Big School and Breakfast Conundrums

Violet started school this fall. I have lots of feelings on the subject, but this is not a blog post about letting your baby go off into the big wide world. This is a post about trying to feed that baby before she goes out into the world so she doesn't ostracize herself with bad behaviour brought on by low blood sugar. 

Sweet Violet has difficulty with breakfast. She is just not into it. I've been lucky because Violet will eat almost anything, but she will not eat at almost any time. As someone who wakes up ravenous I have trouble relating to her, but my sister is the same way so I have some experience with this mysterious breed. 

One morning Violet took over 45 minutes to eat one piece of toast with sunbutter -- I could have eaten it in under a minute easily. Hence the timer in the photo above, yes it has come to that, we actually time Violet's breakfast. Fifteen minutes is all you get at Em & Jeff's school of hard knocks. 

We've tried almost everything to appeal to Violet's tastebuds first thing in the morning: smoothies with almond butter and cocoa, eggs in their many incarnations, hot cereal, cold cereal, toast with every topping known to man, all to no avail. 

My mum had the bright idea to send Violet home with an extra large ziplock bag of fluffy white pancakes after their sleepover on the weekend. Voila! A breakfast Violet could get behind. I wondered if I could pack a little more wholesome goodness into Violet's morning meal and the internet did not let me down. The carrot pancakes pictured above wouldn't win an award for thier nutrition, but getting Violet to eat veggies and some nuts before school is good enough for me.

The pancakes are easy and Vi likes them hot with syrup or cold with maple butter - like a muffin, according to her...right...I think they taste like carrot cake without the icing (so basically not nearly as good as carrot cake, but good for a pancake, okay). 

In my few weeks of experience, kids in grade primary can be a bit of a challenge. However, when Violet crawled into bed with me the other morning, hugged me and told me I smelled like a waffle cone, all was forgiven. It really is a good thing they are still cute at this age, because holy!

xo

Em

Get the recipe for these delicious pancakes here: http://weelicious.com/2010/04/01/carrot-pancakes/

A few shots (from my phone) of my number one school girl crush:

{day one}

{Violet's preferred mode of transportation}

{getting crazy on the slide}

{the consummate poser}

Baby Pond aka Harrison's Nook

{newborn Harrison in his nook -- photo by the wonderful Charlotte Griffiths}

I wrote a post similar to this one last night and I somehow deleted it. It was basically devastating. I've heard horror stories about PhD students losing their theses in the final hours before submission and if you would have seen the look on my face last night you would have believed me if I said that is what happened. Irrationally upset was I. Anyway, I've managed to move on, but boy was that a great post...

What I had wanted to share with you last night and what I am excited to share with you now is a little look at sweet Harrison's nook. Little is definitely the operative word! These photos are Charlotte's handiwork, (all but the poorly lit two at the end, those are mine):

I know what you're thinking, that room is small! I think it is around eight by six, a small closet by today's standards! We have, however, made the best of it, and I don't think Harrison has noticed the discrepancy between the size of his room and the size of his sister's room. Fodder for future therapy sessions I'm sure.

My dad was kind enough to paint the room and I requested "Going to the Chapel" by Benjamin Moore. If you are wondering if I chose the paint because of the name the answer is heck yes. How could I not? Such a cute name. I actually expected the colour to be more grey, less beige, but in most lights it looks more like the latter. I think that the colour suits the room because it is bright - great for such a small space - and a little warmer than the colour I had initially envisioned, which is quite nice for a nursery. 

I suppose we chose a subtle (I hope) nautical theme for Harrison's space. We went with the rope rug I mentioned in my first nook post and I found a couple ocean themed prints to display on the shelves we hung above his crib. My friend Amelia bought us the fisherman pendant light after I asked her if she liked it (she has great taste), how sweet was that? It really adds to the room and makes me want to change the boring old light fixtures that light up the rest of our house. 

The only thing that has really changed since these photos were taken is the window treatment. I finally got around to getting a roman shade made after finding the sweetest grey and white polka dot fabric at my new favourite shop, Patch Halifax. Have you been? Such a great store with such a sweet owner. It makes me want to learn to sew! Check it out, it is in the building where Nurtured used to be on Robie St. You'll love it, I promise. 

I do wish Harrison's room had a little more room. I'd love to rock him to sleep in there and a closet would be nice, but it really is cozy and all in all I am happy with how it turned out. It is a sweet little room for a sweet little boy. 

xo

Em

{literature and a photo of Harrison's fan club}

{shelves added for more storage, but not used to store anything overly practical!}

{every baby has a Sophie,  it is practically a requirement}

{this guy is the cutest thing in his nook times a million}

{thanks Ames! we love our fisherman light}

{the coziest rug in Christendom}

Baby H is One Month Old!

It truly was with joy in our hearts that we welcomed Harrison Stuart David Pond to our little family on August 14th, 2014. How can a month feel at once so long and so short? That pretty much sums up parenthood in my limited experience.

H-Man, as he is affectionately known around these parts, arrived a few weeks early and in a bit of a whirlwind. I had gone the IWK for a routine-ish ultrasound with plans to leave for the valley for the day as soon as I was through. Well, we never left the hospital. Harrison wasn't making big movements so our doctor, who we love, suggested he would be happier (and better fed) on the outside and so out he came first thing the next morning. The night before he was born was so surreal. They had admitted me for fetal monitoring, but there was no great concern. Jeff and I shared a pizza from La Frasca and my favourite Bicycle Thief cake and I went to bed feeling like it was Christmas Eve. (It is funny how you forget all the horrible things that accompany a birth until you relive it again!) All of the discomfort was obviously worth it when I held the little guy in my arms (and I do mean little - he weighed in at a whopping 5lb 13oz).

Like many other mums I'm going to try to take a photo of Harrison every month for his first year. How many months do you think I make it? Two? That might be optimistic...Anyway, I chose the little pirate toy to add perspective, but I think it might have been a poor choice because it is so tiny. I think the diaper will help show his growth...and his cheeks, those are growing too.

I chose this picture because I absolutely love the little face he is making. It probably has something to do with a gastrointestinal issue, but I am a biased mum and I think it is absolutely darling.

Blogging is something I would like to start doing again. We'll see how that goes. I have a very spotty track record and I'm getting less sleep than usual, plus a whole human is depending on me for their very survival. Like I said, we'll see how it goes.

xo

Em

Here are some funny (to me) outtakes from my "photo shoot" (I am well aware I am playing it fast and loose with the term photo shoot):

{distress} 

{ennui}  

{deep thought}

* please excuse my phone & toes!