I may have been wrong...

About R&R's love of everything edible.  

Remember when I was saying she'll even eat broccoli (and I swear she did before!!)?

Well last night this is what we noticed going on on the floor next to her high chair....

I'd like to think that's its because she had already had lots for supper before we gave her the broccoli so she just wasn't hungry anymore.  Hubbs chuckles at me.....

BUT she did chow down on green peas tonight (which, lets face it, besides brussel sprouts, is there anything worse?)

Sofa Saga IV

So the furniture store owner wasn't kidding when he said "after Christmas".

Apparently, he was on holidays until last week and wasn't able to come see us until Tuesday (the 27th).  He plastered some of the dents in the wall and was off again.  Said he'd be back tomorrow to do another layer.

So Wednesday, around 4:00 I finally call to learn that he "won't be able to make it today".

Thursday was stormy and yucky but he arrived at about 4:50 to trudge through our uncleared driveway.  No call first.

Apparently he will start painting his next visit, on Friday.  Speaking of which, I found the old paint in the garage.  I guess paint thickens when it is stored in the cold garage for 7 years.....  So off we go in search of new paint.  I hope he's painting the whole porch and not just his touch-ups.  We don't need polka-dot walls on top of everything else!!

(I do have to say, I hope when I'm his age I have his energy and speed - he moves quick!)

8:36PM

That's what time the snow plow decided to show up to clear our street from the 10cm of snow that fell THIS MORNING!  I know we live on a cul-de-sac and are low priority, but seriously....

But to give credit where credit is due - at least he is sharing the wealth.  Instead of piling ALL the snow from our cul-de-sac on our front lawn, he is sharing some with our neighbor's across the street.  

2008 - A look back

2008 was a crazy year for us.  It had its wonderful moments, the birth of R&R, and its stressful moments - pretty much everything else!!

A brief look back at 2008:

Winter:

January - We celebrated Miss J's second birthday with a home birthday party for her and 5 of her friends.  It was fun!

We then put an UNCONDITIONAL offer on a new home, which was accepted and left us wondering what happened to our sanity - if we didn't sell, and close on, our house in 5 weeks we would be paying 2 mortgages - right around the time I would go an mat leave....

Thankfully we sold our house in 1 day for full asking price.  Phew.

Miss J got Whooping cough.  But recovered quickly.

February - Packing Packing Packing.  Hubbs had the all out flu and was in bed for a week which slowed our packing progress and left the very pregnant me to pack and chase the 2 year old full time, when not at work!

Moved into our new home the weekend of Feb 22, at 37 weeks pregnant.  During a snow storm. The movers squeezed us in Friday evening and Hubbs and Dad worked hard moving everything else. The house was a complete mess and had to recruit my wonderful sis-in-law and my good friend Carla to come clean before we could unpack anything.  Thankfully my parents cleaned our old home while Hubbs and our brother-in-law unpacked and set up furniture.

March - My brother and his 2 kids came to visit Gramma and Papa.  Enjoyed catching up with my  brother and Miss J loved playing with her cousins.  Slowly unpacked and tried to relax before baby # 2 arrived. 

On March 8, at 8:22 am, after 7 mins of pushing, and a little over 3 hours total labour (and less than an hour after arriving at the case room), our second sweet girl arrived!!! While I was in a state of shock and denial at not having time for any medication the delivery went well.  She even got to meet her uncle and cousins before they flew home the next day.

Mid March - June: Most of this time spent visiting our family doc and/or the ER a minimum of once a week (I wish I were exaggerating).  Miss J had an ear infection from March-June accompanied by high fevers (40 C!).  Also had suspected RSV in April for which she required 2 puffers.

April 17 - Rushed R&R to the ER after she turned blue and was coughing up mucus.  She was admitted to PICU with RSV for 6 days, during which time she was on a c-pap machine, had countless blood work, lung x-rays, an OG tube and she was not allowed to eat for a few days.  She then spent 3 more days in hospital while being weaned off oxygen.  A VERY scary time for all of us.  But the staff at the children's hospital were fantastic and despite frequently having a small cough, R&R seems none the worse for it.  

I guess sisters do share everything including colds, flus and other viruses!

During this time I learned who those people are who buy the giant bulk packages of tissues - ME!!  

Spring:

Household stuff we had to deal with included pests and birds who decided to take residents in the range hood vent.  For which we doused our home with chemicals.  Nice.  At least the girls and I stayed at Gramma's during this time!

Summer:

The snow melted to reveal a very unkept yard.  So Hubbs went to work trying to de-weed the grass and make it look green (instead of brown).  He did a great job, amazing really!!  Too bad we didn't do before and after pics!  We will be doing more landscaping this summer.  

And because it seems that the previous owners didn't really do much with this home, we did some staining of the front and back patios and fence and painted the doors which really freshened up the look of the place!

Nanny & Poppy came to visit us and Hubb's sister's family for a month which was great.  

We spent loads of time visiting the playground and going for walks.  Got to meet some more of our new neighbors.  And no major incidents or inconveniences (that I can recall - prehaps I have started blocking things out!!)

Summer was also a welcome break from wiping runny noses and our doctor visits were reduced to every 3-4 weeks (usually from my being paranoid about R&R's coughing!)

Ear infection count for the summer: R&R - 1; Miss J -1 (that cleared up with only one round of meds!!)

In early September we took R&R  on her first airplane ride to visit my brother's family and attend the wedding of my good friend and old roommate from university days.  It was great to get away and visit our family in the area, but a learning experiencing travelling as a family of 4. 

Because we are crazy, we thought instead of going home for a night, unpacking, and repacking for the 7 hour drive to visit Nanny & Poppy, we would just got off the plane, go home and grab a few things and hit the road.  We stayed in a hotel about 1/2 way to Hubb's parent's house.  That decision was just to ensure any chance of having the girls on a routine was out the window!!  But we then had a wonderful relaxing visit with Nanny and Poppy!  That drive reminded us that the dreaded (well dreaded for me anyway) decision to get a mini van was worth it!

Fall:

In October, we left the girls with Gramma & Papa for 2 nights!!! and attended an out of town wedding for friends of ours.  It was semi guy/girl trip.  Hubbs and our friend Wayne travelled together to play golf (in the rain) all day, while myself and his wife Jill met them later for supper.  We played golf, relaxed, enjoyed drinks, slept in! It was a great weekend!

I stopped breastfeeding R&R in October.  It was a little emotional, with her being my last baby and all, but considering she preferred the bottle and I think my milk supply had vanished it was a good decision!

Miss J took swimming lessons with her friend Noah, to help her overcome her timidness around the water.  It was a success!!  She also started in a gymnastics class that she attends without a parent.  Its so fun to watch her from the waiting room - what a big girl she is becoming!

The rest of the fall was spent getting ready for Christmas, having palydates for Miss J and R&R and just enjoying the routine (or as close as we can get to one).  R&R went swimming a few times and she already LOVES to splash in the water.  She would just swim away if she could!!

Hubbs worked loads through the fall, but was recognized for his hard work with a nice bonus!

Our doctor visits now resemble those made by normal families.  We didn't go at all from mid-October to December (except 1 specialist appt).  I'm pretty sure our family doctor thinks we've moved!

I'm sure I'm missing a few things here.  But despite the craziness of sick girls and working out the kinks in our new house, it wasn't so bad.  We'll call it a year of learning through experience as well as learning to appreciate what we have :)

Good Eaters

Most people would describe our girls as "good eaters".  We have been lucky I guess.  Although Miss J says "I don't like _____" in relation to most veggies, she does eat well and we have never had a problem.  In fact, she will eat her food and then come sit in your lap so she can "share" yours too!

R&R seems to be following in her sister's footsteps.  Except she already eats broccoli and cauliflower which her sister would never touch.  

We have been giving R&R table food for a couple of weeks now and she loves to feed herself. So the other day, I shared some of the tuna I was having for lunch.  I was also enjoying some of my favourite crackers with it (they were a Christmas gift - I can't keep them here because I have no control), which obviously I could not share with her. She looked at me with big expectant eyes.  When no little cracker bits were placed on her tray she gave me a smile.  A come on look at how cute I am how can you resist me smile.  I kid you not.  At 10 months, she's already trying to play us and, like her sister, expects to share all our food.  

Oh great, another child from whom we must hide in order to enjoy our food in peace.  

I've been reading

And not writing anything on my blog.  Or cleaning the house.  Or trying very hard to sell the baby things we no longer need.  Or shopping (I guess that's a good thing). Or doing anything productive, really.

I love chick lit.  Especially when I feel like everything else in my life is hectic.  Light reading like Marian Keyes or Sophia Kinsella really hit the spot.  I also enjoy some James Patterson or Janet Evanovich - type books.  

But every once and a while I love to really get into a good book.  A long book with an in-depth story.  For Christmas, Hubbs gave me the new Wally Lamb book, The Hour I First Believed (now 45% off at Chapters.ca!!).  I had been wanting all Christmas to just sit and read but there was no time.  Plus I was half way through another book that I didn't really like but knew I'd never finish if I started my new one.  

Its an interesting book, fiction based around actual events (primarily Colombine).  It was heavy but good.  All nap times and other free time (including sleep time - which I regretted every morning) were spent behind the book.  I finished it last night and felt sad it was over but relieved to not have to worry about the characters anymore!  Luckily I found some good Sex and The City re-runs on TV so I could switch gears before I went to bed (yay Cosmo TV!!)  I'll have to read something light and fluffy before digging into the next on my list, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.  

Happy Birthday Miss J!

Miss J is 3.  I can't really believe it.  And I now understand why on my birthday my parents like to tell the story of the day I was born.  I just can't help thinking, this is the time my water broke, this is when I text messaged someone who I thought was Hubbs to tell him it was time to come home, and so on!

While it seems like just yesterday she arrived, so much has happened and she went from our sweet first baby to our wonderful little girl.  We have all changed so much!  We've learned about colic, poop talk, patience, boogies (as in the green stuff), gripe water, diapers, play dates, potty training, time out, and bribery (I mean negotiating at a toddler level).  

We hosted 11 preschoolers, 4 babies and 20 adults for Miss J's birthday party.  And it went surprisingly well.  No major tantrums, minimal tears, and lots of fun!  (May I recommend a bouncy castle at your next event?)

Here are a couple of pics to share!

Here she is at 6 days old:

And here she is on her 3rd birthday, wearing a bow in her hair for the first time!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Warning - Not for Daddies over the age of 35

Miss J wanted one of her Dora Wipes because she had some small bit of something on her hand.  She pulled out one to many so Hubbs tried to stuff it back into the package.  Unfortunately, the opening is not made for Daddy Fingers and he found himself in a predicament.  

His finger became stuck with those little teeth digging in and his finger turning a nice shade of blue.  He was panicked, but in that calm sort of way: "My finger is really stuck"  "What am I going to do"  "It hurts and I can get this thing off".....  But trying not to really freak out (read: Swear - a lot) in front of the girls.

I used a butter knife to pry the prongs out of his finger, however the lid would still not come off.

Luckily, on a whim, I picked up this little gadget the day before at Wal Mart:

Finger saved.  Phew.  Best $8.49 ever spent if you ask Hubbs.  

(as a bonus it also includes a tiny screwdriver for those common every day things - battery covers anyone - and a small retractable blade!)

Perhaps I've gone too far?

While Miss J is no longer insistent about wearing the pretty shirt every day, she is very determined that she will pick out her own clothes.  So I have been trying to teach her about things that match or go together.  She is doing fairly well, and does not clash too badly anymore but I'm not sure she totally gets it.  

The other day she wanted jam on her toast because it is red and would match the red polka dot jammies I was wearing.  

Speaking of jammies, they are a total other issue.  They are no longer worn as pairs, must be put on at 5pm and are often changed for another non-matching set first thing in the morning. 

She'll outgrow this, right?!

And She's Off!

After weeks of getting up on her knees only to slide backwards over the floor or wiggle and then fall on her belly, on December 30, 2008 R&R finally figured it out.  Hands and knees both moving forward.  She is thrilled to now be able to reach the TV cabinet and haul those DVD cases to the floor.  

She is gaining more ground every day and can now crawl the length of our area rug.  She is even learning how to crawl -  not slide - on the laminate.  It is the cutest thing to watch!

I realize that almost 10 months old is not exactly early for crawling (OK... its not early at all for crawling) but it still makes me a little sad that my baby has reached this milestone (sniff, sniff).  She is getting so big so fast!

Soon she will be chasing Miss J with avengeance and yes, we REALLY need to get baby-proofing now!!!!