Better late than never....

I can't believe that my last post was from our summer holidays!!!  Where has the time gone?  I have received so many kind requests to continue with the blog and finally find myself with a bit of time to get on it.  So much has happened over the last half year so I'll try and recap the highlights.

For Halloween Maya was the cutest little bumblebee we had ever seen.  I bought her costume a month before Halloween and made the mistake of showing Maya beforehand.  She just loves to play dress-up and the costume had a tutu and wings and made for her favorite plaything of the month.  I didn't mind that she kept asking to wear it....it sure was cute.

 

 Maya dressed up for Halloween with her bff Gracie!

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Maya started to color in October too.  One of her favorite pastimes is drawing pictures with her new crayons.  It surprised me how quickly she picked up the concept and is starting to understand and recognize colors.  She is growing up so fast!!

We had some early snow this year and Maya took full advantage of it.  If I had to guess, I would say that her two all time favorite things to do is swim (pool or bath) and play outside.  She could care less if it's +30 or -30, she just loves to be active and play.  Seeing the snow this year was quite exciting for her.  Auntie Lorrie gave Maya some shovels and she is such a big girl helping daddy shovel the driveway.  She also helped baba shovel her walk during our visit to Saskatchewan during Thanksgiving.  What a special time that was for Maya and baba.  Maya still asks to watch the video and see the pictures of her and baba shoveling.  She obviously has some special memories of that time.

 

In mid-November I went back to work.  I should clarify - I went back to work in an office - back into the world of HR.  Motherhood has been more "work" than I ever imagined but I have to say I have never felt so rewarded in any job before!  But after 19 wonderful, amazing, blessed months with Maya it felt like the right time to venture back into the world of clients, deadlines, email and meetings and yes, I admit back into the world of lunch dates, morning coffee/tea runs, procrastinating with colleagues and general idle workplace gossip.  I have to say that I have missed it all and have enjoyed being back.  I only work 4 days a week but have the flexibility to work from home if necessary which has been helpful.  Fortunately we found a fantastic place for Maya that has made the transition so much easier.  Jay and I decided from the start that unless we found the perfect place for Maya, I would not go back to work and our prayers were answered.  We are sharing a wonderful nanny with another family.  The nanny lives with them and I take Maya over there each morning which is only a few mins from our house.  The other family has one little girl who is a few months younger than Maya.  So it is just the two girls in this big beautiful home FULL of toys and Maya just loves it there.  She practically pushes me out the door when I drop her off in the mornings because she is so excited to start her day.  I always feel sad to leave her but so thankful that she is so happy and content.  Very good news on that front!

The other very exciting thing that happened in November was that we potty trained Maya.  I thought I would give it a try once she reached 18 months hoping that she would be trained before we started her with the new nanny and....success!!  She picked it up in one day and that was it.  Here are a few photos to commemorate the event!!

 

Maya reading on her new potty!

 

 Maya posing in her new big girl panties!

If you are observant, then you likely noticed the t-shirt that Maya is wearing in the above pictures.  Yes, we found out that Maya is going to be a big sister!!  I am due in June and the good news does not end there.  We also found out that we are having a little BOY!!  We couldn't be more excited to be expanding our family!!  Soon we'll be Jason and Brandee and "the kids".  LOVE IT!!