Monster Update

It was back in May when I last posted. I never even attempted any drafts of a post during this time, there just was never any time so here it is...a monster post of the past 1.5 months.

Nolan is 11 months. Yikes my baby is growing up quick and he's at such a cute stage now. I want to freeze him up forever=) He's a sturdy and active boy, crawling and cruising everywhere. We have found him under tables, chairs and even a sofa (oops can you guess who was watching him then?) He is starting to stand a tiny bit but still prefers to crawl to his destination. He makes the cutest expressions (similar to Sofia's pig face), waves, gives kisses, loves his toys and interacts with people. Nolan is heard yelling for our attention in the wee mornings with words like 'mama', 'lailai' and other gibberish. Mealtimes are more challenging as he's not always eating what we give him so we have to use his favs (bread, crackers etc.) to get him to eat his meals. Now he's figured out how to use his fingers to take food out so it's become messy mealtimes =I

Sofia is 33 months and boy is she easy and tough at this stage. She's easy with feeding herself (for foods she likes), taking her out and 85% potty trained! The challenges these days have to do with behavior, constant whining and crying, strong-headed and refusing to nap. It is very draining to have to discipline her and ensure we are constant with our consequences and following through them. With us living @inlaws, there are 4 adults around her which make for more complex dynamics (she knows who to ask for things). I'm finding it hard to keep her entertained at home for more than 5 mins (screen time activities will keep her attention for way longer but I want to monitor how much she can watch). She also has trouble with playing on her own. I hope this will improve once she starts preschool in the fall. She loves to jump with both feet off the air and is only now a little climbing machine. On the verbal front, she's more chatty at home than when out. She enjoys singing or humming a tune to Mary had a little lamb and Toys Story's You got a friend in me song. During our trip to Calgary, we discovered she could use chopsticks to eat with. Since then, we haven't really used it cuz it's way too slow to eat with and she's already such a slow eater.

To do: get both kids sleeping in the same room. I'm afraid but it will be the best option for mom and dad since their schedules are similar anyways.

2011 has been a crazy year in terms of my career and moving. In March, we moved back in with my inlaws and rented our place out for a year in preparations for building our new house in 2012. We are almost to the halfway point and i'm getting nervous with the new build which will mean lots of decisions to make and when our cashflow will going out. It's hard to not have your own place but it has been very helpful to have babysitting right in the house! I took a 365 degree change in my career and passed my real estate exam back in April. I finally got my realtor license in June and is now working as a Licensed Assistant to another Realtor. I'm easing into it slowly and have been working 2-3 days/week so far with 1-2 clients. It's a good amount as I want to still have a few days to spend with the kids. I love it! I used to love looking at homes for myself and now I don't have to spend my own money but still enjoy looking at homes for others. I wonder why I didn't get into it sooner. I'm sure i'll see the bad side to being a realtor but so far so good.
Happy Birthday Po Po!