For Sale:One Muddy Schnauzer

Ever since Jake started roaming a little further from home than we felt comfortable with (ie. across the main road, without looking both ways, I'm sure), we started tying him up whenever he goes outside alone. The rope is 100 ft I think so it gives him quite a bit of area to cover and a lot of options for places to go to the bathroom. Since "mud season" started, Jake has had his fair share of rinse-off's, however today muddiness was in a league of its own.

When I glanced out of Colin's window and saw Jake in the ditch, with half his body in the drainage pipe we have underneath the path between our house and the neighbours, I knew he was not going to come back clean. What I met, on our front porch after a couple of barks, however, I was not prepared for. See for yourself...



He was beyond muddy. The clay, rocks, mud, branches, etc stuck to him were ridiculous. My usual rinse off technique in our mudroom sink was not going to cut it this time. Clearly, the bathtub was all that was going to do the trick. So, with Colin in his high chair, moved just outside the bathroom door, I started. Jake has never been one for water. He will walk a mile in the opposite direction just to avoid a 1 inch puddle. Therefore, bathing him is one of the most annoying things EVER. Not only are you dealing with a dog who is desperately trying to get out of the tub, you are also dealing with one who is shaking uncontrollably (and in this case, spraying bits of mud everywhere). After about 45 minutes of fighting, scolding and scrubbing, the pup was finally clean. Now starts the post-bath annoyances where he wants to rub up against everything. For this, he was sent to the basement and came back up like this...

He almost looks angry in this picture :).

While I was dealing with Jake, Colin was playing with toys in his high chair that I moved right outside the bathroom door so we could still see each other. I found it interesting that every time I raised my voice to Jake (which was quite often), Colin would stop playing immediately and look at me with a questionable look. I'm sure he has never really heard my voice like that, nor does he know why I was talking so loudly. Soon enough he will find out, and soon enough the word "no" will become a big part of his world, just like it is for Jake. It is hard to imagine having to get stern with him, discipline him, or even, dare I say it, yell at him, however I am realistic enough (I think) to know and accept that those days are coming.

At least it may take some of the heat off Jake.

Clarence Rd Flood Watch

The flood watch in Southern Manitoba right now is pretty intense with the river rising every day. It should crest this week sometime so hopefully the flood way will be able to hold the excess and peoples sand bags will be strong enough to protect their homes. We feel so fortunate to not have that issue where we are, even though we are about a kilometer from the river. As Jason has told many people who, due to our proximity to the water are worried for us - if we get flooded, than all of Winnipeg is under water.

Even though the Red River will not be flooding us, the amount of water on our property is a little more than we would like. Since we solely concentrated on getting the house built last summer, we didn't have a chance to work on any of the yard. The back yard is surprisingly somewhat dry, however will need to be leveled and tilled before anything can be sodded or seeded back there.


The front yard though (above), has seen better days. Jason spent a couple hours the other night trying to dig some paths to help guide the water into our ditches, however most of it will just need to soak in over time. Our hope is to level the front, get rid of the big hill beside the road, and fill in the ditches a little as well. Once it is leveled off, it will be tilled and one day seeded so hopefully grass will grow and things will look a little cleaner. Since there is over an acre of space in front of our house, I am sure it will see it's fair share of football, baseball and soccer games over the years.

Other than the water watch, not much has been going on around here as life has been pretty busy lately. Easter weekend will allow a least a bit of family time which will be nice for all 3 of us. One benefit to Jason teaching at the school he does is that he also gets Easter Monday off which I am definitely looking forward to it. Hopefully in the next month or so we will have a countertop in the mud room AND CUPBOARD DOORS. I can hardly believe it, but it is true! They have been a long time coming and I am so excited that our kitchen and bathrooms will soon be a little more complete. It will be much easier to hide things away now...I have never had to keep my cupboards so tidy!

More on this later, but we are so proud of our little man for getting his 1st tooth! The 2nd is definitely on its way too so hopefully by the next post I will have a picture to show his new achievement. Once again, my child has confused me as cutting teeth seems to soothe him as he has never slept better in his life. He is odd sometimes, but how could anybody not love him!

Baby, I'm wise to you.

Babies are everywhere these days. There is one in my own house (shocker!), there are 2 others on our road, and multiple others within our family and friends. Something I have realized since Colin came into our lives is that where there are mothers, there is undoubtedly the topic of sleep. For some reason, it is often the first question out of peoples mouths - "how is he sleeping". My sister and I were talking about this last night at a Stella & Dot/Tupperware party and her feeling about it is because often people know it is a common ground and almost always something that new mothers especially, struggle with. She is probably right. I could talk for hours about sleep as everyone has such a different experience with it.

From the beginning with Colin, we followed the series of books "Babywise". My sister had followed it with her second and I had seen, first hand, the benefits of its principles. The Babywise idea, in theory, is pretty simple:

- you follow a feed, wake, sleep cycle which they call "Parent Directed Feeding"
- baby goes down for naps and bed awake so that they learn how to fall asleep on their own

Sounds pretty simple, right? Reading those words in a book, putting them into practice and having success however are VERY different things. I read the book twice while I was pregnant and then again the week he was born to really soak in the info. I don't, however think I ever realized how difficult it would be for Colin, and I. From day one, Colin was not be what I would describe as a sleeper. He never was really that interested in sleeping for long stretches. His nights were decent, however his daytime naps were often very short and random. We struggled with getting on a decent schedule as he was so unpredictable. That however was nothing compared to how difficult it was to get him to fall asleep on his own. His crib saw many, many tears and protests which we both struggled through. As 99% of children everywhere, he slept great in the car, which is all too tempting when you have an on-the-go person like I am!


Bottom line is this, when talking with other Mom's about sleep and the issues they are facing with their newborns, 6 month olds, 1 year olds, the only thing I have concluded is this - every child is so very different and every mother finds what works for them. Looking back on the last 7.5 months with Colin, the first 3 were rough. I listened to a LOT of crying and sacrificed a LOT of cuddle time for fear of establishing bad sleep habits. I somewhat regret that I did not hold him more and enjoy the time where he would sleep on my chest, feeling his breath and warmth against me. That being said, for the past 4 months we have enjoyed a baby who falls asleep on his own, with very little crying for naps and bedtime. He sleeps for an hour and a half twice a day and a 3rd cat nap of 30-45 minutes in the late afternoon. He sleeps for 12 hours at night. Jason can put him down at any point, freeing me to get out of the house if I need/want. My struggle is whether or not we would still be here, at this point, with this great sleeper had I not done what I did for the first 3 months. Who knows, maybe I could have held him through naps, let the swing do its magic, or ran more errands through naps. I know FOR SURE that there would have been a lot less crying, and maybe, once he was a bit older he would have caught on to the whole Babywise thing easier. These things I wonder, but I realize that I will never know. As a first time Mom, like all others, I just did what I thought was right at the time. When hopefully another child joins our family I know that I will not have as many opportunities to hold them while they sleep as the reality having 2 will not allow it as much, and for that, I feel like I missed my shot at it a little. I am so grateful for the sleeper we have, and grateful that we live in a time where we have resources such as Babywise to help guide us through the first few months, however as with most things in my life, maybe I needed to relax a little.

I have been told many times before and I can definitely understand now, when people say that having your 2nd child is so much easier. You worry less as you know a bit more about what to expect. You don't freak out when you haven't slept in 3 weeks as you know that the stage won't last forever and soon you will get some longer stretches in. Colds, coughs and runny noses are just part of life, rather than the constant worry they were with your 1st born.

Over the weekend, Jason and I attended 2 seminars on parenting and marriage by Dr Kevin Leman, author of 29 hilariously true, practical ideas on the subjects. One of his all time best selling books is on birth order and he goes into detail about the characteristics that make up 1st born children. He describes them at the guinea pig of the parents, someone to try out all your techniques, rules and parenting strategies on. Even though I have only been a parent for 7 and a half months, I can already see how so much of his description is already true for Colin. So far he has already been a bit of a test subject for me, and I'm sure this will be the case for many, many more years as he will always reach every new stage first before any siblings.

As a side note I found it funny that Dr Leman also described first born children as those who look at Consumer Reports before making a purchase, something Jason is known for. Hit the nail on the head with that one! He also commented that a true first born and a true baby of the family (which I am a textbook example of) are often the best combinations in marriage as they balance each other out. I liked that.

It would be so nice if there was one handbook that worked for every child, at every stage, and adjusted perfectly for every change in their development. I can say for sure that there is not. Trust me, I have looked. I guess that's what makes every child unique and special. They each have their own quirks, likes and dislikes, and routines. I LOVE that nobody knows Colin's better than US. It is so special to me that nobody knows him better & nobody understands him quite the same as we do. If I could go back in time and change some things I probably would, but in the end I am just glad that ultimately we figured each other out and came to an agreement we both could live with.

This is dedicated to the one I love.

Well it's official, Colin is dedicated!

This past Sunday, we all gathered at our community church to dedicate our little man. Colin was one of 5 babies in the service we attend to take part in the dedication ceremony which includes a promise and a prayer that is very, very special. As parents, we promise to encourage Colin to seek God, to be involved in the church and to walk with Him in his daily life. We also promise to be good stewards and lead by example in our daily home life.



After the service, we headed back to Clarence for lunch & cake and enjoyed a busy house full of family and friends once again. A beautiful cake was decorated by Grandma Hurton and it was great to talk, eat and enjoy all our wonderful friends and family.

We have had quite a few gatherings at our house over the past month which has made for a lot of cooking and cleaning but I wouldn't have it any other way. Part of the reason why we built this house the way we did was to ensure that it was a great place to entertain. That has definitely been realized with how open the main living area is. It will be even better once the back deck goes on over the course of the next couple months and we increase our living and entertaining space once again.

Like the title of this blog says, this is dedicated to the one I love. And one of the people I love, who is actually pretty close to the top of the list, is my Mom. As most of you know, she underwent surgery just after Christmas and was given hope that no further treatment would be necessary. Unfortunately, that is now not the case and she will need to undergo chemotherapy for the next 6 months. As much as I know it will all be fine and that this is simply a precaution they are taking to make sure she is healthy and cancer-free, I absolutely ache. Over the past year, I watched my parents lose 3 of their parents and although it was tough to lose the Grandparents that had been there every step of my life, I cannot imagine, nor will I let myself imagine, how hard it is to lose your own parents. My Mom is so incredibly important in my life and I would do anything to make everything all better and for her to not need any more treatment. The grown-up in me realizes how important chemo is and how if she didn't do it and things got worse, we would regret it. The little girl in me who sees her Mom as a strong and invincible woman does not want to deal with the fact that that picture may not be reality for the next 6 months or so. I guess stuff like this is truly what growing up is all about. Dealing with the tough, the unexpected, and the difficult with a level head, strong emotions, and a positive attitude. Most of the time I have little difficulty with this, however when it comes to my parents, I resort right back to the 5 year old girl who wants nothing more than to cuddle with Mom in the morning while she reads the paper. Back then my parents made sure I had nothing to worry about except being a kid and the realities of life were not a part of mine.


My Mom is an amazing wife, sister, aunt, friend, mother and most importantly these days, Grandma. Her 5 grandchildren LOVE her so much, which is so apparent each and every time they see her. Their eyes light up, they have a million things to tell her, and they cuddle up just like I did 25 years ago. I am so grateful to have her and even more grateful that she is such a strong fighter who has such a positive attitude going forward on this next stage of treatment. I am going to try my best to do the same, but also to allow her and my emotions time to vent and be released so at the end of all of this crap, life will be back to its normal healthy, fun self.

Wood Stove No Longer.

For the past 7 months, we have repeatedly been asked about our wood stove. Some have asked if we use it to heat the house, some of commented that they like the open look of the piping. I can understand why people thought this as this is what it has looked like since we moved in...

I however, did not like this look and continually corrected people by saying that it is actually a FIREPLACE waiting for its surround. A week or so ago, it finally got it! Just in time for the baby shower here on Sunday, Jason spent a couple of days building out the walls around the fireplace as well as the step in front of it. It now, looks like this:


Next we will stone the front and sides of the wood you see, add thicker stone to the step and hopefully make a rustic looking mantel as well. When we were deciding what we wanted on this wall of our house, I really pushed for a "built-in" look and feel like it is finally starting to look that way. When we stone the fireplace, add shelves to either side and close off the drawers with some doors, I think it will really come together.

The big drawer on the right hand side in the picture is currently our toy drawer. Our contractor suggested we make this space one big drawer and I have to admit, at first I thought it was way too big. Now that we are a "toy" house, I realize how quickly it has been filled. 95% of the toys in the drawer have never even been touched or looked at by Colin so it's a good thing we have neighbors and nieces and nephews to make good use of all the stuff. Once we have a usable play area in the basement (which judging by the fullness of the drawer will probably need to be sooner than later), I plan to make the following rule - if it can't fit in the drawer upstairs, it stays downstairs. I realize that I am speaking as a mother of a 7 month old, and when I become the mother of a 2, 3, 4 year old, etc I might retract this rule entirely, but for now I will daydream of a house where toys are put away on a nightly basis and our main floor is not overtaken by trucks, Thomas & his friends and Buzz Lightyears. Maybe if I dream it hard enough it will come true??

Projects & Parties

I love a party. I also love a project. When projects and parties collide, I am truly happy. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to host a baby shower for my oldest friend Larissa. Larissa and I met in grade 7 when we played on the same regional team together (team salmon, I believe?). Our fathers played basketball together in University and since we lived in the same approximate area, we ended up on the same team. Larissa and I were a match from the start. A few years after we met, I followed her, among others, to River East Collegiate where we truly became the best of friends. Almost 17 years later, Larissa and I are still the best of friends...now embarking on this next stage of life, parenthood. Larissa and her wonderful and equally best of friend husband Barrett welcomed their son, Keaton almost one month ago. It is safe to say that we have many a plan for Colin & Keaton!

For Keaton's shower gift, I wanted to make something for his room. When I saw this blog, I knew I had found my craft & got right to work. I promptly ordered my buttons from here and purchased a navy frame from Superstore. When my buttons arrived, I was thrilled with the mix of colours and the vast array of different sizes and shapes.


After some planning, tracing and gluing...here is the end result. A perfect K for our perfect Keaton.



Now that I had my gift ready, it was on to the party planning! It was great to have such amazing women here to celebrate Keaton and catch up on what has been going on in everyone lives. I only wish we had more opportunities to spend time together as it is always such a great day.

Earlier in the week, we hosted another party for another great friend who moved to Florida a few years ago. She too gave birth to a son about 4 months ago and therefore Colin and he will also be best friends. It was so great to see her and her little man & awesome to be able to spend some time together. In July, we will be heading down her way and are so excited to see her world in Flordia! Here are the two boys getting to know each other. I think Colin owes his new friend a couple apologies for continually swating him in the face during this photo shoot. Sorry, buddy!


Another party is near as next Sunday we will be dedicating our little boy at church, followed by lunch & cake with our family & friends. So far, April is treating us well over here. Not sure if these two were lost, or just strong flyers but they arrived in our back yard/lake a few days ago and reminded me just how close we are to summer.

7 Months.

Dear Colin,

Today, you turn 7 months old. This past month has been my favorite so far, of those we have spent together. The weather is getting warmer & along with it, you have become such a little person. This month you have officially learned how to sit on your own and enjoy sitting and playing on a mat in the living room. As long as they are toys surrounding you, you could sit there for hours, talking, playing and chewing on toy after toy. While on your stomach now, you kick and flap your arms like crazy. You so desperately want to move and I so desperately want you to stay in once place for just awhile longer (at least until the cupboard doors arrive). It is amazing to me how you are already so good and figuring toys out. You have your favorites, and those toys are well chewed on and examined. Every so often, I go into the big toy drawer and pull out something new for you to explore & that becomes your favorite for at least a week until you have studied each and every inch of it.

You have a pretty extensive menu of vegetables and fruit now, and definitely do not like peas. I have received the message loud and clear, don't worry. We will wait a little while before we try those again. Like every other baby who ever was, you love your fruit and tolerate the vegetables.
You are a good eater so let's hope that continues! You are still big & many, many people like to remind me of this every day. We are always stopped in Superstore or the mall for everyone and anyone to comment on just how big (and cute) you are. You have definitely stated slowing down in the growth department but are still large and in charge.

No teeth for us yet. So many times I was sure that they would pop through at any moment but so far the drooling and chewing has been one big bluff. A few weeks ago, while talking to another mother of a boy about a month younger than you, she commented that her son has 4 teeth and that you must be behind for your age. After my initial annoyance with her comment, I started thinking about how competitive this whole mothering thing can become if you let it. Not only does it not bother me in the least that you don't have any teeth yet, you are not behind at all. In fact, I hear that the longer it takes to have teeth come in, the stronger they are (although I am pretty sure this is like the whole good luck if it rains on your wedding day thing). Teeth will come when they come. For now, I am just happy that the other, more important things are happening all at the right time and you are a happy, happy boy.

Sleeping is slowly getting better as well. I really cannot complain at all. Both nighttime and naps have been great. Your 3rd nap is a daily decision as some days you really don't seem to need. Instead, we have started walking during that time so that you can decide whether or not you want to sleep & the pup gets a good walk. Since we end up walking at the same time every day, we also see the school bus coming to drop off any Donald Rd kids like clock work at 4:15. Sometimes I think I should warn the bus driver about the plethora of boys she will have to deal with on this route in just a few short years. Seeing the bus, and the kids piled in it, has made me think about you and what type of kid you will be, heading off to school & returning on that same yellow school bus. I can picture you running down our driveway, late again, trying to get to the bus on time as you yell to your friends to get the driver to wait for you. Boots untied, jacket undone and school bag half open, I am sure this will be a reoccurring sight as you are already a take your time kind of eater in the morning. These days will be here before we know it and because of that, I am going to soak in every moment of your awesomeness right now.

Don't worry buddy, you are still, by far, my most specialist little man. You are so much fun to be around I can hardly stand it. You laugh & yell, telling me lots of stories and trying out all the sounds and noises you can make all day long. You smile at everyone we meet and put up with me and my craziness. You smile at me and your Dad like you smile at no other which makes time away from you all better the second we walk into the house. I sometimes still have such a hard time actually believing that you are here, that you are you, and that you are ours. Each and every day it sinks in a little more and becomes a little more real. This life we are creating for ourselves is pretty fantastic and through the every day go, go, goes, your smile and laugh remind me to slow down and enjoy. To breathe and to relax. Thank you for that, buddy. Mama owes you.

You are still my most specialist little man.

Love you to the moon and back x7.

Mama
xoxo