February

Go Canucks Go! - February 21, 2009
Who knew it would be next to impossible to get Canucks games in Toronto. It is particularly frustrating as we actually get SportsNet Pacific in our cable package. However, whenever the Canucks games are on and sign is posted on the screen that says "Regional Blackout in Effect". Total crap if you ask me. Anyway, my loving husband managed to find us tickets to the Leafs Canucks game. Not the cheapest of dates, but well worth it. I was a little afraid that he might be beat up if I wore my jersey (I figured I was safe since I'm pregnant), but surprisingly there were loads of Canucks fans. To top it off, we saw the most hockey we could as the game went to the shoot-out, and we won! And in the end the final puck was put in the net by Mats Sundin. Perfect.

Sweeper!
Our little helper has always liked the swiffer (aka the sweeper). And now that Ali has free reign of our main floor Kaden has even more reason to sweep - dog hair! Of course, his search for dog hair often leads him directly to the dog, but she takes it all in stride. In case it's not 100% clear from the picture, Kaden is actually hugging the swiffer in that last shot!

Sweeping and singing. Good times.
Kaden is starting to "sing" a lot more these days...the songs often sound a lot like talking at high speed or high volume!
Not his best rendition, but you get the picture.

The Adventures of Bunny
Kaden started bonding with Bunny before we left BC. He began by interacting with him to hop and then worked his way up to pretending to give bunny snacks in his highchair. His empathy towards Bunny's well-being has now expanded. Kaden began a new fascination with his toys having "poopy bums". I thought that changing a diaper on an inanimate car might be tricky and suggested that perhaps Bunny would like a fresh diaper. Best idea ever apparently. Kaden happily changed Bunny over and over again. He even helps Bunny "do his business"! Without going into too much detail, Kaden will often stand by the couch for his own "quiet time". So, once Bunny's diaper is in place Kaden takes him over to the couch and "encourages" Bunny to do the same! The feeding of Bunny has also grown to include a bib and actual eating implements. In addition, Kaden has spent time reading to Bunny. Too cute.

Here you can see Kaden the care-giver making sure Bunny is clean and well educated!
           

Family Day - February 16, 2009
A stat holiday in February - I love it. We strolled down to the beach with some friends (and apparently every other family in the east end of Toronto) to check out the Family Day festivities. Although we didn't linger long at any one activity inside, and we didn't stay too long outside, it was a great day to get out and start exploring our new neighbourhood.

Playschool
Along with our good friends, we have signed Kaden up to attend a playschool. It is a co-operative playschool about a 5 minute drive from our house. There are two early childhood educators who coordinate the theme each week and prepare some activities and each parent is also responsible for participating "on duty" a couple times each month. There are some organized theme-related activities each session (like crafts) and there is always a circle time and a snack, but beyond that it's pretty much free play. We go two mornings a week and Kaden is loving it. There's a sand box, a play dough table, an easel, riding cars, books and, of course, toys. If not on duty you are free to leave your child for the two hours giving you a bit of a break as well. With all the transition in Kaden's life I haven't left him alone there yet, but for the most part he doesn't take much notice of me staying either!

Valentines - February 14, 2009
We partook of a few pre-Valentine's activities by making a poster for Daddy with Kaden's new favourite craft supply - stickers! Earlier in the week, Kaden and I checked out a playschool, which we have since joined. As part of their activities he got a bag of valentines and a delicious cookie (which he and I shared one night after dinner)! Valentine's Day itself fell on a weekend this year, which was nice. We had Daddy home for the day and, although we were still unpacking the house, we took time to enjoy the day and each others company. Kaden got a few treats in the morning and we enjoyed a family breakfast of waffles and sausages. Yum!

Brrr! It's cold outside! - February 13, 2009
Kaden and I braved the cold Toronto winds in the stroller for the first time. We certainly haven't been using that mode of transport much since we arrived and I sense that its use will be limited until a little closer to spring! The sun is definitely a nice perk, but sun does not equal warm! We didn't go too far - just up to the Sobey's on the corner for some milk.

Friends
One of the best things about living where we are is being so close to our good friends. We are fortunate enough to be in Toronto at the same time that one of my best friends and her family are living here. They are only in Toronto until next July, but we're soaking up all the time with them while we can! Kaden loves his new playmates and we spend much of our time during the week at each others houses, at playschool, or exploring different kid-friendly venues in the city. So fun! Most of these pictures were taken from an indoor playground not to far from our neighbourhood. Kaden had a ball on the "ride 'em cars" and making coffee in the play kitchen. Of course he found a slide and some mats to bounce around on too!

Kaden obviously enjoys his morning routine with Daddy...here he gets to do it all by himself!

The "Playroom"
It's nice to have a room where we can try to contain all of the toys and where Kaden and "Goat" will be able to play. They are certainly not confined to that room, but I can see it from the kitchen when I am cooking and the dog knows she has to stay out. We are calling it the playroom and it is just that. Kaden has figured out how to climb up on the couch all by himself now too. Another sign of our growing boy.

Couch-climbing in action!

The Kids are Alright
Over the course of the month, our kids (Kaden and Ali) have been settling very well into their new surroundings and with each other. Ali is certainly much calmer than she was when we last saw her in Vancouver and can often be found napping in various spots in the house...although she is still very much a puppy! We have put a gate across the door to the playroom, but we leave it open most of the time. Ali knows she is not allowed to go in there, but we can close it if needed (especially once the babe arrives and I know I have somewhere to keep 2-legged and 4-legged creatures separate). Kaden loves having Ali around. He often asks where she is and goes to find her. He likes to throw her toys, gives her nice pets, makes sure she has a ball when we put her in her crate, and reminds us that she gets "two coots" (aka two treats) when we call her to come back in the house. She of course is very interested in our little man who runs around the house tempting her at every turn! They have their moments, but for the most part are turning into good little buddies.

Mr. Fix It!
Despite coming from a fully-furnished house in Vancouver it seems like we made trips to IKEA for the first few weekends we were in the house (and I don't think we're done yet either). Regardless, Kaden took an immediate interest in furniture assembly. What could be better than helping day "fix things". He does have a set of toy tools, which he will happily play with until he sees the real deal, but don't kid yourself if you think he'll take plastic over metal if given the chance! Fortunately Daddy has more than one screwdriver on hand. Kaden happily helped daddy put things together while exclaiming "we did it!" The look of concentration and determination is priceless.

Men at work.

New Neighbours?
Raccoons.  We've got them in spades...well, there are at least two! We had several sightings in the first couple days of being in the house, but since then they have returned to their nocturnal ways or the scent of Ali is keeping them more at bay (or we have become better at securing our garbage)! We saw a couple raccoons one morning scooting along the fence behind our house. We next saw evidence of them when they tipped over our "green" garbage...not a fun treat for Craig as this is the organic garbage bin, which includes things like diapers and dog droppings! One night Craig let Ali out without knowing he had to look first and Ali took off after a lumbering beast. Fortunately it didn't turn for a fight and managed to get out before Ali got close. The next night, Craig was more aware and first cracked the door open to alert any bandits. And sure enough there was one at the end of our deck, which sauntered off. However, as soon as Craig went to fully open the door and let Ali out another one jumped down from the deck railing right beside the door! Other than the sighting I documented below, which was in the middle of the morning one day, I haven't seen them since...but I know they are out there.

The New House
We got the keys to the new house the last weekend in January. Our things weren't to arrive until the following weekend, but at least we were able to get in and look around to start planning. The house is great. It has lots of space, but it's quirky too. It's about 90 years old, but has been renovated over time. I think the oddest thing about it is the basement - narrow stairwell and doorways followed by low ceilings in some places and sloping floors. Needless to say, our plan to get the couch in the basement was a joke. Fortunately, the boys playroom benefited from the basement's loss. IKEA also benefited as we now needed more furniture to fill the void! But I digress. On our first visit to the house, we brought Grandma and Grandpa and Kaden and we scoped out the work to be done in the backyard to install a temporary fence to keep Ali inside. The next weekend, our belongings arrived on Saturday (although I forgot the camera) and on Sunday, Craig, Grandpa, and I returned. Craig's brother Chris also joined us. The men stayed outside installing the fence while I started to unpack Kaden's toys. You can tell we are parents as the first things we got settled were for the dog and the kid. Who needs dishes or sheets anyway?! Needless to say, although it was a productive day, we were a ways away from moving our family in. Over the course of the week, Kaden and I would pop by during the day to do some things, although "things" are limited with a toddler. In the evenings, Craig and I would return to do more, but there's only so much you can do in the late evenings. So, after a good start at getting the necessities organized, we moved in on the second Saturday of February. It was sad to leave the comfort of Grandma and Grandpa's, but it was nice to finally start feeling like we were getting settled in our new house in the new city. It was also nice to start our first morning in the house with the usual routine of Daddy and Kaden making coffee and to end the day with Kaden's first bath in the new tub. It was starting to feel like home.