Life Aboard Island Eclipse!

Another adventure is underway. It has been a very busy few weeks. Andy has been a man obsessed with finding us a bigger boat. He has travelled as far as Maryland and Florida in search of the perfect new home, and has spent countless hours on the internet researching and reviewing virtually every prospect on the market. Once we had decided on the boat for us we needed to sell Sassy II. At last our plan has come together.

Sassy II sold a little over a week ago, and with the money in the bank we packed up all of our things (some in storage, some into a van) and once again set off for a great adventure. We left Toronto on Tuesday, August 24th at 12:00pm. Andy, Henry, Buddy and Charlie and I all climbed into our friend Doug's van, along with Doug and all of our belongings for the trip. Doug drove us to Buffalo, where we had a car rental reservation to take us the rest of the ten hour drive to Annapolis, Maryland where Island Eclipse, our new Gulfstar 44 awaited our arrival.

The trip was a little rough. Our rental car was an SUV with an incredibly squishy suspension. The constant roll made Henry car sick. The poor kid couldn't keep much down. With his budding vocabulary we were hearing a lot of, "sick!". Unfortunately, for one of the first times ever, we were very organised before embarking on the adventure and we prebooked a hotel room online through the inexpensive, but non-refundable Hotwire. This meant that we had to press on to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania the first day despite Henry's car sickness. With added stops for fresh air and clean up we didn't arrive at the hotel until almost midnight! Poor kid!!

Wednesday was a better day, as we only had two hours left to drive. With a continental breakfast in our freshly showered bellies we were feeling rejuvinated and ready to go. Henry got sick, yet again, but he is such a trooper that we were able to press on and arrive at the boat yard before noon.

Island Eclipse had been out of the water for three months, ever since we told her owner George that we wanted to buy her. He had a fresh coat of paint applied to the bottom following some blister repairs, and there she sat on her jacks looking pretty.

Three months worth of dust and dirt, combined with a bachelor's housekeeping habits left us with quite a load of cleaning to do. We spent the next two days working nonstop, between scrubbing and shopping for our trip we fell into bed each night!

Today the work was finished, Island Eclipse was dropped back into the water, and we were able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labour. She really is a lovely boat. Sassy II was great, and I loved her, but she was pretty small for a live-aboard. I didn't realize how small until now. Our new home is just that, a home. We have two bedrooms, not just two beds, but actual rooms! We have two bathrooms, ensuite to each bedroom. Andy tells me that he'll share Henry's so I can have my very own! Wow, living with a man, a boy and two male dogs on a boat I never dreamed I'd have a ladies' room! The kitchen is much larger than Sassy's, and the fridge is a dream! If there was one thing I hated about living aboard Sassy II it was the itty bitty little fridge! My new fridge is 4x the size and so much more accessible! If you live on a boat you'll understand the luxury of this. I also no longer have an icebox. No more ice, no more drainage, no more smell! Hooray!! The main salon (livingroom) is quite large, and quite cosy at the same time. As you may have noticed, I'm extremely happy with our new home.

We did have one minor hiccop today, though! It could have been major had Andy not been the smart and resourceful problem solver he is. About an hour after being launched this morning we noticed that we were taking on water! The bilge was filling quite rapidly, and the bilge pump wasn't coming on...yikes! Andy was able to find and solve the leak and install a new bilge pump within a very short amount of time. Thank goodness, sinking our new boat on day one was not an option!!

Henry seems very happy with his new home. He has slept with me for way too long now, and so a couple of weeks before we came on this adventure Andy and I started to tell Henry all about it, including his very own new room! We took him shopping on Tuesday and bought his Cars bedding, then set all of his toys up on his shelves. We installed a bed rail and a monitor for safety, and Henry was all set to have some new found independance. His transition into his own bed has been unimaginably easy. It has only been two nights, but he has slept right through, not missing me a bit, both nights! Hooray! I'm finally back where I belong, with Andy! The dogs have been kicked out of the bed for good, too. Our bed is too high for them to jump onto, and so we've been able to easily enforce our new 'dogs in their own bed' rule. Life is good.

Tomorrow George is meeting with us to go over all of the boat's systems before we embark on our two week journey home. I don't know how often we'll have internet access on the trip, but whenever I can I will give you an update, and failing that I will have plenty to tell in two weeks when we get back to QCYC.

So for now, signing off from Island Eclipse.

Values

Raising a child is a very interesting job. Every day presents you with challenges, with some days certainly being easier than others! The one thing I try to keep in mind every day is that Henry is going to model his behaviour after ours. He is learning how to live and think and be from the ways in which Andy and I interact with him and the world. When I stop to think about it, this is quite an awesome responsibility.

I am happy to say that for the most part we seem to be doing a good job. Henry treats others with respect and kindness. He has a love of nature; collecting leaves, branches and pinecones for the trunk of his little car, but never picking flowers (flowers are to look at and smell, but not pick!). We watch bugs, but never squash them. We hug and kiss and don't hit each other. We are trying to teach Henry to live by the golden rule, 'Treat others as you would like to be treated'. I believe that this one rule will take you far in life.

This is not to say that I never feel frustrated with him. I just try to handle every situation in a way that will teach Henry to be a good person. Instead of yelling at him when he is being a typical independant toddler and doing exactly what I have asked him not to do, I try to correct the behaviour and then when I'm at the end of my rope he hears a lot of, "You're driving me crazy!". The exasperated tone and head shaking for effect usually get him giggling, and then we both feel better.

I always vowed not to yell at or spank my kids. It would be all too easy on the difficult days to lose my temper, but if I can remember the big picture, the frustrations of the moment will pass, the lessons taught by how I handle those moments will last a lifetime.

I am so thankful to have this opportunity. Raising Henry to be a decent human being is the most fulfilling job I can imagine.

Summer Fun

I feel so very lucky to spend our summer on the island! Tourists come in droves on the weekends to enjoy this paradise away from the city. There is a waiting list of dreamers wanting to move onto the island. It really is an idyllic place from May through October, and we get the best of both worlds summering here and wintering on the mainland!

Henry and I have had all sorts of adventures. He has a toy car that he rides everywhere. We spend the better part of every day out and about at the park, on the boardwalk, around the yacht club, and on the beach. We've seen wildlife from frogs to otters to a wide variety of birds. We've even made new friends. I love having Henry's childhood spent enjoying the simpler things in life.

I continue to enjoy every moment of the freedom Andy has provided me with in enabling me to stay home with Henry. I feel so very priviledged to be able to raise my own child in a day and age when 95% of children go to daycare. Henry's capacity to learn is incredible. He is just shy of 18 months old and can say approximately 50 words appropriately and well enough for me to understand him. It is amazing to watch him turn from a dependant infant into a very independant, free thinking, problem solving little boy. He has a great sense of humour, a very active imagination, and a love of the great outdoors. He is sweet and loving, even kissing his stuffed monkey better when he falls on the floor. Henry has just started to try to say, "I love you" and it melts my heart everytime he leans in for a hug and utters these three precious words. Being a mother is more than I could ever have dreamed it would be.

Our search for a new home continues. Andy is hoping to fly to Florida quite soon to look at our latest interests. There is a 50ft Gulfstar that he has his eye on. Everyone is saying that 50 may be too big, but what a home it would be! I will keep you posted on that front.

Having recovered from my recent miscarriage, Andy and I have been talking a lot about the possibility of having another child. We've decided we would definitely like to and so we will try again. I will, of course, keep you posted on that front as well.

Henry is just waking from his nap, so my blogging time has come to an end for today. I will try to write again soon.

One Perfect Child...

A few weeks ago Andy and I were surprised and delighted to find out that we were expecting a second child. It is with great sadness that I announce that we lost this baby to miscarriage.

It has been an incredibly difficult week. I thank God for the strength and support I get from my wonderful husband, and feel so blessed to have our one perfect child.

Island Bound

Time is flying by. It really seems that the older I get the faster the days, weeks and months go.

Henry is 15 months old. He has a great sense of humour and a lot of energy!! I am really enjoying his developing language skills. His vocabulary has expanded to include about 20 words, and his expressive nature means that we are rarely left guessing at what he means. I loved the baby stage, but toddlerhood thus far has proven to be even more enjoyable.

My weight loss challenge has been a success thus far. At our official measurement and weigh-in April 15th I had lost 6 lbs, an inch off of my waist and half an inch from my bust and hips. If I can do the same again by May 15th I will have met my goal to reach my pre-pregnancy size.

The weather has been gorgeous this month. Henry and I are playing outside more and more. He loves the great outdoors! Being the clever little lad that he is, Henry has finally decided that it's a good idea to keep hats and sunglasses on outside too!

Our friend Kim invited us out for an afternoon at Riverdale Park and Zoo with her three month old daughter Sarah. What a great day!! I had no idea this little treasure was buried in the concrete jungle. We had a wonderful time, Henry loved the freedom to run and got a real kick out of the animals that we'd only read about until now. Thanks Kim!

We have officially moved back to the island for the summer. We came over on Friday and enjoyed the weekend at the much more enjoyable island pace. I will miss the convenience of living cityside, but the tranquility of island life makes up for it ten-fold.

Moving Forward

Spring has been great fun! Since I last wrote we have had many memorable outings.

Henry and I went swimming with our friends Caroline and Jacob at their condo. I think Henry will come to love swimming, he has always enjoyed his bath, and after a little coaxing he was kicking his feet like a champ in the big pool!

We have spent a lot of time in Peterborough, and spent one lovely afternoon at the Peterborough Zoo with Uncle Dave, Aunt Crystal and cousin Nathan. Henry loved seeing the animals, and the grand finale was an hour or so spent playing on all of the jungle gyms. It's such a great zoo, and it's so amazing that they have managed to keep admission free for all of these years!

Easter was spent in Kitchener with the Oakes'. Henry loved playing outside in the backyard with the ride on tractor, the sandbox and all of the kids' toys. I think we'll have a great summer playing on the island.

We have been busy, busy, busy preparing for summer. We have had the usual spring cleaning that people in homes have, cleaning out closets, cupboards, deep cleaning all of the nooks and crannies, but after living aboard for the winter we have the outside stuff to contend with too. After much work we have turned our deck back from a mudroom to a functional sailboat again! All of the winter wear is packed and stored, the decks are scrubbed, and the plastic cover is gone! I'd almost forgotten what our boat looked like under the 'covered wagon' getup.

Soon we will be moving back to Queen City Yacht Club on the island for the summer. While I'll miss the convenience of living city side, I will not miss all of the tourists!!!! Since spring has sprung the tourists have come out of the woodwork. They come in droves and stare at us from the overhead bridge like we're part of the attraction! Hey people, we don't stand in your backyard and stare into your homes! Sheesh. So, the island will be a welcome, calm, peaceful existence for the summer.

Henry is cutting teeth again. He just got his 13th and 14th, and is working on his 15th and 16th!! That's a lot of teeth for a 15 month old! Oh well, just the two year molars to go and he's done until they start to fall out and make room for the permanent teeth.

Our sleep issues continue, although we've found that he sleeps better with Daddy than Mommy, so I have had two nights straight of full sleep! Thanks Daddy!!

In other news, we have sold our condo! Hooray! The deal closes in late May, and the buyer is going to keep our tenant, so it has worked out beautifully! I am very excited. The next step will be a huge garage sale to get rid of our three lockers full of stuff! It is all of the stuff that we thought we would like to keep when we moved out of the condo in the first place. Having lived aboard and adopted a simpler lifestyle we have come to realize that we don't need all of that stuff after all. It will be nice to be free of it.

There is a lot of work ahead, but this past week has found us moving forward quite nicely.

Sleep Deprivation 101

I know that every kid is different, but I never expected to have a toddler who gets regular insomnia!

I hope someone can give me some insight into Henry's sleep issues. Here's the story.

I never thought I would share a bed with my baby, but living on the boat it has just ended up that way. When Henry was six months old and could stand up we felt that he was no longer safe sleeping alone in the v-berth with the railing we built for it. Rather than risk him falling out, I opted to sleep there too. Eight months later I still do. So, maybe that was my first mistake.

Henry starts his day between 7:30 and 8:30am, depending on his night. He normally naps just once a day now, usually from about 1:00pm-3:00pm. By 8:00pm he is ready for bed. He usually goes to bed quite easily, falling asleep within half an hour. I lay with him in the bed until he's asleep.

About an hour after he goes to sleep he wakes up and fusses. We pat his back and he goes right back to sleep. These awakenings can happen anywhere from 2-10 times a night. I'm used to this now, and as long as he settles right back to sleep I'm hardly disturbed at all. The major issue is that quite often, probably almost half of the time, he will wake up in the night and stay awake. He is perfectly happy most nights, just tossing and turning, and tossing and turning...for up to three hours some nights!! Why can't he go back to sleep?!?

I've tried giving him a bottle, which he drinks happily, then tosses and turns for a couple of hours anyway. I've tried changing his diaper, not changing his diaper, giving him Tylenol, rocking him, singing to him, not talking to him at all, getting him up, leaving him be...nothing seems to get him back to sleep any sooner.

My only idea is that it could be diet related, so I've started to keep a food journal to try to see a correlation between what he eats and whether we have a good night or a bad night. Henry also seems to be allergic to dairy. He is still drinking his milk-based formula, but can't tolerate homogenized milk, goat's milk, or soy formula. All three made him spit up. Also, when I first gave him milk and realized he was having issues with it I stopped giving him yogurt and cheese. This seemed to clear up the patches of rough skin (eczema?) on the backs of his arms.

When I asked our MD about his sleep he just said that if he didn't wake up crying or in pain he wouldn't worry about it. Easy for him to say, he gets to sleep all night!

Any suggestions? Thanks!