Father's Day - Take Two

Today we celebrated Pat's second Father's Day. We started the morning as we do every Sunday, with a trip to La Crema for a delicious cup of fresh brew.
We headed over to Michele & Jerry's shortly after for a wonderful family brunch. We had bacon, baked french toast, a fruit platter and my Mom's famous potato salad. Everyone fights over it, including Avery!

The hot weather tempted all of us into the Topolski pool. It was opened just two days ago and was pretty much free of debris, all thanks to Jerry, who spent his Father's Day skimming the pool! We had a ton of fun and could've stayed in all day. PS - Can we talk about how fabulous Michele looks! She's all belly. All pregnant women should be so lucky. Oh, and PPS - That's Pat about to dunk my head in the pool (just joking).





In the afternoon we took a walk to our favourite little park, that we seem to always have to ourselves. Avery enjoyed eating sand, much to our dismay. We finished our day with a BBQ because, really, who wants to cook in this heat. I hope Pat had fun this Father's Day, and I hope all the other dad's out there got to enjoy theirs too. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Baby's All Grown's Up - Avery's First Birthday

Wow - one year has passed us by. One year ago today, Pat and I (along with our friends and family) were welcoming our son into our lives. We knew that having Avery would change our lives, but I don't think either of us knew exactly how much.
Over the last year we have struggled through breastfeeding, sleeping, napping, eating, teething... you name it. But with each stage, we come out with more confidence as parents and with a happier Avery.





I can remember the day he was born as if it were yesterday. His tiny cries letting us know he didn't understand what the heck just happened to him! We had a few bumps in the road at the beginning - being back in the hospital just days after coming home. It seemed so traumatic to me at the time, but looking back on it, it was somewhat comforting having all of those experts around us while we were just getting used to things.

I have to say we were pretty lucky from the start to have a son who didn't mind sleeping in his crib. We initially tried swaddling him, but Avery, never wanting to stay still, always managed to wriggle out of our wrapping jobs. Although Avery is a great sleeping, getting him to fall sleep is another story. It's a problem we are still dealing with at this very moment. But, I guess there is always something!



We started hitting our stride at roughly four months. Avery had begun sleeping through the night (5 hours straight for babies - who are they kidding?!), we had joined the best mommy group in Toronto and started with mommy-baby activities. Being rested (somewhat) and active helped us avoid the dreaded "cabin fever" during the winter months.



Shortly before Avery's six month birthday, we started him on solids. Not really sure of what to make of it at first, we were privy to some really interesting faces from our little joker. But, it didn't take long for him to acquire a taste for solids. Now our Avery will eat anything and everything (including a short list of non-edibles). Now our only challenge is keeping the floor clean while Avery attempts to feed himself. Hey, Michele, do you think we can borrow Morrie for a few months?



As mentioned above, Avery has always been a baby on the move. So, it didn't really surprise us when shortly after his ten month mark, he started walking. Allison (our resident baby expert) said it could be partially due to having a lot of low level furniture. I think it's just superior genes ;) And Pat was over the moon when he came home ealier this week to see that Avery had learned how to kick the soccer ball. AC Milan, here we come!



Avery is definitely a vocal baby; a trait I can attribute to his father. He is never one to shy away from screaming to let us know he is unhappy. Recently, he had started pointing and saying "doggie," which left Pat and I really impressed, until we realized that he uses this term not only for dogs, but any sort of living animal he sees. I am so anxious to hear all of his first words and hope I won't have to wait that much longer.

There is so much I could write about Avery. There is so much to his personality already, at just one year. I could be having the most frustrating day (usually due to Avery being difficult), and it takes only one look, one kiss or one giggle from my son, and all is forgotten. A master manipulator already ;) He is one exceptional baby and I look forward to all of the exciting developments that will be emerging in the years to come. And on that note, I will pass the computer over to Pat to weigh in on our little birthday boy. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AVERY!



I figured after a year of blogging, it was time for dad to step up to plate and contribute (sports analogy #1 of many I'm sure to use---it's really all I've got).
It still blows my mind that Tina and I are parents to a 1 year old little man. It's been the fastest and most exciting year we've had, and I'm so pleased with the extraordinary developments that Avery has made, as well as our development as parents. We've come a long way from the nervous couple pulling into the driveway of 259 Keele Street a little under a year ago.
Any time I'm having a rough day or feeling a little shitty (pardon the language, that's just me) all I have to do is take one look at our little guy and he makes me smile! Sometimes is absolutely scary how much Avery reminds me of me. Hopefully my contributions will be more frequent in order to take the pressure off my lovely wife who will be heading back to work very shortly. HAPPY BIRTHDAY A-MAN!

Sigh of Relief...

This week brought relief to all of the O'Brien clan. Avery's tooth that had been plaguing him with pain finally broke through the skin. I think this helped calm his fussy temperament that had stuck with him this week. I still have a feeling there is another tooth lurking just beneath his gums...but only time will tell.

Pat and I had a huge surprise this week when a local daycare called to let us know that they had a spot available for Avery. I can't even tell you how ecstatic I was. Having just talked to every location we were on waiting lists for, and basically being told "not a chance in hell," it was quite a shock to learn we had a spot. It was as if we had won the lottery. Of course, nothing comes that easy, and we were informed that his spot is not available until July 9th. I am slated to start back at work on July 2nd. I am hoping my manager has pity on me, and allows me to take a few extra days of vacation until the daycare is ready to accept Avery. Regardless of how we manage through that week, we are just over the moon that Avery will be attending a registered daycare. I think Avery will blossom in a place like that.



Next week is going to be busy for us. Avery will be celebrating his first birthday. So, not only do we have our regular slew of activities, we will also be spending his actual birthday at the zoo (accompanied by Aunt Misty) and using the rest of our free time preparing for his party on the weekend.

I have spent a lot of time lately reminiscing over the last year. While the time seems to have flown by, I can not remember what life was like before my Avery came into our lives. I will miss what used to seem like endless hours spent together. However, I really feel like Avery is ready to be a bit more independent... I guess the question is, am I ready?