Welcome Home Chunky Monkey!

A long overdue virtual welcome to the newest sweet addition to our family!  Our big little man was born on the magical date of 12-12-12 6:58 p.m. He is absolutely perfect and captured our hearts the moment he arrived.

I'll refer to our new little man as our little Punk Rocker and will likely slip and call him Chunk every now and then because he certainly is a chunky little monkey. Our birth story is similar to the Rockstar's.  My OB predicted an early birthday and a 2 hour labour... unfortunately she was wrong on both accounts, but I'm over it now.  

I went for an ultrasound on the 11th and my amniotic fluid levels were low.  Chunk didn't flip over the expected three times so he officially failed the test. The ultrasound technician deemed me the 'calmest mother ever' because I didn't flip out over the FAIL label.  I assured her I did care but that the exact same thing happened with my first so I wasn't worried.  I visited my OB and our Punk Rocker's heart rate dropped during the Doppler monitoring so she scheduled my induction for the next day and sent me to the hospital immediately for further monitoring/testing. All was well and I was told to call the hospital early on the twelfth to find out when to return for the drip.

The morning of the 12th I had a little spotting so called triage and they told me to come on down to be examined by a doctor, the nurse said I was second in line so chances were they would just tell me to stay and would get things rolling.  Sure enough that's exactly what happened. Our nurse Sophie was outstanding and we lucked out like we did the first time: she was with us for the entire labour.  

At 1030 I was set up with an IV for the induction drip and also for the penicillin drip to deal with the fact that I was strep positive.   Sophie nailed the vein on the first attempt which was a lovely way to start our day. I think I jinxed myself in a previous post by suggesting the IV was the worst pain I dealt with when delivering the RockStar.

At 1230 pm my water was broken after many many MANY attempts to break it.  Our poor little Punk arrived with 12 scratches on the crown of his head thanks to the super thick sack he had been living in. My contractions kicked in around 1 pm.  Although I was experiencing some lower back pain I thought I had things under control.  Around 3 pm I was asked whether I had made a decision on the epidural, the anaesthesiologist was going into a surgery so he would not be available for an hour at the very least. I was 7 cm dilated and figured I had an hour to go (not sure why I was so sure this was the case but this was one time I shouldn't have trusted my instincts).  After discussing things with my nurse who assured me that I was dealing well with the 2 minute long contractions at this point I decided to go without the epidural.  S.T.U.P.I.D.  

Hip hip horray for all of you who go without the drugs, I think it's funny how women get all bent out of shape around the "natural labour" talk.  Having a baby is the most natural thing a woman can do: drugs or no drugs.  I chose to go without the epidural initially (initially being the key word) because I was concerned it would slow things down, because I figured my labour was almost over and because I wanted to feel the birthing process more than I did with the Rock Star.  Half an hour later I was seriously regretting my decision.  I had full blown back labour thanks to my sunnyside up Punk and it was pain like I have never ever experienced. I have a relatively high pain threshold but wow.  

The nurses were wonderful and various people came in to try and help me through the excruciating pain.  At 5:30 pm I felt like I had to push and when I was checked I was still only 7 cm dilated.  "1 cm to 2 cm an hour" came back to me and I broke down thinking I might have to deal with this for another three hours.  I asked for the epidural reluctantly because I was terrified that if I was told I couldn't have it yet I would have a total meltdown.  A call was made and lucky me: the anaesthesiologist was available!! 10 minutes later I had the painless epidural and by 6pm I was fully dilated!!  My nurses said it was likely the epidural that helped me to relax enough to open things up.  I was given a pump to up the epi if need be. I pushed it twice and then left it alone.  The OB on call came in and told me to start pushing whenever I was ready.

Once I started pushing it was only 15 minutes before our little man made his grand entrance!  His birth was exactly what I hoped for this time around: I was able to feel enough to know I was really happy to have requested the epidural, I wasn't dealing with nausea so I saw him slide into the world and this round I was able to watch his daddy cut the umbilical cord.  We had immediate skin to skin time together which made me so happy!! Snuggles with my soft warm little man now on the outside was the most amazing experience ever.  

Our Punk Rocker came into the world with a strong cry and a full head of hair! The Rock Star was born with a little triangular "tail" but our Punk is part werewolf also, he was born with furry little ears! So cute.
He is a gorgeous baby and was cute even all puffed up.  He weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs 5 oz and was 21 inches long.  He was born at 6:58 pm and nursed shortly after his arrival with no trouble!  

Believe it or not we do not have photos of Mike and I with the Punk right after his birth!!  We were so happy to have him in our arms that we did not think of photos. I'm okay with this now, initially I was upset but I'm happy we lived in the moment and didn't worry about a camera.

Mike was an incredible support during and after the labour as expected.  He is such an outstanding Daddy, the boys and I are really lucky!

Mr Maggo aka the Rock Star was the first person to meet our little Punk. I had really debated whether or not to have him come up to the hosptial, I didn't want him to be upset about us staying and him leaving but he handled things like a superstar which really is not surprising.  My parents were the lucky two who shared the news with Big Bro.  They wished they had recorded it because apparently he was glowing and so very happy that his brother had finally arrived.

Mike brought the Rock Star in and we had a few minutes to ourselves so that the boys could officially meet. My heart nearly exploded when Mike set the Rock Star on my lap: two little boys that we created!  I was worried Big Bro would be jealous and there was not a smidge of jealousy, he was just thrilled to meet his little 'bruddah'.  He admired his "yittle fingahs, yittle toes and yittle cheeks" and gave him gentle hugs. "He is so tiny and so cute! Awwww!"

Grams, Papa, Granny, Grandad and Auntie Joanne were all at the hospital waiting to meet our newest addition.  Lots of hugs and smooches were handed out and of course tears of joy were shed.  Uncle John and Uncle Paul came up the following day to meet their new nephew.

We were happy to be able to go home on the evening of the 13th.  The nurses were phenomenal and arranged to have blood work done at exactly the 24 hour mark so that we would be able to escape if all was well and thankfully it was!  We took our little Punk home and had a night to ourselves.  The Rock Star returned home the following day when we picked him up after the Punk's hospital check-in where we found out he had gained even more weight. Oink oink.

Life with two little men is a whole new ball game but thanks to a sweet Rock Star and an adorable sleepy Punk it is off to a great start!  Welcome to the world Baby Boy!! Mommy and Daddy love you more than you can possibly imagine!

Tattoo Love/Hate Relationship

I love tattoos. Unfortunately I have one that I hate.  When I was in grade eleven I went with a good friend to a tattoo shop on our lunch hour and we chose a cheesy hand drawn sun off the wall (it looked like a 4 year old had drawn it with all squiggly lines and a happy face on it).  Yep, it took me 15 minutes to decide what I was going to have placed permanently on my lower back: brilliant.  

About ten years ago I had my sun covered up by someone at a great shop who had a good portfolio. I took a lot of time to decide on my final piece.  I chose to have my parents favourite flowers and the word family cover the sun.  You should be able to look at my back and spot a hollyhock and a violet... a friend asked me last week if I had the anatomy of a heart on my back and she was serious *sigh*  

In retrospect I think I should have asked to see more shots of her cover up work rather than relying on the artists original designs. My sun had loads of black lines so yes she had a tougher piece to work with BUT seriously, the anatomy of a heart?! 

Tattly is an awesome online shop that sells totally affordable temporary tattoos for grown ups and kids too!! Why didn't Tattly exist in 1996?!  Here are a few of my favourites from the shop... pop over and check out the other designs.  

 whale spout

red yarn

be happy

 I plan to treat myself to some Tattly 'ink' in the not too distant future. My son is always changing his tattoos so why shouldn't Mama sport some too?

I know I'm not the only one who has a tattoo they regret, do you have one you love or hate?

Ribbon Love

I promise I will start to post like I did in the old days: not just Rockstar and Bounce updates but crafty bits, kudos to other fabulous blogs, recipes and fabulous finds. I promise! I'm really going to try to post at least a couple times a week but I'm saying this while waiting for the newest member of our family to pop so we'll have to wait and see what this little nut is like before I make any number promises

I lurve ribbon . Here are some sweet finds from Etsy and of course some boy inspired designs because I live in Boyville. 

Babushakas- Russian ladies that remind me of my sister from another mister

Super Superhero design

Gnomes - who doesn't love gnomes?

Knights and Castles - my Rockstar would love this

Chevrons never get old

Balls balls and more balls: I live with a sports fanatic and his mini-me 
(plus another one who is just about to exit the oven)

Who doesn't love a Mom tattoo?

Rockets - a boys best friend

Buntings are still in, aren't they? I don't care: I like them whether they are cool or not. 

D-Day Has Arrived

Big Brother cuddles Bounce at 39 weeks preggers

Will Bounce be one of the 5% to arrive on his due date?!  Today is the official due date but so far nothing.  I'm crossing my fingers he comes soon, I'm itching to meet him and so are Daddy and big bro the Rockstar.  This morning our Rockstar asked when his "brudah" is "comin' out" and I assured him it wouldn't be too long from now but a week feels like a lifetime when you're two.

There was some visible movement forward yesterday so here's hoping the next sign will be real contractions. I have an ultrasound booked for next Monday the 10th followed by an OB appointment so if Bounce has not made an appearance by then I suspect I may end up being induced.  Cross your fingers for a D-day delivery!  Come on Baby Bounce we want to hold you in our arms and smell your sweet new baby scent!

That's a Wrap!

I'm long overdue for posting a pic of something I've created!  I'm pretty sure I borrowed this idea from Pinterest but for the life of me I cannot locate the Pin so I'll say I was inspired by another Pinner and will happily link to it if/when I stumble across it.  This is an easy peasy and inexpensive way to decorate for Christmas and could be used inside or out. I was planning to decorate my classroom door this way but then decided I should back off and let my LTO teacher do her thing now that I'm officially on mat leave!  

Red ribbon, a big ass silver glittery bow, scissors, tape and 10 minutes is all it took to wrap up our front door.  I originally bought the supplies at Walmart for $16.  Thankfully I did not get around to pulling things together immediately because a few days later I was at the dollar store and found the exact same bow and very similar ribbon for a quarter of the price.  Woot woot!

I'm looking for an additional something to add to the front porch but haven't decided just what that something should be...  my neighbour has wrapped up a massive box to look like a huge gift  which is super cute. I love the idea but think I should wait at least a year before I copy cat her (yes I'll ask before I steal).  

Any great ideas to share with me?  What have you done to decorate the front of your home this year?!

Dear Bounce

Dear Bounce,


I am dying to meet teeny tiny little man in my belly!! The reality of the fact that a second little person will be entering our world has been washing over me recently: I can't wait to sniff your little head and stroke your tiny fingers. I am excited and nervous: how will I manage to meet your every need and dote on you while not leaving your big brother feeling like he has been abandoned by his mommy?

What will you look like, Baby Bounce?! Will you be a hairy black haired little beast like your big brother was or will you be bald? Will you be all skinny limbs or a little chunker?  Will you nurse easily? Sleep easily? Smile easily? What will your favourite song be?  What will make you giggle?   In such a short time I'll have the answers to these questions and so many more!

I hope you are as excited as we are for you to meet the crazy family you have been listening to from your safe spot in Mommy's tummy.  So many people are counting down to your arrival, you are loved so much!
Come out and see us soon, Baby Boy!  We cannot wait to hold you in our arms and nuzzle your soft skin.

Much love,
Your Mama xox

39 Weeks!

I am officially finished work!  Yesterday I took a personal day to spend with my man on his birthday and I am off thanks to killer pains in my groin that made it difficult for me to remain upright for more than 30 minutes at a time these past few weeks at work.  The Rockstar has a very rough night on Sunday so it ended up being a family day yesterday with Mommy & Daddy caring for a tired boy with a runny nose.  I am counting today as my first day of quiet before the storm.  The house is totalled, we have not started decorating for Christmas, I have loads of laundry to deal with and I should feel like nesting but instead I am plopped on the couch following a lovely 2 hour nap.  Maybe it's time to start blogging again?!

Bounce could be here any day now! I was at the OB last week and was informed that my "cervix is coming along nicely".  Dr M thinks I'll be dilating this week so the baby could be here any time now.  I'm excited and nervous all rolled up into one. I've been experiencing braxton hicks and Friday night had an hour long false alarm.  I was induced with the Rockstar so I'm not sure what to expect if I go into labour naturally this round... from the little taste on Friday night I suspect a crazy adrenalin high, a lot of OW and a whole lot of pacing is to be expected.   I have a feeling the little man will make an early appearance but I guess only time will tell.

Once again I am strep B positive so if my water breaks on its own I will have to head immediately to the hospital to be hooked up to that damn IV for antibiotics.  I know an IV should be the least of my worries but the number of jabs it took to get that puppy in there with the Rockstar made it one of the worst parts of my birthing experience. Yes, I know, I should be grateful if that was the case!!  Fingers crossed Dr M's predictions of a very quick 2-4 hour labour are accurate and then you can hear me whine about IVs again following Bounce's arrival..  

I am overdue to post belly pics so here they are!  We went for some family photos on the weekend so that we will have some beautiful professional shots of Bounce while he is still in my belly at 38.5 weeks! I'll post a few when I get my paws on them.  I was able to stick around after the shoot and saw the photos: I think they are fabulous!  It's funny, I see my little Rockstar every day but while looking at those photos I realized that suddenly he is more little boy than baby.  I suppose it will be even more obvious once his little brother is on the outside... what a thought!

39 weeks in love!  When will the little guy arrive?  If anyone still looks at my blog please make a prediction!! I'd love to hear your thoughts on when he will show up, how big he will be and what he might look like!!

Belly Chronicles the Second Round

I am certainly not winning an award for keeping up with Belly updates this round.  I was told by a zillion people to be careful what I did with the Rockstar (for memory sake) because I wouldn't do it with number two.  This was advice I mostly listened to and now I'm glad I did because I just don't have the time or energy this round to fill with nesting/memento creating. 

I promise to provide some recent belly chronicle shots but here are a few from the first 20 weeks.

 Straight out of the shower so excuse the nasty looking mop.

 

20 weeks along at the beach with Bounce and Mr Magoo!  I figure now is the time to wear a bikini because god knows if I ever will again.  Hehe!

Boy OR Girl?!

What a fabulously fabulous day we had yesterday!!  July 19th was the Bounce's GREAT REVEAL.  Boy or girl?!We planned to ask the ultrasound technician to write the news on an ultrasound photo and tuck it into the same tin box we used when we found out that our Rockstar was a boy.  On the way to the appointment I said to Mike that I would love it if we had the same technician we did with the Rockstar. I couldn't picture her face but I could clearly remember her enthusiasm.  She was thrilled to be looking at our baby and really excited to be the one to share the big news with us.

When I walked into the room after my name was called the technician asked me if we wanted to find our the baby's gender.  I told her that I did and then reached in my bag to pull out the tin box, as I pulled out the box I said, "Rather than telling us I was hoping you might write the gender on a photo and tuck it in..." I was interrupted by a little shriek followed by: "The box!!"  

Yep, we had the same lovely enthusiastic baby loving technician for Bounce's big reveal that we did for our Rockstar! She remembered us because of the box and told me that she had told another couple about our box and they had done something similar.  She was equally excited this time and it didn't take long for her to take the necessary photos and measurements, then she called Mike in and we had a chance to see our beautiful little Bounce wiggling around in my belly.  Bounce was super active once again which made it a little tricky for the technician to take clear photos, as soon as she would have a good one set up our little nut would jump.   That being said we did take home a pile of pics so here are a few for you to oogle over.

Bounce was tucked up in a ball making it awkward to take photos but we still managed to see all the important parts (well, all but the area that would tell us Girl or Boy).  

Mmmm tiny baby feet!!  And hands! I forgot how flexible teeny tiny people are, Bounce's nose was basically touching her/his toes!

After our appointment we went out for the earliest dinner ever!! It was 330pm but we couldn't wait to open the box!!  We went to Wildcraft and requested the same table we sat at almost three years ago with our little tin box.  We even sat in the same seats facing the fireplace which the server turned on for us despite the warm weather.

The news?!   Well.... we set up Mike's blackberry to record the news and when we opened the box we found that the photo clearly showed that Bounce is a BOY!!!

I'm totally outnumbered and I couldn't be happier!  Mr Magoo is going to have a little brother and we are thrilled!  Both Mike and I have said since we first talked about the possibility of number two, that it would be awesome to have two boys!! Wishes DO come true! 

I'll share how we spread the news to our family in my next post: that was a lot of fun too!!  

Happy 2nd Birthday, Mr Magoo!!

Our baby boy turned TWO on Sunday!! What the?! Two whole years old? I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that he has been on the outside for two years.  It's hard to believe it has been that long but at the same time it's hard to imagine a time when he wasn't here.

We are the luckiest parents in the world because our little Rockstar truly is the sweetest, smartest, cutest, kindest, funniest two year old kid in the world.  It's true.  Maybe we are a teeny tiny bit biased but we are two intelligent adults who know an out of this world outstanding kid when we make one.  Happy Birthday, Mr Magoo!! 

Lots of love from your Mama & Dada!  MUAH!! xoxo

Jinx?

I'm afraid to say it for fear of jinxing things... Do I dare??

Spring has sprung.

Finally. The snow is all melted (again) and the sun has been shining regularly for the past week. This weekend it was absolutely beautiful. We took the Rockstar to the park on Saturday; he went for his first ride in a bucket swing and looooooved it. He saw a mini horse, llamas, goats and peacocks for the first time and so badly wanted to touch them. We are going to have to plan a trip to a petting zoo sometime soon so that the wee man can pet some creatures.

Sunday we set the jolly jumper up outside and let the Rockstar go nuts on the deck. Jumping in the sunshine equals one happy (and sleepy) little man. We also blew bubbles (well, Mommy did) which was a new and extraordinary experience for our Jolly Jumper.

Mmmm Spring.

Extraordinary News!!

Yippeeeeeeee!  It's official, we have hit the three month point so we are going public: WE ARE HAVING A BABY!!  Yes, it's true. I'm going to be a Mama and Mike will be Dada to not just one but two wild and crazy and fabulously wonderful monkeys.  That makes the Rockstar a big brother! What a crazy thought.

We went for our first ultrasound last week and technically we were only at the end of our 11th week so the baby was a little too tiny to complete the measurements necessary.  We had to go back again today (yay! more photos!) and all looks well according to the technician.  During both ultrasounds the technician took extra long to complete their jobs because our baby was moving around non-stop!  

We have nicknamed our second child Bounce because he/she seriously looked like they were on a trampoline!  The Rockstar moved around when we saw him during ultrasounds but nothing like this: uh oh!

Super excited to be able to share our exciting news!  Now the guessing begins: boy or girl?! My gut instinct said girl... and no it's not because I want a girl more than a boy. I think a brother for the Rockstar would be awesome!  A little sister would be fabulous too of course!  I guess we will have to wait and see... we'll find out in July!!

Oooooh all the planning we have to do! Time to get busy and start a TO DO list!

Zee Best

I'm cheap.  The polite thing to say is that I'm frugal but the reality is I'm pretty cheap: I hate spending money that I don't have to especially on things that don't make me or others smile or fill my belly with a full o' fab food feeling.  Do I want to spend money on cleaning supplies? No.  Do I?  Yes (well I pay for some of them and my amazing mother-in-law purchases others for us).  Does it make me happy to have money spent on cleaning supplies? No.

As of a few months ago I made the decision to no longer purchase window cleaner because it is a ridiculous waste of money.  I spend money to have a fabulous woman clean my home twice a month because it makes me super happy to come home to a clean home after a long day of work and I almost never have to mop floors which makes me extra happy BUT paying for window cleaning solution that I know can be made for pennies: no longer happening.  That was the longest sentence ever.

I have tried out two recipes for window cleaner since I made the decision not to purchase it any more and silly me did not save the links or write the recipes down.  Both were decent but nothing to call home (or blog) about.  Today I could not find the most recent bottle of  cleaner I had made and the patio doors were screaming my name.  The four huge sprays of bird poop that I've been staring at while trying to enjoy meals could no longer be ignored.  I considered taking a before picture but really who wants to see a photograph of bird graffiti?

I searched the web for something along the lines of "Best homemade window cleaner recipe" and I was led to... the BEST homemade window cleaner recipe.  Seriously.  Awesome.  Be sure to shake the bottle well before you use the spray each time you go to use it or you might clog your sprayer.

Thank you Crunchy Betty for a freaking awesome recipe!! 

Alvin Corn Homemade Glass Cleaner (taken from the Crunchy Betty blot)

What You Need

1/4 c. rubbing alcohol
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 c. warm water

What You Do
Combine everything in a spray bottle, and shake it up!

Another thing I learned today about cleaning windows is that removing masking tape residue from glass can be a royal pain the ass.  There are a billion recipes and tips available online but I found that straight rubbing alcohol and a little scrubbing worked wonders for me!

Throw a hammer at the one you love

How do you tell the creatures in your life that you love them? Let me guess... you chuck hammers at them, right?! Of course you do. Who wouldn't toss a hammer or a saw to express their feelings of adoration.

Fortunately the Rockstar has yet to get his paws on any real tools to whip at our elderly cat EC but the poor creature was chased with a saw and hammer today and once those were taken away from the tyrant after he threw them across the living room, another hammer was located and a screwdriver as well.   Mean Mommy stopped the small stubborn wild eyed man with  and had a nose to nose one sided conversation explaining that one more tool being thrown would mean ALL the tools would be put away for the evening.

The Rockstar squealed with glee as he ran across the living room, came to a screeching halt, spun 90 degrees and hurled a plastic hammer AND wooden screwdriver at the poor cat who was crouched down stupidly thinking making herself as small as possible would lead to safety.

I swooped in and plucked the hammer and  screwdriver off the floor as the cat scurried to higher ground. The "No! Peas!! Peeeeeeas!" paired with his sign for "please" started and became more frantic as I started quietly tossing tools from his tool bench into a shopping bag.  By the time I silently left the room with the bag the Rockstar was sobbing with huge crocodile tears flowing down his cheeks.  I may have started feeling truly sorry for him if he had not managed to instantly stop wailing after I handed him a kleenex and suggested that if he cleaned himself up and stopped crying we would go for a walk outside.

Oh the roller coaster emotions of an almost 22 month old.  It's a hard knock life.

Chucking tools at the cat was a new 'game', I'm hoping it was a one time event and losing all of his prized pieces  was enough of an incentive to not do it again anytime soon.  Thankfully this photo is more typical of the relationship between cat and tiny human.  He does not always need to bribe her with food but it certainly does help.  As much as the princess cat gets under my skin at times I do love her.  The fact that she has accepted the Rockstar as easily as she has still amazes me; she tolerates so much more from him than she would from anyone else including her most loved human: Mike. Sorry about the tool tossing kitty cat;  you sure are a great big sister!!

Gimme a Hug!

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love children's books... I have a new favourite. 

This is the sweetest story about a cat named Jules who wants to hug the whole world and he travels across the globe hugging everything from a butterfly to a baobab tree.  The Rockstar often asks for this story to be read to him before bed while he's curled up in my lap drinking his "baba", he asks for it by wrapping his sweet little arms around himself and squeezing.  The illustrations are lovely and the words make my heart sing: The world is so big. And yet so small. It's time that we embrace it all."

Big hugs to Patrick McDonnell for putting this story on paper and a hug to my neighbour Anne for mentioning it to me before Valentine's day.  It was a perfect gift for our wee man and for me!

Easy Peasy Heart Stamps

Crazy easy heart stamping with a squashed toilet paper roll!  A brilliantly simple craft for a toddler that has super cute results. No I did not take his paint away after he dipped, I think I must have pushed it aside when I went to snap the photo. I should have had him make cards for Valentine's day using this technique...maybe next  year.

I think I have Pinterest to thank for this one.  That site eats up many minutes of my life but when I actually make use of one of the 8 billions Pins I've spotted it seems almost worth it.

Paper Doll Goodness

Lovely paper dolls that someone took the time to scan and upload to their flickr account.  Lucky us!

There are loads of vintage paper goodies available so admire and make use of.  Check them out here. 

Farewell to the "Fab Pick"

The Unofficial Final Fab Pick: Fabulous card by Sweet Harvey

I am officially saying farewell to the "Fab Pick" section on my blog.  You can still see all of the previous items that I had featured there in the past, simply click on the Fab Pick label listed on the side and you'll be swept away to the land of Fabulous Goods.  I have done a terrible job of keeping up with the what I had hoped to be weekly picks and the reality is that if I spend time hunting for new tidbits to feature there I will spend even less time writing about other things.  That's not to say that I will not still post coveted bits and bobs because I certainly will but I'm no longer going to feel the pressure to do so each time I open up my blog and see the Fab Pick of two... three or even four months ago leering at me from the corner.

Farewell to the Fab Pick! You were Fab while you lasted.

"Cah" Painting

Cahs (known to the broader public as 'cars') and painting are two of my Rockstar's favourite things so in January I decided to combine the two and this is what came of it:

I didn't snap a shot of the completed painting but you can kind of tell from the bottom shot that the result was a really cute rainbow  and one very happy boy.  I would recommend choosing a car that you don't mind being stained; the wheels on this car have teeny tiny bits of red and blue paint on the wheels even after hours of soaking and some serious scrubbing.

I'm always looking for crafty ideas for my little man that do not take a lot of planning or much time to clean up.  Any suggestions?

Less Mess: Always Welcome

The best $2.00 purchase I've made this year: spill proof toddler sized bubble jar made by Little Kids.  I passed it along to the Easter Bunny to give to the Rockstar just in case he wasn't able to make it to Walmart to pick one up for us.

Brilliant.  And yes it is actually spill proof, the fact that my living room carpet wasn't drenched today after the Rockstar walked around with the bubble container upside down on more than one occasion is proof. The extra bonus of this little jar is the teeny tiny bubble wand which has a tiny bubble hoop perfect for toddler size lips. 

Mmmm Rocks

Whoever suggested the terribles begin at two clearly did not have children of their own OR their son/daughter entered their world after the child turned two.  Our Rockstar is now 21 months old and he has a minor case of the terribles.  Thankfully they come and go and he's sweet and kind and loving the majority of the time: of course Grams, Papa, Granny and Grandad never see the terribles.  The Rockstar saves the symptoms for Mama and Dada.  We hear the word "No" on a regular basis and he will now go and sit himself in time-out when he has done something he suspects could earn a seat in the "naughty spot".  The reality is he has only been placed there a handful of times but evidentially they have been effective visits. Generally his terribles involve things that are not destructive or dangerous: he is clearly testing the limits and usually will stop whatever it is he is doing once he's asked if a time out is necessary.  But the whining, oh the whining! If you have a secret for curbing the whining please do share it with me.

My favourite defiant moment happened earlier this week.  Mike and I took the Rockstar to the park across the street where there are shovels and buckets strewn about the giant sandbox (more like gravel than sand) for the neighbourhood kids to take advantage of.  Within moments of arriving the Rockstar dug up a big shovel of gravel and walked over to me.  He poured the gravel on my foot giggling. He refilled the shovel and made a motion that warned me I was about to get a face full of gravel.  I quickly snatched the shovel from him and told him firmly that we do not throw sand at people.

I tipped the gravel back onto the ground and went to hand him the shovel but it was too late.  My sweet boy had already belly flopped into the sandbox whining in his own language (likely something about his meanie Mama).  When he finally sat up he had gravel stuck all over his chin and cheeks (he's teething so his drool was acting as glue).  I kindly asked him to come to me so I could wipe it off for him and he snapped "No!".  Then he really gave it to me: he reached down and scooped up a handful of gravel... wait for it... and he stuffed the handful directly into his mouth. Take that, Mom!!

What a monkey.  As I listened to the crunch of gravel between molars I suggested he spit it out and you can guess what his reply was. "No!"  Mike asked him if it tasted bad.  "No!"  We asked if he wanted a drink of water. "No!"  He then proceeded to play at the park while crunching on his mouthful of rocks.  Yum.   Mike was concerned about the fact that his son was chewing on rocks: I said the worst that would likely happen is he would be pooping bits of gravel for a few days and hopefully the natural consequences of stuffing your face with gravel would persuade him to avoid doing it again in the future. Twenty minutes later he happily opened his mouth to allow me brush the gravel from his mouth.

Kids are crazy.  That's the moral of this story: C.R.A.Z.Y.

Exciting News! Our Second Number One

**I am posting this three months into my pregnancy but dating it on the date it was written!

Wow! A few months ago we were discussing when we should try for baby number two... IF we should!  At the beginning of March we talked about it for the 8 millionth time and agreed it was time to see about adding to our little family of three.  Two weeks later: DING DING DING!  

YES!! We are pregnant and super duper over the moon thrilled about it!  There have been a lot of "Wow.", "Oh my..." and did I mention "Wow!"  proclaimed around these parts for the past few days.  

I didn't even bother with home pregnancy tests this round considering they gave us false negatives over and over again with our Rockstar.  I headed to the doctor on Tuesday after Mike and I had the "Do you think I'm pregnant?" conversation, but I didn't tell Mike I was going.  It was so fun surprising him with the news!!  Picture mouth hanging open followed by an ear to ear grin.   

December 5th is our estimated due date.  Now we will have a summer party to plan and a winter party: FUN!!

I can't wait to be able to share our news with everyone we know but of course we are hogging the excitement and sharing with just our immediate family and a few close friends until we reach the three month mark.  

Hmmm what will we call this little peanut?  Smidge was the Rockstar's in eutero nickname... we'll have to come up with something for our newest addition.  xoxo

Love Bombs

19 months is extreme.  My boy wakes up and is ready to ROAR!  He love bombs Daddy every morning between 5:30 and 6am giving him hugs and kisses and pats and tickles.  Daddy is not a morning person but he takes the headbutts and kicks and kisses and love with sleepy smiles and tired chuckles while returning the love.   The whirlwind of tiny limbs and peels of laughter is the best imaginable way to start my day.