big ol' baby

edgar,

after five weeks of milk and fresh air.

let life be your canvas

here is diligent attention to figure drawing.

'sno fun?

a northerner at heart.

oh, in addition; a phrase popped out of my mouth today...one i would have never imagined saying before:

"stop dropping bits of cheese on your brother, please."

who knew?

introducing....

phones were ringing early in the morning of december the 1st, 2007...no answer at the studio in montreal, no answer at angela desveaux' cell number, and no answer at david's cell phone, either. it was 2:45 in the morning after all. who would even be calling?

me! labouring with the delivery of child number 2. david in montreal, in the midst of producing an album, me at our home in ottawa. at least the midwife answered her pager...

david had gotten "a feeling" to look at the phone at around 3:30 a.m., and then phones started ringing here in ottawa! he departed as soon as he could, and i really did try to wait...but our little boy was born at 6:15 a.m., with daddy still 1/2 hour away by car...i was so glad he arrived in one piece...it must have been a brutal trip, as they had wrapped up that days' studio session at 2:00 in the morning.

our lovely friend sarah slaughter had volunteered to pitch in if i needed some help, so she had been summoned from slumber around 4:00 in the morning, and was an amazing caregiver. she made the house seem cosy and welcoming, serving up tea to the midwives, answering the phonecalls from david, keeping an eye on me, and in the end, cutting the cord...

so, a 7lb, 14oz, wee boy that we have named edgar howard swain draves.

esther woke around 8:00 to find her new brother all cosy and ready for hugs and kisses.

elmo's influence?

so, it seems to have finally happened...esther enlisting a parter in her daily grime. or is momo the ringleader? don't laugh, momo, you'll just encourage her...oops.

creative arts

i never imagined the little suckling born a mere 17 months ago would turn into a fingerpainting godzilla, crushing mere mortals with a glance an a hiccough! and yet, here we are.

the plan was a cute one...get thomas and esther together to paint up some goods. sarah and i would then cleverly transform these artworks into precious chistmas cards for those family members who might fall for those things...(grannies?)

well, i think a carpet cleaner is in order, but the kids are clean and shiny again! and the christmas cards are the store-bought kind after all.

spring clean up

wow, spring is an ugly/beautiful time here in ottawa...daily, rubbish and poo (dog?) are weathered out of the snowbanks, leaving little moraines of ick. ick. but hot damn, the sun feels good, and any wee green sprout looks like a bit of heaven! i think catnip is pushing up in our back garden...miao. a little black and white cat has also chosen to live back there somewhere. he has been eking quite a tough life out in the cold. we leave him bits of kibble now and then, but have lost hope of capturing him and getting him healthy; he is a street cat for sure, very stubborn.

and the sheen of dust i felt was "cosy" just last month just doesn't seem as charming. so it begins, the middling time of season, the great putting -to-rights. if i weren't so energized, it would be darn tiresome.

esther is now three seasons old, funny and curious, and she enjoys the new frequency of outings in the sun. she has a very cute squinty smile outdoors.

i have had two great food making bees with pals...one a pasta making spree, another of jamaican patties (http://www.fooddownunder.com/ recipe#139515) and spinach pies. good for the souls' belly.