Number 1 or Number 2

Don't ask how the topic came up.
I don't know.
But the other day I explained to Matthew that when you go to the washroom, pee is called #1 and poo is called #2.
I should have known Matt would be fascinated by this. He loves numbers. He loves bathroom humour. The combination was just too much not to become enamoured by.
Since Wednesday he's been somewhat obsessed with the topic. It's hilarious.
He used to run to the bathroom and say "I have to pee."
Now it's "I'm just doing number 1!"
And, of course this has spilled over to daycare. Instead of telling his teachers he needs to use the bathroom he tells them that he has to do number 1 or number 2. Apparently his one teacher, Denise, finds it funniest. And he thinks nothing of running through the classroom screaming "time for number 2."
Yes, the teachers are thanking me daily!
I'm sure the other parents are also.
And, in our home the excitement continues. If I'm in the washroom, no matter the time of day, Matthew usually shouts our "you doing number 1 or number 2?"
We're now teaching him this is a question only for home or daycare. With kids, especially when they are toilet training, potty talk is such an easy conversation. But, we're trying to explain to him that people don't like being asked about what they do in the bathroom.
We'll see how well that conversation goes!

Pink or Blue??? I know!

I do. I know what I'm having.
After the world's most bizarre ultrasound experience on Wednesday, I left feeling dejected. I was so hoping to find out and they were idiots.
But, then I called my OB's office yesterday.
I called fairly early in the morning. The receptionist there is incredible. When I explained to her that I was dying to know the gender, she said she would see what she could do, and told me to call back at about 2pm.
Of course I did.
It turns out that on her lunch hour she walked over to the ultrasound clinic to pick up the results. How amazing is that? So when we spoke again she was able to tell me the gender.
Mike really wanted to know, but I told him we had to wait another day.
And then I called my sister. She decorated our house in a colour appropriate theme. And, to keep Mike out of the house, I convinced my mom to call him and have him come over to her house to help her with a bizarre computer problem. (which didn't exist).
Meanwhile I went to Baby Gap and picked up a colour appropriate hat and socks.
It was a busy afternoon!
When we got home I made him go buy bread for dinner, and locked him out of the house, just to buy time, while I taught Matt to say "Surprise we're having a baby _______"
It was so cute.
Mike got home, and when he did Matthew shouted out his line. It was a little confusing, but he ended up saying "Happy Birthday! Surprise! We're having a Baby ________" and then handed him the stuff from Baby Gap.
And I cracked open the sparkling apple juice.
It was an evening of celebrating.
My sister and I have already planned out all the bedroom details. I'm warming up my credit card. I'm excited.

I'm not saying te gender today. Feel free to e-mail me if you're curious. We haven't exactly told ALL of our relatives yet, and we want to share the news with some people who read this blog a little more personally first. But, it's not like I can wait 4 more months before blogging about it.

Truthfully, my whole mindset changed after I found out the gender. Honestly, as much as I say I'm happy with either, in the back of my mind I knew what I wanted. But, either way, for me, knowing what I'm having is freeing. It hit me yesterday that this is another baby. I'm excited. And, it's no longer just about the obsessive planning. It's about having another little baby. And, despite some of my anxieties I'm getting excited.

When I tucked Matt in last night I told him that he's going to be hearing more and more about the baby in the next few months. But, I told him that I want him to know how much I love him. And, he told me that he knows, but he knows I'll love the baby "so much too". It was adorable!

Lunch For One (plus one)

Yesterday, in the middle of various medical appointments, I had a break for lunch.
Thankfully all went well yesterday, and I feel a lot better about a lot of things. But, it was pretty stressful. Really, I find all these doctors appointments stressful.
But, I had a lunch break.
I debated all sorts of things. I walked around a few stores, and I walked around a busy food court and nothing appealed to me.
And then it hit me.
I was going to have a nice lunch - by myself.
I don't do that often.
I have to admit, it's one of my favourite things to do. I discovered my love of a table for one when I used to be a tour guide. For a few summers I would take grade 7 and 8 students on trips to places like Ottawa and Quebec City. And, we would often have a couple of hours when the kids would be eating lunch and shopping, and we could have lunch, a break, etc.
With some of the nicer schools the teachers would invite me to join them for lunch. Sometimes I hung out with the bus drivers. On the odd occassion the kids would ask me to have lunch with them. But, my favourite thing by far was, specifically in Quebec City, finding a quiet little restaurant and having a delicious lunch.
My all time favourite was a steaming hot bowl of French Onion Soup at this little bistro in Old Quebec.
The first couple of times I went for lunch by myself I hid behind a book or some work. But, then I stopped caring. I loved people watching. I loved listening to the waiters and waitresses discussing patrons. I loved the peace and quiet of it.
And I loved that people left me alone. I loved that it didn't bother me to be sitting alone. I knew I had friends. I knew I had options. But, this peace and quiet was new to me. I like to be surrounded by people. It shocked me that I embraced this.
And yesterday, while stressing about way too much stuff, I stopped and had lunch with myself. No book. No blackberry. No friends. Just me, some pasta, and a lovely break.
And within minutes I remembered what I loved so much about the quiet. For a few minutes I thought about what was on my mind. I stopped worrying about all the stuff that has been bugging me and stressing me out, and I realized that sometimes it's nice to just sit and be alone.

Okay - so I'll admit, it didn't bring peace to my entire day. An hour or so later I had a meltdown of EPIC proportions (that only a dramatic hormonal and overly tired pregnant woman could have). But, that's another story for another day!

And, in case anyone thought that I may be announcing the sex of the baby today ... HA!!! You make me laugh. I have NO freaking clue. As part of yesterday's fun I went to probably the worst ultrasound clinic in the world. And not just worst. Weirdest. And they told me nothing. I finally had to ask if there was a heart beat (there was). Ugggh.

The good news is it's a baby. It's still 50/50 whether it's a girl or a boy. Feel free to guess. I'm thinking I'll have to go with psychic predictions.

But, last night I talked to Matt about it. I said that I was waiting to hear from my doctor to find out if the baby in my tummy was a boy or girl. He looked at me so seriously and said, "But Mommy, you already have a girl in there. Why would it become a boy."

Ever since we told Matthew I'm having a baby he's been 100% convinced it's a baby girl. It's a little freaky how sure he is. Time will tell, I guess.

Have I mentioned I'm frustrated with not knowing?

Bad Words

Matthew's daycare has a bunch of forbidden words. We don't know the whole list, but as far as Matthew is concerned some of the big ones are:

• stupid
• shut up
• pee
• poo
• penis

The latter 3 are allowed to be spoken in the bathroom, but cannot be used in the context of calling someone poo or saying they smell like pee - that kind of thing.

He loves using these forbidden words, and so we got into the routine of letting him use them just around us when he's in the van. (I'm not saying we let him use words like the "f word" in the car) So yesterday he told me he made "stupid pie". I knew this had to be the use of a forbidden word.

So, I said

"Matthew, are you allowed to say stupid at daycare?"
His voice took on the tone of a very annoyed teenager and he said "Yes, Mommy of course I can. It's only a bad word if my teachers hear it."

Oooookay.
I'm not sure the bad word concept has really stuck.

At least he's smart.

We also got his report card from swimming lessons. It was pretty neat. He's graduated to the next level (that would be small fry 2) and he's beginning to master the basics of swimming. I guess I'll be pulling out my maternity bathing suit more than I had planned on.

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

On another topic, today I have some tests/meetings for this pregnancy. Wish me luck. I've kept pretty quiet about them because I'm not terribly worried, and I know everything will be fine. But, at the same time, I'm kind of nervous. So .... wish me luck!

Sick Day

I didn't make it to work yesterday. I went to bed feeling like crap. And I woke up feeling like crap. And I had a headache. And was fluish.
So I stayed home.
And, since Mike had the same symptoms he stayed home too.
We did nothing. We didn't even have afternoon coffee. We just hung out trying to get better, enjoying the quiet, and sleeping. I slept for 4 hours straight and was still tired.
It sucks that the only drug available when you're pregnant is Tylenol and Tums. Oh how I miss Nytol and Gravol!

We weren't the only tired ones in our house.

Sunday night my parents came to visit. And, since Matt had no interest in dinner we let him play downstairs. When it suddenly got quiet I went downstairs to check on Matthew.

He got very tired from playing with his toys...

No wonder. A mess is an exhausting thing to create!

Even Rosie came to inspect it!
I thought it was kind of funny. This, to me, is how a playroom should look! I'm leaving it.

And, on a totally unrelated topic, I've been somewhat fascinated (or obsessed) with my weight during this pregnancy.
When I had my last visit with my family doctor, she said that my goal this pregnancy should be to gain no more than 40 lbs. To me that equates to 1lb per week. But, my last pregnancy I gained 87 lbs!!! So that's about half.
Granted I still puke on a regular basis, so that kind of helps me not gain weight. But, so far I've gained only about 8lbs. My OB says this is fine. I find it fascinating. Especially since the baby is growing, and I'm definitely getting bigger. And, as of Thursday I'm halfway through this pregnancy. And even though I don't want to gain 30 lbs in the 2nd half, I still sort of feel like I don't need to be as concerned as I have been.
Who knows.
It's just something that's been on my mind.

There's Nothing Hotter ...

Than me, at 18.5 weeks pregnant, and totally showing, in a bright blue maternity bathing suit at the public pool.
Seriously.
My lovely new hairstyle nor the fact that I haven't gained tons of weight this pregnancy didn't help this look one little bit!
Matthew just finished 10 weeks of swimming lessons at daycare and has been enjoying his swimming lessons immensely. He asked me to go swimming with him. So, out came my stunning blue bathing suit (which matches his bathing suit), and off we went to the public pool.
Actually, it was a lot of fun.
The thing about swimming with a preschooler is that you can't exactly dwell on your own appearance when you're trying really hard to keep up in the pool.
And, it's a lot easier to float after a 3 year old than run after a 3 year old.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much he has learned in this recent series of swimming lessons. Because he goes to his lessons during the day, I don't get the opportunity to watch and see what he is doing. I just pay the fees and the daycar teachers bring him to the pool (where he is taught by proper swimming teachers). I mostly only hear if he is listening well or not, and whether he put his head under the water.
So, it was pretty neat to observe.
The first interesting thing was that he loves using the flutter board. He went right for it and hopped on and started kicking. He was really moving. He was also able to sort of swim on his back, and had no fear about going down the little slide and landing in the water and putting his head under.
In fact, he went on the slide about 20 times.
I was really proud.
He's always enjoyed the water, but now he's confident.
It's not like I would EVER take my eye off him, but I am finally feeling a lot less nervous. I know drowning statistics and they terrify me. But, I could see that he is finally getting strong enough to sort of keep his head above water. I'm seeing that if I turn my head for one second he actually has enough resources to paddle for a second. He knows to keep his mouth shut in the water, and has learned to blow bubbles.
One of my greatest joys growing up was swimming. We had a pool, and I was a very confident swimmer. I've often wondered how I'll let Matthew be a confident swimmer when I'm terrified of letting his hand go for even a millisecond.
Today I had some peace about it. Don't get me wrong. I'm ADAMENT that my child is always safe in the water. But being safe isn't just about me hovering. It's about giving him the tools and teaching him to swim, and I'm finally seeing that all these lessons are finally paying off.

And ...

Before Bill (very few layers)



















After Bill - still long, just more layered (ps this was hours after)



















What do you think?

Thanks for your input. I went with the flat black boot. He was impressed.

Who Needs the Playground when there's Mr. Lube?

I'm so not kidding either!
I decided to take Matthew out on Saturday morning since we had a few errands to run. Since the oil light in our van was flashing, and since I vowed to change the oil regularly, we stopped by Mr. Lube.
There was no lineup, so in we went.
On the list of fun activities this has never been up there for me. I find car care boring, and I never know whether the need to replace stuff (like today's PCV valve) is necessary or if they are just trying to get me to spend money.
Regardless, a fun outing was had.
I let Matt get out of his car seat and come up to the front of the van. He was thoroughly entertained by the people fixing our car. He asked about 1 million questions and they answered every single one. It was fascinating. He asked questions that I would never think to, but that were somehow less annoying because they came from a 3 year old.
They brought him balloons and candy.
For him it was right up there with a trip to McDonald's. It was slightly more expensive. But, on the plus side much healthier (except for the lollipops).
He was so cute throughout the entire visit. He rolled down the windows and kept shouting out "do you hear me?" and they would all say yes.
It was hilarious.
On the downside I realized I know nothing about my van.
For instance, we have this setting for our headlights where they go on an off automatically. They asked me to test the lights and I didn't know how.
Then there was the opening the hood issue. I hadn't needed to do that yet. So, when they asked me to open it I set the emergency brake instead. And then didn't know how to turn it off. Nice.
I also had no idea how to rev the van to 2000 (rpm?) nor did I know what to do when the guy pulled the oil stick out of the car to show me it was clean.
In my defense, I've always brought my car to Canadian Tire or the Dealership, so they do all of that while you sit in a waiting room. So, it's not like I ever had to look at an oil stick.
At least they explained it all to Matt as well, so in 13 years he can take care of all the oil changes. Afterall, he really did seem to have a good time!
Maybe I'll have his next birthday party at the oil change place. Afterall, it was fun, short and they have balloons and candy. Genius!

Yesterday

My visit with Bill was wonderful.
As usual, I was nervous. I don't know why! I've been having my hair done by him since I was 13. That is 16 years, and I still get nervous and excited.
First of all, when I got there he came out to say hello. It had been awhile since he'd seen me and my hair had grown a lot. It's longer than it has ever been, and he was impressed! He just kept playing with it and saying it was beautiful. In fact, he kept saying that I looked great with longer hair. And, I agreed!
So, we decided to keep it long, but add a few layers to break it up a bit.
And then there was the appointment.
I won't go into detail. I will say that when we got talking about America's Next Top Model I COULD NOT stop giggling. Sometimes Bill makes me laugh, but sometimes he makes me laugh so hard that for days following I crack up when I think about what he said.
But really, the whole visit was lovely.
And, how adorable is this ... I told him that I already know the time and date of my c-section. And, he put it on his calendar as an appointment. Too cute!
He asked me if he would see me before the baby. Of course the answer is no - because as nerve wracking as it was to wear an outfit showing off my baby bump it would be down right horrifying to go in there waddling.
After my hair appointment Mike came into Toronto and we went out for dinner.
It was really fun.
We'd debated a few options, but in the end we went to one of our favourite places - Il Fornello. This restaurant is pretty special to us because we spent our first married Valentine's there. And we only go back every so often.
Of course I ordered my favourite dinner (linguine pollo e pesto ... yum yum) and of course I ate maybe half of it so Mike was very full at the end of the night.
We laughed. We chatted. We enjoyed each other's company.
I needed an evening like this. For the first time in awhile I laughed harder than I have laughed in months. And I sat and enjoyed dinner without worrying about chasing Matthew or debating issues of pregnancy.
Moments like this you just have to appreciate.

PS I'll post the before and after pics later. Two days in a row of pictures of me is probably more than enough!

Help! Do you think the Outfit Works?

I'm beyond excited ...
Guess what happens at 4:30 today? That's right - I have a hair appointment with my beloved hairstylist, Bill.
(recognize him?)
You may know him from Cityline!
I know, trust me, I know. Most people don't make a huge deal about seeing their stylist. But, I do. I'm crazy that way, I guess, but I really really love going. And, since it's beyond expensive I can't go nearly as often as I would like.
But, it's worth it every time I go.
I've been to different stylists. I've tried saving money. But let's be honest. When you find someone who boosts your spirits and makes you feel beautiful and lovely and like yourself it is worth every penny. And trust me - it's a lot of pennies.
I'll admit, I spend a lot of time planning these appointments. I need to decide on my outfit. That alone takes days. I seek advice. I read fashion magazines. I go shopping.
That's hard enough on a normal day. Hello. Pregnant. Do you know how much stress I've been under? I had to plan an outfit that looks cool and sexy and yet makes me look like a glowing, happy and not huge pregnant woman.
Bill has never seen me pregnant. Not that he'll judge. Still.
I've tried on many outfits.
The good news is that I won't have to suck in my stomach. That's fun!
And, the other good news (which makes all this outfit planning a little silly) is that of course you wear a gown/robe thing when you go there. So, it's not like it matters that much. But, really, there is the whole entrance and exit to worry about!
I finally settled on a nice tealish shirt with a black shirt underneath and some jeans. I'm currently debating between two pairs of jeans. I think if worse comes to worse I may bring both pairs of jeans to work and ask my fashion conscious collegues to help me decide.
Why not?
I did ask Mike's opinion but his opinion is solely based on which pair is more flattering to my butt. And, though that is a consideration there is more to fashion than just that.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
And the purse. Because this shirt is a bluish teal (not greenish) I am using my current favourite red purse. I debated whether it was too much. But, I'm loving the colour. The jeans I've settled on are skinny jeans that sort of bunch at the bottom. So, do I wear red heels (very '80's) or do I go with the flat black boot? Or the black boot with a heel?
Help!
Here is a picture of the outfit. I need shoe help. (And this is not a flattering pic, by the way)
Choices:
Red Heel
Silver Flat
Black Flat Boot (under pants)
Black heel boot (under pants)

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.