Two in a Row?

You may remember that two weekends ago, we had the pleasure of a weekend with the grandparents. And most of you agreed that there isn’t anything quite like it.

Well, Evalyn must be a really lucky girl because she got to spend this past weekend with her other grandparents, on the farm. This time? I didn’t even forget to take my camera. And I’ve got 146 photos to prove it. What? Can you blame me? There’s something about Springtime sunshine that just begs for a Mama to get snap happy.

With the weather being unseasonably warm, we got to spend hours and hours outside, doing fun spring things. But, first things first, Nana and Eva and I had to take a trip into town to hit up Walmart since I showed up with nothing but church shoes and two mismatched left foot sneakers for Eva. And it was a good thing, too, because those rubber boots surely got broken in over two days.

She wore her shades while watching the boys work in the “garnen” (garden) and loved playing with all the pups.

And, of course, that much work on the farm requires a break in the wheel barrow with a cold glass of orange juice.

Evalyn would probably tell you that the highlight of her weekend was driving in Grandpa’s truck to see the ponies, even though she said “all done” as soon as either of them so much as moved in her direction. Fortunately, the bossiness she’s learned to use on Nika transferred just fine to the ponies as she commanded them to “sit down now” and “git” and “lay down”.

On Sunday, we sort of had a mock Easter since Evalyn won’t see her grandparents on the actual holiday. She got dolled up in her Easter dress and new shoes from Nana for church on Sunday. And of course, she had her bunny purse with her sunglasses, plastic egg and stuffed bunny close by at all times. The picture on the left is the reaction I got when I told her to stay still for one more picture before she went upstairs to see Nana and Grandpa. And the one on the left? Well, that’s the best I can get these days with a kid who says “Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese” every time she sees a camera.

Sunday afternoon was another beauty so while the boys headed out to the cabin, we spent even more time outside. She rode a tire swing, went to visit “Boomy” (Boomer), helped Nana rake and rode a trike for the first time.

Bike riding was all fun and games until she fell off the bike. Then it was a disaster. But nothing a cold, refreshing freezie couldn’t cure.

All in all, it was a weekend of heart full moments. Just like with my parents, I adore seeing the joy that Nana and Grandpa C bring to Evalyn’s life. For three hours straight on Friday night as we drove, she jabbered on and on about “Gampa’s house” this and”Gampa’s house” that. I have a multitude of fond memories of my grandparents growing up, and I am so so so excited for Evalyn to have the same.

And the best part? The very, very, very best part? Both weekends, at my parent’s place and at Evan’s parent’s place, she slept. All night. For the first time ever. Looks like she’s figuring out that sleepovers aren’t so bad after all.

Wordless Wednesday: A Lotta Gelato

Like many of you, we are getting spoiled with unseasonably warm and delightful temperatures this week. It makes me wonder if we’ve skipped right over March and headed straight to Spring?

We took advantage of the beauty yesterday by indulging in Gelato with Auntie Keik before heading out for a walk and a play at the park.

I ordered half lemon and half chocolate because I wanted to share with Evalyn and didn’t want to get her too hopped up on chocolate. But who am I kidding? She’s my daughter. There’s not a chance I’ll be able to keep her away from chocolate.

Looks to me like she enjoyed her yummy “tweat”.

Weekend at Nan’s

This weekend, E and I took a little last minute trip to visit the Nana and the Papa. Of course, in my haste to get packed up, I managed to take enough stuff to last us at least 4 months, but forgot my camera. Sometimes I hate having an iPhone. It makes it so easy to snap pics here and there, but I always forget to take my camera anywhere with me. Thank goodness for instagram.

Nevertheless, camera or no camera, we had a blast. I just love to watch Evalyn develop such a strong bond with her grandparents, even though she doesn’t get to see them all too often. They are, without a doubt, some of her favourite peeps.

And can you blame her? Why wouldn’t they be her favourite? She can boss them around. They listen. And obey. “Nana sit down now. Nana stairs, please? Nana play toys. Nana, ball, please. Nana, side, please. Nana? Chips? Please?”. It hasn’t taken her too long to figure out that she has them wrapped around her teensy weensy fingers and use that to her advantage.

This time while we were visiting, we (ahem, Nana and Eva) spent an awful lot of time playing downstairs and looking out the windows for “sqwills” and “wobbins”. And, of course, time was spent hugging, feeding, petting and putting pretties on the ceramic puppy that sits beside the kitchen window.

We also got to have lunch with Great Grandma, do some shopping and go out for a girl’s lunch.

Most importantly, I learned a very crucial lesson. Do not set up the pack and play close to Nana’s dresser. Or else you will have to peek in and play “I Spy” to find your sleeping toddler amongst the mess of clothes that have been flung every which way from every single drawer that was in reach.

Parting ways with Nana and Papa is always a tough go but we know it won’t be long until we see them again and get to have more fun adventures.

Will I Ever Stop?

I’m nearly 18 months into this parenting gig and I’ll be the first to tell you, I still feel like it’s all brand new. There are surprises and changes around every corner. Sometimes I’ve got it all figured out. Sometimes I have no clue what I’m doing. Lately, I’ve often found myself looking at my daughter, watching her, observing her, and finding myself in awe at this little person who is becoming.

I’ve been wondering if the amazement I feel about her will ever stop?

Will I ever stop falling in love with watching my husband fall in love with his daughter(s)? And watching my daughter(s) figure out that their Daddy is the coolest guy on earth?

Will I ever stop feeling a little bittersweet every time I put away a too small outfit, pair of PJs or dress and pull out a few new, bigger things?

Will I ever stop thinking it’s kind of cute and also kind of sad every time one of her “baby” words transforms and becomes clear enough for the rest of the world to understand?

Will I ever stop being amazed as I watch my daughter learn to pretend play, as she washes her babies hands, teaches them how to walk, asks her lion flashlight to hold her blocks or acts out going to work with her little people figurines?

Will I ever stop thinking the little things she says and does are hilarious and clever and unique and cute?

Will I ever stop being amazed at my little girl?

24 Weeks

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted a bump-date on the little alien I’m carting around with me and I figured 24 weeks is a nice number so now is the time.

It’s not the first time I’ve said it, and probably not the last, but hoky sheesh, is this pregnancy flying by for the rest of you or just for me? Just for me? Okay. Well. How is it even possible that we’ll be welcoming our second little in just over three months? How?

Things are progressing just wonderfully. I’m starting to feel quite a bit better. Knock on wood. I fully weaned off Diclectin just after 21 weeks (because I ran out and am too cheap to buy more) and it’s been okay. When I was on it, I was waking up nauseous,throwing up and then feeling fine within 30 minutes to an hour of being awake. Now that I’m not on it, I wake up nauseous, throw up and then feel fine within 30 minutes to an hour. So, yeah, not much of a difference.

My body aches are probably the worst part of this stage of the pregnancy. The back pain sometimes makes me scour through my paper work to find my birth certificate to confirm that I was born in 1986 and not 1906. Honestly, I’m a Grandma!

The past week has been especially bad as I came down with some nasty cold/flu virus late last week. Thursday and Friday nearly had me crippled on the floor as I battled body aches, fevers, chills, sinus junk and a terrible headache. Thankfully, the worst of it passed quickly and now I just have a stuffy nose and cough. That I can deal with. The worst thing about being sick when pregnant is knowing that anything that will make you feel better is not allowed. I’ve been dousing myself in grapefruits, oranges and hot water with honey and lemon and hoping to kick it quickly.

But, alas, back to the pregnancy. I have no idea how much weight I’ve gained because I haven’t had a midwife appointment recently, but I’m hoping I’m staying on track. I’m still wearing my wedding rings, so I will go ahead and take that as a good sign.

Sleep is okay. I haven’t been sleeping great since being sick and I often wake up a few times through the night to pee, but overall, it’s okay. I don’t have much trouble finding a comfy position to sleep in so I can’t complain.

My craving for citrus is back. I’ve been gobbling up grapefruits, oranges and grapefruit juice – which is what I survived on for the first 12 weeks. No major aversions, although I still am not pumped about cooked broccoli. Other than that, there are a few cravings here and there, but as my hubby would say, I’m always obsessed with food. Pregnancy has nothing to do with the how often (and how strongly) I crave certain foods.

The baby is moving like mad. I can see the belly jumping all the time and feel movement fairly consistently throughout the day. The fun begins now – as I’ve reached the point where the baby will play with me! I poke him/her and s/he pokes back. I love feeling the movements because with a busy toddler it’s sometimes hard to feel a sense of connection with this unborn child when my energy is so focused on surviving each day without ripping all my hair out, and so the still quiet moments of the night and early morning when I’m laying down and feeling those kicks and squirms and prods? That’s when I get to think about, pray for, and talk to my new baby. That’s when I get to start developing a bond with him/her.

Speaking of him or her? Her. Agree?

The big sister loves to talk about the baby and hug the baby but obviously, has no clue what’s coming to her. She noticed C nursing William last week and has since been asking me for milk again. So, I let her try. She didn’t know what to do. But for the next few days after that, she constantly lifted my shirt, said “Baby. Milk”, sucked on my belly button (which is now residing in a different region than the rest of my body), said “Nummy!” and laughed. What a weirdo.

We’ve got a name picked out for the baby and I’ve been practicing both of them with Evalyn so that I know she’ll be able to say the little one’s name right from the get go. One of them she says really well, the other one sounds funny, but hey, we’ve got some time to sort that out.

Now that we’re rounding the bend and coming closer and closer to the end, it’s time to start thinking and preparing for the logistics of having two kids. We’re starting to implement some changes in the apartment (because, let’s face it, we still haven’t found a house and so I am fairly certain we’ll still be here for a while once s/he is born) and think about things we may need to get before s/he arrives.

As you can see, the bump is steadily growing and growing and I’ve officially lost sight of my feet.

The (only) time I (ever) dropped the ball on momming (NOT)

Last year, when Evalyn was between 3 and 4 months old, we started a new thing. We started going to the pool. And she loved it, she really loved it. She would kick. Splash. Put her face under the water. Blow bubbles. I was so pleased to know that my little bubba was going to be a water baby and not have fear in the water.

When summer came, we stopped going to the indoor pool we liked to frequent and instead started going to my Aunt’s on a weekly (ok, more like daily) basis. Our summer was spent enjoying days by the pool.

Then September came. I went back to work. We started a new routine. I got pregnant. I was tired. I was sick. Her nap schedules changed. Life was busy.

And? We forgot about the pool. Suddenly, I looked at the calendar and realized it was half way through February and we hadn’t visited the indoor pool once throughout the entire fall or winter. I had let 6 entire months go by without poolin’ it up with my daughter.

THAT? Was about to change.

So yesterday, we packed our pool bag and headed out with C-Biscuit and Will to the indoor pool to get our swim on. When we got to the hotel, we looked in the windows down at the big, blue pool. Evalyn was so excited. “Swimming! Pool! Swimming!”

We headed to the change room, got our suits on, all the while exclaiming “Suit! Swimming! Pool! Swimming!”

We headed up the stairs.

Opened the door into the pool area.

And, immediately, a light switch flipped.

Girlfriend CLUNG to me and started crying, screaming “ALL DONE! ALL DONE!”

We weren’t even close to the water yet.

We still managed to make it into the water. Although the entire time was spent with her clinging to my neck proclaiming, “All done. Noooo. All done. Out. Sit. Chair.”

Eventually she calmed down enough to (sort of) enjoy sitting on the steps of the pool, watching her little 3 month old boyfriend float around in the warm water. While watching him, she squealed, “Will, swim, weeeeee. Splash!” as though he was engaging in the most fun activity in the world. So, I’d ask her, “Do you want to come back into the water with Mommy?”

“All done. All done. All done.”

We tried a few more dips in and out and the nervousness seemed to subside somewhat as the time went on, but of course, I didn’t want to push it so we didn’t stay too long.

And as we left I realized I felt so horrible. Like this was my fault. HOW did I let so much time pass between trips the pool? Did I destroy her forever? Will she hate swimming (and me) forever?

I doubt it. Because at bedtime last night, instead of curling up on my shoulder to snuggle while we prayed and sang, she pointed to her bedroom door and said, over and over again, “Swimming! Pool! Go” and today, when we got home from daycare, she started whining, crying, pounding on the door and basically begging me for “Mo’ swimming PEAS!”

She even came up to me, looked me straight in the eye and signed more over and over again, just in case I didn’t get the point.

Typical woman. Has no idea what she wants.

Any tips for getting my almost 18 month old (re)acquainted with the water? Because this Mama ain’t about to give up.

Big Sister 101

It appears that at some point behind my back, someone has signed Evalyn up for a “Big Sister 101” class and she seems to be acing it. Because lately, girlfriend has sparked a serious interest and desire to show me just how good she is at taking care of babies.

Honestly, it seems that I won’t need any help when baby #2 enters the world as long as my little Evalyn sticks close to my side.

Mostly, she loves to change their diapers. She walks around the house declaring that the babies are “poopies”, “doo-te” (dirty), need “cheen” (changed), and need to be “keen”. She empties the drawer of cloth diapers and cloth diaper liners and gets to work. I’ve even seen her go so far as to lay a blanket on the floor as a change pad to contain the mess. She wipes them up, and wraps a new diaper on them. We’re working on learning that the disposable wipes are not to be played with, although there have been a number of times when I hear “wipe, wipe, wipe” and go into her room to discover an explosion of baby wipes.

She also likes to get her babies dressed. You know, a baby often needs a coat and sometimes needs clean peej (PJs).

The babies get fed. They get bottles. They get milk. They get drinks. They get cookies. They get poons and spowks (spoon and fork).

The babies get their hands, feet and faces wiped. I’ve just learned to be careful if I hear her saying that the baby needs “wash”. Because, you know, she might possibly be washing a doll in the toilet. The babies get put down for naps in bed. The babies get strapped into the high chair, bouncy seat and car seat (at our friend’s house) ensuring the highest level of safety. A few days ago, we even watched her walk around our friend’s house, gently bouncing, patting her baby over her shoulder, saying “Shh, shh, shh” mimicking exactly what she saw her Auntie C doing with Baby Will. They get sung to. Read to. Danced with. Played with. Walked.

She is the sweetest little Mama and all in all, looks to me like she is going to be quite successful at this Big Sister gig.