Isaiah's Special Day

Isaiah had his baptism this past Sunday in the Roman Catholic Church (which, yes, seems odd if you know me at all, but it is important to Greg so that is what matters). He now has (officially!) two wonderful godparents, Candice & Altin, to help lead him through life. It really was a big day for him, and he was such a good boy all day! And of course he looked absolutely handsome in his suit, as did Greg (who wore a suit for the first time since sporting a tux for our wedding!). And though he received some rough treatment when blessed with the holy water, he didn't even make a peep! And he did an excellent job of hanging out with everyone - far better than me (for which I apologize, but I was too darn busy) - and even spent some quality time with his Uncle James!

Anyhow, so that's actually why I've been absent from the blogging world lately - I was busy last week doing prep work for the baptism as we hosted a reception following church. It was almost as though I was planning a mini-wedding! Thanks to family and friends who helped us out in way of setting up and decorating, bringing desserts, cleaning up, and everything in between! We couldn't have done it without you!

TITP

So, as some of you know, I'm currently swept up in the teacher initiated transfer process, as I've been for the past few years. Now, I'm a believer in the "all things happen for a reason" philosophy, but I also find it discouraging that I've not yet been successful in transferring closer to home (though I've also not yet had an interview at SDCI, which is less than 5 minutes away, so maybe I haven't scored a job elsewhere because I'm meant to work there... let's say that). Anyhow, it's slightly frustrating in that I spend quite a bit of time tweaking cover letters to perfectly suit the job I'm applying for, and then another chunk of time to fax them off, and still have nothing to show for my efforts. And for those of you who know the process, it's a relatively small window of time to get all of this accomplished in. So I feel as though my efforts usually go to waste. I can't even claim the "at least I got the interview experience" line, because thus far I've only had one interview for a headship position and didn't land the job.

Don't get me wrong, I actually really like WCI, my current school, but the commute is horrendous and, come fall, I'm especially going to want to be home for my son rather than spend 2+ hours on the road a day. Why is our board so big? That shouldn't even be possible! And in the middle of winter, when I've got to drive through the snow belt at some point, I absolutely dread the commute. Not only that, but I'd really like to be teaching drama again, which I started doing there, but that is not entirely likely in the future (though I'm thankful to have had some experience, plus the lines of English I've taught).

Anyway, I just wanted to vent my frustration because, yet again today, I went through the second round. It's hard to keep your head up when you're not exactly sure you'll ever get to move. Although Greg has interviewed with Toyota for the Woodstock plant, so maybe I've not gotten a transfer because I'm meant to stay. Who knows? Sometimes I feel as though life is in someone else's hands...

Catch-up Catch-all

Well, I've nothing truly fascinating to reveal in today's blog, but I wanted to post nonetheless as I've uploaded some new pics on the computer (Greg had to dig out the software for our camera again). Anyhow, so here I am. Isaiah is taking his afternoon nap (he's really falling into a routine, finally) and I thought it best I take advantage of some me time (which I guess is really you time, since I'm posting this for those of you who check out my blog). Wow, he's got impeccable timing - I just heard him start to fuss. Just when I started to praise his regularity...

Okay, he's now coming out of sleep mode perched on my lap, so we'll see how long I can type! We've been practicing sitting lately anyway, so it will be good for him. Too bad he also loves getting his hands on phones, remote controls and keyboards, so this could prove quite challenging! Anyhow, Isaiah turned six months on Monday and he's changing every day. He's now clearly responding to his name and various noises, moving as much as he can (though not yet crawling) and enjoying solids. I think his hair is finally starting to grow in too, but he still has a mohawk on the top (good thing that's in style). And, just in case you're dying to know, he's still not sleeping through the night (though doing better on the whole).

Our house is also ever changing... I believe I posted that we got sod, so I also finally took a picture of the house, even though the driveway is not yet finished (that's next year's project). There are still a few rooms I've yet to hang things on the walls in, but that's mostly because I really don't think it will stay the way it is right now for good. So bare walls it is. And we've done no landscaping as of yet, but hope to get a little colour in the front this weekend if the weather cooperates. We'll see, I definitely did not inherit my grandfather's green thumb. I know how to pull weeds, and that's about it.

So other than that, things are relatively low-key our way. We're getting ready for Isaiah's baptism in a week and a bit, and hoping to enjoy the few months before I return to work. I can't believe how quickly maternity (well parental, technically) leave flies by. No baby #2 quite yet, though, so this is our family for now (plus Raider of course, the biggest sucky baby of all!). Hopefully I'll have less of a generic post next time I return to the blogging world!

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother’s Day, and as a new mom myself, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the mothers in my life. They have truly helped to shape me into the mother I am today; I look to them for guidance and support, but I also take from them values, qualities, and lessons from which I now parent my son.

First, my mom. My mom leads a busy life, but she always makes time for us. She tends to have the foresight to know when she is needed. She has been patient and understanding with me as I’ve grown over the years. Oftentimes I look to her for guidance, especially in terms of my career, and she lends support in many aspects of my life. She is caring and her love is unconditional. Thank you, mom, for raising me.

I was also very fortunate to grow up having two other mothers in my life as well, my grandmothers. Each of them lived around the corner, so I saw them often and established a close relationship with both. My Grandma Herr is a rock, she has incredible strength and I have always admired her for that. She has taught me a lot about family, what it means to enjoy one another’s company and to make time for one another. She takes pride in our accomplishments and would do anything for us; I am grateful for her generosity and love.

Though I’m not convinced my Grandma Jaeger knows who I am any longer, due to the progression of Alzheimer’s, I have many a joyous memory of her from my childhood. My grandma taught me to enjoy life and to take time for the simple things. We’d spend countless hours outdoors, swinging in the backyard, going for walks, riding our bikes, or skating on the pond. She loved to sing to us and I now find myself humming a tune as I rock my son that she once sang to me. Thank you to both grandmas for having such a presence in my life.

I’ve also in recent years had the opportunity to establish a relationship with my step-mother, Carol. Many a time has she proven to be a sounding board for me, and though we’ve had our growing pains, I know she values the connection we’ve been able to build. She takes pleasure in time spent together, and it’s always nice to get together with her and my dad for a visit!

My mother-in-law, Alda, is another amazing mother in my life. I am absolutely astounded at all that she does for her family. So many times we’ve called last minute for her to watch Isaiah or Raider, and she does not for a second hesitate to accept. She is giving and kind, with a warm heart. Alda, I notice all the little things you do and I appreciate them.

Thank you again to all the mothers to me for everything you do, whether I touched on it or it went unsaid. You’ve been instrumental in my life and I am grateful for all that you’ve done and continue to do. Happy Mother’s Day! Be sure to enjoy the day, you deserve it!

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit...

Well, I finally broke down and tried out veggies with Isaiah - who, as I assumed, devoured them without much thought. Not sure yet if the green beans will affect his system (you know how the little song goes), but so far he seems to be pretty normal! He'll be having a fine two-course meal of milk and green beans for dinner again this evening, so we'll see how round #2 goes! So that means our little tank (practically 18 lbs. at the doctor's yesterday) is up to three two-course meals a day, with just a breakfast of milk. Not bad! Now if we can just get sleeping through the night down pat! Or growing some hair... any advice on that? Isaiah is still pretty darn bald (check out the "fine" mohawk in the pic below)!

Hairspray

Thanks Janice, though under unfortunate circumstances, for the tickets to see Hairspray last night! It was a really great show - incredibly humourous with some clever performances (Penny and Edna in particular)! I enjoyed mixing up my typical Wednesday routine of yoga and then home to watch ANTM and, save for a small incident with the host of ESM, had an excellent evening! Now if only I could convince Greg to come see shows with me (not that you weren't fantastic company, Stacey, I just miss going to see shows on a more frequent basis and wish my husband actually enjoyed it)!

Yeah, a Sidewalk!

We've been in our house for 5 months now, and we finally got our sidewalk today. Yesterday we were woken up at 8 by a ring of the doorbell from some town construction men who then quickly began framing the sidewalk. We figured they'd be back to pour cement at some point, but are just now doing so more than 30 hours later! I can't complain though, as I've been waiting for the sidewalk completion forever as it has made walking Raider with the stroller more challenging to have to off-road every few lots. Unfortunately they're still building on one lot down the street in the direction I always walk with the boys, so I'll still have to manoeuver around that for some time (though I'm glad a house is finally going in as it's the last in that section so it makes our street look more complete)!

Now we're just anxious to get sod, a fence, a driveway, and a deck... though most of those things won't happen this year. We drove around this morning after running some errands looking at flower beds to get some ideas, as we're both wishing the curb appeal of our house to be slightly better! I'm desperate to be able to get outdoors to play with Isaiah, and Raider has long been anticipating basking in the sun. Soon enough!

Anyhow, I'd best keep an eye on the work out front... school has let out and I'm sure the kids will be wanting to carve their initials into our sidewalk! :)