Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving! The Topolski-O'Brien-Braun clan have decided on a new annual tradition....Chudleigh's Apple Farm. I can't tell you how much fun Truman had, let alone the rest of the family! Here is a pic of Truman in the "pumpkin patch"....he was having difficulty deciding which pumpkin to take home!

Truman loved the tractor/hay ride to the orchards...in fact he's been talking about it ever since we came home. Truman has also become quite the expert on how to pick apples, he even told me that I needed to twist the apples first before pulling them off the tree. Here's Truman tasting the goods...

I think we picked a good two and a half bags full of apples, I hope this does not mean I have to bake a pie? Avery had a good time as well and helped Pat pick out the best pieces of fruit to pick. I can't wait until next year when both boys will be running around!

Last night Tina and I cooked a Thanksgiving feast for the family. We were joined by Nanny, Oopa, Grandma, David, Baba, Misty, Troy and Peter. The food was delish and I think we will be eating leftovers for the next few days. DELISH...especially the desserts...Tina treated us to a triple chocolate brownie mousse cake and a pumpkin cheesecake.

Cross Border Shopping

I am not sure if I am brave or crazy, but I decided to take my rambunctious two-year old cross border shopping with Tina, Avery, Karen and Misty. I was anticipating the worst and looking back now, it actually wasn't too bad. Sure there were moments throughout the trip where I was extremely stressed out. For example, I am not sure what I was thinking when we embarked on a five and a half hour car ride. There were a few instances where Tina and I were about to jump out of our moving car, listening to two children screaming in unison...mine was yelling "out mommy, out, I want out" all the time knowing we had another 3 hours to go! Nothing like a good book to calm him down. Truman poved to be quite the entertainer the entire weekend, in fact, the only time he stopped talking was while he was asleep.

And shopping, yes Truman lost his patience when I was in BR trying on a mountain of clothing. And yes, he opened the door to the change room when I was wearing next to nothing. Tiny little moments, easily forgotten! Thank goodness for playgrounds at the mall! For the most part Truman was quite helpful in picking out things for me to buy and try on (maybe he will be a shopper too...Jerry only prays that he is not).

In the end I was very happy that I was able to spend the entire weekend with him.

Weigh In

When I picked Truman up from day care today I explained to him that we were going to the doctor. He promptly said to me that he didn't want the doctor and that he wanted to go home. We pulled into the parking lot and he then explained to me that he wanted to bring his soother and Loula (his stuffed puppy) to the doctor. I figure he must have remembered the last time we visited the doctor and needed his soother after his immunization. Luckily there were no needles today.

Our not so little guy weighed in at about 32 pounds (it was difficult for us to weight him as he refused to stay still), which puts him at the 88th percentile for weight. He also was 92cm in height which also put him at the 88th percentile for height (which I am not surprised about). His predicted adult height will be just over 6 feet!!! Gotta love on-line tools....anyhoo...

I must quickly blog about the pains and joys of parenting a two-year old. One minute I have no idea what do to, like earlier last week Truman took a chunk out of my skin when he didn't want to put on his coat. The next minute, I am over come by pride when he does something amazing. For example tonight we went to the park to play, he found this round, black, plastic thing that to me looked like junk. Truman looks up to me and says "Mommy, I fix it. Come". So I follow my son over to the sandbox. He picks up a school bus and puts this black plastic thing on it, which turns out to be a wheel. He proudly looks up at me and says "Mommy, I fixed it". I was beaming. Maybe he will take after his Oopa and become and engineer???

Another milestone - Truman peed in the potty tonight. I was so excited that Truman was trying to force himself to pee again so he could flush the toilet (the condition is he can flush if he pees). I am not expecting too much, but maybe this is another good start!

Happy Second Birthday Truman!

Today the Topolski Family celebrated Truman's second birthday. We celebrated Truman's special day by going out for pizza at one of my favourite places. It was a perfect evening and my heart was swollen with love, pride and joy for my son. Where has the time gone? It feels as though the past year went by in a flash and I am afraid that time is only going faster. So, what did this past year bring? We started off Truman's second year by introducing him to day care. Believe me, I think it was harder on me than it was on him. Truman adjusted very well and continues to enjoy going to school everyday and being with his friends. He loved graduating to the Toddler Room in March so that he was able to play with the big kids.

Truman experienced his first haircut - which went better than I expected...it was his second hair cut that was more traumatic - and we are due for a third sometime soon - but I am having difficulty parting with his beautiful curls.

Just before 15 months, Jerry and I experienced our first temper tantrum - and what a tantrum it was! Not like they have gotten any easier, albeit less frequent, but I think we are better equipped in dealing with them.

In February Truman had surgery to put tubes in his ears - after the surgery he became a different toddler....and what a difference it made in his speech and learning. Now our dear little one starts talking the moment he wakes until the moment we put him to sleep. Today we asked him how old he was and he confidently told us he was four (the day before he said he was five). When we explain to him that he is only two - he tells us "no, I'm four". Guess he's the boss.

Earlier this summer we sold and bought a new home, which Truman adjusted to with ease. He still calls it the "new house", but I think he loves all the space he has and I think he loves that the park is across the street. He asks almost everyday if we can go down the slides, but inevitably when we get there we pretend to make pizza!

We had most of the Topolski Family visit us this summer - which was wonderful for Truman, especially all the time he was able to spend with his cousin Joachim. Truman was also introduced to new his cousin Avery and the two boys are still getting acquainted.

I have enjoyed every moment of watching my son grow, there are both hills and valleys, but the moment Truman gives me a huge hug and a kiss, and tells me he loves me - I forget everything but how much I love him and how lucky I am to have him in my life.

Truman - I wish you the most wonderful birthday and wish you all the happiness in the world. You are my angel.

Cookie Monster

Truman's new best friend is a little blue monster in a red sweater. This weekend Cookie accompanied us almost everywhere. On Saturday morning, Cookie had to come to Tim Horton's for breakfast. Truman insisted that Cookie wear shoes - and luckily I was able to improvise fast enough and used a pair of small infant socks as shoes. Cookie sat in the stroller and then in the high chair at Tim Horton's. Cookie even had some of Truman's bagel.

At the dinner table Cookie uses Truman's high chair, watches TV with Truman and even came grocery shopping with us this evening. Cookie even tried watermelon tonight! As you can see from all the pictures Cookie does whatever Truman does.

I apologize for the lack of blogging lately - but with packing and getting ready for our move on Thursday - I have had such little time. I am exhausted but did not want to miss out on documenting this milestone.

Geneva Park

Last week our Belgian family (Anya, Wolf and Joachim) came to Canada for a visit. We are so happy to have them here and to spend some quality time with them. We have especially enjoyed being with Joachim. It is a great chance for the two cousins to get acquainted. The last time they met they were only a few months old!



Jerry, Truman and I just go back from Geneva Park where we had a mini vacation this past weekend. For those of you who have not heard of Geneva Park, it is on lake Couchiching, and if lake Couchiching sounds familiar it may because you have visited Casino Rama (or maybe Orillia). We were kindly invited by Wanda, David, and Baba and we had a wonderful time.

Joachim and Truman had a lot of fun together....splashing in the rain, destroying sandcastles at the beach, playing at the Shire, and playing the piano. There were only a few altercations between the two, the most serious one involving a truck. Truman loves to ask about Joachim but pronounces his name Yo-Ke-Keem. Too cute. By the end of the weekend, Truman knew every one's name and after we left, Truman has been asking about Anya, Wolf and Yo-Ke-Keem non-stop!

Meal times were probably the most difficult for both sets of parents. Joachim was more interested in watching other people, and Truman would rather be an actor then eat. I can't say the same for myself as I probably ate too much over the last few days. The desserts were too good!

There were a lot of activities at Geneva Park, but we seemed to have stuck to the basics....long walks in the mornings, playing at the beach mid-morning, playing at the park in the afternoon, and then doing some sort of activity after dinner. It was a perfect amount of time for us to be away.

Anya, Wolf and Joachim come home tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully we will spend some more time with them before they leave to Alaska on Friday. Luckily, they will be returning to Toronto in August and will be staying with us (in our new home).

Happy Birthday Canada!

What a wonderful day we had celebrating Canada's birthday (OK, really we had a great day with friends and family and there was little acknowledgement of our nation's birthday), however, it was lovely nonetheless. We started our day with a visit to Grandma and David's house. Truman had a great time playing in the garden and he especially enjoyed kicking a ball around with David. We noticed that Truman had a bee stuck to the inside of his shirt. He wasn't crying so we didn't think he got stung, except Truman kept touching his bum and saying "my penis Mommy". So, I took another look and saw that he had a nice red spot on his bottom, but he didn't even shed one tear! Now we have to work on the anatomical parts.

Following our afternoon naps, which includes everyone in the household, not just Truman, we headed to Oakville to have a BBQ with the Sullivan's and Thornton's. The kid's had a great time on the Sullivan's new swing set (Scott we are very impressed that you put it together)...Truman especially enjoyed the slide, and for the first time in his life he liked being pushed on the swing!

On Sunday afternoon we went to St. Catherine's for Troy's Christening and Jerry and I became godparents, which is such an honour for us. We love all the Sullivan children and are very happy that we will be a part of their lives.

Later Sunday afternoon we had both sets of grandparent's over for a BBQ. While we were getting ready, Truman was counting cans in our refrigerator and he counted to 10! Jerry and I could not believe it! We are so proud of our little one! This continues to be such an enjoyable stage for me...I can't wait what he'll do next!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! I hope my dear husband enjoyed his special day although it did not include a game of golf either on the course or on the television. Maybe next year? This morning we went for bagels at Tim Horton's since it had been some time that we have been able to go as a family. A little later we headed to my parent's house so that I could spend some time with my father. We were soon joined by our newest arrival Avery and his parents.

Here's a pic of most of us...poor Truman did not want to sit still for this picture. He was too interested in trying to water the plants (or carpet on most attempts) and was attempting his escape from my arms.

Little Avery had a great time sleeping and eating....I was even lucky today to see him alert and with his eyes open. I loved holding him and I even tried to burp him. I feel as though have forgotten so much already about caring for a newborn....Tina and Pat are doing great and seem to have figured Avery out already. What naturals! Yesterday we started the day with breakfast at Lana, Mario and Masha's house. Masha is such a beautiful little girl, and I am so sad that I had forgotten my camera and wasn't able to take a picture of Truman and Masha playing together. Masha seemed very interested in Truman and watched him eat his bagel and cream cheese. She is going to love day care and Truman promises to show her around once she gets there.

Early Saturday afternoon we then went to the Starkman's for an outdoor BBQ and play date. Although all three of the kids liked playing with the water table at the beginning, Truman soon found the lawn mower, Jake loved walking Morrie, and Macayla was just happy to have the water all to herself! It was adorable watching the three of them eating lunch together on the picnic table....how much any of them ate, we'll never know...but Morrie did manage to get his share.

Avery's Arrival

My beautiful little nephew was born today, June 11th at 12:17am. Avery Michael Carter O'Brien weighed in at 6lbs 13oz. Mom and Dad are both doing well and are extremely happy. Tina, looked fantastic and had so much energy for such little sleep. I could not wait to see him, so I headed over this morning, but I will have to wait until tomorrow to hold him. We're hoping Avery will be discharged from the NICU Friday morning so the new family can begin their life together.

Tonight, Truman and I decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and have our dinner outside. I scared off a few caterpillars as Truman suddenly has a fear of them. One unfortunate fellow was crawling on his pants and mommy quickly had to exterminate the little critter.

I was feeding Truman a blueberry for dessert and by accident he bit my finger (which hurt quite a bit). He took my hand and kissed my finger, patted my head and said "OK, better?"...then hugged me....I guess it was his way of saying sorry??

Truman, Jerry and I spent last weekend at Wanda and David's house (as our home is currently on the market and we were having an open house. Anyone interested?). Wanda loved her grandson being around, and Truman rules now even his grandmother's house!

Wonderful Weekend

What a great weekend Jerry, Truman, Morrie and I spent together. On Saturday morning Truman slept in until 7:05am (aren't we lucky?), we then headed down to St. Lawrence Market to have breakfast and buy some goodies. Saturday afternoon we continued with our house hunt (we'll see if we're successful this week). Later we headed to the Thornton's to kick start the impending summer BBQ season.

The children had a fabulous time running around, climbing up and down the stairs (and up and down again - surprising no one fell off) and playing with one another. There were a few disputes with the ownership of some toys - but they quickly worked it out. Christine I think is ready to babysit and loved giving Troy lots of attention. Christine did tell me as we were leaving that she is ready to have another brother or sister...she already makes an excellent big sister to Dash.

Sunday we took Truman to his last gymnastics class where we recapped everything we learned over the previous eight weeks. We're still working on the head-stand, and maybe next semester Truman will be able to do it!! After class we went to our favourite breakfast place Steve's restaurant with the Starkman's and Perlin's. Truman and Jake have been going since they were about a week old. We're positive Steve makes the best grilled cheese sandwich in the city!

Later that afternoon, Nanny and Oopa came over for dinner - Truman was very excited to see them. We had a lovely BBQ and ate our dinner on the deck. We're looking forward to more meals outside.....I just hope that this weather keeps up.

I also wanted to congratulate my husband on getting a hole in one during his annual golf trip! My very own Tiger Topolski!!

Parent Teacher Meeting

Our boy is becoming quite demanding...look at his face in this picture. He was asking me to "open it" and he meant business!

On Saturday night Misty babysat for us while Jerry and I went to a wedding. Truman had spilled a little milk on the floor, he told Misty "clean up" and went into the bathroom to get some tissue, he came back to the living room, wiped up the milk, and then threw the tissue into the garbage. Like father like son!

Yesterday Jerry and I had our second parent-teacher meeting at Truman's day care. The first since he has moved to the Toddler Room. I was curious about his development and his relationships with the other kids. From what we were told he is very concerned about the other children and loves to give all of them hugs. His gross motor skills are advanced for his age (although I am surprised about this, and never noticed...bad mommy). His verbal skills are expanding every day and overall he is eager to learn. He loves circle time and and also enjoys using scissors (interesting). He likes to sing himself to sleep at nap time, and if a song comes on that he knows he will sing along. He also entertains his friends at lunch time by singing to them. Too cute! I guess we will have to continue with our music classes!

I was also curious if Truman was eating meat at day care. I always assumed he was since none of the teachers brought it to my attention. I have been a little concerned especially since the time I was feeding him chicken noodle soup and he took the chicken out of his mouth and declared "no chicken". I am relieved to hear that yesterday he ate two servings of sausage and today he ate five chicken nuggets. Hmmm....I wonder if it's my cooking?

Below is a picture of Truman's new favourite thing to do around the house. He loves to take the pillows off the couch and asks me to lay down so that we can play "sleeping". Too bad the game lasts only a minute at the most, especially on those days when I wasn't able to grab a second cup of coffee.

Where does the time go?

It's May and spring has finally sprung. We put away all the winter coats, hats, and mitts. We have started to spend more time outdoors. Truman and I have enjoyed being pulled by daddy around the neighbourhood in his red wagon. It is quite a site, but Truman won't sit in the wagon unless I am there with him, and I have to indulge him, especially after he'll say "Momma, sit down".

Truman has started to say more and more two word sentences, and the occasional three word sentence. He also enjoys singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as well as a few other popular children's songs. I am so proud of him.

Truman is enjoying being in the Toddler Room at day care, especially now that his two friends, Brendon and Jake from the Infant Room have joined him. When I pick Truman up from school he has me sit down and read a few books to him and his friends. It has been the routine for the last week and today when I came through the door two of the kids had their books ready! Isn't that a pip?

Hola!

Early Friday morning, Truman, Jerry and I packed up the car and headed to the airport. We arrived just after 4am for our 6:20am flight to Holguin, Cuba. Our plan was for Jerry to drop Truman and I off at the terminal, Jerry would then pack the car and then meet us in line. When Jerry packed the car, to get all our items to fit, he had to take the wheels off our stroller. We get to the terminal, Jerry takes the stroller out of the car. Then, one of the wheels falls out and at that same moment before Jerry has a chance to retrieve it, the wheel is run over and destroyed. Busted!

Panic struck - how were we to go on this vacation without a stroller? We doubted we could buy a stroller in Cuba, so we started calling our friends with kids. Lucky for us Jeff and Bronna came through and Jerry raced to their house to pick it up. A big thanks to the Silver's for lending us their stroller. Truman got to wheel around in a pink stroller all week! Jerry drove so fast, we still had time to have breakfast before we boarded! I was just hoping that the rest of the trip would go better than it started.

The boys were great on the flight and on the hour long bus ride to the resort. I was surprised how well they did. We unpacked and got our selves settled into our new home for the next seven days. We got ourselves into a nice routine. We would go down to the beach in the morning after breakfast. Have a nice lunch at the restaurant on the beach. Then Truman and Jake would have their afternoon nap (which became my sun worshiping time). After siesta the boys would play in the pool. By that time, I was ready for my afternoon coffee (the lattes were delish). We'd get ready for dinner and then spend the evening on the porch while the boys slept.

At the beach, Truman and Jake loved destroying the sandcastles that we would create, in fact we couldn't make them fast enough. Jake was so brave - as he would run into the ocean or pool without any fear. Our little Truman was a little more cautious and by the end of the week he was a little more comfortable with both the pool and the ocean.



Unfortunately early Tuesday morning Truman vomited and had a slight fever. By the end of the day his fever increased and we decided to take him to the doctor, who recommended that Truman be put on antibiotics. He bounced back fairly quickly and was in good spirits. Later in the week, Jerry too came down with something and was fighting his cold for the rest of the vacation.

Other than all of the problems we encountered on our trip we had a great time travelling with the Strakman's and enjoyed our time in Cuba. The resort was child-friendly and the staff was very friendly. I think we would all recommend this resort to any family.