Monday, March 26, 2012

The First Six

Dear Jace,

Happy half Birthday, my little man.
Six months. I can hardly believe it... I still snuggle you and smell your head the same way I did six months ago, so it seems crazy for you to be anything but a tiny little new born.  But you are much more than a tiny little new born, that's for sure. I love the little place you have made for yourself, and how you spread yourself around, you love snuggling with me, you love watching Maizey and laughing with her and you love talking to Daddy. I can hardly remember what it was like before you arrived.
You are quite the little character. You smile and laugh so easily and for anyone. I can't get enough of your little (but big) personality.
You have made us much more attentive to things like time, more specifically, what time of the day it is. You put yourself on a schedule and heaven forbid anyone try to stray from it. You, my friend, like your meals ON TIME!! Naps? ON TIME!! Wake up calls? ON TIME!! We don't mess with the timing because *you* are craaaaanky if we do.
Your hours of sleep at night are erratic and unpredictable - I never know what the hours between 10:30pm and 6:00am hold for me.... will it be a night of five times? Or will it be seven, heavenly hours of sleep? I can never tell. You'll figure it out, I try not to get too concerned with it.
You started eating rice cereal a week ago and you love it. LOVE. Water? well, lets just say you haven't got the hang of it yet, so it literally, just dribbles out of your mouth. Carrots were new two days ago and a few bites will do and then you are SO over them. I love this part, where we get to experiment with new foods and watch the hilarious faces of a mouth that has never tasted things so yummy, or as the case may be, disgusting.
You are a sitter. It makes it so much more fun for Maizey to play with you.
You cut your first tooth on March 3rd and your second today. That first one is a jagged little sucker. Trust me, I know.
You still hate being on your tummy, but could lay on your back all day.
Your favorite place to be is definitely still the jolly jumper. You can jump for hours on end, you spin around and squeal in happiness. You are so funny to watch when you jump! with! enthusiasm!
You roll from your tummy to your back but not yet from your back to your tummy.
You still love the carseat and riding around in it. As long as we are moving, you are happy. This makes road trips with you super easy, which is a good thing, because we are a road tripping kind of family.
You love Sophie giraffe as much as Maizey did and you are partial to those silicon brushes that are used in the kitchen. You find them oddly mysterious and super cool at the same time. You could look at them, rub them on your face and run your fingers through them endlessly. I still maintain that toys are stupid and kitchen tools are much more fun. You agree.
You can't sit in the bumbo anymore because you just pop yourself out and hit your head on the floor and there's crying and danger, so unless we are going to hold you in, you just can't be trusted in there.
You sometimes cry a lot and other times you laugh real little belly laughs. We love making you laugh, hearing you laugh and seeing you laugh. It's contagious, we all laugh right alongside you.
You have a bond with your sister that I never expected and am thrilled to see. She loves you so much, she is gentle and kind to you. She rubs your hand and says 'whats the matter buddy? I'm here, its okay.' if you are crying and I don't get to you fast enough. She gets your soother and hands your stuff back if you drop it. You watch her and listen to her and pay attention to every little thing she does. In the mornings, one of you ALWAYS wakes the other up and you talk and laugh until I come to get you. She is usually in your bed with you. She reads to you and you listen intently. I watch your relationship grow and while I would be crazy to think you will never fight, for right now, I love watching how well you get along. You truly do love one another.
We have been working on teaching you to wave. You got it about a week ago and we have Grannie as our witness. You do it often for me,  not often for Daddy and absolutely never for anyone else. You make a liar out of me on a daily basis, so I would really appreciate it if you would just do it for someone else already, okay?

Well, my buddy, I just wanted you to know that these last six months have brought us laughter, fun, cheers and love.
Six months, friend. We can't wait to see what the next six brings us.
I can hear you calling me from your bed. I better hurry, don't want you to wake Missy up.

We love you to the moon and back, Jace.

Love Mommy (and of course Daddy, but again, he was no help in writing this, so he only gets a small amount of credit.)

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Baby Sitter

Well, would you look at that...

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...as of today, a little man that can officially sit up, no help required.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Parking Lot Poop

Last Monday morning the cloud cover was so low I felt like with a little hop it could be touched. It was raining slash snowing and even though the thermometer read above zero it felt much, much colder. It had been endless days of grey and rain and blah and it was really getting to me. To us. All of us. It was barely 9am and I was already feeling desperate for the day to pleaseee get better. In a frantic attempt to find something better than being at home, I threw (mostly clean) clothes on myself and the kids, brushed teeth and ran out the door with barely a coat on. No time to shower, or hell, even comb my hair. It really was that frantic. We drove to the library but apparently it's closed on Mondays. We went to the ball diamonds to maybe walk the green belt, but I had no stroller and the wind was cold by the river. I was so unprepared. I was fighting tears while chanting in my head this day will only suck if you let it. Maizey asked where we were going and I told her I didn't know. She threw Salmon Arm out there. I took it and ran. We stopped to grab a coffee and then headed out. I desperately wanted to get excited at the prospect of sun, but I wasn't *there* yet.

The roads were bare and the traffic light. A dream day on the highway.

Here comes the sun...

Maizey started complaining. Then she pulled Jace's blankets off. He started to cry. I pulled over, put his blankets back on and gave him his soother. The lid from my breakfast blew away in the wind, so I ran for it and like a scene out of a movie, every time I got close, it blew just a few feet further. Jace's soother fell out again.

We were only 12 minutes out of town.

Back on the road, the music turned up and no whining.

3 minutes later, Maizey needed to pee. Can you hold it? I asked. She said no so I said we would stop as soon as I could. We were just coming up to Griffin Lake where there's a big pull out so I told her to hold it a little longer. We passed the snow gates where there was a highways truck stopped and had a few eastbound vehicles stopped as well. Since I had just come through and seen nothing, I didn't think too much about it. We got to Griffin Lake Lodge and I took Maizey out to pee. I held her up, with her pants down, like I have done countless other times. Nothing. She looked around. I looked at her. Nothing. I guess I don't have to go, she said. I pulled her pants up and put her back in the truck. She landed on the drivers seat so wanted to drive. I played along for a few minutes before I told her to climb back to her seat. We argued and I, of course, won. Just as I buckled her seat belt up she started crying that she needs to pee. I need to pee, I need to pee, I need to pee, please mommy.... I took her out, held her up with her pants down, like I had done just minutes before. Nothing. She looked around. I looked at her. Nothing. Are you gonna go? I asked. No, she answered. Back in the truck. I strap her in as shes crying but I have to peeeeeeee. Jace is screaming. I'm arguing with her. It's not pretty. I really have to go.... Last time Missy, for real. If you don't go, we have to turn around and I am serious. (How lame does "I'm serious" sound, after the fact? God.). I took her out, no shoes and missing a sock now, hold her up AGAIN...Nothing. Back in the truck. Jace had very clearly had enough, and I was getting to that point too. I wasn't going to be caught going back on what I said, so we headed home. Not 5 seconds down the road, those few eastbound cars had lined up to. We were suddenly stopped in a line up of traffic. I got out to give Jace his soother for the third time and by the time I got back to the drivers seat he had spit it out and was screaming again. Maizey was crying that she realllly had to pee. I busted a nut out of that line up of traffic and pulled back into the turn out. I undid Maizeys seat belt, pulled Jace from his seat, climbed back into the front seat, whipped my boob out and shoved him on. Silence, finally. In a matter of second, the line up of traffic had made it to the turn out and gone way beyond. WTF?? I wondered. There was nothing on the other side. For some reason when I had come racing into the parking lot, I turned and was parked east, even though I thought in my head that if Jace would just stop crying, we would keep going west. It looked as though we should be in the line up, but I still didn't know which way we were heading. People were walking all over the place and there were a number of other cars that had pulled into the parking lot as well. With Jace on my boob and Maizey bouncing around the cab, I was just trying to make sure she didn't accidentally knock the truck into gear with her knee, while trying to make sure I didn't honk the horn with my elbow and draw attention to us. Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement and looked up to see the cute, cute, cute guy walking not very casually by my door. I tried to nonchalantly cover myself up while rolling the window down. You can just pull out in front of me when traffic starts moving he said, while trying not to act embarrassed even though he totally just saw most of my exposed boob. I'm going the other way, but thanks anyways I said, equally as embarrassed. He walked away quickly, I tried to hide my red face. I'm so glad he got to sit in his truck, right next to mine, for the next twenty minutes. It didn't make it any better that he kept catching me looking at him. Midway through side number two, Maizey suddenly had to ACTUALLY pee. Doing the dance right there on the passenger seat and everything. I ripped Jace off, jumped out, practically ran to the other side, dropped a screaming Jace in his seat, grabbed my dancing Missy, yanked her pants down and held her up, AGAIN. Oh she peed this time and when she finished, she looked at me and said I guess I have to poop too. Right there in Griffin Lake Lodge parking lot, surrounded by a line up of traffic, other cars and people walking around, she pooped on the ground, while I held her up. Not awesome, Maizey, not awesome.
Nothing pisses me off more than when people don't clean up their dogs crap. It's gross and inconsiderate. I assume the same would be said about people poop. So again, with all the people stopped at the random highway closing of the Trans Canada on Monday March 12, 2012 and God as my witness, with a wet wipe wrapped around my hand and an old plastic bag scrounged up from the floor of the back seat, I cleaned up Maizeys poop. Then promptly disinfected my hands and arms.
We sat there long after the traffic had cleared up. Until the highways truck pulled up to tell me that they were closing again, so if I was going to go, I'd better do it.
We never made it to Salmon Arm. But I learned a valuable lesson. If you are going to give a good looking guy a peak at your boobs, it would probably pay to have a shower and look, you know, like you didn't just roll outta bed. Oh, and make sure your kids go to the bathroom before you leave.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Shot

I try to stay organized as best I can. I admit, sometimes I drive away without my purse and there was a bag hanging at the front door for nearly a year before I returned it to it's rightful owner, but honestly, I do try to stay on top of stuff.
I don't try to be nor do I pretend to be perfect.
But dude, I totally dropped the ball on this one.
For those without kids, the immunization schedule for infants and toddlers is this:
two months, four months, six months, one year, eighteen months, and then four years old.
Sure I was a week or two late with Maizeys first set, so therefore I had to be a week or two late for the rest of them. Then they got progressively further away from the schedule, getting a week or two LATER every shot. We were two months late by the time the one year old set arrived. The nurse that gave her those ones put a sticky note on our immunization booklet for when she was due for her eighteen month boosters. It read April 29/11. As in, she was supposed to be back somewhere close to April 20, 2011 - not close to March 15, 2012, which is the date she went.
YOU GUYS, SHES A YEAR LATE!!

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You know what that means? She's old enough to know whats going on and old enough to remember. We pumped her up all week that yayy, shots are fun! You have to be a big, brave girl! Yayy, needles! 
She was super excited to go, but I had the prospect of a princess band-aid ready as a distraction for after.

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But in true Maizey fashion, she was all what? that was no big deal. Can I have my sticker now? I want to go play with that awesome house. Thanks nice nurse lady, see you later.
She was a total champ, no tears, no fuss.
She got the princess band-aid anyways, just for fun.
Needle? No big deal.

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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Turn Around

I love when immediately after I finish complaining, my life just goes and turns right around.
Our weekend was full of fun and family and parties and food.

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Oh and a birthday. The Daddy's birthday.
I thought it would be funny to take Maizey to the Bargain Shop and let her pick out his present all by herself. Yes, it was funny. He is now the proud new owner of a king size Kit-Kat bar, a Dora ruler, a tiny little Cars themed rubber ball and a Hummingbird feeder. She was super proud of her finds and was certain Brian was going to love the 'Honeybird feeder'.

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The day of his birthday he was pretty under the weather so when we brought home his favorite breakfast sandwich and coffee from the Modern he couldn't even eat it. Lucky for him I love them too! He wasn't up for any adventures or birthday-like celebrations and plus, he doesn't even eat birthday cake (usually) so there were almost no obvious celebrations here. We did order sushi for supper, so there was that. None the less, Maizey was excited to sing Happy Birthday on repeat.
Happy Birthday Brian/ Daddy, we love you with our whole hearts.

Two weekends in a row we got to go to totally epic sledding birthday party's at which both I forgot my camera. Seriously, for those of you Revelstokians that have never been sledding at the Chalet on Mt. Revelstoke - GO, DO IT. It's crazy fast and a huge hill and holy crap, so much fun. Maizey was so worn out after both of them, it was awesome! She went down by herself, which simultaneously gave me an immense amount of pride and heart palpitations. She also went with Brian or Me, with her friends, on her own with no sled. Sister was all over it. If I had a winter child that's exactly where I would be having a birthday party because there was nothing better for the kids than hanging out with friends, eating goodies and cake and playing in the snow.

Brians family held a big family dinner Sunday. (again, no camera. I need more hands...)He doesn't have a very big family at all, but as we all get older and more kids are added to the mix, it has gotten big enough that no ones home comfortably holds us all, so there was a little old hall rented and a pot luck gathering. There was a whole lot of little kid cousin loving going on. Maizey loves her some cousin time, she calls them all her best friends. Brian wound up having to work (laaaaame) so he wasn't able to go, which left me to take the kids. You know what I love even more than big family dinners? It's going to my in-law family dinner without him and being so comfortable and familiar that it's not weird. Good stuff, that family time.

It's been raining/snowing and gloomy and gross for days now. We are desperate to breathe in some fresh spring air and see the sun.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Relax Amy, It Will Get Done

Yesterday morning I sat down and wrote half of a post. By last night, I had no intention of publishing it. It was written when my day was full of optimism and fun. If I had had a free hand last night to write a new post, it would have said, repeatedly, I just want to sit on the floor and cry.
It was just one of those days yesterday. Last night was no better.
I woke up today knowing that I had to let it go. The fact that we are in the processing of finishing all the unfinished crap in our home means there is shit everywhere. An air compressor and it's 50' of hose are sitting in my living room. There is a bucket of dry wall mud, a putty knife, two drills and three paint brushes in one window sill and a can of paint on a piece of scrap cardboard, the little can opener and the stick for stirring the paint sits on the counter beside the coffee pot. Another paint brush rests beside the bathroom sink. There are little piles of drywall dust that have been sanded off the wall and left to be swept up, on the floor along three different walls. I tried all day yesterday to get it cleaned up, but everyone else in this house had different plans for me. When I bitched about to Ang, she told me she had seen a sign on Pinterest that said 'cleaning your house while your kids are home, is like shoveling while it's still snowing' . Sadly, yesterday, that rang very true. I picked up the same fucking bag of ribbons somewhere around a million times. I was thisclose to throwing them away, but then I got smart and hid them. Every time I picked something up and put it away, Maizey waited until I was out of sight and took it out again. For real. Little turd.
Today, we stayed in our p.j's unreasonably late, we ate late breakfast, we only left the house for a quick coffee with Chelsea. There were an embarrassing number of Dora episodes watched and a few solid hours of sleep by some. And guess what? Most of the messes are cleaned up. The air compressor still sits and the paint isn't put away, but I will get there.
I let it go. And then it got done.
See, it's better not to get all stressy and cranky.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Favorite Songs

Maizey wanted to make a video for Nannie and Grampa a few days ago. I asked her what she wanted to make one of and she said all of her favorite songs.
So here it is Nannie and Grampa, this ones for you!



*That version of twinkle twinkle little star is off of an episode of Dora* *extra points if you can recall that episode!*