Girls Night Out

Before Matt came along I bonded with a lovely lady named Kyla, who happens to be my niece. The very first thing that we discovered we have in common ... a love of shoes!
So, before long we started shoe shopping. I really did take an infant to try on baby shoes. And as she got older kids shoes. When she turned 3 she enrolled in ballet class and my gift to her was ballet shoes. This year her sister turned 3 and she is also enrolled in baby ballet. So I promised to take her ballet shoe shopping also.
This week turned into a girls' night out week because how could I take Paige shoe shopping one evening and not continue the tradition with Kyla.

First we measured her feet



Then we danced around the store

















And then we donned an apron to get ice cream...






Things started off well. Then ...








OOPS!!!!
























Phew. Aunt Laural always carries wipes and a tide to go pen. We cleaned up the chocolate and did some more ballet before buying a "Sleeping Nudie" nightgown and leaving.
















Since Kyla isn't taking dance this year she decided she needed school shoes. We also decided that we were far too mature for Laura Secord and went to East Side Marios. (that's Princess Power Punch... yum.)
We did some rocking out to Hannah Montana and ended up buying Polly Pocket shoes. I didn't take enough pictures because we were having too much fun! But, all in all it was a lot of fun.
And, while all this was going on, Matt was having fun too. The first night he stayed home with Daddy and watched Spy Kids (we're loving spies lately) and the second night he had a playdate with Paige. As he pointed out to me when I told him about the girls' nights ... "I hate princesses but I hate shoe shopping even more. I'm a boy." So, he had no problem with me shopping with my nieces!

Organized

Here's a newsflash. I suck at organization. I have never been a tidy person. Growing up my parents and I had numerous fights over the state of my room. At school I could never keep my desk or locker clean. And, at work I'm constantly reminded to tidy my office or tidy my desk.

So, it comes as no surprise that I can't organize my house.

Don't misunderstand. My house is clean. Our dishes are washed and our bathrooms are clean. But when it comes to organization ... we suck!

I hate a messy house, but I just can't get it together. It drives Mike and I nuts. And his issue - he microorganizes. So, he'll have every single dish lined up in the right direction but step over piles of clothes. Really, it's a huge battle for us. And, the battle gets worse since I'm home from work right now and see the mess all day.

My big fear is passing this disorganization gene on to our children. It seems as though we have. Matt has no interest in tidying up. He loves having his toys spread out. It's been annoying me though, so off I went to Ikea to get an organization system. And I put it together (which took me 2.5 hours). Both Matt and I were dreading the cleaning. But can I tell you how much fun it has been? Seriously.

We've been sorting through all the toys and sorting has led to all sorts of discoveries. We found the complete train set! We found all his Cars toys! We found missing trucks! Life has been great. And, through it all we've been getting organized. Slowly organized, because every time we find a long lost toy a new game begins. But, I'm trying to remember that this is the whole point. I'm trying to teach Matt that it can be FUN to have a place for everything (and everything in its place).

And who knows, maybe it will spur me on to organize my stuff or come up with some great system for sorting all my kitchen containers. My real hope in life is that since I didn't manage to find a husband who likes organizing nor did I manage to have a child who likes organzing, perhaps the nanny we've hired will have some sort of organizing gene and whip our family into shape!

She Rolls!

Chloe has been trying really hard these days to flip over. She grunts and groans and reaches and then gets stuck. It's been comical and frustrating to watch. And so cute.
Unlike Matt, Chloe doesn't scream and cry and get frustrated. She just kind of lets it go and smiles at us.
But yesterday, with much encouraging from Mike and I, and the dangling of her favourite little octopus, Chloe rolled. It was adorable. I loved the look on her face - total pride. Of course I got out the video camera to film my Olympic gymnast in training and she wouldn't do it for me. I turned off the camera, and over she went.
This happened several times. And she would look coyly up at the camera and smile. It cracks me up. I tried again this morning. Same thing. What can you do?
Because she accomplished this Olympic feat at about 10pm last night, Matt was in bed. So, when he got up this morning we put her on her little playmat and let her perform. Matt was pretty excited, and then decided he should teach her to crawl. So, he sat right next to her and kept showing her how to get from her tummy to a crawling position. The scary part? She watched and copied. She couldn't get going, but she did manage to get into position and she managed to move backwards a bit.
As cute as this is, I'm most definitely NOT ready for 2 mobile children. Matt is whirlwind enough. But 2? Scary.
So, after attempting the crawling we went out and got a baby gate. We need several, but we started with a gate for the top of the stairs. Next we need to do the bottom of the stairs and we also want to gate off the kitchen. I'm pretty sure we have a little time. And I'm also pretty sure that I am TOTALLY SCREWED.
But, yay for milestones.
Gymnastics here we come.

If You Can't Beat 'Em ... Join 'Em

Last year when I was running Matt was really interested. By the time spring rolled around he'd follow me for a couple of blocks (with Mike walking) and then they'd go to the park, I'd do my run and meet them at the park. It worked nicely.
Now that Matt is a year older, and wiser, he has decided it's not fair that Mommy gets to go for a run while he stays home. In some ways he's adopted an attitude that Chloe is the baby so he should do grown up things ... like go for a run.
In all honesty, what I enjoy about running is the solidarity. I love listening to music, tuning out any concerns I have and just enjoying the run. Sometimes I plan things in my head. Sometimes not. But, I kind of enjoy the kid break, especially now that I'm around them 24/7. So I wasn't totally keen on Matt joining me.
However, after watching Bob Greene on the Rachael Ray show, and thinking I should encourage this desire to run, I got changed into a running outfit, left my ipod on the table and invited Matt to join me.
He was so excited! (I wish I had that kind of enthusiasm for running)
Instead of my normal running route we went to the local highschool and went to the track. It's a wonderful track. It's springy and new and pretty easy to run on. My rationale was that a) if Matt fell it would be a softer landing than pavement and 2) you can pick your distance. I had visions of getting a kilometre in and Matt wanting me to carry him home. So, the track was perfect.
To be honest, I wasn't terribly hopeful that it would be a fun time. Was I ever wrong. We had a blast.
First of all, Matt is a serious runner. He's 4 years old and has endurance. We both ran 3 laps which is about 1.2 kilometres. So, for me it was a pretty short run. But, he ran the whole time. And he wasn't tired after. No heavy breathing. He was just bored of it.
The whole thing was fun though. We were racing each other and changing lanes. And skipping. Backwards! Of course we had the moment where we had to yell jokes to each other as loud as we could. And we did a lap while singing "It's a Small World." Fun.
I can't say it was the best workout ever. But, the time was good. We chatted on our walk over and back. And I realized all over again that I have a pretty cool kid.
And I'm guessing if we keep this up he'll have no problem going for real runs for me (as long as I don't make them too boring)!

Ahhhh ... summer

It's summer.
It's busy around here.
The wonderful thing about being on maternity leave during the summer is that we can enjoy the lazy summer days I miss at work. So, granted 90% of the days aren't lazy with a 4 year old and 4 month old. But then there are days like today.
Chloe is napping on the couch (she's not rolling yet) and Matthew is curled up in my room watching cartoons. And I finally get some quiet for a few minutes. Ahhhh ... blissful lazy quiet. Quiet time in which I should probably be doing laundry or cleaning. And instead I'm going between reading blogs and watching Regis and Kelly.
I think that this is the first time I have watched my own morning shows since Matt's been home.
So what have we been up to?
We went on an amazing trip to Disney World. Oh how I loved it. Oh how I want to go back. Oh how I am completely obsessed with the Disney message boards, planning another trip and deciding where we will stay. (we're going next May).
There's not enough I can say about our trip. I loved it though. I think I loved it because I am a kid at heart and seeing princesses and characters was amazing. What's not to love about lunching with Cinderella and having breakfast with Mickey? I'd love to say it was all about the kids, but honestly it was also about me. I loved it. I loved standing in line and singing "It's a Small World" to my heart's content with very few strange looks. Love love love.
Matt was totally engrossed. He loved it.
And now, despite the fact that this summer is nice it's dragging. I want to go back. TOMORROW. We're not. But I want to.
In order to pass the time, and get in shape, I've gone back to running. It's slow and it's hard, and I can't push it a lot. Last year I developed 2 running routes that I did regularly - a short route and a long route. I'd just alternate them every day. So far I'm at the short route and I can do it about every other day. So, as I said, a slow start. But manageable. And, I'm not pushing myself. I'm trying to enjoy it and relax into it and not worry so much about time.
And in between all of that we're redoing parts of our house. We're laying a new kitchen/bathroom/hallway floor and putting in a new kitchen. Well, kind of new. We're sanding and painting. I hope it all works out.
I've also discovered the joys od Modge Podge and decoupaging. I've already refinished a bookshelf and 2 shelves for Chloe's Princess room. They are adorned in princesses and sparkles. I love it!
So ... what are you up to?

Noooooooobody!

Yesterday was the grand opening of a Bad Boy Store not too far away from our home. The ads said there was free breakfast and fun stuff, so I thought I would bring Matt to see a store opening.
What I expected was a short line up and a quick wander around the store. What we got - an hour long line up and a packed store. Having said that, we had a really good time. Chloe slept through the whole thing, and Matt loved that they had professional pillow fighters, a mascot (we think it is a squirrel) and lots of cool furniture. He loved being allowed to shout the word "NOOOOOBODY" as loud as he possibly could.
He also really loved Mel Lastman who asked him his name and then shouted "who's better than Matthew? Noooooooooobody." It was cute.
The local newspaper photographers went a little crazy over the moment (it was like Papparazzi!) and I pulled out my camera too.

The other crazy part of the event is that they had these giant bad boy dolls all over the store. They were pretty cool because they are super sized beanie babies that say "nooooobody". Thanks to Matt's newfound popularity the store manager gave him one of these dolls. It was a very kind gesture. But the doll is bigger than Matt. And Matt loves this doll. It's his favourite toy and goes everywhere. Including the doctor. Oy. And, since it's a collector's item ... no garage sales for us.

The only bad part of the day was when Matt was dancing to the music, tripped and fell and got a giant goose egg on his head. I felt pretty bad, but he's a trooper and it didn't ruin his day at all.

Pickles, Anyone?

Matthew is obsessed with pickles. I have no idea why. He loves to eat them and talk about them. His idea of a great gift is a pickle. And, the other day when we went to see a balloon-making clown and she asked what he would like he said "A pickle" (and he was delighted when she made it).
But this pickle obsession has been going on for weeks. Today at the grocery store we spent a good 5 minutes choosing which jar of pickles he wanted to get. It's a little insane.
And I made the mistake of telling him you can make pickles!
We have a good friend who is an organic gardner and sometimes makes pickles out of his cucumbers. So, I told Matt that our friend makes pickles. You would think I'd told him I'm friends with SuperMan. And, Matt has now decided that he would like to make pickles. In fact, he now wants to make pickles for presents.
How weird will it be when everyone we know gets pickles for Christmas. From a 4 year old.
Actually, I'm pretty sure our friend has given us pickles for Christmas and I never thought it was weird. But he's not 4. And he makes lots of gifts from his garden.
Now that I think about it, I think I may call him up and plan out some pickle making adventures.
And here I thought we may try making Jam.

Dance Recital

Yesterday was my niece's Irish Dance Recital.
I realized this is the 3rd year we have gone to a year-end show. It's amazing how times change. The first dance recital we were taking turns keeping baby Paige happy and content during the show. This year Paige was an almost-3 year old dancing along in her seat while we were passing baby Chloe back and forth to keep her happy. (Paige got a flower too!)

As usual, as soon as Kyla hit the stage I had to hold back tears. I'm such a proud aunt.
The show was really fun. We all got into it (though I have had a more than enough Irish jig music to last me awhile).
All the excitement tires a little princess out!

Dentist

Yesterday I took Matt for his first visit to the dentist.
I'll admit that I don't particularly enjoy going to the dentist, so I was quite anxious to find a fn dentist that Matt would like. We built it up a bit and he was so excited to go.
The place where we went has a child-life specialist who takes the kids through the visit to the dentist using puppets and pictures.
Matt, of course, had a bazillion questions and was fascinated by it all. She told him about the "sugar bugs" on his teeth and explained brushing to him. Then he got a purple disolving tablet that showed all the "sugar bugs" on his teeth. Anything that turned purple was a "sugar bug".
He was pretty excited to put the camera in his mouth to check out those sugar bugs and look for cavities.

But the best part of the visit had to be the chair. He went for a ride, got to wear suglasses and shockingly let the dentist not only check and count his teeth, but also do the flouride treatment.
This was cool. When we got there Matt got to choose a tooth brush and then he tried it out and had a "spitting contest" (to see how close he could get his spit to the drain) getting used to his new toothbrush. So when the dentist came in he did a very basic cleaning and check of his teeth using the toothbrush. That's also how he did the flouride treatment. Matt was so comfortable with it all.
The highlight for Matt was learning about "Mr.Thirsty" - the thing that sucks out saliva. He loved it. I was impressed. And, I learned about all sorts of stuff that I didn't know.
Matt got a clean bill of health. His jaw is in good shape, his teeth are straight and he has no cavities! We even got a report card!!!!
I'm guessing he was happy with his experience because when I asked him what he would like to do today his answer was "let's go back to the dentist to get rid of my sugar bugs!"

Kindergarten

Matthew starts school in September and tonight was kindergarten parents' night.
I cannot believe my child is starting school. When I went to the school tonight my heart was pounding. I had that mixed feeling of nervousness and excitement and disbelief that my child will be starting kindergarten in the fall.
Most of the parents were pretty friendly.
I had to laugh because you can totally peg the parents the moment they come in. There are the aggressive parents who must sign their kids up for the best spots for the 1/2 hour and 1/2 day visits. These are the same parents who ask the questions in the presentation that are phrased so that all of us other parents know how plugged-in they are to the education system.
Then there are the been-there-done-that parents who had to announce that they were leaving because they had "heard the spiel" already.
There are the deer-in-the-headlights parents who haven't been in an elementary school since grade 8 grad and can't believe how small the desks are and need to be pointed to the classroom.
I somehow gravitated to the daycare parents. I'm not quite sure how that happened. But, the few people I talked to somehow clued in right away that I'd been doing the daycare thing and we got on the topic of some of the best daycares.
But all in all it was a good evening. I met Matt's teacher and she is really nice. And I met the principal who was a little long winded. Seriously, as interested as I am in the jk/sk curriculum (and I am) I really didn't think it was terribly interesting to see it on a PowerPoint presentation. At this point, as a parent, I'm more interested in what I should be packing for my child's "nutrition breaks" (no longer called lunch and snack) than I am about what the curriculum says about jk/sk splits.
Regardless, it was an interesting evening and I am pretty excited for Matthew. I love his teacher, I know he will too. And there is a water fountain in Matt's classroom. Does life get any better than that? (when you are 4 - not really!)

SURPRISE!

A week ago my sister and my friends surprised me with the most amazing surprise party for my 30th birthday.
To say I was surprised is an understatement!
We were supposed to be going to a restaurant for dinner with a couple of friends. When I got to my sister's house she had me come in for a minute. When I walked in there was a roomful of people there for a fondue party.

Ginny (holding Chloe) me and My Sister Becky

It was pretty special to me. I was shocked to see some of the people who were there. It seems like as we get older and lives get busier it's really hard to get together, and knowing that everyone there had to make some sort of special arrangement (i.e. childcare, changing weekend plans) to make it there made the evening all the more special. And, the fact that nobody spilled the beans (including my 2 & 5 year old nieces) is just a little shocking.
The pictures say it best.

Me (looking shocked) and Susie

(from left) My wondermommies Kerry & Ketly, Ginny, Me & Susie

After dinner we had chocolate fondue. The plan was that we were going to watch Sex & the City on DVD, but we ended up chatting till past midnight and never turned on the DVD. The other people in the picture (who came a little after the surprise part) are my friend Natalie and my cousin Lisa.

A quiet moment with Chloe

Hapy Birthday To Me

Thirty

Today I turn 30!
Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. But, it is kind of funny to now check a different box off when I'm doing surveys, and to say "I'm in my thirties." Yep. Pretty much otherwise no different.
I was thinking today about the difference that 10 years makes. You know, because it has been a decade since my last significant birthday.
A lot has happened since I turned 20. On that birthday I'd been with my boyfriend for a few weeks. That was the first birthday I spent with him. Today is the 10th. When I turned 20 I had a party with a bunch of friends, and that's when he realized he loved me (I already kind of knew). It was a birthday where we couldn't stop saying we loved each other. This year, the I love you was demonstrated by a hot cup of coffee being freshly made just the way I like it, with him changing the baby so I could get dressed.
At twenty I was trying so hard to define myself. I felt that I needed a signature drink, a signature look, a signature lipstick. A signature hairstyle.
At thirty I'm learning that I don't want all of those things set in stone.
Who wants to order the same thing when they go for a drink? I'd much rather try a new girlie drink than have the same boring vodka-cranberry over and over and over.
As for a look? I am pretty particular about well groomed eye brows, but other than that, I want to mix it up. I don't want to have a "mom" look or a "career woman" look. I just want to be me. Somedays that means a killer pair of heels and a tailored skirt. Recently it's meant jeans and flip flops. Whatever. As long as I don't consider crocs a fashion statement I figure I'm doing pretty well.
But most of the stuff about me. It hasn't changed. I'm still the same old person I was. So bring on 30! I'm loving it :)

My Mother's Day Gifts

I love Mother's Day. Mike made mine extra special with some special surprises that were incredible.

And, I loved every minute of it. But, looking back at the pictures, I realized that the best gifts are right here with me.

My Boy

My Girl

Yoga

Tonight I finally made the trek back to the gym.
It's been a long time. Because of a scare early in my pregnancy I took several months off of the gym. (I did walk a lot).
But since I've passed the six week mark and I'm not exactly loving my body, I decided to go back to the gym. I thought I'd get off to an easy start with a yoga class. I debated boot camp, but thought I'd wait a few weeks.
It was wonderful.
This is the first time I've taken an hour away from Chloe, and the class was exactly what I needed. The instructor was fantastic, and when I told her it was my first class since having a baby she made sure I didn't do certain things and that I was okay. By the end of the class my body felt fantastic. It was a pretty mellow yoga class, and it was all about listening to your body, etc. I think this is the first time I really have listened to my body in yoga and not just tried to get everything right.
And the 5 minute part where you just lie on the floor and do nothing. Golden.
For me the hardest part of going to the gym is getting back into a routine. I don't mind being there. In fact I kind of enjoy working out. It's just the initial visit, and sorting out the timing and getting comfortable again.
So going there tonight was important to me. I'm not so anxious about it. Actually, with the exception of a few more dance classes nothing has changed. That's not true. They added some "fun" dance classes. There's one class where each week you learn a new style of dance like salsa or tango and get your workout that way. I can honestly say that kind of a class would be a nightmare for me. Bellydance flashbacks, anyone?
So, for now I'll stick with the easy classes and and see how it goes.

The Birds ... The Shock

This morning a met a couple of WonderMommies and their children at a play place so the kids could run off some steam while we enjoyed coffee.
It was a wonderful morning. There were no calamaties. We had a nice chat. It was a good day.
And then it was time to go.
It was one of those easy departures. Matt was tired and looking forward to a break in the van. Chloe was asleep. We got in the van and got settled when we saw a hoard of seagulls flying toward us. I think there were 5. For some reason it caught my attention and suddenly ..
BANG.
Something slammed into my windshield.
Logically it was a seagull. There was a big gob of red right on my windshield. It was horrifying.
And then suddenly I heard it. Major noise on top of my van.
I almost had a nervous breakdown. There I was, in my van, with a half-dead bird on my roof.
I didn't want to roll down the window for fear of a half dead, or potentially dead bird, falling or flying in my window.
Matthew was in the back seat asking what the noise was and where the birds went. I didn't quite know how to explain to him that a bird was dying on our roof racks. What if the bird got stuck in our roof racks?
By this point I had tried to call my sister (who was across the small parking lot) to solicit her help, but she was in conversation with our friend.
And then two teenaged boys walked past. They looked like nice kids. The kind I hung out with in school. The kind I'd like Matt to grow up to be like. They didn't seem vicious or crazy. But, they suddenly looked at my van, pointed and LAUGHED. I was horrified. Kids these days. Laughing at a dying seagull on my roof.
I tried to ask them about it, but when I refused to roll down my window and I pointed at my roof they almost fell over laughing.
And then I realized I could just drive to Becky and Kerry. Maybe they could help.
Instead. They laughed. They both started laughing.
Finally Kerry convinced me to roll down my window so she could explain. I did. A bit. Just enough that I could hear her and yet no birds could get in my van. (by this point I was actually shaking).
It turns out there was no flailing dead bird on my van.
What happened was a group of seagulls had found a half piece of pizza and were fighting over it when they dropped it on my van window.
One of the seagulls retrieved it and it somehow ended up stuck in my roof racks where the pigeons were fighting with each other - hence the banging noise.
When I drove over to Becky the seagulls followed me and were again attacking the pizza.
That's why everyone was laughing.
I chose not to get out and look.
But halfway home a piece of pizza went flying from my roof.
Is it any wonder I'm a little tired these days?

Who Needs a Personal Trainer?

Really.
I have a four year old.
One of the promises that I made Matthew was that when we stayed home I would take him to the local playgrounds. One of the great joys of our neighbourhood is that we are surrounded by playgrounds.
I did a drive around the area, and discovered 5 playgrounds that are various walking distances away. And we also have one in our townhouse complex (though it's just okay).
So, today Matt got on his trike and I put Chloe in her stroller and we went to one of the parks. It was about a 20 minute walk. A twenty minute FAST walk because Matt can ride that trike. Half the time I was practically running to keep up with him.
And, unlike when you're working out with a trainer, you can't exactly just say "no more. I've had it" with the realization you're paying. No way. If I don't keep up there is the distinct possibility that he could ride on to the street or run into a pedestrian.
Of course, before we even left for the park we had to eat a healthy lunch. Forget about the junk I may have eaten, Matt dictated a lunch of yogurt parfaits - strawberries, vanilla yogurt and granola. And, when I asked what he'd like for dinner he told me "salad would be nice." Seriously.
I have to admit though, I really enjoyed our trip to the playground. We met my mom there, and Matt played for quite awhile. Between the walk (about 20 minutes both ways) and the playing and our little picnic (apples and muffins) we were gone 2 hours. Matt was thrilled to see Grandma, and the child needs to run off his energy.
The only problem is that now his energy is returning and I'm ready for a nap!

Conversation

Today Matt was eating McDonald's in the van when he dropped some fries.
"Oh DAMMIT!" he screamed as I was driving.
I asked him what he had just said.

Matt: Dammit.
Me: Do you know what that means?
Matt: Yes. It's Spanish for "Oh Shoot"
Me: Really? Who told you that.
Matt: Daddy.

Nice.

Soon it will be Highschool Dances

On Sunday Mike and I took our kids and my older niece to the Toddlers Gone Wild launch party where they danced, got tattooed and ate yummy mini cupcakes (at least licked the icing off) and they danced in bubbles.
They had fun.
So did I.
In a shy way. I was overcome with nerves and took awhile to build up the courage to go say hi to Rebecca Eckler. (but I did, and she's lovely of course). And I could not figure out why my beloved husband kept blushing and acting all weird, until he admitted it was because he was in the same room as Erica Ehm.
The best part though was the kids. I loved watching them dance and play and have a good time.
And, at the end take a little breather and just chat and relax.

Post-Baby Weight Debate

It's been almost 4 weeks since I've given birth and of course my mind has gone to the topic of weight.
Prior to getting pregnant I was trying to lose weight. I had a goal weight of, let's call the number x, and I was, on average, 15 lbs over that number. I had kind of plateaued and had been there for awhile. I was happy there, and a nice enough size, but realistically would have liked to be 15 lbs less.
With Chloe I gained about 25 lbs by the end. So, nothing near the 87 lbs I had to lose with Matthew (that I lost except for 15 lbs, but it took me 3 years). With Matt I was able to lose about 10-15 lbs, and then I had major problems. A huge part of it was over-eating which I later learned should have been attributed to ppd. But, the point is, I found that the numbers didn't really come down. Or, they did and would go right back up.
For me it was horrible going clothes shopping because we had very little money, so I was watching every penny I spent, but nothing fit. And, really, the larger you are the worse cheap clothes look on you. (I could show you pictures). And I refused to wear my maternity clothes. Talk about setting yourself up for disappointment.
So, with this birth I decided that I didn't want to go through all of that - hence less weight gain. I was worried about how long it would take to lose the weight.
here's the funny thing. I now weigh exactly the same amount that I did before I got pregnant. Great, eh?
Not so much. I still need to wear clothes that are 3 sizes bigger (which, thank God, still lands me in regular sizes). I'm afraid to pull out most of my pre-pregnancy clothes because I know trying them on will be discouraging - and painful. I'm not sure if it's cause of the c-section or because of being pregnant - or both - but all of the excess weight is in 2 places: my boobs (not a bad thing) and my lower tummy. It's like my body has completely re-shaped itself.
I've been doing some research on this, and it is apparently fairly normal, but it can take 1-2 years of exercise and LOTS of sit-ups to get your normal tummy back. That would be fine if I even liked my normal tummy, but I've never liked it. So, who knows ...
I find the whole thing rather baffling. If you think about it, if I'm the same weight now that I was pre-pregnancy and I'm fat in 2 specific places, there should be some places where I am skinnier. Right? Ummmm ... nope. I've looked. I would love it my legs were suddenly more sculpted or I had thinner arms. But no - same old body plus extra tummy. NOT fair.
I'm pretty sure that I can't do sit-ups yet (my doctor said 6 weeks before exercise), but I am walking. And, in a couple of weeks we're joining the Y as a family which means we get to do my favourite exercise - swimming!!! (though bummer that I will need to get a new bathing suit - cause that will be fun times. And a bikini wax. Ouch!)
Part of me is trying to be content at this weight, but then another part of me is thinking that we're going to Disneyworld in July. So, I'll have about 8 weeks to get in some sort of shape - and between eating healthy (easy to do in the summer), and exercising (going to the Y and bringing Matt to the park a lot - and we walk there) I could realistically lose about 10 lbs. Not quite a goal weight. But, enough to like my body a bit better. I can only imagine how many pictures we will be taking while we are there.
What I'd really like to do is come up with some sort of healthy meal plan to keep us all on track for being in slightly better shape for Disney. One day at a time.

Oh, and speaking of working out ... as you may remember, last year I did a 5k race in June. I put it on hold to have the baby, but plan to take it up in the summer or fall.
My friend, Lou, was an amazing help to me. He was the first person I ran 5 k with, gave me tons of encouragement and didn't let me give up when I said that running was not my thing.
Guess what? At the age of 66 he completed the Boston Marathon yesterday! His time was 4:35:31 and he came in 19,114th Place. I was pretty impressed! It's been his goal for a long time to do this, so the fact he made it there is pretty amazing.

Loving Age 4

There's a funny phenomenon happening a our house. Our entire family is loving age 4.
I know.
Weird.
I kept hearing to watch out for the age of 4 because it's called the "f*&%ing fours."
The thing is, I haven't seen it yet. Sure it's early days. But still. I'm loving it.
In the last couple of weeks Matt has decided being 4 means he can do a whole bunch of stuff. For instance, he's insisted for the last year that he CANNOT put his own shoes on (and how fun is it when you're 9 months pregnant putting your child's shoes on?). Then he turned 4. And "four-year-olds know how to put on their own shoes."
And on it goes. Forget about needing help with his clothes, he's 4.
Forget about being bad at a restaurant. As soon as we remind him he's 4 we're back on track.
Add in the whole big brother thing and it's amazing how much of a change is happening in our house. He wants to do his own bedtime routine (brushing teeth, putting on pj's). He's not fighting us in the mornings anymore because he chooses his own snacks to bring to daycare. There's no screaming and crying and bickering.
I think we've been laying the groundwork for this for awhile. But, it's amazing to see how it all comes together.
His new "thing" is the thumbs up. Okay, so I taught it to him, and I do it a lot. But, it's just a really easy way to say "good job" if he's listening well or doing something great. And, he's totally adopted it. I LOVE it!
Really. I just love age 4.
Matt has about 9 days left in daycare, and I'm finding that I'm looking forward to being home with him and his craziness full time.

Soooo Exciting!

So, have you seen it?

Of course I'm excited about this ... it's Rebecca Eckler's new book "Toddlers Gone Wild".
Here's the truth, I haven't read the whole book yet. It's a quick read, but like all good books, I'm hesitant to read it too quickly because then I will be done.
But so far, I'm LOVING this book.
It's funny. And it's quirky in a good way. And, since when I do get a chance to read I'm interrupted by a baby who needs to nurse or a 4 year old who wants to discuss Buzz Lightyear, the fact that it's all short sections is fantastic.
And, of course I love it even more than I would have anyway because my son, yep my son (!), is quoted in it. Adorable.
My confession. I've been sick since the weekend, but yesterday I was super sick - like shivering, high fever kind of sick, and so today I decided to not make any plans to do anything but sit at home, chill with Chloe and finish reading my book.
Can anyone think of a better day? Well, actually, a better day would be doing that without still sniffling, coughing and having a fever. But, whatever. Perfection.

Matt turns 4!

Matt blowing kisses to his fans

Matt's fourth birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and this past Saturday was his birthday party. After his party he officially decided he is 4!
So far I'm loving 4. He's been such a sweetheart and is working very hard at being a big boy. Here are some pictures of his birthday party. I'm not posting many because a) it was kind of hard to supervise and take pictures and b) I don't think it's fair to post other kids' pictures without their parents permission.
A lot of the kids who came to the party were daycare friends. We just gave our 2 weeks notice at the daycare, so I think next year will be junior kindergarten friends. I still can't believe I have a 4 year old!!!

Mike's masterpiece - an arial firetruck cake

How old is Matt???

Just before we left Matt told me that "Chloe was a really GWEAT birfday gift." What can possibly top that for his 5th birthday? Twins?

My Kids are Cute

I know ... we all think our kids are cute, but really sometimes I look at Matt and Chloe and am blown away by how beautiful they are.
At first I thought they looked alike, but as my friend told me, babies change every day, and really every day I see something different in Chloe. I'm still not so sure that she looks like someone in particular. Maybe she will - who knows.
As for Matthew. He's 4 now. Insane, I know. And, he's such a little boy. Even last year I could see the baby in him, but now I just see the kid.

Matthew Gardening

Our Happy Baby

And what other excitement is going on at our house? Let's see. Our street has been completely ripped up and we're getting new watermains. Exciting, no? It is to 4 year old boys, husbands and local highschool students who sit and watch the construction. Even a class of daycare kids came to see the action today.
Actually, it's kind of interesting to have all sorts of construction people right outside my door. It's quite fascinating to watch the whole process. And it sure beats a water main breaking and flooding my basement!

I Survived Day One

As any new parent will tell you, the first day that your spouse goes back to work after the birth of a baby is a little daunting.
When Matthew was born I was terrified. I clearly remember the day before. Mike drove us to pick up some necessary supplies at the drugstore and then we decided to get lattes from Starbucks. Since it was a busy day I stayed in the car with Matt while Mike got the lattes, and Matt started screaming which quickly turned into crying. By the time Mike returned to the car I was in tears also. By the time we got home I was pretty much panicked about being alone with an infant all day, and Mike was more than a little worried about leaving me alone.
I've told the story about a million times, about how that first day I was home alone, my neighbour came over and introduced herself, and in the end it all worked out okay.
That same neighbour (who now no longer a neighbour, but is a very close friend) sent me an e-mail last week telling me it will be okay this time.
And, today was that first day.
Okay, so granted Mike came home at lunch, both my mom and sister were by, and I have a calmer baby. But still...
It was weird.
The day started off a little rough with Chloe actually crying a LOT because she was a little under the weather. (she's fine).
But, I felt lonely.
I can't really go out to any mommy groups right now. Physically, the c-section is still taking its toll and I'm exhausted.
Emotionally I'm still kind of up and down. Like, when I tried to read Chloe's birth announcement to Matthew I started to cry. I'm not quite ready to meet new people when I'm just a couple steps away from an emotional meltdown at any given moment. How crazy is it that when I tell people that Chloe is a good nurser my eyes water. Forget about trying to announce that Matthew just turned 4. It's a little ridiculous.
So, for now, Chloe and I are getting reacquainted with our friends Regis and Kelly, Rachael Ray, Oprah and of course Marilyn Dennis (why is it that both Matthew and Chloe can sit transfixed and watch Brian Gluckstein for an entire hour of Cityline????).
The good news is I'm learning a lot. For instance, did you know it's not the end of the world if you don't have 8 glasses of water every day? Or how about if you cut out a tablespoon of butter everyday you could lose 2 lbs in 10 weeks. And, did you know Kathy Lee Gifford host the 4th hour of the Today Show? It's true. I didn't even know that there was a 4th hour of the today show. I've discovered that Valerie Bertinelli REALLY annoys me (almost as much as Marie Osmond) and that Whoopi Goldberg has no fashion sense.
Okay, really, I can't wait till I can get out and about more.
But at least I made it through day 1 and it only gets easier from here... right?

As If ...

Seriously ...
Last night was a pretty good night. We swaddled. We used the bassinet. Chloe slept.
Matthew went to bed feeling a bit feverish - nothing Motrin couldn't fix.
When Matt, Chloe and I got up I sent Mike back to bed since he was looking pretty tired. And, so there we sat - Mommy and her 2 babies - feeling pretty good. We had calm, we were all watching Buzz Lightyear. When it was over I asked Matthew if he wanted to hold Chloe.
It was a total Kodak moment until I reached over and gave Matt a hug and realized that he was covered with a rash. And holding the baby. Crap.
After panicking and waking Mike up I realized that we probably didn't need to go to the hospital. (in all fairness, this child hasn't had a rash in more than 2 years). Instead I called our amazing new doctor's office and spoke with the nurse who completely calmed me down. She explained that it's likely that the rash is from the fever and that he's not suffering from anything serious. And, she has even squeezed us in for an appointment after Chloe's well-baby visit.
So, today isn't going exactly as planned.
Oh the joys of parenting!

UPDATE: Matthew is fine. The rash was from the fever, and he's feeling much better. Though we're really glad his birthday party is next weekend - not tomorrow. By the end of the visit he had us all laughing over some of his comments. He was such a cutie.

This Saturday's Toronto Star ...

In case you're interested (why wouldn't you be???) Chloe's birth announcement will be in this Saturday's Toronto Star.
It's a miracle since I got kicked off their website about 6 times, managed to place a very expensive ad by accident, had that deleted and finally had a helpful woman figure ad placement out for me. Honestly, why make an online system that doesn't work????
Anyway ...
If you get the Star on the weekend, check it out. And, if you know me in person, save it for me. If you live too close to my house good luck finding a copy. I'll be sending Mike out to buy a bunch of newspapers.
As for the sleep situation - a nice afternoon nap made everything better. Matthew seems to be on the mend, and my WonderMommy dinner has arrived. All is well in my world again!

And I said it was easy ...

That was all till last night hit!
After a really nice dinner that our friends brought over, the evening became a bit of a challenge. First we realized that Matthew, who usually doesn't feel the need to go to bed EVER was lying on the floor saying he was sleepy.
Mike took his temperature and discovered that Matt had a fever, and truly wasn't feeling well. So, we let him sleep in our bed and then had some time with Chloe before I went to bed.
Not too bad.
Until Chloe realized it was night time which must mean time to eat and eat and eat. Instead of being the angel baby that we know and love, she ate and cried ALL NIGHT. From 10:30 till about 7 am she ate at least once an hour. And, when she did sleep, she refused to go in the bassinet because then she would scream some more. I was getting crankier and crankier. She was getting crankier and crankier. Finally at about 4:30 we both fell asleep while she was nursing and we woke up 2 hours later in the exact same position. weird.
to add to the fun of the evening, I had decided earlier in the day that I didn't want to be taking all the pain medication I was prescribed. So, instead of just taking a lower dose to wean myself, I just stopped taking anything. So, once Mike convinced me to take pain meds just a little longer things felt a little better. But, it took awhile for all of it to kick back in.
Needless to say, today I'm a little tired.
Matt is home from daycare today because he still has a fever, and the last thing we want to do is have him sick on his birthday. And, quite honestly, neither Mike nor I seem to have the energy to fight with him about getting dressed, going to daycare, etc etc. Besides, Matt has decided that he's really into watching Cityline and that is what we're doing today. And, hopefully we'll have a nice long nap this afternoon.

We're Home!

Yesterday evening, around 7:30 we all arrived home, safe and sound and in one piece!
We thought we would be home earlier, but Chloe had a jaundice test and it was borderline, so they extended our stay so we could enjoy one more yummy hospital lunch before going home. Luckily she passed the 4pm blood test, and we were allowed to go home.
Life with Chloe has been pretty wonderful!
I am totally in love with this baby. She's got a very sweet personality. She sleeps a lot. Basically, she wakes up to nurse and then looks at us for awhile and goes back to sleep.

I had fully planned to formula feed. With Matthew nursing was a major struggle. He cried a lot and rarely slept, and when he was hungry he just screamed more. Chloe is a little different. Because she is laid back, and I'm more relaxed about things, nursing has been a joy.
From the first time I tried to feed her she latched beautifully, and I can honestly say that the bonding experience everyone told me breastfeeding is actually is true in this case. I'm thrilled.
We're still going to introduce formula so I can get more sleep and have more flexibility. But, all that will come in time. For now I'm just enjoying being a new mommy and all that it entails.

My c-section went really really well.
I'm in very little pain (okay, thanks to pain meds). There were a few moments where I was in agony, and I'm still taking the stairs slowly, but I'm not complaining. The incision is healing beautifully, and I'm not in a ton of pain. And, because Chloe is so tiny the incision isn't sore when I nurse.

I was surprised by how low the incision is. When I asked my doctor how low it is she told me that it's called a bikini incision, and she is confident that when warm weather is here the incision will be healed. GOOD TO KNOW!!!
It's all about getting into a bikini :)
Anyway, here are some pics.
I'm still feeling a bit groggy from all the meds, so I'm not sure if this makes tons of sense but I wanted to show you my little girl.
Matthew is doing very well also. He is loving the new role of Big Brother, and has already been showing Chloe how to play with toys. She particularly enjoyed playing catch with him.
And as for the cats ... Rosie, the kitten, is confused. Mojo is standoffish. We're all good around here!

Much Anticpated Pictures!

And here she is:

Introducing: Chloe Jessica!

On behalf of Mommy Laural and her husband and son, here is little Chloe.

I can assure you Mommy Laural is doing well and little Chloe is a jewel!

More pictures will be coming soon!

A Little Princess

She's a girl!
Chloe Jessica was born at 12:29 pm today, March 28, 2008.
She is tiny - 6 lbs 6 oz.
We are totally in love.
Mommy is sore from a c-section, but managing the pain.
We will post pictures soon.

Tomorrow is the Big Day!!!

I'm so excited!
I've done the requisite blood tests. I've had the tour of the ward. I've met with the nurses. I've had the explanation of the spinal vs. epidural vs. spinal/epidural. In case you're wondering - I will likely have the spinal.
And, I feel more than ready.
In 24 hours or so we'll be pretty much ready to go. We'll be dropping Matt off at daycare and then off to the hospital.
I've been told that with a planned c-section there's a lot of "hurry up and wait" so I plan to bring some magazines and relax as much as I can while I wait for everything to happen.
Truthfully I'm just so excited to cuddle this new little baby.
We will be posting an update here. I'm not exactly sure when, but check back if you want to see pictures and stuff.

5 Days to Go!

Am I ever counting down!
I figure that this will likely be my last pregnancy picture. This was my Good Friday outfit. I was pretty impressed that I actually found something that was comfortable!
Depending on who you ask, I'm carrying either high or low. I've either dropped or I haven't. I look like I'm carrying a girl or I'm carrying a boy!!!
Confusing.
So, what do I think?
I'm definitely carrying lower than I did with Matthew. I don't think I've dropped. I don't think my face has changed all that much, but I don't really know what that means.
I haven't spoken much about my weight this pregnancy. But, since several people have asked me, with Matthew I gained around 80 lbs. (I started off a lower weight than with this baby). This time I'm hovering right around the 20 lbs mark. As much as I'm ready to have this baby, I have to say that I'm way more mobile this time around and in a lot less pain.

The Countdown is ON!

Tomorrow I have my 2nd last pre-natal appointment. And the countdown is ON!!!!
I will be having my baby in two weeks from tomorrow (or sooner!). I'm soooo excited. Okay and a little nervous.
What am I worrying about?
A) Having a c-section
B) Not having a c-section.
I kind of want to go into labour before my scheduled date, throw all caution to the wind and go with the flow. I've got lots of people supporting me in this (my doctor included) with the final decision being if it doesn't happen on its own then d-day is March 28th. I'm totally okay with that.
And ... I have lots to do in the next couple of weeks. I have the weekend projects that include my husband like a little more clean up (sorry sweetie) and installing the car seat.
And then there's my other list.
I've got to fix my hair colour.
I need to get my nails done.
I would like to get my eyebrows done.
I need a bikini wax.
I want to sort through baby clothes.
I need to buy a nursing pillow.
I also need to carve out relaxation time. Ahhhhh! Sweet afternoon naps. I love afternoon naps. I have borrowed a couple books from my friend and I may even pull out some scrapbooking stuff. My goal is to fill my time so I'm not wishing the next two weeks away.
A week on a beach would be nice also, but I'm guessing that's not in the cards.
Of course, Easter is also coming up. It's an early easter this year. Matthew was born just before Easter on Passover and we brought him home on Good Friday. (it was a late Easter). Part of me is thinking it would be nice to have the baby before Good Friday. But, whatever, I don't think that will happen.
But ... wishful thinking.
Plus, tomorrow is my last day of work. Yippee!!!!

So Close ...

I have 16 days left of pregnancy.
I have 2.5 days left of work.
I'm done! I'm totally looking forward to a couple of weeks to unwind, nap, watch tv and do very little else before this baby makes her grand entrance.
That is, if she doesn't show up early!!!
Here's the thing ... I'm the world's most impatient person! I'm trying to concoct all sorts of ways to bring on labour. Nothing is working. I do get contractions, but I think that's normal in a second pregnancy. Nothing else happens. Boring.
And, the contractions all happen at the weirdest times. Like on the GO Train. And while I'm trying to have a little nap on the way home from work my mind goes to scary places, like what would I do if it were real contractions or if my water broke while on the train. Or standing on the platform, or walking from Union Station to work.
Anyway, I've unlocked my blog for awhile. You know ... just in case the baby comes early. I plan to post here and also send an e-mail.

Checking In ...

It's been a long time since my last post.
Things have been a little busy in our neck of the woods. I have one week left of work, and at about 36 weeks pregnant here I'm getting tired!
It's funny wrapping stuff up at work. It's hard figuring out which files to keep, pass to others, etc. And, I still need to write some sort of e-mail to everyone explaining who to contact for various things. I was working on the wording of my e-mail last week and I was laughing when I realized that I have worked on enough projects over the last couple of years (the last year in particular) that I'm referring people all over the place - from my department to lawyers, etc.
Hopefully it will all sort itself out.
And, of course I argued to keep my blackberry on mat leave. There are valid reasons for this, but I do believe it is entirely possible to go into blackberry withdrawal! And I will want to keep up.
Otherwise, things are going well with my pregnancy. Of course I'm hitting the point of being of uncomfortable. But, that's pretty typical. I'll be glad to have a couple weeks off to prepare for the baby, and you know, nap! As much as I want this baby to come early I also wouldn't mind a few days to finish getting ready.
Speaking of getting ready ... we're getting there. Last weekend we bought a ton of stuff in Buffalo (no, not a car seat or crib, don't worry) and then this week I had a shower held by my friends at work, and also a lunch out with a lovely gift from the people I work with. I was really pleasantly surprised and touched.
We're now trying to get our house in order, buy the stuff for my hospital bag (this snow is not helping me!!!) and chill till the big day arrives. That would be 19 days or less. Woo Hoo!
I know I've had my blog locked for awhile. I'm thinking of unlocking it (or taking off the password protection) for a few weeks once the baby is born so that I can post pictures and updates.
I've been playing around a bit with the template to take off some stuff that was bugging me (like the facebook link) so I'm not quite as worried. And, thanks to the fact that one of our work intranet designers showed me a little bit about understanding html coding I figured that all out on my own!
I think that's it for now.

Birthday Plans

Despite the fact that I've been almost obsessively planning for the birth of the new baby (seriously, my husband gets weekly to-do lists) one important thing that I have not forgotten is Matthew's upcoming birthday.
As long as all goes according to plan, I'll be having a c-section in 11 weeks from today.
Matthew's birthday is 12 weeks from today.
And, yes, we will be having a birthday party.
I know that sounds a little crazy, but when your child is in school or daycare, birthday parties become a huge deal. Matt talks about his constantly. And, I really don't want to let his birthday fall through the cracks.
Four is a big deal. He gets it this year.
For months he has been talking about his birthday party. He wants it at "the tree store" which is a local indoor playground that we booked last year. He has created his list of friends. Well, it's a changing list of friends that varies in age from his one-year-old second cousin to his 98 year old great grandad, but there are some constants such as his cousins and his friend Austin.
And now we are on to a theme.
Last year's theme was Monster Trucks.
This year we are having a fire truck theme.
I'll be honest, I'm getting a little nervous about it all. I mean, excited, yes, but worried that we won't pull it off.
Can we even bring a 2 week old to an indoor playground? Matthew has made it clear that even if I'm sick I will still be at his party. And if I go I think the baby goes.
Actually, I think we're a little insane.
Who books a birthday party 2 weeks after a c-section? I think I may be calling in the WonderMommies for a little crowd control (we shall discuss over coffee and pedicures) and hope that it all turns out well.
How stressful can a birthday party be? Ha. Not stressful at all :)

Family

I try hard to be a good mom.
My husband tries hard to be a good day.
And, occassionally we screw up. Our plans not to argue in front of our child don't always work out. We shout when we shouldn't. We have a short fuse at times. And, sometimes we step back and worry that perhaps we should be better parents.
But, then there are the days when we realize that despite the craziness of our lives, and the stress that comes along with it, that maybe we're not doing such a bad job.

Yesterday Matthew drew a picture of us, as a family.(and, since when can he draw people???).
To me it was a pretty amazing moment.
I've posted it below, but feel free to enlarge it. Matt explained it to me in detail.
It's Mommy and Daddy holding hands because we love each other. Matthew is holding Daddy's hand because I have a baby in my tummy.



So, maybe I'm not perfect all the time. But, if this is how Matt views his family I think we're doing pretty well.

Happy New Year's everyone!!!