It was inevitable. And we knew it. But that doesn't make us prepared for it, and it was terribly upsetting for all parties involved. Wondering what the heck I'm talking about? Kingston fell down our large staircase. I say it was inevitable because we fight with him daily not to climb the stairs without us. You will always hear us saying, "wait for mommy and daddy" or of course, "NO stairs Kingston!"
First -- He's fine. He's got a fat lip and and a scratch/cut on his chin. That's it, and I thank God for that.
I don't consider myself irresponsible or unattentive. Quite the opposite. Heres how the story goes.
When you tell Kingston, "naptime/bedtime/night night" he immediately heads for the stairs. This kid rarely fights you to stay awake, he'd much rather go to bed. He climbs the stairs via a 'crawl' motion, and we follow closely behind. So as Cathy and I were getting up off the couch to tuck him in, I noticed his blanket on the floor and his stuffed dog which need to be in the crib with him. So I stopped to pick them up, and say something to my sister.
In this short amount of time Kingston has managed to get to the top of the landing. Before I could even get near the stairs, I saw him tumble down. My heart sank and I screamed. Michael, Cathy and I ran for the bottom of the stairs where Kingston was crying with a mouthful of blood (which is actually half blood/half drool -- so it wasn't as bad as it looked at first).
Daycare teacher Jen kicked in. I couldn't panic I needed to take care of my precious boy. Picked him up and snuggled my boy. Looked for cuts/bumps on the head. Cold face cloth for his mouth to suck on (clean up the blood), and investigation of teeth. Carefully moving all of his limbs up and down/side to side to make sure nothing is broken. After calming him down with a cold sippy of milk, we realized how lucky we were. This could have been really really bad. He had a cut in his lip (his tooth must have cut him), and a small cut on his chin. Other than that he didn't have a single bruise on his body. We read some stories and played a little before naptime, but his behaviour was normal so we let him nap while keeping a VERY close eye on the video monitor.
He was in a great mood all afternoon, and his behaviour was normal (and silly!) so we made the decision to not take him to the ER. No bumps in the head or bruises appeared after his nap, which suprises me. Kids really are pretty tough.
So at the end of the day we have made the decision to put in baby gates at both the top and bottom of the stairs. Why didn't we have them before you ask? Well... we don't own this house we rent, and as many of the parents out there know, you need to drill baby gates for stairs into the wall/banister. We were concerned about the damage that this would do to the walls/banister. I realize how silly this may sound -- but Kingston learned pretty early how to climb up and down the stairs and I guess we just felt as though he had mastered it. Regardless, today was an eye awakening reminder that he is 16 months, and accidents happen. Plus we have another baby. I think it's worth the repairs that we will have to do whenever we end up moving.
Seeing your child get hurt is heartbreaking. I don't know if I will be able to get the vision of my son falling down the stairs out of my head anytime soon. Thankfully he is okay, and he doesn't hate his mommy -- he will probably never really remember. When we talked about 'bathtime' tonight he once again headed for the stairs without us... sigh...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Oh Husband.
For the record -- I haven't really 'asked' Michael if I could blog about him. He knows my blog exists and he read it once. Other than that he never really mentions it. But this blog is about how well he knows me :)
Yesterday = horrible, terrible, nightmare-ish, want to run away kind of day. SERIOUSLY. Babies were both miserable and mommy was exhausted and not in the mood to deal with any of it. The law of the world says that because M had to be away all day, the babies were going to push every limit. And let me tell you -- they did. I don't feel like re-living the day, so I'm not going to post the details, but I will tell you that by the end of the day I didn't want to look or interact with either of those beautiful babies. I'm sure it was Kingston's teeth that were bothering him (he just had two more pop further through, bringing the count up to 8). I don't know what Charlotte's problem was -- we speculate a growth spurt but who really knows? I just have to accept that with the good days.. come the bad. And I know that generally speaking, we have far more good days. Regardless, let me show you what M brought home from work...
Yesterday = horrible, terrible, nightmare-ish, want to run away kind of day. SERIOUSLY. Babies were both miserable and mommy was exhausted and not in the mood to deal with any of it. The law of the world says that because M had to be away all day, the babies were going to push every limit. And let me tell you -- they did. I don't feel like re-living the day, so I'm not going to post the details, but I will tell you that by the end of the day I didn't want to look or interact with either of those beautiful babies. I'm sure it was Kingston's teeth that were bothering him (he just had two more pop further through, bringing the count up to 8). I don't know what Charlotte's problem was -- we speculate a growth spurt but who really knows? I just have to accept that with the good days.. come the bad. And I know that generally speaking, we have far more good days. Regardless, let me show you what M brought home from work...
Smartass.
6 Coronas & a large Dominos pizza later -- Everything is OK.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Keeping Busy
I hate winter. The snow, the cold, the ice, ugh all of it. I didn't always hate it. I used to love going skating, or tobogganing -- plus you get to wear cute hats and mittens! Since becoming a mommy I've decided I hate it even more. It keeps us from driving places, going for walks, and many of our normal outtings. It takes twice as long to get ready to go anywhere, and you need to be way more prepared in the event something happens. This winter has already proven to be a challenge and trying to keep my 16 month old entertained even more difficult. However over the next couple of months we have some big stuff planned.
Starting Feb 4 and running for 4 Friday mornings, K will be going to a playgroup called 'little circle of friends' put on by the OEYC. They do art, music, dance, games, etc and I can't wait to take him! He loves playing with the other kids at the indoor playground I take him to, so I hope he loves it just as much!
On Feb 5 at 9:15 am (yikes!) we are trying out the little gym's 'Bird class' for Kingston. It's an introductory gymnastics class for babies up to 19 months. He will be doing this class with mommy -- and if we really really really like it, he will be doing this class until June. I say he has to love it because it's not cheap -- but would be a great way to get some one on one time with mommy and daddy. If you want to read about it go ----> HERE.
On March 4 (as his playgroup ends) little K will be starting swimming lessons with Daddy -- every Friday night from 5:30-6pm for 7 weeks. He is too old to be a 'starfish' like I thought since he will be 19 months at the end of the lessons... so instead he is a 'duck' haha. He loves the water, so I'm sure he'll have a great time singing and playing games! We may also enroll Charlotte in the next session in May.
One of his favourite sing along shows the 'Imagination Movers' are coming to London on April 2nd -- and I just bought tickets for Daddy, Mommy & Kingston to go. I will post the video later of him dancing, but just know he will be rocking out from 7 rows back -- his first concert!! Go ---> HERE to read more about them. Admittedly, this is both Michael & my favourite of the shows he likes.
And last but not least a trip back to Great Wolf Lodge -- I think it will be April 16th. We wanted to go during the week but just found out Michael has another work conference in Niagara Falls, so we will go the night before it starts again so that Kingston, Charlotte and I have a car for the week daddy is gone :) Kingston will be a little older (and hopefully a little taller so we can hit up some waterslides). CANT WAIT!
And by then it will be spring (hopefully!) and much more for us to do. We are planning a trip to the Zoo, African Lion Safari, Ontario Place, and of course, Grand Bend :). We are trying to keep ourselves pretty busy and expose our babies to as much as we possibly can -- next winter is going to be crazy with a one and a half year old, and a two and a half year old!!
Starting Feb 4 and running for 4 Friday mornings, K will be going to a playgroup called 'little circle of friends' put on by the OEYC. They do art, music, dance, games, etc and I can't wait to take him! He loves playing with the other kids at the indoor playground I take him to, so I hope he loves it just as much!
On Feb 5 at 9:15 am (yikes!) we are trying out the little gym's 'Bird class' for Kingston. It's an introductory gymnastics class for babies up to 19 months. He will be doing this class with mommy -- and if we really really really like it, he will be doing this class until June. I say he has to love it because it's not cheap -- but would be a great way to get some one on one time with mommy and daddy. If you want to read about it go ----> HERE.
On March 4 (as his playgroup ends) little K will be starting swimming lessons with Daddy -- every Friday night from 5:30-6pm for 7 weeks. He is too old to be a 'starfish' like I thought since he will be 19 months at the end of the lessons... so instead he is a 'duck' haha. He loves the water, so I'm sure he'll have a great time singing and playing games! We may also enroll Charlotte in the next session in May.
One of his favourite sing along shows the 'Imagination Movers' are coming to London on April 2nd -- and I just bought tickets for Daddy, Mommy & Kingston to go. I will post the video later of him dancing, but just know he will be rocking out from 7 rows back -- his first concert!! Go ---> HERE to read more about them. Admittedly, this is both Michael & my favourite of the shows he likes.
And last but not least a trip back to Great Wolf Lodge -- I think it will be April 16th. We wanted to go during the week but just found out Michael has another work conference in Niagara Falls, so we will go the night before it starts again so that Kingston, Charlotte and I have a car for the week daddy is gone :) Kingston will be a little older (and hopefully a little taller so we can hit up some waterslides). CANT WAIT!
And by then it will be spring (hopefully!) and much more for us to do. We are planning a trip to the Zoo, African Lion Safari, Ontario Place, and of course, Grand Bend :). We are trying to keep ourselves pretty busy and expose our babies to as much as we possibly can -- next winter is going to be crazy with a one and a half year old, and a two and a half year old!!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Bathtime
Bathtime is always in the big tub in our ensuite .. so cute
"Kingston, show mommy your teeth!"
(I was trying to get him to smile)
Naked Babies!!
Baby Girl -- lovin' being naked!
Bathtime is quite a long and exhausting ordeal. However it is most definitely one of our favourite times of the day (ALL of us!).
Tuesday Part 2
Stop.
If you haven't read the first part of 'Tuesday' scroll down and read it, or this will make no sense.
Tuesday Part 2.
Babies continue to sleep. And sleep. And sleep. I took the opportunity to shower, dress, and put on make up (Ooohh a rarity). I also packed the diaper bag, prepared the afternoon snacks for both babies, and got all of the outdoor gear set out by the door. I decided to take the babies to Adventures on Wonderland for the afternoon. Charlotte woke around 3:00 and Kingston around 3:30... as I went to tell Michael I was leaving, I somehow convinced him to bring his work to the livingroom and stay with Charlotte, leaving me only with Kingston to take to the indoor playground. I have no idea how I managed this, somehow convincing Michael he could get all his work done while Charlotte played on the floor or in the swing (which totally didnt happen). Off Kingston and I went to play at Adventures on Wonderland just the two of us, and we had a great time. Kingston has just learned that he can go up and down the slide by himself -- although his foot gets stuck sometimes :)
I also took him into the larger part this time which is designed for older children. He LOVED it. I fear that he will no longer want to play in the baby section.
Around 4:45 we headed home, just in time to relieve daddy from the crying baby. Apparently she cried the entire time we were gone, and the only thing that would quiet her was a top up bottle. Baby girl must be going through a growth spurt because within a couple of hours she must have drank 8 oz! We got dinner made (fish, egg noodles, and veggies) and on the table, and Kingston gobbled it up. Next up: Bath time.
We don't bathe our children everyday anymore since they both get really dry skin in the winter, but aim for every other night. It's quite the undertaking but we seem to have a routine down. Daddy & Kingston fill the big bathtub in our ensuite, while Mommy & Charlotte get the towels, facecloths, and pjs set out. Daddy gets in the tub with Kingston and washes him down. K then sits by daddys feet and plays while daddy washes Charlotte. I sit down (outside the tub) by Kingston just in case he slides a little (our tub is very slippy!). The three play and splash in the tub for a few minutes and then I take miss C out to get her dried off, lotioned, diapered and pj-ed. She hangs out on the bed or with her floor toys while I do the same for Kingston. Generally daddy hops in the shower while we all play in the playroom. Next comes a sippy of milk for K, a bottle for C, and wine for mommy (kidding!). We play, we laugh, we dance... etc. Kingston gets his teeth brushed by daddy, Mommy swaddles Charlotte and off the babies go to their cribs. Hugs and kisses from both mommy & daddy, music, etc etc, and it's lights out!! Not even 10 minutes later Mommy checks on both babies -- sound asleep. Life is good.
This is where we decide what we would like to do with our evening (since it's only 6:50pm). Tonight was my night to go to the gym but that didn't happen. I've been feeling kind of crummy lately and decided watching a hockey game and eating homemade chocolate chip cookies was the better choice. M cleaned the kitchen for me, while I baked cookies and changed the laundry again. And then we chilled on the couch all night.
If you haven't read the first part of 'Tuesday' scroll down and read it, or this will make no sense.
Tuesday Part 2.
Babies continue to sleep. And sleep. And sleep. I took the opportunity to shower, dress, and put on make up (Ooohh a rarity). I also packed the diaper bag, prepared the afternoon snacks for both babies, and got all of the outdoor gear set out by the door. I decided to take the babies to Adventures on Wonderland for the afternoon. Charlotte woke around 3:00 and Kingston around 3:30... as I went to tell Michael I was leaving, I somehow convinced him to bring his work to the livingroom and stay with Charlotte, leaving me only with Kingston to take to the indoor playground. I have no idea how I managed this, somehow convincing Michael he could get all his work done while Charlotte played on the floor or in the swing (which totally didnt happen). Off Kingston and I went to play at Adventures on Wonderland just the two of us, and we had a great time. Kingston has just learned that he can go up and down the slide by himself -- although his foot gets stuck sometimes :)
I also took him into the larger part this time which is designed for older children. He LOVED it. I fear that he will no longer want to play in the baby section.
Mom... this ball pit is HUGE! Can we take some home?!
Around 4:45 we headed home, just in time to relieve daddy from the crying baby. Apparently she cried the entire time we were gone, and the only thing that would quiet her was a top up bottle. Baby girl must be going through a growth spurt because within a couple of hours she must have drank 8 oz! We got dinner made (fish, egg noodles, and veggies) and on the table, and Kingston gobbled it up. Next up: Bath time.
We don't bathe our children everyday anymore since they both get really dry skin in the winter, but aim for every other night. It's quite the undertaking but we seem to have a routine down. Daddy & Kingston fill the big bathtub in our ensuite, while Mommy & Charlotte get the towels, facecloths, and pjs set out. Daddy gets in the tub with Kingston and washes him down. K then sits by daddys feet and plays while daddy washes Charlotte. I sit down (outside the tub) by Kingston just in case he slides a little (our tub is very slippy!). The three play and splash in the tub for a few minutes and then I take miss C out to get her dried off, lotioned, diapered and pj-ed. She hangs out on the bed or with her floor toys while I do the same for Kingston. Generally daddy hops in the shower while we all play in the playroom. Next comes a sippy of milk for K, a bottle for C, and wine for mommy (kidding!). We play, we laugh, we dance... etc. Kingston gets his teeth brushed by daddy, Mommy swaddles Charlotte and off the babies go to their cribs. Hugs and kisses from both mommy & daddy, music, etc etc, and it's lights out!! Not even 10 minutes later Mommy checks on both babies -- sound asleep. Life is good.
This is where we decide what we would like to do with our evening (since it's only 6:50pm). Tonight was my night to go to the gym but that didn't happen. I've been feeling kind of crummy lately and decided watching a hockey game and eating homemade chocolate chip cookies was the better choice. M cleaned the kitchen for me, while I baked cookies and changed the laundry again. And then we chilled on the couch all night.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Tuesday
"No one will know what I do, until I don't do it anymore"
A friend has this has their facebook status and I of course had to comment on it. I love this statement. Mostly because it's ridiculously true. Mom's don't get enough credit -- ever. A friend of mine also wrote on her blog about what a day in her life is really like, and I've decided to steal this idea to write about how a day in the Krawetz house goes.
Around 6:50 I heard Charlotte's familiar whine/cry that starts out as a whimper, but quickly escalates into a full out scream if you don't get to her pretty quickly. If Kingston wasn't still sleeping we might let her whine a little but since baby boy was still out cold, Michael jumped up to grab her and bring her into our bed for some early morning cuddles. Usually there is a quick "whos getting breakfast" conversation, as we start our morning routine. This morning Michael changed Charlotte (who just happened to pee through her pjs last night -- fantastic!), while I grabbed a bottle for C, and a sippy of milk for K. Usually a bowl of dry cereal accompanies his milk, but this morning it was a cereal bar and raisins. By the time I got back upstairs Charlotte and daddy were back in the bed having a quite in depth conversation, and Kingston was tossing his books out of his crib (his way of telling us he's ready to get up!). While I fed Charlotte, daddy got K up and changed him, brought him into the king sized bed (which feels pretty small these days). Breakfast and cartoons followed and then daddy so graciously offered to take the babies into the playroom so I could catch another 45 minutes of sleep. Bless you husband.
After being woken up around 9:00, Michael headed downstairs to start a load of dishes (before heading to his office), while I gathered the laundry from the weekend, and stripped the babies beds. Kingston of course loved helping me throw all the laundry down the stairs. Over the next two hours, I sorted clothes, put through two more loads of laundry, put Charlotte down for her nap, and then fed her again, fed Kingston his snack (banana), and played cars while we watched "Handy Manny." Oh, and then we decided to colour with some markers and crayons and read stories.
Okay it's 11am. Lunch time for K. I decided to make scrambled eggs with veggies, toast with jam, and a kiwi (his new favourite). Making a meal has now become quite a challenge as Kingston resembles more of a puppy than a child -- begging at your feet and following you around the kitchen in the hopes that you will drop something for him to eat. Yup that's my kid. He assists mommy by taking the peppers and mushrooms in their ziplock bags and throwing them around the living room (instead of putting them back in the crisper like I politely asked). He also believes this is a great time to pull all of the salad dressings out of the fridge and try to bite them open. Charlotte decided in the middle of making lunch that she was done with her swing, and starting wailing until I made the transfer to the floor mat/gym. Which in theory doesn't sound bad, except the only thing that distracts Kingston from meal prep is putting Charlotte anywhere he has 'easy access.' He took this opportunity to pull the WOODEN BOX of dominos out of the game cupboard to take over and 'show' Charlotte. Looking like somekind of unshowered crazy woman I'm sure, I ran over to stop that inevitable from happening. And then proceeded to cook lunch while having Kingston scream at me for taking his dominos. It's now 11:07. All of that happened in 7 minutes.
11:15 Kingston is in highchair with food -- happy. Charlotte is cuddled up on mommys lap at the table -- happy. Daddy came to join us for lunch eating last nights leftovers (his choice) --happy. It's also 11:15 and I've yet to eat or drink anything all day. Sigh. After very little convincing, M agrees to take Charlotte up to our bed to nap, and the two snuggle in for a couple hours. Kingston finishes up his lunch and helps mommy tidy the playroom (sort of). I remake the babies beds, and sort out blankets etc. Kingston goes for his nap. Another load of laundry in, another load of dishes in the dishwasher, clean the kitchen and living room, and then sit. Sit Sit Sit. A bagel and a diet coke later, I'm blogging and enjoying the silence. I adore my family -- but somedays are busy. Reeeeeeally busy. So busy that I don't know how anyone would do it with more children, or a full time job, or without a husband that does as much as M.
Stay tuned for Part 2.
A friend has this has their facebook status and I of course had to comment on it. I love this statement. Mostly because it's ridiculously true. Mom's don't get enough credit -- ever. A friend of mine also wrote on her blog about what a day in her life is really like, and I've decided to steal this idea to write about how a day in the Krawetz house goes.
Around 6:50 I heard Charlotte's familiar whine/cry that starts out as a whimper, but quickly escalates into a full out scream if you don't get to her pretty quickly. If Kingston wasn't still sleeping we might let her whine a little but since baby boy was still out cold, Michael jumped up to grab her and bring her into our bed for some early morning cuddles. Usually there is a quick "whos getting breakfast" conversation, as we start our morning routine. This morning Michael changed Charlotte (who just happened to pee through her pjs last night -- fantastic!), while I grabbed a bottle for C, and a sippy of milk for K. Usually a bowl of dry cereal accompanies his milk, but this morning it was a cereal bar and raisins. By the time I got back upstairs Charlotte and daddy were back in the bed having a quite in depth conversation, and Kingston was tossing his books out of his crib (his way of telling us he's ready to get up!). While I fed Charlotte, daddy got K up and changed him, brought him into the king sized bed (which feels pretty small these days). Breakfast and cartoons followed and then daddy so graciously offered to take the babies into the playroom so I could catch another 45 minutes of sleep. Bless you husband.
After being woken up around 9:00, Michael headed downstairs to start a load of dishes (before heading to his office), while I gathered the laundry from the weekend, and stripped the babies beds. Kingston of course loved helping me throw all the laundry down the stairs. Over the next two hours, I sorted clothes, put through two more loads of laundry, put Charlotte down for her nap, and then fed her again, fed Kingston his snack (banana), and played cars while we watched "Handy Manny." Oh, and then we decided to colour with some markers and crayons and read stories.
Okay it's 11am. Lunch time for K. I decided to make scrambled eggs with veggies, toast with jam, and a kiwi (his new favourite). Making a meal has now become quite a challenge as Kingston resembles more of a puppy than a child -- begging at your feet and following you around the kitchen in the hopes that you will drop something for him to eat. Yup that's my kid. He assists mommy by taking the peppers and mushrooms in their ziplock bags and throwing them around the living room (instead of putting them back in the crisper like I politely asked). He also believes this is a great time to pull all of the salad dressings out of the fridge and try to bite them open. Charlotte decided in the middle of making lunch that she was done with her swing, and starting wailing until I made the transfer to the floor mat/gym. Which in theory doesn't sound bad, except the only thing that distracts Kingston from meal prep is putting Charlotte anywhere he has 'easy access.' He took this opportunity to pull the WOODEN BOX of dominos out of the game cupboard to take over and 'show' Charlotte. Looking like somekind of unshowered crazy woman I'm sure, I ran over to stop that inevitable from happening. And then proceeded to cook lunch while having Kingston scream at me for taking his dominos. It's now 11:07. All of that happened in 7 minutes.
11:15 Kingston is in highchair with food -- happy. Charlotte is cuddled up on mommys lap at the table -- happy. Daddy came to join us for lunch eating last nights leftovers (his choice) --happy. It's also 11:15 and I've yet to eat or drink anything all day. Sigh. After very little convincing, M agrees to take Charlotte up to our bed to nap, and the two snuggle in for a couple hours. Kingston finishes up his lunch and helps mommy tidy the playroom (sort of). I remake the babies beds, and sort out blankets etc. Kingston goes for his nap. Another load of laundry in, another load of dishes in the dishwasher, clean the kitchen and living room, and then sit. Sit Sit Sit. A bagel and a diet coke later, I'm blogging and enjoying the silence. I adore my family -- but somedays are busy. Reeeeeeally busy. So busy that I don't know how anyone would do it with more children, or a full time job, or without a husband that does as much as M.
Stay tuned for Part 2.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Uh Oh.
Baby girl is a rolling machine.
I actually thought maybe she was just letting her head fall to the side and it was so heavy it was pulling her over. That was until she kept doing it over and over last night when she wanted to be on her back not her belly. Plus I actually think she kind of has a small head? LOL.
(As always, I want to say I'm not one of those parents who think their children are exceptionally intelligent or gifted ... I'm just happy to document their milestones. I'd have to actually look it up, but I'm pretty sure that Kingston didn't roll over until almost 5 months).
I actually thought maybe she was just letting her head fall to the side and it was so heavy it was pulling her over. That was until she kept doing it over and over last night when she wanted to be on her back not her belly. Plus I actually think she kind of has a small head? LOL.
(As always, I want to say I'm not one of those parents who think their children are exceptionally intelligent or gifted ... I'm just happy to document their milestones. I'd have to actually look it up, but I'm pretty sure that Kingston didn't roll over until almost 5 months).
Busy day = Quick lunch
Clearly, yesterday's lunch was a healthy choice.
Michael spent the morning in one of the LTC (Long Term Care) homes that he has as a client, and took Kingston along with him. The ladies love to see little Bubba and mutually Kingston loves to see the ladies. It ran a little longer than expected so after a quick trip to an electronics store, Kingston and daddy picked up McDonalds for all of us for lunch.
We rarely eat fast food anymore at all (unless of course you consider pizza fast food, because we eat that ATLEAST once a week). And while I'm not proud to admit that my son has now had McDonalds three times in his short little life -- look how happy he is? :) He loves those damn french fries! I work really hard at making sure he eats very healthy meals and snacks.. so why do I feel guilt over one greasy meal like this? I also made him some veggies (which he barely touched) to make myself feel a little better -- atleast I provided some healthy food on his plate?!
ps. Daddy's french fries always taste better.
Michael spent the morning in one of the LTC (Long Term Care) homes that he has as a client, and took Kingston along with him. The ladies love to see little Bubba and mutually Kingston loves to see the ladies. It ran a little longer than expected so after a quick trip to an electronics store, Kingston and daddy picked up McDonalds for all of us for lunch.
We rarely eat fast food anymore at all (unless of course you consider pizza fast food, because we eat that ATLEAST once a week). And while I'm not proud to admit that my son has now had McDonalds three times in his short little life -- look how happy he is? :) He loves those damn french fries! I work really hard at making sure he eats very healthy meals and snacks.. so why do I feel guilt over one greasy meal like this? I also made him some veggies (which he barely touched) to make myself feel a little better -- atleast I provided some healthy food on his plate?!
ps. Daddy's french fries always taste better.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
On Money..
A tropical vacation
A second vehicle (for me!)
New kitchen table & chairs
Two nice chairs for the living room
A snowblower
A trip back to NYC.
These are all the things we'd love to have this year. Is it all going to happen? Probably not. I'd love just to accomplish the second vehicle so the babies and I can get out of the house a little more often.
There are few things that were actually easier when I was single, but I will admit that managing my own money, was one of those things. I got a paycheck, paid what I had to, and could decide what to do with the rest. Was I always responsible? No, absolutely not. Going out with my friends, or buying a new outfit ALWAYS won over putting money into savings, or paying more than the monthly payment on a bill (Ie. Visa). But I never felt out of control. Being married with two babies, it no longer matters what I WANT to spend money on. Michael and I are in complete agreement about prioritizing our babies (as most parents do). They both have more than enough clothing, toys, supplies (diapers, wipes, etc.) in the house, and there is always a fund of extra money in case we need anything for them. They will NEVER do without. And by this, I don't mean they will be spoiled and be the children that get everything they whine for. I merely mean that if Kingston loses his mittens, I will go that very day and get him another pair, or if two of his sippy cups break, I will go out and get him another type.
And then we fall at the end of the priority list of course. This month was a good month for us, so I was planning a haircut, eyebrow wax, and a new outfit. Just because. However this morning while Michael was trying to get some work done his 6 year old printer finally died. It hasn't been scanning/copying for a while now but was still printing OK. Michael works out of his home office, and to do his job he NEEDS a printer. So after his morning appointment, he and Kingston headed to the local electronics type store to find a new printer. "Please keep it under $100," I begged. $98 later -- we have a shiny new black all-in-one printer. What does this mean for my "splurge" day? Gone. I'm not really upset (that shows how important all that crap was anyway), but happy that this new printer should help make Michael's day-to-day work go a little smoother.
The last thing that I'll say about money -- is no matter how hard I try, grocery shopping KILLS my budget. Every single week. I budget for $100-$150 (we're two and a half people, we should be able to do this), but I'm always over. Granted I don't budget the babies supplies in groceries, but I'm buying diapers and formula as well. So $100 a month on diapers, and another $20 on wipes. Liquid formula is probably close to $100/month but is worth the convenience. I have always spent a lot of money on food. I guess deep down I feel like that's the one place people shouldn't deprive themselves. Again-- I'm not talking about junk and crap you don't really need, I'm talking about things like fresh fruit and veggies (which get expensive in the winter!). Baby boy LOVES fruit -- all kinds. Blackberries and raspberries are the current favourite -- and a pint of each always make their way into my cart. At $3-5 each.. the cost starts to add up. We burn through 3-3L bags of milk a week, and atleast two boxes of cereal. Do I really care? Nope. I love that Kingston loves his good food, and we all eat pretty well. I guess one of my biggest pet peeves is that eating poorly is so much cheaper than eating well.
Anyways that's all I'm saying about that.
If any of my readers happen to find a money tree or win the lottery -- please remember me :)
A second vehicle (for me!)
New kitchen table & chairs
Two nice chairs for the living room
A snowblower
A trip back to NYC.
These are all the things we'd love to have this year. Is it all going to happen? Probably not. I'd love just to accomplish the second vehicle so the babies and I can get out of the house a little more often.
There are few things that were actually easier when I was single, but I will admit that managing my own money, was one of those things. I got a paycheck, paid what I had to, and could decide what to do with the rest. Was I always responsible? No, absolutely not. Going out with my friends, or buying a new outfit ALWAYS won over putting money into savings, or paying more than the monthly payment on a bill (Ie. Visa). But I never felt out of control. Being married with two babies, it no longer matters what I WANT to spend money on. Michael and I are in complete agreement about prioritizing our babies (as most parents do). They both have more than enough clothing, toys, supplies (diapers, wipes, etc.) in the house, and there is always a fund of extra money in case we need anything for them. They will NEVER do without. And by this, I don't mean they will be spoiled and be the children that get everything they whine for. I merely mean that if Kingston loses his mittens, I will go that very day and get him another pair, or if two of his sippy cups break, I will go out and get him another type.
And then we fall at the end of the priority list of course. This month was a good month for us, so I was planning a haircut, eyebrow wax, and a new outfit. Just because. However this morning while Michael was trying to get some work done his 6 year old printer finally died. It hasn't been scanning/copying for a while now but was still printing OK. Michael works out of his home office, and to do his job he NEEDS a printer. So after his morning appointment, he and Kingston headed to the local electronics type store to find a new printer. "Please keep it under $100," I begged. $98 later -- we have a shiny new black all-in-one printer. What does this mean for my "splurge" day? Gone. I'm not really upset (that shows how important all that crap was anyway), but happy that this new printer should help make Michael's day-to-day work go a little smoother.
The last thing that I'll say about money -- is no matter how hard I try, grocery shopping KILLS my budget. Every single week. I budget for $100-$150 (we're two and a half people, we should be able to do this), but I'm always over. Granted I don't budget the babies supplies in groceries, but I'm buying diapers and formula as well. So $100 a month on diapers, and another $20 on wipes. Liquid formula is probably close to $100/month but is worth the convenience. I have always spent a lot of money on food. I guess deep down I feel like that's the one place people shouldn't deprive themselves. Again-- I'm not talking about junk and crap you don't really need, I'm talking about things like fresh fruit and veggies (which get expensive in the winter!). Baby boy LOVES fruit -- all kinds. Blackberries and raspberries are the current favourite -- and a pint of each always make their way into my cart. At $3-5 each.. the cost starts to add up. We burn through 3-3L bags of milk a week, and atleast two boxes of cereal. Do I really care? Nope. I love that Kingston loves his good food, and we all eat pretty well. I guess one of my biggest pet peeves is that eating poorly is so much cheaper than eating well.
Anyways that's all I'm saying about that.
If any of my readers happen to find a money tree or win the lottery -- please remember me :)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Umm Okay, where did the last 3 months go?!
SERIOUSLY?
My baby boy turned 16 months old on the 13th of January.
My baby girl turned 3 months old on the 14th of January.
Where have the last 3 months gone?
Not only that -- where have the last 16 months gone?
My baby boy turned 16 months old on the 13th of January.
My baby girl turned 3 months old on the 14th of January.
Where have the last 3 months gone?
Not only that -- where have the last 16 months gone?
Both of my babies at 3 months old
Stand 'em up & knock 'em down...
While cars/trucks/anything with wheels (including animals!) are still Kingston's favourite toys to play with, he's also loving the little people he finds around the house. Most of them came with his cars/trucks/airplane, etc. but were quickly thrown aside. His newest game which he thinks is HILARIOUS ... lining the people up, and knocking them over.
I LOVE to watch him play like this -- seeing how much joy he gets from something as simple as watching little people fall of the window sil. Although I should mention it's not just people falling off the window that's entertaining right now. We drive cars/toys off the side of the bathtub and into the water with a "AHhhhhhh!!" Daddy started that one!
Monday, January 17, 2011
What did I do to deserve this?
Michael and I work really, really hard to keep naptime and bedtime at our house consistent for Kingston. Well, to be honest, we try and keep his entire routine as consistent as possible. When we do this, he is an extremely happy little boy. If he doesn't get enough sleep/food/playtime... he's "off" (and I know all you moms out there know what I'm talking about!). So EVERY day around 11:45 - 12 pm, Kingston goes into his crib. He reads books, and plays with his blankets. Sometimes he falls asleep after being in his bed 10 minutes, other days it takes up to an hour. Regardless, he needs no "assistance" from us, other than turning on his music, giving him his suckie (soother), and his blue knitted blanket. We also have a video monitor, which lets me know when he actually goes to sleep :) So only 20 minutes into nap time....
She too was sound asleep :)
What on earth did I do to deserve two sleeping babies - at the same time and in their own beds? I've been feeling like garbage this past weekend, finally catching whatever Michael had for the last few weeks.. so I am looking forward to my nap too!!
Thank you beautiful babies! Mommy loves you! xoxo
Score 1 for Mommy!
We've been working with Charlotte, and last night was the first night she completely put herself to sleep in her crib. She cried for about 15 minutes, and then slept 8pm-8:30am. What a good girl <3
I wasn't sure how her naptime would go, but she usually naps at the same time as Kingston, just with Mommy in the big bed. Today was my first try, and so I fed her, changed her, swaddled her, gave her kisses, and popped her into her crib with her wonderful new mobile from daddy. I really didn't think she would go to sleep on her own -- and was waiting for that familiar cry.. however after checking on Kingston.. I went and checked on Charlotte, only to find....
She too was sound asleep :)
What on earth did I do to deserve two sleeping babies - at the same time and in their own beds? I've been feeling like garbage this past weekend, finally catching whatever Michael had for the last few weeks.. so I am looking forward to my nap too!!
Thank you beautiful babies! Mommy loves you! xoxo
Just Because
Another of my favourite episodes.
I couldn't find the exact clip I was looking for... but oh my god. So funny. During the rest of the episode he keeps doing his creepy smile. Hil-arious.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock..
OK, so I know that I have been posting more and more infrequently, and seeing as this is a new thing, I can't see it lasting longer than a couple months at best. But I have a good reason why I'm absent.
It's called the 'Big Bang Theory' and I've become obsessed. Not joking. We are already onto season 3, and just purchased season 1 last Monday. This weekend alone we've burned through an entire season. After our babies go to bed, we cuddle up in our bed and watch hours of this show. Judge me all you want, but watch this first.
I'm a little in love with Sheldon. And we've decided if/when we get a dog -- he will be named after him :)
It's called the 'Big Bang Theory' and I've become obsessed. Not joking. We are already onto season 3, and just purchased season 1 last Monday. This weekend alone we've burned through an entire season. After our babies go to bed, we cuddle up in our bed and watch hours of this show. Judge me all you want, but watch this first.
I'm a little in love with Sheldon. And we've decided if/when we get a dog -- he will be named after him :)
Shovelling Snow
Kingston never really shows an interest in going outside into the snow... until yesterday. I took him out to the garage to show him what daddy was doing (shovelling) and he ran to find his hat and coat. Although it was naptime, I thought what a better way to knock Bubba out than with some fresh air. So he happily got dressed with Mommy's help and outside to help daddy he went. Grandma & Grandpa gave Kingston a shovel for Christmas so we thought we would try it out..
Kingston helps daddy shovel the driveway -- however because of his toddler mittens.. he can't actually hold the shovel. Quite entertaining.
And after about 3 minutes of that -- the mittens are taken off and thrown to the ground. Apparently he'd much rather have cold fingers than mittens... for all of 30 seconds when he then let me put on a warmer pair :) Gotta love how toddlers hate hats/mittens/snow gear, until they realize that it actually keeps them warm.
"hmmmm... What should I do now?"
"I Know... I should dive head first into the snow. Weeeee"
(and then he cried until we went inside)
His rosy red cheeks after being outside in the snow... And of course one of Charlotte too :)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Updates
My friend Nicole could tell you that I politely HARASS her to update her blog, if she even goes a week without writing something. And now -- here I am. Life has been busy. Not busy-eventful, just busy with day to day stuff.
As a continuation of my last post -- Charlotte sleeps in her crib! Woo hoo! Consistently, every night from 10-8 or 9 in the morning. Without waking anymore at all. Or atleast without crying :) I forgot how good sleep feels...
...except that instead of sleeping, M and I stay up late watching Season 1 of "Glee" or Season 1 of "the Big Bang Theory". When will we learn?
Kingston is finally starting to say more words (or at least TRY to say more words). He was on a roll for a while before Christmas saying, "dada, mama, cup, up, help, yeah." We thought his speech was taking off until he started to refuse to say anything. Now he's saying "Hi" a lot, and tried to say car, truck, snow, and out this morning. I know it will come with time, but I'd love for him to be able to communicate verbally with us... sometimes charades gets frustrating.
As a side note, I can't believe how smart my little 16 month old is. Don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming to have a genius on my hands, but he picks up on so many things that Michael and I do..
for example, Michael makes all of us fruit shakes in the morning. Not every morning, probably like 2 times a week (however we haven't had them in a long time). Yesterday morning when he got the blender out, and put ice into it, doesn't Kingston come RUNNING into the living room to find his water cup and go racing back out to daddy to fill it up with smoothie. I was so impressed by this.
We are also terrible for leaving piles of laundry around (ie bedrooms, or bathrooms)... Kingston goes around collecting random pieces of clothing and puts them in these piles... I was searching for Charlottes burp/spit up rag after Kingston went to bed, and after getting pretty annoyed, I finally found it in the pile outside the laundry room door. My little clean freak :)
As for the job hunt -- no such luck yet. However, I suppose you have to submit applications and resumes to get a job? :) I haven't had a chance to get gussied up and out of the house, so hopefully next week sometime.
I've officially signed Kingston up for a February playgroup (on Fridays), and a free session at 'The Little Gym' just to try out. I don't know that we could really afford to send him there.. but if he loves it, we might just have to see what we can do :) I think you can sign up class by class rather than the Feb - June session (at $350!). Hopefully in March he will be doing swimming lessons, and I'm going to keep finding random things for us to do with him. The winter is HARD. Walks to the park are few and far between. I'm booking a night at Great Wolf Lodge again (as I type this) so that will be yet another fun thing to do with our growing boy.
And with that, I can hear books being thrown out of the crib, so I suppose my little man is ready to have a snack and play with Momma. Daddy & Gidget are taking a short nap, which means I get K all to myself.
Hopefully I will have something more interesting to write later in the week.
Here is a photo of my little batgirl this morning.
As a continuation of my last post -- Charlotte sleeps in her crib! Woo hoo! Consistently, every night from 10-8 or 9 in the morning. Without waking anymore at all. Or atleast without crying :) I forgot how good sleep feels...
...except that instead of sleeping, M and I stay up late watching Season 1 of "Glee" or Season 1 of "the Big Bang Theory". When will we learn?
Kingston is finally starting to say more words (or at least TRY to say more words). He was on a roll for a while before Christmas saying, "dada, mama, cup, up, help, yeah." We thought his speech was taking off until he started to refuse to say anything. Now he's saying "Hi" a lot, and tried to say car, truck, snow, and out this morning. I know it will come with time, but I'd love for him to be able to communicate verbally with us... sometimes charades gets frustrating.
As a side note, I can't believe how smart my little 16 month old is. Don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming to have a genius on my hands, but he picks up on so many things that Michael and I do..
for example, Michael makes all of us fruit shakes in the morning. Not every morning, probably like 2 times a week (however we haven't had them in a long time). Yesterday morning when he got the blender out, and put ice into it, doesn't Kingston come RUNNING into the living room to find his water cup and go racing back out to daddy to fill it up with smoothie. I was so impressed by this.
We are also terrible for leaving piles of laundry around (ie bedrooms, or bathrooms)... Kingston goes around collecting random pieces of clothing and puts them in these piles... I was searching for Charlottes burp/spit up rag after Kingston went to bed, and after getting pretty annoyed, I finally found it in the pile outside the laundry room door. My little clean freak :)
As for the job hunt -- no such luck yet. However, I suppose you have to submit applications and resumes to get a job? :) I haven't had a chance to get gussied up and out of the house, so hopefully next week sometime.
I've officially signed Kingston up for a February playgroup (on Fridays), and a free session at 'The Little Gym' just to try out. I don't know that we could really afford to send him there.. but if he loves it, we might just have to see what we can do :) I think you can sign up class by class rather than the Feb - June session (at $350!). Hopefully in March he will be doing swimming lessons, and I'm going to keep finding random things for us to do with him. The winter is HARD. Walks to the park are few and far between. I'm booking a night at Great Wolf Lodge again (as I type this) so that will be yet another fun thing to do with our growing boy.
And with that, I can hear books being thrown out of the crib, so I suppose my little man is ready to have a snack and play with Momma. Daddy & Gidget are taking a short nap, which means I get K all to myself.
Hopefully I will have something more interesting to write later in the week.
Here is a photo of my little batgirl this morning.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Gidget meets the crib
Kingston NEVER co-slept with us. He slept in our room maybe two nights in a bassinet type configuration but none of us got any sleep. By the third night we moved him to his crib in his room and we all slept much better. From there (around 2-3 months old), we did a technique called, 'cry it out' and let him learn to put himself to sleep. Granted he never went longer than maybe 10 minutes at a time crying before we would go in, and soothe him without picking him up, and try again. Within two-three days he was sleeping on his own and never needed to be rocked again. By 3-4 months my independent boy was able to take naps, or sleep at night all on his own.
Charlotte is a different story. This girl does not like to sleep alone. She loves the heat that radiates off daddy and has somehow found her way into our bed every night. She agrees to sleep 10-7 if we let her sleep there and until last night we allowed it. We originally set up a pack and play beside our bed, mostly because I was afraid that her crying as a newborn would disrupt Kingston's sleep and thought I could get to her faster and easier in our room. Finally we decided that enough is enough, and baby girl is almost 3 months old. We want her to have the same independence as her brother, without relying on someone to rock or help her to sleep. She slept from 8-10 downstairs, had a bottle, and then up to her crib she went. Now, for the first few nights, we will be rocking her to sleep and putting her in her crib, and then after that she will be going into her crib awake. We definitely weren't sure what we were in for last night, but we were ready to work through it. We swaddled her in a cozy swaddle blanket, and borrowed Kingston's video monitor so we could keep an eye on her all night. Little Gidget surprised both her daddy and I, when she slept soundly until around 5, let out a few whimpers, and then drifted back to sleep until 6:30. We were both pretty shocked: this is what we were so terrified to deal with?? Of course I barely slept at all, afraid I wouldn't hear her cry or that something would happen.
Needless to say, she is a crib sleeper now, and I'm that much closer to getting a full nights sleep again. Woo hoo!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
I never shy away from a creative experience...
Almost everyday I get out the markers or crayons for Kingston to draw with.. not usually paint because it's too much to take on when I'm home alone with both babies. However, my lobster (Carrie) was visiting so I decided it was time to bust out the new paints that Santa brought Kingston. I may have hated finger painting as a child, but I am definitely going to make sure my children get to experience it!! The funny part is.. once I smeared the paint on his hands, he started to whine and cry -- he didn't really like it either. Like mother like son <3
By the end he definitely got the hang of it -- and was loving it. Two spoons also got thrown into the mix -- perhaps I should get him some paintbrushes? Haha.
Hello 2011 -- you've been a long time coming!
Last year was a long year. It was eventful. It was painful. Don't get me wrong -- there were events that will forever be remembered and cherished.. but there was a lot of saddness.
Spending the first week of February in Mexico with our 4 month old baby boy and some of Michael's family was amazing. We had such a fantastic time, and I think that trip will be tough to beat. From the food, to the accommodations, to the entertainment -- it was a great way to start our year.
We had our first Valentines Day, Easter, Mothers Day, and Fathers Day with Kingston. And celebrated each of those special days as a family and in our own way.
We moved back to London, and into a house and neighbourhood that we love. We prepared for our baby girl, and celebrated our baby boy turning 1!
and My beautiful daughter, Charlotte was brought into this world on October 14th. She was 17 days early and quite a surprise to both Michael and I. We knew she would be early, even if my doctor didn't think so. He thought I was getting the 34, 35, 36 week itch that has every pregnant woman thinking that labour is around the corner. But I knew it was coming close. I felt it on Thanksgiving, everything was just far too familiar. and then 4 days later Gidget arrived. I definitely count my blessings that Michael did NOT go up north on the Wednesday (like he had planned).
There are many more things running through my mind -- but I'm not going to list them. Mostly because Kingston will be awake any minute :)
There was also a lot of loss for my family.
A friend of the family passed away, leaving two small children without their mommy. My sister's boyfriend passed away just a month after that. A wonderful friend of the family (more like my 3rd grandmother) passed away and just shortly after that my grandfather also passed away. Friends and acquaintances have also experienced many deaths this year and so for me, 2010 will be remembered as a year of loss.
And so I know, my family and I looked forward to a new year. A new start.
A few things I'm looking forward to this year..
Nate & Linnett getting married -- I couldn't be happier for this amazing couple. And I am thrilled to be a part of their special day.
A very important birthday for my amazing husband. and that's all I can say about that <3
Of course Charlotte's first birthday (and all the other firsts she will have!), and my sisters 25th birthday!
A weekend away with my husband to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary.
Family time spent with our children -- swimming, walks and trips to the park, to the zoo, to Marineland, to Great Wolf Lodge, to the trailer, to anywhere we dream up.
And with that -- I feel the need to post some pictures of our family taken throughout the year. Goodbye 2010!
Kingston's first time swimming Me & My Love (Mexico 02/10)
Apple Picking 09/10 Great Wolf Lodge 10/10 Baby Charlotte 10/10
Great Grandpa & Kingston K's 1st Easter 03/10 Great Friends -- my best friends!
Our family <3
Saturday, January 1, 2011
One of the coolest toys EVER...
Baby Charlotte received this awesome gift from her Uncle Bryan & Aunt Erika (and of course cousin Ivor). Now, I don't generally play favourites as far as toys go.. they all have their time and place but Kingston has become OBSESSED with this since I took it out of the bag to 'try out'.
She's some type of dragon maybe?(and yes I decided its a girl -- she will probably get a name later since we like to name stuffed animal type things!) and there is space inside to sit in and kick/throw/play with the balls.
I'm not sure if Charlotte will even get to use it? Haha Bubba may have it wore out before shes old enough to sit!
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