Magic Carpet Ride

Since our place is on the market we decluttered lots in preparation of showings. In the process of cleaning, we discovered that nasty little moths had found a snack in our Turkish carpet!

When Craig and I traveled through Europe a few summers ago, one of our goals was to get a bonafide Turkish carpet whilst in Turkey. We found a beautiful one our first day there and over the course of a week, we hummed and hawed until we finally decided to take the plunge.

Enjoying some yummy apple tea in the carpet shop.

It's hard work all that shopping!

The carpet we chose showcased three different types of weaves and is over 70 years old. We were told it started life as saddle bags. Exciting stuff, I know!

Anyhow, by the time the feasting of moth larvae had been discovered there was some damage that needed to be repaired. Luckily, it wasn't too bad and the fine folks at Global Rugs took on the job of cleaning and fixing it. It is a month long process as they have to hand wash the rug and freeze it for an extended period of time to kill the moths before even beginning repairs. The good news is that the month is nearly over and we'll be able to reunite with our carpet soon. In the meanwhile, here are some pictures so that you can see the "before" state and when we do get our carpet back I'll show how beautiful it is when it's back to pre-eaten state.

Brea posing with our carpet.

Snacked on edges.

Holes in the pile.

Wordless Wednesday - I wanna be on TV!

Oh no!!! She's been reading the tabloids!

Staged!

Our home is officially listed! The stagers came last night to move our furniture around, put fake plants and random artwork everywhere and make our place into a hotel lobby. It is now de-cluttered, and impersonal, yay! What do you think of the look?

Wordless Wednesday - Singin' the Bedtime Blues

Sunshine on the Long Weekend

It was a gloriously beautiful Victoria Day long weekend! We hadn't seen sun in a while so on Friday when it started to peep out, we went out.

Brea and I have joined a workshop on Fridays called "You Make the Difference", it's a great program where you learn parenting skills through discussions, reading and video. So far, we've had two get-togethers and we're really enjoying it. After our meeting some of the other babies and mommies had lunch together.

Brea had a doctor's appointment that afternoon so we then made our way there. I am happy to say that my little girl is doing just fine!

Her latest measurements:
Weight: 20.4 lbs
Height: 29.7"
Head circumference: 17.7"

With nothing much else to do, I thought to myself... I think Brea would enjoy her very first swing ride in the park, it's a beautiful day for it. And I'm glad to say she thoroughly enjoyed it.

She was really interested in watching all the other kids.

Future aviator in the making!

Taking flight with Mommy!

Brea had a happy time in the park but we did have to cut it short when her hay fever hit. She apparently can't handle the pollen and went all weepy eyed, snotty and sneezy. I was a bit alarmed by her red eyes as she kept rubbing at them. It seemed to calm a bit once she was back in the car.

Saturday was another beautiful day and I had scheduled a walk for Brea with Pam and Jodi. The ladies finally had a chance to meet Brea and we had a splendid walk by the water in the inlet. Pam brought her fun-loving pup, Penny and Brea had a close encounter with the doggy-kind. She handled herself really well! She was licked by Penny and liked it! In fact, after Pam and Penny left, Brea decided the swings didn't quite compare with her new-found, four-legged friend and wanted to go home.

Craig finally had the chance to see Brea in swing action on Sunday (I know - swings three days in a row - why not?). We revisted the inlet and Brea was much better with the plants - though she did get a little teary, it wasn't quite as bad as the first day. We finished off the day in the sun with some yummy fish n' chips from Pajo's. What a nice treat after such a great day!

Three cheers for Cheerios!!!

It started over two weeks ago. After our picnic in the park with other babes, Brea discovered the joy of Cheerios. At first, the crunchy sensation that mommy was putting into her mouth was more than enough to put a smile to her face but soon after the idea that maybe she could do it herself took over. It began slowly at first, she would bat at the o's until mommy helped a little.

Here's a video of the early trials and errors:

Then a week after the discovery of the oaty treats... success!!! Grauntie Gloria was here on May 7th to witness the event and boy did she rub it in to Daddy when he called during her visit.

Words of encouragement.

The initial pick-up.

Flushed with success!

I am so excited at this new development, her skills improve so quickly! Even her toys are becoming easier to manipulate, it's amazing!

A video of successful hand-mouth coordination:

Then, my mommy-senses kicked in and I was worried that all this excess Cheerios wasn't enough for her diet, she still was not eating very much solids and now the o's were taking over. So I went and bought some Heinz Nutrios (packed with all the proper nutrients to balance her diet). Well, though her manual dexterity was still in the beginning steps, her sense of taste is well developed! She would whimper and cry whenever the Nutrio was put into her mouth instead of the Cheerios. Baby is smart!

Wordless Wednesday - Cocoon

Maybe if I'm very quiet, they won't find me!

A Beautiful First Mommy's Day

But I want to touch the pretty flowers!

I am SO lucky to have a loving husband and a beautiful little girl who gave Mama the bestest First Mommy's Day ever!

Brea had to wake up earlier than usual, of course, to wish her Mama a happy day and Craig was great to take her for stories, some playing and a walk while I caught a few more hours of precious, glorious sleep! When I awoke from my slumber, Daddy was well on his way to prepping me a delicious breakfast while tulips from Brea sat waiting on our dining table, I love tulips! I also got the sweetest card ever.

In the afternoon, we went to visit Great Nana to wish her a wonderful day and in the evening we had a visit from Nana and Grumpa who shared in a splendid feast. Daddy and Grumpa prepared a sumptuous meal that included: bacon wrapped scallops, shrimp, steak, grilled veggies and treats from DQ! I was stuffed and very spoiled.

Brea was such a great baby all day and smiled and played and ate... boy, did she eat. A whole jar of peaches (and pablum) in the morning, carrots and yams in the afternoon, and Daddy's Chicken Noodle for dinner with sprinklings of Cheerios throughout... we may finally be turning the corner on solids :o)

Thank-you for all the wonderful Mommy Day wishes, it was wonderful :o)

Wordless Wednesday - I said NO hats!

Fine! Take your picture... you have 3 seconds...

Picnic in the Park

The sun has been out and we have been enjoying it as much as we can! On Thursday, six mommies and six babes made their way to a picnic in the park. It was so fun to see the babies interact and to catch up with the moms. Brea loved it all (except for having to wear her sun hat). She discovered Cheerios and watermelon for the first time and I learned that celery sticks make for a very good chew toy. Here's a few snaps of the day.

At the Shipyard

It was the city of Richmond's Doors Open this weekend and my cousin Ange who works for the city told us about it. Many of the cultural hubs (museums, galleries, heritage sites, etc.) were free for admissions.

We had the chance to go out to the Britannia Heritage Shipyard. Their “How We Lived” exhibit just opened. The new exhibit reveals the captivating stories and cultural diversity of the Shipyard between 1910 and 1930. It was very neat to see the buildings that have been restored and the stories they revealed.

My Mom's favourite was the Murakami House. The Murakami family - ten children, mom and dad, lived in the residence from the early 1929 to 1942. It was interesting to see all the artifacts showing their life as one of the first permanent Japanese residents in the area. Brea enjoyed the stroll along the boardwalk and watching us try various things like the blacksmith's forge in the boatyard and opening and closing drawers in the houses.

Brea on the boardwalk

One of the restored houses

Brea in front of one of the displays of a desk with accessories

In front of a toy box with era toys

I love the Steveston area! We enjoyed lunch at the Blue Canoe, overlooking the water, and then we went down to the dock to check out the fishermen and their wares. We didn't buy any fish but it was definitely fun looking :o)