Weekend with Family

Well, Happy Easter Everyone!!!!!!!!!

I hope the Easter Bunny treated everyone well and that you enjoyed the nice weather all of Canada seemed to have.

The last week or so has been a first in a number of ways. I would first like to say, Saturday April 3rd will be a date for the record as Kaylee slept threw the entire night for the first time ever. She went down around 8pm and slept until 6:30am. I am telling you right now that I feel like a new woman with a full nights sleep! It was incredible. What a solid 7 hours can do!

To back up a little, last week Jordon's father arrived as I had mentioned in my last blog. However on Wednesday evening Jordon's sister Cheryl and her husband JR arrived. It was a late arrival but when they got here it seemed we were up until the early hours of the morning catching up and enjoying each others company.

Jordon had to work on Thursday so his family and I spent the day out shopping and hanging out. It was nice because living so far apart we have never really gotten to know each other well. I feel like this weekend was definitely a step in the right direction.

I also feel like a lot of things have changed. Once kids are involved, family seems to take on a whole different meaning. This is not to say that I loved my parents or Jordon's family any less before Kaylee was born. But now that she is here, it feels like it would be wrong for us not to spend the time and let them spend the time together with her. I got to experience first hand the difference having family far and close makes. My Nanny and Poppa were never more then an hour away throughout my entire childhood. I knew them well, I loved them deeply and always looked forward to the time I was able to spend with them. My Granny and Grandad however lived in Montreal and I saw them twice a year. Yes this was nice but as a kid it was much more... formal in a sense. I felt like I was spending time with them because we should as they were only there every so often and not because I wanted to.

Anyways, now that I have a child of my own I want her to be a part of all of her family.

It really drives home that I would like to move back to Ontario within the next couple of years to be close to everyone. I hate the city but cannot get past the fact that being isolated away from family just does not feel right.

Anyway, Kaylee did amazing with so many new faces this weekend. Of course she had a few fussy periods where she was a little overwhelmed with all the new faces and arms that passed her around, however overall she was a beautiful little girl that gave everyone smiles and kisses.

We had our very first laugh this weekend as well. Kaylee had woken up before the rest of our company and her and I were laying on the couch chatting back and forth. I would say "Tell me a story" and she would follow with 30 seconds of "goo's and gaw's and nah's" etc. I smiled really big as she was telling one of her "stories" and she started to laugh. It was incredible. It made my smile turn into one of those dumb grins you see on proud parents in the audience of school plays. What a sweet little girl!

Friday morning we were supposed to have a friend take some family photos for us, however last minute he let me know he wouldn't be able. At first I was a little upset but everyone else seemed to let it slide without another thought, so I followed suit. We walked along the waterfront downtown Halifax, enjoying the sun. We stopped at Salty's, a nice restaurant along the water for lunch and enjoyed good food and great company. Kaylee was incredible. I was a little hesitant taking her into a nice restaurant- after all, who wants to listen to a baby cry when they are out for something to eat. But, she proved me wrong and sat happily in my lap as we had a beer and lunch.

Saturday we had incredible weather. It was 22 degrees and so we sat on the back deck having a few beer and chatting for hours. Jordon bought a greenhouse which is now in our backyard with all of my seeds. I am sure that this is going to help our garden out! Kaylee jumped from lap to lap, laughing or crying in someone elses lap each time.

An important thing I learned about her this weekend is that she seems to get overwhelmed with the company and enjoys time on her own. Saturday afternoon she was fussing for no apparent reason. I took her to her room and layed her in her crib and she layed there wide awake, looking around, up at her mobile for an hour and a half happy as can be. I think she is going to be an independent little girl and enjoy time on her own either reading or doing some sort of activity away from others. Regardless it was nice to see her in her crib and not fussing even though she was awake.

We made a simple supper Saturday night and our neighbours stayed to enjoy the grub. 2 Beer can chickens and macaroni salad. Simple yet so tasty.

This morning I woke up with Kaylee around 6:30 after another solid sleep. It was fantastic. She seems to wake up so happy and well rested in the mornings, I can't help but be happy to be up at that hour. I made my big Easter Dinner today and we sat on the back deck ion the sun to have our ham, baby taters and candy carrots. Yum- it totally hit the spot.

Cheryl and JR flew out today and had to leave around 4pm. It was amazing to have them but as everyone knows its nice to go home (for them) and nice to have my house back to a normal state. I wouldn't have changed the weekend in the slightest. All the chatting, games of cards and times spent with Kaylee was really awesome.

I also want to say, when people say that your baby changes everyday, it is an understatement. I swear sometimes I can look at Kaylee and she looks like a different little girl from morning to night.

I feel like I am really falling in love. Yes I loved her with my whole being before but the last few weeks as she has started to become a little person and her personality is coming through.... My oh my.... I look at her with nothing but a sense of being proud of what I have made and a love of who she is.

I guess the easy way to say what I feel about this weekend is that family is so important. I have a wonderful, beautiful little girl, I have an incredible hubby, I have the best parents in the world, a little sister capable of taking on the world and an extended family- Jordon's father, sister and her husband that have really showed that they are just as important in our lives.

Anyways, enough of all the mushy gushy... I will write again soon.