Hey you, slow down!

Blogger is being quite finicky lately.  Seems to be a tug-of-war between text and photos.  And I just about lost it when I tried to publish my last post with Niagara pictures.  So, I'm just going to post one today.  Here is one of my favorite Canadian traffic signs:

Ahhh, now don't you feel better?  I do. 

Happy Thanksgiving - Canada style

The American Falls

How lucky are we to celebrate two Thanksgivings this year!  Canada celebrated Thanksgiving on October 8th.  Since it lands on a Monday in Canada, we decided to enjoy a long weekend in Niagara Falls.  This was both Max's and David's first visit.  I was excited to see the Falls again and I realized that it looks so different depending on your vantage point and the weather!

Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side

David's brother generously donated some extra travel points so that we could enjoy the Falls from our hotel room while Max was napping.   This was extremely useful since Max is such a great napper!  Once we got out of the room, though, the views only got better! 
The orange in Max's hands in the pictures below was a fantastic tool for keeping his attention during the snapping of photos, though he also found it quite fun to throw.  He must have thought it was the best-tasting ball he's had yet! 

Looking over the edge was dizzying.

The lights on the Falls at night were beautiful

Grow, Max, grow!

We visited Max's pediatrician while in Wisconsin early this week.  Here's an update of Max's growth and development at 9 months:

Max is on target developmentally. 

• He is standing on his own fairly well and will cruise (walk while holding furniture) with Momma or Daddy nearby.  He is still a bit wobbly, but independent and quite determined.  
• He can crawl super fast!  Gone are the days when we can run to the next room "real quick"!  
• Max thinks stairs are fun and has tried going up on his own.  He has gotten to the 3rd step before we knew what he was up to.  whoops!
• We are still working on baby safety.  Unfortunately, there is no wall on one side of the staircase, so baby gates are not so useful in that area.  I'm still trying to figure out a way to rig something across the bottom to at least blind his curiosity.  I found one option called the KidCo Auto Close Configuration Gate with 5 joints that you can create a 1/2 circle around the base of the stair case.  This might be our best bet.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Keep in mind, this is a temporary rental, so in another 5 weeks, our environment will be different.  I'm hoping we can come up with a travel-friendly solution that will work for the majority of our rental homes.  
• Max loves music.  He will mimic a very short melody and listens intently when the piano and violin lessons are going on in the upper-level apartment above us.  I'm hoping to convince our neighbor Bridget to let us come up and play audience for an afternoon lesson.
• Max's favorite game is playing catch with Daddy and let me tell you, this kid has quite an arm! 

 Growth stats:
Max was found to have lost weight between his 6- and 9-month visits.  This was a little bit of a shock since he was growing so well in the beginning and really loves solid foods, especially vegetables.  I do remember thinking his waistbands were stretching out and I thought perhaps he was growing taller faster than he was growing wider.  Since Max's development is right on track, the doctor believes this is only because my milk supply is low.  Also, babies that are exclusively breast-fed tend to be smaller than those who get some or all formula since the caloric intake of formula is consistent while breast milk changes with growth.  Max's doctor is very cooperative and a wonderful listener.  He asked me what I think we should do (rare! and appreciated) and has agreed with my desire to continue nursing, adding a bottle between feedings to up his calorie intake.  I'm also starting Fenugreek to see if it helps.  He has also suggested we be a bit more liberal with type and quantity of solid foods.  Mangia, Max!  So, the plan is to give Max extra calories and report back with a weight check in 3 weeks.  David thinks this is a perfect excuse to buy a Wii since it has the weight-sensitive pad for games.  Ha! 

• Head Circumference 43 cm (10%)
• Length: 27.75 inches (50%)
• Weight: 16lbs, 11oz (~10%) 

So, despite the small hiccup with growth, we have a really happy kiddo who loves to learn and explore.  We love you, Max!

long overdue

Beautiful Maple down the block

Okay, so it's been almost one month since I last posted!  I can't believe how fast time has flown by.   We're in full Fall mode here in Toronto.  It's absolutely beautiful and I certainly appreciate the cooler temperatures.  (I haven't had Fall in 2 years.  Last year, we were in Austin and it was HOT!)

In complete reverse proportion to the amount of activity on our blog is the amount of activity we've been accustomed to in our new city.  This is my excuse for not blogging, albeit not very good.  As I've said before, our neighborhood is fantastic!   We've been taking lots of walks to explore.  Everything we need is a few short blocks away.  Since I'm out of practice with the blog, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  Oh, and this is an advertisement for our home so you'll want to come see us!

We're in Greek Town

Our front door.  Blackie is our neighbor's cat.

Our bright kitchen

Fruit and vegetable stands abound

Our living room

Max enjoying a magazine on the couch

a look down the street

Max patiently waiting for his walk

Yummmm, avocado!

Ha ha!  Mom, this article is hilarious!