Happy Hallowe'en!!!

Henry's first Hallowe'en was quite memorable! We got him a Tigger costume and planned to Trick-or-Treat on the island.

We had been sick with the flu for a couple of weeks, so our nap routine is still a little off. Henry missed his afternoon nap altogether. At 6:00pm we figured it was time for the wee ones to start the rounds, so we put our little Tigger in his stroller and got set to head out. Five steps down the side walk he fell asleep! We didn't even get to the first house.

Not to be deterred, Andy and I took Henry around to our friends' house. Whit and Ally live on Ward's island, and are always very happy to see Henry, especially Whit. So we arrived at their door to a warm welcome and a chuckle about our sleeping Tigger. Whit had made a big pot of Chili, so he offered to feed us while we waited for Henry to awaken. About an hour later after a great visit and a few beers our Trick-or-Treater was ready to go.

Whit came out with us, being a lifelong islander, and gave us the tour. We went to about 10 houses. Henry was quite taken with the decorations and the Jack-O-Lanterns. The island folk go all out for Hallowe'en, some of the grown-ups even dress up to hand out the candy. Ally was a lovely beauty queen, 'Miss Behavin'!

We finished our rounds visiting Bob, the Tender Captain, at his son's house. All in all we had a wonderful first Hallowe'en. When we got back to the boat Henry surveyed his loot, and we let him eat his first peice of licorice. The chocolate and bubblegum I'm afraid we'll have to eat ourselves.

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Hallowe'en!

Autumn in Toronto

We've been back in Toronto for over a month now. Lucky for us the weather was beautiful for the month of September. It's almost like we brought the sunshine with us!

Our adventures continue, but will not be taking us down south this winter. We are looking at taking the business in a new direction, which means we have to stick around and make it happen. Which means we are wintering...in Toronto...on the boat...

Although this was not what we hoped for this winter, Andy and I look for the best in every situation and are looking at this as an opportunity. An opportunity to take our business to the next level, as well as an opportunity to spend time with friends and family here. Living aboard during a Canadian winter will be an experience in itself, but just think how much we will appreciate the weather when it warms up in the spring!

Cruising down south was something few of our friends have experienced...even fewer have braved winter aboard! But hey, we never claimed to be normal!

Henry is thriving with life aboard. He is a very, very active 8 1/2 month old. He is always on the go, and gets into everything!! We are having a lot of fun with him. He has so much personality, and is just such a sweet, fun kid! Henry and I go out every afternoon between his naps to keep either of us from getting cabin fever. We go to the city for walks. I get lots of exercise, and he squeals with delight in his stroller. Life is good.

We attended my Uncle Ben's funeral today. He was 44 years old and lost a year long battle with cancer. I am so thankful to have had such a wonderful uncle and friend. I have also been reflecting on the fact that life is precious and often far too short. No matter where life takes us, I am so blessed every day to have Andy, Henry, and all of the friends and family I hold dear. Life happens in the little moments. Treasure them.

Family

I come from a very large family. This has been quite wonderful. Especially since we have been blessed, all of us, with good health. Until now.

My family has had a very difficult year. My Mom is the oldest of seven children. The youngest has been ill since last November. He is dying of cancer.

My grandparents are in their late seventies. My Grandma has recently had a triple bipass surgery. My Poppa has been trying to cope with an ill wife and a dying son. The stress is very overwhelming for him.

I have been thinking a lot lately about some pretty deep stuff; the value of family, the fragility of life, and what happens to us when we die. I feel so very lucky to have spent the past five months enjoying my little family in such an enjoyable and intimate environment. We have shared in adventures that none of us will soon forget (except Henry, of course!).

I think that too many people go through life seeing the negatives and letting the joys pass them by. Seize each day. Don't let the little things get you down.

Life is too short.

Me and my Henry

Henry and I are really getting into a rhythm. This age is such a pleasure. I know when he's tired, hungry, bored, clingy or adventurous. I feel that we've come to know each other well enough for me to meet his needs effectively, even though he can't yet tell me what they are in words. It's wonderful.

I've learned that when he starts to pull his hair and rub his eyes it's time for bed. If he wakes up crying, I should soothe him back to sleep, because until he wakes up happy, he's still tired! I've learned that he has a certain whininess when he's hungry. I've also learned that once he has laid eyes on his bottle the wait for it to warm up is excruciating for him!! He has needy times of the day when I'm really best to tote him around. He also has a lot of independence, especially in the morning before his first nap, when he's quite content to play alone on the floor. Henry's best days have just the right combination of time spend out and about, and time spent peacefully and quietly at home. He's a great kid.

Lately Henry's separation anxiety has reached a fever pitch! I can't be out of sight for more than a minute. I think this is a particularly difficult stage for Henry because having lived on the boat he has been with us constantly. He has met a lot of people along the way and seems to have good social skills as long as I'm within reach. As with all stages of babyhood, I know that this too shall pass.

It's amazing how much babies change as they grow. Every day is full of new discoveries for them, including their discovery of themselves.

Life is an Adventure

If there is one thing I've learned over the past five years since I met Andy it's this. Go with the flow, and adventure will find you. We are not planners. We are simply doers. If an opportunity presents itself we hop aboard, literally, and off we go!

Andy has begun talking about the possibility of selling our boat for profit, buying a hurricane boat down south and starting again. I say, "Sure, why not?"

I think that life presents us with all sorts of opportunities, it's all about whether or not we seize them.

Where will we be in a month or two? I have no idea, and that's okay with me. Not making plans has served us well so far!

A Taste of Autumn

Just a taste of thanks, I've had enough! Brrrr!!!!!! We've been back in Canada for a week. Now we know what everyone has been complaining about with the weather. This isn't summer! So much for Global Warming!

This week was quite busy. Andy's sister Rebecca came to stay on our old boat and visit for three days. It was great to see her and the kids. Marissa and Caleb are always full of energy. They helped me to entertain Henry!

Thank goodness they were here. We are med-moored right now. That means that we're nose into the dock and have to climb over the bow sprits to get off. I'm not able to do so safely with Henry in my arms, so when Andy is going to be out for the day I'm either out too or stranded on the boat. Not an ideal situation! Rebecca helped me a lot, and gave me the freedom to come and go. Once, though, when they were on our boat visiting I decided it would be a good opportunity to walk the dogs. I had just climbed onto the dock box with Buddy under my arm and stepped down onto the little (broken) step stool on the dock when the piece of wood covering the split in the stool slid off. I slid off too!! Right into the lines between the dock and the boat! It would have been much easier if I had just hit the water. As it was I was suspended with my butt in the water and lines strung under my arms and knees. You should see the bruises!!! Ouch! And of course, poor old Buddy, the cowardly lion, ended up in the drink! What a day! Rebecca had to come and yank my sorry butt back onto the dock. We travelled over 2000 miles and my first fall was at my home port!

Today Henry and I ventured into the city to get some supplies. Andy was sick...stomach flu or bad pizza? We wanted to let him sleep, and Henry was out of formula. We had been to the doctor's office earlier in the week for our check-ups, and feeling guilty about how I answered the question, "do you exercise?" I decided to walk instead of taking the TTC (public transit). It was a good day. We walked to the Eaton's Centre, up to Dundas, over to Peter St. and back down to the ferry. Probably six miles in total, but it doesn't seem nearly as far when you're not in the Florida heat! I couldn't believe, though, how hard it was to find baby formula in downtown Toronto! I went to three pharmacies and three grocery stores with no luck! Finally I gave up. Henry has one bottle left for tomorrow morning, we'll have to go to the Loblaws before lunchtime.

Our little Henry is growing up so fast! He is such a joy to be with. Today he babbled up a storm, it is starting to sound like he is speaking complete sentences in a foreign language! His motor skills are improving too. He gets around really well, between crawling and cruising, and has started to feed himself finger foods! I'm a very proud Mama!

I am eager to take my camera into the city the next time we go so that we will have some Toronto pictures for our friends down south. Andy forgot the camera SD chip in his sister's car, I guess I'll have to pick up a new one, as I'm suffering from photo withdrawal!

Now What?

Here we are. We’ve travelled over 2000 miles from the west coast of Florida, all the way to Toronto. We arrived yesterday at our yacht club, QCYC. Most of the members are away this weekend, so our return felt a little anti-climactic.

This morning I found myself feeling a little out of sorts. Andy has a long list of things he wants to accomplish while we’re here, and has jumped head first into his many tasks. Me, I have found myself wondering, ‘now what?’ I’ve forgotten how to lead an ordinary life.

While Andy is off searching our locker for wood to build doors in the companionway, and Henry is napping in the aft cabin, I’ve been contemplating this feeling. I have been very, very busy since I quit working. Last summer we were very busy in preparation for our trip. Then we headed off to Florida, and I had purpose on the boat, knitting baby clothes, helping Andy in the ‘boat work’, and looking after my ever expanding, pregnant self. When we returned to Toronto in November I was nearing the end of my pregnancy, and between nesting and resting, my days were full. Then we had a new baby. Enough said. When we moved back aboard in early April, Henry was still less than three months old and filled my every moment. Then we started travelling, and there was always something to be done.

Now that we are going to be in one place for a little while I think I need to relax and just be.
Henry and I can go for walks, visit people, go to the library, whatever. It will be nice to have some quiet time with my growing son.