Idea of the Week

I have been thinking these past few weeks that I didn't make a new year's resolution,

and have been struggling with whether or not to feel bad about

my clear lack of motivation.

I've spent some time thinking about my options:

- there's the obligatory weight loss concern
- the self improvement thought
- and of course the always present eat a better diet idea.
However for some reason these just all feel a little forced, a tad mundane even.

So, after much deliberation and great thought,
I have come up with the perfect, the ultimate, idea:

The Photo of the Week!

Perfect.

What a novel idea.
I will make a grand attempt at keeping my resolution,
if not for me, then definitely for you : }

Under Foot

Despite the title, this post is not about the Hannah Dog.

 Although come to think about it she often does get in the way,

usually around suppertime when she lies in wait for me to drop something delicious.

I'd be a liar if I told you I didn't,

though most of the time it's not on purpose. 

I swear.

Anyways,

this is not about that.

This is about what is REALLY underfoot,

aka, new floors!

In case you weren't here to witness the state of our floors,
we have been living with bare concrete in our living room for a few months now.
I dug this photo up from the archives to show you:

Note the big crack in the floor where the old wall used to be,
and that beautiful chair under the window.
Remember my on going dispute with that van seat?

After listening to me bemoan the perils of an infant falling on hard,
unforgiving concrete for the past few months,
our carpenter friends decided it was time to get'er done.

The result?
Pretty nice I think.

I am particularly pleased with the couch situation.

It is much improved.

This is the floor Jake will hang out on.
I can just hear him and his dad tearing across it,
with the Hannah dog hot on their heels...

pitter patter.

School for Smart Kids...

Here we come.

Just TRY to tell me he is not advanced.

I dare you.

This is priceless.
Although a little frightening too.
Is it appropriate to teach a two month old how to change the channel?

The boys were watching Sportscenter this morning.

I'm not sure who chose the channel, but they both look pretty into it.

The Hannah Dog and I had to get in on the action,

we can't let the boys hog the spotlight now can we?

If only every morning could be so sweet...

Sigh : )  

The Dating Game

If we call it a play date, does it count?

Jake and I went to visit Andrea and little Isaac the other day,

our very first play date!

Isaac is about 6 weeks older than Jake,

and it was amazing to see what a difference such a short amount of time 

can make when they're this little.

He's such a cutie, and my little dude had an excellent time.

Something tells me he's going to be the kind of guy that can have fun anywhere.

It's so hard not to rush things though, 

as part of me just wanted them to get up and crawl all around.

But the other ( much saner ) part of me wants him to stay this small forever.

And stay still.

In one place.

Exactly where I put him. 

Forever.

I know that they barely even registered each other's presence,

but it still counts as a play date, right?

It's not like it was for my sake or anything like that.

But I certainly am looking forward to doing it again sometime....

Enough about us,

Let's talk about Dr. Nails.

Things have been different around here since The Boss arrived.
Yes - this is indeed Jake's shirt:

What with the steady stream of Jake's adoring fans and an endless list of baby needs,
it's often been difficult to get much accomplished.

Let's face it,
priorities have changed and things like working on the house seem less important.
Dr. Nails has been picking away here and there though,
and slowly but surely things are getting done.
Like the insulation and vapour barrier downstairs
( so not worth a photo - but definitely a worthwhile endeavour )

And on nice days he has managed to get outside to do some shingling.

For those of you in other parts of the world besides Atlantic Canada who have not witnessed the
phenomenon of cedar shingles, let me tell you, it is a process like no other.
Each shingle has to be positioned just right,
perfectly level and in line with the shingle next to it.
Then - "tap tap tap". "tap tap tap"
I think it's therapeutic for our dear Carpenter.

Whatever you want to call it, it looks pretty damn good.
And in black and white it looks perfect.
As always, nice work Dr. Nails.
One wall down, four more to go...... or is it five?

Why Daddy, Why?

I am not a toy.

I repete, I am NOT a toy.

Pink is definitely not my color.

I do not dance.

And I have no idea what you are talking about.

But I certainly do have a beautiful belly.

And despite all this,

I certainly do love my dad.

Awwww : )

Oh, The Little Things....

It's amazing how you come to appreciate the little things in life

when you have something so little and precious IN your life.

Little things like a long hot shower or that extra half hour of sleep,

or a clean shirt without any bits of baby on it.

Even something as simple as a child's toy can bring on a wave of euphoria.

Or even better, a beautiful set of child eyes gazing up at you,

trusting that you will not let the Hannah Dog tip over the stroller on a walk.

It's these little things that make it all worthwhile.

Although as of yet I haven't come to terms with the fact that my 

infant son has better clothes than me,

and cooler shoes.

The little things indeed.....

Let the Good Times Roll, 2011!

I think these speak for themselves :)

Babies are such a nice way to start people : )

Back on the Air!

The Scoop:

Ok, so here's the deal.  

It's not really the end at all.

I just had to write that so as to print the official Building Bumps Blog Book,

and every book needs a happy ending, don't you think?

 Happily the book was a wild success this Christmas, 

and is apparently still in high demand.

We can get copies if anyone is interested, just email me:

gillybeano@eastlink.ca

So we're back.

The truth is that I missed all this.

The fame, the notoriety, the glory....

and the simple joy of sharing life's daily bumps with you.

Some how it just makes things seem, I don't know, less bumpy.

So what's new?

Christmas and New Years came and went.
As always a whirlwind of friends and family and fabulous food.

Our little Jake was the star of the show ( in our eyes at any rate )

 and showed up in fine style might I add,

dressed in his season's finest!

He learned a few new tricks along the way,
and is getting bigger and chubbier as each day goes by!

This year we have so many things to be thankful for,

and so many things to look forward to.

While we are excited about the many milestones to come,

Dr. Nails and I are trying to live in the moment as much as possible.

After all, he's only this little for a while...

Oh yeah, Dr. Nails somehow found a way to top the best year ever:

O.M.G.

It's going to be another big year!

Us

Hi!  I'm Gillian, but seriously, call me Gill.

I'm happy you're here to check us out!

The story starts here...

I spent a lot of my twenties travelling the world,

looking for something? someone? someplace? special.

I didn't find it, but I certainly had a damn good time.

Eventually I finally decided to have a little look-see around my own country,

so I hit the road and headed west to east, coast to coast, across the entirety of Canada.

Which is far. Very very far.

It ultimately took me a little while, but wouldn't you know it,

I finally found exactly what I was looking for.

 So now I've got a guy who thinks of himself as "wikid and weird,"

whom I like to refer to as Dr. Nails.

He is a man of many talents which I love to document here.

musician, master carpenter, comedian... let me tell you ladies, the total package indeed.

I do all this so when we're old and grey and have no idea what is going on any more 

we will be able to look at this blog and remember who we are.

It is important work I believe...

I am also lucky to have in my life the love of a big, floppy,

happy mutt we like to call the Hannah Dog.

She came with a house I moved into? wha?! and we have been best buds ever since.

One lucky lucky day in March 2010 Dr. Nails and I found out we were going to have a baby!

It was a momentous and life changing revelation, as you would expect.

Since my waist line was no longer teensy tiny but our house was,

we decided it would be in our best interests to put an addition on to make some room

for the babe to-be, and all of the wonderful baby stuff that he was to bring.

We broke new ground in July 2010, and Building Bumps was born!

Dr. Nails busted his ass and got us moved in to our beautiful addition right in time,

and the devastatingly handsome Jake Oliver appeared November 25th, 2010.

 We have been living together happily ever since.

SO now we're still busy putting the finishing touches on our little love shack,

and loving taking care of this ah-mazing little dude.

 Dr. Nails popped the BIG question recently, (of course I said yes)

and although we may not get married for a thousand years,

we know we'll always have each other.

And that, my dear friends, is truly a many splendored thing...

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