Firsts...

The first time our eyes met.

Our first date, our first kiss, the first time we acknowledged the depth of our feelings.

The first time we called each other "husband" and "wife."

When I first gave him the news that we were going to be a family of three.

The first flutters of movement from within.

The first time we held her.

The first time I realized I was really and truly a mother.

The first time I nursed her.

Her first words, her first steps, the first time she called me "Mama."

The first time I told her she was going to be a big sister.

The first time he looked into my eyes.

The first time she kissed his tiny hands and told him she loved him.

 

Not the first time I have taken note of how blessed I am, and certainly not the last.

Thanks

Thanks to a really terrible toothache and general gum pain and inflammation, I am almost a week late with this post.


Thanks to Captain Awesome, a.k.a. the Hubs, we now have a fully-functioning master bathroom that only needs a few more finishing touches.


Thanks to my vacation days and Canada's maternity leave policy, Tuesday was my last day of work for over a year!


Thanks to the roofers banging about on my roof, I feel like the ceiling could collapse on me at any time and I am having trouble hearing myself think.


Thanks to today's unexpected rain, the banging started at 6 am this morning.


Thanks to my raging hormones and incessant pain in my mouth, I have been reduced to tears at the tiniest little thing this week.


Thanks to summer finally having arrived in Vancouver, I have been able to bust out the cute summer outfits I've had squirrelled away for Lilah for ages.


Thanks to my ever-expanding girth, I have very few cute outfits I fit into myself these days.


Thanks to Mr. Dyson's brilliant advertising campaign, superior engineering, an eager Dyson salesman, and the Hubs' sudden and uncharacteristic desire to spend buckets of money on a recent impromptu shopping trip, we are now the proud owners of a brand new, extremely expensive vacuum cleaner that is touted never to lose suction.  I'll report back and let you know if it was worth it.

Now go visit the listmaster to find out who else is giving thanks!

I Lead a Charmed, Charmed Life

Time for a listicle to get this week started off right!  This week, Jackie asked that we write about our passions.  I think I've probably already talked about mine ad nauseum here: motherhood, martial arts, photography, blogging, and making a difference in the lives of the children and families I work with (not necessarily in that exact order, depending on the day).  If you've been following along for a while, you know all about my passions.  But I don't want to disregard Jackie's topic choice, especially since this was meant as a tribute to her dear friend Marilyn who recently passed away, so my listicle will just be a slightly different kind of tribute.

I find that sometimes in the wake of tragedy, it is therapeutic to take stock of our own lives and count our many blessings; all the reasons we have to be happy and grateful and passionate about life.  When I do that, tears spring immediately to my eyes and a lump develops in my throat because I am truly one of the luckiest people I know. 

I am also borrowing a page from the Listmaster's book... er, blog, in which she shares bits and pieces of her good life.  Which gets me thinking to how amazing my own life is.  Now, I am not the type to win random draws and lotteries, mind you, but that doesn't mean I wasn't born with horseshoes up my butt. Here are just ten examples to show you what I mean:

1.  I live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

2.  I make a very decent living doing something I find fascinating and am passionate about.  As an added plus, it is a female-dominated field that is understanding and respectful of family and motherhood.

3.  I met Captain Awesome when I was just 20 years old, and it only took us a few weeks to figure out that this was it for both of us.  Done deal.

4.  I have never really had to worry about money.  Growing up, I split my time between two houses with two very different budgets, but there was never concern about putting food on the table, and no education or athletic opportunity was ever denied me as a result of  limited funds.  I have never been hungry without knowing there was food coming soon, and I have never had to worry about where to rest my head at night.  As an adult, I have all of my needs and most of my wants met on a regular basis.

5.  I have an incredible support system - both my family by birth/marriage and my chosen family includes many people that I can count on, lean on, and who believe in me.

6.  I laugh every day.

7.  I have an enormous appetite and can eat more than a lot of men I know.

8.  Though I have trained in various martial arts since I was 18, I have never once had to put my skills to the test in a real-life situation.

9.  My daughter has six (!) healthy, active grandparents (four biological, two bonus).  The potential for spoiled-rottenness is exponential. 

10.  I get to be this precious little girl's mama.

 

So what's great about your life?

Enjoying It While It Lasts

You know how, when ever you are in a stage of life that others - friends, family, and strangers alike - have been through before, they feel the need to offer unsolicited advice?  Like when you're planning your wedding and everyone has an opinion about how things should be done.  Or when you're pregnant and  get trapped in an elevator with a chatty elderly woman who tells you to "sleep when the baby sleeps." My particular "favourite" piece of advice is, "Enjoy it while it lasts."  This piece advice is one-size fits all.  It can be used in any situation and on any occasion, and it is just pessimistic enough to make the most blissfully unaware among us sit up and take notice.

Though I have a certain amount of disdain for this piece of advice delivered in this fashion, and I try not to dole it out myself, I have to admit, it is a well-used saying for a reason.  I squandered many a precious moment of Lilah's babyhood stressing myself out over details that I barely remember now, and that I won't remember at all years down the road.

It does get a lot easier not to sweat the small stuff with a couple of years of parenting under one's belt.  And at this time of year, especially, I aim to do a lot more enjoying and a little less stressing.  Lilah has gone through some absolutely lovely phases in her lifetime, and at almost two-and-a-half, there are some difficult moments, but there are many more beautiful, perfect moments that I want to savour. Here are just a few of the things that I am "enjoying while they last":

• Helping - Helping Daddy make lasagne, helping Mommy vacuum, helping to unload the dishwasher, helping bake cookies... girl loves to help!  Of course, Lilah "helping" means everything takes at least double the amount of time it normally would, but we definitely would not want to discourage the urge to help at this early stage!
• Cleaning up - similar to the above, Lilah can easily be convinced to clean up her toys, especially with the aid of the "clean up" song.  I'm working on teaching her the other verse of the song, but for now, we hear "Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share" over and over.  And over.  For as long as it takes for all the toys to get cleaned.
• Mama's girl - This is gradually changing.  Until recently, I was her go-to person for everything.  But now she is learning who to turn to with a particular request.  But I am still her number one when she needs comfort.
• Hugs and kisses - These are doled out on request.  And sometimes even spontaneously, when I'm lucky.
• Honesty - Girl hasn't quite figured out the subtle art of lying.  Manipulation yes, but lying, not so much.  She's like Jim Carrey in "Liar, Liar."  Ask her a direct question, and she is bound to the truth.

All of these two-year-old traits?  I'll take 'em.  And enjoy them while they last.

We Give Thanks

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada.  This is the time of year when we eat turkey with stuffing and gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green beans, pumpkin pie, apple crumble, ice cream... Oh yeah, and also, we reflect on our many blessings and offer up a huge bowl of gratitude to go with all that glorious food.

We have so, so much to be thankful for.  It was hard to narrow the list down to something that could fit into just one blog post.  But I managed.

1.  For colour and beauty all around us, we give thanks.

2.  For friends and family; those who live nearby and those who are far, we give thanks.

3.  For girly girls who also can't resist a cool firetruck, we give thanks.

4.  For more dessert than we can possibly eat, we give thanks.

5. For love and laughter and impromptu dance parties, we give thanks.

6.  For those who watch our home videos and don't judge us based on our messy living rooms, we give thanks.

7.  For toddlers who sleep through the night and haven't yet figured out how to climb out of their cribs, we give thanks.

8.  For health, wealth, freedom, and opportunity, we give thanks.

9.  For freely flowing hugs, kisses, and "I love you"s, we give thanks.



10. For husbands who win cruises (more on this later) and do more than their fair share of the cooking and cleaning (among many other great attributes), we give thanks.

Well, look at that!  I wrote a list, and it just happens to be Monday, so I'm linking up with the awesome and inspiring Stasha of The Good Life for Monday Listicles.

The Glass is More Than Half Full

If you've been following along lately, you've probably noticed that my recent posts have been pretty ooey gooey.  Somebody or something abducted my sarcasm and replaced it with pure cheese.  Maybe it's the small doses of Vitamin D the Vancouver weather has finally been granting us, sending me soaring higher than a kite.  Maybe it's just the phase that Lilah is going through.  Or maybe I've lost just lost my sarcasm mojo due to lack of sleep.  Whatever it is, I'm finding myself melting into puddles of schmaltz at any given moment.  It's a little embarrassing, to be truthful.

Just one adorable moment amongst many.

I've heard other moms declare every age the best age, and vow that things just get better and better with each new phase.  I haven't exactly found that to be the case.  If I'm being totally honest, there are phases that I have enjoyed less than others.  But this age?  This age is phenomenal. She tells me I look pretty, she can sometimes play for a few minutes on her own, and she even peed on the potty once(!) to name but a few of the countless highlights. Don't get me wrong, there are still frequent tantrums, and lately there has been lots of purposeful boundary-pushing and outright defiance.  But at the moment, the insanely adorable, melting-puddle-of-schmaltz moments far outweigh the tough ones.

At the same time, when things are this good, I find myself constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering when it's going to catch up with me.  Can things really be this good?  The glass is more than half full.  Watch out, soon it's going to tip over and pour out all over the floor.  But I am doing my best to quiet that voice and just enjoy the beautiful, perfect moments as they come.  Because I know too many people in my real life who are currently dealing with personal tragedies and serious illnesses.  People who are much too young to be facing the issues they are being forced to face.  I have this sense that fully enjoying the amazing little moments life presents me with right now somehow honours these friends of mine.

Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place. But there is always a little corner that keeps flapping around. ~E.L. Konigsburg

And so I swoon, and wax sentimental, and write corny posts that may cause the more cynical among my readers to vomit in their mouths a little.  It's my prerogative - as a mother, as a blogger, and as a friend to several people who've lately been dealt a crap hand and are still managing to make the most of their cards.  Call it a tribute, call it a reality check, call it not whining because others are dealing with real problems, call it what you will.  I call it sipping from an overflowing glass.

Life is sweet.  Have some more cake.

(Oh, and for those of you who might be concerned that I'm becoming totally spoiled, don't worry.  I wrote most of this post before I came down from the high of another amazing weekend full of birthday parties, unexpected sleep-ins, outdoor activity, and good friends.  And then Monday hit, and I was my usual Monday self - tired, a little stressed out at work, and mildly cranky.  Lilah had a brief tantrum after I picked her up from daycare, and then I arrived home to cat puke in my hallway.  So all in all, a typical Monday, tipping the scales a tiny bit towards the mediocre.)

One joy scatters a thousand griefs~ Chinese proverb

Wednesday of Few Words: Quoth I

"It is not joy that makes us grateful.  It is gratitude that makes us joyful."

-David Steindl-Rast

And I am feeling so very grateful for this:

Pure joy.

(Psssst... did you hear I somehow made vancouvermom.ca's  top 30 list of Fabulous Vancouver Mom Bloggers?  I'm just tickled pink to be lumped in with the pretty and popular kids, so humour me - if you enjoy my blog, show my some love by clicking here before May 6th.  And don't forget to check out the other fabulous mom bloggers on the list! )

Lucky Me

I woke up this morning feeling compelled to count my many blessings. It's really something I should do more often - I have it pretty darn good, afterall! So, in honour of the fact that Canadian Thanksgiving is only 138 days away, here are some of the countless ways in which my life totally rocks:

• I have an amazing Hubs, who loves me treats me with respect, picks up my slack, puts up with my nagging and mood swings, and is a wonderful and involved father.
• I'm Canadian, so I get to brag about a year maternity leave, free(ish) healthcare, and Justin Bieber. (Hah! I managed to work him into yet another blog post!)
• I have this week's episode of Glee on PVR. Gaga!!!
• I have a sound roof over my head and plenty of food on my table and have never had to spend much time worrying about money.
• I live in Vancouver. We have ocean, we have mountain, we have ridiculously overpriced real estate. What's not to love?
• I have a great job waiting for me, and I can afford to go back to work only four days a week and spend the extra day with Lilah.
• I actually like my in-laws. All of them.
• I have fantastic friends and family, who would drop everything to be by my side if I really needed them, even if I'm not always the best at returning phone calls and touching base.
• Though you wouldn't know it to look out my window at the moment, summer is just around the corner!
• I get to be mommy to the cutest, sweetest, loveliest little girl on the planet.

Really, how did I get so lucky?