desperate housewife

Excitement and a bit of craziness!

2011-11-25T09:22:00.001-08:00

I know I should be sleeping right now. The boys are down for a nap and will probably stay down for about an hour and a half but even though I'm super tired my mind is going way too fast to sleep. This past tuesday Frank and I bought a vacation package to Florida! We leave next week and will be gone for 7 days. It was such a good deal we just couldn't pass it up and even though I'm 8 months preggo I think it's a great time for us to go. I can't even imagine flying with 3 kids so I'm going to enjoy this last trip as a family of 4. It's kinda crazy because I feel we were just there. I think it was only 9 months ago that we went last time. If you do the trip right you can go really cheaply and we've become pretty good at it. Gavin is so excited to wear shorts again. It's been a fight every morning to get him into pants. He yells at the snow to go away and begs for summer. Owen was 10 months old when we were there last time so it will all be new to him again. Hopefully he'll be ok with it. I'm stressing about our direct flight back home. It will be 4 hours and 15 mins and we arrive back home at 11:45 pm. It could either be a complete disaster or the kids could sleep through most of it. We are really going to try to take things as they come and try to relax on this trip.

9 more weeks....

2011-11-10T08:43:00.001-08:00

Nine weeks left of this pregnancy. I thought when I was in the single digits it would feel much closer. I was wrong. Nine weeks feels like an eternity to me!! People are telling me that it will go by fast with Christmas and New Years and I hope they are right. I am really excited for Christmas but I don't have much energy to do anything festive yet. I hope that getting the house looking nice for Christmas and buying some gifts and going to Christmas parties will distract me from the long wait I still have for this baby. I feel bad saying it but I'm not getting that excited butterfly in the stomach feeling for this baby yet. I know I will love him to pieces but it feels so overwhelming to me right now. I know before Gavin came I was worried about becoming a mom. I was worried about pretty much all of the unknowns of motherhood. When I was pregnant with Owen I worried that Gavin wouldn't adjust and that he'd have to share me. I guess it's natural to worry during pregnancy. So now I'm worried about how I'll ever leave the house with 3. What if this one has colic or doesn't sleep well? What if the boys both act out when I have a newborn at home and recovering from a c-section? How will I give them each the attention that they need from me?? How on earth will I get the house done in time?? I guess only time will tell. I'm also guessing I will have a lot less time to write about how I'm doing once the baby is born. For now, I'll keep writing so I can look back and remember the feelings of worry that I had anticipating this new baby and hopefully I will see that there was nothing to worry about at all.

Next week wednesday...

2011-11-06T19:16:00.000-08:00

I just looked back on my calendar from last year and read that Gavin was in the hospital having his EEG one year ago next Wednesday. When he was in the hospital hooked up to the EEG machine, he had a seizure and the doctor was able to get a good picture of his seizure. We put him on a new medication and since then he hasn't had a seizure yet! That is one year now of being seizure free! I'm so excited about this. This past week we met with his neurologist who mentioned that she would like him to get an MRI done. I know we should do this procedure but it scares me too. Most likely if we get the MRI done now we will be able to tell if he will probably have seizures for the rest of his life. I'm torn. I want to know what the answer is but part of me has hope right now that things are under control and he might out grow them. If they tell me they've found something abnormal in the brain then everything changes. I will be worried about his future, I will be worried about the effects of his meds all his life, I will be worried that he might start having seizures, and the list goes on. Right now we are meeting with some specialists to see how his development and behavior are doing and if there are some warning signs then we will get the MRI done very soon. I will post some more about the specialists when we've had proper evaluations done. So far, he's doing great though and if he wasn't on meds for seizures, I probably wouldn't even think about getting his speech or behavior looked at.

On another note... I am an aunt to a new baby girl born to my brother Dan and sister-in-law Nicole! Her name is Jordyn and she's adorable! I can't wait to see her and see my brother and sister-in-law as new parents. First time babies are just so much fun. All babies are wonderful but it's always so exciting when someone has their first. Welcome to the family Jordyn!!

Finally...

2011-10-30T10:29:00.000-07:00

Before this past summer, Frank had been working hard on getting some work done on our house. We started the wainscoting, we started the painting, almost finished Owen's bedroom and started taking wallpaper down in Gavin's room. Then I got pregnant and it all came to a stop. I couldn't even believe how tired I was and how sick I was and suddenly the boys were just too much to handle while he would be working away on the house. So we decided to stop for the summer and resume work again in the winter. Don't think we haven't done anything all summer because that is far from the truth. This summer with a little extra help from Frank's mom to help with the kids, and a bunch of friends for the hard stuff, we had our lawn scraped off and re-leveled. We (and when I say "we" I mean Frank) laid new sod, and tore down our old deck and started building a new one, and laid a new stone walkway along the side of our house and a small patio in the back. Our lawn looks wonderful after constant watering and some tlc and the deck is looking great. We are not done the deck yet. We needed to order some more wood to finish off the stairs and the railings and eventually build a privacy screen around the hot tub. We have the materials now, we just need more time to complete it. I'm thinking the spring.

Anyway, I am feeling much better. I am still very tired and getting kinda sore in this final trimester but I can handle it now that I'm done puking and taking small naps throughout the day. So today Frank finally started working again on our wainscoting! That is one thing I can't wait to get finished. He's finished the wood-work part and now just needs to fill in the holes and paint it which is a pretty quick job. After that is done I think we will paint the front closet doors white and decorate that front entrance area a bit with pictures or a mirror or something. It just feels so good to be making some progress again!!

As far as baby stuff is concerned, I am not even thinking about that yet. I have all the clothes I need, all the baby gear and a pack and play for the little guy to sleep in. I'm not moving Owen out of the nursery for a while yet either. For now, I just want to make my house a little more "finished" and then possibly start on Gavin and Owen's room, or do the stairs carpet, or the railings, or the family room, or... oh boy. One thing at a time!!!

Pictures will follow soon.

What to do...

2011-10-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

So I've been trying this thing with Gavin's meds lately. I wait till later in the morning to give them to him and it seems to be doing the trick. He's much happier at home with me, he plays well with Owen, and I'm able to go out to play groups and mom's morning out. The problem is though, that in the morning he's playing hard and having fun, then I give him his meds, and his combined sleepiness from playing and from his meds make it impossible to keep him awake. As much as I love nap time when both boys are sleeping, if I give Gavin a nap he will have a hard time falling asleep at night. Lately he's been awake till about 9:30 at night and he keeps Owen up by talking and complaining in his bed. I am not use to this and it's incredibly frustrating!!! When bed time hits, it's mommy time. Time for Frank and I to talk or watch a show, I could shower, or make a snack for myself. I love bed time... I NEED bed time. I really don't know what to do about this problem. I'm sure people would tell me that I should just give him a short nap but believe me I tried this too and it really doesn't seem to make a difference to him. I had a great morning with him today, Gave him his meds and lunch and by the time lunch was over he was horrible!! Crying about everything, falling over, hurting himself, wanting things he knows he can't have, etc... I put him down and within 10 mins he's fast asleep. Today I'm going to wake him after 45 mins and we'll see how it goes but if anyone has a suggestion feel free to share.

Time for a new one.

2011-10-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

My kids are asleep and I have a bit of down time to update the blog. Life has been busy and it really is hard to keep up with the writing. Frank is away on a work trip (again) and even though I miss him and can't wait for him to get back, I also find that I can keep on top of things pretty good when he's away. I think I automatically try harder to keep up with the cleaning and make sure the kids are on schedule because I know it will make things easier for me. By evening I am wiped and won't feel like cleaning up so I keep on top of it so I can relax once the kids go to bed. I really should be this way all the time.

The pregnancy is going well. I am just about to enter into the 3rd trimester! We've had about 3 fetal assessments and everything looks great with the baby. We are having another boy and I couldn't be more thrilled. The other day a woman came up to me and asked if I'm having a girl this time. I told her no it's another boy and she said "oh how disappointing". I was a bit shocked by that. Why on earth would I be disappointed by having another boy?? I kindly told her that I was really excited about my boy and joked that I don't know what I'm missing because I already have 2 boys and I love it. Some people are so weird!! Having a boy seems so easy to me now and I feel like I don't even need to get anything ready for this baby. We have everything!

Gavin is doing well. Next month he will be seizure free for a year! I am definitely starting to relax a lot more with him but there are still some concerns I have with his meds. He gets really sleepy after I give them to him so I've been trying to change the times I give them so that he gets the most out of his day. Yesterday I gave his meds later in the morning and I was able to go to a church mom's group and he had a great time. When we got home after lunch I gave his meds and he had a nice long nap and was happy all afternoon. Today I gave his meds at his usual time and went off to the mall. It didn't take long for Gavin to start whining that he was tired and he wanted to go home to bed. We didn't get any shopping done and once we got home he went straight to bed and fell asleep. I think for now on I will give him his meds around 11 so we can enjoy our mornings.

Owen is hilarious right now. He's at such a cute age. He's trying to talk and is doing really well with that. Gavin loves to get him to say words which really makes me laugh. Sometimes he'll get him to say hard words like "sprinkle donut". I love hearing him try. He's less whiny then when he just turned one and just goes about his day exploring and learning. He is sleeping through the night which is the hugest blessing to me. I have so much more energy when I get a full nights sleep. He usually goes to bed around 7ish and wakes up about 7am when his brother gets up.

I have a bunch of pictures I'd like to post but that will have to wait till Frank gets back from his trip. I have all the good pictures on his computer.

Hopefully I can find some more time to keep up with writing a bit more. I am going to enjoy the few minutes of quiet time I have left.

3rd baby making an appearance beginning of January!

2011-07-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

My boys.

2011-01-30T10:04:00.000-08:00

It's very hard for me to get a second in to write much these days but we've hit some milestones that I want to share and since all three of my boys are sleeping I thought I'd take this opportunity to write a bit.

I can't believe Owen is 9 months already!! He is growing so quickly and I feel like I just delivered him! Compared to Gavin he seems so tiny to me still but he's growing and learning new things every day. His recent milestone is that he's learned to crawl. Oh boy my life just got so much busier. Two days ago he woke up in the morning and decided he knew how to crawl and he hasn't sat still since. He started out rocking on his hands and knees and then all of a sudden he figured it out. He has such a proud little look on his face while he's slowly making his way towards a toy or something else he shouldn't get into. It's much harder this time around because now Gavin has all kinds of little toys and things laying everywhere for Owen to grab. Gavin is also getting frustrated when he's playing with something and along comes Owen to play too. I hear "no Owen!!" all day now. Owen babbles a lot! He's saying words like ma ma ma and da da da. I swear he says "all done" and "Gavin" It comes out more like "ah da" and "gaga" but hey, close enough.

Gavin has reached a new milestone as well and I'm so very proud of him. He has decided to be toilet trained. It literally happened over night the day after this birthday and he's been out of diapers ever since with very few accidents. He even decided that he wanted to wear underwear to bed so we reluctantly allowed him to go all night without a pull up and sure enough in the morning he woke up dry!! I couldn't believe it seeing as before he was trained he'd wake up drenched right though his diaper and pajama. We told him before his birthday that three year olds don't wear diapers and that he'd have to give his to Owen because Owen is a baby and baby's use diapers. That's literally all it took! Gavin is very much into the song "We are the champions" by Queen and listens to it all day on the Ipad. Of course music is still his number one interest but he's also been pretending to go swimming and go in hot tubs a lot. He's got a great imagination and will make a hot tub out of almost anything.

I am getting very excited for our trip to Florida and can't wait to take Gavin to Disney. People keep telling me he's too young but I really don't care. We will go when he's older as well so he can remember it. I hope the kids are happy and do well with the flights but we are going to be relaxed and not expect too much from them and just make the most out of our trip.

Well thats all for now! Hopefully soon I can post some more pictures of the latest reno's but right now not a lot has happened.

Wainscotting!!

2011-01-16T12:35:00.000-08:00

Here is what we started with. Yucky white walls and of course the nasty carpet up the stairs.

We started with adding the mouldings.

We had to move an electrical outlet so that we wouldn't have to cut into the moulding.

Here is the finished moulding and the new paint colour. We still need to do one more coat of blue.

We plan on painting the spindles? white and possibly stain the top of the railings to match the floors better.

Wainscoting!!

2011-01-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

I am just so excited about our wainscoting!! It's totally changing what our entrance looks like and I love it so far! I'm tempted to post a sneak peak but Frank wants to wait until it's completely finished. There is just not enough hours in the day to get it all done and I want it done NOW!

Living room/dining room reno

2011-01-01T11:42:00.000-08:00

When we first got our house we decided to start working on the living room and dining room. Here is what the dining room looked like when we got the keys to the house.

We started by ripping out the carpets and putting in maple hardwoods. We scraped the popcorn off the ceiling which was a horrible and messy job but totally worth it in the end. We also replaced the baseboards with much higher ones and painted them white. Here is the end result....

Phase 1 of renovating our entrance and hallway.

2011-01-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

I know I write a lot about my kids but believe it or not there are other things going on in my life that doesn't involve diapers, teething, and bedtime routines. Frank and I are feeling ready to finally start getting things done around the house. We did as much as we could do while I was pregnant with Owen and then took a break to let us get use to having 2 kids. Well I'd say we are pretty use to the boys now and so we decided to start work our our entrance and hallway. Here is what it looks like currently...

Our plan will be to change out the closet doors to something white and eventually paint the spindles on the banister to white as well. In the hallway and up the stairs on the walls we will be adding wainscoting painted white and a smokey blue color on the walls. I'm a little nervous about this change because I am more of a neutral person and like to play things safe but it's only paint and it can always be changed. Today we are going over to the home depot and picking up some wainscoting supplies. More pictures to follow....

Owen

2010-12-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

Wow, time is flying!! Owen is 7 months old already and he is growing so quickly!! At 6 months Owen grew his first two teeth on the bottom. When Gavin got his first teeth, he basically woke up one morning and I felt a tooth in his mouth. Owen on the other hand worked on his teeth for months. He would cry at night, pull on his ears, not want to eat... it was not fun. The day both his teeth were popped he slept almost through the night. I got excited thinking that finally he was starting to sleep longer at night but I was wrong. He's been waking up probably about 5-6 times a night! I'm exhausted and I don't remember going through this with Gavin at all. I have been working hard at keeping a consistent schedule with Owen and we do a night time routine but it doesn't seem to be getting better. He goes down for the night very well and usually stays asleep till about 12ish. After that, he's up almost every hour until we get up for the day. Any tips are welcomed.

Owen learned to sit on his own at 6 and a half months. He loves sitting by his bucket of baby toys and empty it out one toy at a time. He can play on the floor all day without hearing a peep from him. He's so easy. He's a very happy baby and loves his brother so much. No one can make him giggle and smile like Gavin can. Gavin knows that his brother thinks he's funny and tries to make him laugh and entertains him all day. Just recently Owen has been rolling places to get to where he wants to go. He often smacks his head on the floor going from a sitting position to laying down and then starts rolling. He doesn't seem to mind this way. I don't think it will be long before he's crawling all over the place.

Owen is very stubborn with some things and refuses to take a bottle. I think that is my fault because I wasn't nearly as consistent this time around with Giving him a bottle once a night. I try sippy cups and almost every kid of bottle that there is but he doesn't want to take any of it. Unfortunately, he seems to be wanting to wean himself from breast feeding but I can't really do that if he isn't getting any liquids any where else. Again, tips are welcomed.

Excitement!

2010-11-28T09:22:00.000-08:00

I have so much I need to catch up on in my blog. I just realized it's been over a month since I've written anything new. I have a list of things I want to write about but for now I'll just stick to what's going on lately.

This tuesday we are leaving for Ontario to visit family for early christmas. Frank has a convention to go to so some of the time we will be in a hotel in Toronto and the rest of the time will be spent staying with family. I'm so looking forward to this week!! I am so excited to see my niece Aeris for the first time and I can't wait for my family to meet Owen. I also have a friend who has a baby which I've never met yet and I can't wait to catch up with her either.

After Ontario we have all the festivities of Christmas to look forward to. I always enjoy the parties, the music, the family, the services that go along with Christmas and I can't wait to celebrate Owen's first christmas too.

After Christmas we have Gavin's 3rd birthday! I can't believe my baby is turning 3. He is growing so fast and I'm just amazed with all the things he's learned. We are working on potty training and he's totally ready for it. He can stay dry all day if I work at it but lately I've been too lazy to keep up with it so he spends part of the day in a pull-up or diaper and part of the day in underwear. He's been really into cars lately and it's so cute to watch him drive cars around his duplo bridges and gas stations that he's built. His obsession with play food is slowly ending but he still enjoys making a cup of coffee for us and having a tea party. We brought him in for his telemetry 2 weeks ago but I"ll save that for another post.

After Gavin's birthday we are so excited to take the kids to florida in Feb! We've rented a house and we will be sharing it with some good friends with kids the same ages as ours. The house has a covered pool and hot tub and enough rooms for each kid to have their own. We plan on spending most of our time at the house but we are definitely going to be going to disneyworld because how can you not take 2 three year olds to disney?? I just can't wait!!

Well thats all for now. Both kids are sleeping so I think I'll take this time to have a nap myself. Owen has been waking up a lot at night due to teething so I've been exhausted lately.

Cancelled.

2010-10-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

Got a call this morning just before leaving to go to the hospital telling us that his EEG has been cancelled. They didn't say why and didn't reschedule one yet but their guess was that there were no beds available. I was all geared up and ready to go, Gavin was prepared, and Frank had the days off so I'm sort of disappointed.

Seizure Update...

2010-10-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

The kids are down for a nap so I have a bit of time to update you all on Gavin's seizures. Not too sure how many people are actually reading this any more but I like to remember these things too. Gavin has been having some really small seizures every once in a while which means his medication is still not working completely for him. The meds are doing something because the seizures are definitely less noticeable and less frequent but his Neurologist would like him to have no seizures so we need to figure out what to do to stop them completely. The first thing his Neurologist would like to do is catch a seizure on the EEG machine so tomorrow we will pack up and head to the hospital and be admitted for about 48 hours. Gavin will be hooked up the machine and put in a room with a camera so that they can catch a visual of him having a seizure and also get an idea of what the brain is doing. This is the first time I actually want him to have a seizure! He won't be able to leave the room so that will be a challenge. Apparently they will bring us toys and he can watch movies so we are hoping that he will be ok in there but you never know with a busy a two year old. We've been preparing him for the night in the hospital and his good friend Sara is going to visit us for a bit so he is excited about that. We also bought him some new glow in the dark pajamas with rocket ships on them and he can't wait to wear those either. If we catch one of his seizures tomorrow we will no a lot more about the type he is having and how to properly treat him. As of right now we really don't know what is next but we are just going to take it one step at a time and hope that things will get better. I will keep you posted when I return from the hospital. Frank will be staying with him over night and I"ll be there with the kids during the day. Wish me luck :s

Just so I don't forget...

2010-09-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

Owen rolled over yesterday for the first time
He is trying very hard to sit on his own
It looks like he's teething but nothing's popped yet
I have been giving him oatmeal baby cereal 2 times a day and he loves it.
He is NOT taking a bottle or sippy cup
He falls asleep for the night at around 8:30 and wakes up around 5:30 to eat and then back down till 7:30
Such a good and happy baby almost all the time.
Is not playing strange.

Gavin had 3 coins in his hand and told me he was making a money hamburger
He is starting to take things that Owen has that he wants and replaces them with something else so he doesn't get in trouble.
He says almost every night that there is a man in his room and that the man is scared. (creepy) Although if he was actually seeing a man I think he'd be acting a lot more scared than he is.
He sleeps through the night from about 7:30 pm till 7:30am or later.
He is going to music school every friday which he LOVES!

I am good.
In love with my boys.
Happy on sunny days, sad on crappy days.
Enjoying making baby food.
Just celebrated my 4 year anniversary.
Trying to organize my stuff. Planning on purging lots of it.

Frank is busy.
Work is crazy.
House needs lots of work.
Excited to be getting a hot tub next week.
Loves hot tubs.
Also celebrated four years of marriage.

Our life right now in point form.

Stupid family conversations...

2010-09-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

My family has a very funny sense of humor. Occasionally we can have a bit of a potty mouth and some of our jokes can be a little um... below the belt at times. Facebook has been a wonderful outlet for most of these jokes so I thought it would be funny to post some of our funny conversations on here for your enjoyment.
It started with the status line "Open your boobies Mommy, I want to make milk"

bahahahahaha
22 hours ago · ·
Me:
I could make a book from all of his lines... this one tops them all so far.
22 hours ago · ·
L:
Stop letting him milk you!
21 hours ago · ·
Me:
ya right... thats a nono
21 hours ago · ·
D:
This is getting uncomfortably wierd.
21 hours ago · ·
Me:
haha, you think this is uncomfortable, you should hear him talk about other parts of the body...
21 hours ago · ·
D:
Well quit parading all your body parts around him then!
21 hours ago · ·
L:
Lol, they are one of 'those' kinds of fmailies..
20 hours ago · ·
D:
Yeah. Gavins friends will be coming over ALL the time when he gets older..... Lol
20 hours ago · ·
M:
If you jump a lot, he might get butter.
19 hours ago · ·
P:
you guys should be on Montel!
19 hours ago · ·
Me:
oh jeez people, you are all SICK!! He's two! Dan, you were breast fed till you were 7 so you shouldn't talk. haha
19 hours ago · ·
L:
Ohhh puke!
19 hours ago · ·
J:
Hey you guys, other people can read this stuff too. ;)
18 hours ago · ·
J:
‎7!!!! EWWWW
18 hours ago · ·
D:
I was not breast fed until I was 7. Alisha was breast fed until her teeth came in, she then stopped, then was aloud to continue again when she lost her two front teeth....
17 hours ago · ·
T:
Ha ha ha - love all this sibling stuff!
14 hours ago · ·
L:
Lol
13 hours ago · ·

blah....

2010-09-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been feeling pretty blah. I'm sure it's the change in weather or possibly the fact that I am unable to sleep these past few weeks or maybe it's because I never get out as much as I'd like to but whatever the reason, I'm feeling blah.
I was talking to a friend of mine who was trying to convince me to go out for a mani/pedi because I didn't feel like going. She said she always feel down this time of year and it's normal and I need to get my mani/pedi to feel better. Well, I went and it did make me feel better temporarily but there was still guilt that I'm leaving my stressed and hard-working husband at home with both kids at supper time and I shouldn't be wasting money on myself for something stupid like toe nails. Last night I tried to go out for coffee with a friend but it ended up being cut very short due to my baby screaming after waking up and realizing that I wasn't there. I have never heard him cry so loud. I got him settled and in bed and spent the rest of my evening alone with nothing to do but watch stupid shows on tv while my husband worked. This morning I was going to have a friend over for coffee but her kids were sick and I didn't feel like dealing with my kids getting sick just yet so we cancelled that too.
My husband and I share our car but most days he needs it for work and since his stuff is more important, I'm left stuck at home again. Having one car is a choice we've made and it's a smart one for us. I think if I had a car all the time I'd be going out every day and the kids naps would be screwed up and I would spend a lot more money on crap that we don't need. I'm sure it's a good thing to have one car but man, I feel cooped up and most of time a bit lonely.
Owen does not take a bottle at all which is totally my fault because I didn't push it from the beginning but it sucks because I can't leave him in the evenings for very long but I don't feel it's fair to him to drag him out at night either.
And just one more thing to add before I stop bitching and whining.
All my friends live on the other side of the city or in Ontario and those who do live a little closer have jobs during the week. I never get people stopping in and I'm not close enough to walk over to someone's house or meet at a park close by.
So what am I supposed to do? I have a few options. 1. Look for a house closer to my friends 2. Get a second vehicle 3. Get a job Option 1 and 2 means spending more money and option 3 is just not possible right now with Owen being so young and no one to watch him. And I'm sure if I had a job I'd be yearning to be at home with the kids everyday.
Sorry for all the complaining. This is just one phase in my life and I know it won't always be like this but I still want to write it down so that I remember some of the things I had to deal with being a SAHM.

Gavin update

2010-09-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't written about Gavin in a while and there has been some changes so it's time for an update.
Gavin's seizure medicine is once again not working the way it should be. We have had to raise his meds over and over again within the last year and each time we raise them he gets side effects from it which last a long time. He gets super tired after we give him his medication and he seems very unsteady on his feet. We had to raise the amounts a lot because he was still having seizures and each time we would raise them we'd have to deal with the side effects all over.

This past weekend we were told to bring him in to the ER to get checked over and to have some blood work done and we were told he might be getting too much medication. It's all pretty confusing so I won't go into too much detail but they sent his blood away to the mayo clinic and we won't here back about the level for a few weeks. In the mean time, we will be decreasing his dose and see if his side effects get better. We are also looking into getting him on a new medication. The neurologist also told us that she would like to have him monitored in the hospital for a few days in hopes of catching a seizure on camera and the EEG machine. We will be going in for hopefully just 2 days in October and he won't be able to leave his room the whole time we are there. Visitors will be welcome! I think we'll all be going a bit crazy. He'll be able to move around his room and wear his own clothes and stuff but I'm sure he won't love it. Thats about all I know for now about him on the seizure end of things.

Gavin is very well adjusted to being a big brother. He kisses Owen a lot and tells him he loves him. For the most part he just ignores him but he can't stand it if he hears him crying or if someone else is holding him that he isn't comfortable with. He's a great singer and loves watching the wiggles. He's very into playing any instruments and we've been building quite a collection of different instruments. So far we have a play violin, a real violin, a real piano, a xylophone, bongos, and other drums, a harmonica, a real guitar and a play guitar, and maracas. Gavin will be starting music school this fall and is looking forward to it. His favorite song is "Twinkle, Twinkle, little star" and he can sing ABC's and a bunch of other songs. Lately, he's been not wanting to nap so he spends "quiet time" in his room for an hour a day. Although I love a break in my day when the boys sleep, I don't always mind if he doesn't nap because that means he goes to bed at 6:30 which gives Frank and I a nice long evening to ourselves.

Owen is doing great! At his 4 month appointment he weighed 17.5 pounds! He's a porker. He is such a happy boy and hardly ever cries. He is so easy and I am so in love with him. We are working on a better sleep routine right now. He goes down around 7ish and can sleep till about 2ish but every night is a little different and I'd like him to start sleeping all the way through. He's recently discovered his jolly jumper and loves bouncing in it. He's finding his voice loves to hear himself. He also loves watching his big brother play.

Frank and I are doing well. We are very busy but I will save all that fun stuff for another post.

quick post

2010-07-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

So the boys are both sleeping right now which is awesome and instead of cleaning I thought I'd write a quick post. I have been looking through some of my older posts and I love that I can look back and know what Gavin was doing at Owen's age so I need to keep up with this blog.

Owen is doing awesome. He is such an easy baby just like Gavin was. He rarely cries and he has great naps and pretty much sleeps through the night. Right now he goes down to bed at about 10 and wakes up at 5:30 to eat. He is still sleeping in our room in a bassinet but I'm almost ready to move him to his own bed. I moved Gavin to his crib at about this age but in our old house his room was so close to us. Now Owen's nursery is WAY down the hall and he still seems so little to me. I know I'll start sleeping better when he is in his room so I'm starting to build up to it.

Owen had his first set of needles 2 weeks ago and he did really well. He turned purple from crying but he stopped quickly. He didn't even seem cranky after them. He's smiling at everything and everyone and goo's and gah's all day. He loves watching his brother but is a little nervous when he gets to close because he usually gets a swat on the head or a poke in the eye from him.

Gavin is slowly adjusting to having Owen around. He still hits him and I can't leave the 2 alone in a room for a second so I end up taking one with me every time I leave a room. I find it really hard to divide my time and often feel really guilty if I'm giving one attention and not the other. If I talk to Owen and say "are you smiling?' Gavin will say "I'm smiling too". And we've taught him that instead of doing bad things to get our attention he just has to ask for attention and so every once in a while Gavin will interrupt a phone call or walk up to me if I'm playing with Owen to say " Mommy, I need attention". It's pretty funny but I make sure to give him my full attention when he asks for it.

Well I hear baby noises coming from upstairs. Better go.

Owen's birth Story

2010-06-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, Owen is 6 weeks already and I haven't posted anything. Gavin and Owen are both sleeping soundly and Frank is gone on a run so I will take some time to write out the birth story before I forget everything.

On August 28th (the day before my planned c-section) I woke up so nervous. I had been worrying for weeks about my surgery and leaving Gavin and having a new baby to take care of etc, etc... for weeks but that day was worse and I was sick about it. I snapped at Gavin, I called everyone I knew for words of courage and I was upset about all the things I needed to get before the morning. I went to bed worried and eventually fell asleep.

At about 2:30 in the morning I woke up from contractions. They were getting stronger so they kept me up and I started timing them. They were pretty regular going from about 3 - 5 mins apart. I woke up Frank when I realized they were getting stronger and not going away. I decided I wouldn't go to the hospital earlier because my water wasn't broken yet and I probably had lots of time. We needed to be at the hospital for 6:30 anyway so I figured it would be fine. Gavin ended up waking up from his sleep so I took him down stairs about about 4:00 in the morning and sat and watched tv with him on my lap. I was strangely calm sitting with him while timing contractions.

Finally it was time to get ready to head out to the hospital. Frank's mom came to watch Gavin and grabbed all our stuff and left. It was a painful car ride and once we got to admitting I was definitely in labour. They hooked me up to monitors and told me I was 2 cm dilated and 30 % effaced. The nurses asked me if I wanted to try a natural birth but my contractions were already pretty painful and I had a long way to go so I opted for the c-section.

The nurses started prepping me for the surgery starting with the regular questions about family history, allergies and previous surgeries. They gave me an enema which was a lot of fun, gave me a blood thinner, and an anti nausea drink that tasted like salt water. Then the Anesthesiologist came in to ask some questions and answer mine. I had lots of questions for him and he calmed all my fears that I had. Through out all of this I was so strangely calm and joked with all the doctors and nurses and laughed through all the procedures. I requested that the anesthesiologist would give me the IV and he froze my hand and put it in on the first shot with no pain! I loved him. Once all that was done they walked me to the OR where I had to say bye to Frank until I was frozen and ready. I walked through the doors with a smile on my face not nervous at all.

The room was freezing so they gave me a warmed blanked to put around me until they were ready. There was music on in the background and everyone was just having fun and chatting like it was just another day at work. (Which it was) I started shaking a bit when they started prepping me for the spinal but a nurse came and held my shoulders and told me what was happening the whole time. I jumped when they started freezing me and they really had to warn me not to move which was the hardest part for me but once it was all done a warmth came over me and I laid down with no more contractions. I felt so good and I closed my eyes and relaxed while they got me all ready. Frank joined me just as the doctor came in, she asked me how I was doing and got to work. Frank kept rubbing my face like I asked because I wanted to focus on something else other than my belly. A few times I started feeling dizzy so they gave me a shot of something and I instantly felt better. It felt like forever but finally they told me I would feel a lot of pressure and they told Frank if he wanted to take a picture to get ready. I felt a push and a tug and out came Owen, screaming his little head off. I instantly cried from relief and happiness and told Frank to go see him. He looked great weighing 7 pounds 11 oz and was 20 inches long. When he was all cleaned up I got to see him for the first time and he was perfect.

The recovery room was hard. I was feeling pretty sick and threw up a few times which was painful for my fresh incision. I didn't want to hold Owen yet because of the pain so Frank sat with him and I tried to sleep and keep control of my nausea. Once I could move my legs they brought me to my room where I spent the next 2 nights before coming home.

Throughout this whole day I was so calm and I didn't realize it until I was at home talking to my friends and family that it was because of all the prayers I received from everyone. I am a worrier and I get so anxious so easily and I was more calm that day then I have ever been so I know that it was from all the prayers of all the people close to me. I appreciated all the prayers, the phone calls, the visits, the gifts and cards received from everyone. Thanks so much! And sorry this was so long. I have more to write about my adorable baby and also about how Gavin is doing but I'll save that for another post.

My chubby baby with lots of hair.

2010-04-10T05:22:00.001-07:00

36 weeks...

2010-04-08T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well I'm 36 almost 37 weeks pregnant. I'm feeling tired but pretty good so far. Tomorrow I will go for a fetal assessment to see how big this baby is and when we can take it out. I'm having a c-section so they will probably book me for around the 27th - 29th. I should know by tomorrow afternoon when I will meet this little one. As exciting as this time is for me, I'm more excited right now for my sister's baby who is coming in less than a week! Our due dates are about 6 days apart from each other and we both found out we were pregnant at around the same time. We talk a lot on the phone and it's been so nice to share this pregnancy with her so far. Times like these make it really hard to be away.

I have so much more to write about but so little time it seems. I will try to write more after my fetal assessment and doctors appointment tomorrow.

Been a while...

2010-02-16T18:26:00.000-08:00

Well once again it's been a while since I blogged. I'm not sure why but I just never feel like I have anything to say.

I'm 29 weeks pregnant this week and things are starting to get uncomfortable. I'm seeing the doc every other week now which seems like a lot to me. I haven't waited at my doctors for under an hour yet for both pregnancies so it takes a lot of time out of my day when I have to go.

Last week I took my glucose test which was fine but I've never understood why they make the drink fizzy. I have a very hard time chugging pop and I know if it was juice there would be no problem. They tell you to finish this huge bottle in less than 5 mins so there I am sipping and burping the whole time and feeling like crap afterward. Oh well, at least it tastes good. After my glucose test they needed a urine sample so I waited for the washroom and finally a very large man came out after doing what I'm guessing was a very large thing in the toilet with no fan or air freshener. All I could do was wrap my scarf around my face and get it done as quickly as possible. NOT FUN!

Frank is gone this week. I did not want him to go but it was for work and I didn't have much say in the matter so he went to Toronto for his conference. He left on monday and won't be back till late friday night. I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself and have been dreading this week for a long time already. I'm use to being with Gavin at home everyday but by 4:00 in the afternoon I'm usually so tired and need some relief. Frank usually takes over with Gavin when he gets home while I cook or do whatever and it works really well for us. Luckily Frank's mom is home at about 3:30 and is helping me out when she's done work. I know I'll survive and it's only a few more days but man I have great respect for those parents out there that do this all the time!

I bought myself a dairy queen cake today. I've been craving one ever since the commercials started coming on the tv over the last month or so. Frank and I usually don't celebrate V day but I told him this year I wanted a cake. We ran out of time this weekend and they have been closed every time I've gone there to buy it so today I called them and ordered it and picked it up after our nap. No, I won't eat the whole thing by myself and if anyone wants to come for a visit I will gladly share my cake with you.

Gavin's great. We are still trying to get him on the right dose for his seizure meds so tomorrow I'm taking him for more blood work and we'll see where we are at. He's learning so much lately and it surprises me every time he comes up with something new. It's so fun to watch.

Thats all for now. I"ll try to post a belly pic soon.

25 weeks

2010-01-18T09:52:00.000-08:00

Today I'm 25 weeks pregnant. It seems to be going pretty quickly right now. I have so much I want to do before I get too uncomfortable and tired to do anything. I don't feel too huge right now and I'm pretty comfortable for the most part. The baby kicks a lot at night which is always reassuring and I've noticed the baby responding to Gavin's voice and it also kicks if I'm holding Isabelle, my friends new baby.

Thats all I have for the pregnancy side of things but I have some stuff about Gavin to talk about.

Yesterday night while Gavin was having a bath he stood up and started peeing. I stopped him and said no peeing in the bathtub and picked him up and asked if he wanted to pee in the potty. He said yes so I sat him down and waited. Nothing happened for quite a while but he was fine to just sit there and tell me stories. Finally I saw him concentrate and then all of a sudden he started peeing!! He was so thrilled with himself he started cheering and clapping. He got a treat from me and then we called all the grandparents so he could tell them what he did. I totally know he's not ready for toilet training but I'm glad he's starting to get excited about it and I'll encourage it as much as possible.

On saturday Frank took Gavin tobogganing for the first time. It's been such nice weather lately and he loves being outside. Here is a picture of Gavin and his cousin Sara on the toboggan. I have a video but blogger won't allow me add it for some reason.

Christmas, new years and Ontario

2010-01-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

Wow, we've definitely had a very busy christmas season this year. Gavin enjoyed most of the celebrations but was feeling very sick with a fever on Christmas eve and Christmas day. He wasn't too interested in the present openings and we had to leave from a family lunch early because he wouldn't stop crying. Frank and I had a lovely evening at home with Chinese food and a movie. Boxing day was a busy day with a lovely brunch with my extended family, followed by a short nap, and then another large gathering on Frank's side in the afternoon. Gavin was feeling much better and had a great time. The following day we woke up at 3:30am and headed out to the airport to go visit my family in Ontario. I always get a bit nervous when taking Gavin away from home because he does so well in his bed and I'm afraid to ruin it. Gavin did great on the flight and to my surprise he slept amazing well thanks to my brother Caleb who so willing gave up his bedroom for his nephew. We had a wonderful visit with my family. I think what I liked most was how much time we all spent together. Everyday there was someone visiting and my parents both had the week off of work so we got to see them a lot. I'm going to add some pictures but right now I don't have any on this computer.

My pregnancy is going pretty well. All of my friends and a bunch of relatives are having their babies this month and last month which is making me a bit jealous. I'd love to be done with this and I feel like I still have so far to go! To keep myself occupied I've been organizing Gavin's room and the baby room. We installed closet organizers in both rooms so I can start to get things in place. My next project will be to start painting both rooms. I figure that I feel pretty good right now and my belly isn't too big to get in the way so now is a good time to get things done before I get crazy tired and uncomfortable.

Gavin's second birthday is less than a week away and I'm so excited about this one. When I thought about what Gavin would want to do for his birthday I knew that he wouldn't like to have a house full of people and different kids playing with all his toys so I decided to plan something a bit different. We are going to have his party at the Children's museum and I think he's going to love it. We get the use of a decorated party room with a party host who will plan face painting and a little instrument parade around the museum by the kids. Then we'll eat cake and open presents and after that all the kids will get to play in the museum for as long as they'd like. Since it's been so cold lately we really haven't gone out much and I think this will be great for all the kids to be able to run around and have fun. I still can't believe my baby is turning 2!! Time really does fly.

Well this has been long enough. My next post will be pictures of his birthday party and maybe I'll sneak in a belly shot.

20 weeks and other stuff.

2009-12-14T17:54:00.000-08:00

I always feel like I don't have anything to write but I guess I do if I really think about it.
I am currently 20 weeks pregnant and tomorrow I have my fetal assessment first thing in the morning. I always get nervous that there will be something wrong but I'm also excited to (hopefully) see the sex of the baby. I don't plan on telling anyone though because there are some people who didn't want to know and I kinda want to surprise everyone when the baby comes. I'm feeling a lot better but still have my bad days. The nausea never seems to completely go away but I can deal with it now.

We've been preparing Gavin for the new arrival slowly. Although I'm pretty sure he has no idea what's going on, when we ask him if we are having a baby boy or a baby girl he always answers"beebee gerl" with a big smile. We also bought him his "Big boy" bedroom furniture. We didn't have a mattress on it yet but had it set it up in his room to get use to it. He loved climbing into the frame and often would pretend to sleep in it on the floor. When we got his mattress this past saturday he was so upset that he couldn't climb into it anymore. We put up his bed rails and now he's so excited about his bed. Last night Frank put him in his new bed and he went down without a problem. He just laid down and fell right asleep! I was shocked. He didn't end up having a great night in the end and was up from 11 till 5 but I don't think it was because of the bed. He had his second H1N1 shot the day before and he was pretty off schedule and was a bit warm. Tonight because I'm so tired I just put him in his crib and we'll try again tomorrow.

We've also been working on getting Gavin's medicine under control. He's taking seizure medicine and we need to get his blood levels at the right place but for some reason we can't seem to get the levels up. He's had a ton of appointments and blood checks and we are getting sort of frustrated with it all. Since he's been on the medicine he's had 3 small seizures which we are told happened because of his levels. He is now getting 3 doses a day which isn't fun for either of us and he's at his max dose for his age and weight. If we can't get his levels to where they should be then he might need to go on a different medicine which we don't want to do. We find out in Jan if his new dose is making a difference.

Well, thats about it for today. I'll post a new 20 week picture soon.

My almost 2 year old...

2009-11-21T10:40:00.000-08:00

Wow, I cannot believe that my baby is almost 2! In less than 2 months we will be celebrating his 2nd birthday! He's grown so much and he is such a sweet boy. Here is one of many many pictures of him with his posed smile. Whenever a camera is near, he'll stop what he's doing and make an exaggerated smiley face. As much as I love it, I realize that's it's almost impossible right now to get a normal smile from him if he sees the camera. This should make for some interesting christmas shots. Along with turning two comes the dreaded two year molars which this week he is painfully working through. His poor gums are so swollen and half of a molar has already popped out. He cries and cries when it's hurting and he is losing weight because he doesn't want to eat anything. I've been loading up on the tylenol which seems to help at night but I try to hold off during the day which makes for long miserable days. Last night he woke up and was up from 11:30 till about 3. I was not impressed but I know it's because of his teeth so I can handle it for now. I'm really looking forward to christmas this year because he now knows what presents are and loves hanging out with his extended families and seems to love the busyness of get-togethers. I can't wait to bring him to a christmas service so he can hear all the carols and probably sing along. (another favorite thing to do lately) Another thing he's really gotten into lately is building towers with large lego blocks. He'll play for hours by himself building a tower and then knocking it over and starting over again. He is so proud of his buildings and creations and loves to proudly show them off. Well that's about all I have for now. When I have a second, I'll add a new post with a 17 week picture and update on the pregnancy.

15 weeks

2009-11-06T09:36:00.000-08:00

I think this picture makes me look bigger than I actually am and don't forget a lot of it is existing fat :) As much as I hate doing these pictures, I do enjoy looking back at them and seeing what I looked like pregnant. I got to hear the heart beat finally for the first time yesterday. I was so worried because at first she couldn't find it for quite a while and then she made me go pee and when she tried again she found it right away. It was good and strong at 150 beats per minute and I was a bit teary eyed thinking about the new little life growing inside me. I'm getting more excited about this pregnancy now that I'm starting to feel a bit better and getting my energy back. I'm looking forward to finding out the sex this time around but hopefully I can keep it a secret from everyone. Gavin has no idea what's going on yet and most of the time if I ask him where's the baby he points to my boob. We can hopefully get him a new bed soon to start the transition before baby arrives so that he isn't feeling like the baby is taking all his stuff. Well Gavin is napping now so I think I'm going to take this opportunity to nap myself.

My little monkey

2009-11-03T09:23:00.001-08:00

Reminiscing

2009-10-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

So tonight while Frank worked on the hardwoods, I sat at the computer reading some of my old blog posts. It is so interesting to look back and see what I was doing a few years ago and fun to read about what kept me busy before Gavin got here. I'm glad that I posted so much during my last pregnancy and I want to keep up with it again. I do realize that before I had Gavin I had a lot more to write about. Every day was a bit different and I had so much more free time! If I write everyday about my life now every post will be the same. I'm going to try my hardest though because I really had fun looking back and remembering those days in 2007 when life seemed simple and exciting. I'm sure I didn't think those days were much fun at the time but I still wrote so even though now my days are bit monotonous, I will still write.

I am officially into my second trimester now which is so exciting! I haven't yet heard the heartbeat of this baby but I have my first OB appointment next week thursday and I hope I can hear it then. I did have an ultrasound already due to a bit of spotting early on but everything looked ok and we were able to see the little flicker of a heartbeat. I still don't feel like eating anything right now but I'm always starving and if I don't eat all day long I get sick very quickly and then throw up. It's hard for me to eat constantly because I'm so busy with Gavin but I'm sure it will get better soon. I am a lot bigger already in this pregnancy. Probably because I started out bigger this time around and because my body was already stretched once. I'll post a picture when I'm closer to 4 months and then I can compare myself with the pictures I took with Gavin's pregnancy. Anyway, thats all for today. I think I'm going to see if I can help my very frustrated husband with the installation of our floors.

Random stuff

2009-10-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted something. I really haven't felt like writing anything because I feel like it's all whining and complaining stuff. I'm now into my second trimester and feeling somewhat better. I still puke often but I don't have the constant nausea feeling anymore and I'm getting a bit more energy back. Frank has been installing our hard woods and we've been living in a construction zone for way too long. Gavin doesn't understand that he can't touch most of the stuff that's out so he just gets frustrated. We got a new washer so that's great and now I can keep up with the laundry again. We are hosting a big halloween party this week so I'll be pretty busy with that. I'll hopefully post something a little more interesting later and put up some pics. Until then, I have one sleepy boy that's ready for his nap.

New stuff

2009-09-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

I really haven't been able to post much these days. Gavin keeps me pretty busy and so does this house. I didn't realize how much extra work a bigger house would be. I find the kitchen and the family room are the places we live in most so I'm constantly cleaning them. It takes up most of my day to just keep up with those rooms and I don't have much extra time to do the deep cleaning as much as I should.

We finally got the most of the hard woods done. They look great! Frank worked so hard on them but it's totally worth it. I'll post pictures in a bit.

We've all been super sick for about 2 weeks now with a nasty cold. It's finally clearing thank goodness.

Gavin has been doing this weird thing every so often and we think it's mini seizures. He's going for an EEG next week to check it out. If it turns out that it is seizures, his doctor wants to put him on medication for a while. Not sure I like that idea but I'll have to look more into. I really hope he grows out of this.

I've been super nauseous all day every day. I'm thinking it's because I'm pregnant :) I'm still not ready to post it all over facebook yet because it's pretty early but I"m excited. So far my due date is May 3rd but that might change if I decide to have another c-section or if I have my dates wrong. I feel like I'm big already and can't fit in any of my normal jeans. I don't think I could hide this pregnancy because I feel like it's so obvious already. It's definitely different this time around though. With Gavin I felt fine until the 2nd trimester. This one I started feeling sick right away. Hmmmm.... maybe a girl???

We are planning to go to Florida in December. Amanda's parents have a time share there so we decided that we'll go because once we have to pay for Gavin's flights we'll never go anywhere! It should be fun... I can't wait!

Thats about all I can think of for now. Hopefully I"ll have more time to post but for now I have a son to feed, a kitchen to clean and then I have some groceries to buy.

Prayer request.

2009-08-22T11:10:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure how many people read my blog but I'd just like to put in a prayer request to all of you for Ramona. She has been battling cancer for the past 3 years and is needing lots of prayer for a miracle right now.

How do you know it's time for socket covers??

2009-08-17T08:55:00.001-07:00

so I promised some pics...

2009-07-28T11:08:00.001-07:00

Here is what we started with...

This is the start of scraping off the popcorn ceiling...

The roof and walls were scraped and primed.

The floors were ripped out and the walls almost done being painted.

Busy Busy Busy...

2009-07-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today I had a really productive day. This morning while Gavin had his nap, I tidied the house and cleaned all the bathrooms. That in itself was a big job because I haven't done them for a while. When Gavin woke up I gave him lunch and then started taking out all the carpet in our living room and dining room. I cut them into 4 large rolls and brought them to the garage. Then I removed all the underlay and threw that out too. When all the underlay was out I had to remove all the staples that kept them attached to the plywood. There were a lot of staples. At this point Gavin was getting in the way and I didn't want him hurt by any of the nails and staples that were everywhere so Frank's mom came and took Gavin for a while. With him gone I was able to pry off the sharp little nails that keep the carpet in place. Not sure what they are called. My uncle George came by and hauled all of my garbage to the dump which was awesome. By the time I was all done that work it was suppertime. Luckily, I had made dinner already in the morning (I forgot to mention that one) so dinner just had to be popped in the oven. After dinner the lawn needed to be mowed but Frank really wanted to spend some time with Gavin so I did it. I mowed the whole front and back lawn all by myself for the first time since.... hmmm probably since living with my parents in Ontario. Now I just finished putting Gavin to bed and I'm going to clean up supper and then take a long shower and relax. I will be posting pictures of our progress with the house soon.

2009-06-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have a lot of random things to write about today but not a whole lot of time so I"ll just fill you in on somethings and then try to blog a bit more later. So here is a random list of things going on:

1. I'm taking a doula course. Thought it might be something to do part-time. I"m mostly interested in post-natal care and I'd love to work with teen moms. Not sure where I'm going with it after this course but we'll see.

2. Our floors have been delivered so work will finally be started on the house. First we will scrape the popcorn ceiling, then patch and paint, then install the floors and baseboards. Lots of work but exciting!

3. Yesterday afternoon I did a load of laundry and I was pretty busy so I didn't get to putting it in the dryer till about 9:30 pm. When I went down there I heard water running and saw that the washing machine had been pouring out water since I put in my load at 4ish. There was water everywhere in the laundry room!! We had been using the room for most of our storage right now but luckily most containers were all plastic and nothing really got damaged. Now I'll have to find a new washer and we will have an adjuster take a look at the basement. "sigh"

4. Gavin is getting his eye teeth and it's really hard on him and me.

5. I'm growing a vegetable garden and it's looking really good. I can't believe I actually enjoy taking care of it and watching it grow! I'm growing 2 kinds of lettuce, 2 kinds of tomatoes, 2 types of beans, basil and cucumbers. I"ll take pics later.

6. We are flying to Ontario next week for 5 days. It's my mom's 50th birthday so we are all going to celebrate that at a camp ground.

7. The water drinking thing lasted about 4 days. I did start peeing less but it just wasn't very fun to do and I felt so sloshy all the time. I'm now just trying to make sure I drink more than I have in the past and I'm drinking water and milk mostly and no pop or sugar juices.

8. Gavin got his EEG results back and they came back a little better but there is still an abnormality there and he is still at a high risk for having another seizure. I was pretty disappointed (obviously) but I'm just focusing on the fact that he is healthy, happy, and hasn't had any more since the first one.

9. I thought I could make it to 10 but I have to take off now so I'll continue this later.

drinking update...

2009-06-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

Well, It's 3:08 and I'm about half way through my water drinking. I feel like I'm so full of fluid! I go pee and then literally 10 mins later I have to go again. This is going to be a challenge.

Drinking

2009-06-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I don't drink enough in the day and I'm pretty sure my body has become use to being dehydrated. I can go a whole day... probably a whole week with just drinking some coffee and a few glasses of milk. I never feel thirsty and I really don't like drinking water. It feels like such a chore to me. Today I decided to try for one week to drink the recommended daily intake of water which is 2 L. I poured 2 L into a jug and put it in the fridge and I"m just going to chip away at. If you are trying to call me and I don't answer, I'm probably in the bathroom.

Happy Birthday Jaela Baby!!!

2009-06-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

I wish I was there with you to celebrate your special day. I'll see you soon in only a few weeks!!!! Lots of love and kisses from Auntie Alisha, Uncle Frank and Cousin Gavin.

Gavin's EEG

2009-06-01T17:47:00.000-07:00

I'm a little nervous because tomorrow morning I'll be taking Gavin for his second EEG. For those of you who don't know what that is it's basically a whole bunch of wires attached to Gavin's head and it checks the overall activity of the neurons in the brain. He had one just after his seizure in December and it came back abnormal. We were told that any time someone has a seizure, an EEG will come back abnormal so they didn't know if there was an abnormality or if it was due to the seizure. Gavin hasn't had any other seizures since the one in December so now that his brain activity is back to normal they want to check it again. He is still at a 55% chance to have another one but if his EEG comes back normal tomorrow his chances will be less. I really hope that everything comes back ok. I called them last week to ask how they will get him to sleep since now he's a lot older and won't fall asleep being held anymore. They told me to wake him early and don't give him a nap and they'll get him to sleep. I'm very doubtful that they will be able to do it but they said they do it all the time and they are sure they can get him to sleep. He has surprised me in the past. His las EEG I told them he'll be inconsolable without me in the room with him but within 5 minutes they had rocked him to sleep. Hopefully he doesn't freak out too much. I hate the thought of dropping him off with some strangers and he's scared and doesn't know what's happening. I'm sure he'll be fine and he'll forget all about it in a few days. I'll keep you posted once I know how everything looks.

New Floors

2009-05-21T06:17:00.001-07:00

When Frank and I bought this house we had a long list of things that we wanted to get done. We weren't sure which was most important but we figured changing the floors and painting would make the biggest change. We found some nice hardwoods to put in and now I have to figure out some paint colors. The floor is a medium brown color and it's maple. I'm so excited to see what it will look like! Right now Frank is finishing off his course so we will start everything when he's done mid June. Until then, I will be planning and prepping for all the work that is ahead.

Gavin has been doing so great with his sleeping! (I hope I'm not jinxing anything) He goes to bed between 6:30-7:30 and usually wakes up after 7:30 the next morning. I love knowing that once he's asleep, I most likely won't be hearing from him until the morning. He's learning so much so quickly and he has grown into a toddler it seems over night. I'm really looking forward to this summer. I plan on being outside most of the day, playing in water, going for walks, swinging, playing in the sand..... I can't wait.

The house

2009-05-15T09:59:00.001-07:00

I sort of didn't want to post any pictures of the house just yet because we haven't done a thing to it. This house has white walls, green carpet and LOTS of oak. I'm looking forward to putting our style into this house but it will probably take a while before we get it looking like we want it. I thought about it and I figured I'll show you some before pictures and as we do some things to the house I will keep updating it. So here it is...

This is the living room. The window you see is at the front of our house and over to side you can see where our from entrance is.

Here is the opposite end of the living room. This is the dining room and through the door is our kitchen.

Here is the Oaky kitchen. It works for now but I would LOVE my talented master carpenter uncle to make us a new one some day.

These are taken from the kitchen. There is a sunken family room and off the one side is a den, the basement stairs, a bathroom, and the entrance to the garage.

This is also in the kitchen, just by the banister and it opens out to the deck in the back yard.

The garage.

Upstairs washroom.

This is our bedroom taken from where our bed is. You can see the doors to the walk in closet and the master bathroom.

And just one more pic of my little stinker on the deck on our only nice day so far.

Well that's it... we have LOTS of work to do to make it how we like it and I will update you all again soon.

Packing...

2009-04-27T06:23:00.001-07:00

Gavin is having a nap now so I have a few minutes to write an update.
Moving day is fast approaching and I feel like I have so much to do but I'm not stressing too much yet. Frank is taking thursday, friday, monday, tuesday and wednesday off so I'm thinking a lot more will get done when he's home. Right now I've been packing when I can but when we get possession on thursday Frank and I will move all the random small things into the house while the carpets are getting clean. On saturday we rented a U-haul for the morning so that's when all the boxes and big stuff will go into the house. We have lots of hands to help on Saturday so we are thinking it will all be moved in by the morning. My parents will be coming to help along with my brother. They will most likely arrive on Saturday (moving day) which will be good. We can use the hands. This wednesday we are moving to Frank's mom's house till saturday. I've already packed up all our food and stuff and it's getting harder to live in here with all the boxes and stuff everywhere. Gavin needs more space too and I can tell he's sensing that something is happening. Hmmm... what else can I tell you?

We have a list of things that we would like to get done but we don't know which is most important. We know that we want some family room couches, we want to re-do the carpets especially upstairs, we want to paint the living room and Gavin's room and we would like wood flooring for the main floor. We are doing one project at a time and saving up for each room and then finishing it before going on to the next room. Of course I'd love to re-do the kitchen but that will definitely be a while. I will post some moving pictures when I get a chance later today but for now I better get packing!

My big boy.

2009-04-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

Gavin showing off his new shorts and flip flops

Opening presents on Easter morning.

Getting thrown in the pool

Gavin loved the xylophone
This is Gavin at the children's museum. He's having a lot of fun but he couldn't smile because he was too busy taking it all in.

Gavin

2009-04-14T05:45:00.001-07:00

It's 7:30 and Gavin is already down for his first nap. I think he's growing. He's been sleeping 12 hours at night and having 2 naps during the day lately. I love when he has a morning nap. Usually I am much more motivated to do stuff in the mornings so when he sleeps I like to eat breakfast, take a shower and get the house all picked up so that when he wakes up again we are ready for the rest of the day. When he doesn't sleep I feel like my whole day is messed up. He's been doing so well lately and becoming quite the little entertainer. He's using lots of words including "yes", "nonono" while shaking his head, "I nono?" when he doesn't know something, and of course the usual "mama", dada" and "oma". He knows all his animal noises and all his body parts which has become one of his favorite things to do with me. He's learned how to climb up things but not so great at getting down though. He's learning that there are consequences to his actions as well. He's been pulling my hair a lot lately so when he does I say no firmly and put him on the floor and walk away from him. He doesn't like this at all and usually cries for a bit but I'm sure he'll learn very soon that pulling mommies hair means not getting attention. He's been enjoying playing outside in the puddles these days. Oma bought him new rubber boots and he loves to splash in the puddles. It's pretty cute watching him stomping through them. Saturday we took him to the children's museum. He had fun but I wouldn't say it's a great place for his age yet. He liked the freedom to run wherever he wanted and touch everything but there really wasn't much for him to do there. I will leave you with a few pictures of our weekend when I get a chance later today.

Kijiji

2009-04-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

Man, I am so addicted to Kijiji. I have found so many deals on this site and I can't help looking every day for more. I've sold a few items on the site and it's so much easier than having a garage sale. If there is something I want to get rid of and no one will buy it then I just put it in our back lane and it usually gets picked up by someone by the next day. Today I picked up a coffee table and 2 end tables. They are new from Ikea and they will work in our family room. Now that we have more square footage to fill, Kijiji has come in pretty handy. Well Gavin is asleep and I want to go assemble my new tables.

Sick Again....

2009-04-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

Well Gavin is sick again. It started out as a little runny nose which I thought was from teething but then yesterday it started getting worse and by night he was crying and miserable and wouldn't sleep. Frank and I rented Slum Dog MIllionaire and we were so excited to watch it but we ended up watching treehouse with a miserable boy all night instead. I took him to the doctor and she's treating him for an ear infection and step throat. She did a swab and she doesn't know if he has it or not but just in case she's starting him on it anyway. Life gets so tense when Gavin is sick. I get tired and frustrated and so does Frank. Gavin doesn't sleep well, we don't want to go out anywhere. It just sucks. I asked the doctor if there is anything I can do to keep him from getting sick. She said there isn't and that he will get sick at least 8 times a year and if he's around other kids or sick people it goes up from there. I almost want to get a bubble like the one in that wipes commercial for him to live in.

Anyway, packing is sort of at a stand still right now. I'm too focused on Gavin to start anything but I'm sure in the next week or so I"ll really get going on it. We are debating whether we should rent a U-Haul or just get a moving company to do it all. It's a huge price difference but we just have to decide if we want to do all the work or not.

Today I'm getting my hair colored or highlighted. Not sure what I want to get done yet. I usually get my hair done once a year, sometimes twice so I"m about due for it now. If I like it, I'll show pictures.

Frank is taking a course in university so he's been busy doing that. He goes to class on tuesday nights and studies for a few hours each night. The class should be ending in June I think and then we'll see if he takes any more.

Well I think thats all for now. I'd say something about our crappy weather and all the snow but I just don't want to dwell on that today.

Nothing new...

2009-03-27T08:46:00.001-07:00

Well there is really nothing to report these days. I've been thinking all week about what I can post about but just can't think of anything. We are waiting for the new house to come and that day can't get here fast enough. Most of the stuff that we aren't using is packed up already so there isn't much for us to do until closer to moving day. I'll think of something to write about today and try to make a more interesting post later.

2009-03-18T07:01:00.000-07:00

Well the packing has started and it's getting exciting! I've started putting away some of the things we don't use right now like photo albums and decorations and stuff. So far it doesn't seem too overwhelming because our house is already pretty empty from putting stuff away for the open house. I think the last minute stuff will be the most work. I can't wait to move! I love unpacking all of my things and planning paint colors and decorating. I am really looking forward to having an attached garage and an open concept house so I can see Gavin playing from the kitchen. People have asked me if I'm sad about leaving this house and to be honest it hasn't really hit me yet and I'm not sure it will. Maybe when everything is cleaned out and we walk away from it I'll be sad or maybe it will hit when I'm moved in to the new house and I see pictures of the old one. I'm more excited if anything.

Gavin has been doing so well these days. He had a sinus infection for a month and we tried amoxicillin which didn't help so he's on something a bit stronger and it started working within 2 days of him being on it. He's seriously like a different kid. There is hardly any whining and plays all by himself contently. He's been sleeping 12 hours through the night and is over all just a happy kid. He is so much easier to take care of when he's happy. I've been taking multi-vitamins since before I got pregnant with Gavin and haven't stopped using them yet and I think it's helped me keep the colds and flu's away so far which I'm thankful for because I don't know what I'd do if I was sick while the rest of my family was sick at the same time.

With spring slowly starting to appear I've been in a much better mood. I've been getting out more and just been having a better attitude. I can't wait to start walking outside again and I plan on buying a trailer to put behind my bike so we can go places that way. I love biking and I plan on that being our first choice for transportation. If anyone knows of where I can get a good one or is selling one please let me know.

Well thats about all I have for today!

It's SOLD!!!

2009-03-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

Time to post

2009-03-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

Well I've had a lot going on these days and I figured I should fill everyone in on what's going on over here.

On Monday we put our house on the market. The sign went up, pictures were taken and put online and we were put in the real estate news. Thursday showings started so we moved out so that we wouldn't have to clean up and pack up every time there was a showing. We moved in to Frank's' mom's house and that's been really nice. Frank and I were saying that it almost feels like a mini vacation. Yesterday was our open house and we drove past a few minutes after it opened and the street was packed! Later last night our realtor called us to tell us that in total we had 21 scheduled showings and over 40 people came through our open house. Those our really good numbers but now we are nervous because we are accepting offers tonight and we are really hoping for a bidding war. We've been told that one person was going to write up an offer today and there have been a bunch of people who came to the open house after already been through the house once before with their realtors. I'll definitely keep you all posted if we sell tonight or not.

We get possession of our new house April 30th which is coming very fast! We are so excited to move in and start making it home. I'm really looking forward to decorating Gavin's new room as a "big boy" room that won't look so much like a baby nursery and that he can enjoy for a few years. Hopefully he will take well to the move.

Gavin has been sick for (it seems like) forever! He had been teething and miserable for about a month and then got a cold just after that which last about 2 weeks before I took him to the doctor. She gave him some meds for a sinus infection and he was just starting to get better when he was hit with an even worse cold! This one has been bad but it seems to be getting better a lot faster than the last one. He's starting to feel a bit better today which is nice. I've been avoiding going out with him because he's been so cranky so I hope soon I can start getting out and visiting people again.

Tonight we are moving back in to our house and hopefully we won't have any more showings. As much as Gavin loves it here I think it will be good to get him back in his crib. Well thats it for now... here is a picture of our new house!

Well the rumor is out...

2009-02-26T05:47:00.000-08:00

Today Frank and I are signing the final papers to buy a new house. Well I shouldn't say "new" but it's new to us. Last week our realtor called us to check out this house because it sounded like what we were looking for and it was in a great neighborhood. I looked at the pictures online first and didn't think much about it but I was open minded and willing to check it out. The following day we went to look at it and I was pretty nervous because I knew that if we liked it we would be moving and I wasn't sure I was ready for all that came along with that. We got into the house and both instantly new. Crap. The only things we didn't like were the colors and carpet and the dated kitchen. We loved the layout, the yard, the size and the fact that it has a master en-suite and walk-in closet. We left thinking that we would sleep on it and then see it again the next day. The next day came and we knew we had to put in an offer. The following day they accepted our offer and we signed the papers and the house was ours! We did have one condition to our offer and that was "subject to uncle's approval". Last night my 2 uncles who know a lot about houses came and did a thorough inspection of the house and gave it a 9 out of 10 rating. Tonight the realtor comes for us to finish the paper work.

Buying a house is exciting but I can hardly think of that right now because now I need to focus on selling this one. Sigh. I really love this house and along with the busyness of cleaning and staging the house I'm going to be super emotional about leaving it. We moved in just after we got married. We put a lot of work into it to make it our home. We brought Gavin home to this house and we've had lots of fun, memorable parties at this house. It's a good thing I'm not pregnant or I'd really be a mess! Our realtor wants to move quickly so all this week Frank is fixing up the house and painting a few places and I'm cleaning and organizing for the open house. Our open house is going to be next sunday already. Yikes! We have so much to do still. Once the house is sold we will have to start packing and moving which I'm not looking forward to but I do love filling new cupboards and closets.

Well thats our news for now... move in date will be April 30th and hopefully our house gets sold before then or else we are screwed!

2009-02-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

WOO HOO!! Frank passed his Exam!!! He was pretty worried about it but I just got the letter in the mail today and it says he passed! Now he can breathe a sigh of relief.

More Randomness...

2009-02-11T06:29:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Frank and I redid our downstairs bathroom. I have some before and after pictures but I don't want to post them until we do something with the floor. I'm seeing if we can make it look really nice for free. So far we were able to use left over paint from Gavin's room and I had a cute picture of Gavin and a teddy bear that I put on the wall. We cleaned the bathroom really good and now I'm just trying to find free/cheap linoleum to cover our ugly floor.

Larissa, James, and Jaela are coming tomorrow!!! I love having house guests. It's so much easier to get up in the mornings when people are over. I love making coffee and breakfast when we have house guests.

I've been experiencing a lot of anxiety recently. I'm not entirely sure I know why but I think I've been so worried about so many things for so long that it's finally catching up to me.

Gavin is super whiny and clingy lately. I'm hoping it's not permanent and that his teething is the reason for his behavior. I'm trying to ignore him when he whines and wants me to pick him up but it doesn't seem to help. I REALLY hope this is a phase.

I went out for a girls night last night to celebrate Jen and Amanda's birthday. It always feels so good to get out and have fun. We need to do it more often.

Tonight I'm going on a date with Frank to celebrate valentines day. We haven't gone out for dinner just the two of us probably since before Gavin was born. I'm embarrassed to admit that. Although, if you asked Frank why we don't go out to dinner more he'd probably tell you that we can cook better food at home and it's a lot cheaper.

I better go... I have a lot to get done today. I have to clean and get groceries which I'm not looking forward to. Anyone want a cute little one year old for an hour?? Anyway, thats all for now!

Three days before the Smiths come to winnipeg... List of things to do

2009-02-09T11:00:00.001-08:00

-Wash floors
-Laundry
-clean bedrooms
-wash our bedding
-wash Jaela's bedding
-tidy laundry room
-clean bathroom
-dishes
-clean fridge
-go shopping
-vacuum

A mix of stuff...

2009-02-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

Time for another post but I don't have anything specific to write about so I'll just let you all know what's going on with me lately. I'll try to make a list of 10 things...

1. Today between 10 and 3 we are getting a new mattress. We've been sleeping on a mattress that I bought probably about 6 years ago and it was only 400 dollars. It's been a good bed but Frank and I love sleeping and we thought it was time to get a good comfy bed. Along with my new bed I bought some really nice soft sheets. I'm so looking forward to climbing in and watching Grey's in my new bed.

2. Next thursday Larissa, James and Jaela come for a visit!! I'm even more excited about that then getting my new bed. ;) They've been coming here about once a year over the last few years and every time they come we have a lot of fun. Last time they were here Jaela was just 3 weeks old so it was a harder trip for them but now our kids are a bit older and it will be so much fun to watch them interact with each other.

3. February is one crazy birthday month... Amanda, Jen, Brooke, baby Sara, my Dad, Frank's mom and aunt Michele all have birthdays this month. It's also valentines day and the anniversary of the day Frank and I started dating.

4. Frank is writing an exam for a course he's been studying for tomorrow. I am so excited for him to be done this course and I'm hoping it will take some stress off of him and he can stop thinking about it. If he does well I think we are going to have a party.

5. This past tuesday I worked out for the first time since before I was pregnant. I am trying to lose my baby fat so my friend Chantal and I decided to try to get together twice a week to work out. We started with the bikes and then did some ab exercises and some stretching. Today my bum still hurts from the bike seat.

6. I'm dying my hair next week. I might be convinced to do something different.

7. For the last few weeks Gavin has been waking up a lot at night. Sometimes up to 4 times a night. For the last 3 days though, he's been sleeping 12 hours right through. It's been really nice. I think it was his teeth.

8. I bought a used water cooler off of Kijiji and it very quickly became one of Gavin's favorite toys. He wasted a lot of water the first few days but yesterday I went out and bought child proof taps. He still plays with it a lot but at least no more water is being being wasted now.

9. Coming up with 10 things to write about is hard so I'll let Gavin come up with the last one.

10. eZF A EUIBLG7M4QSDDDDDDUNEUNUUCU U K K KKVKKVKVKVKKVKUU78B8 N HTdfs d

Some recent pics

2009-02-02T06:57:00.000-08:00

One miserable baby...

2009-01-27T16:07:00.000-08:00

Gavin has been so miserable lately no thanks to the chicken pox vaccine. I was told 2 weeks after he has the needle he may develop a fever and be irritable. The doctor sure knows what she's talking about because it's almost 2 weeks since his needle and he's got a bit of a fever and he's so whiney. Last night he was up from about 11:00 pm till 1:00am. Frank and I were so frustrated. I was tired and just wanted to sleep and Frank knew he had to be up early for work the next day. I called the doctor today because Gavin developed a red sore on the spot where he had his needle and then another sore started beside the first one. It seemed red and sore so I wanted to know what it was and the doctor said it was small chicken pox lesions that kids will get from the vaccine. Some kids don't get any reaction but Gavin is not one of them. On top of the vaccine reaction, he's also teething so bad. His 2 bottom molars are just popping through and his 4th bottom tooth is trying to squeeze out as well. I've been giving him so much tylenol and Advil that I feel guilty but his doctor said it's ok and I can keep giving it to him for as long as he needs.

Lately I've been feeling so overwhelmed with the huge responsibility of raising Gavin. Honestly, it might sound funny but I feel like it's a lot of work keeping him healthy and alive. More work than I thought it would be. Since he's started walking he's banging into everything even if I'm right by him. Over the last 2 days he's bumped his mouth resulting in blood twice and one just making a big bump. He's got bruises on his head and legs and he's had a fever so I have to keep on top of that also. He has really sensitive skin so I have to watch what lotions I use for him and I have to moisturize his legs with every diaper change. I worry that he isn't getting enough milk during the day and that food I'm giving him is good for him. Today he almost choked on a cracker which totally panicked me and I'm always paranoid of choking. I am always making sure the floors are clean because he puts everything in his mouth and I have to watch where I put any cup or plate on the table because he can reach really far now. On top of all those things I'm still watching him like crazy on the monitor when he's asleep for fear that he's having another seizure and I'm more paranoid at times like now when he has a fever. I don't like him being around people who are sick because I don't want him to catch anything, I have to make sure the doors are always closed to the stairs, bathroom, and the cabinet under the sink. I worry that he doesn't get outside enough and that he isn't getting enough social interaction during the weeks when we are stuck at home.

My list could go on and on but that is really how I'm feeling lately. Normally all these things are fine to deal with and I can keep it all under control but today I'm feeling overwhelmed.

2009-01-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

Check this out.... Frank sent me the link this morning to make fun of it but I think secretly he wants to get them.

Life and the lives of others.

2009-01-16T09:31:00.001-08:00

You know what I've been realizing lately? It's kind of depressing but I'll share it anyway and hopefully by writing it down on my blog I'll figure out what to do about it.

I've realized that lately that I'm not living my life. I'm so consumed by everyone else's lives that I'm not taking the time to enjoy my own life. I'm not sure if that makes any sense but let me explain....

Throughout my days, I almost obsessively check other peoples blogs. I don't want to miss one new post so almost every time
I pass by my computer I'm checking someone else's blog. I love reading about the new and exciting things that are going on with everyone I know, and even some that I don't know it always seems that they all have such fascinating lives and stories to share. Some people are working full time, some just had babies, some are moving, some are on vacation, some are adopting, some are in school, some are exploring their passions like photography or decorating, some party a lot, etc etc..

I also am on facebook. After checking the blogs, I love to see what is going on in the world of facebook. I read the status of all my "friends", check for new pictures that might have been posted, see who's having a birthday or peek onto someone else's page to see what they are up to these days.

Most evenings I watch tv. I watch tv a lot. Most shows that get my attention are reality shows like home decorating shows or home renovations, baby stories, adoption stories, stories about families who have 8 + kids, medical shows, nanny shows, you get the point. All shows that are about other people living their lives.

I realized that most of my day I am too busy reading about or watching the lives of others that I'm not living my own life. There was one day that I was getting dressed and Gavin was watching a show on tv that showed a group of kids all playing together at some sort of group and it made me sad that he was watching kids playing together instead of him actually playing with friends. I know that not everyone has really exciting lives all the time and I know that my life isn't that boring either but I need to start making some changes and have more fun, I need to say yes more often, and I need to join something whether it be a mom's group, church group, class or program. It's hard to get motivated in -50 degree weather but I know I have to try. Since Gavin's seizure, Frank and I haven't had one date alone together. We haven't felt comfortable leaving him yet and so we've worked it out that one of us is always at home with him. I'm definitely in need of a date and I think I need to start making steps towards working out a way to do that.

I think that I will start by only going on the computer twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. That might give me more time to figure out what I want to do with myself.

2009-01-14T10:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Gavin!

2009-01-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

More to follow....

Food

2009-01-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been thinking a lot about eating healthier. Since Gavin starting eating solid food I've been more conscious about what I'm putting into his little body and what goes into ours. I've been really concerned about how much sodium we ingest for a while now and I've stopped buying any boxed taco/fajita meals and try not to use canned soup too much unless it's the lower sodium one. The other day I was in the grocery store quickly buying baby food for Gavin because we were going out for dinner and it's just so much easier to take along but I felt so guilty buying it because there is no excuse except for laziness on my part. He can eat all the same foods that I eat but these meals are quick and easy and I don't have to cut it up or anything. I've also been thinking of cooking with organic foods which is something I've wanted to do for a long time now. Today I started looking around for farms that I can buy my meat and veggies from and I'm also entertaining the idea of a garden. I'm not too sure that will work because I don't have any experience with gardening and I tend to get all excited about an idea and then it fizzles away pretty quick but Frank is interested in the idea too so that might help. I am not just thinking of doing all this stuff because of the new year. I'm not a resolution type person. These are thinks that I have been thinking about for a while and now I just need to actually look into it and start making the changes.

What a stinker!

2009-01-05T06:51:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Gavin was really whiny and clingy and just wanted to be held all day so today I was thrilled when I noticed that he was playing so nicely by himself in the kitchen. While he played I decided to keep my distance or else he would want me to hold him so I cleaned the kitchen and kept myself occupied. Well maybe 5 minutes into cleaning this is what I found...

Gavin's first few steps!

2009-01-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

2008-12-29T07:37:00.000-08:00

I guess it's time that I posted another blog. We've been so busy with christmas stuff that I just haven't had the time to update you all. We had a wonderful christmas this year with lots of fun and excitement. Gavin loved all the attention and presents and did so well considering all the activities and busyness of the holidays. We had lots of family things to go to and then on boxing day we went to Pinewood lodge with my extended family for 2 nights. That was fun and Gavin loved going in the pool. We would let him crawl around by the pool and if we'd let him he would have crawled right in. He has no fear. I think he has a bit of a stomach bug right now because for the last few nights he's been really cranky and not sleep too well. Now I have to get him back on schedule and he needs to get use to just being alone at home with me. I'm trying not to carry him too much so that maybe he'll start walking soon. He cruises around furniture and can stand alone no problem so hopefully soon he'll take his first steps. Anyway, I'll leave you with a few pictures of christmas and I'll add some of Pinewood a bit later.

2008-12-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

Today was very productive. Frank's mom has holidays now so she came over and played with Gavin while I got some much needed cleaning done. I got the whole house picked up and the floors washed, the house dusted and vacuumed, and some laundry done. This is the most work I've been able to do in a long time and it feels good to have it done. Now Gavin is tuckered out from playing so hard with Oma and hopefully he'll have a nice long nap so that I can actually relax and do nothing for a while this afternoon.

This past Friday Frank and I hosted our annual christmas party for a bunch of our friends. It was so fun having a party here and we could almost forget about what happened 2 weekends before. We had an ugly sweater party which I thought was an original idea until I heard from everyone else I knew that they were going to one too this year and it was on the radio as this year's top theme for christmas parties. We decorated gingerbread couples and I would post pictures except most of them turned out to be a little inappropriate for my blog. It was a good laugh though. I'll leave you with a few pictures of our party.

Follow up

2008-12-19T06:33:00.000-08:00

I took Gavin to a follow up doctor's appointment yesterday with his pediatrician. Of course she couldn't give me any answers to anything because it's the brain and the brain is so complicated and they just don't know what happened. She told me that some kids have had seizures once in their lives and never again and some kids have a few seizures and grow out of them. We really don't know what will happen in Gavin's case but he won't be put on any medication unless he gets one more seizure. I asked her what the name was of his seizure and she told me it was a grand mal seizure which is the most common of seizures in children and that his started in one part of the brain and then sort of spread to the rest and became a generalized seizure. Not too sure what that means but I'm going to do a little more research later. She reassured me that he won't die from this if it happens again. Most cases of death with seizures are due to drowning or falling and hitting their heads. I'm with Gavin all the time so that shouldn't happen. I'm more concerned that if I don't catch him having a seizure he could have a permanent brain damage. The doctor tried to tell me that I have to go on living a normal life and not let the idea of him having another seizure control me. I don't think she knows me too well. Anytime I see him twitch or hear him make a strange noise my heart stops in my chest and feel panicked. She told me I can travel with him and do whatever I want as long as we have his medication with us and also that I should be telling everyone that might take care of him how to deal with him in case he has a seizure while they are watching him. I told her that I don't plan on leaving him anytime soon and she told me that I can't predict something happening to me or Frank and should be preparing people to take care of him in case of an emergency. Good point I guess. She is scheduling another EEG of six months from now and told me that if that looks good it will greatly reduce his risk of another one. Anyway, I think that was all she said. For now, I'm just praying that he doesn't have another one and for my anxiety levels to go down.

You turn around for 2 seconds....

2008-12-16T13:30:00.001-08:00

2008-12-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

If anyone knows where I can get a REALLY good can opener, please let me know. I'm about to throw mine out the window!!!!

Life,

2008-12-16T05:57:00.001-08:00

Well, life around here is slowly getting back to normal. Gavin is acting as though nothing happened and is back to his normal happy self and we are getting back into our everyday routines. We bought a video monitor and I'm not sleeping too great at night yet because any time Gavin moves I think he's having a seizure. I hope that over time I won't be as paranoid. We still don't have any answers as to why he had a seizure and we might never know. I have a doctors appointment with his pediatrician this week and I'm hoping to get some of my questions answered. For now, he's a few more pictures...

A hard day...

2008-12-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

Last night we arrived at the hospital at about 7ish. When we got there no one knew what was going on with us and so we were left alone for quite a while. We finally met our nurse who talked to us and told us we would most likely have our MRI in the morning some time but it wasn't for sure. They were just going to slip us in when they had an opening. Gavin wasn't allowed to eat or drink for 8 hours before the MRI so he had to have an IV put in so he wouldn't get dehydrated. We asked if we could just go home for the night and come back in the morning and the doctors didn't see any problem with that so we had some hope that we might get to sleep in our own beds. We were waiting and waiting for someone to give us an answer and it was getting really late and Gavin was tired so we just put him in his pajams and got him to sleep. We were really disappointed when the doctor finally came to say that we have to stay over night but it did make sense so we made ourselves as comfy as possible and went to sleep.

In the morning, Gavin woke up at about 6 hungry and ready for breakfast. Of course he wasn't allowed food or drink so we had to wait for the IV to be put in. Finally at about 10:00 am we were told to go down and get his IV in. At this point Gavin has missed a nap and was very hungry and thirsty. I went out of the room while 2 nurses looked for a vein for his IV. Gavin did not like this. They tried a few times in different places and couldn't get it in which was so hard on Gavin and us. They got a different nurse in to check his veins and she found one but decided to put some freezing ointment and a warm cloth on it to make it easier. A half an hour later, the nurse tried to get the IV in and again it didn't work. Now Gavin is really hungry and tired and pretty upset at this point. We were told to go back up to our room and wait for someone from the ER to come try to get a good vein and so we waited again for a while until a wonderful nurse who saw our distress called MRI and got them to try to get Gavin in quickly. A few minutes later we were whisked off to the MRI department where they were going to try an IV again. We told them that we didn't want them to try if they weren't going to get it in this time and they assured us that they were the best ones to do the job. They tried and again it didn't work. Frank was about to hurt someone at this point and I was in tears. We called one of our friends who works at the hospital for help and she happened to work with a really good doctor who was great at giving IV's. She called him and he came down to check out Gavin. I was crying when we came in and I asked him if he was sure he could do this. He told me he'd do his best and within 5 mins he had it in and Gavin was ready for the MRI.

Frank took Gavin in and they put him to sleep once he was hooked up to the machine. He was in it for about half an hour and I took a little break. After the MRI was done Gavin woke up quickly and wasn't too sleepy at all. He drank some apple juice and had some cookies and within about 1/2 an hour he was back to his normal self.

The results came back to us very quickly and they told us the MRI results were normal and there was no damage from his previous seizure to his brain. This is the best news that we could have gotten. It still leaves his seizure unexplained and he is still at risk for having more but we are so happy that all the tests results came back with no problems and we are praying that this was a one time thing and we can go on with our lives.

We got discharged shortly after our results came back and we are so happy to be home. Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers!

Where we are at...

2008-12-10T17:05:00.001-08:00

Well, we've been home from the hospital for 2 days now and Gavin is adjusting very well to being at home. I'd say he is basically the same Gavin as before. He's having his regular 2 naps and sleeping about 12 hours at night. Yesterday he was a bit clingy to me but today he did great. His appetite is back and he is using both hands the same now. I've been pretty scared to be alone with Gavin for fear that he'll have another seizure and I'll panic so I've had people taking shifts and staying with us while Frank is at work. Tomorrow we have to go back to the hospital for Gavin to get an IV put in and wait for us to be told we can go for his MRI. He doesn't have one scheduled and because he can't have any food for 8 hours before the MRI, he'll be on the IV just in case we are called and he'll be ready. I really hope we can get it done on Friday or else he wouldn't have been fed all day and then we have to do it all again on Monday. I'm absolutely dreading going back to hospital. We have to go back around supper time and then by that time Gavin will be tired and ready for bed but instead of going in his own bed, they'll give him an IV and we will some how have to get him to sleep in the hospital. Right now I'm watching Gavin from our video monitor that we bought so that we can watch him in case anything happens. I feel so sorry for him watching him try to fall asleep. He's so cute and all alone in the dark. It makes me want to climb in bed with him. Anyways, here are some pictures that I took of him in the hospital.

Update

2008-12-09T06:06:00.000-08:00

Last night we talked to the doctors about what was going to happen over the next few days. We all decided that it would be better for us to be home on a pass and come back on thursday night to get ready for his MRI on Friday. This is the best case scenario for us because we can be at home and not loose our slot. The MRI is very important for us to do as soon as possible and hopefully they will find out more answers for us. We brought Gavin home last night at about 7ish and he was so exhausted. He wasn't himself when we got home and just wanted to be held by me so I rocked him until he fell asleep and he slept all night. Frank and I slept on a mattress in his room and Frank's mom slept over in the spare room in case we were too tired and didn't wake up if he had another one. My biggest fears are that I will be asleep while he's having a seizure and I won't hear him and I'm also so terrified if he does have another one and I"m alone with him. This morning he woke up at about 6ish which is normal for him and still wasn't himself yet. He's extremely clingy with me and complains a lot. He's favoring one side over the other still and gets tired really quickly. I don't know how long it will take before he is back to normal and it's really hard to see him that way. Right now he is having a nap and I"m sitting with the monitor right beside me, his door is open and I'm checking on him constantly. We have been given 3 pills that we can use on him if he has another episode. If he starts seizing we have to call 911 and then wait 3 minutes before putting one of the pills in his mouth which should stop the seizure. It's nice to have the pills but I'm so scared that I'll panic and do something wrong when the time comes. For right now, we are waiting for the MRI and trying to go about our days as normally as we can. We have hospital bags packed so we are more prepared this time and we will be buying a video monitor so we can see him while he is asleep. Gavin will be highly at risk for another seizure if he has a fever or an infection so we have to be so careful with not letting him get sick and giving tylenol to keep any fevers down. He has a higher chance of having another one then not having one (if that makes sense) so we are basically waiting for him to get another seizure. I will continue to update my blog on his status and I do have a few pictures of him getting some tests done. It might be weird but the hospital staff said a lot of people take pictures of things like that. I'll post them in a bit. Right now I want to get dressed so I"m not in my pajama's again if I have to go back to the hospital. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers over these last few days. We appreciate all the phone calls, visits and concern.

Gavin's seizure.

2008-12-08T12:23:00.000-08:00

I don't have too much time to write about what's going on but as most of you know, Gavin had a pretty bad seizure on Saturday morning. He was taken by ambulence to the children's ER where he was treated and admitted to the hospital. We've had a ton of brain and blood tests done and just recently we found out that there is an abnormality in his brain that has caused the seizure. We are waiting for an MRI to know more but the likelyhood of him having another one is high. We have been told that if we are discharged from the hospital we will loose our MRI slot and may have to wait over a month to get one done so they don't really want us to go home. We realize this is probably the best place for him right now but it's so hard for him and for us to be here. It's very uncomfortable for us and almost impossible to sleep. Gavin has a hard time napping and falling asleep so he gets miserable too. Please pray for patience in the next few days as we are wearing thin due to his moods. Gavin is off of his IV and is eating pretty good. He is playing like normal and developmentally he is the same as before (thankfully). He just wants to be in his own home and has a hard time dealing with all the poking and proding and testing. Thats all for now. I'll keep you all updated whenever I can.

Thursday thirteen

2008-12-04T06:37:00.001-08:00

I've never done a thursday thirteen yet but I'm going to give it a go....

1. I have started organizing my basement and clearing out all of the stuff that isn't safe for children out of the way. I am going to be babysitting my neighbors son who is 2 starting January and I want a fun safe place for the kids to play down there.

2. I'm planning a big christmas party this year for a bunch of our friends and I'm really looking forward to it. Some of the plans are to have an ugly sweater competition, gingerbread man decorating contest, and a big screen for movies and the wii.

3. I'm really looking forward to christmas this year because it's Gavin's first Christmas. I just love the excitement around Christmas and it will be so fun to watch him experience it all.

4. I've been learning a lot about politics lately. I'm actually getting pretty interested in it all. If you asked me last year who our prime minister was I might not have been able to tell you but now I can join into a political converstation and I understand everything that is going on in the news and with with our government and I can name most of the politician names now and what party they belong to. I'm quite proud of myself.

5. I'm not happy about the whole coalition thing.

6. I downloaded Skype to my computer and I am so excited to use it to have video conversations with people in Ontario. I just need to convince everyone to get a webcam now.

7. Frank and I are going to check out a house tomorrow. It's super cute and has lots of potential and is in a great area. I don't want to get too excited about it but I do enjoy checking out houses and if the right one comes along with might buy it.

8. I love my house I'm in now. It's our first house and it's cozy and it's home. There was one point when everything about this house was bad. It was too small, no ensuite, old, not enough bedrooms, needs upgrades, etc, etc... but then we started talking about possibly moving and all of a sudden I couldn't imagine leaving this house. We moved in after we got married, brought Gavin home from the hospital here, and made so many wonderful memories here. It's also a 2 min drive to Frank's work from here so we only need one car. When the time comes for us to move, I know I'll be a mess.

9. Today I'm going to take Gavin for his picture with Santa again. The first one didn't go so well so my strategy this time will be to just place him on Santa's lap without showing him who's he's sitting on and flash the picture before he realizes who he's with. We'll see if it works.

10. My baby is almost one year old. I can't believe I've had him for almost a whole year already! I'm planning two birthday parties for him. One for his baby friends and one for his adult friends for cake. I'm excited about it but I do get sad when I see how fast he's growing up.

11. This thursday thirteen is a lot harder than it looks. I don't usually have much to write about.

12. I'm almost done my christmas shopping. This is pretty late for me but it's been harder to get out this year and I have lots more to buy for this christmas too. My favorite part of christmas shopping is being able to wrap the presents when I get home and put them under the tree. I love wrapping gifts. One year Amanda and I volunteered to wrap presents at the mall and we had so much fun. I might do that again sometime.

13. Frank keeps bringing home candy and chocolates and cookies from work. This is not a good thing and I need to show a lot of restraint from eating them all. I am trying not to open the wrapping around the boxes so that I can either regift them or serve them to people when they come over. We'll see how that goes.

Well I did it... that's all I have for today. Have a good one!

Brrrr....

2008-12-01T08:10:00.000-08:00

We had a power outage this morning starting from 4:00 am till about 10 am. The house gets cold pretty quickly without heat so Frank, Gavin and I all snuggled in our warm bed until Frank had to leave for work. I think Gavin knew something was up because he just laid awake with us so nicely and usually he rolls around and tries to get out of our bed when we want to stay in. The house got really uncomfortably cold after Frank left so Gavin and I went and had a nice little visit with Aunt Linda until we were told the power was back. Unfortunately for us, once we got in the door the power went back off for about half an hour. I think it's on for good now and our house is heating up nicely. Gavin is asleep and I have some cleaning to do so I better get on it.

Playing with my blog...

2008-11-30T06:26:00.001-08:00

I've started playing around with my blog more and I am trying to post a lot more often lately. I'm not sure how long I can keep it up for but I"ll try my best. It seems like a lot of bloggers are writing more these days and I'm enjoying reading them all.

On another note:
Gavin is feeling a lot better (thankfully!!) and he is back to sleeping through the night. He still has a bit of a cough and runny nose but all in all he's acting like his happy little self again. I don't think I'll take him to church today though because if I put him in the nursery I'll get the stink eye from the other moms so today we'll just hang out at home and relax.

Colds

2008-11-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

Gavin is sick.... again. This is his 3rd cold in the last 2 months and it's driving me insane!!! Yesterday night was awful. I don't think I could have a worse night. I held him in the rocking chair most of the night and every time I tried to put him to sleep he'd cry. Frank and I both didn't sleep so he stayed home the next day so that we could tag team. Thankfully, last night was much better and this morning we put him down at 8:30 and he's still asleep and it's noon. We've checked on him 3 times to make sure he was still breathing. Poor little guy, teething, growing, and being sick all at once must really suck.

Today I think Frank and I are going to attempt (some) christmas shopping. We haven't started yet and it's stressing me out a bit. I hate leaving it to the last minute. I am so excited for this christmas and I can't wait to see Gavin's reaction to it all. So far the picture with Santa didn't work out too well, he screamed in terror at him even though he gave him a book and a candy cane. Oh well, we'll keep trying for a better picture every time we go to the mall.

Big pilly wool balls.

2008-11-25T17:09:00.000-08:00

Today I spent most of my morning shaving. I just bought a turtle neck on sale and it wasn't expensive or anything but it was nice and new and I haven't been buying any clothes for myself lately so I really liked having a new shirt. When I bought the shirt I asked the lady who worked there how to wash it without it getting all pilly and she said to just wash on a gentle cycle and lay flat to dry. Well, the time came for me to wash my new wool turtle neck so I followed the advice given and washed it. I was so upset when I took it out of the washer and it was super pilly. Big pilly wool balls all over the thing and I was pissed. Of course the shirt was final sale so I couldn't bring it back so I had to come up with a way that I could make it look better. I came up with a pretty good idea... I'll shave it. So I took out my electric razor and carefully shaved all the fuzzies off of my shirt. I was so excited! It was actually working and my turtleneck looked better then ever. I was almost done and probably going too quick when I snagged a part of the shirt with the razor and it cut a big hole right through. Sigh.

If anyone knows how to wash wool sweaters please let me know because I have a closet full of perfectly good sweaters with fuzzies all over them.

A much better day...

2008-11-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a very bad day. I was feeling totally overwhelmed by everything in my life and all I wanted to do was cry. I wrote a few days ago about how I was feeling unmotivated but I think I've been in a bit of a rut for some time now and yesterday it just blew up and I didn't know where to turn. Luckily I have an amazing husband who came home after lunch to sit and talk with me about how I was feeling and it helped. Gavin hasn't been napping very well and when he's awake he's so busy. He gets into everything! I need to follow him around everywhere he goes because he finds all the stuff he's not supposed to play with and opens closets and cupboards. My house has been getting messier and messier these days and my laundry is starting to pile up just because I can't find a few seconds alone to clean. Anyway, I guess it just felt so overwhelming and I haven't taken any time for myself lately, Gavin's been very busy and not napping well, and it was stressing me out.

Today on the other hand has been a much better day. Gavin had a nice morning nap which allowed me to get organized for the day. When he woke up Carla and I took our babies over to a cousin's house to visit with her boy and we had a lovely morning chatting over coffee while our babies played. When I got home I fed him lunch, played a bit and then put him back down for a nap. I got the kitchen cleaned and dusted, put in a load of laundry and picked up the rest of the house. He's having a great nap and I still have extra time to relax with a tea and write a blog. It's friday and it will be so nice to have Frank home all weekend to help with our busy boy and help me get some stuff done. Now if only all my days can be this nice.

2008-11-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

Life these days...

2008-11-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

Life for me right now is not too interesting. I'm finding it very hard to be motivated. I want to go out and do more but it just seems like so much work that most of the time I just stay in because it's easier. I hate bundling up Gavin in his snowsuit and he hates it as well. He has a schedule and I don't like to mess with it because whenever I do change it I end up paying for it in the end. My church has a mom's group that I could join but every time thursday morning comes around I find some excuse why I can't go. It's hard for me to get together with my mommy friends because they all have different schedules too and I share a car with my husband so it's not always easy for me to get out unless I work it out with him ahead of time. Most days I love being home. I cook, play with Gavin, chat on the phone, go for walks etc.... but other days I feel trapped and that I'm wasting my days by doing nothing everyday. I know I know... I'm raising my son which is a full-time job blah blah blah but I know I should be doing more with my life and I just can't figure out what that is. I had a few really bad weeks when Gavin was sick with a cold and teething at the same time. I felt guilty for being frustrated with him and needing to be away from him. I'm realizing more and more that I'm not the only mom who has felt this way which makes me feel better. I'm getting out at least one night a week and I still see all my friends on the weekend. Gavin's first Christmas is coming up quick as well as his birthday so I have lots of planning to do for that. I am planning a few parties coming up for my friends as well and looking into working part-time. I think I will make it a goal to hopefully have something figured out by the new year.

Gavin has been learning so much lately and it's getting really fun to watch all his new tricks. So far he knows "How big is Gavin", he can wave bye bye, he claps on command, knows what sound a duck makes (really cute), and points to various items all over the house when asked. Everyday he learns something new and it's so cool to see. He's pretty preoccupied with crawling and getting up onto things that he hasn't been working on his walking skills yet but that is just fine with me. He keep me on my toes enough already. Well, that's what's going on with me lately. Here are a few pictures for you.

10 things I'm doing to try to lose some weight..

2008-11-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

I'm not saying that I am fat but I have gained a few extra pounds in the last few months and since I hate going to the gym I have come up with 10 things that I am doing to try to lose some weight that aren't so hard to do.

1. I bought multigrain bread instead of the usually white.
2. I'm going to walk more everyday. (like in the mall)
3. Carrying my 21 pound boy in a snuggly
4. Drink low fat starbucks lattes
5. Give away my extra halloween candy to people that come over.
6. Play wii at all of my friends houses since they all have one.
7. Do my laundry less often so that the basket gets really heavy for me to carry downstairs
8. Dance with Gavin to the "Wiggles" He loves that show!
9. Only bake for special occasions.
10.Learn to cook more healthier meals.

Most of these things are pretty enjoyable ways to lose weight so hopefully it works or else I might have to join a gym.

My little stinker

2008-11-03T07:32:00.001-08:00

and his cousin sara the bunny.

My growing boy.

2008-10-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

I don't want to Jinx anything right now BUT since Monday this week Gavin has slept 12 hours every night. I haven't had this much uninterrupted sleep since he's been born and it's wonderful!!! I started getting really strict with his night schedule and it's been working really well. After his dinner we play for a bit until 6:30, then I give him a bath (which he loves). After his bath we rock and sing in the rocking chair with a warm bottle and when he's finished we brush his teeth and he goes to sleep. The first day he complained for a few minutes but everyday since then he hasn't made a peep after I put him down. I feel like there is so much I can do in the evenings now. Gavin is also moving around quite a bit. I wouldn't say he's crawling but he definitely gets around by dragging himself everywhere. He cruises around furniture too and just recently learned how to go from his stomach to the sitting position. It's pretty crazy how quickly he is growing up.

Gavin's dedication + lovely weather = great day

2008-10-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

I had a very nice day today surrounded by (most) of my family and friends. We dedicated Gavin this morning in church. He danced to the worship music and when it was time to go on stage he was relatively good. He kept reaching for my necklace and then got really excited when he noticed the guitar behind us. He allowed our Pastor to hold him while we prayed for him and then went off to the nursery with no problems. We did get called out near the end of church because he was upset but he was really tired at that point. After his dedication our family and friends went to our house for soup. Our friend Steve asked "why soup??" and it made me think. Why did I have everyone over for soup? It never occurred to me not to have soup. "I think it's a Dutch tradition" I told Steve. Our house was pretty full. I think we had about 25-30 people eating here. Luckily it was such a gorgeous day out and most of the people sat outside in the sun. I got the house all back in order again when everyone left and then took a few pictures of Gavin playing in the leaves. Here are a few of the pictures I took. It was really hard to get a good one in because he just wanted to eat the leaves but I got a few cute ones.

2008-10-07T11:47:00.001-07:00

Gavin has his first bad cold of his young life. He'll make it through ok but I don't know if I will. It started Sunday night with a bit of a stuffy nose that continued to get worse and worse as the evening went on. He was awake and crying at 11, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, and then slept till about 7:30. I was so tired I just wanted to cry. Last night was bad too but he did sleep more hours than sunday night. He wouldn't fall asleep, he couldn't breast feed because his nose was so stuffed and he just cried and cried because he was over tired. Frank and I both took turns holding him but nothing worked. Finally we strapped him in his car seat and went for a drive at about 9:30. He fell asleep instantly but the second we got home and took him out of his car seat he cried. He would fall asleep on us but we couldn't put him down without him waking up crying. I was so frustrated that I think I even swore, not at Gavin but at the situation. He did finally end up falling asleep and I'd say he slept pretty good till about 4:00. Frank and I both got up and sat with him for a bit till he fell asleep again and then he slept till 8:30 which was nice. I swear I don't think I can handle it one more night so I went to the drug store and talked to the pharmacist. He suggested baby benadryl which might help his congestion for the night and help him sleep a bit better so I think I'm going to try it. Anyway, nothing else is new with me. I just felt like venting a bit.

A few of my recent favs

2008-09-29T12:28:00.000-07:00

Guess who I saw last night....

2008-09-20T10:21:00.001-07:00

2008-09-10T06:11:00.001-07:00

Sorry for taking so long with posting a followup from the weekend. I've been pretty busy and just haven't found the time to sit and write about it. We decided to do something a bit different for Amanda's stagette. Instead of the usual bar thing, we went to a cooking class. Most of us needed the lesson by the sounds of things, I think about 2 people in the group of ten even knew what a leek was. It was pretty fun and we learned some great recipes. After we cooked the food, we were served what we made in a dining room attached to the kitchen. During dessert, we had a little lingerie shower for her and played a shower game. It went pretty well I'd say and it made me more excited about cooking different things. Lately I've been thinking more about cooking healthier meals. I find myself buying quick and easy meals that I can just pop into the oven when I don't have much time and those types of meals aren't healthy at all. I took Gavin to the doctor and asked her what he should be eating now. She told me he should be eating more of what I eat now like veggies, meat, potatoes etc... It got me thinking. Our dinners lately have been things like frozen pizza, tortilini, spaghetti, chicken usually mixed with some sort of sauce and eaten on rice or noodles, or chili. I really need to start making new things and using new ingredients. Anyway, I will post some pictures of the class a bit later but for now I have a wedding slideshow to finish and a messy house to clean while Gavin is sleeping.

For Jen

2008-09-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty busy (and stressed) these last few days. My friend Amanda's wedding is coming up very quickly and there are some last minute things I'm working on including her bachelorette party. I am so excited about it!! I came up with the best idea ever for it but I can't tell anyone yet because it's a surprise for Amanda. Last night my friends Jen, Carla, and I went shopping for a lingerie gift for Amanda and we had so much fun. I don't go out much in the evenings and last night we were without our babies and husbands and had such a good time. We have to do that more often. While we were shopping, I found a bunch of stinky perfumes at la Senza and sprayed them all over Carla. It was pretty funny until we went to sears and she found the grossest smelling perfume out there and sprayed me with it. Even though I've taken a shower and changed my clothes, I still smell like it. Even Gavin smells like it because I held him when I got home. THanks Carla. I had one of the worst nights since Gavin was born last night. He developed a fever and cried all night. Frank slept in the other room so that I could sleep with Gavin but neither of us got any sleep. I brought him to the doctors today and she said he has a throat infection that's going around. It last about 5 days (whoo hoo!) and there is nothing you can do. I bought myself an extra large coffee and that's about the only thing keeping me going right now. Anyway, thats all I have to say for now..

ps... Have fun at work Jen!!

So sore....

2008-08-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went on Kijiji, the best buy and sell website out there, and found some interlocking patio stones for a pretty good price. I called Frank right away to see if he'd be interested because he has been talking about a patio every day since we owed our house. He saw the pictures and thought it would be a good idea since the price was good and we probably wouldn't do it otherwise. So I called the number, offered them a lower price then was listed and they accepted on the condition that we came to pick them up as soon as possible. We borrowed a pick-up from Frank's cousin, borrowed a trailer from my uncle and we were off to Lockport to pick them up. I had no idea what I was in for. I don't know what I was thinking when I thought that it would be a quick pick up with just the 2 of us. There were 2 pallets full of interlocking stone, 5 pounds each, full of dirt and spiders, not fun. We took about 2 hours loading these bricks from the pile to the back of the truck and then from the back of the truck to the front of the truck. Our hands were bleeding, our backs were sore and we were getting eaten by mosquitos and sweating like pigs. When it was all loaded into the truck I couldn't help but think that now, we are going to have to unload them all over again from the truck to our garage and then from our garage to where the patio will go. Oh the things we'll do to save a buck. All I can say is this patio better be worth it. Pictures will follow as we work.

Can you see it?

2008-08-13T08:13:00.001-07:00

If you look closely, you can see his first tooth... it's pretty hard to capture so that's the best I can do.

To Great Oma

2008-08-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the jammies.... they fit me now.

Gavin's first trip to the beach

2008-08-01T14:48:00.001-07:00

We took Gavin to the beach for the first time today. He really seemed to enjoy himself, especially in the water. Here are some pictures of our day.

My baby is growing up :(

2008-07-30T10:10:00.000-07:00

This week Gavin has been a little off. He's been crying at bed time, sleeping a lot longer at nap time, and eating lots one day and hardly anything the next. This morning I found out why. He popped his first tooth! It's an exciting milestone but it also reminds me that he's growing up. I want him to be my little baby for a little longer. I love his little gummy smile and soon it will be filled with teeth.