Isn't He Gorgeous?

So we found out this morning… and are, in the words of my friend who did the ultrasound, “2000% sure”. It’s a boy! He has the sweetest face and isn’t “shy” by any means. I have to admit I cried on the drive home and am very grateful I now have a few months to prepare… both in the clothing department and in the emotional department for another little boy. Big J is beside herself and we’re going to think up some special things to do together as the “girls” in the house to help ease the transition from two brothers to three. But we’re excited… really we are! He had the hiccups during the ultrasound and just looked so sweet. Now we can think more seriously about names and start scouring the clearance racks and yard sales for sweet little boy items.

(The pregnancy photos were taken by my great friend Joy - aren't they fabulous?! I'll share more another time!)

I KNOW!

Three guesses what I'm having... and the first two don't count!

Sure Sign of Spring

Grateful

Sunday night our good friends invited us over for dinner and games. After dinner the games didn’t begin… but the fun sure did. I practically passed out, then politely threw up a couple of times before relinquishing back home to my bed for the next 24 hours with a horrible migraine. I was sorely embarrassed, but mostly in complete agony. My wonderful friend came Monday to feed my kids lunch and then steal them for the afternoon so I could continue my attempt to avoid motion, light and sound. You know who you are, and I am light years away from ever knowing how to repay such kindness: thank you. My heart is full of love and thanks to so many people who have helped me through all the hard days and moments in my life. Truly the Lord works through each of us to bless the lives of those around us.

Yesterday I awoke to a slight headache, but the ability to move, shower and take care of my kids all by myself. Each moment of the day felt like a miracle and I found myself uttering numerous prayers of thanksgiving to my Heavenly Father for the blessings of being healthy again. Today as I surrender to the awfulness of nausea and fatigue, I remember the complete inability that I succumbed to the other day, and I feel better already. Pregnancy is rough, but being a woman surrounded by other women (and a fabulous husband) is always rewarding. Remember to be grateful.

Cinderella's Grand Debut

Mr. Man took our little Cinderella to the ballet today to see "Cinderella". They both got dressed up and went with our good friends and neighbors on a daddy-daughter double date. The ballet was enjoyed by everyone, and even Mr. Man has been retelling his favourite parts! Big J, of course, has been acting them out and I think we may have a little actress/ballerina on our hands! She absolutely loved it and was thrilled with sitting up in the balcony. In her own words though, "I was the most beautiful girl there, but I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want them to feel bad!" I'm glad she felt that way! Afterwards the dads took the girls out to dinner at the Olive Garden, where Big J had hoped to order a taco, but instead ordered pizza! What a date! She is now begging to go see "The Nutcracker" next Christmas!

*Of course I need to share a funny story... Big J's friend Miss E asked her dad in the middle of the ballet if the boy dancers were wearing underwear. He replied that they were. She then asked if they were wearing pants. He said that of course they were and asked why she was wondering... apparently she said it didn't look like they were wearing any bottoms at all! Mr. Man informed me that her observation was pretty correct and couldn't help laughing as I was toweling off the boys after their bath... since they resembled the male dancers with their birthday suits! Gotta love being cultured!

Dress-Up

Gone are the days of flowing princess gowns, crowns, little red riding hood capes and hoochie mama shoes worn by my little girl.

Enter instead Prince Eric, David and Goliath, Ammon, Superman, Batman, Bob the Builder, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader… oh and Princess Leia.

Overheard:
Mr. T: “I’m Luke Skywalker, [Little E] is Darth Vader and [Big J] is Princess Leia.”
Little E: “NOOOOOOO! I’m Princess Leia!”
Mr. T: “You can’t be Princess Leia, [Big J] is Princess Leia.”
Little E: “There’s 2 Princess Leia’s! I’m Princess Leia!”


Our little neighbor: “Um, you have a problem. [Little E] keeps saying he’s Princess Leia.”
Me: “I know it’s a problem, but he can be whoever he wants to be.”

So all in all our world is now comprised of swords and lightsabers, capes and hard hats… I love this new world of dress-up, but I won’t trade my little princess for any of it!
(Here the boys are as batman and superman heading up to bed. This is typical, and usually there is a third piled on top too! Also, Little E looks so exhausted here - I love it!)

When I grow up... (according to a 2 year old)

My mother and sister-in law are visiting us for the week… so I had a first-time opportunity to bring Little E to a doctor’s appointment all by ourselves. For a while Little E kept asking about big brother, but soon realizing that I was the only one there, we started playing and talking together sans interruption!

Here’s some of what ensued:

Pointing to the trucks we are playing with “This not our truck. This the doctor’s truck. Our truck’s at home. I like the doctor’s truck.”

Pointing to the TV that is playing only news and infomercials “That the doctor’s movie. Our movie’s at home. You like the doctor’s movie Mommy?”

Sitting up on the big soft chair in the waiting room “This the doctor’s chair. Me love this chair. Me take this chair home?”

After being escorted from the big waiting room to the little waiting room and discovering there are more trucks waiting for us here “This more doctor’s trucks? Our trucks at home. Me love THESE trucks Mommy.”

After I informed him that the roly chair is for the doctor and not for us to play on, “That the doctor’s chair. Me LOVE the doctor’s chair. That the doctor’s phone too? When I grow up I be a doctor.”

At this statement the doctor walked in and sat on the roly chair. Little E was elated. I informed our doctor of his recent statements. This kind man then informed Little E that if you want to have a nice phone with lots of lines to talk to lots of people and a nice roly chair you had to be an ENT (ear nose throat specialist). Only ENT’s get the special roly chairs. To this Little E copied the doctor’s gestures and replied, “When I grow up I be ENT doctor.”

Why I can't run for public office...

We just returned from one of the most frustrating grocery shopping trips ever (or at least it seems like it, since it’s been so long since we’ve had one). I needed merely basics, and was searching (at the third store) for some non-roasted sunflower seeds for making my granola. It’s really not that big of a deal, but I always cringe when my boys go rushing to find the “little” grocery carts. You see, either there are none, or only one available. None is better than one; they both throw a tantrum and I drag two unhappy boys through the produce isle and usually by the time we hit the bananas they’ve forgotten their misery. One means double trouble: the prospect of having to share and incessant successive tantrums through the whole grocery shopping experience. Today there was one. I could bore you with the tales of screaming and gnashing of teeth that ensued as I dragged one and chased another, all while fighting a headache and the urge to simply abandon both boys and guzzle a gallon of cold lemonade, but I wont. Instead I will scream in silence as my mounting frustration finds an inner outlet. AGHHHHHHH!

All in all the trip was successful, we all arrived home and the boys are watching The Magic School Bus while I sip my lemonade juice box and prepare to make my granola with the hard-to-find sunflower seeds. I’m more frustrated at my own temper and the fact that while there are people everywhere fighting much bigger battles and generating world peace while I struggle with two little children and can’t even hold it together long enough to get through the check-out. I hate that I’m 26 and still throwing temper tantrums. AGHHHHHHH!

Vote for me in 2008.

Caving in to Spring Break

We've decided that since our grand plans of spring break at Disney World have been spoiled by purchasing our van, we would take a couple of day trips to new locations. So today was our first real caving adventure as a family. We drove to a teeny tiny town, stopping on our way to do some more letterboxing (this really is a GREAT family activity to take up) and then for lunch before entering the “crystal palace”. What an adventure! Everyone at every age enjoyed this tour. We saw bats, experienced total darkness, tried not to lose our tour guide and delighted everyone on our tour with Little E’s light-up shoes! The cave was absolutely breathtaking and truly miraculous… unbelievable to think that two little school-age children discovered such a place with a few candles and a LOT of guts! (It was 1883 when it was discovered, and only 10 days after the kids shared their find with the owners of the property – as they had been trespassing – tours started at 25 cents a piece!) So we had a fun day, and now I am utterly exhausted!

One funny thing, we were of course asked not to touch anything so as leave oil and unnatural substance… and we did our best to get our 6, 3 and 2 year olds to understand that concept. However, every so often I would see an unusual splash in the water around us. It took a while but I finally realized that Little E had brought in with him a pocketful of small pebbles and was periodically throwing them into the water to make a splash. I was sure this violated the “leave no trace behind” rule, and so I tried to collect as many of them from him as I could… but it only became a game to him and he ran off as fast as he could. As you can see, he got filthy, while nobody else had but a bit of mud on their shoes! That little guy is sure an explorer, and I’m thankful he was wearing those bright neon light-up runners!!!

Alright, one more funny story… There was a family bathroom at the cave that consisted of a regular sized toilet, a small child-sized toilet and a urinal all lined up beside each other (I really should have taken a picture!) Anyways, all three of my kids were, um, well relieving themselves of their bodily fluids at the same time. Mr. T, however, told Little E to come try standing up with him. Little E absolutely refused, stating, “NO! I sit down!” Mr. T came back quite proudly with, “Yeah, you sit down to pee. Only mans stand up. Daddy and me are mans!” The scene and the conversation were too much for me… ultimately today’s potty talking made me laugh out loud!

Tomorrow we will visit the aquarium if I can feel my body by then. I’m such a pregnant wimp!

So as not to leave anybody out...

Quick Company

Artfully arranged within a short visit home, my sister made the drive down to visit us (with my Mom and little brother) so that we could meet the newest addition: my little niece!

The poor girl was cuddled and coddled more than you can imagine! My kids love this "cutie pie"! (When my sister figures out how to send video clips and I figure out how to post them- we've got some pretty hilarious footage to share!)
This is my first time to be an Auntie on my side... Mr. Man's brothers have children, but there's something awfully sweet about your own sister's child! I'm glad they made the 10 hour trek with a 5 week old only to stay for an afternoon, a sleepover (for some!) and a morning at the park before another 10 hour drive in the car!


The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here and we've enjoyed being outside practically all day every day! We went hiking and (new for us) letterboxing today and tomorrow plan on hitting some caves and a state park for a picnic with our friends.

Spring has finally sprung and it seems to make everything so much better - even being pregnant! (By the way I've passed my 20 week mark now so I'm more than half-way home... you can see my glow and weight gain here! I'm officially into maternity clothes now (though I still have that one last pair of low-rise jeans I can fit into!) and I only throw up about every other day now, so we're doing much better. I am exhausted practically all of the time, but I'm happy and enjoying the slower pace of life that spring and being outdoors bring!

Cloth Diapers?

I’m not what you would call an “earthy” person. I’m the mom in the grocery store telling my kids to put back the organic carrots and look for the cheap ones. We eat healthy enough, we play outside and bond with nature enough, and as much as I’d like to say we grind our own wheat and eat beans and legumes at almost every meal… we don’t. That’s just not me. I care about the world enough; I use biodegradable cleaners mostly because I’m worried my kids will kill themselves… and I like the smells. So when I started considering cloth diapering our next baby, I was a little surprised at how natural and right it felt for me. Because really, it’s not me… but could it be?

Maybe because it’s our fourth and by this point I figure I’ve messed up on the other three and deserve another fresh start, but basically I do worry about all the chemicals that loiter around these little infants special private parts. My research has made me even more concerned. I’m not trying to save the earth, or even save money, but if I can save my kids some respiratory problems and the risk of toxic shock syndrome or even fertility issues… it’s worth it to me. But do you think I’m up for it? Can I really dunk and rinse those poopy diapers in my toilet, wash and fold more laundry than I already do and be ready to bag my dirty diapers in public places? The questions are up in the air, the spousal discussion is in process and I’m curious about what all of you do and think – as the two may be completely unrelated, I know.

Sisterly Advice

Thankfully the storm in our house has passed (I hope) and I can write about this. I cannot believe, at times, how difficult it can be to raise a six going on sixteen year old. Having been one of those annoying children who not only threatened to leave home, but also ran away on numerous occasions to far off places like the friend down the street’s house, I fully expect at least one of my children to have the “run away” genes. I just didn’t think it would happen with my kindergartner.

Yesterday after school Big J played outside in the mucky field with her brother and a bunch of neighborhood kids. She seemed happy and fine until she came in for dinner. As usual when Mr. Man arrived home the kids jumped all over him and for some reason Big decided to lick him. Mr. Man asked her not to, and yet she proceeded to do so two more times. At this point Mr. Man told her he wasn’t going to play with her for 10 minutes because she wasn’t listening to him or playing nicely. That was apparently the breaking point where home no longer seemed like the place to be and her crying and the notes began.

The first note she passed to me said, “I em go awei. I dot like it her.” (Translation: I am going away. I don’t like it here.) I held my crying baby and asked her calmly why she didn’t like it here. The crying only escalated, so I tried a different approach. Where will you go? Her response was simple, “To Florida. To live with the princesses.” If only life were that simple! The next note read, “I love you Mommy and Daddy but I go awei”. Thanks to my past history of running away, I can specifically remember the need for my own space, wanting a little more attention and a little less responsibility, but also the harm that took place when too big of a deal was made over my wanting to run away. So I nonchalantly told ‘Little Me’ to please go upstairs and take a bubble bath before she left. While she was soaking and calming down, my sister called. My sister has a newborn and has called frequently to ask for advice. However my daughter often will remind me of my sister in numerous little freaky ways and so I decided to turn the tables and ask my sister for advice with my six year old. It was definitely an inspired step. My sister said when she was a teenager she would often write notes to our parents expressing her feelings, and as much as they spoke with her and tried to talk with her about her letters, the only times she really felt heard and loved was when they wrote a letter back to her. She told me specifically to write a note back to Big J saying something like, “I love you. I hope you will stay here. Love, Mom.” I felt like it was worth a try and may actually work. It did.

I gave Big J the note, written exactly as her aunt had prescribed, and she smiled, hugged me and went to bed happily. Mr. Man and I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to ask my sister for advice! (He also can’t believe we are already dealing with such heaving hormones!) This morning we were both presented with notes and my heart sunk for a brief moment before I read what she had written. To Mr. Man, “Daddy will you frgive me I love you” and to me, “Mommy. I love you so mosh. I will stei with you”. Sigh of relief. Parenting is such a daily learning experience!

“I looked out the window and what did I see…”

Maybe it’s my attitude, or the fact that there’s still a block of frozen ice in the middle of my backyard, but when I read this post I felt extreme jealousy and a sense of spring never arriving where I live. Why is it taking so long? I decided to look out my kitchen window in search for some inspiring thought of warmth. It was difficult. My windows are filthy. Not just “after a long winter and ready for spring cleaning” filthy, but “the boys were outside playing in the mud and somehow it splashed all the way up to my window” filthy. Disgusting really. Beyond the grime the small forest behind our backyard seemed to be mocking me. The- what seems like 50 mile per hour -wind was blowing those evergreens every which way in a tone of laughter, and I could almost hear their snide remarks as they wag their fingers, I mean branches, at me. The weather man says we’re expecting snow this weekend. I’m not feeling very Canadian right now and could really use some fresh air, long walks and playground reprieve. Thankfully I opened my window and was met with the chatter of little birds. If they can brave this never-ending chill, perhaps I can too.