Wordless Wednesday - Avengers Unite

I am currently in the throes of planning Lucas' Birthday party, some might think that a month and a half shows a bit of the over achiever in me, but those who know me know this is pretty standard procedure.

We decided long ago that we wanted to do something along the lines of superhero, cause we have always referred to little man as such, and have decked him out in everything from batman to spiderman themed outfits since he was born.  We narrowed it down to the Avengers cause otherwise it could get a little nuts with superheroes being the in thing right now. 

I have to say that being a boy mom I have embraced all things BOY, and I'm actually pretty excited to put this party together.  I'm already making a first run trip to the party store this week, since they are having a sale on Avenger themed party supplies, and I'm going with a budget in mind or else this mama might go a little crazy. I have been scouring the internet for themed food, and printables as well, and I already started a box of DIYs that I'm planning for the party, I will be sure to blog them closer to the party date.

We decided to have the party at home, since we are limiting the guest list to family and very close friends.  I'm trying to research games, and maybe renting a bouncy castle, anyone have any ideas for me on that front.

Morning Bliss

I start to stir, and prepare my eyes for the inevitable brightness from the windows, as the morning sunlight splashes into my room.  I become aware of  mewing sounds coming from the monitor, and know without checking that it must be around 6- 6:30, it was an uneventful night, so I'm not expecting any early morning shenanigans.

Sure enough I turn around and the clock greets me with 6:15 today, and I can see that Lucas is doing his usual morning routine of playing in his crib, he already has the aquarium on, and it seems that he is having a wrestling match with his stuffed giraffe. I watch him for a few minutes, as he alternates between crawling around, to standing and playing with the balls on his sports themed mobile, to laying on his tummy and burrowing his face in his sheets.  I see that he has woken with his usual effervescence, and start to mentally prepare myself for what is sure to be an action packed morning. 

As always I let Lucas wake himself up for the day, it gives us both time to adjust for the morning, well especially me.  I lay there and think about what I have planned for the day, what I'm going to make for dinner, what chores are on the list today, do I need to run any errands, do we have an activity planned.  I relish these moments of relative silence before Lucas is ready for me to get him, before my day officially starts.  I know I should use those 20 minutes to brush my teeth, comb my hair, and change, but I need that time to "wake up".  Lucas is sure to keep me running around all day, and he is, like most children his age, in need of something all the time, food, cuddles, conversation, a playtime companion.  I'm always only to happy to oblige, but it generally means that I will never have time with my own thoughts until he's sleeping at night, since naps are usually full of those things I was organizing in my brain this morning. 

He starts to have a conversation with himself, or with the aquarium, I turn and see he that he seems engrossed in quite the argument with his giraffe, so I'm off to his room.  After all I can't wait any longer I'm dying to burrow my face in his sweet smelling neck, and indulge in the best morning cuddles.  I walk into his room, and he instantly stands with his arms outstretched waiting for me to pick him up, once there he lays his head on my shoulder and just snuggles in.  There really isn't any better way to be greeted in the morning.  We sit on the rocking chair and have our usual morning conversation; "how did you sleep", "are you hungry this morning", "what shall we do today".  I'm well aware that these are one sided conversations, but he looks at me, and sometimes makes his grunting noises, and throws in the occasional Mama, and its all I need for now, one day he will be talking as much as his mama loves to.

I change Lucas for the day, no fussing today, lets hope that bodes well for the rest of the day, and I put him down so I can take care of myself, out on some cartoons to entertain him.  However he follows me around as I change, brush my teeth, and throw in a load of laundry.  He throws a smile my way whenever I look at him, and I can't help but join him.

I remember waking up to go to work everyday, and dreading the commute to the office, sitting at my computer with a large coffee just to get through the morning emails and messages.  This year I have woken up earlier, with less hours of sleep, with more worries and concerns than ever before.  But every morning I wake up to the sounds of my child, and to those welcoming arms that need me.  No morning will ever be the same, and I probably won't ever sleep in again but nothing compares to those snuggles.  That right there, that's morning bliss.

Week in Photos (29 & 30/52)

The last two weeks have been pretty great, lots of family time, visits to the splash pad (which is always a huge hit with the little man), reading and lounging around the house with shirt or pants (on Lucas that is lol).

We capped off this week with a dinner celebration for my mother-in-law's birthday at the Mandarin, where my little dapper dude partook in his first chicken wing, which like most things he eats, he loved.  He has some new teeth trying to make an appearance and he was just going to town on those poor wing bone.

My days are filled with tons of activities for the Lucas, and boy does this kid keep me on my toes lately, since he literally never stops until he passes out for naps and bedtime.  When he wakes up its like he downed an energizer battery in his sleep, cause he is always raring to go, running around, and off discovering new things.

Hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as much as I am!

Wordless Wednesday - Bubbles!

There isn't anything more adorable than seeing your child excited about the most simplest of things like bubbles!  This happened over the weekend, when it was so hot and Lucas spent most of it in a diaper, and not much else.  When the water feature his nonna bought him couldn't grab his attention he spent literally half an hour just running into the bubbles from the cheapest bubble machine his father bought him.

Its in moments like these that I just take a step back and enjoy watching my little guy experience things with the simplest and purest form of joy, and appreciate how great my life truly is cause of him.

Lucas is 10 Months!

I am having a hard time grasping that Lucas' birthday is a very short two months away.  Obviously I have been planning it already but that is besides the point, my baby is almost a full blown toddler and he makes so many new discoveries and advancements everyday, its enough to make this mama a little misty eyed.

The biggest achievement this month by far has been his walking, and pulling himself to a standing position on his own.  If you haven't checked my post on this last week check it out here it has a great little video if I do say so myself of some clips I've compiled this month.  This new found independence has been great as I find that he entertains himself a lot easier, as he is always out and about discovering, and looking for new things.  Clearly this drives me a little batty sometimes, since he finds ways to discover things he shouldn't but this will be a battle I will be fighting for years to come so I may as well buckle down and accept it.  I have to admit that the only detriment to a having Lucas walking so early is that unlike most parents at this age who can still "contain" their child for longer periods of time in a stroller, I am not so lucky.  A short trip to the mall requires me to allow Lucas to stretch his legs and walk around for a bit, or else he gets super cranky from being cooped in his stroller.  The fact that this kid has boundless amounts of energy doesn't help much.  Don't get me wrong people, I actually am thoroughly enjoying this phase, and it does also lend itself to more freedom on my part, I just miss those times when I would grocery shop and wouldn't have to stop and let Lucas walk down an aisle or two to avoid a meltdown.

Not sure about his weight and height, but he is officially wearing 12 to 18 month clothing, and his appetite has no bound lately.  Breakfast I have to say is his least favourite meal, and it is often a battle to get him to eat anything in one sitting, which results in eating some fruit and toast at the high chair and then maybe a cracker, or more fruit after a morning walk.  We discovered just last week that Lucas can now tolerate yogurt (yay!), but only the drinkable kind, and he is also starting to enjoy and digest certain cheeses.  Dinner is his fave meal, and I think it has something to do with the fact that both the hubby and I are together with him, I get it kid its a little boring when its just mama.  He still has 4 bottles of formula during the day, but he's been fussing for his night bottle the last 2 weeks, not sure if it has something to do with his dinner consumption, and if I should really worry about it...thoughts people.

Lucas has started saying yeah, which is incredibly adorable, since he actually says it in context.  He also says DA (which means give in Portuguese) and surprisingly he also says this one in context, mainly if I am holding something that he wants, mainly a drink (this kid is always thirsty lately).  Another recent discovery is when he's eating, he will mumble MMMM like he's enjoying it, I have a feeling he's copying us since we often say "Mmmm isn't this good Lucas, don't you like it". 

Nothing new to report in his sleep patterns; we just had a rough week when Lucas had another bottom tooth cutting through, but the moment the tooth made its appearance sleep was back to normal, thank God.  I'm a little spoiled with Lucas' sleeping habits the last few months, since we implemented and stuck to our sleep training plan, Lucas has always slept the night, and this was the first time that his teething affected his nighttime sleep. 

Lucas is extremely social, and usually will be shy for the first 2 minutes he meets you, and then next thing you know he's trying to get your attention, wants to be held, or is snatching at your clothing.  He absolutely thrives at his music class with the other kids, and is not afraid to get into their faces and attempts to talk to other children; its so amusing to watch.  He has learned to high five this month, and will do so 2 times in a row, very excitedly. 

He's mildly obsessed with his mama still, which is fine by me, the feeling is completely mutual.  He adores his nonno, much to chagrin of his nonna he will always run to my father in laws arms first hehe.  I loved seeing him play peek-a-boo with his tia (my little sister Gyselle) this past weekend, and couldn't help but think that it seemed like yesterday when she was the one who needed to be entertained with such childish fare, and now she was looking after him. 

Love his serious face in this outtake.

 

Overall its been an amazing month, and I still thank God everyday for the blessing of being Lucas' mother.

Little Letters (vol.10)

Dear Heat - Its been quite the scorcher this week, so Lucas and I have been cooling down as much as possible with water playing outside, visits to the mall, and playtime at the splash pad, although its been great I could do with a little less heat!

Dear Shirt and Tie - Just bought Lucas his first tie this week for a wedding we have in a few weeks, and I cannot wait to see him in it!

Dear Laundry - you were successfully washed and dried, now if only a fairy could help me fold and put you away...sorry I'm too busy having fun with my little man.

Dear Bachelorette - you used to be my reality guilty pleasure, but its such a snooze fest this season, someone bring back the good old days of trashy tv!

Random Fact - Even though I have been loving this summer, Fall has to be my favourite season of all time, and I'm already dreaming of pumpkin spiced lattes, and taking Lucas to the pumpkin patch!  Bring on the cool times!

Wordless Wednesday - Off he goes!

So about 3 weeks ago Lucas made some huge improvements in his quest to walk, and get around more independently.  Slowly he gained more confidence, until it came to a point where he would crawl to anything that would help him stand just so he could walk around.  He's always had amazing motor skills, and strength, so we weren't really surprised that he would be taking his first steps at 9 months.

 

This week he's been learning to stand on his own, without any assistance from us or furniture, so he's been falling a lot as he gains more balance, and a better understanding of his limits.  I'm telling you the kid would rather be running, sometimes he walks to something so fast in his excitement, that he ends up falling and hitting his head, or legs; he's currently sporting some lovely shiners on his forehead! 

 

We actually didn't use any conventional walkers when teaching Lucas to walk, not because we don't agree with them, we hadn't bought one, and when we were going to borrow one from my sister he was already walking well without.  We simply encouraged the little guy, held his hand, gave him as much free reign as he needed, and he just kind of figured it out himself.  I feel like he had a huge desire to walk, and get around, and to a certain degree it really propelled him in that direction.  Now he doesn't even want to hold our hands sometimes, which kind of makes me sad, but I won't dwell on that right now :(

 

Here's a small video of moments the last three weeks of Lucas discovering his walking legs!



This month Lucas has really become a little boy, the walking has given him so much independence lately, he plays well on his own, and he just loves discovering new things.  Now he walks up to you when he wants something, rushes to door when Gianni gets home, comes and finds me in the kitchen when I'm making dinner.  I'm loving it even if it makes me a tad sad.  This picture encompasses kind of what I'm feeling...pride in seeing my little guy walking, but nostalgic as he walks away.

Overall though I'm a pretty proud mama!

Fave Baby Items (6 to 9 Months)

 

These are just a short list of some of the items that we loved, some starting at 6 months, others even earlier, and will probably continue to be on the top of our list.

1. Munchkin Mesh Teethers/Feeders - These came in handy when we started introducing certain fruits to Lucas, but more so when he was teething.  I still often put an ice cube or two in there and he will walk around with it and just suck for soothing on his poor gums.  Sometimes I even put frozen pieces of fruit , but he's not often a fan of that.

2. Toy/Sippy cup Straps - These were actually a gift from a friend, and I love love them.  We have used them on his stroller to avoid losing a precious toy, and sometimes strap the toys to his high chair at restaurants to avoid said toy from either constantly falling out of reach and to not touch the grimy floors.  I have to say that I haven't used it yet for the sippy cup since I was still until this point really assisting Lucas in drinking from his cup, but he has become more independent in that regard so I have a feeling this will be really handy next time we are out for dinner.  Also I always have an extra strap in my diaper bag just in case!

3. Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster Seat - Everyone in my family has one of these, and with the family growing every year it has become a staple at gatherings so each little one has a place to sit.  We also love this seat for family dinner dates, since I'm not a huge fan of some of the high chairs at eating establishments, we take this with us, and this way Lucas always has a clean and sanitized tray to eat from. 

4. Baby Einstein Videos - I have always loved this series (and the follow up Little Einstein that now airs on Disney Junior).  When my little sister was growing up I bought her these and she loved them, and I'm glad to say that Lucas is equally enthused by them.  We are still on the level one videos, which are usually soothing music, with wonderful nature and stimulating images, Lucas already recognizes some of the characters, namely the sheep, he smiles and starts talking to the tv whenever he appears.  Lucas' tv viewing is limited, so I try to pic programs that will enrich his vocabulary and brain activity, that being said, he watches the Einstein video for about half an hour, usually before his morning nap, and he is always playing at the same time, so not completely focused entirely on the screen.

5. Baby Einstein Aquarium - As you can tell I have a propensity for Einstein products.  We installed this in Lucas' crib around the time we started sleep training, and initially it did nothing for the little guy, nor was he very interested in during the day, but now its a godsend!  It helps soothe the little guy during nap time, and the star at the front is large enough that Lucas often puts the thing on himself in the middle of the night if he wakes up. 

6. Anais Swaddling Blankets - These were also a gift when Lucas was born, and they are great!  They are larger than the conventional swaddling blankets, which since the little guy is quite the mover when he sleeps it ensures that he is always (or at least almost always hehe) covered during the night.  They are also quite thin, which is also another reason why they are hit in this house, since Lucas inherited his father's propensity to be hot, and he sweats a lot when he sleeps, he really needs something that isn't heavy on his body.

7. Dr. Browns Bottles - I know there are several moms out there that hate the extra contraptions that these bottles have, but I also there are an equal amount of moms who swear by the these due to those same extra pieces, and I'm one of them.  Do they make washing bottles more of a chore, yes I'm not going to lie, but Lucas had the habit of inhaling his formula and other bottles would cause hiccups, and more than the usual spit up, and we found that these bottles really helped due to the vent air system.  They are also known for diminishing colics, and I'm not sure if they are one of the reasons, I'm not going to claim that without proof, but Lucas never had colics, I'm just saying.

8. Stackable Cups - Lucas has his fair share of toys, what with parents who don't want to deprive him, and grandparents, that are only too willing to add to his collection.  These are perhaps the first toy that he actually started playing with, and not just putting in his mouth.  It was, and still is a joy to see him watch us stack them up for him, only so he can come and tear it down.  We have now started to show him how to stack them, and always pointing to the colours, these also have lovely animal imprints at the bottom, which we also always point out.  Overall a great stimulating toy, that will eventually continue to be of use when we seriously start learning colours.

9. Baby Breeza Steam and Blender - This is a great item for moms out there who are making their own baby food.  It steams, and blends all in one, so you can put whatever item you are making set the timer and walk away, and once everything is ready and cooled it has a convenient spout to pour it into freezable cubes (a full containers worth of food conveniently fills a tray of 4 ounce baby freezer cubes).  Even now that Lucas is eating mostly what we eat, this has still come in handy for fruit concoctions and smoothies, and steaming small amounts of veggies for lunch.

10. AngelCare Video Monitor - By far the best money I spent on a baby item!  These are not cheap, but if you are a slightly neurotic, and worrywart mom like me, no piece of equipment if going to bring the kind of peace of mind like this one.  It has a SIDS prevention care pad that you install underneath the mattress that monitors your child's heart rate, and an alarm will go off if the heart stops, or even if it detects any sort of discrepancy.  When we first moved Lucas to the crib at 3 months, we realized he has a small case of sleep apnea (which has since gone away), there were a few nights when he would stop breathing for a fraction of a second between breaths, and every time it happened the alarm went off!  Also I love being able to just see him in the middle of the night from the comfort of my own bed, and this was an amazing asset when we were sleep training, I could see he was fine, and did not need to rush to him unnecessarily.  Its expensive (almost $400), but I would recommend it to anyone!

 

Week in Photos (28/52)

 

This has to be the poorest week of photos ever, but I have a great explanation...I was just living in the moment and enjoying life.

 

I just made a choice to savour the little things this week, and not always take out my phone and document it.  I just sat and watched the cuteness that is my little man as he walks and explores his new found independence.  Sat on the front porch or in the back yard with the family with iced coffees.  Did a little crafting when possible.  Spent extra time cuddling Lucas, and soothing his poor little gums as he deals with another tooth ripping through. 

 

Overall I just lived this week, and took all the mental pictures I will ever need.

 

Little Letters (vol.9)

Dear Lucas - Mommy is loving watching you perfect your walking everyday, but dreading all the bruises and scratches you seem to attain daily...then I look down at my own bruised leg cause I'm a klutz and think thank god you're at least a little like me lol.

Dear Dan Brown - Just finished your latest literary genius...well done sir you finally had me guessing right till the end.

Dear Tassimo Iced Coffee - you are soooo good right now on hot summer days, and helping me not spend a needless exorbitant amount of  money at starbucks.

Dear Starbucks - I am loving the new refreshers you have this year, which kind of still makes me spend too much money at your facility hehe.

Dear Hair - you are in a serious need of a cut, I promise to get to that...promise..maybe..we will see.

Random Fact - I used to only be able to sleep if I was fully covered, tightly under a sheet and blanket!  Now ever since having a baby its like my body didn't get the memo and I'm still an oven on full hilt!

Wordless Wednesday - Mother Nature

Boy was Mother Nature on a serious PMS binge this week! The GTA was hit with a huge storm this past Monday, causing massive floods, damage, and just general mayhem, since weather like this is just not expected in the middle of the summer!

The rain caused a city wide blackout, and my husband grabbed this eerie picture of the city just before he headed home (in the nick of time too, since shortly after he got home, we heard news that the highway got flooded!).

Thankfully we live north of the city, and although we experienced some torrential downpours it was nothing compared to the city.  My in laws were unfortunately affected more so and had some flooding in their basement, which isn't surprising since this was the scene in front of their house.

The weather has continued to be temperamental, so here's hoping that good old gal Mother Nature, gets over her tantrum so we can continue enjoying the summer!

The Great Soother Debate

We don't use a pacifier, and we didn't want to.  There I said it.

I sometimes feel judged for my decision to not introduce the soother to Lucas, but the reality is that every child is different, and beyond the fact that we didn't really encourage it, he was also not a fan of using one.  There were a few times that we tried giving it to him, and he would either spit it out, or chew on it.  After a few weeks of tormenting myself on whether we should try to force the soother on him, we settled on doing what clearly was working for our child, and stopped giving it to him altogether.

There are huge debates for the pros and cons of using a soother, and we found that luckily the cons really did not apply to us, and they weren't enough of a reason to "make" us want to use it.  Babies who use pacifiers are said to have an easier time at soothing, which is just so contradictory to me, cause the reality is that they are relying on an object to soothe themselves.  Its true, it is easier to soothe a baby with a pacifier, and it is a lot of work and so much patience is required on the parent to not use a soother, since you take the place of the pacifier in his/her life.  However, we have realized that by not introducing the soother, Lucas learned to soothe himself fairly early, and I am a firm believer that it was huge proponent in contributing to his sleep habits. 

When we decided to sleep train Lucas at 5 months, after going through a dreadful fourth month of sleep regression, we did a form of cry it out, letting him cry for 2 minutes, walking into his room patting his tummy and saying some loving words without picking him up, and then walking away, continuing this process, increasing the amount we would let him cry in 2 minute increments.  The first night we tried he cried for a combined 15 minutes, by the third night, Lucas would wake up, often sit up move to another spot of the crib and eventually fall asleep...with no tears.  We haven't looked back since, even when he has been teething, he will wake up in the middle of the night more often, but never crying, and never needing us to go to him.  The only exceptions have been if he's under the weather, or had a bad day of naps, but he still puts himself to sleep.  We implemented the same protocol for naps, although this took a little more time to stick and teething seems to affect more his daytime sleeping, overall he gets a book and cuddle before naptime, and falls asleep on his own after a few minutes.

I am a huge believer that part of the success we have had in his sleeping patterns is due to the fact that we did not use the pacifier (along with sleep training fairly early).  Lucas did not require to look for a soother that had fallen out of his mouth when he would wake up in the middle of the night, and once he realized that I would not come running to ever cry and complaint, he ceased to need me as a replacement soother.  Essentially we did not give Lucas any crutches on which to soothe himself, so he had to learn to do that for himself.  Does he still rush to us and require extra attention when he's cranky, hurt, and tired...of course, but I'm pretty sure that's standard fare for most children his age.  His disposition is for the most part sunny, and we often get comments about how he always smiling, which I of course love hearing.  He has his moments, like any child, but a song or cuddle often result in turning the situation around. 

Another big con of not using the soother people debate is the issue of thumb sucking, as a replacement for the pacifier.  Yet again, thankfully, this does not apply to us, but I will admit that this was one that had me the most worried and conflicted at the beginning.  As long as Lucas has his blanket and stuffed animal in the crib with him he will fall asleep, and sometimes those items have been missing, and he will still make his way to slumbertown, just maybe a little later.  My mother in law did not use soothers for my husband and sisters in law, and she had just essentially warned me that when the time came to gently remove his finger from his mouth, and eventually he will catch on; I'm glad to say that I never had to resort to it.  Lucas will only "suck" on his fingers when he is teething, and I use quotation marks cause its not really sucking per say that he does, but rather uses his fingers to rub his gums.  I usually remove his finger anyway, and try to offer an alternative teether, and this usually works.

I am not an expert by any means, and I am most certainly not condoning anyone for using a soother, I am just saying I followed my gut with this decision and for us it worked the best.  Like any mother will say, every child is different, and we are all just trying to find our way, after all these little people didn't come with manuals.

Our Week in Photos (27/52)

This week was pretty amazing!  We kicked it off great with some Canada Day fun with my sister and niece, the weather was great, and the company wasn't too bad either lol.

Lucas and I spent the beginning of the week pretty much outside, enjoying the heat with walks around the neighbourhood, and to the park, and playing in the backyard with some water and dirt (yup Lucas ate dirt again, I seriously don't know what I'm going to do with this kid).  I am loving the mega tan I am already sporting, my skin always looks amazing during the summer with all this amazing sun! 

Unfortunately we were hit with some awful rain by the end of the week, and the little guy and I were pretty bummed out, and cranky from having to stick to indoors, so I treated him to some Macdonald's pancakes, and a coffee and newspaper for mama (side note have any of you had McD's coffee its surprisingly good!) before doing some grocery shopping. 

The weekend has shaped up to being as great as the week was, hope everyone else enjoyed the great weather yesterday while it lasted!

Here's one more pic of the little guy, the joy on his face says it all on how much he loves the outdoors!

Wordless Wednesday - A Different Kind of Love

When you become a mom there is no real description for how much you love your child, its just something that keeps growing as your little babe blossoms in the womb, and just multiplies to no end when that child is born, its a love at first sight.

I had that same feeling when my sister got pregnant and made me an aunt.  There are no words to describe how I instantly fell in love my with my amazing niece the moment she was born and I held her for the first time, I was hooked.  I'm pretty sure that my sister felt the same thing when she met my little guy, or her chunky monkey as she likes to call him.

Its a different kind of love, but there isn't anything I wouldn't do for that little munchkin.  Sharing motherhood has also brought something special between my sister and I, a different understanding of one another, a different kind of love one would say. 

Its moments like these that make all other silly things that my sister and I have fought about growing up seem so senseless.  I can't wait to keep having moments like these.



Week in Photos (26/52)

 

This week was pretty good overall.  Monday Lucas and I started a new program on our mommy and me center.  The music class we were attending required kids to sit on the floor for a 45 minute interactive program, and with Lucas' newfound mobility well that was just unlikely to happen.  So now the program is for kids 0 to 24 months, and it allows for the kids to explore with instruments, and other games that the center has, with only a 15 minute carpet activity which was perfect.

 

Tuesday Lucas and I were both feeling a little lazy, the little dude even fell asleep before naptime on the bedroom floor while I made the bed, and then slept for 2 hours! So I indulged in some trashy reality tv, and we just chilled for the day.  Later that evening we went for a family date night at a sushi restaurant, the hubs and I were really craving, and the little guy always loves the attention he garners from the waiters.

 

Lucas and I had a lunch date with my best friend from university, who Lucas is mildly obsessed with.   I love our friendship, life gets in the way sometimes of seeing each other more regularly, but when we get together, it always feels like we saw each other yesterday.

 

We capped off the week with the hubby's birthday on Saturday.  We kept it very low key with a dinner to mandarin (can you tell we like Asian food lol), and just relaxed the rest of the weekend. 

 

This week started off great with some Canada festivities coming your way on Wednesday!

Happy Canada Day

Happy Birthday Canada! 

I am so proud to live in a country that puts people's quality of life as their first priority, working hard to give us a nation that puts equality and the individual's rights first and foremost.

A nation that provides an amazing health care system, and allows new mothers like me to spend that first critical year with our babies.

A nation that has always welcomed with open arms immigrants, for this I am especially thankful for allowing my father and grandparents a better opportunity in life to provide for future generations. 

I hope everyone else is enjoying this beautiful day, and takes a moment to appreciate it.