have i mentioned that i love being a home owner?

I owe you a follow up to this post, wouldn't you agree?

We started with a dark room and we are in the progress of completing several intentions.

#1: Rip out that terrible, old, dark carpet. CHECK.
#2: Remove wallpaper throughout the basement. CHECK.*
#3: Choose paint colours. Paint. HALF CHECK.**
#4: Have new carpet laid.***
#5: Put our feet up in front of the cozy wood stove.

* The wallpaper removal process seemed like a breeze, until we realized that the play room was still, in fact, papered. Under paint. What a mess. I couldn't bare the thought of leaving it that way. It's our home, I resolved, and it must be done completely, and done right. Well, after layers of paint thinner, wallpaper remover and loads of elbow grease on Husband's part, we've decided to crack fill and smooth it as best we can, and then paint over that sucker. I think it'll look pretty great once it's finished. And only I will know there's paper hiding under there. Well, and you'll know, too, but you won't tell, right?

** Paint has been selected and purchased! Yay! Now we just need to finish the job in asterisk No. 1 and we can move on to this satisfying stage.

*** Oh Home Depot. We are developing a love-hate relationship. It used to be all the former, but now I'm starting to drift toward the latter. We went in on Dec. 3 (yes, six days before we closed, because we're caraazay like that) and picked our carpet, paid the deposit and were told we'd hear back at the first of the week about a measurement appointment. Nada. Eight days later, the installer called on our quiet Sunday morning to announce that he would be there in 10 minutes. Super-awesome-advanced-notice-much? I was in my bathrobe and stayed dressed that way until he had come and gone. So, we promptly went into the store on Monday to pay our balance and book our installation. Three days later, still waiting. I'll keep you posted, but aim your eggs at HD until further notice.

stuff breaker

I'm having a problem with Husband. He keeps breaking my stuff. I'm not joking.

The list now includes:

- my favourite extra large ceramic bowl

- my Just Us travel mug

- my cookie jar

- the lovely white clock in our guest bathroom

- plus he dumped out my new house plant because "it was just a flower and was going to die anyway" ... ah, no! It was a plant that would last forever as long as I kept it alive.

What's a gal to do?*

*Yes, I am writing this to tease Husband. But yes, he has really broken all of these things. Good thing he's cute.

nerd alert

Oh man, you guys, something has changed my life and I'm so excited to share.

I got a new household appliance on Friday. I hesitate to call it that though, because I'm pretty much ready to make it an honourary member of the family. It's a Black and Decker Steam Mop.

I have been in the market for a steam mop for a while, but there are so many to choose from. Just about every cleaning brand has their own version, and they're all quite similar. I knew for sure though that I wanted one that boasts the ability to kill 99% of germs on your floors. With a baby and a cat who like to lick get up close and personal with the hardwood, the idea of cleaning without chemicals was pretty appealing.

I decided on the Black and Decker mop after reading a great review by Mag Ruffman in my newspaper's Homes section. I then read several blog posts recommending it, too. I was convinced, and I'm happy to say it's everything I hoped it would be.

Pros:

- It heats up in seconds. The light on the front changes from red to blue when it's ready to go.

- It comes with three washable pads — no need to buy any expensive refills.

- It runs on water alone. No chemicals.

- The swivel head rotates so easily around edges and in corners.

- I could instantly see how much cleaner it makes the floor.

Con:

- I really can't think of anything. If I had to say something, I guess it's that I now have another appliance to store, but it's still more convenient and cleaner than a traditional mop and bucket.

Plus, listen to this:

Me: Oooo it's awesome! Husband, do you want to try it?

Husband: [thinks about having to do another chore] No ... knock yourself out.

Me: [happily steaming the floor] Ahh this is so satisfying, and easy! Look how clean the floor is!

[Five minutes later]

Husband: OK, can I try now?

Any appliance that can make Husband ask to do an extra chore is worth its weight in gold, wouldn't you agree?

all in the family

You may recall the last time I asked Husband a silly question.

Me: Husband, how much do you love me?

Husband: Umm ... [puts hand up, creates tiny space between tip of index finger and thumb] ... about this much less than I love Jacob.

Me: Gasp!

Husband: Oh come on ... if I asked you, the space would be even bigger.

Me: No comment.

it's officially fall in my world

The perk of having a thoughtful husband who reads your blog ...

Pumpkin Spice Latte. Delivered.

a productive summer come and gone

I set a few goals for the summer months and, as far as I'm concerned, once school has started, we can pretty much consider summer officially ended. Here's a round-up of my efforts. What'd you get up to this summer?

1) Grocery shop less. I feel like I did well with this. I wasn't on a strict budget, but I tried to think about what we already had in our cupboards before going out to buy the things that I just wanted instead of needed. We got out to farmers' markets several times for fresh, local produce, which was part of this goal. Now, we're in the midst of revamping our family budget plan, so I'm trying to see how inexpensively the three of us can manage. There will be more to this as the month goes on. So far, a success!

2) Find more time to read. Enter The Litwits! Thanks to our new book club, I'm working on my second book in the past month and I also have a beach read going on the side.

3) Take Jacob to the beach and dip his toes in the ocean for the first time. Take millions of photos.

Here you go ...

4) Journey to visit family. This includes NB, CB and anywhere in between. Done and done! We had some wonderful time with family this summer and hope to visit even more this fall.

5) Go camping. This was a lofty goal with a less-than-one-year-old, and it didn't happen this summer. We're super excited to take him out as soon as it's warm enough next year, though!

6) Keep my hanging basket alive. All. Summer. I'll spare you the photographic evidence on this one. I'd lie, but I know my neighbour friend reads my blog and would rat me out. The basket is dead. Dry, crunchy, dead. Never to be revived. Maybe next year I'll fill it with artificial flowers.

7) Sleep in. Please. Just once. Jacob was a peach this summer and many times Husband and I woke up before he did, which qualifies as a sleep-in for us. Waking up on your own, naturally, and refreshed feels so good.

8) BBQ. A lot. We did. Again and again. We filled the propane tank for a second time this year and we will BBQ well into the fall.

9) Wash both cars inside and out. We did clean both cars already, and just recently gave the Kia a second vacuum and wipe down. Being down to one-car family, for a while made it simpler, but we're a two-car household once again and I'm making it my mission to keep "my" car spotless.

12) Purge. Success as shown here.

13) Fix the DIY curtains I made for the front door. I haven't done this yet, mainly because I still don't know what I want to do. Must hit Pinterest for ideas.

14) Do a few little home-improvement projects, like touch up some paint, etc. This was so easy. In less than an hour, we patched holes in the Gyp-rock and re-painted some spots. Plus, we exchanged our kitchen hardware, which made a huge difference.

15) Scrapbook (or come up with a reasonable alternative). Even though I still have lots of scrapbooking supplies, I've put them aside in favour of organized photo albums for now. Rather than doing a rushed job on our scrapbooks, our albums will serve to keep our memories until I have enough downtime to do it properly. I also cashed in Pampers Gift to Grow points for a free Shutterfly photo book of J's first year, which may be my forever alternative to scrapbooking — it's so easy!

What are your most important to-dos for fall?

an ode to awesome

Today, Husband turns 27.

He'll be celebrating this day with Baby J because they are spending their whole summer together. So far this week, they've been to story time at the library, swimming at the beach and attended a pool party with friends.

And then today at lunch*, their outfits matched.

And that's awesome.

Happy Birthday to you, Husband xo

*We had lunch at the Armview, which apparently is our big-occasion place. It's where we had our wedding rehearsal dinner and where my water broke.

summer to dos

Seeing as how it's actually summer, despite what the weather may have you believe, it's time to make a trusty list of seasonal to dos. They're not all exactly summer related, but all projects/initatives that are in desperate need of tackling.

1) Grocery shop less. I love to buy groceries. Yes, I know it's weird, but I love browsing the aisles, thinking up recipes and getting a good bargain. And the fact that my new office is within a five-minute drive of a massive store that not only has groceries, but clothes and housewares, too ... you see where this is going. Well, enough. I'm cutting my shopping trips down to twice a month. As part of this, I would like to visit the farmers' market at least once a month to stock up on fresh, local produce.

2) Find more time to read. Complete at least six books before Labour Day. Seriously, this shouldn't be that hard. I am embarrassingly far from my 26 books in 52 weeks goal. Time to step up.

3) Take Jacob to the beach and dip his toes in the ocean for the first time. Take millions of photos.

4) Journey to visit family. This includes NB, CB and anywhere in between.

5) Go camping. OK, this is ambitious with a nine-month-old. And it may just be in the backyard, but hey, that still counts.

6) Keep my hanging basket alive. All. Summer.

7) Sleep in. Please. Just once.

8) BBQ. A lot.

11) Wash both cars inside and out. Golf clubs = mud and grass. Guess this one is Husband's job.

12) Purge. I abandoned my yard sale dreams in favour of getting crap outta here. I've filled one bag of clothes and one bag of miscellaneous items. There's still an overflowing walk-in closet, among other crazy spaces, to be dealt with. ASAP.

13) Fix the DIY curtains I made for the front door. I'll post more about this later to give you a little context.

14) Do a few little home-improvement projects, like touch up some paint, etc.

15) Scrapbook (or come up with a reasonable alternative).

OK. That's enough. There's more, but I really need to be realistic, and if I get some of this done, I'll be pretty pleased.

What are you up to this summer?

the first of many

Dear Husband,

Since the moment we knew we were expecting, you have been an amazing dad. In the days we waited for Jacob to arrive, when we spent late nights reading pages of baby books aloud to each other and when you started learning lullabies on your guitar, I knew that this is a job you are meant to have.

Once he was finally in our arms, everything changed. Our love for him is indescribable, and the love I have for you is forever changed in the very best way.

I love standing just outside Jacob's bedroom door, listening to you two talk, laugh and play. It is the sweetest sound.

You're already teaching him so much — to catch and throw, to say new words, to love and be loved.

Thank you for being the best Dada for Jacob and the most wonderful husband for me.

Always remember there is nothing worth sharing

like the love that lets us share our name.

*

growing by the minute: 9 months

Vital stats: Jacob had his nine-month check up this week and got a big gold star from our doctor. He weighs 22 lbs. (75th percentile) and measures 29.5 inches (75th percentile). This month, I think it's worth mentioning his melon, which, at 47.5 cm, puts him in the 95th percentile for head size. All the better to house that growing brain!

Milestones & firsts: Crawling! He started crawling after things he was curious about, like the vacuum or the cats, but now he crawls all over the place and we love watching him. With his added mobility, he's also learned to pull himself up on anything he can reach. He generally prefers standing to sitting, and will hold his hands up in our directions for assistance. Cue melting heart.

Jacob started riding in his big boy car seat a couple weeks ago and he loves it. We're still using the infant carrier in our secondary car, because it carries up to 32 lbs. It's super convenient to switch between cars now without having to move a seat.

Buckets. He loves them. He puts toys in, takes toys out, tips them up to his mouth like a cup and puts them on his head. Silly baby.

Teeth: Still two, but totally popped out and adorably visable when he smiles now. No real signs of the upper pair yet.

Speech: Other than his regular string of gaa gaa and blahh blahh, he really only says Mama and Dada. We're working on helping him learn ball, up and water, but he's not quite there yet.

Zzzzzzz: We had a few long nights recently, mostly due to a cold and congestion. For the most part, Jacob still wakes once in the night to nurse. I had considered weaning him from the night feeding, but now that I'm back to work, I discussed it with our doctor and have decided to keep the night feeding for now, so he can get a bit more milk in each 24-hour period, plus the extra snuggle time with him honestly trumps that little bit of lost sleep.

Om nom nom: As I'm sure you can imagine, there's not a whole lot out there that Jacob doesn't like. This month, he's enjoyed homemade mac and cheese, pasta with tomato sauce, watermelon, whole wheat english muffins, cheese, different flavours of yogurt, corn niblets, turkey and tofu. The one thing he hated was cottage cheese, which I assume was a texture issue. My friend K gave me a great tip though -- mix the cottage cheese with the pasta and tomato sauce. Worked like a charm, Jakey gobbles it up and gets that extra hit of protein.



Likes & dislikes: He loves the view from his new car seat. It sits more upright, allowing him to scope out everything outside the window. It's also more comfortable for sleeping because the head rest keeps his neck straighter.

He loves to play with anything he thinks he's not allowed to play with. This includes, but is not limited to, my cellphone, the camera and video camera, the bookmark that is holding my place in my novel, and my car keys. He very much dislikes when he gets his mitts on one of these items and I take it away from him.

Challenges: Baby proofing. Now that Jacob has mastered crawling, he's more and more interested in climbing. We moved the coffee table against the wall, limiting the number of sides he has to scale. We've plugged our electrical outlets, too, but we're having a tough time finding cabinet and drawer latches to fit our unique buffet and hutch cabinet as well as Jacob's dresser.

Separation anxiety. Not sure who this is worse on, me or him. Jacob has yet to cry when I leave him in the morning (thank God; I don't know if I could handle it). I, on the other hand, can't help but think about him all day and countdown the minutes until I can smother him with kisses.

Special moments: The look on his face when he sees me come through the door at the end of the work day is unlike anything I could describe -- it makes my heart skip a beat just thinking about it.

I'm trying to savour all of our nursing time, because the countdown really feels on to the end of breastfeeding.

Lately Jacob leans away from me and puts his arms out toward Dada. I'm not offended -- I love when he reaches out to Husband and a huge grin spreads across both their faces when I pass him over.

not me monday

This is a doozey.

I did not get Husband's hopes up when I talked about the "treat" I was making him on Saturday.

I always re-set the timer, instead of leaving the contents to cook "a few more minutes" only to remember about them 10 or 15 minutes later.

Oh wait, that's not the best part. My slightly charred cupcakes didn't look like sunken potholes. Upon tasting them, I didn't think they seemed a little gritty. And after talking it through with my Mum on the phone, I didn't have a major "duh" moment when I realized that when the recipe called for 1 cup of coffee, it meant BREWED coffee, not a whole cup of coffee grinds.

I didn't take my mother-in-law's super tasty chocolate cake recipe and turn it into the biggest baking fail of all time.

real life

found on my new obsession, pinterest ... more on that later.

growing by the minute: 8 months

Vital stats: When we visited the doctor a little over a month ago, Jacob was 20.5 lbs. and 28.5 inches. Now, he's presumably a little big bigger and a little bit longer. We'll be visiting the doctor for a nine-month check up, so we'll have a more scientific answer to this question next month.

Milestones & firsts: While he's not completely crawling yet, Jacob is doing so well at moving around. I set him down on his play mats in the middle of the living room, turn my back for a minute, and all of a sudden he's half-way across the room. His newest trick is going from laying down to sitting up all on his own. A couple nights ago, I heard him stirring through the video monitor, and when I looked at the screen, he was sitting up in his crib. Just chillin'.

Jacob and I spent an entire day apart this month, and he spent nearly 14 consecutive hours just with his Dada. They had a ball together. I missed my little booger like crazy, but it was so great to see how well my boys got along without me.

We celebrated my first mother's day with a trip to a nearby playground where Jacob got to swing and slide for the first time!

Teeth: Two! The first little tooth officially emerged on the day he turned seven months, and the second one followed a couple weeks later.

Speech: He finally learned to say Mama! Hooray! While the Ma Ma Mas that he babbles are exciting for me, I don't think he's really saying it to me yet. Da da on the other hand ... he definitely knows who that guy is.

Zzzzzzz: Aside from a few long nights here and there while cutting those adorable little teeth, our sleep schedule is right on track. Jacob usually goes to bed for the night between 7:00 and 7:30, and wakes for the day about 12 hours later. This usually includes one night feeding, but occasionally he skips it. It was tough for Husband and I, but sticking to a routine with our own customized sleep training method was well worth it. In the end, we were able to gently teach him to go to bed awake and fall asleep on his own for naps and at night.

Om nom nom: Meal times are pretty entertaining around here. We love giving Jacob new things to try. Among his newest faves are yogurt, cooked carrots (not pureed), Cheerios, whole grain pancakes, hard boiled egg yolks, watermelon and ham. Among his dislikes are cauliflower pureed with garlic and pureed cantaloupe.

Likes & dislikes: Jacob loves our new jogger stroller, which allows him to sit up and be a "nosy Ned" (as his Grammie likes to call him).

He doesn't like to lay down in the bath anymore; he wants to sit up so he can splash and play. We got some blue tropical fish grippies for the bottom of the tub to help his little nekked butt from sliding all over the place.

Challenges: Screaming. Screeching. Shrieking. Whatever you want to call it, it shakes you to your very core. I'm not kidding. Jacob has learned to assert his voice in the worst-sounding-way possible. We're trying to say "No" and "Shh" every time he belts it out, and give him encouragement when he uses his indoor voice, but he hasn't quite mastered the volume situation yet.

Special moments: Each morning, Jacob and I start the day with quiet time in his room. He babbles and talks, we snuggle in his chair and we play little games that feel like little inside jokes between us.

I love the way Jacob's face lights up with Dada comes in the door after work. The look on Husband's face is priceless, too. They are so happy to see each other; it melts my heart.

not me monday

I would never just make up words to kid songs instead of looking up the actual lyrics.

So, on a recent road trip, I was belting out my custom lyrics to The Ants Go Marching to Jacob in the back seat, as Husband drove and watched us from the rear-view mirror. When we got to seven, I didn't sing out:

The ants go marching seven by seven! Hoorah! Hoorah!

The ants go marching seven by seven! Hoorah! Hoorah!

The ants go marching seven by seven,

If you add three, then you have eleven!

And they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain!

Boom Boom Boom Boom! Boom Boom Boom Boom!

Husband did not give me a wide-eyed look from the rear-view mirror and bust out laughing.

Me: Whattt? So, I make up my own lyrics, what's the big deal?!

Him: Really?

Me: Anddd ...?

Him: Seven plus three. Eleven? Really?

Me: Oh ...

Oopsie ... that sucks.

weekend round-up

• Husband and I watch Grown Ups this weekend. A pretty foolish movie, but it had its funny moments. This is more notable because I think it's the first movie we've watched alone together, in its entirety, since before the baby was born. Yay us!

• I tried fish and chips this weekend! Yes, that might be the most un-Maritimer thing I've ever said, but it's true. Until yesterday, I had never had this pub fare. I'd never tasted haddock at all. And you know what? I really liked it! In fairness, the batter really does mask any fish-like evidence, but still great to have something different I can order on a menu when I'm out at a restaurant! This is the first step to introducing more any seafood into our household.

• Jacob tried his first cookie this weekend! OK, not a real cookie, a Baby Mum Mum, but still a treat for him nonetheless. And a treat for the Muma because it keeps him entertained in his high chair for 10 or 15 minutes while she makes her own snack.

that's love

Me: Umm ... what day is it?

Him: Thursday.

Me: No, the date?

Him: The 24th.

Me: You mean to tell me that we both forgot our anniversary?

Him: Oh, yeah. I guess we did.

[He leans over and puckers up ...]

Him: Happy Anniversary, Wife.

Yes, that is about as romantic as we get these days. At least we remembered within the right week; that's got to count for something. Admittedly, it's not our wedding anniversary we're talking about here, but the anniversary of when he and I became an "us" ... it's not an exact science; he didn't ask me to go steady. It's just the day that we both figured out that something big was starting.

That was eight years ago. Nearly a decade. A lot has changed ... we're no longer students, we've had jobs, changed jobs. We got engaged and married, moved to a new home and us two is now us three. But while so much is different, the details remain the same. We're still making each other laugh, making each other roll their eyes. We know how to push each other's buttons, and also how to soothe even the unspoken stresses. I cook suppers and he takes out the trash. We've got the nighttime teeth brushing perfectly coordinated so no one gets caught in the minty-suds crossfire. Some days it's unbelievably simple, other days we have to work at it.

Here's to the first eight, and many more xo

Photo Booth image circa 2006

growing by the minute: 5 months

Our little Jacob turns 5 months old today! I'll skip all of the cliches, even though they are all true — I feel like I blinked and now he's not an infant anymore. Before he was born, everyone told me how fast he'd grow and change, but I couldn't understand it until I lived it. Surprisingly, I'm finding that every day he looks more and more like a little boy and less like a baby.

Vital stats: Jacob is a whopping 19 pounds and 27 inches long. He's in the 95th percentile for length and 90th percentile for weight. The doctor said I must be "making some nutritional milk." Ha.

Milestones & firsts: Jacob is more active every day. He rolled over for the first time (back to front, to his left) just days after he turned four months, and about a week later he figured out how to roll over to his right. He uses his arms to hold himself up when he's on his belly — once he learns to make contact with his knees to the floor, he's going to be crawling like a mad man. When we sit him up on the couch, he doesn't rest at all — he quickly throws himself forward, rolling and laughing.

Teeth: We've been in teething mode here for the last month and then some. His gums sometimes bother him to the point that he doesn't want to nurse. We give him plenty of cold teethers and sometimes we let him gnaw on frozen banana to help soothe the aching.

Speech: Jacob has been treating us to more of those Ma and Da sounds over the past few days. We know he's not really saying the words, but the consonants are a step in the right direction! He rarely stops making sounds — babbling, cooing and laughing non-stop.

Zzzzzzz: Oh sleep. I feel like it's such a taboo subject. I'm a bit superstitious about Jacob's sleep. It seems like every time I talk at any length about our boy's so-far-so-good sleep schedule, I'm cursed with a long night with several wake-ups and feedings. I know it's all in my head, but still, why tempt fate? Long story short? We consider ourselves quite fortunate in this department. Knock on wood.

Om nom nom: Jacob is still exclusively breast fed and it continues to go so well — I love that time with him. We set up Jacob's high chair, which makes us even more excited for him to start eating cereal and solids next month. For now, he enjoys sitting up at the table with Mum and Dad like a big boy and playing with his tray full of toys and teethers. At his appointment yesterday, the doctor suggested letting Jacob gnaw on other cold, hard fruits and veggies to help with the teething pain and introduce him to other tastes. Last night he tried out carrot and loved it!

Likes & dislikes: Jacob loves to pull his toes into his mouth, hop and laugh in his jumperoo, play peek-a-boo with Daddy, and family dance parties and sing-alongs. He refuses to take breast milk from a bottle, is not a fan of soothers (unless he's using one as a teether), and he does not like being held in a reclined position like a baby.

Challenges: Jacob has eczema on his elbows, knees and back. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to itch or bother him at all, but it's added to our daily routines as we cover him with lotion in the morning and at night. The fact that Jacob won't take a bottle has been trying for us all, but he's doing much better at spending longer periods of time with his Daddy while I get out of the house.

Special moments: Husband loves when Jacob snuggles in and falls asleep on him. I love rubbing my nose on his belly and making him laugh hysterically. We both love when Jacob makes eye contact and a grin spreads over his face; it's pretty special to be loved that much.

Editor's note: In an effort to organize the blog and make more sense of my posting schedule, I'm going to share monthly updates about Baby J on the 18th of each month.

meatless mondays

If you didn't catch Oprah recently, she and 378 staffers went vegan for a week. As you may have already gathered, in our household, I am vegetarian and Husband is not. Usually our difference in eating habits isn't really inconvenient, but sometimes I wish that I could just make one veggie meal all the time and not have to worry about factoring in Husband's meat component.

So here's what I have in mind, Monday shall now be known as Meatless Monday in our home (surprise, Husband!), for a few reasons:

1) Veggie meals can usually be made on the cheap.

2) Husband could use more veg and fibre in his diet.

3) One less day each week I have to prepare meat.

4) It's our small way to lessen the demand on the Earth's resources.

In addition to Husband going meat free with me for one day each week, I'm going to start eating vegan one day a week. I'm not going to say it'll be the same day every week, since leftovers and such really dictate our meal plan. But I was really inspired by the health benefits outlined on Oprah's show. I want to learn how to incorporate protein into my diet without the use of animal products, like cheese, eggs, yogurt and butter. Has anyone out there tried nutritional yeast?

My sister-in-law C has been eating a quasi-vegan diet for more than a year now, after discovering an allergy to lactose, dairy and all milk ingredients. She uses many substitutes in her diet, including vegan margarine and fake chocolate chips. In adapting her eating habits, she's discovered many products that taste like the real thing.

Preparing for this change, I hit up Google for some recommendations and stumbled upon this blog where a husband and wife team are cooking their way through the Betty Crocker Cookbook and veganizing all of the recipes. Lots of great ideas here!

Have you ever adapted your food choices for a certain diet? How did it work out for you? Any vegans out there have any tips to share?

what a sin - day 7

To wrap our week of sins, we have lust. The task: list seven love secrets. Hmm ... I'm not sure how to interpret this one. How about secrets of love? With almost eight years together and nearly two and a half years of marriage behind us, Husband and I consider ourselves very lucky to be so in sync with each other. But really, we don't have any secrets to making it work. Lots of elements of our relationship come easy, but there are also lots of things that we work at to keep everything going smoothly. I'm not sure we have one thing that keeps us on track, but here are a few ideas we came up with ...

1) Be thoughtful. Sometimes this means romantic gestures, other times it's thinking of the other person before yourself. I love when Husband does or says something sweet and unexpected that reminds me how well he knows me, and I love returning the favour.

2) Appreciation where appreciation is due. Husband and I like to thank each other for the littlest things ... for taking out the garbage, for changing the baby's diaper, for making a simple meal, for turning the light out before hopping in bed. Usually, it's the little, everyday things that count the most.

3) Respect each other's time and space. Everyone needs a break now and then. If I want to spend a couple hours with girlfriends, or Husband wants to get out for a round of golf (or watch it on TV, since it's February), we give each other the freedom to do so as much as possible. If I'm busy with a project, Husband jumps in to take over with Baby J, and visa versa. We can't function as a couple if we don't take time for ourselves as individuals.

4) Be each other's No. 1 supporters. When it comes to jobs and goals and dreams, we're behind each other 100%. Even when it comes to the baby, we both have our own methods for everything from diaper changing and dressing, to soothing and cuddling. We do our best to respect and encourage each other's methods. Parenting is the ultimate teamwork, after all.

5) Admitting when he's we're wrong. I kid, I kid. We have differences of opinions all the time. It's healthy. I would hate to be with a partner who had the same thoughts as I do. When disagreements arise, we try our best to fight fair. Hear each other out, provide constructive criticism when needed, and be able to apologize and forgive.

6) Find our best time of day and enjoy it. Since Baby J arrived, Husband and I obviously have less alone time, which we're OK with; it's what we signed up for. But we take what we can get and the hour or so before we go to bed has turned into some really great quality time. Usually it consists of watching a show on the DVR or chatting about our days, followed by teeth brushing and reading or talking some more in bed. We value that time together so much these days.

7) Looking ahead. Our schedule is key to keeping our day-to-day lives running smoothly. We have a whiteboard calendar on our fridge where we write down everything that's coming up. It's the only way we can both stay organized and remember what each other is up to. By taking into account the other person's schedule, we can usually avoid squabbles about time conflicts and make the most of the time we have together when things get busy.

These are just a few things that make us tick. Have any love secrets of your own to share?

***

Here's what you've missed:

Day 1 - Pride. Seven great things about yourself.

Day 2 - Envy. Seven things you lack and covet.
Day 3 - Wrath. Seven things that piss you off.
Day 4 - Sloth. Seven things you neglect to do.
Day 5 - Greed. Seven worldly material desires.
Day 6 - Gluttony. Seven guilty pleasures.
Day 7 - Lust. Seven love secrets.

Check out what Amy and Heather are posting, too!

time flies

It seems like just yesterday we welcomed sweet baby Jacob into our family, and now he's nearly three months old! In just over 11 weeks, we've been to the Saturday farmers' market several times, trekked to Fredericton, Moncton twice, Lunenburg and Syndey, been to a bunch of Reel Babies movies, and taken many walks around town with our stroller. He loves tummy time, playing on the changing table in his nursery and flying around the house like Superman with Daddy.

Jacob is a sweet boy and has made parenting a joy so far. He sleeps very well, and as you can tell in the photo above, he definitely eats well! He's in the 90th percentile for both length and weight.

We love our life as a family of three. Husband and I have made an effort to maintain the lifestyle we enjoyed before Jacob arrived — we do errands together on weekends, spend time with friends, watch our favourite TV shows and eat meals at the table as a family. We love when our boy wakes up early on weekend mornings and the three of us play together in bed while the rest of the world is still asleep.

As you have probably noticed, my little blog has fell by the wayside lately, in favour of breastfeeding, changing diapers and playing Patty Cake. In the new year, I plan to return to crafting, projects and writing. Thanks for waiting! See you soon!