We’ve lived in the house for about 6 weeks now, and we LOVE it. But there was one room that was hella awkward and the longer we lived here the more we wanted to fix it – the vestibule.

It was divided into two small spaces (one is the entryway from the front door, and the other is a closet) neither of which worked particularly well.

The closet had hanging rods that were two deep, so to get to the back rod you had to push aside all the hangers on the front rod. And because it was deep and narrow, it took up a big footprint without being very efficient in terms of storing our stuff.   And to top it off, there was a window in the closet, so all of that bright sunlight was trapped in a room that’s usually kept closed and hidden. It looked a little something like this:

super dark entryway and super bright closet

So we decided to take down the wall and just have one large entryway, like this:

We figured it would be a three day job:

Day 1: Tear down the wall
Day 2: rewire the lighting
Day 3: patch and paint walls and ceiling

I don’t know if it’s because it has been a while since we DIYed anything, or if we can blame it on severe sleep deprivation with the baby, but this timeline is EXTREMELY DELUSIONAL! What were we thinking? First of all, you can’t mud a wall and paint it on the same day. That’s ludicrous. Even if there were zero surprises and everything went smoothly (yeah right!), our timeline was still impossible to follow. We’ve now reworked it and we hope to have everything done by the end of next week.

Day 1: Demo day.

We started our demo day by clearing out the closet and removing the trim around the door frames. And that’s when we encountered our first surprise. We thought we’d be dealing with some drywall (since this wall was obviously added after the house was built) but it was still an old enough addition that it was plaster and lath.

So we got the tarp out to mitigate dust (and horsehair) from covering everything in the house, got out the masks and mallets, and knocked that plaster down! It made a huge mess and created a LOT of material waste.

Luckily Nico slept through a lot of the tear down. Once he woke up, I took care of him while Angelo continued to remove the remnants of the wall.

Day 2: Wiring.

Electrical work is scary, and so Angelo and I consulted with my step-dad for a long time before we even did anything. The vestibule had two light fixtures that were powered by one switch, which happened to be mounted in the wall we took down (natch).  Our plan was to lose one of the fixtures and its junction box (it was pigtailed to the other fixture and was not directly connected to the board, so it was all good) and we opted to keep the remaining junction box in its location, and just swag a pendant light to the middle of the room… kind of like this (not our home):

(source)

Then we had to fish some new wire from that junction box to reach to the new location of the switch terminal (which will be by the front door). That was a HUGE pain in the behind that Angelo tackled all by himself because Nico was super antsy and wouldn’t be left to play by himself for even 5 minutes. (of course, right?)

Day 3: Wall repair.

This is where we’re at now. Again, I’ve been on Nico duty and Angelo has done most of the work. I did rewire the switches for the lights while Nico napped, and Angelo has spent the better part of the day patching the walls and ceiling. We’re patching it with drywall, and I’m kinda scared that it will look amateurish, but Angelo has faith.

Before putting up a piece of drywall, Angelo made a little time capsule to be found in the future.

Some bike culture memorabilia, Nico’s birth announcement, a dried rose, I’m #2 coaster, and a Popeye’s $1.

Things left to do: We have to fill the trench in the floor, we have to re-trim the archway and the window (including replacing the sill), we have to sand and paint the walls and ceiling, and then… only then can we start to focus on making the space more functional for boots, coats, and general vestibule stuff. We’re thinking a bench, hooks and a coat tree. But all of that is far off in the distance, we know!

Standing: Nico stands now like it’s no big thing!!!!! I’m super happy for him, and I’m really impressed with his tenacity. Over the course of the last week or so, he has practiced getting up on his feet CONSTANTLY, and all of his hard work has paid off because he’s really getting good at it!

Teeth: Nico has been teething again lately, this time he’s cutting his two front teeth. Finally on Monday I saw the first little glimpse of a tooth cutting the gums, so hopefully they’ll stop bothering him soon and we can all finally get a little more sleep!

Outings: Well, being in the 97th percentile for head circumference is good for something – Nico fits into an infant bike helmet, which means we all went on our first family bike ride on Friday. A few weeks ago we bought a secondhand Chariot and we were looking forward to trying it out. After our Friday excursion, we can unequivocally say that it’s everything we wanted in a bike trailer, and we’re happy with our purchase. We biked down to the Byward Market and had a coffee and a walkabout, then biked home. Good times.

Special Occasions: this one is really for me… I had my first Mother’s Day on Sunday, and it was lovely.

Angelo surprised me with Mimosas, and we spent the day with my mother and his mom and Nonna. We ate lots of good food, and Nico enjoyed time with his fave cousin, Rio.

I try to avoid running on sidewalks when I’ve got Nico in the stroller. It’s just too bouncy for him. So for Monday‘s run, I ran on the path along the Ottawa River. I don’t usually think to go along the river, since the Canal is a little closer to my house. It was weird having to walk for 10 min just to get to the start of my run, but it was worth it in the end because of the lovely views!

Lots of Canada Geese and ducks around, and lots of bicycle commuters too! I ran 4k in 23:17, which is about 40 sec faster than last week’s 4k.

Tuesday‘s strollercise walk was cancelled due to snotty noses and rainy weather.

Wednesday I woke up feeling pretty good (which rarely happens these days) so after feeding the kid, I put him to bed with Angelo and went out for my 5k run solo. I ran through the Civic Hospital Area, and down Island Park Drive, which is a very affluent part of town. The houses were lovely to look at, but the run was a bit annoying in large part because I wore some really old running shorts that have lost all their elasticity. I was hiking up my shorts the whole time!

The best part about the run is that it was done before 8am!

Thursday our Strollercise group was only two ladies strong, but we had a lovely walk and we stopped at the park for the kids to play on the slides.

And… that’s pretty much it for training last week. Oops. I had grand plans to go for another run on Saturday, but the day just got away from me, and then Sunday was spent hanging out with our mothers, so I didn’t get around to it.

My race is THIS Saturday, which is crazy soon. I think I will only do one long run this week along with the Strollercise walks. I’m not going to get too obsessed with my “training”, because I know I’m capable of running the 8k, and since that’s a new race distance for me, I’m guaranteed a PR no matter what my time!! haha.

But it didn’t stop us from enjoying our first overnight stay at the cottage!

Crawling/Standing:

Nico is getting better and better at pulling himself up to standing. He does it in his crib, by the coffee table, in the bath, basically any chance he gets. It tires him out quickly, though, and his legs are still a bit wobbly.

Eating: This week has been a lot better in terms of food. It’s so funny how most of the kid’s development happens in fits and starts. One day he barely ate any food at all, and the next he almost tripled his intake at any given meal. We haven’t introduced any new foods lately, but now that he’s become a better eater, I’m going to give him a wider variety of veggies and even some beans to try.

Independence: this one is a little tricky. Now that Nico is eating solid foods, I’ve noticed a couple of things. The first is that I now have a lot more freedom than I did before, if I choose to seize it. And the other is that I don’t necessarily have to be the sole provider of food anymore. But what it’s shown is just how much Nico relies on the breast for comfort as well as sustenance. The kid CANNOT fall asleep without it, for instance. And it seems that every time he fusses or cries, my automatic response is to latch him on.

But if I want to claim my new-found freedom, I’m going to have to start teaching Nico how to self-soothe, and develop his independence a little more. Also, with only 4 months left of my mat leave, I want to prepare him somewhat for the realities of daycare. He’s going to have to learn to live without his parents during the day, and I don’t want it to be more of a shock than it needs to be.

Thanks to Kimberley for this amazing photo of Nico and me. Love it!

So I’m trying to express more milk for Angelo to feed to him. I’m also trying to leave him more often. On Sunday I went to visit my mom without him, and yesterday I took myself out for a bike ride. These little outings will help teach him that even if we leave for short periods of time, we always – ALWAYS – come back!

And finally, I’ll leave you with this picture, because it’s just too cute. This is what I came home to this morning after my run…

Monday I ran for the first time in FOREVER. Seriously, I know how hard it is to start running again after a long hiatus, you’d think it would be motivation enough not to fall of the wagon. Anyway, I ran 3k despite my laments and the fact that Nico woke up like 5 times the night before. During the run my lungs were burning and my lower back was killing me (that’s from carrying the kid facing out in the Beco). Then when I got home, I felt a little nauseous and had to sit down. I think that means I ran it fast (for me). I ran without the Garmin so I don’t know my pace or time. That’s fine. Today was all about going out there and just running.

Tuesday I walked for 1+ hours with the Strollercize group that I joined recently. I love all of the people in the group, and the walk is great.

Wednesday I ran 4k with Nico in tow. Running with the stroller was still hard, but not quite as grueling as it had been before. Maybe I’ve finally accepted that running while pushing 30+ lbs will simply be slower than when I run alone. Anyway, I completed the course in 24:02 min. That’s a 6 min kilometer. Sure it’s slow, but I’ll take it! The run itself was nice, too. I ran along the Rideau Canal, and I saw a couple of loons, a heron, and countless ducks. It was lovely – especially the heron, who was perched on the edge of the canal at Dow’s Lake, and was so close to the path, despite all the runners out there for a jog.

Thursday was more Strollercise.

Friday and Saturday were rest days. I took Nico up to the cottage overnight, and he had a great time.

We came home Sunday afternoon, and after a weekend up at the cottage, I was feeling pretty mellow and not really in the mood for a run. Had it not been for my upcoming race, I would’ve just stayed home. But our kitchen was bare of a few staples (bananas and milk) and the kid was already asleep, so I put him in the stroller and ran to the grocery store. Turns out it’s almost exactly 2.5km away from my house, so I ran there and back for a total of 5k (with a lengthy break in the middle while I battled the crowds at the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon!!).

I ran pretty slowly, but again, it was one of those “better than nothing” runs and pretty much what I expected for my first week of real training. I ran 5k in 30:32. Here’s the week at a glance:

See you next week!!

Other than this super cute face that he’s been making constantly lately…

Crawling: Nico crawls along quickly and purposefully. He knows where he’s going and he gets there double time!

He also lifts himself onto his knees and can comfortably sit up on his heels without holding on to anything for balance. Also, one day this week he actually pulled himself up onto his feet and stood (while holding on to the coffee table, of course) by the time I grabbed my phone to take a picture, he had plopped back onto his butt, but it’s just a matter of time now before he’s standing and walking (eek).

Eating/Sleeping: this is a growing concern for me, because Nico is sort of a picky eater. he doesn’t eat very much at each sitting (unless it’s puréed apples or pears) and so to compensate he drinks milk all night long. And we’re back to co-sleeping (and have been for the last few weeks) so he wakes up, rolls over, latches on to me, has a quick sip, and then goes back to sleep. But it’s not enough to satiate him, so 2 hours later he’s hungry again, rolls over again, has another quick sip, and the cycle continues.

I think I need to get up and nurse him sitting up in the rocking chair, to make sure he eats fully, so that he can sleep for a 4 hour stretch, and maybe even start putting him back in his crib. But right now, the routine we’ve got going makes for LONG nights and super grumpy mornings (for me – sorry Angelo!).

Strollercise: I’ve joined a strollercise group – we meet every Tues and Thur for an hour-long walk, and then we go for coffee and chat. It’s really nice, and all the parents get along really well. The only thing that’s sort of a downer is that the kids can’t crawl around together at the coffee shop, but now that the weather is nice, we’re talking about bringing a picnic and sitting out in the park after our walks instead. Can’t wait for that nice weather!!

Speaking of the weather… what’s up Spring?? Why you so cold?? We now live directly adjacent to a big park, and it’s been too cold and rainy to take advantage. I can’t wait for the nicer weather when we’ll be able to spend most of the day outside. (hm, guess I have to start looking into baby-friendly sunscreens first, huh?)

There have been so many times when I thought: “I should just go out for a run” but then the thought vanishes and I do other things. A lot of the time those other things involve walking, which is great, but I like being a runner, and I can’t be a runner unless I actually run!

So to motivate me to get out there three days a week, I’ve signed up for a few more races throughout the summer. It’s too bad that I need the fear of humiliation on race day to get out and run, but that’s just the way it is right now.

I’ll be running the Colonel By Classic, which is an 8k race on May 19 (that’s right, in 20 days!) – My training for this one will be agressive, but I’ll be running for distance, not for time. My goal is to get my weekly mileage back up in a hurry, so I won’t be too concerned with how long it takes me to run, just to get out there and log the kilometers.

Next I’ll be running the Hintonburg Centennial 5k, which is a neighbourhood race and is lots of fun. It’s on July 15, so I’ll have lots of time to increase my overall speed, incorporating speedwork into my training. The last time I ran this race I finished in 24 minutes, and I’m hoping to beat that this year!

And as soon as the Hintonburg 5k is done, I jump into HALF MARATHON training!! I’ll be running the Fall Colours Half Marathon this year. This is the race that takes place on Canadian thanksgiving and usually I run the 10k, but this year I’ve decided to challenge myself and go for the 21k instead. I’ll be running the race with my brother, and I’m hoping that we can both beat his previous half-mary record and come in at 2:00.

So that’s it. I’ll be doing the weekly running posts like I did for the Winterman, so I hope that you guys enjoy the posts and keep me accountable. I really do love training, I just suffer so badly from inertia! Here’s to a great running season everyone!

(now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find and charge my Garmin for tomorrow’s 3k run!)

Nico is crawling all over the place, and he’s now learning to pull himself up onto his knees. It’s really fun to see him inch his way across the floor, and I’m pleased to say that even though he is always lured to the electrical outlets and other hazards, he usually leaves them alone after hearing a stern “No” from us.

Eating

After writing my post about feeding Nico, I decided to stock up a bit on puréed baby food to make things easier for me at meal time. There was also some produce that was on its last legs, so I got to work and ended up with a dozen jars of baby food to freeze. Thank you Baby Bullet!

Some things to note: Nico loves mango (who doesn’t!); he likes carrots in whole form, but not so much as purée; and barley cereal is way better than brown rice cereal.

Outings

We took him to the cottage for the first time – he liked it well enough, though he hated his life-jacket.

We also bought him a bike trailer, but after looking for a bike helmet, I came to the conclusion that Nico is still a bit too small to go bike-riding. Soon though, soon.

Nico rode on public transport for the first time this week, too. We rode the O-Train to Greenboro station. Don’t let his expression fool you, he really enjoyed it.

Finally, we spent the weekend watching hockey (Go Sens Go!) and playing with his favourite cousin, Rio.

I also tried to get a shot of his two bottom teeth. This is as good as I got:

And here were some of the failed attempts! Haha

.

Angelo and I took Nico to see the dinosaur bones and wildlife dioramas.

It had been a while since I’d been to the museum, and it was my first time since its great renovation. The dioramas were pretty much as I remembered them, but the building was completely redone and it’s much more modern and open now.

Nico checking out some dino bones!

Baby Blue Whale

Nico had a good time, but that’s mostly because he was with his papa the whole time. Those two love each other so much!

I looked to other moms for advice and tips, but I would just look at them with their wide assortment of wholesome vittles, all nicely packaged in matching Tupperware, and I just felt inadequate and hopeless. I had a hard enough time making sure I ate three meals a day, let alone be responsible for someone else’s daily bread.

It also doesn’t help that Angelo and I do not have “traditional” habits when it comes to food. We eat very different foods, at very different times throughout the day, in very different places. We RARELY eat homecooked “meals” together at the dining room table. And yet, this is something I really want to instill in Nico. I want him to have a healthy relationship with food and meals. I want him to appreciate homecooked dinners served at the table with candlelight and music. And so in my attempt to do right by my son, I overcomplicated things and I let myself get influenced by every single opinion and point of view on the subject. Seriously, I checked my own instincts at the door and simply blindly believed whoever’s opinion I’d heard last.

At first I thought I’d go the route of traditional baby food. I’d make lots of homemade purées and feed that to my kid. At my baby shower, I received a Baby Bullet, and I was thrilled!

It was the one baby product I never knew I needed! I was convinced this was the only way to start a baby on solids.

But then I was given the book “Baby-Led Weaning”, which is extremely AGAINST purées and spoon-feeding (and which goes into great detail telling parents exactly how they are stunting their children’s development if they dare feed their children this way). The book instead suggests that babies eat whole foods right off our plates from the start. So after reading the book I believed what was written and swore off purées. I thought I’d have to return the Baby Bullet, since it represents everything that is “wrong” with feeding babies. I was then convinced that THIS was the only way to start a baby on solids.

I have had many conversations about food and feeding with lots of moms at playgroup and with friends and family who have kids. I’ve listened to so many different points of view, I got confused as to which were my own.

As Nico approached his 6-month birthday, I had a good talk with my friend Shayla, whose adorable baby girl is three months older than Nico, and she gave me some much needed perspective about the whole BLW craze. She said that she’s suspect of any book that tells you there’s only one way of doing something. I totally agreed with Shayla. How could I have been suckered into the BLW hype??

Finally I pulled out the Ottawa Public Health guide to feeding your child age 6-12 months, and felt relieved when I saw this:

It really is that simple. I show him food, and he decides if he’ll eat it or not. I have to remember that Nico will do fine whether I feed him by spoon, or whether he feeds himself by hand. He’ll do fine whether he starts with fortified rice cereal, or whether he starts with hummus. He’ll do fine whether he starts out eating 2-3 times a day, or whether he eats 3-4 times a day.

After that, I broke out the Baby Bullet and whipped up some food. I also keep lots of whole fruit on hand to slice into finger foods. As you can expect, Nico enjoys most of it. Sometimes he likes to be spoon-fed, sometimes he likes to take the spoon in his own hand. And sometimes (like today) he doesn’t like to eat solid food at all. And it’s ALL GOOD!

So far, this is what he’s eaten:

In puréed form he eats brown rice cereal and applesauce, spinach and applesauce, and sweet potato.

In finger-food form he eats sweet potato fries, pear slices, apple slices, bananas, and Mum-Mums.

I’m excited to get him eating egg yolks, broccoli, and mango. And I’d love to try feeding him avocado and hummus again (he only had those things once, when we were just starting feeding him)… But mostly, I’m just excited to stop WORRYING about feeding Nico, and to start enjoying it!