:: Baby M ::

Yesterday afternoon, while the wind stormed outside, I had the pleasure of cranking the fireplace and blasting the heater to keep this little guy warm as we striped him naked for some newbie pictures.  At only three weeks old, slightly older than the ideal newbie photo shoot age, Baby M was a total champ.  He put up with us posing and bending him, stuffing him inside cocoons and various hats, until the afternoon light faded away.  He has such a sweet temperament.  I could have cuddled him all afternoon long.

There is something so sweet about baby feet.

 The cuteness is almost too much!  He is beyond adorable!

Baby M would not surrender his soother easily.  But I love this picture of him with it.

Goodness me.  

I thought about trying to hide him behind a pillow so I could keep him.  

I think his momma would have noticed. ;)

Tanya requested a baby bum picture & I love how this turned out.  There is something so sweet about a baby's soft little booty.

Stunning.  

Its hard to believe this gorgeous woman had a baby just a few weeks ago.  She is such a natural, relaxed mother.  Seeing her with her son and her obvious adoration for him was truly special.

Love all his stretches.  Reminded me of my little guy when he was a newbie!

Trying to convince Baby M to go to sleep.

I love the way he was clinging to him momma's fingers.

Court, thank you for sharing your photo shoot with me!  

Tanya, you are doing such an amazing job as a new momma!  Baby M is beyond cute!  Thank you for this opportunity to take pictures for you and letting me fumble my way through posing and positioning to get you some pictures of your wee babe.  Thank you for your patience and willingness to be a human prop.  :) 

He is a treasure & so very well loved already.

:: Leah ::

In my constant quest to find models for my photography practice, I begged Leah, our pastor's daughter, to model for me.  Not only did she pose & look pretty, but she totally rocked it!  And looked better in one of my favorite dresses than I ever have!

Love this picture.  

There was a fabulous blue barn in the background, but sadly I blew the sky out more than I meant too.

But I still love how this picture turned out.  

What a cutie!

 I made Leah get a little bit dirty by sitting next to this barn, but she didn't complain one tiny bit.  Even though her bottom was a tad damp at the end...

Apparently she's never modeled before but you'd never guess.  Watch out Canada's Next Top Model.

Sorry boys.  She is single but off the market until well into her 30's according to Pastor Chris. ;)

Leah, thank you SO MUCH for posing for me!  I had a great afternoon with you, scouting out the perfect location, jumping in and out of the car numerous times on a dirt road, *borrowing* the side of someone's barn, hunting for abandoned vehicles on hiking trails, lugging Judah along on our adventure.  You are an amazing girl & are going to do great things in this world!

:: Halloween 2010 ::

A birthday party missed, lost amidst MapQuest instructions.  A ferry missed, five minutes too late.  Drowning grumbles in raspberry wheat ale from the favored restaurant and wandering the isles, admiring luxurious goods and exotic foods of the best grocery store around.  Dressed in costume, full of excitement for another first with the wee babe.  Laughter of good friends, close like family already, reminding us we are blessed by divine interventions.  Sweet girls with gorgeous painted faces, full of giggles and anticipation.  Neighbourhood visitors.  Surprising some, already in their nightgowns, by being the first trick or treat-ers.  Ever.  In 20 years.  Memories and moments.  Celebrated together.

Judah & his lovely ladies.

Isn't their face paint gorgeous?!  Their mommy is amazingly talented.

Momentarily not mad about his costume being on.

That's when he turns into a mad hornet vs. a bumblebee.

Me & my little bee.

My two boys.  (Boys being the operative word...)

At 6 1/2 months and 3 moody days, Little J's first tooth finally pushed through.  We promptly went to my office to get his first toothbrush - a baby Nimby.  He immediately began chewing on it and fell asleep with it firmly in his little fist.  At that moment, I was a very proud dental hygienist mother.  

::A few of my favorite things::

In honor of my life as a mother, I am sharing some of the things I'm come to love over these past seven months.  Its funny how some of the things you thought you'd love are actually not as useful as you thought.  And some other things I thought I wouldn't really care about have become my favorite items.

1.  Live Clean (Baby) Non-Petroleum Jelly

I didn't realize that petroleum jelly is actually made from petroleum until Jody told me a few weeks after Judah was born.  Seriously, who makes baby products out of oil!?  And I thought it was just a name.  (And, no, I'm not naturally blond, just extremely naive.)  I rapidly switched to this product, made from 99% plant products, specifically Castor seed oil.  It works & feels just like Vaseline.  Love it.

2. Thymes Sweetleaf Baby Massage Oil

I received this as a gift right after Judah was born & will now forever associate Judah's childhood with this smell.  Infused with organic lavender, meadowfoam seed oil, chamomile and aloe vera, it just has the sweetest, softest smell. *sigh*  It reminds me of the first few weeks of Judah's life.

3. Ergo Carrier

I got this as a gift from my employers and it has been a lifesaver numerous times.  We have the infant insert, which we used for the first 3 1/2 months.  The carrier is incredibly comfortable, even now that my little man is a 19-pounder.  This carrier has travelled far and wide, to other countries, on mountain hikes and beach side walks.

4. Aden + Anais 100% Cotton Muslin Swaddle Wrap

These blankets have become Judah's lovie - his cuddle blanket at night and in the crib.  He holds it close to his face and curls up beside it at night.  Its a soft gauze-y blanket that is perfect for the hot summer days.  These aren't cheap (about $60 for four or $45 US for those Canadians who are willing to travel north of the border for steals & deals), but worth every penny.  

5. gDiapers

I thought I would be all over the clothe diaper train.  The first time I tried scraping sticky baby poop off a clothe diaper, I quickly changed my mind and lunged towards a package of Pampers.  Then I tried gDiapers... with the disposable insert.  They are all the convenience of a disposable with the eco-friendly, tree-hugging, earth-saving good feelings of a clothe diaper.  Because I've had too many public poop explosions with clothe diapers (resulting in a diaper bag leeching poopy smell) while at Starbucks on a coffee date, I only use these at home or for short outings.  But they make me feel a little bit better knowing I'm reducing my diaper impact on the landfill.  Plus, they are cute. ;)

:: 5 Years ::

Of autumn walks, Starbucks in hand

Of winter fires and cozy nights

Of spring walks at the beach

Of summer adventures

...as a married couple.

This year, my MIL came out from the mainland to watch Little J for our anniversary on October 7th, allowing us a much needed date night.  We went to our favorite seafood joint in Gibsons, Smitty's.  The food is amazing, the the beer menu extensive, the staff entertaining - our kinda place!  We sat at the bar (just because we could, not having Little J along) and had an amazing 1 1/2 of just being Jody & Melissa, without the labels of mommy & daddy.  We reminisced about our wedding day, what we loved and what we'd do differently.  We laughed about all the adventures we'd had and dreamed about all the ones we will have as a growing family.  Then we ran home to snuggle our little man.

Fun Fact:

We were married on October 7th.  Its always been the day we celebrate.  But, our legal wedding date isn't until October 13th (I think!).

Happy 6-Month Birthday!

(This post is almost exactly a month late, but all these pictures were taken at Judah's 6 month birthday.)

26 1/2 inches

16.5 pounds

This is how Judah's spent the majority of his sixth month - attempting to crawl at every opportunity.  He has almost no interest in sitting.  Instead, the instant you place him on his bottom, he becomes stiff as a board, rolls over onto his belly, and begins shuffling his knees.  Judah's arms are immobile still, resulting in more than a few face-plants into flooring.

Although its been six months, it still amazes me that you are mine.

Daddy & I call you our "goofer" because we can already see you will be a little ham.

You make us laugh daily.

We are alive & well.

Regular posting will continue soon.

We just enjoyed a fabulous two week holiday with family & then a whirlwind of family birthday activity this past week.

Today we are resting, drinking coffee, and getting caught up on life, on what's been going on while we were away, and on chores.

This is what grocery shopping looks like after a long morning at the pool: