Pure moments

We all love being able to capture a pure moment and moments like this are no exception. It's especially hard with Malcolm cause he's very aware of his Daddy taking his picture or video. This one lasted a few seconds, but was still precious.

A terrible two episode has reared its ugly head again. Malcolm has now started to engage in full screaming tantrums. Luckily, he has never had an episode in public, but his behaviour at home is another story. Tracey and Roger hope that it has more to do with the teething than anything, but only time will tell. Three out of four molars have now come in with the last one still waiting to break through.

When he's in that altered state of mind it's difficult to reason with him, no matter what choice is offered every suggestion is met with extreme anger and downright screaming. So, despite his morning behaviour and oppositional mood Roger and Tracey decided they'd follow-through with the original plan and still take him to the PNE. Although Malcolm had fun on some of the rides, he didn't really show much enthusiasm for much else. Some-days, Tracey and Roger ask themselves whether it's really worth it to put so much effort into thinking of fun things to do. Here are some pictures from the PNE, you can see he did finally crack a smile on the slide. Whoa, isn't the summer going by quickly?

Still a two-year old...

Despite how many of the pictures look on the blog, Malcolm can be quite a handful. He sometimes exhibits some oppositional behaviour that results in some frustration both by child and adult alike. Don't get me wrong most of the time he's a fun-loving, happy, and joyful little two year old, but as the title says: he's still a two-year old. His vocabulary is growing by the minute and everyday he says things that continue to keep everyone is stitches. Though, we've also found with this expanding vocabulary he's found a way to use it to display his own stubbornness quite clearly.

Now we're all trying to get him used to two pretty drastic changes that are about to occur... transition to the big boy bed/room and the arrival of his baby sister (yes, we found out on Monday, see picture below). We'll see how everything turns out. We're all hoping for the best.

A special shout-out to Hastings Little League representing Canada in the Little League World Series this year. A valiant effort in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. They pulled out a stunning comeback today against the European team from Germany. What a ride it was.

Here are some recent pictures of Malcolm:

"Yeah baby!" Malcolm's favorite playground, Central Park in Burnaby.
"Hee, hee..."
"Strike a pose..."
Shopping spree at the Carter's Outlet in Marysville, WA (Seattle Premium Outlets). As Malcolm says: "They're all for my baby sister."

Busy, busy...

The sleep situation is definitely improving, but it still takes some effort to get Malcolm to sleep. The wind-down routine takes more than an hour to complete. Again, we're all hoping that this is a temporary phase. Grandma and Papa have been responsible for putting Malcolm down for a nap during the week and luckily he's been pretty compliant. ]He's napping for at least 2 hours during the week and in the morning he has been getting up at around 6am, much better than the 5am wake-ups the past few weeks. We're all sleep deprived, but maybe it's good practice. Roger and Tracey are scheduled to go see this doctor this morning, hopefully they'll find out whether we're painting the room blue or pink.

Oh in other news, I will be appearing in the Havanese calendar 2010. Please click this link to order your copy: link I think I'm on the July page representing Canada. Check it out if you have a chance. All the proceeds will be donated to the Havanese Club of America (HCA).

To enjoy the summer we've been planning different outings around town. Today Roger, Tracey and Malcolm went to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Cates Park. Here are some pictures from the past week. They are still planning a few other trips around town.


Title: "Unbridled Joy"

Title: "Weeee!"

Title: "Relaxin"

Title: "Me and Mommy"

Title: "Me and Papa"

Title: "Let's go to Grandpa Harry's to get an ice cream!"

Days start early lately...

So for some reason Malcolm is still on the 5am wake-up schedule. The craziest thing is that it doesn't even matter what time he goes to sleep. Roger and Tracey have put him down at 7:30, 8:30 and 9pm without any significant change. Oh and that's the other issue they've been having, Malcolm is fighting being left alone in his room. He calls back numerous times a night before he actually settles down to sleep. It's quite a ritual everyone is put through. He asks either Mommy or Daddy to sit in the chair in his room, then on the footstool, and then to stand inside the doorway, then finally outside the door. That pattern sustained some success for a while, but recently he just asks to go through the whole ritual numerous times a night. Last night the whole put down routine went on for almost an hour. The saddest thing is that his disruptive sleep pattern effects everyone in the house including me. Malcolm is still visibly tired, but is too stubborn to go back to sleep. As always we're all hoping it's all just a temporary phase. Oh, if you're curious "Operation Big Boy Bed" has been put on hold for the time being.
Hopefully we'll be able to transition him around the Labour Day long weekend.

This is a picture of my sleep deprived face, sad huh? No just kidding. Roger bought a new Flash for his camera and was testing out some off-camera stuff.

On Guard

DSC_2136 - 2009-08-01 at 17-21-12, originally uploaded by obiwanhavanese.
Roger, Tracey and Malcolm finally had a chance to go to the Moody Park Pool this evening. It's been quite a disappointment the last few days because their attempts have been thwarted by some closures. It's quite a nice facility, I've seen it on my walks many times. Here's a picture of Malcolm sporting his PFD watching the waves.

Rocky Point Park

DSC_1998 - 2009-07-26 at 11-09-03, originally uploaded by obiwanhavanese.
Malcolm is still waking up extremely early these days, the latest we got to wake up was 6:45am on Friday, we can officially call that sleeping in. This morning he was up at 5:45am, he called "Daddy", and asked to have his hands washed (don't ask me why?) So after the hand washing he was pretty much up and raring to go. His naps and bedtimes are still quite challenging and these days he's quite a bear when he wakes up from his naps. It's only me, Grandma and Papa here to calm him down most days. From what we've read it's quite common, it's just too bad that he's so upset. His opposition and defiance are quite tiring to deal with sometimes, but we're all hoping it's a phase that will pass soon. His second molars are coming in now, so maybe that has something to do with it as well.

Here's Malcolm and Camila on the teeter totter.
Malcolm and one of his favorite cousins Nicole.

Sunset

DSC_1873 - 2009-07-23 at 21-14-18, originally uploaded by obiwanhavanese.

What a beautiful sunset it was tonight. Here's a shot from our deck.

Growing up...

Yaletown, originally uploaded by obiwanhavanese.

Lots of things are happening these days, many changes and transitions. As Tracey enters her 22nd week of pregnancy her ever expanding belly serves as a clear indication that this isn't a drill and than in less time than we've come, a baby will arrive. Tracey and Roger are still struggling with Malcolm' s sleep schedule, his defiance and attitude are every so-challenging to deal with, but still not a day goes by where he doesn't make everyone laugh. His vocabulary is expanding, his motor skills becoming more refined, and exertion of his independence is now unmistakable. A life of a 2 and 3/4 year old is both frustrating and rewarding at the same time. His new attitude is more evidence that he's growing up.

Tracey and Roger are now putting the finishing touches on transitioning him to his big boy room, namely to start preparing his old room for the new baby. They've bought Malcolm a new bed, bedding, drapery and night light. No one can foresee how the transition will go, and we all have our proverbial paws and fingers crossed. A funny thing that Malcolm said the other day was: "My crib is not too small." alluding that perhaps the move to the big boy bed may not go as smoothly we all hope... Stay tuned for the next chapter and pictures of Malcolm in his big boy bed.

Swinging...

Swinging originally uploaded by obiwanhavanese.

You wouldn't know it from this picture, but Malcolm used to resist getting in the swing. We would try to encourage him, but he would often refuse. It wasn't until a few months ago did he re-discover that he really likes it. It's funny how toddler's brain works, he can love something one minute and detest it another. He will eat something with such content and enjoyment that you're absolutely shocked to see him scream and cry when it's rejected the very next day. What a roller coaster of emotions it must be, glee followed with outright defiance then sprinkle in some tears and that's how every day goes on. They didn't coin the phrase "terrible two's" for nothing. Let's hope the highs outweigh the lows, cause right now Tracey and Roger are considering renaming him Sybil some days.

Some frequent phrases these days:

• Let's eat dinner Malcolm, "I'm not going to eat dinner."
• Time to have a nap, "I'm not going to have a nap."
• 6am wake up, "I had enough sleep Mommy and Daddy, I wanna get outta here."
• "It's time to watch something on TV"
• Why don't you try it Malcolm, "I'm not going to try it, I don't like it."
• How do you know you don't like it, you've never tried it: "(silence)"
• What would you like for lunch Malcolm? "I know, popsicle and ice cream."
• The most frequent question asked lately: "What is it?" Even though he knows what it is. It can be very cute, but also maddening.

Oh Canada

Happy Canada Day folks. It's been such a nice summer so far with respect to the weather. May, June and the beginning of July have been so warm and sunny, definitely something we're not always used to in Vancouver. Here's a short video of Malcolm spending Canada Day in White Rock.

Happy Canada Day!

DSC01851, originally uploaded by obiwanhavanese.

Four years ago today, I came to live with Roger and Tracey. Sure lots of things have changed since then, but I'm sure glad that they chose me to be a part of their family. Soon we'll be welcoming another member and one can only dream of what that will be like. Here's a picture of me on that fateful Canada Day of 2005. This picture was taken on the ferry from Victoria. I've changed a bit don't you think? What a shiny black nose I had.

Black Cats, Broken Mirrors, Walking Under Ladders, Opening Umbrellas Indoors, etc...

Obi, originally uploaded by obiwanhavanese.It's been quite a week for the family. Monday morning started with a big crash. Malcolm managed to pull Roger's camera onto the tile floor smashing the lens and giving a good bump to the body. Roger has taken the camera and lens to Nikon and hopefully it will all be repairable. Next, for no apparent reason Roger's watch strap spontaneously disintegrated before his eyes. The beautiful wedding present from Tracey (now also at the repair shop) has been sent to Ontario. I guess the scariest bit of bad news we got was about the development of the baby at Friday's doctor's appointment. Tracey's doctor even scheduled an emergency ultra-sound to confirm. I'm happy to report that all is well with the baby and everything is progressing nicely, all a false alarm. Oh and lastly, Roger has been fighting the stomach flu for the past week, so he's been on a diet of clear consume. What happened this week? Riddled with bad luck, we're hoping that things are now turning around, Roger is on the mend and getting the relieving news from the ultra-sound was the best news yet.

Happy Birthday Roger!

Roger's favorite dessert, Strawberry slice... here's Roger and Malcolm blowing out the candles. Hey, I think there are some candles missing? Special thanks to Grandma for preparing the wonderful treat. From what I've heard, everything was delicious.

It was Roger's birthday last week. He took the day off of work to go golfing with his friends. Ryan was in town so really it was nice for him to spend the day with his buddies. They went to Roger's favorite course, Furry Creek. It's such a picturesque setting with the Howe Sound in the background. They really couldn't complain about the weather either, it's been so warm and sunny for the past several weeks.

Grandpa Harry took the family out for a birthday dinner as well.
Malcolm relaxing at his new favorite playground at Central Park in Burnaby. It has one of the best features, a roller slide.

Thomas The Tank Engine

Roger, Tracey and Malcolm went to go see Thomas the Tank Engine in Squamish today. Malcolm has been looking forward to riding on Thomas for several weeks now. Although the ride was a bit anti-climactic a fun time was had by all. Malcolm came back with some souvenirs of the event. The train really did look exactly like Thomas.

New Brighton Park

We've been able to convince Malcolm to wear sunglasses in the beautiful and bright Vancouver sunshine we've been having. So far, he's been very good at keeping them on. Yesterday at the mall he took them off and said: "Daddy, I take them off because it's dark in here". Here's our recent outing at New Brighton Park.

Sleep issues...

Wow, we've been having quite a time with Malcolm's sleep schedule as of late. He's been fighting the nap and bedtime for several days now. Tracey and Roger have been doing their best to try and get Malcolm to sleep, but the little guy pulls out every stalling technique in the book. His best line: "I want something" to which we answer "What would you like?" To which he answers.... (silence.....) He's a crafty one. The frustrating thing is that we offer him everything under the sun which he rejects quite vehemently. If anyone out there can figure out what that "something" is, let us know. For a kid that has been so exemplary with regards to sleep issues, it's shocking to see this change.

Marching on

Marching on, originally uploaded by obiwanhavanese.

We had a visit from Auntie Sue and the kids today. Here's Malcolm marching around with Adrianna.

Time goes on...

Malcolm is still a bit sick. His cough has been so bad that he wakes himself up in the middle of the night. He's been on a steroid inhaler for about a week now, but we haven't seen any real improvement in his cough. It's been pretty tough cause we're not used to him waking up in the middle of the night for any reason. Now we've been having episodes of coughing that lead to some real intense crying. The craziest thing out of all of this is that he's totally fine during the day, as normal as could be with regard to behaviour, demeanor, energy and appetite. We're hoping that this coming week will lead to the elimination of this darn cough.

In other news, Tracey went for another ultrasound and it looks like all is normal. Here are some pictures from the session.
Oh, I'd also like to mention that some old friends from Vienna are in town. We're expecting Ryan next Thursday, but in the meantime Sue and the kids have arrived safe and sound. It's pretty amazing how much the kids have grown.
Lastly, just wanted to mention that our Rhododendrons are now in full bloom, aren't they beautiful? The blooms should last a few more weeks.

@ the beach...

Roger just edited a video of the family at the Beach. Malcolm sure enjoyed himself. Here's the latest...

@ the beach... from Obiwanhavanese on Vimeo.