in a while she woke up in her own bed this morning. I think she really likes it. It’s comfy, cosy and just like our bed so I think she’ll sleep much better having the freedom to move. The crib mattress seemed so firm (which it should be) and cold somehow. She always looks so comfortable in ours.

Meighen’s really gotten into her advent calendar which she gets every night after dinner. She runs into the kitchen and points at it now when she’s decided its time. We find the right door and point to it then she opens it and steals the chocolate. She’s so proud of herself. She doesn’t get the concept that there’s only one chocolate a day cause she always tries to convince us she should have another. Something tells me that’ll be an issue for a few years. She gives up easily when given the option of a cookie.

It’s only been a couple weeks and already there’s so much to tell!

Meighen’s getting new words really fast. We’ve added “hot dog”, “duck” and “juice” to the list and she has something that sounds like “Christmas” and “done”. Oh, and she’s mastered “mama” and says it all the time now. I’ve only waited forever for this cause she’s been saying “dada” since May.

She’s also really starting to mimic me. It’s adorable. In addition to tidying up and keeping house like Mum, she’s taken to using our spare camera bag as a purse. She grabs it by the shoulder strap, hikes it over he arm, babbles something like “let’s go” and prances around the living room, so cute. We may need to get her a play purse for Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, I took last Friday off to hit the Samko Toys warehouse sale. I took care of all the kids in the family (6 Christmas, 2 birthday) and squeezed in a couple gifts for Meg too. I’ll have to get a few more things for her though. I got her a tea set, a sort of etch-a-sketch and the chair my folks are giving her. I think chair is a great idea cause Meg’s all about being a big girl lately.

Speaking of big girls, Meg’s decided she no longer needs the high chair and can sit at the table like me and Ben. She climbs up in our chairs and looks pleased as punch with herself. Last night I cleaned up the high chair and got the booster seat from the trunk. We’ll see how that goes tonight. Also on the big girl front, I think Meg’s ready to give up her crib and move into a big bed. She gets up every night at some point and comes into our bed. Knowing how much she tosses and turns I imagine she’s running out of room in her crib and that wakes her up. She hardly gets up when sleeping with us. So, having kept the queen mattress set for her we’re going to move that into her room this week and see how she takes to it. We’ll keep the box spring/mattress on the floor for now so she doesn’t tumble out and we have a removable bed rail to keep her safe. Lucky girl – she’s getting one heck of an amazing duvet and the most comfy sheets. I bet that does the trick and gives her a good nights sleep. Finally on the growing up scene, Meg’s been showing interest in potty training. She sits on her potty everyday in her clothes and now I have her comfortable sitting on it with her bare bum before a bath. She’s yet to actually pee in it but at least she’s comfortable with it. I don’t think she’s going to get it just yet but there’s no harm in giving it a try. Over Christmas since I’m home for two weeks I’ll take her up every few hours and see if we can get her using it.

It’s going to be a busy month! Ben’s been at training for work this week. Saturday was Meighen’s annual holiday photo. We got the photos back Sunday so it was a mad dash to get our Christmas cards out. We also went to our niece’s 6th birthday on Sunday with the rest of the family. Thursday is Meighen’s photo shoot for the print ad – that should be fun! Saturday is a Christmas brunch with Ben’s family. Next week we have our work holiday parties and then I’m off the week after that. I still haven’t decided when we’ll put the tree up. Meg is going to love it but I imagine it’ll be challenging keeping her away from it.

Every night when we crawl into bed as a family and wait for Meighen to pass out we can’t believe how lucky we are to have such a beautiful, smart, kind little girl. I hope she stays this sweet forever.