Instagram Update

Those of you who follow me on Instagram will have already seen these pictures but for those of you who don't or don't have an iphone, here is what we have been up to lately.

A visit with Grammy.


A blackout liner experiment in the new babies room - can you guess which side is liner-free?

A few summer purchases for my post baby-ness.


We like to line cars up a lot.

Deck toys ready for action.

A delicious new smoothie.


A night out to celebrate our anniversary.


Spring desserts.

In one picture.

Jason took this picture the other day before we headed out. The goal was to get some pictures of my belly as I have neglected to take any since the beginning of this pregnancy. People always say that the more kids you have, the fewer pictures you take of the youngest, so I guess I am falling right into that theory. In actuality though, I only have 1 picture of my stomach while pregnant with Colin so clearly taking these types of pictures has never been my strength.

To me, this one picture sums up life around here pretty well. I am getting pretty pregnant (7.5 months tomorrow) and Colin is BUSY. The kid does not stop. Check that - the kid does not stop for anything but snack time and Handy Manny. Each of those two things can give us about 5 minutes of peace. Otherwise, Colin is gone before you know it, on to the next puzzle, toy or game, quicker than you even realize.

It is amazing to see the transition in him over the past 3 months or so. Now that he is 18 months, he really does PLAY with his toys. Although he does communicate and can say about 20 words or so, most of what he "says" is still a mystery to me so I can only imagine what is going on in his head most of the time. The kid will find fun in any toy, kitchen cupboard or piece of furniture. He will climb on anything, jump off anything, and come up with a game to play with any household item.

We have officially entered the challenging stage when it comes to hitting, climbing on things he's not supposed to, and seemingly "intentionally-disobeying-and-then-laughing-in-our-faces-stage." It really is a lot of fun. Day by day though we work at it and at times I seem glimpses of our efforts shine through.

10 weeks until the baby is here. I know that I will forever remember the past 18 months as special as it will be the only time in Colin's life where he didn't have to share me. I know that the mama-sharing is going to be a challenge for him come spring but realize that he is a big boy who will learn and adjust, just like the rest of us will be doing the same.

Learning.

As a first time mother, I made many mistakes. I am sure as a second time mother I will make equally as many and more. If we are so lucky/choose to make it a trifetca, I am sure mistakes will be made on that one too. I am also not finished making mistakes as a mother - no siree. In fact, I am pretty sure it is only the beginning and not only that, I am definitely sure that the mistakes I am certain to make in the future, will be far worse than the ones I have already made. That all being said, there are a few mistakes that I made with Colin that I most definitely will not make again. That, I can promise whoever the little person whom I am currently growing.

1. There will be a sound machine & black out blinds from day one (trivial, yet proved to be the game changer). It took me about 3 months to finally buy a sound machine and put it in Colin's room and it changed our lives forever. It took about as long to buy black out blinds. As much as I love this house and the fact that it is a bungalow, there are times that I long for a second story so that sleeping babies and overly busy mothers have a little more space between them. We also for some reason have an HVAC vent that is open to our main living area and also to Colin's room. Makes for keeping loud sounds from traveling in all that much more impossible. The noise machine we bought plays white noise only and has 2 volumes, low and high. It is not fancy, however I would pay twice or three times its cost over and over again for the uninterrupted sleep it provides. You better believe that I have already purchased a second and the new baby will experience its majesty from day one. We do not mess around without noise machines any longer in this house. We do also not mess around with the darkness of babies room. The new babies room will be no exception. I will buy boy appropriate curtains and girl appropriate curtains so that there will be no delay in getting those up as soon as we are home and the other set can be simply returned.

2. That no stage lasts forever. The first 3 months with Colin were not easy. He was not all that thrilled to be part of the world and had a very hard time adjusting to life on the outside. There were a lot of tears, and they were often undiagnosed even after I thought I had tried everything. About 8 or 9 weeks after he was born, I remember thinking to myself that I would never be able to watch television in the evenings - ever again. We had a very difficult, very long "witching hour" at that stage and he pretty much cried from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. daily. That was it, I thought. My television life was over and I would have to instead watch bits and pieces of recorded shows here and there. Another luxury that I thought I would never be able to do again is paint my nails. Colin was nursing every 2 and a half hours, and for 45-60 minutes each time. Simple math shows that the drying time needed when you paint your own nails was just not there. That was it, I thought - I will never have painted nails again. Funny enough, a month or two later, the storm has passed, Colin was going to bed easily at 7pm and napping for long stretches during the day and all of a sudden I had more time than I could ever want for television and any kind of esthetic work I wanted to do on myself. In the moment though, when I was dealing with the constant eating and the tears, I was sure that that was the way it would always be. This time around I know that each stage of a babies first year is over in a flash - including the crappy days and nights where you think it is all over for you. "This too shall pass" is a phrase that I repeated over and over again at times with Colin but it wasn't until after that I truly understand its mantra. I now know to simply breathe and let time do its magic.

3. That some things will just have to change. I am not one to easily give in to anyone. Colin was no exception. I was not going to let a newborn change my daily routine, my grocery shopping habits and my need for a clean house. I refused to let the laundry sit, the house stay unvacuumed or the dished undone. Because of this, I missed a lot of his best times as a newborn because I used up all his happy time being productive. I regret this. There is a certain amount of housework and errands that simply need to get done and believe me, I will still do them. However, with a 2nd baby around, I really do hope that I can learn from my mistake the first time around and be less concerned with the chores of life and more concerned with living life. New babies often bring with them many visitors as so many people want to meet the new person and congratulate you - this I LOVE as I love visitors and company. If you ever have an excuse to have a messy house, it is when you have a new baby and I am going to try and take full advantage of that instead of concerning myself with having a spotless house for each and every arrival. Life is too short.

4. To look at the whole child. My sisters sister-in-law coined this phrase and my sister and I often remind each other of its meaning. It is so easy as a new mother to concentrate solely on what you think is wrong with your kid. Maybe they don't nurse/eat as well as you had hoped, or they don't sleep as well as you had hoped, or maybe they just don't generally seem all that happy ever (eg. Colin from day 1 to day 45ish). In these situations, I have learned that you need to step back and look at the whole child before coming to the conclusion that something is wrong. Are they eating? Are they gaining weight? Are they peeing/pooping? Are they sleeping at all? I made the mistake time and time again of zeroing in on one aspect of Colin's life that I perceived as being wrong and forgot that in general, he was a healthy, growing, great little guy. Sure, we had our issues here and there, some which even warranted a doctors visit or two, but when I looked at the whole child, I saw a perfect little boy instead of focusing on the one of two little issues at hand. I really do think this advice will reign true for our children's entire adolescent lives as with so much in life, human nature is to simply focus on the negative, the wrong, the problems, instead of having a broader view in which there is usually far more going right than wrong. From day one, I will look at the whole child.

I made many, many more mistakes than these, however it would be impossible to think that I will bat 100 from now on. I am sure that at some point, I will repeat these same mistakes (except for number 1 - I don't mess around with number 1), and I am absolutely positive that I will make new ones. That is just what a new experiences bring - challenges and rewards, ups and downs, mistakes and solutions. The best part about the craziness of the first few months with a newborn is that tomorrow is always a new day and if something crashed and burned today, there is always tomorrow to change it up and possible get success. And end all, be all is always that they won't remember any of it anyways, no matter how badly we screw up. Thank goodness for that part.

I heart family.

This past weekend, my sister and I, kids by our sides (or madly running in my case), headed off to visit my brother and his family in St Thomas, Ontario. My brother moved there over 10 years ago, initially for a job, however stayed and married a wonderful women, and together they have added 2 hilariously awesome little girls to our family.

It was so great to see them all, and spend time together as adults, but even more fun to watch the kids interact. They instantly mesh, no matter how long it has been since they have seen each other last and did not stop and breathe for a second until the plane took us back home on Sunday.

The last time we visited, it was 13 months ago...

This picture took many, many, many attempts and still did not really turn out.

This visit, we got this on the first try...
I guess some things do get easier as the kids get older (at least Colin can now hold his own head up!)

It is amazing to see the growth in all 5 of these kids over the past year. They are truly all their own personality with their own quirks, however on this particular visit, it has never been clearer how much they truly love being around each other. The weekend was spent mostly in pajamas and besides a walk around the block and a swim at the Y, we really just did enjoy each others company at my brother and sister in laws beautiful home that is thankfully big enough for us all!


We can't wait to see them again - hopefully sometime again this year so the kids can reunite again and us adults can catch up and enjoy our time together as a family as well. It is hard to believe that later this year my brother and sister and I will all be in our 30's, all married with our own families as it seems like just yesterday we were all at home with Mom and Dad. I am so thankful that as we age and create our own busy lives, that we still find value in quality time spent together. Family is so utterly important to me and there is nothing I want more than for Colin to know just how lucky he is to have these people as part of his.

I heart family. This one especially :).

Happiness in Hawaii.

For the last 3 weeks or so, and for about 3 more, my parents are vacationing in Hawaii. My Mom had been once before, but in something like 1981 and my Dad had never been so this was a long overdue trip for them considering it was always at the top of my Mom's list of places to see.

Words cannot express how happy I am that they are where they are right now. For one, no one NEEDS to experience the cold and wind that we have been experiencing since they left (it actually got cold that same day they took off). But much more importantly, I am just glad that they are together and enjoying their time as a couple in what I can only imagine is paradise.

For the past year or so, my Mom has had some very serious health concerns, ones that resulted in surgery and chemotherapy and although she never let it get the best of her and remained positive and energetic all year, it elates me to know that that is all behind her and she is now living a healthy, happy life once again. After 40 years of marriage, I can not begin to explain how blessed and overjoyed I am to have parents who not only are still married, but actually love spending time together, even after all those stressful years of money crunching, teenager raising, and workaholic-ness - I only take the blame for 2 of those 3 issues :).

Bottom line is this - I could not be happier for them. I MISS them terribly, but in away, that makes me even happier. I feel so silly to think that at almost 30 years old, I miss my parents when I can't see them multiple times a week and talk to them almost every day, but again, that is what makes me so lucky to have them. As they are just that - parents that you MISS.

They will be in paradise for another couple of weeks and I smile each and every time I think of them on their walks, watching whales, or eating at a new place on the beach.

Love you Mom & Dad!

For anyone interested in seeing pictures of their trip so far, visit:

www.canadiandreams.blogspot.com

Play.

I am not a huge resolution maker and I am even less of a resolution keeper, but this one is worth it. If there is one thing that I want to do this year, and more importantly for the next 4.5 months at least is to plan less and play more. Anyone that knows me knows that I am huge planner and there is nothing that challenges my patience more than plans changing unexpectedly. If I have a to do list, I complete it and very little can usually sway me otherwise. This year, I think, that needs to change from time to time. I remember a long time ago my sister telling me that her and Cole were on their way for groceries on a nice day when they passed a playground and Cole commented how fun it looked. Right then and there she decided that the an hour at the playground was far more important than groceries so she pulled the car over and put play before the plan. I remember thinking that I wasn't sure if I could ever really do that due to my usual inability to put plans and checklists aside but now more than ever, somebody around here needs me to.

The fact of the matter is that now I have a little man who wants nothing more than to simply play and I need to respect and honor that....just as he has respected and honored (well for the most part at least), my plans and to do lists over the past 15 months. In the past month or so, Colin has really started to play. He pretends with his toys, makes car noises as he drives them all over the couch, and loves to dress up Mr Potato Head over and over again. For the next 4.5 months or so, at least a few days a week, I have a choice - I can either play or I can plan. So here is my resolution...I plan to play. As long as it is just him and I, I will choose play every chance I get as soon he will need to compromise his needs for the needs of a much smaller, more needy person. We will obviously still run errands, get groceries and do housework but I swear I will make each and every one of those chores as fun and full of play as possible. If nothing else, it is worth it just to hear this laugh...

Christmas Cupboards and Counters

Having parents who were both teachers, I have always enjoyed the holiday break that comes with Christmas. This year, since Christmas was at the very beginning of the break, it has allowed Jason and I lots of time to get some nagging jobs done on the house. In the past 3 days, we have tackled the final kitchen cupboard doors, as well as the main bathroom vanity doors as well and the installation of the mudroom countertop.

The kitchen saw the last of its doors finally installed and the final corner was closed off for good. It's nice to have the garbage put away at least so that we don't continue to find toys/cups/kitchen items dumped in there by a certain someone.



The main bathroom vanity, after 2 additional drawers were built was also closed off. This first picture is very old, even before we had faucets, however it was the only one I had...I guess I wasn't big on taking pictures of the bathroom?


It is so nice to complete these projects and cross them off the list. They have definitely dragged and it seems like a long time that they have been near the top of our list. What makes it even nicer, is to us, currently, they cost zero dollars to complete since the materials have long been paid for. It was simply a matter of finding the time and thankfully, this week, we had plenty.

The 3rd job that was finally completed was the installation of the countertop in the mudroom. This job, unlike any other in the entire process of building this house, dragged. We originally ordered the countertop in November of 2010. After a very lengthy process of our order being lost, our order not being submitted, and not being notified that our order was complete and ready to be picked up, we finally had the countertop for about March 2011. For the next 4 months of so, the countertop sat in our basement, wrapped in cardboard, as we tended to other projects that needed tending. Finally, we decided enough was enough and planned a day to install. After all the tools were brought out, the countertop was unwrapped only to find that it was in fact damaged and would need to be sent back. We then started the same process all over again, and even went through many of the same issues that we did with the original countertop through the ordering process. Finally, in October 2011, the countertop was delivered and resumed its spot in the basement (after a close inspection to ensure it was not damaged, of course) until today when it finally made a trip up the stairs and into position. From no counter to counter!


It makes such a difference to the room and I am so glad we chose the one we did. I suppose it was worth the wait, however I will maintain that it would have been very nice to not have to deal with everything we did.

These 3 projects have been the first that Jason and I have attempted to complete since Colin started walking and the difference now versus when he was somewhat stationary is drastic. Not only is he everywhere, he wants to get right in there, touch everything he shouldn't and basically just get in the way as much as possible. I remember when we hung the first of our kitchen cupboard doors, he just sat on his play mat for most of the time a few feet away and enjoyed the view from the cheap seats. I guess his taste has changed as no further than front row pleases this boy now. Thankfully, my parents took him for New Year's night and kept him for New Year's day, therefore allowing us to get the countertop done. I cannot imagine how we would have done that with him here considering the gate to the basement needed to be open the whole time and it was definitely a lengthy, two person job. I love the little man, however his curiosity, combined with the fact that we are down to one nap a day does not equal Jason and I getting much done if we are both needed.

Our baby is definitely not a baby anymore and it constantly amazes me to look at pictures from even a few months ago as he has changed and grown up so much. Besides the thinning out that he has done (thank goodness), he is now a talking, running, climbing, communicating little person who grows up a little more every day. Yesterday, my pregnancy marked its 20th week which means we are officially half way to welcoming the next of our little people. If how much Colin has grown up in the last 5 months is any indication of how much he will in the next 5, I think we will be just fine when everything is shaken up and life changes forever once again. I am glad that we still have some time together where it is just the 3 of us, and glad that his communication and listening skills still have time to improve as I am going to need them both once I have a new person needing me as much as new people tend to need their mama's. At this point in it all, I have no idea how Colin will take to the baby or what kind of reaction he will have, but I am sure that no matter what, after some time, everything will seem normal again and we will have a hard time remembering what life was like before the new baby.