Burney Creek

We finally had a lull in the weather. So, I seized the moment and took Hayden outside. We went to a local area on Burney Creek so that Hayden could stretch his legs and breathe fresh air. He got to take his 'welly' boots (rain boots) for a test run through puddles, climb on top of a tree stump, walk in the snow and throw pebbles in to the creek. We were only out for an hour before it was time to come home for lunch and a nap; but, it was worth it!

This is the first picture of me that I have posted for a while, and even in all my winter gear, you can see how big I am getting with Baby Compton #2!

Reading Books With Daddy

Hayden has really started showing a serious interest in books. Frequently throughout the day, he will bring us books to read and will enjoy just sitting and listening to them. Daddy gets to enjoy "snuggle" time with Hayden and 'blanket' when he gets home from work in the evening. It's nice to watch them both on the couch...

What Will He Be Like When He is A Teenager?

So, I have to share this:
Hayden slept for over 13 hours last night. He ate a piece of toast with cream cheese, 1/4 apple and 1/4 pear for breakfast. He then ate a handful of raviolis for a snack and stew (consisting of fresh carrots, parsnips, asparagus and mushrooms) for lunch. He then proceeded to take a 3 hour nap and woke up to eat 1/2 a pork chop, mash potatoes and mix vegetables followed by 1/2 yogurt for desert.
This kid is going to sleep, and eat, us out of house and home when he becomes a teenager.
P.S. It is only 4pm...we still have dinner to go!!!

A Walk In The Woods

We are supposed to be getting a good sized storm this week, starting today. So, to help prevent any major cabin fever from occurring, Shane and I decided to take the family on a walk in the woods yesterday afternoon. Hayden did really well. He walked a fair distance, played in the leaves, collected rocks, climbed on rocks and found an old car antenna to make lines in the dirt with. Boone, too, was grateful to be able to get out and stretch his legs....as were Shane and I. We were gone for nearly two hours and the fresh air meant that we all slept well last night!!

Hard Working Man

Yesterday morning, Shane had to cut up some more kindling for the wood stove. Shane cut a bunch in the Fall which would, normally, have had enough to get through the winter; however, Hayden likes to help daddy make the fire by providing unlimited amounts of kindling...so, we have gone through it a lot quicker than normal! Of course, daddy was not doing it correctly and needed help / supervision. Hayden was only too willing to be the helper / supervisor.

An Afternoon At The Ranch

Hayden and I went out to visit with Miss Diane and the horses on Friday afternoon. Hayden likes to feed the horses hay; however, he is showing more interest in the 4-wheeler, tractor and hose pipes. I helped Diane clean a few of her stalls and Hayden enjoyed playing with the broom, shovel and pitchfork!

Miss Diane always has vanilla wafers in her barn (which she calls "barn cookies") - Hayden has learned this and knows where they are. He always manages to persuade her (through eye lash batting and other general cuteness) to give him a couple...which, of course, makes his day!

Not perfect; but, definitely better.

Hayden only woke up four times during the night last night and each time he went back to sleep very easily. He is still coughing a little; but, the congestion seems to be disappearing. He went to bed at 6pm last night, it is 7:45am now and he is still asleep. Good. Rest is very good.
Shane is doing a little better too...his body is now working on clearing out the crud. Ick.
Boone is currently asleep by the fire, with all four legs in the air, ears flat on the floor looking like a bat and is completely oblivious to all - just how we like him!
And I am going to get some breakfast...bring on the day!

Poor Boone, 2010

Hayden thought it would be fun to torment the dog with the dog's nightly chewy. Boone did appear to have a little fun...

Fixing the Electronics

After an agonising couple of months, our little boom box/CD player decided to quit working. Hayden inspected it to see if he could fix the problem...one possible solution included dropping it on to the floor. Didn't fix it; but, it did break the lid off - so daddy had to come and see if he could fix the lid back on. He couldn't. CD player is, as a result, going in the trash tomorrow! RIP CD player.

Happy New Year

Here it is, 2010 already. Crazy. Well, a very Happy New Year to you.
I wish I could say that ours has started out wonderfully...both Shane and Hayden have head colds with coughs. Shane is able to keep up with the medicine to help alleviate his symptoms some; however, Hayden, is less fortunate. He has been OK up until tonight...despite elevating one end of his mattress, having his humidifier on full blast and using Vicks VaporRub, Hayden has had a really rough night. Shane took the first half of the night and I have been with him since 2am. He has been sleeping for about 15 minutes every hour. I just hate being so powerless to help him...
The pregnancy is continuing to develop well. The Braxton Hicks have started...urgh. The other night was crazy - so many, one on top of the other. I, obviously, had not done a very good job staying hydrated that day; however, last night was better...I just had to pee every 10 minutes because I had done such a good job staying hydrated!!! According to the books, the baby is about 2.5lbs in weight and 15" from head to heel. It's getting to be cramped quarters in there!
Hayden has started signing new words. He is learning his basic colors and knows the signs for yellow, red, orange, blue and green. He can tell you when something hurts and when he needs medicine (the other day he told me that his mouth hurt (from teething) and that he needed medicine - all using his signs. I thought this was very impressive). He now knows and is using the signs for baby, bear, snow, open, close and, finally, mummy! He is saying more too...Uh-oh, off, ball, on and go are the latest words. He is picking up both signs and words a lot quicker these days...and he shows an interest in learning more and more.
He has been teething for a little while now. The molars are finally making their appearance; however, they have decided to all make their appearance at once. Poor kid - when it rains, it pours. Despite his mouth hurting and his being a little more teary than his usual upbeat self, he does not seem to have had any negative side effects from the teething.

Just Too Cool

This video was taken on New Year's Eve...Hayden has found out what his pockets are for - they are for shoving his hands in and walking around the house looking like his is just too cool for school.