Farewell Summer (part 1)

Arabella, it's crazy to see how fast you're growing. You were so tiny when we look back to May of this year...

We had some really sweet moments with you over the spring and summer. 

It took a while for the weather to get warmed up, though. For a while it seemed like summer was never going to arrive. The term 'climate change' doesn't necessarily mean it's going to get warmer, huh? 😛

Despite the chilly spring, we made the most of it. At the very least we'd take you to the park and let you run wild. And you would kick up dust!

ZOOM! You were obsessed with the stroller. That's all you wanted to do. "Baby! Park! Stroller!" you'd yell.

This was one of your mom's favourite pictures from spring. We all went to a wedding, which took place at a beautiful venue. 

At the wedding reception you were running all over the dance floor...

And your mom and I were having a great time watching you run around and get silly.

In June it finally started to get a lot warmer...

The flowers were in full bloom, and apparently so were you! 

You grew so much over the course of the summer...

When your dad was at work, your mom would take you to the park before it got too hot outside.

And if it rained, it didn't bother you one bit, because you loved going out in your rain boots. Who doesn't like jumping in puddles? 

Looking back at the spring and summer, it really was special.

We went to a few farms together and you had a blast.

Naturally, you were in love with all of the animals.

Especially the horse!

But you love all animals...big and small!

Speaking of animals, the best thing we did all year was get a membership to the Toronto Zoo.

We went to the zoo constantly because there was always something to see or do there. And we live just around the corner!

Sometimes we'd go 4-5 times a week. It's like we were living at the zoo some days!

I'd come home from work, quickly eat, and then we'd all jump in the car and go to the zoo for the rest of the day. 

"Zoo! Zoo!" you'd say to us. "Monkey! Owl! ZOOOO!"

We had fun on the merry-go-round...

With your cousins...

And you even got to pet certain animals like the skunk (or as you called it, "kunk") 😂

And of course, there was the zoo splash pad which cooled us off on those hot summer days. 

When the heat got to be too much, we'd find ways to cool off in our little backyard.

Even the garden hose worked wonders 😂

But nothing beat going to the beach...

We're talking non-stop fun in the sand 😄

And when the beach wasn't an option, a pool was the next best thing 😃

Little lady

Mirror, mirror, on the wall...

I can't believe this is my baby girl. Yup, she's no longer a baby or even a toddler. A few months have passed and suddenly I'm looking at a little lady.

It has been quite the summer for Bella. On August 17th she turned TWO and a HALF years old.

This cool cat had a huge growth spurt. Gaining weight, growing taller, getting smarter...and she's talking so much lately. She can easily put together short sentences and even counts to 10!

Somebody pinch me. 

Everyday she says new words or does something that has us laughing uncontrollably. 

She's a little smarty-pants who loves making faces and being silly. 

Whenever I've had a long day at work, coming home to these two ladies instantly cheers me up... 

You can't help but smile when you have a Kiera and Arabella in your life. God has certainly been good to me. 

It's been a while...

Oh, hello there! It's been a while since we've spoken! It's so nice to see you again.

Little Miss Arabella has been been doing very well. Thank you for asking!

If you must know, this shy girl is currently 2 years + 3 months old, weighs 19 pounds (8.6kg) and is 83cm tall. She's growing nice and steady! 

Since she got her g-tube last year she's been gaining a steady amount of weight, little by little, and it's finally starting to show. We can even see the extra weight gain in her cheeks and around her tummy!

YAY!

The only bad news is that her oral eating has drastically halted in the last 4-5 months. Arabella went from eating entire meals to barely eating at all again. Welcome back eating aversion...

Lucky for us, the g-tube allows us to give her a nutritious blend of food at any time. And so, life goes on. 

This is how March looked like here in Toronto.

Even into April we were wearing winter hats, gloves, boots, and double layers of pants. It felt like one of the longest winters that I could remember. And who can forget all the snow. Snow, snow, and more snow!

But we made the most of it 😁

And do you want to know what else? Somehow we were all able to stay healthy through the winter. No one caught a cold. There were no emergency room visits. There was no drama of any kind. 

How did we avoid the winter flu and colds? It's partly due to luck, and partly due to paranoia 😂

We washed our hands constantly. We took plenty of vitamin C and D. We limited family and friend's visits. And we avoided public places whenever possible. We basically spent a lot of time at home!

The extra precautions are worth it - just ask any preemie parent and they'll tell you.

We were so relieved to have gotten through this winter!

How old are you?

This little monkey makes me laugh so much!