The Robiltons

Every Wednesday morning for the last 4 weeks Henry and I have joined 15 or so moms, their babies and an instructor for Stroller Fitness. We do a high-intensity walk for 1/2 hour through a neighbourhood in North Toronto, stop at a parkette or dead-end street to do strength exercises, walk back to the community centre and then do circle time with the babies. Today we went to Starbucks at the end of it all. All of the babies are less than 1 year old - Henry is the youngest baby in the group.

http://toomanycooks.blogspot.com

Monday - attended meeting of the board of the Canadian Mothercraft Society and witnessed mom's election to the board of directors, then attended 75th anniversary party of Mothercraft with mom and dad at the Drake Hotel (very funky place!) http://mothercraft.ca

Wednesday - Stroller Fitness class

Thursday - went to Ontario Early Years Centre (the Mothercraft location) and played in baby room - so many mirrors, faces and contrasting patterns!

Friday - road trip with mom to Stratford to visit aunt Carrie, cousin Liam, grandma and grandpa Robinson, cousin Kelly and second cousin Sydney




Saturday - another road trip - this time to Orangeville to attend uncle Pat's surprise party; wished mom and dad a happy anniversary

This is our stroller (that's Henry inside, obviously). Buying a stroller was not as simple as we thought it would be - there are as many features, models, and price-points for strollers as there are for cars. We selected a Stroll-Air stroller - it came with all the accessories we could hope for: bassinet, seat, sun umbrella, bug net, rain cover, diaper bag, great shocks, adjustable handle height, nice colour, large basket underneath. It's similar to (but not quite as expensive as) the Bugaboo Frog. It handles really well. We convinced ourselves that the Stroll-Air is going to be The Next Big Thing - the popularity of the Frog has to die one day, doesn't it? Since we bought the stroller, we've realized that Stroll-Air is unique - so unique that the store where we bought it has stopped selling them. So unique that we've never seen another Stroll-Air on the street. So unique that everyone who asks about it has never heard of it. So unique that we now call it the "Beta VCR" of strollers - remember those? Technologically superior; a market failure.
http://stroll-air.com

Dear Henry,
You're one month old - and we've already learned so much about you. Your favorite place to fall asleep is cuddled on someone's chest. We swaddle you at night, and sometimes during the day, so you don't rouse yourself with the jerky motions of your arms and legs (you still love to extend them straight out - as you did in utero). But you fight the swaddle with all your might and try to break free. We haven't tried using duct tape (a trick passed along by my ob/gyn - not your pediatrician) but we did buy the "Miracle Blanket" online, and although it helps you resist it too. You sleep well at night, but cat nap all day unless you're in the stroller. You're eating well and growing fast - at your four week check-up you were in the 90th percentile for length (at 22.8 inches) and the 70th for weight (at 11 pounds). You've already outgrown some of your clothes and you seem too big for your bassinet. For the first time last night you were in your crib in your own room - and you didn't seem to mind. You love to look at contrasting patterns - especially the bull's eye flashcard we have above your change table. You also love to look out the window, or toward any source of light. When you're awake you are very alert - you love to try to hold up your head and take in the world around you. Your eyes are big and bright, and the loveliest shade of blue. We can't wait to see your first real smile!

If you read Carrie's blog (and have been reading it since last April) you'll understand the reference. Henry and his cousin Liam share many similarities - including the early development of a double chin!

. . . came for a visit last week. Grandma stayed for a few days - she was a tremendous help with Henry, and was terrific company! We finally caught a photo that shows Henry's dimples (sort of).

Aunt Katrina came for a visit this week.

We had a few visitors this weekend - Team Rowe came to visit baby Henry. Here are some photos of Bryan, Tina, Nathan, Ally and Jamie meeting Henry. We look forward to playing with Nathan, Ally and Jamie more when Henry grows a little and becomes more interactive. They are great kids - and they sure keep their mom and dad busy! More photos are available on Tina's blog:
http://rowes.blogspot.com

We Robiltons have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and family in their gifts to young Henry. We have to admit though that a few of our very favorite items are the ones that have been handmade by friends and family members: the toy box from grandpa Ralph; the blue blanket from grammy Hamilton; the quilt from greatgrandma Robinson; the eye-spy quilt from M-R; the slide-show from aunt Carrie (see below); and the needlepoint from Tina.