Summer Love

Last year, I lamented that having a newborn in June meant that summer just passed me by. I was stuck inside a condo with a cranky needy newborn, and the rigamarole of taking an elevator down 25 stories and carrying Nathan in his heavy carseat and all the baby gear into my car in the underground parking garage made necessary outings (like doctor appointments) difficult, never mind just getting out to enjoy the weather. By the time I felt like I had a handle on things, it was already autumn.

Well, what a difference a year makes. Having a toddler in the summer is delightful! He loves being outside, exploring the grass, fruit trees and vegetables in our garden. When the wind blows and ruffles his hair, he giggles and claps his hands.

I'm back at work part-time and it has been the best of both worlds. I get to interact with adults in a professional role, and still spend lots of quality time with my busy boy.

At the end of June, we went to a resort in the Dominican Republic with sixteen family members on my mom's side. I was nervous about how the trip would go with a toddler in tow....plane rides, sleeping in an unfamiliar place, naps!, new foods, etc. but it went SO well. Nathan had an amazing time. He loved swimming in the pool and ocean, playing in the sand, eating at the buffets, napping poolside in his stroller, and charming everyone with his toothy grin. The only difficult part of the trip was the return flight home, when the timing meant his nap got delayed for 1.5 hours, and he cried really hard for about twenty minutes during take-off. That was pretty awful, but after such a great week I could hardly complain. Would you believe that I took ZERO photos the entire trip? Here are some I gleaned from my mom and Uncle Alan.

Happy on his first flight

Four generations

Last week, we went up to the cottage with Jay's sisters and their families. It was so nice to spend time together, and the kids (aged 1, 2, 3 and 4) were a whirlwind of activity from 7:00am to 7:00pm. It was great to get out of the city. I had a moment of nostalgia as we pulled into the driveway with Nathan for the first time, remembering all the summer weekends I spent there in my childhood, and now Nathan would have those magical cottage experiences too.

 

It wasn't easy getting a photo with all four cousins in the frame

Nathan has been practicing standing by himself for the past few weeks, and he took his first steps at the cottage! He's still pretty unsteady but I suspect he'll be walking in the next month or so.

Look, Ma - no hands!

There's a park in our neighbourhood that we walk to quite often, which has a playground and splash pad. Nathan likes the swings and slide, and loves the water sprinklers.