Summer stuff

 This week has been full of summer stuff. Playing in the sprinkler, baking, exploring out-of-town parks, spray pad parks, ice cream, and more. 

Maren, Linden, and Jeff all got a cold this week. Poor Maren got it first, so she had to get tested for covid. Our numbers are down low enough that there is no wait time for drive-through testing, and we got her negative result in 24 hours. After Maren had been sick for about a day Linden got it, then Jeff. I have so far been spared, but Jeff says it seems like it’s not as bad for him as it has been for the kids.

Things are in transition here. Provincial mandatory masking was lifted today, so now it is up to businesses to decide what their policies are. Some are keeping mandatory masking, some are not. Over the past couple of days I have had coffee with other people who are fully vaccinated, and we even had a friend over to watch a movie at our house last night after the kids went to bed. It’s such a weird thing still - we are fully vaccinated and this friend is fully vaccinated, but he did a rapid test at home before coming, and we didn’t share food. When I had coffee with friends we stayed outside and maintained physical distance. We are still figuring out what is acceptable and safe, and I am happy to be surrounded by people who are also cautious. I am so ready for all this to be over, but it’s not over yet, especially for all the kids. We are doing our best to be normal :-)

Another beach day

 Today we had another beach day, at a different lake. It started out relatively quiet, and was super busy by the end of the day. 

It was also Canada day this week. We took the opportunity to learn about the history of Canada a bit, including the history of residential schools. We baked bannock (not super well, but we tried), heard storytelling from elders at a Buffalo Days celebration, and read two books (Shi-Shi-Etko and Shin-Chi’s Canoe).

On my first Canada Day as a Canadian citizen, I was proud of this country for taking steps in the direction of reconciliation. There is much in the history of North America not to be proud of, and I am glad that so many people here are taking time to learn and reflect. 

Beach day

 Today we had a beach day.

It was our first beach day of the year and it felt good to get out into the water. My sunscreen turned out to be not an all waterproof and I got burned on my legs, and everyone was incredibly tired afterward, but we had a good time.

Jeff and I both got our second doses of vaccine earlier this week. It feels really strange, but we are on our way back to normal. Yesterday Linden and I went to a birthday party (outdoors) for a two-year-old. 

It was a small party and all of the parents there had gotten a second dose of vaccine in the past week. We had fun, and stayed relatively physically distanced (not hard with a shy toddler), but it was kind of overwhelming being around people again. We will get used to it, and it will be good 😊 

Basement flood and better sleep

 Last Sunday night when I blogged I was too tired to give all the updates. The big update that I didn’t share is that our basement flooded on the previous Friday morning. According to official reports, depending on where exactly in the city the rain was being measured, there were between 2 inches and 3 inches of rain (50 to 75 mm) in the two hours between 7 AM and 9 AM on Friday June 11. 

It was crazy. There was so much flooding. We are still waiting on a restoration company to come fix the interior, and a foundation company to shore up the exterior, because even though we called them right away on Friday there are many people ahead of us.

But the good news since last week is that Linden is sleeping better. We moved her bedtime an hour later to be the same as Maren’s bedtime, and had lots of conversations about sleep routines and expectations. It seems to be starting to work, and fingers crossed that it keeps getting better. 

Today was Father’s Day, and we did celebrate (cards, gifts, bike ride, vegan cheesecake, pizza delivery), but I didn’t take a single picture. So here is the one photo I have from this week (a very tired Linden at the park):

Little monster

 Linden has been a little monster lately. We have been having serious problems with sleep, and putting her to bed has been trying, which is the reason that I didn’t get to blog last week. She has also been quite difficult during the day, getting really angry really fast, throwing things, and not telling us what she needs or wants. 

I hope this is a phase that doesn’t last too terribly long. She is teething, with three or four of her two-year molars all the way through, and the last one starting to pierce her gums. She may be starting that last awful nap transition, dropping her final nap of the day but still needing that nap. I know that for some kids it can take about a year. She has also suddenly started peeing in the potty and the toilet, which she is a little bit obsessed with and which probably is taking a lot of mental energy.

Whatever the reason or reasons, we are pretty exhausted from all of it.

However, when things are going well we are doing fine. Yesterday we went out to watch a modified (for Covid safety) pride parade. It was the first parade we had been to in almost two years, and we had a nice time :-)