Baby Bath Time!

I have a confession to make.

I have never bathed my child.

Adair is the one who takes care of EZ's bathing. I don't think I even know how to do it. I figured that delegating this responsibility to Adair is good for them both. Since I'm home with EZ all day, every day, I thought they would need some set-aside bonding time. I think Adair loves it. How can you not with this sweet little face staring back at you?

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Blogging Insight

Lately, I've been trying to figure out why my blogging has become so infrequent. Then it hit me this morning. EZ is growing up. He's not the little ball of cute that just used to nurse every 3 hrs. This kid is on the move and active. He doesn't like to just sit {which is GOOD!}, he likes to crawl around and explore everything. And when I say everything - I mean it! Every detail, every nook and cranny, every speck of dust -- EZ is all over it! And if EZ is on the move, I'm tracking his every movement and just watching him discover in his adorable little way is quite time consuming.

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My Blackberry: aka my "bby"

I'm in Blackberry bliss. I've had my Blackberry since November. No, it's not the latest version. It's well-loved, and recently chewed on and scratched up a bit. But I love to stay connected to my friends and family via email, fb, twitter - all thanks to my bby <3

Recently, however, hubsy wasn't too pleased with my almost $300/month bills. So he changed my rate plan, and subsequently {accidentally he says!} got rid of my web access with my bby. Booo!!! I've been without web access on my bby for 4 whole days now. What's the point of a bby with no internet access???

What's a web-lovin' gal like me to do? I just called my service provider and had my plan changed back. Now I just have to learn to stay within the confines of my plan. Hmmmm....

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Changes are a-coming...

So. Here I am. Months after I started this blog. No further ahead. Thankfully, not worse off. But nevertheless, not improving. So I'm doing something about it. Wait, I've done something about it because I'm not the kind of girl who waits for good things to happen. I make it happen.

I've joined a health & wellness centre to help me lose weight. I start just before I go back to work. It's a lot of money, but my health is worth it. I'm also joining a gym. Yes, I've lost 70 lbs before on my own -- completely on my own, no gym, no help, no gimmicks -- but my life has completely changed since then. I have a family, a young child, and a hectic career. My time is valuable. Moreover, I really need the help and support. I'm really excited to get started!!!

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BC Round-up...Tofino & Nanaimo

Yesterday we trekked through the wilds of the Island's forests to Cathedral Grove, then to Tofino. All the "kids" piled in our car, and we had fun listening to good tunes, playing car games, and getting to know each other better. That's the point of this trip, afterall.

Cathedral Grove is simply majestic. The trees are spectacular. Breathtaking. I can see how the tree-hugging type could become passionate for their cause. The wonders are worth preserving in every way. Here's some pics from the Grove:




Afterward, we drove to Tofino with a pit stop in Port Alberni, which suprisingly has a Starbucks! Who knew?! PS: Don't get the banana chocolate smoothie - bleh! The drive was quite lovely, despite being twisty & turn-y. I usually don't do well in those driving conditions, but I fared just fine.

Tofino is a cool little hippy, surfer-dude type town. We had lunch at this organic, natural food place, then went to explore. I managed to buy funky flip-flops {I can find something to buy something literally anywhere - even Attiwapiskat!}, and Adair bought a t-shirt with a vintage VW bus on it. There are 100s of VW buses on Vancouver Island - it's crazy! We just don't see them too often in the East.






Afterward we went to Long Beach along Pacific coast. Wow. Just wow! It was EZ's first time in the ocean and he...well, he didn't cry per se. The water was pretty cold, but it was fun to dip your feet into the ocean!



Today we toured around Nanaimo. I found some funky shops in the old quarter, and bought some stuff for our home and, of course, some clothes and accessories for me :) We then ate lunch at Earl's {which we don't have in Ontario}, then went to the mall to enjoy the air conditioning!

We then came home to get ready for the 2nd wedding reception - West Coast edition. Here are some gratuitous pics of EZ in his "smart casual" attire!

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BC so far

Okay, let's just get this out of the way. I'm totally annoyed no one has central air here - get with the program BC! Good grief!

Alright. I'm over it. Moving on. BC is great! The trees are...plentiful. It's beautiful here. We're currently in Nanaimo for my BIL's wedding reception - round 2 - the West Coast edition. I was born here in Nanaimo, but I haven't been back since we left when I was 2.

We arrived via Victoria yesterday. EZ was one of about 10 kids on the flight. He was a perfect little guy - no tears or tantrums. Just cuddly and cute for all the strangers and mummy.

We briefly toured around Victoria. Nice enough. Would I live on an island? No. Only Bali, thank you.

The 100 km drive to Nanaimo took 2 hrs. EZ mostly screamed the whole way. We kept thinking, "Okay, it's only another 25 km...", but the ride just took forever. The scenery was stunning though - you just have to tune out the tears. The house we rented is in a new subdivision and it's great. There's no king bed in the master {as was promised}, and there's no a/c {okay, I'll shut up about it now}, but other than that it's great!

Today we went to 2 provincial parks. Not really my idea of a good time. Trees tend to look the same wherever you go. So two parks was a bit over the top for me. But the weather was nice.

It was interesting to note that at one of the parks we were at today, Rathtrevor Beach, was one that I used to go to quite often as a kid!

When we got the park, we realized that there was a nail in one of the tires, so we had to wait for raodside assistance then take the car into town so the tired could be fixed. And it was. No problems. Oh! I totally dig the vehicle we're renting - it's a Ford Flex. It's got a cool, retro vibe to it. And it's BIG! Kinda like a mini-van, but way cooler and less stigma attached to it. I'm already pressing Adair to buy one when we get home, but I think we'll have to wait for another baby. And I don't have any big announcements coming up.

We stopped at a roadside attraction called "Goats on the roof", and it was better than I expected. Cute little market {a la Puseteri's in Toronto or Zarky's in Burlington}, a produce market, ice cream shops, and clothing stores made for an interesting diversion from the monotony of trees.




Afterward we came home from a rest, then drove to the house where I spent my first 2 years {pictured below!}. One of the neighbours remembered my folks! Amazing!

Then we drove to downtown Nanaimo. Kinda dive-y. We didn't get out. Then we did the proper Farrington girl thing and went to a mall. How glorious! It has air conditioning and everything! I digress...


Tonight Adair and I planned to go to the movies, but little EZ had other plans. Despite being perfect, he has a good set of lungs and decided to put them to use tonight to make mummy stay at home with him. It all worked out thought because Adair's brother and his {new-ish} bride came over for a visit. So there you have it. All the updates!

Except one last thing - my car at home got broken into! My sister's using our wheels at home while we travelling, and mine and my BIL's BMW were broken into. Dumb thieves didn't even take any of the good stuff! Apparently they stole my $10 Le Chateau sunglasses, but left my blue-tooth. They took my BIL's broken IPOD, but left the IPOD charger and the $250 Ray Ban sunglasses. Dumb! I just hope they aren't mad at their utter stupidity and come back tonight to get what they left behind. I guess we'll find out!

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Could this chair be any hotter?

Yes, it kinda goes along my current theme - LAS VEGAS!!

I'm absolutely DYING to go to Vegas! This chair just screams Vegas chic - gold leather and sleek lines make me SWOON!

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Last weekend!

Ok, it's been a long time since I've blogged. I guess I'm getting out of the habit. Bad. Very bad indeed since this blog is supposed to be a record for EZ. A family history if you will. I will do better. I promise. I've been super busy. You'll see why.

Here are some photos of last weekend. We went to the land of gold & poutine for Aunt Della's 50th Wedding anniversary. It was amazing - so fun to see my cousins! LOVE YOU GUYS!!! For the gift for auntie & uncle, Shopgirl and I made a scrapbook. We seriously put a lot of effort into it, and it paid off {IMO anyway!}.

Also, travelling with an infant isn't fun but it beats the other option - driving! ICK! There's huge suitcases, lugging play yards, car seats, ginormous strollers, and diaper bags! Now to add to the fun of flying with a babe in arms, we had Ginger with us for the return flight! YES! Travelling with an infant and a puppy at the same time - let's just say we weren't the popular people on the plane! But it all worked out just fine, thanks to some tempra and gravol :) {well, I didn't want EZ to experience any discomfort because it's ALL about him!}.

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6 months ago and today

My sweet boy arrived into this world. Life has dramatically changed, but always for the better. When I look into his darling face, especially when he smiles and sticks out his tongue, my heart melts. I am so absolutely in love with this kid. And I think everyone else should be too.

Ezra can now crawl. Within the last two weeks, we've gone from excited that he can move 2 inches, now he's motoring all over the place. He's so fast and determined. His current crawl is the "army crawl", but he's already lifting his torso off the ground and is up on all fours, so I imagine it won't be long until he transitions to another form of crawling.

I'm excited to start trying some new foods with him. He likes his oatmeal cereal. The brown rice cereal was definitely not his fav. I'm going to try barley cereal too. Veggies and fruits are next. We're still desperately trying to wean him, but I'm such a sucker for my kid that we haven't gotten very far.

Ezra loves to laugh. He laughs especially hard when you tickle under his chin. He loves his tongue and sticks it out whenever he gets the chance. He also likes to blow raspberries. He likes to hang out in his diaper, even though I have the cutest outfits for him. He likes to play with his sister Ginger. He likes to go to the park with his cousins Hannah & Noah. He loves my Blackberry. His kid-friendly mobile phone soft toy just doesn't do it for him.

Ezra is simply a wonderful, well-behaved boy, who loves his mummy & daddy, and always has a big smile on his face. We are so blessed.

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It's been a crazy few weeks, and I can't believe I haven't blogged. I've definitely missed it, I just haven't had the time to sit at the computer and think. Here's what's new in a nutshell:

1. My parents bought a new house in my new town. YAY!!! Seriously, I'm SO thrilled! I've been helping them out with various things. Now we get to stage their house for sale!

2. I went to a naturopath today. Ummm...not so impressed. Not my cup of tea. I'm more of doctor person. Not into alternative medicine. All he did was poke my leg a few times, watched me walk a few times, then ask me how I feel. He's prescription for me was the "Three Ws": i) WATER (drink often, especially when tired); ii) WALK (every 1/2 hr for about 5 mins; iii) WAIT (don't scratch an itch etc, let my body heal itself). I think I was just expecting more from him, like vitamins and miracle healing and such. Instead, all I was told to do was relax {which NEVER works when someone tells you to relax - all you can think about it how much you have to do!} nd do my "Three Ws". I doubt I'll see a naturopath again.

3. Physio is going great. Can I just say I LOVE my physiotherapist and clinic?!?! They are so great there. They take such good care of both me and EZ. My physiotherapist even hooked me up with her old play yard {even though it's Eddie Bauer - ugghhh AND has some plaid on it - double ugghhh!!!}. I always feel stronger and energized when I leave physio. YAY PHYSIO!

4. My church calling is keeping me pretty busy too. The Young Women are great. We have such fun. It's A LOT of work, let me tell ya, and sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed, they are totally worth it. These girls are just amazing. So bright, so fresh, so inspiring!

5. I've been scrapbooking. My cousin Shopgirl and I are making a scrapbook for my aunt's 50th wedding anniversary {shhhh...it's a secret!}. I've don 27 pages in the last 3 days. If you're not a scrapbooker, let me tell you that this is A LOT of work. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, but time was of the essence so I had to get it down before we leave tomorrow. With everything else going on, the only time I have to scrapbook is from 11pm on - I've slept only 3-4 hrs/night. I'm tired, but the pages look amahhzzinggg!!!

6. I'm going back to work one month from today. I am in denial.

7. We get the house in 20 days.

8. I lost 3 lbs in the last week. Thank you Skinnygirl!

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Home Cookin' Queen

So if you follow my regular blog, you'll see that I am strutting my stuff in the kitchen. Yay me!

We've been eating every dinner at home for the last week. I'm actually quite impressed. There are days that I do crave Thai, but we haven't eaten so well in a very long time. Like seriously. Our bodies aren't used to so so so many vegetables and whole grains.

But it's super fun to try out new recipes and learn to be more comfortable in the kitchen. I'm gaining a lot of confidence, which actually is giving me so much independence. I can actually cook what I want and when I want. I know that concept may sound unbelievably simple, but to me, who didn't know how to boil water - this is a huge breakthrough!

I'm cooking real food - and some of it from scratch! I'll keep you posted on my continued kitchen successes!

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Happy Canada Day

Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau

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Me + Bethenny = Healthy Cooking Queens

So let me tell you about Bethenny Frankel, my current healthy living guru. I've admired her over the last year on the Real Housewives of NYC {a guilty pleasure!} and found her book, "Naturally Thin" in Chapters last week, so I decided to pick it up.

I'm seriously impressed by the book. Bethenny's a celebrity natural foods chef, and also was a runner-up on Martha Stewart: The Apprentice. It's straightforward, honest, real, and a healthy way to think about wellness and fitness. The book is an easy read with 10 Rules to be "Naturally Thin". It also has amazing recipes. Yes. I said RECIPES.

Usually I don't care about recipes, but her book really inspired ME to go into the kitchen today. It all started out with a trip to Whole Foods this morning {just BEING in that store makes me feel better about myself!} to buy whole, organic, and mostly vegan ingredients! I bought everything from oat flour to raw sugar to pine nuts and vegan chocolate chips!

My first project today was to bake vegan banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! They turned out well, apart from me realizing that I need to buy new baking sheets! They are moist, sweet, healthy and delicious. Find the recipe here!

I then made some butternut squash for a snack! Again, pureed deliciousness with a hint of cinnamon!

Around 4:30, I decided to tackle dinner. I haven't made dinner in at least 4 years. Adair does all the cooking in our house, and if he's not home I either starve or go through a drive-thru.

I browsed through Bethenny's recipes in the book and decided on her Zesty Mac & Cheese. I worked pretty hard {including spending about 25 mins finely grating parmesan cheese} and it turned out great! I also made a delicious salad with pine nuts, grape tomatoes and fresh parmesan cheese! For dessert, we had Bethenny's faux cheesecake made with ricotta cheese, with vegan chocolate chips and fresh berries! I'd say the meal was a success.

The best part is that instead of feeling too-full and uncomfortable, I feel healthy, clean and energized! Bethenny has a lot of recipes on her website and at health.com where she is a contributor! I hope you too can discover some healthy living tips and recipes from Bethenny too! Maybe one day I'll really be a Skinnygirl!

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Neuro Update...etc

So, first of all, we've been sticking to our eating home-cooked dinners all this week. We've been eating tons of veggies and drinking lots of water! It's kind of fun to learn new recipes and play in the kitchen.

Now - on to my real post. I had a consult with a neurologist today to assess the "progress" on my injury. Turns out he was one the first doctors that I met after the baby was born. Here's the low-down:

1. Apparently I have no reflexes in my legs. Interesting development because in tests immediately after delivery, my reflexes were reversed it was weird. He did some other poking around to ensure my injury didn't extend to my spine. It doesn't.

2. He's surprised how long it's taking to heal. He thought it'd be a few weeks to a couple of months. This extended injury is uncommon. He wouldn't commit to a time frame, but thinks it could be at least a year. ***Heavy sigh***

3. My injury has nothing to do with the epidural in his opinion. It was caused by 3 hrs of hard labour and pushing.

4. I am referred to a neuro-muscular specialist for his opinion and further tests. It's hard to get in, so it could be awhile before I see him.

5. I have to continue to walk in 15 min spurts a few times a day. I also have to continue with rigorous physio. I also have to watch what I eat {no big surprise there!}.

There's probably more, but I'm too tired to remember. I should write these things down.

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Hermione is HOT

Fierce and faboosh.
Emma Watson {aka Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter films} is stunning for Teen Vogue. If only leopard tights and booties were appropriate courtroom attire....

Click here for more hotness.

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Orange Love

This is so beautiful! Grey and orange is my current favourite colour combination.

Thank you Apartment Therapy...

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Home Cooking - Night One

Well, we did it. First night of homemade eats!

Adair grilled tilapia marinated with lime and basil, which was placed on a bed of quinoa and mango salsa. Delish!

Sounds healthy, right? Ya well, we did have 2 chocolate eclairs each. YUM!

I need to find some more recipes! Tomorrow I think I want to try chicken with warm avocado...mmmmm...

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Whoa!

Have I not seriously posted for 2 weeks? Wow. Ummmm...I've been posting on my main blog, so I don't feel too bad.

The MummyFit Challenge is on hiatus. I'm continually trying to eat better and move more - the simplest key to weight loss. Cupcakes and pizza often get the best of me and negate my fitness efforts, but I'm trying hard to cook my own food.

Actually, that's a new challenge I've "cooked" up {pun intended}. Adair & I are going to home-cook all our dinners in July. It will give me a chance to flex my muscles in the kitchen because Adair's already a pretty decent cook, but neither of will going on Top Chef anytime soon. We're looking for wholesome, organic meals that will be good for EZ too. This is a relatively simple challenge, completely unlike the 100 Mile Challenge. OMH - Have you SEEN that???

I'm going to see a neurologist this week. My leg is still numb. Dumb. Will update later this week.

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LOVE U.S. SODA!!!

I know I should be only drinking water or whatever, but I couldn't resist these new soda flavours when we were at Target yesterday!

Coke Zero Cherry AND Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry {no vanilla - ewwww}!

My life is complete!!!!

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Father's Day Weekend Review

My parents are away this weekend, so we're holding down the fort. All is well. We had a busy weekend, but I miss my parents terribly when they're not around!

We {well, I} decided that since I didn't get ANYTHING for Mother's Day {you read that correctly, not one thing - not even a card. Who raised this guy?} that I deserved a shopping spree in Buffalo. Adair took awhile to get his passport, but we recently received both his and EZ's in the mail, so we thought that THIS was the weekend to shop in the States.

We picked up some ebay finds at our US mailbox, went to two Targets, and then to the mall. We had so much fun and walked sooooo much! I didn't go too too crazy, but I definitely picked up some cute clothes and stuff. Our best deals were @ Macy's. We always have luck there. We found the pieces that we're missing for our bedding at the new house, and they were already reduced by 50%. We got them for another 40% off, then signed up for a Macy's card and got another 20% off that. All told we saved $250 on our 3 items! YAY Macy's!!!

EZ's cousins had a sleepover at our house on Saturday night! They love their Nintendo DS, but luckily, they love little EZ more. Here's a pic of EZ finding his feet. He's teething, so he's chewing everything including his own toes!
So yesterday was Father's Day. Because I never got anything for Mother's Day {did I mention that already?!}, I thought that maybe I wouldn't get him anything either, but I decided that THAT isn't the kind of tradition I want to create.

So I had custom-designed cufflinks made in Jasper {just like EZ's middle name - I'm so thoughtful, he he} by my friend Erika @ Antoinette Designs. They are STUNNING!!! Thanks Erika! Adair loved them!!!


Sunday night was low-key. EZ just wanted to hang out on mummy's tummy & watch the MMVAs, while mummy wished granddad a Happy Father's Day! Notice the cuteness of the hand placed on his leg? It's his favourite "hang out" pose. Also, what is especially sweet about this picture {apart from the drool on mummy's shirt}, is that when Adair got the camera out, he began to smile. This kid's a genius, I tell ya!

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Gratuitous EZ Pics

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