Busy with two!

I've been MIA lately, and I'm going to blame it on the fact that I am now a mother of two active little ones. 

 

Lawson is now five months old!  He's such a happy baby.  I sometimes wonder if his personality really is much more relaxed and chill compared to when his sister was so young, or if we as parents just know what we're doing this time around.  Perhaps it's a combination of both. 

 

He now has two little chicklits on his bottom gums and at last weigh was 17lbs 7oz. I've started putting the little man in size 12 month sleepers.  I just can't believe how quickly he is growing.  He's now the type of baby that you can carry on your hip!  

 

He is moving so much now - he grabs his toes whenever they are free, rolls around on the floor, scootches on his tummy in a circle, babbles to anyone who will listen, drools and spits up,  chews on anything that he can get in his mouth, grabs for toys, and smiles and laughs.  He has the best little laugh and loves to giggle when you scare him. 

 

Kennedy loves having baths with her little brother.  We now throw them both in the tub together and she likes to wash his feet.  She loves when I take Lawson into her room first thing in the morning.  She is usually giving him a kiss on the cheek before she even says good morning.  She enjoys being mommy's little helper - whatever Lawson needs, be it a diaper or a toy handed to him - she's our girl.  It's been a pretty smooth transition into the big sister roll.. 

 

Lawson absolutely loves to bounce in his jumperoo.  He'd spend the day in it if we let him.  We actually have one upstairs infront of the patio door so he can see us in the kitchen and look outside as well as a borrowed one in the basement. 

 

Putting the little man to sleep is getting much easier.  It used to be long, "aggressive" bouncing sessions on the exercise ball but recently he is much easier to calm and put to sleep.  It may be a walk around the room with his arms tucked into your body and a soother in the mouth that puts him out.  Other times, we rock in the rocking chair and pat his bum.  I think soon we will try putting him in bed awake... but mama is still enjoying the cuddles for now.  At night time, he's still up a few times in the night, but it's always a quick feed and back to bed.  Recently he was waking absolutely soaked but a good friend recommended a nighttime diaper and we have had dry mornings ever since :) 

 

Snow has recently fallen and we've been outside a bit less.  Coyotes have been in our front and backyard so I've been a little hesitant to go out to play with both kids by myself.  We built the first snowman of the season the other day while daddy put up Christmas lights.  Kennedy helped and Lawson cheered us on from the stroller. 

 

It's been a wonderful five months so far but this mama better get to bed... you never know what I will have to wake up through the night and what time the kids will be up in the morning! Life goes on no matter how much sleep I get!

 



3 months

Lawson looks totally shocked that he's 3 months old already.  I am too!  It was his three month birthday and he giggled for the first time.  He was sitting on daddy's lap and I was kneeling infront of him chatting to him (in a ridiculous voice!) and he did a little giggle.  Melted my heart!

Our little dancer is loving dance class.  I could watch her prance around all day long!  Our afternoon naps have been disrupted on Mondays as class starts at 3:15!  I've been trying to get her down earlier but it's not always successful.  She has so much fun!

12 weeks old

Our little man is now 12 weeks old and already wearing clothes that are size 6 months.  I'm truly shocked that the weeks have flown by so quickly.  Yesterday we set up the jumperoo and he has enjoyed sitting in it for a few minutes at a time.  Placing a thick book underneath gives him the chance to put his feet down as he is just a little short yet.  I remember when we started putting Kennedy in the jumperoo, we needed to put a small plastic box under it as she was (and is) so short.

Lawson is starting to coo at us and has such a handsome smile as you talk and sing to him.  He follows you around with his eyes, and loves to be sitting up, with support. 

Nights are getting so much better too!  He's an easy baby to put to sleep now (you watch, I'll jinx myself saying this) and when he's up in the night, it's for a quick feed, then back to bed.

We are so lucky!  We have another happy, healthy baby!

Our handsome boy

Long overdue to show off a few pictures of our handsome boy.

 Only a few minutes old

 

 Relaxing at the cottage

 

 

Snuggles with mommy

Happy boy

 

Sibling love

 

2 months old

 

 

Family :)

 

Kennedy's first day of Preschool

 

Such a strong boy

 

Planting Lawson's Tree

Cousins

 

10 weeks old!

My baby boy is growing so fast.  At just over ten weeks, we had our first set of shots today and he weighed in at a whooping 14lbs 7oz.  He's growing and changing so fast.  I keep going through his drawers and taking the clothes out that he no longer fits into and replacing them with much bigger clothing.  It was a sad day last week when I opened our first package of size two diapers.  This past weekend, I also did the big switch, and moved him into his own room in his crib :(  A sad night for mommy as daddy was on nights.  But poor little Lawson was just getting TOO big for his bassinet and was kicking and hitting the sides, waking himself up.  I remember Kennedy was 15 weeks before we moved her. 

All of these little milestones he's reaching are so exciting to watch, but it really does make me feel a bit sad that he's changing so quickly.  He has such great head control and enjoys sitting in his bumbo chair already!  What a great invention that chair is. 

Kennedy is in love with Lawson and is starting to tell me what to do.  "Mommy, Lawson wants some milk" is a common phrase I hear if he starts to fuss.  She smothers him in kisses and gives him his soother when he cries (and is working on doing so gently).  She puts toys in his face for him to see and sings him songs.  It's amazing to watch.

Last week, Kennedy started her first day at preschool and today is our first dance class.

Tomorrow, we'll be packing them up for university. 
Slow down time!

Lawson's arrival!

He's here! He's here!  And what an entrance he made!  :) Time to share the story while it's still fresh in my mind.

Rewind to June 25th.  I had a midwife appointment with Whitney and Brianna and after much discussion, we decided to think about the possibility of doing a non-medical induction on Thursday since baby was head down and to get things rolling before he decided to try and flip on us again.

June 26th was the second last day of school for the year, but it was my last day of work since the next day was supposed to be "the day" we got things started.  It was strange saying goodbye to all the kids, knowing that the baby was going to be coming soon!

June 27th we were woken to a call from the midwife saying that they were unable to provide adequate midwifery care that day for an induction as they had too many women in labour through the night and during the day to have a midwife that I knew present.  Although we were disappointed, we stayed close to the phone just in case things changed.  It was a long day of waiting without the phone ringing with good news.

We're now on June 28th, which was a Friday.  When Brianna called to tell us to come on up to the clinic, we were excited and nervous all rolled into one.  We dropped K off at the sitter and had her take a picture of us together.  Our last picture as a family of 3 :)

Up to the clinic we went where they checked me to confirm baby was still head down (which he was - yeah!).  I then took a dose of castor oil and orange juice (ick) and went for a walk downtown.  After a second dose back at the clinic, we walked to a small café and had lunch.  Then after our third dose, it was off to the hospital with Carys and Brianna.  They met me there, and checked to see that baby was still happy and then we started using the breast pump for an hour on and off.  Contractions started mildly and I took a break to go for a walk, and do the stairs for a bit.  The back to the breast pump for a little while.  After a bit they decide to do an ultrasound.  So at 5:30 we headed down for an ultrasound (having the ultrasound tech stay late to fit us in).  Baby was happy and content, however they realized that I had polyhydraminos (extra amniotic fluid).  No wonder baby was moving around so much! 

After a big consult, we had a couple of options.  Either wait and do a non-stress test both Saturday and Sunday with a medical induction planned for Monday.  Or, a medical induction the next day.  Being rather impatient, we decided just to go for the medical induction the next day.  That would be 9 days past due date, so I was more than ready to meet this little man.

Back home we went, picking up K at Grandma's on our way home, knowing that tomorrow was the big day and rest would be needed.  Although we were in bed that night by 10:30, I was woken at 12:30 with some strong contractions.  I got up to walk around and "sway" with them.  Feeling hungry, I made a tomato sandwich, but only got half of it down before feeling the need to wake up Evan.  I woke him at 1:15 and told him that contractions were really starting to pick up in intensity and frequency.  By this time, I was having a hard time breathing through them and decided to start keeping track.  They were around 1 minute in length and only 2 minutes apart. 

It was time to call Grandma and the midwives!  when Evan got a hold of Carys and Brianna on a three way call, they decided it was best to get in the car asap and head to the hospital.  I went to call my mom but had to wait through a contraction as I knew I couldn't talk.  At 1:50, I gave her a call, telling her that it was time and we were heading to the hospital.  I'd call her when we knew more about what was going on so they could come up to the hospital and be there too. By the time Evan's mom arrived to stay with K, it was 2am when we hit the road.  I remember looking at the speedometer and telling Evan to hurry up.  He was only going 100km/h and there was nobody on the road.  After about 7 minutes into our hour long drive - I felt a huge gush.  My water broke.  Holy crap I thought.  We had discussed with the midwives countless times that IF my water were to break that I was to put my knees to my chest and get head down and butt in the air.  They had explained that since the baby's head hadn't fully engaged in my pelvis yet, that there was a chance that the umbilical cord could sneak under the babies head when my water broke, and they baby's head would then come down in the pelvis, pinching off the cord.  By getting into the funky position, it would help keep baby up and off the cord.  Of course they also said that this was very very unlikely to happen, but they told me anyways - just in case. 

So in a panic, I flipped around in the front seat of the car and told Evan he had to pull over and call 911 (these were further instructions from our midwives).  Evan got on his cell with the dispatcher (this was at 2:07am) and ran to the road to find the address of where we were.  He then realized that he could probably drive me back to our local hospital quicker than waiting for the ambulance to come and get me.  So he turned around and high tailed it back to the hospital.  A hospital which doesn't deliver babies anymore - and they haven't in quite a few years.

I remember a nurse meeting us at the front door with a wheelchair (the 911 dispatcher had called ahead to warn them we were coming) and asking me to get in the chair.  I told her I couldn't sit in the chair and after a little "discussion" I agreed to get in the chair on all fours, with my butt still in the air!  The doctor came to meet us and I could hear her ask if this was our first baby - obviously she didn't recognize me right away in the strange position I was in.  No, this wasn't our first baby Evan informed her as she clued in to who we were - it happened to be my own family doctor!

They wheeled me back to a room in emerge, and I told them I was ready to push.  It seemed like only a few short seconds while the doctor checked me and said that if  was ready to push, to go ahead.  I was squeezing hands with nurses on both sides, and remember opening my eyes briefly to see Evan at my side on my left and looking at the clock on the wall to the right.  It was 2:20am. 

After three pushes (which to me seemed like mediocre pushes - and I knew I could do better once I got the hang of it again), the doctor said that his head was out.  WHAT?  Already?  This was amazing news.  I heard her say that the cord was around his neck, but she got it off and then after one more push, he was here!  Our beautiful baby boy, Lawson, was put onto my chest and I remember looking from him to Evan saying "I can't believe he's here!  I can't believe that just happened!"  He arrived at 2:31.  Just 24 minutes after we called 911 when my water broke.  Wow - that was quick!

What a handsome baby boy!  They weighed him beside me - 8lbs 8oz - the same weight I was when I was born. 

It had been a long time since a baby had been born at this hospital.  We found out afterwards that when the 911 dispatcher called in to say we were coming, they called an extra three nurses and one doctor in to assist.  Only one nurse made it in time.  The rest of them were called off the floor to come and help.  However, the care we received was wonderful - everyone was knowledgeable, helpful, and so kind! 

At 3:15, I called my parents and they were so surprised to hear that the baby had arrived and we didn't make it to the right hospital.  They thought we would have just been arriving at the hospital and here I was calling to say that Lawson had arrived! It was only about fifteen minutes later when my parents arrived - totally shocked that Lawson was there - just as we were!  We called Evan's mom, dad, and my siblings in the middle of the night and then shared the news with the rest of our friends and family early the next morning.

Evan's mom and our midwives arrived early morning and were excited to hear our story again.  The doctor agreed that we could have our care transferred over to our midwives and they allowed us to go home.  At 11:10 that morning, we arrived home with our son, and the midwives came with us to check him out.  He was perfect!

I sit here writing this on July 29th. Lawson is now one month old.  It seems like forever ago that I was pregnant and actually gave birth to him.  We are so thankful for a healthy baby boy!  Although life with two kids is chaotic at times - we are loving life as a family of four!

Our busy boy

Oh my, this little baby boy is already testing us!   A couple weeks ago, I posted about baby being in the transverse position and then flipping on his own.  Well everything has been hunky dory until yesterday.  It was off to the midwife again (this time with my sister for company) for my weekly check up.  I was 38 weeks and 5 days.  The plan for the day: talk over with my student midwife and the midwife about natural ways to bring on labour as well as discussions on possible complications that could arise.  The chat was good - I learnt a lot and felt easy about things.  It came time to do the exam, and my student midwife asked for a second opinion as she thought baby boy was possibly in the breech position.  The other midwife agreed.  Then they called in a third opinion.  Yep - she too, felt a breech baby.

 

So we left with the plan to get an ultrasound book as soon as possible to confirm breech.  I wasn't even out of town when I got a call on my cell to stick around as the ultrasound would happen in two hours.  This gave us enough time for a quick trip to a store to shop, grab a bite to eat, and do three conference calls with work (as I was supposed to be in a meeting!).  My sister and I headed to the hospital and the ultrasound tech confirmed that yes, baby boy was breech (and an estimated 8lbs 1 oz!). 

 

I called the midwife back to give her an update and we planned to meet back the next morning at 9am to do an ECV.  On my way home, I was able to call and book a chiropractor appointment last minute to see if he could attempt the Webster Technique on me (this is a technique that helps open the pelvis to allow baby room to flip).  It was quick and easy and I went home to my little girl to try all of the other tricks I'd been told and read about (frozen things on my tummy and a flashlight down below, good posture while sitting, forward leaning inversion etc).  It was a late night of doing last minute packing (like packing Kennedy's bag and adding more things to my hospital bag).  Knowing that the EVC in the morning could potentially bring on labour or, worst case scenario lead to a c-section, I wanted to be prepared.

 

So my hubby came home from work early from his night shift so he could get a few hours of sleep before we had to head to the hospital.  The morning started off well and we dropped K off at the sitter.  Off to the hospital we went, feeling a little nervous, but hopeful that the ECV (External Cephalic Version) would be successful.  We met three of our midwives there and they started a non-stress test (to make sure baby was happy and comfortable before they attempted the ECV).  After about 10 or 15 minutes of being monitored my midwife informed me that the OB doctor was busy in the OR and we would have to stop and wait for her to be available (just to be on the safe side for the worst-case-scenarios). 

 

SO - off we went to the mall.  After an hour of touring around we came back and were soon informed that we could start again.  Back to the room we went where we had my student midwife, three other midwives I have met, the resident doctor, the OB doctor, and 2 nurses to chat with (can you tell that nobody else was in labour today and we got all the special attention!).  They started by feeling around on my tummy - the resident doctor and two of the experienced midwives and were all trying to figure out what they were feeling.  What?  Head down, they wondered?  Couldn't be.... so they hooked up the bedside ultrasound machine and started to look.  It did look like head was down (and then the machine shut off - ahhhh - panic and fingers crossed!)  But it was confirmed - baby boy's head was down.  HE FLIPPED HIMSELF AGAIN! 

 

What a great feeling - we were all in disbelief and couldn't believe that this baby had done it again!  However it also raised a bit of concern.  He obviously has enough room to be flipping around.... will he keep doing that?  Will he flip back into breech or transverse or will he stay head down?  We started discussing the possibility of starting an induction right away to be sure that he is in the correct position, but after a lengthy chat, and having the doctor check me out, we decided that today was not the right day.  We'll cross our fingers that he stays the way he is, and do what we can to keep him that way (and to make him go even lower in my pelvis). 

 

So that was our morning.  A busy one at that.  I'm thankful for my midwives, their knowledge and guidance.  I'm thankful that they have a good relationship with the OB doctors and the sharing of information and ideas they passed back and forth.  I'm thankful that we were so involved in the decisions of today and that they talked TO us, not around us.  I'm thankful for my hubby's support through all of it and I'm thankful for a baby who is starting to cooperate!  :) (and I was thankful to come home to a happy, smiling two year old daughter!)

 

He flipped!

I forgot to update with the good news that Baby Boy did the flip!  Yeah for head down! :)  I went for an ultrasound at 1:00pm last Tuesday and the ultrasound tech said that he was still in the transverse position.  It was disappointing news, but I knew that things could always be worse.  If this was the extent of the complications we had to go through, we were very fortunate compared to some families.  Fast forward to 4:30 that same day when I had my midwife appointment and she started feeling my tummy and said she thought he was head down!  After a second opinion, it was confirmed, he was in the proper position.  How that happened in the few hours of time in between is beyond me as I don't think I felt anything abnormal, but we were thrilled to hear the news (although to be honest, I didn't quite believe it.... but got more confirmation on Friday).  Yeah baby! 

Now that he's co-operating a bit more, this mama has to get her butt in gear to get ready for his arrival as realistically, he could come anytime now.  I have a few things set out but lots of organising to do still.  Maybe tomorrow?  Oh wait... I've made plans... ;)  I'm the queen of procrastination.... it will get done.... soon.... :)

Mother's Day

My 3rd Mother's Day :)  Looking forward to sharing it with another little one next year!

34 weeks!!!

34 weeks has flown by!  I can't believe that sometime next month we will have our newest addition to the family!  How exciting!

Our latest midwife appointment resulted in the news that baby boy is currently in a transverse position.  I wonder to myself what women did before being able to search questions and answer on the Internet.  How did they have babies?  I've been doing my research and attempting a few of the suggestions to help get baby to flip on his own before labour begins.  My midwife assures me that there is still time - and space - for him to do so on his on, but a little extra help can't hurt either.  
People might think I'm crazy if they saw me with my butt up in the air while I do the forward facing inversion off the couch, or sitting rolling my hips on the ball, or putting an ice pack of my tummy in hopes that the baby will move away from the cold.  These are just a few of the "tricks" I have read about the naturally move the baby without the need for an ECV.  Fingers crossed he does flip into the proper position before my next ultrasound so this mama can rest easy with hopes of a "normal" birth.

In the meantime, it's a great excuse to be crawling around on all fours on the floor with K.  Another suggestion of getting babe to move.

Let's hope this works! 

where did April go?

Wow - it's been a long time since my last blog.  In fact, I missed the whole month of April.  Perhaps because it was such a busy time, I just didn't take the time to sit down and write.

We started off the month by heading to the sunny south with 65 others to celebrate a dear friend's wedding day.  It was the first time we had left Kennedy for more than one night and mommy and daddy worried about it for weeks before the trip.  Not surprisingly, the trip went off without a hitch!  Not only for us, but also for Kennedy and her grandparents.  I think she loved all the special attention she got from her Grandparents and by the sounds of the official reports, she was a very happy, well behaved girl.  Success! :)  Fortunately for us, we had access to facetime and skype so we were able to see and talk to our little girl every day.  It made it a little more bearable to be away.

Our little girl is growing like a weed (not really vertically, but in her development!).  Her vocabulary is expanding and she is always saying funny little things to us.  We are amazed at how she soaks things up like a sponge.  Her most recent "funny" is seeing freckles on my arm and telling me that I have freckles.  However, she doesn't quite pronounce the "r" sound... hahaha 

The end of April we made the big switch from crib to a big girl bed (well.... for now it's just a mattress on the floor to see how she transitions).  Another success for K!  The first night, she chatted to herself for ten minutes then fell fast asleep until 7am.  Although mommy and daddy did go in twice during the night to reposition her, she didn't wake up once! 

Her old crib has now been moved into Baby Boys room.  The room is painted and a looking like a disaster with clothes spread out everywhere waiting to be organised.  Baby boy is still nameless - despite our many conversations around picking a name, we haven't fell in love with one yet.  Our midwives are wonderful and are patiently awaiting his arrival.  33 weeks down --- how many to go? 

The weather has been beautiful and we've been spending lots of time outside.  Hopefully the sunshine won't deter me from writing too many blog posts in the near future. 

 

Two years ago...

Two years ago....

Two years ago tonight, we were sitting at home, anxiously awaiting the next morning when I would go to the hospital to start my induction as our little lady was being stubborn, and was much too comfortable inside mommy's tummy.  I remember being nervous that we would call in the morning and they would be too busy to take us, forcing us to wait another day.  Never did I think that the induction would start and take 36 hours to finally meet our precious baby girl.

I can't believe it is almost your second Birthday, Kennedy.  Only two more days until you are finally "two".  :) 

What a blessing you have been to our lives.  Your daddy and I love watching you play, explore, learn, talk, sleep, investigate, question, and sometimes sit still (although this rarely happens).  Your personality is blossoming and you are so verbal now.  Each day, we are amazed at what you tell us and recently - the things that you are learning to ask us.  Just this week you started at your new daycare.  They told me on the first day that you transitioned so well with the rest of the kids, and it made my heart melt knowing that you can adjust so easily to new places and that you were kind and loving to your new daycare friends.  Each day when I picked you up, you would actually tell me about the things you did that day.  I am amazed that I can actually learn things from you that I wasn't there to experience with you - it's so neat!  

You have so many interests.  You are still obsessed with your dolly, Sasha.  Often carrying her around the house like a little mommy - rocking, shushing, and covering her with blankets.  You often ask mommy and daddy to rock her too.  You love to sit at your little table and colour.  You love the peel off stickers that we put on the patio window.  Today you were so excited to go on your first bike ride in the new trailer that daddy got to attach to his bike.  You love to ask questions about where your friends are.  You love talking on the speaker phone to your grandmas and grandpas - often picking up the phone to call them.  You love to say "I do it" and try to put your own coat and shoes on - and you are getting quite good at it!  You love walking up the stairs and saying goodbye to your toys.  You love swimming in the pool! - your lessons just ended and you still ask to go back.  When we say not today, Kennedy, your response is "soon?".  You love playing with your cousins.  You love apricots, yogurt, noodles, raisins, and most recently chocolate.  You love watching the birds and the big kids playing on the street after school. You love singing songs while rocking before bed and you never forget to ask for two blankets in your crib. You love seeing school buses.  You love being praised for peeing on the potty.  You love shovelling the snow (although it is finally gone! - just a few small patches here and there on the lawn).  You love dancing to songs that have a good beat with your daddy.  You love helping cook in the kitchen, but insist on standing on a chair by yourself.  You love Dora.  You love being a helper by putting things away for mommy.  You love looking at pictures of family and friends.  You love playing with containers in the bathtub and putting your hand under the faucet as the water fills the tub. 
We love absolutely everything about you.  Your giggles, your smiles, your hugs and kisses, and even your new little attitude.  We know you are going to be an amazing big sister to your baby brother and we can't wait to see the two of you form a bond and friendship together.

We love you with all our hearts and then more and we can't wait to celebrate a lifetime of birthdays with you. 

Two years ago you changed our lives forever.  We love you!  Happy Birthday baby girl. 

Baby chicks

Spring is just around the corner (we hope) and that meant a trip to the barn with Grandma and Grandpa to see the brand new baby chicks.  Although they were quick, Kennedy was quicker.  She had no fear bending down to scoop them up.  However she needed a few reminders about not squeezing too hard and setting them down gently again.  She absolutely loved it and talked about it all day long. 

Today we laughed at her as she hid behind the toys or in the closet, and while peeking out said "I see you" to mommy and daddy.  Another fav quote of the day has been "back minute mommy" as she tries to tell me that she will be right back in a minute.  This child is a sponge and obviously has been soaking it all in. 

Before bedtime, daddy cranked up the tunes and had a little dance party.  The little lady thinks it's hilarious to spin around and around until she falls down.  She obviously gets her dance moves from her father.

Meanwhile in the baby boy department - he still doesn't have a name.  In fact, he's not even close to having a name.  I'm starting to feel lots of movement - not just kicks, but rolling around and flips. We can now see him moving too which is exciting!  Kennedy likes to poke my belly button and say "hi baby boy".  If we ever name this child, I don't think we'll be able to tell Kennedy until he arrives as she will repeat it over and over and it will no longer be a secret. 

"I do it"

"I do it" is the newest phrase we've been hearing in our house.

Little Miss-I'm-almost-two-and-totally-independent is stretching her wings.  And mama needs some patience.  I don't mind her trying, but it's the slight tone of attitude that accompanies the "I do it".  Of course, this is a time for her to learn, experiment and have things modelled for her... and I have to remember that it is important to let her do it so she does learn.  But sometimes, mommy is just faster (and a little please and thank you goes a long way too!)

We are pretty lucky to have a polite little girl.  A little girl who has a memory like an elephant - just like her Uncle Adam.  She doesn't forget a thing.  So much so, that we have to keep some things a secret from her until closer to the time as she will remember and ask about it every two seconds.  Of course, we smile and enjoy it.... what can be annoying is oh.so.cute when done by her :) 

walkin' and talkin'

It's March.  I can't believe how quickly the winter has passed.  Kennedy and I went on a beautiful walk today after work.  It was so nice to be out in the sun and enjoy the fresh air without feeling freezing cold.

I think that the little lady talked during out whole walk.  Pointing out things she saw and things she heard. 

• "What noise mommy?" she would ask when she could hear something without seeing it. 
• "Where plane go mommy?" she would ask once the plane disappeared out of sight. 
• "Boy fall down" she would say as the boys getting off the bus jumped in the snow in the ditch as they walked home. 
• "Where did puppy go? Puppy sleeping" (her usual response about where the dogs have gone when we tell her that they have gone back into their house). 
• "Mommy Rocco" she explained when she saw the neighbour approaching us with her dog.

It makes me smile as I listen to her chit chat and I answer her questions and pose new ones for her too.  I love listening to her sing the alphabet (a, b, c, w, x, a, b, c, w, x), the wheels on the bus (her favourite song to sing with actions), and Happy Birthday ("Happy birthday to you Papa John" as it was just his birthday this past weekend).

She loves to talk on the phone and loves to talk to her babies.  She's like her mom - she just loves to talk!

a year ago today

A year ago today, we were in sunny Mexico.  Wishing we were somewhere warm today, or at least that the sun was out :)

love you baby boy

At 23 1/2 weeks pregnant with baby #2 we are beginning to prepare (or at least thinking about beginning to prepare) everything that needs to be done.

 

We purchased our first baby boy clothes, have begun to look at paint colours, and have a very initial baby name list started.  There has also been lots of talk in our house with Kennedy about the baby in mommy's tummy.  She likes to lift my shirt and give my tummy kisses (often playing with my bellybutton) and says "Love you baby boy".  However I wonder how much she really understands.  Does she know that a baby is going to be coming in the next few months?  Does she have any idea how a newborn is going to change things?  Of course, our talks will continue and we hope that when he does arrive, the little lady will adjust to being a new big sister. 

 

Gate Mama

This past family day was a relaxing day off for both mommy and daddy.  After a quiet day at home, we had our family join us for dinner.  Aunts, Uncles, cousins, and grandparents were at our house that night.  We were fortunate enough to even have Kennedy's two great-grandma's there.  Lucky "Gate Mama" as Kennedy calls them, got to participate in bath time as well.  We are so fortunate to still have these ladies be able to see our little girl grow up, and our family expand.  One with 19 great grandchildren the other with 6 (and two more on the way!)  They always love to see the little ones play and we are happy to share it with them :) 

Girly girl

Our girly girl loves to hang out with boys, do her hair, paint her nails, and play with her babies. We love having a daughter but can't wait for the adventures of a son too!

Blue!

We had our ultrasound last week and we were thrilled to see an extra little "thing" that wasn't on the ultrasound that we had with Kennedy. A baby boy is on his way :) Like with Kennedy, we told our exciting news my having everyone bite into a cupcake to reveal blue icing for the baby boy. It was fun driving around sharing the news, and capturing everyone's picture on camera!

A fevered/coughy/stuff baby

This week we have had a fevered baby, which turned into a coughy baby, which turned into a stuffy nosed baby. Which resulted in a lot of interrupted nights for mommy, daddy, and baby. Hoping that she is on the mend and back to her normal temperatured, normal breathing self soon!

Little chatterbox

At 21 1/2 months we have a little chatterbox on our hands.  She is also known as a little parrot! 

Our newest sayings are "Where did daddy go?" (her first sentence! Mommy was proud!.... and just so you know, daddy was at work).  Now she thinks it's hilarious so she'll be playing around the house and say "where did daddy go...." even if he is in the room.

Another saying she has picked up is "ohhh man" (which I think is something that Swiper says on Dora).

When she's hungry, she likes to tell us by saying the word hungry.  It just so happens that her version of hungry actually sounds like she's saying "horny".  hahaha

Most of the time when she is thirsty, she will do the sign for drink, but sometimes she'll actually say the word, which sounds like "dink".

She knows the names of all of her friends and realatives and enjoys talking (on speakerphone) to her grandparents everyday.

It is so much fun listening to her chat!  I can't wait for the conversations to come!

Second try

 

We did it once, and we were quite successful.  Then we had a moment of panic and went back to the old habits.  But we have done it again.  We have taken away Kennedy's "eecee" (her soother).

 

In September after many trips back and forth to the cottage and shuffling around, we decided that it was time to take Kennedy's soother away.  The soother, which she calls her eecee, was something that she only had in the car or in the crib.  We felt good about our decision and we were thrilled when the transition went so smoothly.  

 

Fast forward a month and all of a sudden we had a little girl sucking her thumb in order to go to sleep.  With the fear of having a teenager still sucking her thumb, we decided to give her back the soother, with the thought that you can always take a soother away, but you can't take away a kids thumb. 

She instantly fell back in love with the soother.  She was thrilled to have one (actually, quite often there were two or three in the crib at night for the times when it fell out between the bars).  Mommy and daddy were okay with it too as she only got her soother at specific times. 

 

However, we started to wonder when it really was time to be done with it.  So last night mommy decided that it was the night to say bye bye.  We took the soothers to the living room and gave one to her baby and one to Elmo, then off to bed we went.  After a longer than normal amount of time to fall asleep (and lots of tears), she finally crashed.... and we didn't hear from her again until 7am.  Night one was a success!

I sit here typing this as I watch her playing in her crib for our first nap.  Although she isn't asleep yet - there has been no crying.  Knock on wood.

A new year



The holidays are over and we are enjoying our family time together before I go back to work on Tuesday.  Our little lady is not so little anymore - 21 months old now!  She has so many new words, it amazes me to watch her play each day and actually hold conversations with her!

 

I'm afraid that I'll forget some of the cute moments or her favourite things, so of course, it's always best to write them down and lock them in the "memory bank" of the internet for future reference!

• looking out the window and seeing "nooo" (aka snow) like she didn't see it the day before
• pushing her babies around in the stroller, putting blankets on them, and giving them "ee-cees" (aka their soother)
• eating her milk and cereal in the morning with her spoon and then drinking the milk from the bowl
• wearing her hair in a full ponytail
• being obsessed with daddy's bellybutton and tickling him
• having people chase her
• calling grandparents by name
• pretending to talk on the phone and having it sound like a real conversation
• putting hats on her head and walking around the house forgetting that they are there
• whenever we drive by her babysitters (and we aren't stopping there), she shouts out her besties name
• when she hurts someone she rubs their cheek and says "soweee" (and sometimes when someone hurts her she still says sorry to them!)
• sitting at her little table and colouring in colouring books (and it was also found on the stove and the wall....)
• running into her tent and knocking it on her side
• finding a soother (which she is only supposed to have at bedtime) and hiding somewhere to put it in her mouth so she doesn't get caught
• splashing and blowing bubbles in the tub
• her first sled ride down a big hill (she giggled and squealed the whole time)
   

I look forward to the upcoming year and all of the cuteness and fun we will have!