April 7 - 8, 2014 - Farewells, Early Gifts and Exhaustion

Greetings All,

Jonathan and Amy were off early as they wanted to stop and do some more shopping before heading home.  As they did not have Wedge with them they could stop and go as they pleased, so they were taking full advantage.  We were caring for Paul, except for feedings, so that Meaghan could make meals that could be frozen, allowing them to have more valuable time to spend with Paul.  Meaghan and I also did a sewing lesson.  She had cut out an outfit for Paul, pants and a top, and wanted some assistance in putting it together.  I can sew but it is not a craft I enjoy.  Unfortunately, I'm a bit rusty and I gave Meaghan some directions that ended up with her having to rip out a seam or two.  We got the pants made before it was another feed time for Paul.

Christopher and Meaghan's current barbecue was in need of repairs which would have been costly, so we had discussed with them about buying them a new one for them as their early birthday and anniversary gift.  When Christopher got home from work, he and Fred headed off to Costco to buy the new barbecue.  Even with the new car transporting it proved a challenge.  They had to unbox a large portion of it to get it home.  They wasted no time in building it upon their return, a Weber Q300 nice and compact with plenty of grilling space with cast iron grills.  They should be good for sometime.  As we had plenty of lamb left, we made a stew out of it for supper.  Christopher and Meaghan are very good with leftovers, unlike Jonathan who says it is used food.  We also are not ones to waste food.  Most roasts are too big for us to eat in one meal, so we are always finding ways to use and enjoy leftovers.  There was also a small piece of lamb left which was used for lunchtime sandwiches.

Tuesday, and we enjoyed the morning with Paul.  He was being fussy again and my sciatica was really giving me a lot of trouble.  Paul had been gaining a pound a week and Meaghan was sure that he was up to 14 pounds.

While he likes to be held he also gets fed up and I think too hot with the cuddles.  When we first arrived he was too small for his swing, but now he fits in it perfectly.  We placed him in it and he seemed to enjoy it for a while at least.  The picture above right is of Paul enjoying his swing.  After lunch Meaghan and Fred headed off to Costco for Meaghan and Christopher to do a final stock up of supplies and steak for supper as Christopher was anxious to try out the new barbecue.  As I have stated previously, Paul's fussiest time was in the evenings and tonight seemed to be an exceptional one.  He had worn us all out so it fell to Christopher get him to settle down.

The picture on the left was of an exhausted Daddy and son.  Paul gets himself in the weirdest angles and it is hard to imagine how that can be at all comfortable but he slept the soundest in these positions.

Since we arrived, bath time now has also changed for Paul.  He is no longer being bathed in the baby bath as he is too long for it; he has graduated to the large tub with a special seat.  We have seen some amazing changes in Paul in our three weeks here, which brings back old memories and made many new ones for us to cherish.


Cheerio,

Sandy & Fred

April 5 -6, 2014 - A New Car & The Columbia River Gorge

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Greetings All,

Christopher and Meaghan were off to check out a car as their current one is on it's last legs; it was in need of some major repairs, which would cost more than what the car was worth and now with a young family they really need a dependable family car. Amy cuddles Paul after his feed and had some great bonding time with him while Jonathan slept.  Jonathan and Amy headed off to do some shopping once he was up and we again had Paul all to ourselves.

The Christopher and Meaghan were away quite a while looking at cars and it turned out they purchased one returned home with their new wheels.  It was a nice Toyota Camry and a perfect size for the family.  Meaghan was most apologetic for taking so long but we were happy to have been able to have Paul to ourselves and help them out so they could get their business done.  We spent the balance of the day helping out and relaxing at home.  I assisted with the preparation of supper but for the life of me I cannot remember what we had.

Sunday was a bright sunny morning and once Jonathan was up and Paul had has his 10:00 -11:00 am feed we headed off to The Columbia River Gorge.  Fred, Jon and Amy had set off well ahead of us as Paul needed a complete change before we headed off.  Paul was a bit better in the car today as we had not dressed him as warmly for the car but he still does not like the restrictions of the car seat.  I did use the pacifier and he did finally settle and have a bit of a nap.  The gorge was beautiful and we arrived less then 5 minutes after Fred, Jon and Amy as they missed a turn and we took a short cut of sorts that allowed us to miss some traffic congestion.  The picture on the right is looking down the Gorge from Crown Point.  The gorge separates the states of Oregon and Washington and is 4,000 feet deep and stretches for 80 miles.  The Columbia River is the only sea level river that cuts through the Cascade Mountains.  It is a popular destination for hikers, sightseeing, biking, fishing and watersports.  There are also over 90 waterfalls on the Oregon side, the most notable being the 620

foot high Multnomah Falls, pictured on the left.  Here we all got out and walked up the small trail to the falls for some photos.  We could not cross the bridge that you can see in the photo as it was damaged sometime in late February or early March by a rock slide.  On the drive down to the falls I saw a number of trilliums in bloom and some lovely views that would have been great to get pictures of, however, once again we were on a road that winds and did not have any places where you could stop.

After visiting the Falls, Christopher, Meaghan decided to head home with Paul, while Jonathan, Amy, Fred and I headed off in to Portland to have a quick walk about the downtown area.
We stopped in at Bluestar Doughnuts, which is quite famous and makes the most awesome doughnuts.  They only bake a limited number of doughnuts daily so once they are sold out you are out of luck.  We were lucky, however, and managed to get 6 doughnuts for a delicious treat for our supper tonight.  Sadly, most of the people who arrived while we were being served were out of luck as there were only a coupe left.  We stopped at Lardo's for some lunch, it is a sandwich place which features various pulled pork delights.  As it was late we decided to split sandwiches so as not to spoil our appetites for supper.


Jonathan and Amy ordered dirty fries to go with their sandwich as pictured on the right.  They had large junks of bacon, peppers, greens and look yummy.  Their sandwich was a tuna melt which also looked yummy.  We ordered plain fries and a Korean pulled pork sandwich which was really spicy.  The sandwich had a Korean cabbage called kimchee that was spicy which I did not know at the time but the kids told me while we ate.  I also enjoyed a local cider which was rather tart and Fred had a locally brewed IPA.  After eating we continued our walk about taking in the sites.  A point of interest was all the food trucks located on a huge block.  Most were closed as it was Sunday but they offer every type of food imaginable and would be worth a revisit to take in the smells.  Our visit was short as Jonathan was the chef this night plus it was by now getting late in the afternoon.

Jonathan has been preparing a boneless leg of lamb using the Sous Vide method of cooking.  It ha been simmering in a water bath for the last 48 hours.  The lamb was accompanied by sweet and sour peppers and roast potatoes.  The lamb after being taken taken out of the water bath was pan-browned before serving.  The meat was very tender and delicious.  Our dessert, also courtesy of Jonathan and Amy, was the doughnuts purchased in the afternoon, as pictured on the right.  This doughnut is a  pistachio cream.
This was our last night together as a family as Jonathan and Amy must head back to Vancouver the next day.

We have really enjoyed our time with them even though it was only
for a short time.

The balance of the evening was spent relaxing with the kids and having cuddles with Paul.

Cheerio,

Sandy & Fred

April 3 - 4, 2014 Jonathan and Amy Arrive and Cannon Beach

Greetings All,

Crafting done, the picture on the left is of a very tired Meaghan modelling the arm knit scarf I made for her.  Jonathan and Amy were driving down from Vancouver for a visit and I was very excited as we will have all my kids with us for the first time since October 2012.  Our meal tonight was chicken caesar salad.  Meaghan and I made Fred's Uncle Tom's famous caesar dressing while Fred had some cuddle time with Paul.

The three of us took turns soothing Paul who was having a bad day with gas and he had no desire to sleep when he should have.  He is amazingly strong and was holding up his head and looking around.  He was also now recognising his Mom's voice and turning his head to follow her.  It is amazing how much we forget over the years and how certain actions bring things flooding back.

Jonathan and Amy arrived around 4:00 pm and the family reunion began.  After supper Jon, Amy and Fred headed off to Costco.  I had told Fred that he needed to go with them, not realising that the kids had their own Costco card.  Christopher told them they would be treated special as Fred's Costco card had caused quite a stir as it was an international card and no one at this Costco had seen an international card before.  It was only after they left that I was asked why had Fred gone as Jon and Amy had there own cards.  Oops, well I got Paul mostly to myself  and even I couldn't console him, so Daddy took over.  The Jon, Amy and Fred arrived back with their purchases after having had a good walk around Costco.  Jon loves to cook and shop for food and Fred said they had explored every aisle in the store.  It was not a total waste of time as he discovered a well priced Weber barbecue and a massive bag of tollhouse chocolate chips.  Jonathan purchased a boneless leg of lamb to cook for our Sunday dinner using his Sous Vide gadget.  The picture is the Sous Vide gadget and the lamb with seasonings sealed in a plastic bag.  The cooking time for the lamb is 48 hours.

Sous Vide is a method of cooking food in a sealed airtight plastic bag in a water bath or in a temperature-controlled steam environment for longer than normal cooking times—72 hours in some cases—at an accurately regulated temperature much lower than normally used for cooking, typically around 55 °C (131 °F) to 60 °C (140 °F) for meats and higher for vegetables.  The intention is to cook the item evenly, and not to overcook the outside while still keeping the inside at the same "doneness", keeping the food juicier.

I can't believe that I have had a day where I have not taken any pictures of Paul as we have been busy consoling him.  We discussed what/where we should go tomorrow as Christopher had the day off and the weather forecast looked good.  We decided on The Columbia River Gorge.  I was off to bed early as my sciatica was really acting up.

Most of us were up early and we decided to head out after Paul's 11:00 am feeding.  We had a change in our plans as Jonathan decided going to the coast and visiting Cannon Beach today would be a better option.  We headed off in two cars with me going with Paul, Meaghan and Christopher.  Paul did not seem to like the car but eventually he settled down.  We pretty much followed each other until we got to the beach where Meaghan turned off before Amy, Jon and Fred.  Christopher texted Jonathan to see where we should meet and we ended up walking through the small town to finally catch up with them on the beach.

This is the beach where the movie Goonies was filmed and the rocks behind us are the ones seen when the pirate ship leaves the cove at the end of the movie.  We had a good laugh with Amy as she took a number of pictures of Fred and me and I told her that I wanted the whole of the rock behind us.  We had a short stroll along the beach, stopping for some photos, before heading back as it was very windy.  Paul was well bundled under his Daddy's jacket in the borjn but it was still a bit cool.  Christopher and Meaghan headed back to Amy's car as it was Paul's feed time.  While Paul was feeding Christopher walked back for the car so we were all parked in the same place.  Once we meet up in the parking lot we decided to head back into the town to a sandwich shop for lunch.  The sandwiches were a bit on the expensive side but very tasty.  After lunch we headed back home, stopping along the way as Paul was really upset and I could not calm him.  He was wet and very hot so we changed him, got him cooled down then set off again even though he was still upset.  After a while he settled and slept for a bit before waking up, giving his lungs a good work out as he was hungry.  We finally arrived home and once fed Meaghan hands Paul off to Jonathan who really did not want to hold him as he had a pinched nerve and had no real feeling in his arm.  He held Paul long enough for us to get some photos of him then Amy took over.

Paul with his aunt and uncle looked a bit unimpressed in the picture.

Meaghan made nachos for supper which were very delicious and made somewhat different to the way I make them as the ingredients were layered expect for the chips.  It was a great gluten free meal for all of us with a dairy free portion for Meaghan so all the boxes are ticked for everyone.  It was another early night for me.  I had volunteered for the morning duties with Paul as Christopher and Meaghan had an appointment to look at a new car as theirs was on its last legs.  For more photos you can check out my Facebook page or our flicker account once Fred posts them.

Bye for now,

Sandy & Fred

March 30 - April 2, 2014 - Shopping, Crafts and Family

Greetings All,

Time was flying by and we found it hard to believe that 10 days had already passed.  Christopher was staying with Paul while Meaghan took us out for a bit of shopping, for us, as well as some food shopping for our dinner that night.  I soon realised as we went from store to store that this was the first time that Meaghan had been away from Paul as she was getting anxious as time passed by.  Also as she is breast feeding I am sure she was getting uncomfortable although we were gone for just under 3 hours.  Fred and I purchased new running shoes and bath sheets, before we headed off to Costco to pick up something for supper tonight.  We decided on lamb and to try a new recipe by Jamie Oliver.  Back at the house and lunch, then Christopher and I headed out later in the afternoon to pick up some hops that he had ordered and to take me to get some stuffing for a bear and rabbit that I had made for Paul before he was born. The picture below on the right is of the now completed bear and it is huge.  Supper was a community effort, the lamb was cooked over the potatoes which allowed the lamb juices to baste and roast them, is pictured in the upper left corner.  It was very tasty and certainly a do again.


Paul was once again being fussy and appeared to be on another growth spurt with demands to fed almost hourly. We all went to bed early as we were to have Paul all to ourselves in the morning as Meaghan had an appointment to take Smudge, their French Bulldog, to the vet.

She is pictured below on the left and has been a good dog given that she was now playing second fiddle after being the centre of attention for quite a while.

The next few days were spent planning gluten free meals as Jonathan and his wife Amy were travelling down from Vancouver for a long weaken, bonding with our grandson and assisting the kids in any way we could.

I continued with my crafting and got the rabbit and an arm knit scarf done for Meaghan.  We were all taking turns in trying to sooth Paul and Grandpa's hidden talent was revealed.  Meaghan claimed the secret was out of the bag and that Fred was also a baby whisperer.

The last picture to the right is of Paul with his bunny, better suited to his size.

Cheers All,

Sandy & Fred                          

March 23 - 29, 2014 - Bonding & Cranky Grandson

Greetings All,

Sadly the weather has changed to rain.  We spent the next 7 days just bonding with Paul and helping out Meaghan wherever we can.  Christopher has returned to work and I took over the morning feed which was sevenish most mornings.  Paul's introduction as a fan of Liverpool FC was not  entirely a happy one as he fussed and eventually had a good cry.  The outfits we have brought over is none to big on him and it is a 6 month size. He certainly is a healthy and hungry little man. The picture on the right is Fred and Paul before he Paul that is gets tired of the whole Game thing. 

We had Paul all to ourselves on a couple of occasions during the week, which allowed Meaghan to get out and do errands quickly and not have to worry about a baby.  Paul also grew very demanding in this period with almost hourly feeds.  Poor Meaghan,  was totally exhausted and we assisted with some bottle feeds so she could rest.  We had a day of sun on the 24th so we were able to get out for a walk again when Christopher returned from work.

This walk took us to another area of their neighbourhood and the picture on the left is of a beautiful magnolia tree in full bloom. The sunny weather is short lived and the rainy weather returned.  Paul also was very distressed with gas pains and thankfully there were four of us to walk him and try to give him some relief.  He also developed breast milk related colitis or so we believe given what Meaghan was told by the doctor when she made a call to the office as Paul's diaper had specs of blood in it.  The kids did some further research on the internet on the condition and while they have their doubts Meaghan drops all dairy from her diet hoping to ease his distress.  Another growth spurt was very evident as Paul seemed to out grow his clothes on a daily basis.  He was now in clothes sized 3 - 6 month, leaning more toward 6 months and in the week we have seen him gain another pound in weight. The picture on the right is of Paul in overalls that I made that is sized
for a 3 month old, but they are more like long shorts as he is tall.

He was a happy chappy during the day and seemed to have his most stressful time between 7:00 - 10:30 pm.  We did have some more normal days towards the end of this week and on the 29th even managed to get in a game of euchre after supper.  The women of course beating the men.


Cheers,

Sandy & Fred

March 21- 22, 2014 - A Parents Pride

Greetings All,

Our first full day with our son Christopher, his wife Meaghan and Paul our Grandson.  It was a lovely sunny spring day and Christopher had taken the Friday off.  Our morning was spent planning dinners for the week, cuddles with our grandson and a bit of shopping for food and beer making.  Paul had been a bit fussy and our son took over in trying settling him down.  I really cannot share how my heart swelled with pride and love when I saw how Christopher cared so tenderly for his son.
We took a chance to enjoy the lovely day and got out for a walk in the neighbourhood.  The picture in the upper left is of one of the many cherry trees in bloom.  Blossoms were everywhere with forsythia, apple, camellia and other plants I or Meaghan did not know the names of.  Christopher carried Paul in a Bjorn, a baby carrier that holds the baby close to your body and eases strain on your back.  Fred, Christopher and Paul got ahead of Meaghan, myself and Smudge their French Bulldog as I had stopped to take pictures.  Smudge realised that Christopher was now ahead and almost out of sight and started to strain to catch up with him.  We finally caught up and Smudge was now one
happy little girl.  I cannot get over how big Paul is at 5 weeks of age.
I have monopolised Paul with the exception of feedings and some nappy changes.  Fred and I both told the kids that we did not want to interfere with any kind of scheduling they were trying to put in place, but we were there to help in any way we could while we were there.  After all, they would the ones that needed to deal with every thing once we were gone.
Our first full day has been full of new memories, restored memories of when our Christopher was a baby and insights into how raising a baby has changed over the decades.

Saturday was a father/son day for Fred and Christopher, while I had Paul mostly to myself and Meaghan had a chance to get some things done that she had not had the opportunity to get to.  When we lived in Ajax Fred used to make his own wine and now Christopher has taken up brewing beer.  Home beer brewing is a much more complicated process and Christopher explains the process step by step to his dad a bit of reverse roles and nice to see them sharing this time together.  The picture on the left is of the first step of the process the boiling of the mash.  Again, we were able to get out for a walk as it was another beautiful day and then after supper watched Paul as he had some play time to strengthen and stretch himself.

We were off to bed early, for us, as I think our travel time had caught up to us but we have had a wonderful day with the kids making new memories.

Cheers All,

Sandy & Fred

March 19 - 20, 2014 - Oregon Bound To Meet Our Grandson Paul

Greetings All,

This series of blogs will be a bit different than our usual posts as they will be all about family and the joys of becoming grandparents.  We had a leisurely trip from Liverpool to London, taking the train down south and stayed overnight by the airport.  With our flight leaving at 2:25 pm we were able to have a bit of a sleep in and be well rested for the 10 hour flight to Vancouver.  The train ride was interesting and yet again reminded us what a small world we truly live in.  The two ladies sitting across from us, while from Liverpool, one had lived in Burlington, Ontario for a while and the other was a teacher at Rock Ferry High, the high school Fred had attended in the UK before immigrating to Canada.

Our stay at the Marriott was great, as this time they had a free hospitality room between 5-9 pm. There was free wine/beer and appetisers, sandwiches, fruit, pretzels etc which served as our supper as we had rather big homemade sandwiches and fruit as a late lunch on the train.  It was also nice to have had the lie in time though we were both up handily and ready to go.  The flight to Vancouver itself was uneventful and the movie selection was rather good.  To top it off the flight was not full so the flight attendants offered to move people around to give eve body some extra space, so we ended up with nobody between us.  We had a 2 1/2 hour layover in Vancouver for our flight to Portland.  The picture on the top right is of the jellyfish tanks in the hallway as we headed to the departure lounge for the US side of the airport.  Our flight to Portland was on a turbo prop plane and was a bit of a surprise for me.  I am not really sure what I was expecting for a short haul flight of 1 1/4 hours.  One flight attendant did it all, we were even offered refreshments on the short flight.  We pass as we were tired now and really don't feel like anything.  Our son Christopher was waiting for us as we arrived and we were off to see Paul our Grandson in person for the first time.  The drive was 20 minutes to their home in the nighttime traffic.

Our tiredness was soon lifted as we greeted Paul and Meaghan and got to hold our grandson for the first time.  We delivered all the stuff we had brought for Paul and the kids then headed for bed.

Cheers,

Sandy & Fred