Ramble On Cat

Onwards and upwards

2012-01-18T19:21:00.001-05:00

On Monday I updated my calendar. Things are moving so fast. On the calendar I added the date for Vanessa’s Kindergarten enrolment and the pre-school enrolment for Hailey. While I’m super excited for Vanessa to start Kindergarten, I’m in no hurry to send Hailey to pre-school. She still seems so young and my baby but I do know that in 8 months from now she will be ready. Vanessa is ready now. She has the social skills, the physical skills and the maturity to handle it. Of course it will be a huge adjustment for the whole family but still exciting.

Vanessa will be doing an international bilingual program. Where half her days will be in English and the other half in French. One teacher continues where the other left off. It looks very interesting and it’s a great school.

Hailey’s plans are more up in the air. The pre-school Vanessa attends would be great for her but it’s further from our new house. I’m very sad since it’s a fantastic pre-school where Vanessa has grown and learned on so many levels. I’m just not sure spending that much time in the car would be good for a nap schedual and with the rise in gas prices it doesn’t seem as cost effective. Maybe the year after when she could go 2 whole days a week.

Today I worked on organizing the office a little more and went through paper work. Chucked some and chuckled at others. Letters and cards that were written old car agreements. Things are moving along with organizing of the house but only at a snails pace. I can’t seem to find the motivation. Tomorrow it’s Vanessa’s room I’m tackling. Shhhhh she doesn’t know while she’s at school there will be casualties from this tidy.

I looked up activities for the kids in our new town and was thrilled to find lots to do. They still have a ski program and free activities in the parks in the summer. A very relaxed day camp. There’s suppose to be a great playgroup in French. This will be tough but ultimately good for me and hopefully Hailey. Makes me more excited lets see if that translates to motivated.

Using her powers for good and not evil

2012-01-17T19:58:00.001-05:00

Vanessa’s trying her best to be good. Do you know how many books series rely on the main character who can’t help themselves and get into trouble only to fix it all with no repercussions. Like Curious George or Caillou. I’m sure there are many others but they’re the most serious offenders.

Today she just wanted to help in the kitchen at dinner. I find that my patience are thin by then and she’s, historically speaking, has not been great at following instructions. We have a small kitchen. It’s very efficient if there’s only one chef and possibly someone who takes direction on the other side. I have seen great improvement in her following rules and co-ordination. Today I put her to work putting the silverware away and unloading the dishwasher. She was happy and very proud to do it. Looks like she needs more jobs and more freedom.

Speaking of more freedom, when I get a little more organized, I’m going to start packing Vanessa snacks for her to eat at home. She can eat them all in the morning or over the course of the day. It will stop the constant. Can I have a snack? Just because she’s bored. I’ll let you know how that goes for us…

Crafts…OMG

2012-01-16T11:35:00.001-05:00

This morning I suggested we make dards for Pamela’s birthday. That was well received. The girls created on their table in their new found tidy playroom. We had lots of clean, stress free fun. Hailey loved the colouring when she wasn’t eating the crayons and Vanessa cut out balloons with her tongue sticking out to the side. We made it until 11 am with no fighting, stayed inside and no electronics except the kid’s CDs. YEAH everyone. All I have to do now is get them out of their PJs.

The news story of the day.

2012-01-15T22:17:00.001-05:00

We’re moving! We’re excited, nervous, thrilled and terrified all in the same breath. It’s real now because we told Vanessa this week. She’s not all that jazzed about the idea but she will be. The new house is closer to her kindergarten. (Kindergarten can you believe that?)

To make our house sell faster and at a higher price we’re renovating some pretty major parts of the house. Two weeks ago we redid the powder room and it’s fantastic. I’m sorry there are no before pictures but it’s dramatic. Eric changed everything except for the toilet. Nothing was moved but it looks impressively bigger. We put in a sink that is half the size and a mirror that is twice as big. We no longer trip on the step stool. There’s very little storage but less for the girls to get into. This was 400$ well spent. Even if we don’t get it back, it will sell faster and make me happy until we move.

There have been two people who gasped when entering so we’re thrilled.

Good Job Eric.

Soon I’ll be talking about the kitchen reno and fixing a leak we’ve had in the roof vent. Wish us lots of luck with the vent. All this needs to be done before the middle of February when we put the house on the market. FEWF.

Blogging Better for me

2012-01-15T22:02:00.001-05:00

I’ve been on Facebook so much it looks like a blog post when combining all my status updates. I think it’s time to put it all together in a longer, possibly rambling format. I’ve got my office back to where it feels confortable to type after I injured myself with a non-ergonomic set up.

The girls and I have just finished our Christmas break together. Honestly, it went better than I thought. We took things easy and some of the rules were a little laxer. Vanessa got really excited about Santa and watching the NORAD Santa tracker. Hailey found Vanessa’s mood infectious. There’s been tobogganing and a trip to the Biodome, Now that I look back it’s all a blur.

I’m going to try and post more often but no promises here.

I’m BACK!!

2012-01-15T21:41:00.001-05:00

No excuses here. I’ve been unmotivated and disorganized. The girls have been thriving. They’ve had a great 6 months. Lots of great days that I’d like to share with you. The recap will be short and sweet. I hope you enjoy it.

Christmas is coming!

2011-12-18T21:43:00.000-05:00

I told everyone that we weren't having a Christmas tree this year. Our house isn't that big and our children are lousy at following rules like don't touch the tree. Every time I said it I felt worse and worse about depriving my eldest of Christmas magic. I bought her a small tree for her room but that didn't seem to illicitness the excitement it should.
The other day I saw a tutorial, which of course I can't find now, for making a felt Christmas tree. It gave me a great idea to improve upon.
We took a rectangular piece of felt and cut it diagonally to glue together to create a perfect triangle.
We glued them to a piece of coroplast. This gave it structure and a place to put the lights.
I had bought two strings of lights at IKEA but they're also at the dollar store that come with a batter pack. That makes it safe for little ones and the tree can go anywhere.
We layed out the lights on the back and marked where the lights fell. Drilled holes from the back and poked the lights through. This allows us to have more surface to put the ornaments and the messy wires are hidden.
The trunk of the tree has the two power packs with switches taped on solid.
We cut out the ornaments out of felt. I used a cookie cutters to trace my ornaments but Vanessa freehanded it. They stick on their on their own and do not require glue or velcro.
As the week goes on, we may add more or embellish the ones there. The girls enjoyed playing with it today and moving them around. Christmas is about the kids and I was happy to see them playing with their tree.

I hope this inspires someone. We're having lots of fun with it.

Stop! or I’ll say stop again!

2011-07-13T20:47:00.001-04:00

Hailey’s starting to say all sorts of this. It’s always a riot to here what she’ll say first. We’ve got Mama, Dada, more, all done, door, apple, shoes and Grandma.

We were at the loft the other day and my mom went to the bathroom. Hailey screeched, Grandma, over and over like a pterodactyl. I said,”where did she go?” Hailey responded with, “Door.” Very true. To bad Grandma was in the bathroom and missed all the excitement.

Vanessa’s so proud of her little sister. We went out to some dear friends for dinner and she boasted,”Hailey has 2 new words.” So much fun. Vanessa’s very good with her sister. She tries to play with her and teach her things. I just wish she’d stop carrying her around but not to worry. Hailey is starting to fend for herself.

Ohhh back to the title of the post. Today I was yelling at Vanessa to stop since she was running in the parking lot. Hailey shouted right with me. That sure caught Vanessa attention. Poor Vanessa. Hailey can’t say your name but she’s already barking orders at you.

Sewing Projects

2011-06-26T22:54:00.001-04:00

I’ve got the sewing bug. I’ve finished 5 projects in the last couple of months. Some with help and some on my own. I’m loving sewing. I get a sense of accomplishment when the project is done. I’m able to focus only on one thing. I crave a large sewing room one day.

This is the first piece of clothing that I’ve ever made. It was easy for me because there was no pattern. It was more like a plan, and some instructions I can follow. I found it free off a blog. It was great and took me an evening from start to finish. That’s awesome for a beginner like me.

This is a pattern I found that I was so excited to make for Hailey. It looks cute. The pattern said,”Very Easy.” It LIED. Talk about false advertising. I started it by myself but got stumped pretty fast. I called my M-I-L and she came over to give me a few pointers. 5 hours later we were mostly finished. It’s gorgeous but easy it was not. I’m also glad I made a smaller size because it’s huge on her.

Since summer is here, we plan to spend a great deal of it at the sprinkler park and pool. Hailey looks ridiculous in disposable swimmer diapers. They hang down to her knees. I really wanted some cloth ones but had trouble with spending 15-20$ each. Realistically she needs 3 pairs. A blog I was reading posted a tutorial on making them. They looked easy enough. I bought the material and set out on my merry way. I needed a little help putting the elastic on but after I made the first one I made 3 more. To find out that they were a little big. I had enough to make 4 more smaller ones for this summer. Fewf. All in all I made 8 swimmer diapers for 30$. The other day we went to the sprinkler park and Hailey load tested them in 15 minutes and they work great. I’m very sorry Hailey’s not in these to see. You’ll have to wait for that.

See that bathing suit top. It’s sweet and good for the long hours in the sun. I also bought a pair of board shorts to match in the same size but they’re huge on her and won’t stay on. Old Navy doesn’t sell lycra bottoms so I thought I’d make some. I used an old pair of Vanessa’s underwear and cut them up to make a pattern. I was warned that bathing suit material was very difficult to sew so I figured I’d have to make a few pairs to get it right. I got really lucky and this was my first attempt. I’m glowing with pride and Vanessa loves them.

The last thing I made was very practical. We go through 3-6 face clothes at the dinner table a day and they never really make it downstairs to the laundry room. I made a mesh laundry bag to tie to the back of the high chair for dirty ones. It’s not pretty but it works.

I hope you enjoyed my little tour. Thank you for listening to me gloat. I think my next project is swim hats for the girls.

Hi Ho. Hi ho. It’s off to work I go!

2011-06-26T21:46:00.001-04:00

Well not really. And that’s the best part. I was hired for a job that I’m already doing at home. I’m finding cool things for kids to do and updating a website with accurate information for everyone to enjoy. This can all be done while the kids are either sleeping, entertaining themselves or in school.

I haven’t started yet. This week I’ll get some training and I’ll be up and running. I’m super excited to have something of my own to do and bring in some money.

I’ll keep you posted on how it goes…

Eczema

2011-06-09T20:54:00.001-04:00

I’d like to share my story here. Hailey has mild eczema. I haven’t really notice if there are any triggers or not. I had assumed that it wasn’t bothering her. She wasn’t itching or touching the affected areas. Early last week I took her to the doctor because she was waking up nights screaming. I had assumed it was another of her many ear infections but thankfully the doctor said she was all clear.

I noticed that her face was also getting red and rough. I thought that we needed to get her eczema under control. I did some googleing and found lots of conflicting information. Most people and websites said, “Only bath every couple of days.” Have you ever tried to keep a toddler clean for days? The open sores caused by the eczema were getting infected. One website said,”Bathe several times a day and apply lots of moisturiser. So I went for a happy medium and bathed her daily and greased her up with Aveno Baby Eczema therapy every time we changed her diaper.

That was a week ago and we’ve seen big changes. Her skin is baby soft again and looks a lot less angry than before. It’s not completely clear but she’s happier. She was screaming at bed time and nap time and now she’s much calmer. I didn’t realise they were connected but I’m very glad she’s happier.

“I’d rather be sleeping” bumper sticker.

2011-06-09T00:38:00.001-04:00

Well. not too many coherent thoughts going on in my brain but I thought since I was up…

Vanessa’s day camp is going very well. She has a blast in the 2:15 minutes she’s there. Today they went to the indoor pool. What great timing since it was really hot out today. The teachers were smart and put life jackets on all the kids to maximize safety and fun. The kids have more fun when they’re confident in the lifejacket. When I got there Vanessa was all dressed in the right dry clothing and had washed her hair with her teacher’s shampoo. She’s getting so independent when I’m not there. I need to encourage that more often.

We’ve got a new number system around here. Vanessa knows when I start counting she better stop what she’s doing. These days I only get to 2 because at 3 there are consequences. This works pretty well for us but it doesn’t motivate her to DO something. So the other week, I said run upstairs I said run upstairs before I get to 10 and off she went like a bolt of lightning. WOW Eric and I looked at each other and said,”We’ll be using that more often.” It used to work on me when I was a kid so I thought I’d try it. Vanessa now gets all panicky when I start and often tell me. “WAIT! don’t start now. I’m not ready.” while she gets a head start. Awesome. Works like a charm.

Mostly things go smoothly with her and I. I have noticed a huge increase in the magnitude of her temper tantrums. It’s always when she’s being put in time out for something. She figures she can fight her way out of punishment. Ha! That’s not going to work but it sure makes me feel rotten.

Today she was hilarious. I went upstairs to find there were sprinkles stuck to her face. I knew we had a few cupcakes in the fridge and deduced that she went into the pantry got the sprinkles and put them on a cupcake and ate it. She totally denied it. At dinner we trapped her. We were wondering how many she ate and said it could have been two or three and she said,”No! I only ate one!”. Heheheh she didn’t even know what hit her and still didn’t understand how we figured she owned up to it. I put that in the small stuff category and still gave her half a small cupcake for desert anyway and she polished off a large banana after. I made the right choice she really was hungry.

The other day I found Vanessa had run out to the backyard to play in her sandbox. I love it! I’m glad she enjoys playing in it. I am concerned that next year we’ll have to get a bigger one because Vanessa and Hailey will both be bigger and won’t fit. We’ll have to see how it goes.

Vanessa’s got a new bike. Although she loves her shiny pink bike she got for her birthday, I made a mistake and suggest a bike way to big for her. It’s been put away for next year. Vanessa loves the ease of this bike and is not interested in taking the training wheels off. It’s still early in the season and she’s happy to ride with the assistance.

In the picture above we took her on the track in around the football field. I told her it was a “Lightning McQueen track” which made it extra special. She thought it was fantastic. We’ll have to go back so she can gain more confidence.

I can see the light.

2011-06-04T21:35:00.001-04:00

Over the last couple of years we’ve let out front yard go wild a little the cedar and the lilac grew and grew. It was getting to the point that it was dark in our front room with the large window because of the greenery. Eric finally set out to do something about it. He went out without a plan and just started cutting. I was ok with that since we could loose it all for all I cared. I hate lilac bushes and the cedar was badly placed.

Before

After

There is now sunlight streaming in the front room! You can see the house and we can look out to see if friends have arrived in the driveway. The bottom of the cedar is gone giving us room to get buy and, in the winter, put snow.

Vanessa in the now

2011-06-04T21:25:00.001-04:00

Vanessa is also growing really fast. I told someone the other day that I think her vocabulary is at par with her Daddy’s. Slight exaggeration but she comes out with all sorts of things. While eating oatmeal she said, “this is sweet and a little bit tender.” Too bad she thinks that tender food is a bad thing. She’s very sweet with her little sister and is happy to play with Hailey. She’s always looking out for her and quick to share her food.

This summer Vanessa’s involved with two different summer camps. One which is an extension of school and the other is run by a non-profit that Hailey and I will also be attending in July. She’s having a great time… I think. She always comes home hot, dirty and exhausted. These are all good things right? She tells me that it’s boooorrrring but tonight when I asked her what she wanted to dream about she said,” Camp” among other things.

Here are pictures of her first day at Day Camp. The whole way there she said,”Why do I have to go to camp?” “why do I have to have fun?” but when we got in the parking lot. “Hurry up Mommy. I don’t want to be late!” There’s only one of her classmates there but she’s happy to make new friends.

Nothing’s stopping Hailey.

2011-05-27T22:43:00.001-04:00

My determined child walked right by her big sister to get to the living room.

Snip, Snip, Snip

2011-05-15T22:30:00.001-04:00

This week Vanessa cut some of her own hair. I wouldn’t have notice on her except I found the locks on my clothing. She told me her hair was too long and she wanted it cut like her boyfriend at school. Her hair gets tangled and isn’t fun to brush. She won’t let me tie it up so I suggested we go to the hair dresser.

She was so excited. When we got there, I told the hair dresser to cut it really short. She gave me a nervous look and asked me to find an example in a book because she didn’t want to be responsible for getting it wrong on such beautiful hair.

Vanessa loves it. It’s so easy to take care of and it’s really cute and suites her personality.

Don’t let the pout fool you she loves the cut. What she didn’t love was being told she had to wait for my undivided attention. Ohh and she loves to pose for pictures.

Post about Pride

2011-05-15T22:13:00.001-04:00

Hailey’s growing by the second. She’s signing the words; more, all done, milk and eat. She knows what’s important. Her first word is bapffffff. (she says while blowing raspberries) and now she’s saying done but you’ve got to know. She talks to you like your suppose to know what she’s saying. She has a few favourite toys. The stacking cups, school bus with weebles, and a pop-up toy.

Most recently she’s been trying to walk. I’ve seen her take 10 steps but she’s still really cautious. It’s fun to watch because she loves to walk back and forth between people and her last step is always a giggle and pitch herself at the receiver.

Hailey loves the backyard. She can sit in the swing for ages and let me sing to her. She can push the doll stroller around the grass. She climbs up the stair case and stands at the top of the slide but is still too chicken to slide down. She’ll go down with Vanessa holding her.

My poor sweet child has finally doubled her birth weight at 18 1/2lbs. She’s strong and active but still loves both her naps. We could do without the ear aches. She’s being followed by an ENT but I’m hoping she’ll grow out of them soon. Over the winter months she was getting 1 to 2 a month. Although she’s a trooper it’s rough on her.

She’s been diagnosed with an egg and nut allergy. I’ve settled down since the news but it’s still frightening. I’m now carrying an epi-pen which I hope to never use but that’s unlikely. The egg allergy she will likely grow out of. does not include things that are baked with eggs in them. It’s with things like mayonnaise, scrambled/fried/poached eggs and some pancakes since they’re not brought up to the same temperature. Right now we’re staying away from all nuts but this week she’ll go for blood tests to be more specific.

This loving child will crawl up to perfect strangers to hang out with them or sit on their laps usually for much longer than she’ll sit with me. She crawls around our Mothergoose group making friends. I’m thrilled she’s so sociable.

I’ll take a current picture when she’s better from her vaccinations…

1 and 4

2011-05-08T22:31:00.001-04:00

Party 2011!

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In March both of my girls had a birthday. Hailey turned 1 and Vanessa is 4 whole years old. It was over a week of celebrating for Vanessa starting off with a party with her friends. She had two friends from school and two family friends. We made pizzas and ice cream sundaes. The kids had a great time. It was low key. Just the way I like things. Every couple of days there was another birthday surprise. She had cupcakes at school, they sang to her at the cabane-a-sucre with school, there were cards and surprises in the mail.

The Saturday after we had a large family party for both girls. My girls are spoiled rotten with love, adoration, attention and that week with gifts. I know they return it all to me two folds and I hope the same holds true for the rest of their family.

We were thrilled their great-grandmother was there and met Hailey and my nephews. The living room has never felt so full. Hailey received a few gifts of clothing and toys and Vanessa had the year of the dresses. She was excited to open up 5 dresses. She’s a little hard to buy clothes for but she’s into dresses and they’re easy to fit. She also got her first bike!

Park Pictures are the best.

2011-04-03T20:43:00.001-04:00

Swish

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We went for a very short walk on the mountain today. It was a nice day if you stayed in the sun. I took some of these pictures and Eric took some. There were smiles all around. Too bad we didn’t take any of Hailey. She got into the swing also and I’m sure it was the highlight of her day as was Vanessa’s.

This is so cool

2011-04-02T17:13:00.001-04:00

Vanessa got to ride on her Trail-A-Bike for the first time ever. We bought it last October for this season and the bazzar. Vanessa’s starting to get a little big for the trailer so she’s getting promoted.

For the first little while she kept saying,”this is so cool, this is so much fun.” It was fun to see her so excited. We look forward to many trips like this.

(too bad that it only fits on Eric’s bike and I get the heavy load when we take the trailer for Hailey. This should be interesting)

Catch Up

2011-04-01T23:18:00.001-04:00

As you can tell, I had a lot backlogged and the details are already lost. We’ve been very busy lately and a so much to say. There have been birthday parties, doctor’s appointments, births and death. So many important things to share and document. I will try and to this shortly.

Merry Christmas

2011-04-01T23:11:00.001-04:00

For Christmas, Pamela bought me a gift certificate to have brunch and a swim at the Hilton Bonaventure. We went on a crisp but sunny Sunday. Brunch was delicious. I got to try things I hadn’t had before and the little desserts were original and perfect! Chocolate mouse, field berry mouse with a leeche nut in the middle and rice pudding which was totally unexpected.

We put on our bathing suits and slipped into the pool from the inside of the hotel and swam out into the winter air. I think it was –12C or something. Poor Pamela she couldn’t touch the bottom until she got to the other side of the pool. The water was warm but I was jealous of the people wearing hats. We stayed 15 minutes and came out to dry off and let a crowed of people in.

It was a fun one time experience. I recommend it highly.

Winter Fun!

2011-04-01T22:30:00.001-04:00

Winter Fun!

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In these pictures, Vanessa curls outside at the Fete du Lac, goes toboganning with Daddy and school and skating.

Good morning!

2011-04-01T22:25:00.001-04:00

When Vanessa hears Hailey wake in the morning or after a nap, she runs up to greet her and the two of them giggle. It’s really cute to see and gives me a couple of extra minutes. Glorious.

SNOWWWWW!

2011-04-01T22:16:00.001-04:00

This day was glorious. It was the snow storm of the year. Lots of snow and windy. Eric was painting in the bedroom I think and Vanessa and I took off for an adventure to McDonalds. We got all bundled up and took the bus there and back. It was great to spend one-on-one time with Vanessa. On the way home we picked up some fresh bagels.

When we got home, we hung out and then the paint fumes were getting to me so we all went outside to shovel and take a sled ride around the block. Vanessa was walking into the wind and snow and getting slower and slower so I suggested she ride in the sled. She declined but when I said she could ride back to the wind she jumped right in.

That evening I couldn’t entertain the idea of eating with the paint fumes. We brought dinner over to Grandma’s and ate there. Such a fun time.

Bedroom is done

2011-04-01T21:56:00.001-04:00

I’m so excited that our bedroom is done. It’s got a nice warm paint on the wall. I took the big velvet drapes away and made these ethnic inspired roman blinds. I love what they do for us. The room feels bigger and they cut out the light when we need them too but are easy to open all the way to let in the sun.

The closet is set up with the dressers we had in our room, a few extra shelves, a mirror and the ironing board.

If you look closely I’ve added a sewing table to the room and put it up on the wall out of the way. It’s really nice to have a place away from the kids to sew. I hope to do more of it.

It’s really satisfying to tidy up. We finally have a bedroom that doesn’t look like a dorm room. Ahhh…

Check out those smiles!

2011-04-01T21:42:00.001-04:00

These pictures are from the night that Kieran stayed overnight. We all had a really good time. Each time they see each other the age gap feels smaller. They love one another to pieces and squeal with delight when they play. Sorry no video to show that. One day…

Biodome

2011-04-01T21:28:00.001-04:00

First trip to the Biodome

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A couple of weeks ago, a good friend of mine and her kids came to Montreal. Since the weather wasn’t great, I suggested we take a trip to the Biodome. We had a great time. Hailey took her first metro ride and loved it. Vanessa was all over the place and even got close to some big birds. (If only I could remember what they were called)

We bought passes for a whole year and look forward to going back many times. Vanessa brought Eric back the next week and enjoyed it all over again.

Skiing 2011

2011-04-01T21:14:00.001-04:00

I got out for a lovely ski this year with Pamela and my dad. It was a nice snowy day. We went up to the pic-nic tables at the top and took the easy way down. I was terrified to go down some of the easy hills I’d done with my eyes closed as a kid. Good thing my skis were waxed on slow. I had no trouble going up hills. I did pretty well and was very glad I went out. Pamela who’s in much better shape went back out for a much faster ski after lunch.

Vanessa loves to dance and I love to watch.

2011-03-07T22:38:00.001-05:00

Vanessa wanted to dance for Hailey and I. Her dancing turned into martial arts near the end. Can you tell there was a full lenght mirror to my left. I foresee many shows put on by my girls over the years.

delinquent

2011-03-07T22:08:00.002-05:00

Hello readers, I'm sorry I've deserted you for a month. I keep wanting to post but the longer I leave it the harder it gets. My show's a rerun so I'll try and post a little tonight.

I'm trying something new and exciting. It's a picture a day for a year. I'll be uploading them to Shuttercal. We'll see how it goes. I added my first picture today. They say that it improves your pictures. That remains to be seen. At the very least it will encourage me to take more pictures to document the day to day.

First French conversation

2011-02-05T11:36:00.001-05:00

Vanessa and I were cleaning her room for Kieran’s sleep over. Vanessa has mixed feelings. She wants him to sleep over but isn’t keen on giving up her room.

Me: Es-ce que Papa fait du chocolat? (lyrics from Raffi song)

V: No… Non

Me: Es-ce que Papa peinture?

V: Oui!

Yup. Eric’s painting our room pumpkin and spice. Every time I go in there I change my mind if I like it. I’m not sure that it’s going to go with the gorgeous material I bought for the blinds. Since I can’t get to them now, we’ll have to check that out later. The window looks huge now that we’ve taken down the large velvet drapes. We’re going to put roman blinds inside the frame of the window since it’s a small room with a big bed. And no! I’m not downsizing my bed even though it’s takes up the whole room. It’s my room and I love my space. We even found that we can’t share our bed with Vanessa.

Watch out!

2011-02-02T09:52:00.001-05:00

Hailey’s getting braver by the day. She’s pulling herself up to a stand which isn’t that surprising but Monday we caught her going up the stairs. She got up two stairs!!! I put shoes on her with grip. What was I thinking? She does things with purpose. She’s either very happy or screaming. When she crawls, she slaps her hands down. She loves to hear herself talk and make noise. When she’s happy, it’s a blast. When she’s not and screaming for your food, not so much but these days it’s pretty short lived.

Shiverfest

2011-02-02T09:31:00.001-05:00

I just put Hailey down for a nap. Vanessa’s watching her current favourite Wiggles Christmas. PLEASE may she get another Wiggles DVD for her birthday. I like the Wiggles because it gets her up and dancing but enough with the Christmas music.

Sunday we had a fantastic day. There was early morning swim where I was happy to be the one dressing the girls because the pool was COLD. The heater was broken and even the showers had no hot water. Vanessa was fine but she came out pretty splotchy and asked to use the hair dryers. We pressed the button a few times while she stood there naked to warm up and dry her hair. Hailey’s class was cut short. She and I’m sure other babies were shivering. We dressed her in dry clothes and warmed her up in the snow suit. I told Eric I wasn’t going to my class the next day. They called to cancel it the next day.

Hailey went for a nap and we got organized to go out to Hudson for their winter carnival Shiverfest. We picked up friends on the way and met Chris and Kieran there. There were lots of things to do at the outdoor skating party. Sleigh rides, taffy, hot chocolate, tug-a-war with the firemen and a DJ. Vanessa skated the whole time we were there and after 2 hours still didn’t want to remove her skates. She’s an awesome and determined skater. I’ve never seen her persevere for anything like this before. It’s funny that went we talk about going skating all she says is she falls but when she’s on the ice she can get up unassisted without a second thought. (At least for the first 90 minutes) It was a great place because there were enough things to do and Vanessa was on skates so she couldn’t get away. Hailey hung out on my back the whole time and she was as good as gold.

Getting Out!

2011-01-29T14:18:00.001-05:00

Eric’s home on parental leave for 3 weeks. We’ve been trying to get out and do more activities. Vanessa and Eric have done some alone and some we’ve done as a whole family.

There’s been tobogganing, skating and snow shoeing. We’ve been to the Presbytery, Parc regional de Longueil, Bas de plain air Brossard and the Bell sports complex. It’s been lots of fun.

Here are a few pictures. Vanessa has really improved her skating. While she can skate for a while unassisted, she prefers to use the bar because she can go faster.

Skating on the lake

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Snowshoeing–Parc Regional

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Emotional

2011-01-29T14:04:00.001-05:00

I’ve tried and tried but I’ve run out of tricks. I added formula to the grocery list. I’m done with washing two bottles for less than 2oz of pumped milk twice a day. My milk is going down and Hailey’s finally getting thirsty. I tried to nurse her today and for the first time she didn’t flail, she did bite me instead. Since I’m not a masochist, we’re going to move on and focus on things we can enjoy together. I’m disappointed but we can enjoy bigger and better things with a healthy adorable baby.

Vanessa’s growing up FAST

2011-01-21T21:19:00.001-05:00

Vanessa’s been making huge strides. A couple of times this week she actually dressed herself in the morning and sometimes into her pjs at night. The pj dressing came with bribes but she got into them at sonic speeds. Dangerous for her because now I know what she’s capable of.

We’ve had almost pleasant trips to the grocery store with her walking by my side. Something I thought would never happen. We went to a bulk food store and she was awesome. A lollipop bribery didn’t hurt… but if it was even this summer and I tried that it wouldn’t have worked.

We went to the McCord museum a couple of weeks again to see the toy exhibit. The toys were in the middle of the museum with two exits without doors. Vanessa really impressed me and stayed in the toy area until she wanted to check out the rest of the museum and then asked me to come with her. WOW. In the past she would have just took off and wandered. It made me think of all the things that could be possible now without keeping her really close.

She’s now talking your ear off on random things. She made Pamela a birthday card. Vanessa: “Pamela will think this is stupendous. She will think I’m so clever. Pamela with think this is awesome.” She went on and on as she drew a smiley face and added all sorts of stickers.

She’s done many more things but that’s what I can recall.

I feel cheated

2011-01-21T20:59:00.001-05:00

Over a week ago Hailey woke up in the middle of the night flailing limbs everywhere. She wouldn't settle down, she wouldn't nurse and she didn't want to be held. I was uneasy to keep trying to nurse her because she had bit me twice that evening and giggled maniacally. We lovingly called her our devil child because she seemed possessed doing things completely out of character. Eric actually took her for a walk in the stroller in the cold. All that work and she was out at the end of the road.
In the morning I dropped V off at school and brought Hailey to the CLSC to see a doctor. Call me crazy but I just wanted to make sure nothing was physically wrong. Once I got there, I found out that there were no more doctors for the day. The receptionist saw the look of despair on my face and suggested I talk to the secretary for Hailey's paediatrician. I went over and pleaded my case and the secretary called the doctor to tell her Hailey wasn't nursing and was biting. I could sense the doctor wasn't sure what she was suppose to do so I asked the secretary to ask if the doctor could just check her ears.
The doctor was kind enough to see Hailey while she was seeing another patient. I had that horrible feeling when you hope something's wrong so you feel validated and hopeful for a resolution. The doctor took one look in her ears and said they were really red and no wonder she's miserable and not nursing. She prescribed drops, antibiotics and pain medication. I was sad she was in pain but grateful to have answers.
Since then, I've been pumping milk everyday except Monday where my pump broke. Christine came to my rescue Tuesday and brought me hers. I was thankful. I've been pumping 4 times a day and get about 6oz per day. What scares me is that I've been able to freeze some because Hailey's just not taking it. I think tomorrow we'll be trying to give it to her in a cup because bottles aren't her thing. One night she drank a whole 4 oz at 5am just to throw it all up at 7:30.
I think I'm going to throw in the towel and give her formula. She's napping pretty well. She's slept through the night twice this week but she must be dehydrated. The little girl that was always happy is no longer a morning person and gets really cranky at dinner time. She needs to be entertained all the time. One thing we have noticed is that she’s extra cuddly these days. Until this week, I was never able to rock her to sleep but now she does it willingly. It’s really lovely but unlike her and it worries me.

We’ll see how I feel in the morning… Eric is home on paternity leave for the next 3 weeks. Hailey turns 10 months next week.

All flat

2011-01-09T21:16:00.001-05:00

Last Monday we had a little a little bit of an adventure. That morning I had to walk over to Canadian Tire to have them fix the flat on the van. Eric had pumped it up and drove it there before leaving on the bus to work.

Christina came over to hang with the girls so I wouldn’t have to take them. They took the tire off and patched it and sent me on my merry way. I came home and had breakfast nursed and put Hailey down for a nap because I was……Heading out to Funtopia with Vanessa to meet friends. I roped Christina into staying while Hailey napped.

We had a fantastic time there. It was a little busy but the girls got along famously. Vanessa was relatively low key and tried to show the girls the ropes there.

We went to our van and found the tire flat again! I called CAA and they came with in 30 minutes. The guy wasn’t able to put on the spare to get home because he couldn’t get it off the car. He said it must be stuck so he inflated it and I prayed all the way to our CT which is about 5km. I called Christina and told her the situation and said that there was minestrone for her and Hailey to have with bread. I would be home as soon as I could.

At CT they had a look and told me the tire needed to be replaced. Hmmm. but that it was under warranty and would only cost me the taxes and balancing. Yippy Oh and by the way I was going to be refunded since I wasn’t suppose to pay earlier for the first fix. Even better. They gave me money back, fixed the tire and I was on my way.

Vanessa was great! She lived in the moment and soaked all this newness in. (oh TV in the car came in handy) She started asking for candy while at the garage of course. It was 2:30 and we had not had lunch so I indulged her and we split a kitkat.

We got home and Christina had just put Hailey down for her second nap but Hailey wasn’t happy about it. She was thirsty. I have never been away from her for 5 straight hours. I nursed her and she had a good nap and Vanessa and I finally got our lunch.

PS: no more minestrone soup for Hailey for a while. The beans woke her up 3 times during the night.

Balaklava not baklava making

2011-01-09T20:32:00.001-05:00

This is my first attempt at a hat every. It’s pretty good I think but later this week I’m going to try again with a modified pattern.

Vanessa has very sensitive skin when it comes to cold and wind. Sometimes you can see whiteness within minutes. I bought her the balakava that covers her mouth but she won’t wear it. This orange fleece matches her snow suit. When I was halfway making this hat I realized that it’s going to be Halloween all winter since she looks like a jack-o-lantern. (I didn’t make blue, her favourite colour because the weren’t nice.)

I look forward to finishing it and wonder if I should edge in the eyes and mouth since it’s raw edge now. Hmmm… Do I have the skills? Does club tissu carry that? Questions for another time when Vanessa is at school.

Twinkle Twinkle’s Next

2011-01-03T22:49:00.001-05:00

Favourite picture

2010-12-29T20:37:00.001-05:00

This is the best picture I’ve taken all month. It captures Hailey perfectly. She’s playing those shakers with such joy. Too bad they’re Vanessa’s but good thing Vanessa’s sharing. Funny that Vanessa won’t share the toy that Hailey got for Christmas as well.

The band

2010-12-27T13:38:00.001-05:00

part 2

2010-12-27T12:04:00.001-05:00

Christmas day the girls woke up at 7:45. A very respectable time. Vanessa, Hailey and Daddy snuck downstairs while I got dressed. Daddy was good enough to take video of her reaction. Priceless and typical Vanessa.

We started off by unwrapping our stockings. They were filled with goodies. We went upstairs for breakfast. Nice and simple this year with frittata, croissants, melons and orange juice. I was expecting the frittata to be run of the mill and that it would do but I was extremely surprised that we loved it. Onions, ham, swiss cheese and green onions. Delicious. Vanessa didn’t have any because she filled up on cantaloupe, honey dew melon and croissant. Hailey had her first taste of cantaloupe. I think it was the first time she didn’t grimace trying a new food.

We opened our presents while Hailey was napping. I got spoiled and Eric was minimalist this year. (the tables were turned). Vanessa did very well as usual. Stickers were definitely a theme for her. She got snowshoes and princess things. She was not disappointed. She’s watched her new Horton Hears a Who twice already.

When Hailey woke up, we packed up and headed to go tobogganing. The hill was quiet despite the perfect conditions. Fast, no wind, –8C and good snow coverage. It was a great idea to get out and spend some energy. For the first time I chickened out and didn’t slide. Stayed at the top to keep Hailey company. We played in the park and checked out the hockey before heading over to MJ and Ron’s.

At MJ and Ron’s we visited with Ronald’s parents. They were very happy to see my girls. The girls behaved themselves very well. (hot chocolate bribery) They received beautiful gifts. Hailey and Vanessa are both enjoying the musical instruments.

We came home for Hailey’s nap and some downtime for the rest of us before heading out for more cheer at Grandma’s house. Packed house with my sisters, Chris, Tim and Kieran and Chris’ parents. We had a lovely dinner and opened many more gifts. The kids were spoiled but that’s the best part. Spoiled with food, attention and gifts. We look forward to next year but I think we’ll switch it up a little.

Christmas Day

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Christmas Explosion–Part 1

2010-12-26T21:30:00.001-05:00

Christmas Day was lots of fun. Vanessa is believing in Santa and Hailey’s just fun! Christmas Eve we went to Pamela and Christina’s for dinner. YUMMY dinner! We had a cheese platter starter with tourtiere and home made baked beans and beets alongside french bread. It was all washed down with cranberry and orange juice. (Thanks Mommy!)

We went downstairs to unwrap gifts by the tree, have sweets and made fools of ourselves to Just Dance on the WII for kids. Totally priceless to watch Vanessa try the moves.

We went home very happy and full of love and food and Christmas spirit. Vanessa got into her PJs and went downstairs to leave milk and cookies for Santa and rush back up to bed.

Eve

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Christmas Eve preparations.

2010-12-24T12:44:00.001-05:00

Most of the presents got wrapped last night and the beans got started for the baked beans. Wow is that a long process. They better be awesome. Next time I’m trying it in the pressure cooker. I also put beets in the other slow cooker. I’ve never tried that either but they smell nice. Vanessa was eager to help but I couldn’t bear beet juice everywhere. She LOVED making orange juice. Since we got some free at IGA I let her make herself a glass. Ohh. 1/4 cup from an orange. Tomorrow we’ll make more since it was fun.

We tried to make snowflakes but Vanessa got impatient with the scissors because you have to cut through a few layers. Colouring was better but short lived. She’s getting dressed which is code for playing in her room. I’m good with that since Hailey’s on her 3 hour nap.

I’ll try and post some pictures of the beets on the plates. I can’t wait to try them and all the other wonderful goodies. My sisters made some sweets so it’s all covered.

School Christmas spirit.

2010-12-23T22:38:00.001-05:00

Vanessa’s Christmas Spectacle

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Last week the families of Vanessa’s school were treated to a small Christmas show. They had been practicing to French songs for a while now. It was really cute. You can see for yourself in the video later. I’m always impressed with her teachers. A girl’s bells broke and Vanessa’s nose fell off her mask and she didn’t miss a beat. Vanessa participated but was watching the other kids. Her friend B actually gave her a small nudge. She was too busy looking around and making sure Hailey was happy.

Hailey had a Fudge-O with Lifejacket incident. The story goes… When I was a toddler, I was handed a Fudge-O on the boat and proceeded to cry. I couldn’t get it too my mouth because of the bulky lifejacket and my short arms. Well…I got Hailey all set up in her booster seat so she wouldn’t crawl around while I recorded. I gave her some toys and she was happy for one song and started crying. I looked over and realized that I didn’t uncover her hands so she couldn’t play with the blocks. That was an easy fix and she had a great time after that.

Christmas is coming…

2010-12-11T21:17:00.002-05:00

It’s funny how Christine and I are stay at home mom’s and our children are similar in age that we don’t see each other more often. We talk on the phone very regularly. Well I talk she listens. :-) Now that the kid’s activities are slowing down for the holidays we met up yesterday. They came over to play in the very fresh fluffy snow. I opened the back door with shovel in hand. It was too deep for the kids to walk in. I took Vanessa which was all dressed up and threw her into the snow onto her bum. Plouff. giggle giggle giggle. I asked Kieran if he wanted to be thrown. He replied with a big smile, “Wanna go weeee!”. They had a blast together. I got to throw them over and over into all the fresh snow I could find. I could focus on Vanessa since I had put Hailey down for a nap. Kieran kept rejoicing,”Playing in snow!” They came in for more fun and lunch. Home made pea soup, carrots and fresh bread. Perfect after playing in the snow. Almost as great as hot chocolate. Eh Vanessa?

We’re sending out our first mass Christmas Cards this year thanks to Shutterfly. The cards are beautiful even though there’s a typo in them.(all my fault) At least everyone will have something to laugh at. Vanessa helped me with the first 20 or so. Writing a V for her name and drawing Christmas balls and placing animal stickers. She also stuck the mailing labels on. What fun. Ohhh did you see that? She drew something! Christmas balls and coloured them in very carefully. I think 5 very lucky random people got drawings. Look how serious she is. Very careful to not make a mess with the marker. Oops there’s a little preview of our card.

This week was the first time Vanessa came to me very proud to show me that she drew something. It was two smiley faces. Too bad I can't keep it since it was with the aqua doodle. She loves smiley faces. She asks all the bill checkers at Costco to draw one. They almost always comment how cute she is and draw one. Vanessa knows how to work it. Until now she’s not shown interest in drawing or colouring or using pencils so I’m really happy and proud of her.

Where did that come from

2010-12-06T20:27:00.001-05:00

I know we’re into the second week of December but this amount of white stuff was wasn’t in the forecast. It looks very pretty outside but sure is nippy. I brought Vanessa and Hailey out to play in the backyard. The snow was nice and fluffy but blowing around. The girls seemed happy to play. It’s fun for Vanessa to have a built-in playmate. She pulled Hailey in the toboggan around and around her playhouse outside. They were both happy with this game.

I took a few pictures but since it was dusk they’re not great but you get the idea.

I’ve made a short little video. Worth watching until the end! Watch out for your ears as Vanessa hits the high notes.

Moroccan Beef Stew

2010-12-05T18:58:00.001-05:00

This stew is gorgeous. It’s a like our “traditional stew” but it has lots of warm spices like cinnamon, cumin and coriander. It sits on a bed of couscous. Eric and I had seconds but I don’t think Vanessa was very hungry because she didn’t eat much but still suggested she have for lunch at school. Maybe Santa will bring her something to keep it warm in that’s engraved so it comes back to her.

Eric made bread to go with it which was so nice. It was a multi-grain one. Which was nice but a little to grainy for me. I don’t want to feel like a bird so maybe next time I’ll by a different multi-grain pack.

Christmas Cookies

2010-12-05T16:10:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I made gingerbread cookie dough and put it in the fridge for today. This afternoon Vanessa and I rolled it out. We have Christmas theme, Garfield, train etc. It was fun but we both need LOTS of practice. Getting those cookies cut and on the baking sheet whole is quite a trick. I usually wus out and make squares… Tomorrow we’ll ice them. I’m not sure how but I know it will be messy and sweet.

Busy start to the holidays

2010-12-05T10:49:00.001-05:00

Vanessa is now old enough to “get it” at Christmas time. Some things like being naughty or nice still elude her but I’m hoping for next year. Santa put together a video message for her. She listened to it over and over. What she got out of it was that she needed to bake Santa cookies. Chocolate Chip cookies of course. Last year we made one pizza size but I think we’ll be more traditional this year.

At pre-school she made the nicest advent calendar. When you turn over the days, it show pictures of her classmates and teachers. Still unclear that it’s one a day but it’s still fun.

We all went over to Christina and Pamela’s to decorate their tree. Vanessa desperately wanted a tree but we have no room and with Hailey crawling and Vanessa getting into everything we thought we’d wait at least another year. She loved it. Unfortunately one of Pamela’s ornaments broke. Donald lost his beak. Some crazy glue should fix it but it’s still sad.

Last week-end every minute of the day was filled. We went over to Jo-Anne’s and met some family that came from out west. It was a nice dinner then the kids played downstairs while the adults enjoyed themselves.

Saturday Vanessa and her Daddy went to B’s birthday party. Everyone was pretty excited. The party was at his house. They played games had lots of food and cake and had a magician.

That evening we went to a friends house we’ve known since MotherGoose. We had American Thanksgiving with them. All was going very well. The food was lovely and the company was enjoyable. It was getting late and then we found the writing on the wall. Vanessa drew on the wall in K’s bedroom. When we told her we had to leave she was hysterical. She had been warned that that was the consequence for misbehaving. Vanessa and I got our coats on and head out the door. Kicking and screaming while Eric picked up the pieces. She was yelling all the way home. I’m hoping that she’ll remember that for the next time. We were given compliments about sticking to our guns and Eric about his patience. Always nice to hear.

The next day the girls had swimming lessons and Vanessa and Daddy took a train ride to the West Island. Vanessa had been bugging and bugging about going on a train ride so I set it up that she and Eric would go out there and visit some good friends of ours. She was thrilled. They had a great time on the train. I went over to meet them and spend some time with them. Vanessa loves seeing these girls because they have dress up clothing. I think she spent half the time in her underwear which was fine with everyone. She was very tired when it was time to go and had a small meltdown because she didn’t want to leave. It was dinner time and she fell asleep in the car on the way home at 6:15 or so. We were very surprised.

We had a wonderful week-end but maybe next time I’ll plan the train ride for when it’s less busy…

Hailey’s Crawling!

2010-12-04T23:24:00.001-05:00

Good day to lounge around.

2010-11-24T22:34:00.001-05:00

We hung out today and we took pictures to make Christmas cards on Shutterfly. They have given me 50 free cards for my post about it. I found the girls outfits that went together. I just snapped on and on until the girls had enough. I took almost 100 pictures and chose the three best out of them. If you’re one of my 50 closest friends you’ll be getting one in the mail. Provided I have your snail mail address. Hopefully I’ll get them out in time since they’ll be here in mid December. Here’s a few but not the ones included.

Clic, Clic, Clic

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This afternoon I noticed something in Vanessa’s eye and removed it and it kept coming back so after the girls were settled I went to the pharmacy to see if they could do something for her. Vanessa loves going to the doctor but I could do without. He gave me Polysporin for the eyes and ears and told me if it didn’t clear up in 48 hours to go see a doctor. Looks like Vanessa will be staying home from school.

I came home and weighed the pros and cons and got up my courage to wake Vanessa and give her the drops. I turned on the lights walked over to her still sleeping. Cleaned her eye out with a cue tip and put drops in one eye. She hardly moved a muscle and I left without waking her. I was shocked! I was also glad I risked it.

48 hours… So it should be cleared up for her first school birthday party. She’s excited. It’s for one of her closest friends. He’s the only child that remains from her first year at preschool. I’ve seen them dance together in apple orchards and heard stories about how Vanessa loves to help him out. I’m glad they have each other.

School pictures have arrived and I’m so disappointed. It looks like they’ve photoshoped them. They took pictures on a green background and then added a forest later. Not to big of a deal but it’s a little fuzzy around her hair and it looks fake. I think I’m going to pass on spending money on these pictures but I very much look forward to seeing her class picture.

As for the wedding dress Vanessa’s picking out. I asked her who she was marrying and she has high hopes. She’s marrying prince charming. Who else?!

Threats, bribes and behaviour.

2010-11-22T11:38:00.001-05:00

Last week just few by. I guess this is what happens when your pre-schooler co-operates. She’s slowly learning how to listen and keep herself out of trouble. The other day I left her downstairs ALONE while I nursed Hailey and put her down for a nap. I was dreading going back downstairs. Vanessa’s always into something. When I got downstairs I had found that she had gone to the bathroom and washed her hands then sat at her table to colour!!! WOW. I was impressed and let her know. When she asked for TV, I couldn’t resist.

The other week she got into BIG trouble with Ronald and MJ. Nothing was broken but she knew it wasn’t allowed. I saw her take her time out seriously. Well ever since she’s been getting into less trouble.

I also had had enough with the toilet paper emptied onto the floor in the bathrooms. I decided she was big enough to know better but didn’t want to get into a bathroom war. I needed to be specific with what she was doing wrong. So I got down to her level and told her that toilet paper was expensive and that if she unrolled it again she would have to pay for it with her Halloween candy. She sure took that seriously. She was good for a couple of days and then tested me so I took a handful of candy. There hasn’t been an incident since. Nice!

Hailey is having some ups and downs. She had a fever for two days last week which was no fun for anyone. She’s possibly teething but nothing has surfaced. Her index fingers are bright red from chewing on them and wiping her nose with her hands constantly.

Last night was bitter sweet. Hailey slept through the night for the first time in months but Vanessa woke up and didn’t want to go back to bed. Vanessa must have said to Hailey, “It’s ok I’ve got it covered. I’ll wake mommy up tonight while you get some rest.” Vanessa’s having huge nightmares. She tells me that the dinosaurs are playing tricks on each other. Whatever that means…

Saturday evening I was alone with the girls. We had spaghetti but Vanessa wasn’t impressed. While we were finishing dinner Vanessa said,”Let’s have a bath after.” Awesome! I was even able to put Hailey to bed and read Vanessa some books.

Sunday was unusual. We went to swimming and then Pamela and Vanessa took the bus downtown to the Cupcake Camp. They were both so very excited. I went to Saint-Bruno and Canadian Tire alone. I was out for a couple of hours and came back nursed Hailey and went back out. Hailey was delighted to hang out with Daddy. Daddy took it as a sign to veg and watch the football game.

Vanessa came home jazzed about her day. She said, “Mommy, I didn’t have any accidents.” and “Mommy, I didn’t run away.” All very good things to hear.

Nothing exciting this week except to take pictures of the girls for the christmas card. I good some free ones with Shutterfly. I won’t be posting the pictures as to suprise the recipients since they’re the ones who mostly read my blog.

Adorable!

2010-11-18T00:26:00.001-05:00

Vanessa’s new band is The Wiggles. She loves the upbeat music. I can “motivate” her to clean the living room with a little bit of Wiggles. She’s got Hailey’s attention but not grooving with her yet.

Shutterfly Experience

2010-11-17T21:48:00.001-05:00

I’m so excited to use the cards designed and printed by Shutterfly. They have so many wonderful designs. I’ve read all sorts of blog posting great experiences with them. My biggest problem right now is trying to find a current picture to do it justice. Ohh I know. While we’re snuggled at home with hot soup it would be nice to remember days at the park in the sun.

Or maybe days where we hung out on the living room floor and played nicely together.

Or we must not forget Vanessa’s favourite dress. She called it her ballet dress because it twirled when she danced. My tomboy is sure has her girly moments.

Hmmm let me have another look. The adventures we have at Grandma and Grandpa’s

Honestly, I’ve never sent Christmas cards before but I love receiving them and want to share pictures of my beautiful girls. My friends and family will be shocked and amazed to receive cards in the mail and gorgeous Shutterfly ones will be the icing on the cake.

I have, however, given calendars for Christmas. Shutterfly makes some very special ones that are customizable and I’m sure you could find a design you like here.

Shutterfly is offering free cards to bloggers who write a post about them. I’m hoping this post will get their attention.

New Craft space

2010-11-11T19:24:00.001-05:00

Even though I have 2 daughters, I never thought I’d be buying a pink and purple table. Vanessa’s favourite colour is blue and that makes my life really easy. Most things come in blue. I found an awesome table for Vanessa in blue and red and green. I had very specific criteria for this furniture. It needed to sit 2 people, a rectangular shape that fits in the corner of the kitchen and under the counter, and have a fair amount of storage. I’d like her to use the table for crafting and leave the very small dining table alone.

I found something that looked perfect but was only available in the U.S. I can get around that but it’s a pain or expensive. I had lots of trouble googling for these items. One last ditch effort and I found that Sears.ca had some on sale in their online outlet. I wonder how soon I’ll have to paint it. I was thinking of applying chalkboard stickers to the top.

cross your fingers and hope it lasts for a while

2010-11-11T10:36:00.001-05:00

This post is to remember the good days. I’m a little afraid to jinx myself but it’s worth noting. Hailey is finally starting to kick her cold. This morning we didn’t have to clean out her nose. Horrible process but very effective. She stops coughing for the day after that. Hailey’s aging beyond her years. She clears her throat like an old man who smoked most of his life. For the past couple of days she’s only woken up once in the night.

As for Vanessa, she’s started to settle down at home a little. She’s been playing with toys alone, reading books alone and asking to be read to. The biggest thing though is she’s showing a small interest in colouring and doing activity sheets. She gets frustrated easily and says she can’t do it but at least she’s at the table with pencils and crayons in her hands. Her time out moments are getting fewer overall. I’m not counting the minutes until her quiet time in her room. Sigh of relief.

Let’s enjoy this time while it lasts.

Yesterday we cleared out the kitchen of all the chairs to sweep the floor. I put Hailey in her high chair to watch us tidy up. Vanessa wanted to sweep the floor herself so in self defence I gave her the broom and left the room. Vanessa “swept” the room and talked to Hailey about getting ready for a party and when N, the friend of the week, comes over what we’ll do. Apparently when they come over we should serve pea soup. It was delightful to listen too. I didn’t risk recording it because the moment would have been ruined.

This week-end swimming has been cancelled so Christine and Tim took this opportunity to invite Vanessa to their house for a sleep over. Sssshhh don’t tell Vanessa. We’ll tell her on Saturday as we get ready to leave because she’ll be so very excited and has no concept of time so we’ll hear about it every couple of hours until then.

Dinner Dramatic

2010-11-09T22:14:00.001-05:00

Originally I was just going to share them with my parents since my father takes pleasure in watching children cry. That’s if they’re crying for no reason or just some “injustice” done upon them.

We got the camera out to take the obligatory blueberry eating pictures of Hailey. There’s just something about their bold colour and dark skin that makes them extra messy. Hailey was closing her eyes after the red eye light so half of them she has her eyes shut. Vanessa played with her yogurt one to many times and we took it away. We found out how very tired she was when she through a fit which turned into making faces at the camera.

Dinner time fun

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If you view the slide show there are more pictures.

Something went right today

2010-11-07T14:35:00.002-05:00

Big event! I just nonticed Hailey went from lying down to sitting. Time to make sure those gates and locks work!

Facebook Status

2010-11-07T11:22:00.003-05:00

Here's a few things I've posted on Facebook over the past week.

I'm loving this new Chom FM show.

Wow! Me Mom on the radio!

I told Vanessa she could go watch TV but I wasn't turning it on

Sssshhhh the girl who dumped two lunches on the floor is quiet in her room. She's potentially napping

With this ear ache Vanessa got off easy. She fell asleep no problem and is still sleeping at 8:30 am. (We did keep her up until 10pm)

Vanessa's watching Fantasia and loving it despite the scary bits and that there's no dialog.

‎&^%* ear infection #3 since sept... poor baby.

Vanessa is so not herself that she was watching the tv on the music channel. I felt for her and changed it to Disney.

Ahhhh!!!! I got a new computer chair.

I can't believe I just bought Vanessa size 6 pants.

YYYYUUUMMM. Just made home made Spiced Hot Chocolate. Who needs to go out now. It will be better when we have homogenized milk in the fridge next year. ;-)

Vanessa saw a flowing sparkly dress and asked if she could have it. I said no but then there was," But it's for my wedding!"

The disaster

2010-11-07T11:13:00.002-05:00

Yesterday after our fabulous time at the park and some snacks, I made Vanessa some lunch. I reheated one of her favorites of Shepherd's Pie and she dropped it all over the floor which is unlike her but an accident most likely. I finished reheating my dinner of apple roast pork with potatoes and corn and shared it with her. Nice of me I thought and she chucked it on the floor also possibly an accident but Vanessa is not one to through food on the floor not even as a baby. She wouldn't want to waste any. After loosing 2 meals I sent her for a nap with no food. I know it's evil but I NEVER punish her by sending her to her room so she knew I meant business and I knew she wasn't all that hungry. She hung out there for over an hour but naps are a thing of the past.
Hailey and I got to eat in peace. Ahhh....

Crisp!

2010-11-06T22:21:00.001-04:00

This morning the girls and I met up with Kieran and Christine at Parc National du Mont-Saint-Bruno (not quite what I called it growing up) It was a gorgeous morning. Just above 0 but no wind and really sunny. I was glad that Chris suggested it and I got off my but to go. Every day we see Kieran and Vanessa growing closer. So much fun! The played in the wet park for a while. Vanessa was wearing her rain pants which was a blessing and a curse. On the one had she was warm and dry but on the other she went down the wet slide with great speed and fell on her butt hard. She got over it fast but insisted I catch her the next time. Kieran was wearing absorbent corduroys so he didn’t go as fast but seem to be just as warm.

Although we could have with the warm sun, we didn’t stay for lunch. Instead we all went home for some wishful naps. Wellllll the only one napping today is Hailey. I found that out when I called to invite Kieran for dinner.

Kieran did come for dinner and we all had a good time. The food was very low key. We bought a cooked chicken and had home made bread and carrot sticks with it. Kieran was not sure what to make of eating at our house so I don’t think he had more than 5 bites. Vanessa didn’t take any prisoners. She even tried to steal Kieran’s plate when she noticed he wasn’t going to eat it. Hailey did pretty well for herself too. She had shephard’s pie and squash with a blueberry dessert. It was the first time she inhaled the blueberries.

Kieran and Vanessa had a bath to kill time mostly and we tried to read some books but Kieran was too distracted by the fact he was in Vanessa’s room with all these new toys and that Hailey was downstairs. We went downstairs and they played for a while until they started fighting over toys. Vanessa asked many many times if Kieran could stay for a sleepover but we told her it would have to wait until he was older.

I took the two older kids for a walk. Kieran didn’t make it down the street before he was out but Vanessa whined and whined for 20 minutes and fell asleep for the last 10. When I got back it was time to take Kieran home and meet his parents. Eric moved him into the car fast asleep.

I had the pleasure of putting to bed a child that had a cat nap and was wide awake……

The NOW

2010-11-03T22:04:00.001-04:00

To start off Hailey is putting on weight. She loves her solid food so much that she put on 1 pound in a month. Fewf. I went over to the breastfeeding clinic with Hailey and Vanessa. It was a little bit of a nightmare. Hailey was happy to be there with all the other babies but Vanessa was all over the place. I would have stayed there a long time but I didn't have the patience for Vanessa since she was high on candy from a morning Halloween party and there were goodies at the clinic. Next time I'll sedate her or give her my iPod to watch videos. Same thing. That's unless someone wants to take her on a Friday afternoon. :-)

Vanessa’s trick or treating went pretty well. She got a little freaked out by some of the mildly scary bits but loved the candy. She was a princess at school and her playgroup but a monkey trick or treating. Sorry no monkey pictures. She found a strawberry one and told us we should return it. I told her, “Daddy will eat it.”

Super Baby: Able to sneeze big bubbles and drown you in drool and love.

Vanessa is having more and more good days but she still sure knows how to get into trouble. She’s playing by herself safely in the basement. I’ve learned a trick. She really likes to listen to music and we have a children’s music station on the TV. I turn it on and set the TV to turn on a show much later. She’s playing for long periods of time and we’ve finally locked down the things she likes to get into. We went to Walmart with her walking holding on the cart today. I see other parents take much younger children why can’t I? I only lost her once for about 10 seconds. Apparently she had found her wedding dress and wanted to show me. Before you ask… I forgot to get her fiancés name.

Eric has the girls to himself Monday evenings while I’m at AquaFit. This week he dressed the girls in matching PJs and took pictures. The range of emotions tells me it’s time for bed. If you see Vanessa has railings on her bed which she doesn’t really need but it’s nice now for Hailey. Keeps her out of Vanessa’s choking hazards.

Girls Night

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If you’re following along, we got our car back and a new GPS was delivered from Costco. It’s a newer model with lifetime map updates for less than we paid for the old one 8 months ago. Ahhh technology sure doesn’t keep it’s value.

The weather outside has dropped pretty dramatically. Saturday evening it snowed while we were at a lovely party at Glenn and Heather’s with friends and their family. Vanessa through snow balls before getting into the car. This week has been pretty dry but cool. Eric has ridden his bike all week and he’s worn all his warm bike gear. He tried to tell me he wants a baklava or something making odd gestures to demonstrate. It was fun to watch. He really wants a balaclava or just a face mask to add to his scull cap that goes under his helmet.

Added bonus

2010-10-27T23:07:00.001-04:00

giggle giggle giggle

I’m so glad I brought my little camera today. It was worth it!

You Capture - Autumn

2010-10-27T22:59:00.002-04:00

I love walking on the mountain in the fall but I hate taking my camera. I've taken a million pictures there and can't seem to find anything original now. At least when I take pictures of the girls they'll grow each year. I hope you enjoy this one.

You Capture - Orange

2010-10-27T22:53:00.002-04:00

I love orange so my daughters wear a fair bit of it. Here's Hailey at the park in her orange hat and orange car seat accents.
She looks good in orange. No?

Gorgeous Day

2010-10-27T22:36:00.001-04:00

We had a little bit of a rough morning. Vanessa was uncooperative at best and Hailey refused to eat. I finally got our scheduals sorted and we went out to play in the park. It his 19C today and very sunny afternoon. Vanessa played and played and played until she had to take off her fleece to play some more. Hailey went for her first park swing while her big sister pushed her. "Giggle, Giggle, Giggle” Vanessa and Hailey also went down a slide together. It was awesome! Amazing to think of the things they’ll be doing together in the spring. I tried to take some nice pictures but I got these.

This was one of those springs but it was big enough for pre-schoolers.

Trust me. Hailey LOVED it!

This park had some cool stuff we’d never seen before.

Swisssshhhh

Relaxing with her foot up.

1..2..3.. GO

Vanessa looks like a witch’s daughter trying out her spells. Smile! there will be candy

Hailey is 7 months

2010-10-26T14:31:00.001-04:00

I can’t get over it. Hailey is 7 months old. She’s lively and loves to move. Munchkin loves food come dinner time she can wolf down dinner but she can take or leave breakfast. When she’s getting full she grabs onto the spoon to feed herself.

She used to sleep through the night but that’s a thing of the past. She gets up frequently but her cold is mostly to blame. She gets up nurses and goes back to sleep. Sometimes she gets her nose cleaned out. Ohhh she LOVES that. *sarcasm*

Hailey could play in Vanessa’s hair and giggle menially all day long. She can stand at the musical table and rock it. I see her bobbing in her stroller to the music in the stores.

Stripped!

2010-10-25T22:13:00.001-04:00

On Saturday morning I sent Eric outside to get something from the car. It was about 8:45. I was upstairs when he came back in swearing with Vanessa right by his side. It is very unlike him to swear. Especially with impressionable ears nearby. I came downstairs to see what was up.

Eric said, “Some one took the radiator, the headlights and the GPS from the car.” I was so shocked I barely believed him.

I responded with, “I guess my dad was looking for parts.” since he has the same make of van.

“Don’t mess with me right now.” was his comeback. He was furious.

As you can see from the pictures below the thieves came and stole exactly what they wanted. These were mechanics. They unscrewed the parts they could and even used our bins to catch the rad fluid. They didn’t want to get messy.

Eric called the police. He came quickly and had never seen anything like this. With the police report number we called the insurance company and they referred us to a local garage. They picked Eric up and he returned to the house by 11:30. The whole process took less than 2 hours. We should get the car back sometime this week.

I did want Eric to entertain the kids Saturday morning but they got more than they bargained for. Vanessa was beside herself when Eric left in the tow truck with our van on the bed. Initially we thought she was upset she couldn’t go but she told use she didn’t want him to take the van. It’s HER van. It’s a nice shiny red with fancy doors and don’t forget. It has a TV in it. Two days later and she’s still a little upset wanting it to come back. Good thing it wasn’t all stolen and we’ll get it back.

This is our second theft in 2 years. Completely unrelated but it has been suggested we get a dog. I’m thinking I’d like a house with a garage to park my car and our bikes…

Tada!

2010-10-17T21:26:00.001-04:00

Some Pictures

2010-10-16T22:40:00.001-04:00

Today I got out the camera to take pictures of Hailey playing on the floor. Mostly they didn’t turn out but here are a few of my snotty baby. Sorry, left my snotty pre-schooler out of these.

Eric sat down on the Thanksgiving week-end and took pictures of booth of our girls. He was more adventurous. There were lots of pictures but here are the nicest.

Hailey played the drums with these two balloons for a long time. We got her all dressed up in the gorgeous knits that her paternal grandmother knit her. She loved the ribbons. Vanessa’s in her twirly ballet dress. She’s gotten lots of use out of it since last Christmas.

right now

2010-10-15T21:52:00.002-04:00

oh boy what a week. It's Friday but not the end of the week. Eric's work schedual is all over the map. He'll be working both days this week-end. I hope the weather improves because today was awful outside. 50 km/hour winds with rain and pretty chilly. We stayed inside all day until we went to pick Eric up at work. He took the bus in so to come back he'd need to wait for 3 buses in this crap so I felt sorry for him. Hailey and Vanessa have lousy colds. Hailey's having trouble sleeping and up 4 or 5 times a night so we brought the swing back out. Vanessa's handling it much better.
I think tomorrow we'll be getting out the snow suit. Vanessa's might need lengthening and Hailey will start wearing it soon although it's really warm but I don't have anything in between.
On a positive note I should be going out to a Mom's night out and possibly a book club. They're reading Pride and Prejudice which is a little heavy for me but I saw that the library has it on audio book. I find that easier to manage. I got through Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy that way and loved it. It's easier to follow and makes multi-tasking possible or maybe getting out for walks.

A night at the club.

2010-10-07T11:18:00.001-04:00

We went over to Glenmore for their open house. Tim plays there so they were there too. Vanessa and Kieran tired each other out by running laps around the couches screaming their heads of with glee.

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Hailey wore THE curling shoes and Vanessa wanted her own pair. Vanessa wore them and then Kieran and now Hailey. They look like they should be hung up on the rear view mirror. Vanessa loved the club and going out on the ice but we won’t be going back on the ice until she brings a helmet. She got a nice goose egg from falling on her head but no permanent damage. I tied her hair up and she looks so sweet. Tim barely recognized her as she whizzed by.

We all had lots of fun and look forward to more evenings where the cousins can hang out. The older they get the closer they are.

3 1/2 and 1/2

2010-10-07T11:00:00.001-04:00

Time flies .... Hailey is now 6 1/2 months old. She’s so cute in a very serious way. She has a very intense look but she also is very generous with her smiles and giggles. She’s been sitting up for a month now. She can reach for things and sit back up but is still not comfortable with going from sitting to rolling around. She can get to the four corners in a room in a short amount of time by rolling.

Vanessa and Hailey have started to wrestle in bed a little. Hailey loves it but Vanessa’s motto is Hailey’s not crying so it must be ok. They need to be watched closely when they’re together.

I took Hailey to the paediatrician the other week and she’s in good health and meeting her milestones easily but we have to bulk her up a little. She only but on 10oz in 2 months. She’s not putting on weight as she should so I’ve been generous with her food these last couple of weeks.

Speaking of solids. She started almost two weeks ago. At the beginning she wasn’t really buying it. She gave us looks of disgust like there was poison in her cereal.

She has since changed her tune and this morning devoured her pearsauce and rice cereal. It’s such a relief and makes things easier. I’ve been wondering if she’s put on weight and will try and see about that next week.

Vanessa still has lots of fun things to say. The other day she went through a toy flyer.

Vanessa:Santa will bring that. Santa will bring that. Santa will bring that….etc

Me: Where will put it all?

Vanessa: Here. Here. Here. Here. Here.

Me: Where will we sit?

Vanessa: At “Jason and Fred’s house” (fake names") And the dogs will go outside because Hailey is afraid of dogs. (Hailey eh?)

Togetherness - You Capture

2010-09-30T20:43:00.005-04:00

When we've had a particularly long day, we have dinner and pack the kids up in the stroller for a walk. It calms both of them down and Eric and I get time together and exercise. It's usually pretty magical. Vanessa loves it because she gets quiet time to read her Tag books and hang out with Hailey. Ohh and the TimBits we sometimes get doesn't hurt. On this particular night we walked over to my sisters and Pamela joined us for the walk. Hailey was the first to fall asleep and have a small snooze and it seemed once she woke up Vanessa fell asleep. Hmmm... maybe that's why we (Vanessa) were cranky at supper? She was so zonked that it was a struggle to get her into her pjs that night but it was WELL worth the quiet time on a nice night. I can't wait to do it when all the Halloween decorations are up.

Flower - You Capture

2010-09-23T17:19:00.003-04:00

I've been wanting to try this out for a while now. It's a photo exercise where a blogger sends out a topic and every week and people try and take photographs on topic and link back to her site.

This week is flowers.

Back to our regular schedual programing soon.

Fun with Grandma and Grandpa

2010-09-19T20:10:00.000-04:00

This was a gorgeous day where Vanessa, Pamela, Grandpa, Hailey and I went for a walk on the mountain. We didn’t take a stroller and went around the lake. Vanessa did a great job but did start to whine on the way home only wanting Mommy.

Grandpa stopped in the middle of the field to look at this very tiny turtle. He was the size of an egg. I have no idea how he managed to see it but everyone was interested in checking it out.

Vanessa playing on the same trees we and many others did as kids.

Vanessa and Hailey wearing sunglasses. Must be really sunny at Grandma and Grandpa’s

Apple Picking

2010-09-14T20:01:00.000-04:00

Above is a picture of Vanessa and her teacher Marlene. They have such fun together. Below is Vanessa and some girls dancing with Vanessa’s boyfriend. They have a really strong bond. It’s nice to see.

She consoles him when the day is too long. She’s disappointed when he’s not there and he’s the only child she talks about from her class. It must be love.

The last week.

2010-09-06T14:24:00.002-04:00

Vanessa has made great strides over the past couple of weeks. She's a very confident girl and loves school. She's with a new teacher 2 whole days a week. Ahhh... She's potty trained. A week before school the switch flicked on and she's only had one accident since. I found a new incentive which worked wonders. She had pee under control for months now. She was having issues with #2. A lot of issues. We went to the museum in Ottawa and she had 3 accidents but after that never looked back. We started painting a nail of her choice and choice of colour every time she pooed in the toilet. Yeah Mommy! She had something to show off, it made her feel like a big girl and I spent time with her while we painted.

Yesterday we gave Vanessa some new furniture and made a big girl room for her. She now has room for some of her toys and a full length mirror. At nap time I heard a crash on the floor and I thought she'd been climbing her new shelving but when I looked at the scene I realized she'd been doing lots of pirouettes and fell. LOL my little girl in her "ballet" dress in front of a mirror. And speaking of naps. There's no place for souces in big girl rooms. We gave the souce to Hailey last night for when she was big enough and Vanessa kicked up a stink for 2 minutes and hasn't mentioned it since. WOW that was easy.

Vanessa's now 3 1/2 with some attitude. We've gotten our share of "No. you do it" back at us and last night, "Get lost! You should know better". Eric was getting a talking to. Funny thing is she wasn't really mad.

We went for a walk on Mount-Bruno with my mom and had a great time. Lunch and a park was involved so of course it was a hit. Vanessa took lots of pictures and walked the whole way. Hailey vegged in her stroller.

We spent yesterday in IKEA mayhem. First we went to the store and Eric picked out some furniture while I dropped Vanessa at Small Land and then nursed Hailey. Funny story. IKEA is all set up with a nursing room and change table with spare diapers and wipes which is all nice but that room doesn't have a garbage.... I checked on Eric and then went to pick up Vanessa before purchasing 21 boxes of furniture.

Vanessa got a big girls room and we got a more child safe living room. Win Win.

In a week we should be more organized in our office and I hope to post some more and even some pictures.

Journee de la Sante

2010-08-29T19:34:00.000-04:00

I wasn’t there. Believe it or not it was too hot for Hailey. This was a fun day put on by the city of Brossard. All sorts of physical activities and food preparing along with a show held by none other than Francois, one of Vanessa’s teachers. She LOVED it.

Children’s museum in Ottawa

2010-08-24T17:30:00.000-04:00

This museum is awesome!!! We met up with Gen and her girls for a fun filled afternoon. Imagine a whole museum of imaginative play. Very hands on!

Here Vanessa is putting on a play. There were costumes backstage available to the kids.

This was Vanessas’s favourite part. It’s a shipyard scenario where the kids worked together to haul cargo off and on the ship with the crane. It was super cool. Because of the windows I didn’t get any good pictures.

Vanessa is directing the crane operator to haul the cargo up after hooking it on. Later she even managed to work the crane.

If anyone wants to go, I’ll make that trip any day!

Camping Just the Girls

2010-08-13T19:29:00.000-04:00

I took both girls overnight to Voyageur Provincial park this year by myself. We met up with friends and didn’t do any actual cooking so It would be manageable.We had a good time but that night Vanessa wanted to go home. Since we were all set up, I insisted we stay the night. She woke up bright and early and we packed up right away while Hailey snoozed.

During the day we had a picnic and played in the water at the beach. Sorry no pictures. In the evening we had a campfire complete with marshmallows and songs.

La Minerve August 2010

2010-08-02T17:22:00.000-04:00

As usual we had lots of fun at LaMinerve. This year the kids outnumbered the adults. We had really nice weather. Hailey loved it. She slept in the swing and her tent and never acted cold. Vanessa loved hanging out with the other kids this year. I always remember this year as the one Vanessa got into the toothpaste twice. Once all over the tent…

Below Vanessa is making a new friend with Theo and Kieran is getting in on the fun.

Vanessa and Daddy are “napping”. Well at least Daddy got a nap in. On the way home he went into a full blown head cold.

Joy, Bliss and fun

2010-07-25T10:06:00.001-04:00

Vanessa and I are sick again so we've been staying in but that hasn't stopped Hailey. She's a sheer joy. There are very few tears shed but she's still quite vocal. This morning she babbled for an hour until she fell asleep for her first nap of the day. Nobody can resist smiling at that. Over the last two weeks we found her rolled over onto her tummy in her crib twice. I hadn't seen it but I figured she pushed her feet on the bars to do it. When I was getting out her changing pad she pushed her feet on my thigh and rolled over. Awesome! until she tried to roll back and bonked her head on the corner of the wall.

Early this week she was hanging out on the floor after changing her and rolled right over from he back to her tummy and it seemed effortless. So exciting to see her growing and gaining skills before our eyes. I placed her on her activity mat and she now reaches for the toys hanging overhead with joy. The exersaucer is also fun. Vanessa likes it because it's a fun way for them to interact. The first time Hailey went in it she swirled around twice and she's touching the floor. There's no stopping her now.

*knock on wood* after a long battle of blocked tear ducts/eye infection it seems Hailey is rid of it. We can now see her gorgeous brown eyes. I had thought that they might turn brown and this week they finally did. Looks like she'll have her daddy's eyes. Maybe she'll be the daddy's girl.

Here are some pictures of some fun at the Bradley Cottage.

Hailey’s first swim

2010-07-08T15:08:00.001-04:00

Look out! Hailey loves the water too. I squeezed her into the bathing suit Vanessa wore at 6 months and Eric took her for a swim. The pool was at 87F so she didn’t get cold. She was very refreshed and happy after that.

In Hiding

2010-07-08T15:03:00.001-04:00

It’s been SOOO hot these days. The humidex is climbing to the mid 40’s. Hailey can’t hack it so we’ve been staying in the AC. Yesterday I took the girls to IKEA where I left Vanessa in Small Land play area for the first time. She was itching to go. I gave me 1 hour to shop toddler free while Hailey slept in her wrap. (not nearly enough time) I found what I went for and went to pick up Vanessa. She was sitting on the toilet in Small Land and had gone poo and was trying to wipe her bum and get dressed. I’ve never been so proud and relieved at the same time. She was very proud too but mostly excited she got to use the pint size toilet and sink.

Today we watched Sesame Street in our bedroom while Hailey ate. Had breakfast and actually did some “crafts”. Vanessa played with her pencils and markers since she really doesn’t like to draw. We then got out a necklace kit she got for her birthday and made necklaces and organized beads for quite a while.

Some nice time while Hailey napped. Vanessa has gone down for some quiet time and I’m hoping she’ll nap since she goes to bed really late these days with the renovations being done. The bonus is she sleeps in until after 9 am…

Fun week-end

2010-07-04T14:50:00.000-04:00

I finally did it. I got on my bike Friday morning after I nursed Hailey. I was actually out the door by 7. It was awesome being out on my own doing something I love in the crisp air. The paths and roads weren't very busy and the sun was glowing. I only did 10 km but that was perfect. I stopped for breakfast and ate peacefully. I did return by 8:30 since Eric wanted to go to the store.

I was lucky that I came home and Eric took Vanessa with him so I caught up on my blogs while Hailey was still sleeping. Why on earth did he go to the store at that hour you ask. He needed more paint. He's been working tirelessly on the bathroom and tomorrow we’ll be able to use most of the bathroom. The bathtub is installed with plumbing and tiling done. Looks great! The walls are all painted and the floors are tiled and grouted. The electrical is mostly sorted out and the cabinets are in. Left to do is to put in the counter top and put in the sink. Attach all the plumbing of the sink. The mirror has to go up and a medicine cabinet bought and installed. There’s some more shelving and the moulding has to be installed and painted. All of this to say I’ll be able to use the toilet and have a shower tomorrow night in my own house. The rest is mostly cosmetic.

Oh back on track… I had a shower after my ride at Christina’s and Pamela’s. I got to go to the lighting store while Pamela took Vanessa to the grocery store. I picked out a vanity light. It’s perfect for our little bathroom. Then Pamela made us lunch before heading to Costco with us.

Saturday we went to Yamaska park where we met Pamela after she had biked there. It was a perfect beach day. Vanessa dragged Pamela in and out of the water and loving every minute of it. Too bad for Vanessa that Hailey wasn’t as impressed and refused to nap so we went home a little early.

Today Vanessa also spent the afternoon in the water. She was at a friend’s birthday party and went into the Jacuzzi, the kiddie pool and then the big pool all in an afternoon. She was in heaven. They had a diving board and a slide. With her lifejacket on she was the first to do the slide without reservation. Others attempted it with a lot of cheering on. She was almost the youngest but she can totally hold her own.

We came back to pick up Eric to go to my parents to have dinner. It was quite nice. Lots of new things to try out. Hailey can’t get enough of her grandpa and laughs when he holds her. It’s hysterical. He’s the only one to illicit this response so easily.

mish mash

2010-06-30T11:33:00.001-04:00

I was spoiled this morning because the girls slept in until 9am. The renovations have been tough on everyone. Yesterday Vanessa had her first nap since a couple of weeks. It was a great surprise during her quiet time. We had gone to the JazzFest to meet Julie and Laura for lunch. We watched a fun Jazz class performance. We would have liked to check the outdoor stuff but it was cold and wet and the only one with a raincoat was Vanessa soooo next time. We had lots of fun with lunch but I think the girls liked the fountain the best.

On the renovation front, we moved back into our bedroom and slept in our bed for the first time in over two week. It was heavenly. The bedroom is not done and the closet needs a little more work but we'll focus on the bathroom and finish the bedroom later. The closet is Huge! Lots of extra storage and maybe Eric can get dressed in there in the morning. It’s still got a lot of tools and some of our clothing is still in Vanessa’s room but one day it will be done!

Last night my mom, dad and Eric grouted the tiles around the bathtub. It cleaned it up nicely. Any possible imperfections disappeared with the white grout on the white tile. The blue glass stripes stand out beautifully. Eric is very proud and grateful at the same time. Next we’ll be plaster, sanding and painting. Oh and some caulking. We should be able to use it by the end of the summer… hehehe.

Potty training is still in progress. We have good days and bad days. The most dramatic accident was Vanessa peeing in the stairs creating a waterfall. I asked her to stop but she said she didn’t know how. Sigh. She’s getting there. It’s nice to be able to hop in the pool without changing diapers.

We’re all out of time so I’ll see you later.

Potty Training, Renovations and More…

2010-06-16T22:57:00.002-04:00

I'm exhausted! Things have been eventful in the past couple of days. (let the ramble begin because I can't think straight)<div>Vanessa has been having very few peeing accidents since we took her pull ups away (except for nap/bedtime) and none in the last week but poo was a different story. I didn't know what to do. I kept her in underwear to incourage her and give her the power but she still refused to use the toilet. One day last week I had it all timed that she would need to poo and the signs were there so I sat her on the potty in front of the TV. She sat there happy for 20 minutes. I went upstairs to get my phone and when I came back there was poo on the floor directly in front of the potty. I was really discouraged at that point but didn't change my routine because I didn't really know where to go next. It was all up to Vanessa. I went online for help and found a book. It hurts when I poo! The reviews were amazing. Suppose to be the cure all for Vanessa's issue. It's a story of a boy with the exact same issue and how they resolve it. It goes through the mechanics of it all. I went to Indigo and they were sold out so I went online and bought it for cheaper. It arrived on Friday. We read it two or three times that day to her insistence. She went to Christina's for the day on Saturday and Vanessa asked where poop came from. Christina was lucky enough to have to explain it all to her. We read the book a few more times and the next time she went poo on the potty. I was so extactic! Her reward/bribe was chocolate on a stick (fudgesicle to you and I) which she got promptly and for breakfast the next morning. She hasn't gone back since. There might be a few more accidents but we're done with the 18 months of potty training! Awesome! The light bulb went off.

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In other news... we're renovating the bathroom and the closet in our bedroom. Eric's been working really hard with lots of help from my dad and Tim. My mom has been helping out with Hailey and Vanessa. Today was a turning point. We're done demolishing and are ready to put things back in. We're relieved to have very little mildew. It was only around the the tub spout. We figured it was all around the tub behind the wood paneling and in the sub floor but we saw nothing. Eric is feeling much better about the project. Studs have been put up and most of the electrical has been run. It's getting it's own circuit with our closet. We'll be adding more plugs and lighting than before and this new run won't be in aluminum wiring. </div><div>We've been sleeping in the living room since our bedroom is "the war room". I've been trying different sleeping options since our bed didn't fit down the stairs. I'm hoping the bathroom will be done before the bedroom but that's ok as long as it all gets done. Eric is off for two weeks and I'm crossing my fingers for it to be completed by then but there are no guarantees. </div><div>Tonight we went over to Jo-Anne's for showers. I got to bring Hailey and Vanessa and bath them and I. It all went pretty well until Hailey lost it. When she does that, there's no turning back. Cut your losses and go home. She either needs a walk or to be put in her swing. A car ride might work too as long as it's only highway. Lately I've been dreaming of long car trips to Ottawa where Hailey sleeps and Vanessa watches a movie. </div><div>Time has been flying. Vanessa's finished school and we're starting day camp next week. I'm really looking forward to it. The program is run outside for 6 weeks where the councillors run activities 3 whole days a week. The parents are require to attend and are responsible for their safety. I've heard it's well run and I'll be able to sit back and enjoy watching Vanessa play. It's a nominal fee for the whole time for the entire family. We already know 4 of the kids that will be there.

Hailey is growing really fast. She's still a fast nurser and long stretches between. She doesn't getting agitated when she's hungry but if she's tired watch out! You better have a way to help her sleep. She likes walks in her wrap and her swing. Sometimes a walk in the stroller or a car ride works but it better by highway driving. She's very alert these days which is lots of fun. She loves to lie on the floor on her back and look up at smiling faces. She doesn't really like to be cuddled but would prefer to see the world. </div></div><div>Playgroup year end party and shopping tomorrow. Sprinkler park on Friday with friends. This week-end we watch Pamela run and have the last swimming lessons.

2010-06-16T22:00:00.007-04:00

I've been busy. There's a fellow blogger who designed a baby swing. It's really simple but fantastic. I really wanted to make one for Hailey. She's a great sleeper but requires constant motion through her naps. This swing is portable and can hang in most door frames and some trees.

I talked to Jo-Anne and asked to buy one of her 5 sewing machines off of her. She said yes but after having looked at the two she was willing to part with she decided they were too heavy and required a lot of regular upkeep. I said, "ohh that's too bad". She then very very generously offered to buy me a new one. She said I needed a nice basic machine and I agreed and thanked her.

A week later I went over and she gave me said machine. After working on industrial machines my whole life, I was surprised to see what features "basic" gave you. I can do button holes and buttons, embroidery and patching along with 70 odd other features. I was excited to have a new hobby of my own.

I brought it home and made Hailey's swing. It went very well.

I posted these pictures on Facebook and someone actually requested to buy one. She hadn't even seen Hailey's live. We agreed on a price and I went to work on hers and one for Nathan, Paul and Murielle's son. The projects went smoothly and I loved working on something of my own in the evening. I gave my friend, Anne hers and she has since sent me a message that her daughter was sleeping in it. Awwwwwe. Today I met Nathan and gave them theirs. I hope they get as much use out of it. They seemed very pleased with it. If they get lots of use out of it it was totally worth it.

Only one issue with this new hobby. Currently, I've been working on the kitchen table. This doesn't work for our family. It requires me to work only when Vanessa is out or sleeping and I have to clean up each time. When the renovation is done, I should get a small fold down table to work on in our bedroom with a small shelving. It sounds pretty exciting. I can't wait.

Past your bedtime Hailey

2010-06-08T23:11:00.002-04:00

Tonight was one of those rare occasions where Hailey was awake at 10:30pm and happy about it. Cooing and smiling at least until you put her to bed. At about 9:30, Eric took her for a walk in the stroller at first she cried and then she's thought, "This isn't so bad but I'm not ready to sleep." (giggle, giggle) Eric walked for an hour and came back with a very happy and alert baby. She was thrilled to be awake and get attention but I pulled out the heavy artillery, my Momma Kangaroo. I rapped her up tight against me and took her for a walk. I'm not sure she was awake to see the next house on the street. I walked around the block for good measure and came home and put her straight to bed.

I really need to bring my iPod and go for a longer walk. She won't mind if since she's sleeping.

A little bit of everything

2010-05-30T23:01:00.001-04:00

Spring and summer came this week. We did all sorts of exciting things. I’ve been trying to take my camera but it’s a long list of must haves with an infant and a toilet training toddler.

This picture below is Vanessa checking out a beetle. We went to a park nearby that Eric cycles through to get home from work and met him there with a pic-nic. It was a really nice night to eat el fresco. Eric loved showing up at the park and dinner was all ready to eat.

Since it’s been getting hot I asked Vanessa if she wanted her hair tied up like Mommy and she pretty much ignored me until the next morning when she came up to me and asked me to tie it up like Mommy in a pony tail. We set her up downstairs and tied it up. She was an angel. With all her curls and fine hair it’s hard to comb but she sat patiently while I tied it up.

Here are gratuitous pictures of Hailey.

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Vanessa was generously given a house for her birthday. It has was set up at Grandma and Grandpa’s until the weather got nice. We’ve had some gorgeous weather and Vanessa’s been able to play in her house in the backyard quite a bit.

Candiac is on the ball. It opened it’s sprinkler parks early. They’re awesome. We were called Monday to join the playgroup at the park last Monday and it couldn’t have been better.

As you can see we all had fun. I called Chris the night before to join us with Kieran and they jumped at the chance. I picked them up at the bus and we drove over to the park. Kieran was hesitant but will likely be more confident next time. Vanessa had a complete blast. (Thanks Christina for the cute bathing suit)

Saturday was a busy day with swimming and cleaning cars. We spent the whole day with Chris and Kieran. Had lunch with Tim and Grandma. Vanessa and Kieran have started to play with each other. It’s a lot of fun to watch. Especially when they get into laughing fits.

Post nursing rest.

We did try to put the two oldest down for naps but were unsuccessful so I pulled out a bucket of water and some toys. They had a lot of fun in the back yard. Vanessa going on about two friends to Kieran while they slid together down the slide and swinging together. It’s what summers memories are made from. Sorry I don’t have any pictures of that since I was inside making marlin to BBQ along with some sides. Chris brought a nice dessert and we had a lovely meal outside watching the clouds.

Right now

2010-05-28T11:10:00.002-04:00

Fun, Fun, Fun... Hailey turned two months old last week-end. As everyone says, she sure is growing. Longer and longer. She is a really really easy going baby. She loves her sleep and I love her sleep too. She sleeps through the night for a couple of weeks now. Through the day she she`s a light sleeper. Hailey loves to smile back at anyone. She smiles easily and it`s such a joy. My fresh new baby talks a lot and it`s great! Vanessa says she speaks French and that`s why she doesn`t understand. :-)

Vanessa is growing FAST! Last week-end we started potty training a-gain. But this time is for the last time. We`ve had a few accidents but we`re well on our way. gummy dinosaurs really kicked it off but she rarely asks for them now. I can take her out for short trips and not worry too much but we have yet to put her #2 in the toilette so now I know when she's quiet I've got a mess to clean up. Oh well. Soon there will be no diapers, pull ups or diaper rash.

We spent the whole week-end glued to Vanessa. She got lots of attention and that worked well for her other "issues". I've been able to go out in public and and Canadian Tire without putting her in a stroller or something. She followed pretty well and listened mostly. Fantastic. I'm feeling a little more confident about the summer and full time with Vanessa.

Pictures to come...

Cat in the Hat.

2010-05-02T23:20:00.001-04:00

This next video is priceless. Beware it's over 5 minutes but I'm a proud Mommy and couldn't cut any of it out.

Milk???

2010-04-27T20:45:00.002-04:00

Vanessa finally saw a doctor and he told her exactly what she wanted to hear. She should be drinking milk but in very small quantities. We're talking 1oz per 15 minutes and then working her way up to 2oz per 5 minutes. That did the trick. It has liquid and protein. She came home from the hospital at 3:30 in the morning and slept until 9 and was up for 45 minutes and drank a few oz of milk and fell back to sleep on my bed. Hailey and I snuck out and let her sleep until 1:30. She woke up a new girl. She drank the last 1/4 cup of milk and kept it down and had more with a few spoonfuls of oatmeal. (Her choice. Yuck!) She had some yogurt and homemade egg mcmuffins the rest of the day. Everything is staying inside and working for her. Fantastic! What a relief.

Hailey has been pretty good but today she needed more attention. I'm finding it hard not being able to take a break in the car or with a stroller since she likes to move all the time.

Tomorrow we're still going to hang low and maybe do some baking. Any suggestions? I need to go out and get whole wheat flour first or buy bread. Since Vanessa is doing better, I think I'll wait for the snow to melt and put her and Hailey in the Chariot and walk to the store. It would be nice after being cooped up for 3 days.

We got lots of snow today. I would say a good 5 cm stayed on the ground. I wasn't really bothered by it since I couldn't go out anyway. I had ordered some stuff online and I got two packages in the mail so it felt just like Christmas. Vanessa told me that Santa wasn't coming though. She did want to go out and make snow angels. Too bad she wasn't ready for that.

So I'm either brave, crazy or very generous. I've allowed Eric to go down to the boat in Florida for 4 days. It will be quite an adventure for Eric and he was really excited to go. He'll be helping my dad take the boat out of the water and close it for the summer. Vanessa's health is under control but she won't be going to school so we'll have to find things to do. Good thing the weather is improving so she can play in the backyard. That will be very helpful if I get gastro. Hopefully, Eric also stays clear of it. You couldn't pay me to risk having gastro on the boat. The toilet better be in top shape.

Wish me luck. I feel like a ticking time bomb waiting to find out who has gastro next. It could even be Hailey. I'm off to bed to get sleep while I can.

2010-04-26T22:52:00.003-04:00

Things started slow this morning. Hailey sleeping while I tended to Vanessa who had gastro and hadn't kept any food down for almost 24 hours. She had some pedialyte frezies and some goldfish which she did throw up. If you think goldfish smell fresh you should try and them hydrated.

I'm very fortunate that Hailey just drank and slept all day. Vanessa was on the couch watching whatever was on. Vanessa did vomit on Hailey and I. I put the two of them in the bath and changed my clothes. I pulled Hailey out of the bath and she peed all over me through her towel. She hates baths so I dried her off and put her in a fleece sleeper to calm her. When Eric got home at 5:30, I went out to get supplies and have dinner. When I came back, Eric needed to go out to a viewing since a father of his friends had died. I had only been out an hour and Vanessa had declined. She was watching the news and really wasn't interested in anything. I gave her some tempra which normally she asks to have and I had to coax her to drink it which she promptly spewed.

I called info-sante and they made me realize that she was dehydrated and she needed to go to the emergency. While I was on the phone with them, I was nursing Hailey and Vanessa vomited. I tried to give Vanessa a bucket and Hailey fell of the couch onto the floor. Right at that moment I knew I couldn't do this on my own and called Eric to come home. I got Vanessa ready to go to the hospital at 8pm. When I explained we were going to the hospital, she asked if it was for Hailey.

Right now I'm waiting to hear from Eric as to what the doctor says. I'm thinking they'll give her an IV and hydrate her and send her home. No idea how long that will take.

I'll keep you posted.

Ups and downs

2010-04-26T16:07:00.002-04:00

This picture was taken Saturday at the "Festival des Grenouilles". Eric got Vanessa at her best.

Hailey's a whole month old

2010-04-25T17:37:00.004-04:00

Time flies when you're having fun. We're enjoying being a family of four. Vanessa is an angel when it comes to Hailey. She's very gentle with her and as patient as 3 year old can get.
One morning Eric went into Hailey's room to check on her. Vanessa and Hailey were in the rocking chair. Vanessa had pulled Hailey out of her cradle and was rocking her. We didn't hear a thing so she must have been gentle but we're going to have to watch Vanessa with that. That's the only time she's picked her up and when she helps she's very careful. She can't stop kissing her and she pulls out her hands to do Where is Thumbkin?

Vanessa has taken to telling me which side I should nurse on. She was even placing bets with Daddy as to which one. To bad it doesn't work that way. The other day she told me that she nurses when she's hungry and drinks from a bottle when she's thirsty. (from the pumping days) It's amazing how her brain works.

When Hailey was discharged from the hospital at 4 days old they heard a heart murmur. The doctor wasn't to concerned but had her pulse and blood pressure taken. On infants they take the blood pressure from each limb and take an average. They also have to start all over if they cry because it gives a fall reading. Hailey slept through the whole thing. The results were normal but they wanted her to be seen by a cardiologist.

We had an appointment for July but we got a call to see if we wanted to come in that afternoon. We accepted. I took Hailey in by myself while Eric stayed with Vanessa. They told is it would take 2 to 3 hours and usually you double it for an accurate time so I wasn't brave enough to bring her. She had an echo cardiogram and an ultrasound. The echo went fine but she didn't like the ultrasound. Mostly because it took longer. Since she doesn't take a suce and she's breastfed, I had no way of settling her. The technician gave her a bottle of water. It worked but later when we got home I nursed her and she had too much fluid and vomited everywhere. I had to change right down to my underwear. I'm very glad we were home. The appointment went smoothly and the staff was very good. The doctor spoke to me in English with his thick French accent. My French is ok but in medical terms it's rough. He's a specialist brought in monthly from the Montreal Children's. He wrote down his diagnosis of a partial mitral cleft which means she is fine right now and likely won't have any issues but we'll be going back in 6 months to look again.

When it was done, Vanessa was still sleeping so I took the bus home. It was starting rush hour and the buses were frequent. Hailey and I even did some grocery shopping on the way home.

Hailey had her first pediatrician appointment last week and it went well. She's putting on lots of weight and growing longer. She's in the 95 percentile for weight and off the charts in height. She is pretty strong. The other morning she lifted her head off the bed while on her stomach and looked the other way. She loves being on her tummy because it must feel nice with her gas. We're very lucky it doesn't keep her up.

Vanessa's got gasto again. She's having trouble keeping down ice tea and bread. She's been a trouper while watching lots of tv. We're going to try and have soup soon and see how that goes. We've been frequently washing our hands. We really don't want it to spread. It looks like we'll be staying home from school tomorrow.