A Crazy Day

Ever have one of those days?
Not bad, pretty good, but crazy? That was my day yesterday.
It started by making fluffernutters for breakfast and got crazier from there.

First let's discuss my outfit, shall we? I like this dress. I think. But, Mike thinks it makes me look super pregnant. (I'm 18 weeks ... I have a ways to go)

And the other stuff ...

I got stopped in the bathroom at work by a lovely lady who wanted to discuss my pregnancy. Apparently my facial structure has changed and is thinner, and therefore I am having a girl. Nice - on both accounts. I like a thinner face, and a girl would be nice.
However, I was just told by someone else that I am definitely carrying a boy.
The inner psychic comes out in people.
No, it won't be a surprise. But no, I do not know yet.

What else was there? Well, let's see - the regularly scheduled conference call I had this morning (that I maybe double booked assuming it would be short) was the longest conference call ever. And, I surprised myself by understanding every single part of the call (it was technical - I'm becoming web savvy. ooooh!)
And, then I got off the call only to find out in a further e-mail that one of my favourite technical people I work with is helping me with this project ... yay!

And then. We have a rewards program at my office - you get a card where you are congratulated on a job well done. These are few and far between. The source of the card surprised me. And I was flattered. So I sent a thank you e-mail. And, the response I got was so kind. I was called a team player. It's funny because if I had to pick one person who I thought wasn't that impressed with my work I would pick this person. And surprise - I was wrong.
But there's more - someone also today told me that I looked good pregnant. This - on a day where I was feeling kind of gross.

And, then the day ended with an e-mail from a friend from highschool. She had read on my blog (she reads my blog? Hi Jen) that I'm going to Florida in the summer, and she lives near where we will be. And she wants to go for coffee. I'm thrilled, but also amazed. I would never have thought that when I go to Florida I will be able to keep up with a long lost friend. And, what is memorable about this friend? Well, let's just say she introduced me to eyebrow waxing! Truly truly appreciated, my friend. Truly.

And tomorrow - Bill Day! Yippee

An Ode to AndreAnna's Fluffernutters

For anyone who is familiar with AndreAnna, you know that she and her daughter are quite fond of the "fluffernutter".
I had not heard of this invention until I read her blog. And, I was going to make them in the summer, but fluffernutters and morning sickness don't mix.
Mike has known my desire to try this delicious sounding meal and he pointed out fluff this weekend. And we bought some.
So with no further ado, I present to you our morning breakfast... (maybe not something to try if you are on a health kick)

We started with the basics - fluff, peanut butter and white bread (ignore the half unpainted wall as our house is a work in progress)


Matthew chose the fluff of choice. This is the original fluff. Note the rocking hair do and the Lightning McQueen Jammies. We are styling in our house. Also, note on the shelf behind the Princess Cereal he insists on. Yum Yum.


And Voila! Our Fluffernutter. Of course we made it into a sandwich. And he ate breakfast! Life is good my friends, good.

BRUSH YOUR TEETH

I love going to the dentist!
Always a fun experience. Always.
Last night I had an appointment. Lucky for me it was just a cleaning. When I called to confirm I was told I could come earlier, so we decided to go right after work and then I decided that this would be a great opportunity for Matthew to come along and watch, since it was, afterall, just a cleaning.
I told him he could sit in the chair if he wanted, or just watch, or whatever.
I was surprised at how well he did.
They were really cool. They had a special chair for him to sit on, and they had some toys. The hygeniest who was doing my teeth is amazing. She's pretty much the only hygeniest who I feel comfortable with (as in, I'm pregnant and can't take Adovan, and I didn't panic at all during the appointment). And, she was amazing with Matt.
Of course, his technical nature meant he asked questions about EVERYTHING. He wanted to know the name of every single instrument. How I remained calm while she described what all the stuff did is a testament to my parenting skills and the fact that I don't want him to hate the dentist.
The funniest part of the evening was when he saw the machine that takes pictures. She told him it's a camera.
He said "Oh! I thought it was a saw"
And then he went on to explain the many uses for a saw in a dentist's office - from cutting out teeth to building more offices.
And then she started. I was still trying to be calm, not wince, and not get all nervous. I did pretty well till she hit my sore tooth and I said "ow".
Matthew then went on a tirade about "don't hurt my mommy." and "watch out for mommy's tongue."
I finally convinced him that I was fine.
At the end, he refused to sit in the chair. He did not want his teeth checked. He did agree to brush his teeth and let mommy and daddy help him.
All in all a good appointment. Neither of us ran out of there screaming. We had as much fun as you can possibly have at a tooth cleaning. And, though I don't think Matt wants to get his teeth cleaned anytime soon, at least he is terrified of the idea.
But, I have to admit, I kind of love this dentist's office. They are funny and nice, and they totally understand that going to the dentist is not the highlight of my life.

ps I totally shocked her by my new found impressive flossing technique! It's all thanks to flossing picks. They are amazing!

Travel

In July we are travelling to Florida - for a family trip to Disney World. when I say family trip I mean family, as in my parents, my sister's family and our family. That is 10 people (including the yet unborn baby). And, yes, I know what you're thinking, I'm a little crazy to plan a trip to Disney with a 3 or 4 month old. In July.
Crazy.
But we'll have help.
And, I'm thinking that realistically, this child can't be much crazier than Matt was as an infant who NEVER slept. And we took him to Vermont. Vermont/Disney World. Very similar to a baby who will still be seeing in black and white.
And, think of the adorable little Mickey or Minnie Mouse ears. Oh! The Photo Ops!
Anyway ...
I digress.
This post is about travel.
We've been batting around various ideas about how we will get there. With 10 people travelling it adds up.
My dad is the kind of person who absolutely loves researching travel.
He has so far come up with a variety of ideas from flying (the obvious choice - though he has researched several airports), taking a train, driving, or, everyone's favourite, renting a giant motor home that fits 10.
On the weekend we decided to go to an event at a local garden centre. So, my sister loaded everyone up in her van (my parents, the kids, she and I - the husbands were both busy) and we drove the 7 minutes to the garden centre.
My dad was squished in the back between Kyla and Matthew. Paige sat in the middle next to my mom and Becky and I sat in the front. Great. family. fun.
And then Matt did what he does best when he's tired. He started being noisy and annoying. My poor dad who was smooshed between the kids was a good sport. And then Paige started to scream. And then Kyla started to whine.
It was pretty funny.
Especially when Becky and I chimed in that perhaps we should rent a motor home. Cause, how fun would 24 hours of this be.
I think the decision to fly is back on.
I'm thinking we'll load up on Gravol.
I'm looking forward to Disney World. It's getting from point A to point B that I'm a little worried about!

At Least HE was Proud of Himself!

Yesterday morning Mike was going to Canadian Tire. Matthew wanted to stay home with me, so I asked Mike to pick up a couple of items: Mr. Clean and toilet bowl cleaner.
Awhile later Mike got home.
He went through what he had bought and the coolant levels of the van, and then he got very excited when I asked if he had bought my cleaning products.
"Yes I did! But I got you something to make toilet cleaning fun!" he said, as he ran off to get the bag.
I was pretty sure that a cleaning woman did not fit in the bag, but I was holding out hope for a Molly Maid gift certificate.
Nope. He pulled this out.

Yes - Kaboom Bowl Blaster.
Yay! Toilet bowl cleaning will be fun ... for Mike.
To my credit, I didn't get angry or annoyed or anything (bathroom cleaning is, after all, a task we both dread and hate). I just pointed out that he could have all sorts of fun, by himself, cleaning the bathroom.

Now, I will admit, when he dumped the stuff in the toilet which has seen better days, it did foam and it was pretty cool. And, even better it is nice and clean.
An added bonus, it has 50 uses, so really, I won't be cleaning toilets for a really long time.

Moment with Matthew

So I'm into my second trimester with this pregnancy, and according to the books and websites out there, that is supposed to be the fun trimester. You know - where you start to be less tired and stop puking?
Ha.
Very funny.
My day yesterday involved being sick in the morning, nauseous most of the day and falling asleep very early. I'm a full month into 2nd trimester. Seriously, people. I want my energy back!

But, I'm making the most of it.

One of the joys of going to bed early for me is the fact that Matthew and I have roughly the same bedtime. And, Matthew loves cuddling. Or at least being in the same bed as me. I've grown to love this routine. Mike helps Matt get ready for bed and reads him a couple stories while I'm getting ready for bed, and then Matt and I cuddle in bed.

He has a special night light in our room that he turns on, and we usually chat for a few minutes. It's that sleepy kind of conversation where you talk about your day. I hear about his daycare, about the friends he plays with. He talks about stuff like Transformers and bike riding. It's just easy casual conversation without the tv to distract us or other stuff going on.

Sometimes he then gets up and goes to sleep in his own bed. Sometimes he goes and asks mike for another story or some water. Sometimes he falls asleep. I usually fall asleep not long after. The other night he was cuddled in bed with me and about an hour after he fell asleep I woke up. He had rolled over and cuddled up with me. It was one of those beautiful moments that you cherish and know you have to appreciate.

I'll be the first to say that a lot of people don't agree with co-sleeping. I'm not sure that I would want Matthew in my bed all night every night. Mike moves him when he comes to bed. That works for us. Matt is totally okay going to bed in his own bed if we ask him to. And, sometimes he wants to sleep in our bed on one of the rare nights that I'm awake past 8pm.

The truth is, I'm not just okay with this arrangement. I love this arrangement. I'm not one of those people who wishes I had the baby years back. But, on nights when I look over and see my little boy, the child who is so full of life and energy and craziness, lying peacefully next to me, I'm happy. And, I'm filled with so much love and appreciation. It's pretty amazing.

Sure, we need to worry about setting precedents and all of that. But, I just am not worried about that right now. For now it's one moment at a time. And, if I can get some love and joy out of those moments I most definitely will.

My Mathemetician

We're discovering something kind of neat about Matthew lately.
He's really into numbers.
He loves counting and telling us numbers. If he sees a number (i.e. #1) on a parking spot he always has to stop to tell us which number it is. If he sees a number comprised of 2 numbers (i.e. #98) he will say 9 then 8 and ask us what number it is.
And lately, he has been asking us math questions. He continuously asks what "x+x" is. He starts with easy ones that he kind of knows. Like, he'll ask 1+1 and then we will help him figure it out. And then he'll start to ask harder things like 25 + 8.
It's like he's absolutely fascinated by how it all works.
I don't exactly think he's a math genius. After all, he can't figure the questions out. But, it's pretty neat to see the wheels spinning, and to find out what his next question will be.
The weird thing to me is that he has no interest in letters. He knows some, obviously, from daycare. He knows that his letter is M, and he knows a few others. But, for him it's all about the numbers.
It makes me wonder if this is somehow foreshadowing what his interests will be as he gets older, or if it's just the way he's learning.
Personally, I was reading when I was around his age. And, I've always loved reading and writing. I believe this started very young. Of course my parents encouraged me by reading to me, but I really wanted to learn for myself.
I'm not about to decide that this should make him some sort of banker/investment analyst, etc - but I am looking forward to seeing if he continues on this math fascination or not.

I Love Halloween!

I love Halloween! I can't help it. It's so much fun.Pumpkin on Left I carved - Pumpkin on Right Matt did (with help)

I think this was the most fun one so far when it came to Matthew understanding the idea behind it. He was ready for Halloween ... so ready!
We started the day with our annual tradition of going to our neighbouring town's Tiny Tot's Parade with Matt's cousin (and my sister). It's a bit of insanity, but basically you go from store to store collecting candy. This year I thought ahead and brought Matt's "vacation bracelet" or a wrist harness. It was the best idea ever. Matt didn't have to hold my hand, and I managed to keep track of him the entire time.
Genius.

The highlight of Mike's day was after the tiny tots parade we picked up Subway for Mike and brought it to his work. Matthew got to go in and show off his Halloween costume. It was a treat for us to go to daddy's office at lunch time. Obviously, I'm usually at work and Matt is usually at daycare, so we have never actually stopped by for lunch. I have to admit that the combo of Matt being tired from the trick or treating plus hyper from tons of candy did not lead us to stay for a long time - but it was still fun! (and it turned out that many people at daddy's office wore costumes ... hmmm .... Next year I think he may go dressed up)
After a 2 hour nap (seriously, how great was it that I had an afternoon nap on a Wednesday) Matt and I got up and carved our Jack O Lanterns. I let Matt use a little knife under close supervision and he had so much fun. I think his pumpkin was nicer than mine. Oh well! It was fun to carve.

Notice the Knife ... Good parenting!

After all of that it was off to pick up daddy, drop him at home and then go to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner.Lightning McGrandpa

Matt was thrilled because Grandma came trick or treating with us. We went to several houses. One of the highlights was when some girls (maybe about 12 or 13) were so taken by Matt coming and telling them that he loved their costumes that they took candy out of their bags and gave it to him. It was so sweet. And, it kind of made my night to see such kindness!


You may have noticed the tag at the bottom of my post today. I have signed up for NaBloPoMo where I have agreed to post every single day for the month of November. Wish me luck!

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!

Our First Hallowe'en!
(my first sewing project also!)

Last year



And this year's "craft"! Matthew helped.

Not Lightning McQueen ... Lightning McMatthew

More pictures to come ...
Happy Halloween Everyone!

No More Panicking ...

We have a Lightning costume.
Thanks to everyone who so awesomely went out of their way to help - Amy who designed a costume I could craft, Lisa and Darlene who were willing to go shopping for me (cause I was up to my elbows in pumpkins) and of course Darlene who found the costume.
Finding that costume was exciting in and of itself. But more on that later.

Eleventh Hour Panic

We are almost set for Hallowe'en.
We've made treat bags for all of matt's daycare friends. We've bought our candy. We've decorated our house. We have the pumpkin ready for carving tonight.
I've taken the day off work tomorrow and made plans with my sister.
And most importantly we have a costume for Matt.
It's a python costume. He fell in love with it instantly (after I said no to the Cinderella costume). He has talked about it for a month. He has shown it off to his grandparents and some friends.
But ...
Today when I went in to wake him up he was crying. It turns out that he doesn't like snakes - thank God cause I hate them - and he REALLY wants to be Lightning McQueen.
Big surprise.
We asked him at least 20 times if he wanted to be Lightning.
But then he opted out so we did nothing about it.
And now today I have to track down a Lightning McQueen costume. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Obviously my first choice will be to try the Eaton Centre because they have a disney store. But, even if they have the costume I need to somehow get the costume. Today is a crazy busy day at work. We have a big even that I'm helping to run. There is maybe an hour in my day when I'm not working on that event. But I have other work to accomplish in that hour.
Hopefully I can call ahead and get them to hold it - and I can get there and back quickly.
Wish me luck!
If I don't find that costume I may have a very disappointed little boy on my hands.

Almost too embarrassing to admit ...

I'm going to admit to something I tell very few people. Don't judge me - we all have secrets.
Here's mine.
I like prunes! (not the stewed kind - that's just gross)
I know. It's embarrassing. I blame it on my mother who gave us prunes as a treat. I do the same with my son. He cannot get enough prunes. In fact, if I buy them I hide them or else he would eat them non-stop. And we all know what would happen.
But here's the problem. The grocery store by my house, the one where we do most of our shopping, is a very popular place. I often bump into friends or family. And I have gotten to know several of the cashiers.
And I know that people cart snoop. I'll admit - I do it. It's fascinating to see what people put in their carts. So, I always make a point of buying non-embarrassing items. Feminine products are purchased at the drug store. Cans of tuna are buried at the bottom of my cart.
And I would never think to purchase prunes.
Luckily today I went to bulk barn while Mike and Matt were in another store.
I looked around the store, noticed no one familiar and seized my opportunity. I went to the gigantic prune bin at the back of the store and started scooping. I was interrupted by a man in his early 50's laughing at me. Seriously. Laughing.
"Ha ha ha. I knew I forgot something," he said, pointing at the prunes. At first I thought he was serious. Then he kept laughing. And added "what does a young on like you need with prunes?"
I had no answer.
He walked away. I almost died. Who says stuff like that? Really. And, then I found it hysterical. And could not stop giggling. I should have worn a disguise.
When we got in the van I told Mike the story. He hates prunes, and he thinks that the fact we buy them is really weird - and gross. I asked him if he would be embarrassed buying prunes at the store. Apparently not. As long as he doesn't have to eat them he has no problem buying them.
I think Mikey just got himself a new job.

My funny Boy and My Pumpkin Picture

Tonight in the van:
Matt: Mommy I have a new name for you
Me: What is it?
Matt: SuperMommy
Me: I love that name. You can always call me that.
Matt: You're my best friend, SuperMommy!

I love this child.

Later in the van we were playing with a glow ball thing from when Matt was a baby. It's about the size of a soccer ball.

Me: That was yours when you were a baby. Now this will be a toy for the new baby.
Matt: This is for the baby?
Me: Yes
Matt (horrified): You want me to stick this in your tummy????

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And this is what I did on Thursday at work (I'm on the far right). Like the boa? I had no complaints. It could be worse; I could have been wearing the costume in the middle.

The Highs and Lows of Pumpkins and Doctors

Today I was standing on the train platform with my brother-in-law (who has been car-less this week) and I told him I had a feeling it was going to be a weird day.
Boy was I right.
My day started with an early morning meeting about our intranet for which I am the webmaster - stop laughing. It's true. So, I basically sat in a meeting where our consultants and one of our IT people tried to explain to me the difference in analytical software while I looked at my manager and occasionally nodded and acted like I understood.
And then the meeting was interrupted by my cell phone ringing. It was security - telling me that the day's entertainment had arrived. Ohhhh boy!
Want to know how I spent my morning? I escorted a strolling pumpkin around my office. Together with one of my colleagues, I donned black clothing, an orange boa, hundreds of pieces of halloween candy and went to every.single.desk in my office handing out candy and Hallowe'en cheer. This involved not only walking up and down floors in our building but walking through the underground path to another building and handing out candy to a much less receptive, yet still eager for chocolate group.
It was quite a day!
The good news is that I put a lot of faces to names.
When you're in a company of about 400 people you often hear people's names or see them on e-mail, but you don't know who they are. So, it was fun. Plus, walking around with candy makes you instantly popular.
But, there were a few things I observed today.
1) When random strangers see a pumpkin strolling in the lobby of a famous Toronto Hotel (the Royal York) they don't look twice. However when they see 2 women wearing orange boas and carrying candy they take a second look.
2) When a pumpkin mascot talks to random strangers in coffee shops, they talk back. We stood in line waiting for coffee for about 5 minutes, and our mascot struck up a conversation with the man behind her in line. He had a completely serious discussion with her about how using compost material to grow pumpkins they get huge. He told a story about a 250 lb pumpkin. The best response ever was when she said "clearly I was not grown in compost." (maybe you had to be there)
3) There are a shocking number of people who do not say thank you when given candy.
4) There are just as many people who are willing to give you money for candy even when you aren't asking.
5) Women dressed as pumpkins can say things to senior staff that most people could never get away with.

All in all, my day was hysterical. Pictures to come ... tomorrow.

And, once our pumpkin left I checked my messages. I received an urgent message from my OB's receptionist asking if I could possibly come for my appointment today instead of tomorrow due to scheduling issues.
Of course I did.
One of the perks of handing out halloween candy was that I was allowed to eat as much as I wanted. I had weighed myself this morning. I then got weighed at the OB's office (where the scale weighs me about half a pound less than my home scale.) I weighed 2.5 lbs more than I did several hours before.
Holy cow!
Anyway, the appointment went well. I heard the heartbeat. We decided that I was going to have a c-section for sure. I was told I need to eat more red meat. All is good. Well, except that the OB thinks I'm at risk for pre-natal depression so I have to go to a life cycles stages clinic (or something like that - it's a nice way to say psychiatrist) because she feels that my exhasution and anxiety is more depression related than hormone related.
I thought I was pretty upbeat today. But, apparently she's worried. I think it was maybe my obsessive questions about birth and the what ifs and if she could please put on my file no forceps. But, she also said she wants me to meet the staff before I have my baby because I will meet with them for post-partum depression while I'm still in the hospital (probably).
Anyway - this isn't something to be worried about. I think we're being pro-active here. I also think I have a doctor who sees through my "life is great" facade and that's probably good.
But, I'm also not willing to let depression take over.
Too bad I can't run. Because running was the one thing that allowed me to chase any sad feelings away.
But, the good news is that I got my ultrasound requisition.Three weeks till I know the gender. I Can't wait!!!!

Dinner At My House

Anyone curious about dinner tonight?
No? Well you should be.
Mike is eating some sort of spicy Vietnamese Beef stir fry thing and mashed potatoes and rice. All purchased from the takeout counter at the grocery store.
Matthew is eating a candy apple.
At least part of it is healthy. He is very sticky and covered in red candy goo. I doubt he'll eat anything else. It's a huge candy apple. Again, there is some nutritional content.
And me?
Nothing.
I'm trying not to look at the food in front of me. I'm debating making some soup, but I think that may just kill me.
Is there such a thing as "evening sickness". Can I take diclectin at night? I'm asking my ob on Friday.
Thank God tomorrow is crock pot Thursday. If it weren't for my sister I don't think I would eat healthy any night at all.

Transformers

Optimus Prime


We have had a blissful couple of Treehouse free evenings this week because as a family we decided to watch the Transformers movie.
I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when Mike picked it up. I mean, I knew he would love it for himself (since he played with transformers as a kid), but I wasn't sure if it would be too scary for Matthew.
The thing is, Matt is rather obsessed with Transformers these days and sleeps with his Optimus Prime Truck, so I figured we would turn it on and hope for the best. If it got scary we would turn it off.
I was shocked because it was actually a really funny, enjoyable and not too scary movie. I'm not sure I would recommend this to all parents of little kids. In fact this is not a movie I would let my Sound of Music loving nieces watch, but
since Matt knew about Transformers already, to me it was okay.
What I liked about it was that one of the key things about the good guys (the Autobots) is that they do not hurt humans. They say this many, many times. So, Matt knew they were nice to people.
And, throughout the movie you get a sense that things will turn out well. Really, Matt kept saying "I'm not scared. The good guys will save the day."
Not to ruin for anyone, but yes, of course the good guys save the day.
There were some touch and go moments like when Matthew's favourite character, Bumblebee, almost died twice. We kept having to say "Bumblebee is okay" and thank goodness Bumblebee was okay. I'm not sure I could have explained the whole idea of sacrificing himself for the greater cause. Besides, by the end I really liked Bumblebee too.
And, the movie is FUNNY! When the Transformers start talking using the English they learned on the Internet it's pretty funny.
Okay, so maybe this isn't everyone's taste in movies, but I loved it! And so did Matt. And, really, a 2-day reprieve from Max and Ruby, Timothy and Little Bear is sooooo worth it!

Bumblebee the Car ...

Bumblebee The Transformer

Best. Diet. Ever!

As anyone whose read my blog very long knows, I worry a lot about weight.
I've tried lots of diets, done weight watchers, you name it. And yet I still struggle with weight. I'm kind of used to it. It's something that's been an issue my entire life.
When I was pregnant with my son I could not stop eating. I was constantly hungry. And, I ate all the time.
This time round things are a little different. I've noticed something very odd about my eating habits - I'm hungry from 10 am -2 pm.
If I don't eat then it's quite possible I will not eat the rest of the day. I didn't plan this. In fact, it's rather inconvenient because 5 out of 7 days I am at work and I either have to bring my lunch and plan ahead or I spend a lot of money on food.
Regardless, my food intake is bizarre. I usually eat a piece of toast when I get up, and then I start eating again at 10. I usually have some cheese or yogurt. Then sometimes a bagel. And, then I have lunch. I try to make it kind of big (like a cobb salad from Lettuce Eatery - YUM!) because I'll be done for the day. If I have soup at night it's a milestone.

Honestly, I've always thought people who say "I'm just not hungry" were lying. My sister is often quite content with a bowl of peas for lunch. Seriously. And then a healthy dinner. She's very thin. And, she'll tell me that she's not hungry. My mom will say "I forgot to eat lunch" and I've always kind of thought that was a little weird. For me forgetting meals has never been something I would do.
It's like following Weight Watchers when they say to stop eating when your stomach is full. I never followed that advice because honestly, in my mind that is a LOT of food.

And now, suddenly, I get it. It's like something has triggered my brain to realize when my stomach is full. I've been trying to get this trigger for the last 29 years. And suddenly it happened.

Part of me thinks this is a pregnancy thing. Part of me hopes it isn't. My mom said that maybe it's a mindset that I've been working on developing. Or, perhaps I'm so worried about gaining 87 lbs in this pregnancy, like my last, that I'm subconsciously monitoring my food intake.

Whatever. It works for me. I haven't gained much yet. And, I'm hoping this sticks. Now - and after.

Not Exactly a Blind Date ...

But, I have to admit that getting ready on Saturday morning I sort of felt that way when I was getting us all ready to meet some people we'd never met in person. You see, on Saturday we had lunch with Sci-Fi Dad, Multi-Tasking Mommy and their adorable daughter.
Okay, so it all started over a mutual love of Lonestar/Cheesecake Factory, and when Sci-fi dad alerted me to the fact that his Lonestar has Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake - I was in. And, besides, how could I turn the opportunity to meet a couple of bloggers who I kind of felt like I already knew.
Here's the thing. I was nervous. I knew Mike would be shy, and I also knew Matthew may or may not behave. But, I shouldn't have been.
It was a LOT of fun. Okay, well, once we actually found each other (after a "you just walked past the restaurant" phone call) it went really well.
I stopped stressing about Matt after a couple minutes, and had a really good time. It was cool to meet people that you feel you would like - and then actually do. And, it was neat to have a conversation about blogging with people who share a similar philosophy.
Anyway, hope you guys had as much fun as we did. And, our art work staircase is even more adorned with artwork :) (except for the pumpkin which we weren't allowed to hang because we have to show everyone.)

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And just a little Matt story because it was HILARIOUS.
Yesterday Rosie was annoying Matt and he decided to push her away by gently kicking her. Even though it was gentle, kicking the cat is a definite no-no and I told him so. And then I said let's think of other ways we can get Rosie to move.
"We can lift her."
Sure.
"We can talk to her."
sure.
"we can dress like ghosts and scare her." And with that he put a red blanket over his head and proceeded to try to scare the cat. She thought it was a game and climbed the ghost. I couldn't stop laughing, and Matt looked at me completely seriously and said "I guess Rosie's pretty brave."

True.

Sisters ...

Yesterday I rode home on the train with a friend of mine. More specifically she was a friend of my sister's and she lives next door to my parents.
We know each other kind of well, in the sense that we've been neighbours and we had a lot of similar friends, and so when we see each other on the train there is usually stuff to chat about. In our case yesterday we were talking about work.
She was mentioning how she got her job and then referred her sister who now works with her. They've worked together in the past, and get along really well. And, it just seemed natural. As she got talking about her sister and the topic of mine came into the conversation it just seemed totally natural that our sisters were so involved in our lives.
Then last night I had my sister's girls over for a few hours. They were eating a bowl of Fruit Loops together - Paige would ask for a specific colour and Kyla would hand it to her. It was such a natural act. It wasn't thought out. They weren't trying to be "good" - they were watching tv and sharing a treat.
Natural.
And, it got me wondering how on earth you foster relationships like this.
I will say I'm incredibly lucky to have a sister like I do. And, I think at some point we made a decision, somewhat unconscious, that we were going to choose to be sisters and friends. (and this decision I would say, was made when we were no longer sharing a bathroom!).
But, I think it is more than that.
I've been observing different sets of siblings. Some get along really really well. Some can't stand each other.
One of my friends would tell you that she avoids her sister as much as possible - even though she loves her she just doesn't like her.
Is it parenting? Maybe. I think my parents, specifically my mom, played a role in it - she learned when to referee and when to step back and let us go at it. But now that we have a second baby coming I'm wondering what I can do - or if I can do anything. And, if it's different for boys that girls.
Now - please say you know what movie the picture above is from.
If you don't - here's another clue ...
And, though I know the family loves it when Becky and I do a little rendition of the song "sisters" at Christmas each year, I'm pretty sure that's not why we like each other.

But, since you're already singing along to the song (you are, aren't you) here are the lyrics ...

Sisters
Sisters
There were never such devoted sisters

Never had to have a chaperone "No, sir"
I'm there to keep my eye on her

Caring
Sharing
Every little thing that we are wearing

When a certain gentleman arrived from Rome
She wore the dress and I stayed home

All kinds of weather
We stick together
The same in the rain or sun
Two diff'rent faces
But in tight places
We think and we act as one

Those who've
Seen us
Know that not a thing could come between us

Many men have tried to split us up but no one can
Lord help the mister
Who comes between me and my sister
And Lord help the sister
Who comes between me and my man

Love & Hate Thursday

I stole this idea from Janet, but I'm sure she won't mind!!

Hate: That my day at work absolutely sucked the big one today

Love: That I didn't cry (even though I wanted to). The 3:30 pm Twix and pep talk helped!

Hate: That the Gap jacket I bought was ridiculously over priced

Love: That I'm returning it because my friend Kerry came up with the PERFECT replacement coat that is fantastic

Hate: That tomorrow is Thursday when it should really be Friday

Love: That at least it's not Monday

Hate: That I'm feeling all tense from everything and my neck and shoulders hurt

Love: That I found a place where I can get massage across the street from work - and I got one today - and it's covered by benefits

Hate: This freaking pregnancy heartburn

Love: That it signals the end of Nausea - and that Tums fixes everything

Hate: That I'm missing America's Next Top Model Tonight

Love: That it's because I'm spending quality time with my nieces instead - and eating popcorn (and I'm taping it)

So .... What are yours? I'm curious!

---------------

And, a little snippet from last night's sleepover with the cousins.
After popcorn and teeth brushing we sent the kids to bed. Despite the fact that Matt has 3 beds in his bedroom, they opted to all share one bed.
My older niece fell asleep very quickly. Like in about 10 minutes. Matt and my 2-year old niece were still chatting and giggling for a long time.

When it got quiet I went upstairs to check on them. There they were, curled up together, reading a book with a flashlight.

"what are you doing?" I asked.
"Reading!" they both replied.
So, I told Matt it is time to put the book away and they needed to go to sleep.
He looked at me completely seriously and said "but Mommy, Paige can't read yet so I need to read so she can sleep." It kind of melted my heart and so I said 5 more minutes. And then I peaked in.
Sure enough, he really was teaching Paige to "read."
He was explaining to her how to count all the pictures on the page and then say what they are ("see, 1,2,3,4 umbrellas") and then Paige would copy him.
It was adorable.

I have a feeling that as they get older Paige and Matt are going to be pretty good friends.

In the end I had to bring Matt to my bed because there was no way Paige was going to sleep when she could chat with Matt. When I split them they both fell asleep in minutes.