Brady and I have the pleasure of having his brother, sister in law, and three nephews over for the weekend! However, being who we are, our house was nowhere near ready for company so today while Brady was at work, my mom came over and helped with the kidlets and getting stuff set up. Laundry was done, toys were tidied, dishes, were done, floors were swept, etc. It was a lovely day with her. I grew so accustomed to having her out almost every day after Laela was born, but then she went on a trip and we got busier, and our days together came to a roaring halt. I miss you, mom.

When Brady came home, he took a quick shower before helping me with the last few things that needed doing. For the second evening in a row, Dekker was tired and super grumpy getting up from his nap, so he was fairly hands on. We finally decided that our guests probably love us whether or not the carpet was vacuumed, and just played toys downstairs. Then we put Dekker through further torture and bathed him. But bedtime cuddles were fun. He loves coming and jumping on our bed, cuddling, tickling our feet, and kissing Laela. Its always nice to see him happy for those ten or so minutes.

Dan and Char and their boys showed up around 9:00 and we had a really nice long visit in the living room while their kids played and got acquainted with the house. Its around after 11:00 and its time for bed for all of us. My feet are throbbing for some reason, so I’m happy to have them up. Hopefully Laela stays good and tired too. She has already slept a lot this evening.

Sleep well, friends. Oh, and happy fake Canadian black friday! We bought a wireless printer online. Anyone else pick up something cool?

This morning, Brady and I woke Dekker at 8:30 and got him fed and ready for the day. Laela was still out cold at 9:00 so I changed her diaper, put her in a fuzzy sleeper, and put her and a bottle in the car seat. We arrived at our doctors office right at 10:15 and got in about fifteen minutes later. Laela was silent the entire wait and appointment, and Dekker only got fidgety towards the end, so that was a huge relief!

When Dr. Guselle came in, her first questions were about completely unrelated things. She asked what our latest game plan was for Dekker’s eye, and whether or not we had a surgery date yet. She asked how we were doing with Laela, and she asked about my mood. I told her it wasn’t awesome and I couldn’t get in with my counsellor until December 23rd. She reminded me that I could certainly start a medication if I chose to, and that it would take 4-6 weeks to start working, but I told her I would rather be in the place that I am than trying to adjust to a new medication over Christmas. She is great, and didn’t pressure me at all. We talked a bit about the next time we’d see each other and how Laela was eating, since her next appointment is mostly just to check her weight. I loved all the questions. She never once pulled up any info on her computer. She just knows us, and remembers. I love that.

Finally, she asked to look at my ingrown toenail. I was kind of embarrassed of it, but she just laughed and said “You know what I look at all day. This is nothing.” She didn’t even have me sit up on the table, she just crouched down on the floor to look at it. While she was down there, she actually picked up a piece of cracker that had flown out of Dekker’s mouth at some point and threw it in the garbage. I scolded her right away for touching my sons pre-chewed food, but she just laughed at reminded me that also was nothing, as she has four kids.

Bottom line – I have to get a procedure done on my toe 🙁 I cannot BELIEVE it has come to this! I’m kind of horrified. I know a lot of you probably don’t want to know these gross details, so if thats you, stop reading! My toe is no longer just irritated and sore. There is a large bump growing out of the side. Dr. Guselle says its a big ball of scar tissue that won’t go down without an excision, which she doesn’t do. I’m pretty bummed about it, to be honest. She also gave me some meds to confirm that there is no infection. I left the room with a card that had the name of the doctor who I was supposed to book with, and brought it to the front desk. While I waited there, I was thinking I really wish I didn’t have to have this all done. Maybe I should wait for the new year. But I don’t want to be miserable over Christmas! But too soon is too scary. Dr. Guselle had said I may not even get in until January anyway. But the receptionist came up with December 10th. Waaay sooner than I was expecting! However, its just about two weeks away so that gives me plenty of time to panic about it (ugh) and lots of time before Christmas to not be sore anymore. If anything bad were to come of it, it would happen in enough time that I could get it all repaired before family started coming out. So the tenth it is!

I won’t pretend that I’m not super bummed about this whole thing because I totally am. I think I’ve said it a lot the last few posts but I just have a lot going on and I really would rather not have to go to the doctors office and have my toenail chopped at. Maybe afterwards I’ll go get my hair chopped at to celebrate. I would deserve that right?

Ok, LAST story of the day! We saw this poster in our exam room and had a HUGE laugh about it!! I have to share 🙂

I hope you’ll be able to read it. This poster is referring to the doors that Brady and I desperately tried to enter while in wild labour with Laela. Basically, THIS WAS US! It says, “As for November 5…” which tells me that it was put up before that date. Laela was born September 30th. So doing the math, that happened really fast. I have said all along that it was our error going to those doors that were locked. We had missed that memo. Our mistake. But I’m happy it was taken seriously and this way, no one else will have to feel that fear that we felt locked outside those doors. Rather us than anyone else.

Quite a long post for not a lot of information, but it felt like a big morning in the city. Luckily, Jerilee came out for the afternoon and we had a super chill visit, drinking coffee and laughing at Dekker. All in all, it was a good day. I’m thankful.

No, I’m not from the states…

 

As my regular readers know, I was feeling pretty out of sorts yesterday. “Overwhelmed” is probably a pretty good word. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow morning, Laela’s shots and her chiropractic next week, a three month check for both of us on the 19th, counselling on the 23rd, and dental stuff right off the hop in the new year. Dental will be rescheduled depending on when Dekker’s surgery is. I realize that is really only a few days in the grand scheme of things, but it just seems big in such an already busy time.

Back to today though, I’m feeling better. Granted, I did almost nothing today, but that was what I needed. Laela slept from 11:30pm last night until 6:30am! That is the longest stretch we’ve gotten from her, and it was awesome! Best of all, she ate for about twenty minutes, and then fell back to sleep until just before 10:00am. So I felt very rested, and easily got up with her and Dekker. I fed them both and we headed downstairs for playtime.

The colds are on their way out!! I know, I’ll probably jinx it now, but I’m just relieved to have a day without chapped faces and angst. I wiped Dekker’s nose several times throughout the day, but it didn’t seem to hurt or bother him at all. Laela hasn’t needed her nose sucker thing for the last two nights. And I blew my nose once today. Brady avoided the whole thing, so all things considered, I’m hesitantly calling this the upswing! Attitudes are better, Dekker’s appetite is back, our house just seems generally more uplifted. Dekker was SUCH a joker today! He would do something funny that Brady and I would laugh at, and he would just laugh right with us. He finally knows he’s making jokes, we’re not just laughing at him. Laela was a tease as well. I was trying to take her out of her sleeper, and could NOT get her arm out of the sleeve. I was pulling on the cuff and she had the thing in a death grip. So I tried to pry her fingers off and couldn’t! And she was just smiling away, cooing, teasing. I love my kids.

While Dekker napped, I ordered some Christmas presents for Brady online and looked around for others. Laela and I just relaxed and watched a few court shows while we waited for Brady to get home. When he did, we had a super delicious supper of scalloped potatoes and fish, played toys for a bit longer, and just put Dekker down to bed. He is teething like a maniac. That plus his cold have made him so tired! Therefore, he’s sleeping longer, so his naps are later. We’re still putting him to bed between 8:00-8:30pm, which he HATES because he’ll have only been up for a couple of hours, but we know him, and he needs that sleep. Poor kid. He’ll feel better once those last couple of molars come in.

On the subject of teething, Laela’s amber necklace arrived today!! Its cute and yellow and impossible to photograph for some reason.

When we first put Dekker’s necklace on him, we noticed a difference the next day. I’m sure hoping that happens this time around as well. My baby girl is sooo drooly, and pretty weepy. I cannot wait for her to have some relief! Some people will likely disagree with me on this, and thats fine, but I’ve been aching to give her a bit of Tylenol to help relieve some of her pain. However, the infant dosage only start at 12 lbs, and she is still smaller than that! Definitely not a problem we ever had with Dekker. But we’ll tough it out with the amber and see what happens. I’m sure she’s up and around 12 lbs, or she will be soon, and maybe now we won’t need the Tylenol. Who knows.

With my family sleeping in so much these days, I was getting nervous about having to get all the kids up, fed, and out the door at a good time. It would be my first time taking them out on my own. But then Brady came home with the news that his work wouldn’t be ready until noon tomorrow, so I have my partner after all! God sure knows how strong/weak I am these days!

Time for a bath. We’re going to try and run our evening a little bit earlier tonight, as we have to be up tomorrow for my doctors appointment. Sleep tight, all.

My tolerance is low these days. Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy with my life and family and the way things are going. It is the little things that make me crazy. Let me elaborate a bit.

Maybe this is a gross topic, so feel free to stop reading at any point, but have you guys ever had ingrown toenails? I have. A few, over the years. And they’re painful and annoying, and then the drain and they’re over. I had one a good few weeks ago, and only recently have I realized that I, in fact, still have that same ingrown toenail. And my goodness it hurts! I actually limp when I walk. So I’ve been diligently loading it with polysporin and bandaging it several times a day in an effort to kill of any infection and amp up the healing. And it hurts WORSE! I hate taking this type of ailment to the doctor. I’d rather deal with it on my own so I can anticipate the pain and do the ouchy things at my own pace. However, that all changed yesterday.

As I posted, yesterday was an awesome day filled with Christmas shopping and memory making. However, the first thing I did as soon as we left our house in the morning was fall. I was wearing the only footwear I have that doesn’t hurt my toe constantly – cheap, knock-off, really slippery ugg boots. So I took a solid spill in the driveway. I had Laela in her bucket with me, and dropped her right on the side of my left knee. It was sooo painful! That paired with my right foot aching was more than I could take. I enjoyed the shopping day, but later that night, I was sore and cranky and aching and grumpy and I am SO DONE with small stuff like that leaving a bad taste in my mouth after such a sweet outing. No more. So last night, I drenched my toe in peroxide and left it uncovered. Maybe drying it out will hurt less than it always being soft? I don’t know. But I am officially sick of it.

I called and made an appointment with Dr. Guselle on Thursday. I know I could just hit up a walk-in, but I really like my doctor and I know she won’t react in some horrible way, even if it is worse than I think it is. And if she’s going to have to hurt me, I know she’ll be gentle. So I called and told the receptionist “any day but Thursday” and she replied “Well, its Thursday or its January 16th.” So. Thursday it is. I was a bit annoyed, as that changes up plans I had made with a friend, but I am NOT leaving it to sit any longer. Every step I take, it hurts, and I get a bit angrier. That is no way to live. I hate being so frustrated at something so small.

So I made that appointment, and then had to get back on the phone to make another appointment I wasn’t excited about. For those who have missed it, my doctor and I have agreed that I should seek some counselling in my recovery from Laela’s birth. I had researched counsellors at the office I’m going to visit, and I knew who I thought would work best with my. However, I opted for a different person who costed less and could see me in an evening. Basically, I sacrificed my gut for convenience. And I’ve felt sick about it ever since. I just know I need to switch that up. Now, being who I am, I was more than dreading that call. I didn’t want anyone feel hurt or insulted, and I didn’t want to come off wrong. So I worked up the courage to call, and there was no answer. I didn’t want to leave a message. It always seems to happen that I’ll leave a message, and as soon as both kids are crying, or I’m changing a diaper, they call back. Also, I panicked. So I hung up and tried again a little while later. And then later. No answers. I’m sure they were all just busy, and thats fine. It was just hard to gear up to make that call so many times! I finally got through, and the receptionist wasn’t judgemental of me at all, which helped. However, I sacrificed my December 10th spot, and can’t be scheduled in until December 23rd! I’m on a cancellation list, and thats about all anyone can do now! I’m trying to believe that I’m doing the right thing by going with my original instinct, but it feels so crazy far away, and I was hoping to get a handle on things a bit sooner. Maybe even see someone twice before Christmas. But this is what I’ve got, and I’m hoping its right!

These two phone calls have literally wiped me out for the day. It seems like the small things that don’t totally work out are just extra discouraging, and much faster. I want to keep a positive attitude but I’m finding it harder than usual today. My patience levels are low.

I spent the later part of the afternoon sorting through Christmas presents with Laela, taking the price tags off and collecting all the receipts in one place. I’m so excited to start wrapping them and getting the place all decorated. Hopefully a few things like that will help lift my spirits.

Kind of a “blah” post. Sorry guys. Kind of a “blah” day as well.

I have very fond memories of Christmas shopping as a kid. It was a family event. All five of us would go to Circle Mall and sit on the bench by the ramp between the levels to make a plan. We would split up into groups of two and three, one group assigned to each level for a certain amount of time.  We each had eight dollars. Two dollars per person, so we could all buy a gift for everyone. After we had completed our level for that particular 20-30 minutes, we’d take the gifts we’d bought to the car and stow them away in our individual backpacks in the trunk. We’d eventually break and all share two jumbo New York Fries with cheese and gravy, and waters all around. This was always SUCH a fun day for the family! Of course, as we got older, the dollar values went up (though looking back, I love that we had to be creative) and we all got tired a bit faster 🙂 But I hold those days very near and dear to my heart.

It was Christmas shopping day in 2010 when we discovered we were pregnant with our dear Dekker. Christmas shopping day is very special.

Therefore, Christmas shopping in an event in our home now. Its not specifically laid out the same way, but it is a full day planned in the city, organized, with lists and budgets. While that maybe sounds really stiff to some people, it is fun for us. So that was our day. We hit sooo many places! I wish I could give specifics but I likely bought for some of you, and I’m not giving anything away! We went to two malls, several box stores, Walmart, and we even braved Costco. We even picked up a few Christmas decorations so maybe I’ll post some pictures if I can figure out what to do with them.

Either way, we are sooo close to being done! We still have to plan a bit more for each other, and we need to order a few things. (Sooo glad I just wrote that or I would have forgotten to put in orders tonight!) Done and done. Literally.

We stopped partway through our day at McDonalds for a quick lunch. I waited at a table while Brady got the food. Thirty-some pictures later…

And Laela’s super popular pose…

The kids were total troopers, and barely fussed all day, which is a massive help! Dekker napped a bit on the drive home, but hardly at all. Yet he was positive and funny all evening. All evening, as in we finished our shop at were home eating supper around 6:00pm! Today was fast and successful and pleasantly exhausting.

The best way to spend the end of the day – in onesies.

This is a fairly exclusive club. I know you’re all jealous.

I hope everyones day was as joyful as mine.

 

 

 

Yesterday night, we made the plan to go to church in the morning, and then have my parents out for supper. The day was going so smoothly that we were fairly certain it would work out. Laela ate like a champ all evening, until she threw up a solid ounce and a half. She had been eager to eat, yet she had just eaten quite a bit fairly recently. Its as though she finally feels comfortable eating, now that it isn’t such an effort with so much gas to follow. She had great burps after all of her bottles, so we’re pretty sure she just over ate. Oops. Live and learn. Frankly, I liked being able to just quickly strip her down and dip her in the bath with me. She is a great bath buddy. Super low maintenance and full of smiles. Because of that “hiccup” in the evening, we didn’t want her to go to bed with an upset tummy, and we let her stay up a bit longer. We made her a small bottle around midnight and she probably sucked on it three times before falling asleep. We decided in that moment to skip church and wake up slowly in the morning, then head to Costco for lunch and grocery shopping. Laela stayed asleep until 6:30, which was incredible! Lucky for us, we played that feeding right and she was back to sleep in no time. We didn’t wake up until 10:30!!! Of course, our plans changed again. No more Costco. Being that it takes a good 45 minutes to drive there, time for shopping, eating, finding a table even on a sunday afternoon, and then 45 minutes to drive back, WHILE being home by 2:00 in order to put supper in the crock pot, it was impossible. So we were lazy, watched some Netflix, cuddled in bed, drank hot chocolate, and took our time.

Laela’s cold has relapsed, and some how Dekker scraped his face up over night. He bled thru two sheets in a few different places and all over his face. Poor kid. Plus his cold was bad again, resulting in blood and snot all over the place. No good.

Through the whole thing, Laela was easily the more smiley she had ever been. I’m so happy she doesn’t have a tummy ache anymore!

We took our time today. We did that last load of laundry from Saturday, and another load of Dekker’s bedding and jammies. We watched a bit of tv and ate a lot of crackers and cheese. We put my honey chicken in the crock pot shortly after 2:00 and just relaxed the day away. When my parents did arrive, Dekker had just gone down for a nap and we all just plunked down in the living room for a visit. Our lives have certainly picked up and we haven’t all spent time together for a while it seems. So we made some plans and also filled them in with more detail about Laela’s recent appointments with her doctor and the chiropractor. When it was time, Dekker got up and we enjoyed honey chicken on rice and a yummy green bean dish with mushroom soup and crunchy onions. Seriously, if you don’t know what dish I’m talking about, you haven’t lived. We all went downstairs after supper and basically just watched Dekker tear around the basement, showing off all his toys and new words. He was completely whooped when it was bedtime though, and didn’t fight it too hard. After he went down, my parents left to tackle the highways, and we went to check the score of the Grey Cup game. Let the record show that the Riders killed Hamilton 45-23. Go us!!!

Now, as per usual, its bath time, time to feed Laela her last bottle of the evening, snack time, and tv time. I love our evening routine. Its so comfy and relaxing. Which we deserve, because tomorrow is going to be an insane day of Christmas shopping! I’m a bit tired just thinking about it, but I’m also super excited! We’re hoping to pick up a few Christmas decorations as well, but I’m not sure where to start with that. Any ideas? I know Pinterest is loaded with ideas, but almost too many, and I don’t have enough time to sift through them. I’ll take tips if you guys have got any for me before tomorrow!

Sleep deep, friends.

Last night with Laela was a bit choppy. That paired with the cold going around our home resulted in a very late wake up call. Brady and I had croissants and coffee in bed like we used to, except this time Laela was laying between us, staring at the ceiling. Dekker slept forever it seemed, and we all surfaced around 12:30. We decided the only thing we really wanted to accomplish today was laundry. There was a lot to be done, as it had been a while. Lucky for the fam, I don’t hate doing laundry anymore! I haven’t for a while, but I used to. Now, I like throwing it all down the stairs, sorting it out, and just taking my time doing it. Its really the easiest chore in the house, since there are like half hour breaks between cycles. Its a nice list item to complete while the family is downstairs, watching musicals, and playing toys. So we threw absolutely everything down to the wash! Lots of towels, sheet sets, everything of the kids’ that could be holding onto the cold, and of course, all the clothes. So many clothes, in fact, that I didn’t have anything to wear! So I’ve spent the whole day in one of Brady’s shirts and my long johns. Its ok, they’re cute. There were eight loads to do, and we did seven. Work clothes can wait another day or two. It is 11:00pm, so I’m not about to put in another!

We did little else. We made plans for tomorrow with my parents, and planned out Monday as well. Brady spontaneously got Monday off, so we’re hoping to get as much of our Christmas shopping done as possible! We know what we ideally want to get everyone, and where we need to go to get it, which is really exciting! Except Laela, of course. We have lots of toys, and after her baby shower and all of our generous friends, she’s sooo covered in the clothes department. I know we don’t have to get her anything, but we’d still like to do a little something 🙂 Not leaving her out, thats for sure!

One exciting thing about today was trying out Laela’s new bottles. We’ve just been using Gerber because thats what we had for Dekker, but Laela is sooo gassy! We bought some Dr Brown’s Bottles the other day and my goodness!!! I have BIG hope for them! I know its only been one day, and not even a full day at that, but her burps have come SO easily today! We lift her, and she burps. Its incredible. I had read reviews on them and the only complaint people had was that they’re a pain to clean and if there is any build-up not properly cleaned out, they leak. Well folks, CLEAN THEM! Yes, they’re more complicated than just a standard bottle, and they do take a bit longer to clean I suppose, but its completely worth it. Gassy or not, we will use these bottles with all of our future children. Thank you, Dr. Brown!

The evening has been a bit less enjoyable than the rest of the day. Miss Laela is unhappy with life. I know she’s teething, and I also know her amber necklace is in the mail on its way from Ontario right now. I hope it comes soon! I know she’s still very young, but the youngest they consider safe for the baby to wear the necklace is eight weeks, and thats on Monday. I sure hope it helps her as much as Dekker’s helped him. We need all the help we can get. Dekker is currently popping out what I’m pretty sure are the last of his two year molars, and he’s struggling a bit. Two teething kids is fun for no one.

Well, its 11:06pm and I think its about time to hit up the bathtub. Sleep tight, all.

Our day ran fairly seamlessly, all things considered. Ok, it didn’t really. But it wasn’t rough enough to complain about. But as per usual, I’m here to tell you about it!

I mentioned in my last post that today was an errand day. I couldn’t fall asleep until after 2:00am so I was nervous today would be over before it even started. But it worked out. I thank God for the amount my kids sleep! However, I was up so late with my mind ticking away. I know I have some stuff to work out since Laela was born, and I thought I would find some genuine relief in booking a counselling appointment, but now I question my choice of counsellor. Should I have went the one I originally felt inclined to choose rather than the one who could take me at a more convenient time? I still don’t know, but I certainly lost sleep.

However, I woke up at a good time, not to the sound of crying kids. So I washed my hair, put on makeup, and got dressed before I even got kids up. I wore a new top and one of those cute scarves that I never know how to tie. I finally figured out a way and with that, I actually felt pretty 🙂 Which was refreshing. Brady had gone to work for the morning, and by the time he got back, the diaper bag was packed and if I remember right, both kids were ready or in the process. I had things nice and together and I felt a bit like Supermom. One part of me feels silly even saying that because Supermom probably does more than feed and dress her children in the morning, but the other part of me knows its awesome because its taken me a while to get there and I deserve to celebrate success at some point.

So once everyone was dressed and ready, and we were all packed up with the right stroller in the car, we headed out for the big day ahead! I dropped off five thank you cards at the post office before he hit the highway. We were halfway to the city before I realized I hadn’t put on any stamps. Immediately, my mood sucked. It got worse when I realized we would be late for our first appointment of the day – chiropractic for Laela at 12:30 – and I needed to call and reschedule. I was annoyed, as the order of the day was based on going to the office first. If I’m being honest though, I was probably more annoyed that I wouldn’t get to show her off as soon as I was hoping to. I wouldn’t get to show her off until 3:40 now! But life goes on, and so did errand day.

We got Dekkers glasses adjusted, and he actually did wonderfully! He was very patient and didn’t put up a big fight at all. He and I just went in together while Brady and Laela waited in the car, and I have to say we did great together. When the adjustment was done, I chased him out playfully, him saying “Fast! Fast!” the whole time. He was ridiculously adorable. From there, we crossed the river and did a round through a mall for a few Christmas things. If you guys haven’t tried it, Hickory Farms makes this delicious Honey & Pineapple Mustard. I know it can be ordered online but shipping is insane, so my only shot at the stuff is over Christmas when all the kiosks come out. Yum. We bought two bottles. We stopped for lunch in the food court, and yes, I let Dekker just eat New York Fries for lunch. Maybe its bad for him, but its SUCH a treat, as he has discovered a new deep, deep love for fries. I walked towards our table with the tray and he started bouncing up and down, calling out “fries!” And he takes them how they are. He doesn’t require the cheese or pop. Just fries and water. He’s so chill. Before we left the mall, we fed Laela and hit Dollarama for baby hangers. We have received so many beautiful gifts from so many people, Laela now has way more clothes than we have hangers to hang them on! A fun problem to have, I’d say.

When we finished with the mall, we didn’t have tons of time before Laela’s chiropractor appointment. I elected to do a quick run into Superstore for the four or five things we needed. The main thing was margarine and, thanks to a great sale going on, there was none. I was grumpy. None of the blocks anyway, which we needed more than the tub. I guess we’ll have to make our way back there again this next week. But it was a pretty quick in and out trip, and I made it to Dr. Mike’s ten minutes early.

It was perfect that way, since I needed to fill out some papers for Laela. And then I waited. And waited. They are never behind there at all, so I was a bit thrown off. However, we had rescheduled our appointment from earlier, so I figured they probably just squeezed us in somewhere. So we waited. I felt bad that the boys were in the car, expecting us to be in and out in five minutes like usual, but it probably would have been worse had they come. When we did finally get into a room, we didn’t wait too terribly long for Dr. Mike. And I can honestly say I am SO GLAD we were the last appointment of the day, because he just doted on her. Laela was full of smiles for him, and didn’t fuss at all through her treatment. As I had thought, she is quite curved one way, so we got our instructions and were on our way. It was a very pleasant appointment. I say it over and over, but we feel so cared for there. Dr. Mike takes such an interest in our family, and it just feels warm and comfortable.

We hit up Walmart afterwards and bought some cleaning stuff, a hamper, bottled water, Pillsbury Croissants, and some Dr. Browns bottles. We’re potentially buying some off of friends, but figured we should try them out first. For those who don’t know, they have these straw-looking contraptions inside that connect to a vent system that is basically supposed to prevent all gas and bubbles that babies get from drinking bottles. I’m thinking these plus chiropractic might just be the answer to her farty party problems. I’m hoping anyway.

We grabbed some Starbucks before leaving Saskatoon, and my drink was SO good!! I know, Jerilee, I was going to get your drink, but they changed it! I started to ask for it and the girl just said “It sounds like Brandon’s drink, do you want Brandon’s drink?” I had to laugh, but I said I’d try it! He sold me by saying it had no water in it, so it would be more creamy. And it was ridiculously delicious. It involved chai, pumpkin, and egg nog. Delish. It was the perfect treat for the drive home. I kicked off my shoes and listened to my kids sleep.

So there were some bumps in the day, and I never even mentioned (because its icky) that I have a SUPER painful ingrown toenail that was killing me all day long. But it was a solidly great day. We accomplished almost everything on my list! Minus that blasted margarine >:( Perhaps we’ll try again on Monday.

Welp, its 9:30. Time for supper. Fish and scalloped potatoes. Sooo ready!

It was a big day. Three out of the four of us have colds. Somehow Brady avoided it for the time being, but the rest of us are decently sick. Boogers are everywhere. Dekker woke up with snot crusted all over his face. He was a bit irritable, but mostly just cuddly. Laela is on her third day of being quite sad. She’s already on the lower end of how much she ‘s eating (polar opposite from Dekker!) but now she’s feeling yucky and therefore isn’t very hungry. She is furious pretty much every hour, and is calmed by milk, but takes in almost nothing. I’m trying to just remember that I’m not hungry when I’m sick, and she probably feels the same way. We all have days. Dekker isn’t eating great either, since its hard for him to breathe and eat at the same time. And I’m  not eating because I’m tending to two sick children, just like every other mother would do. As I said, its been a big day.

When Dekker went down for his nap, I crocheted in the basement and watched court shows. I madly bounced Laela in her chair, which worked for a few minutes at a time anyway. Then I’d get her a bit of milk, and she’s go back to sleep. And then I’d stop bouncing her chair so she’d wake up for milk, so I’d feed her and she’d go back to sleep. Over and over and over again. I’m half finished a toque for Dekker and ready to close off another once I know how it fits its future recipient. Normally, hands free, I would have easily finished both, and probably at least one more. But not today! I’m amazed I even got that bit done! I also unpacked the dishwasher, hugged Dekker through his meltdowns without getting angry, and I’m pretty sure I even put on deodorant! So I’m calling today a success.

Tomorrow will also be big. Bigger. City day. We have a ton of running around to do. Malls, Superstore, Walmart, Canadian Tire, Carters, Costco, etc. Plus Laela is going to her first appointment with Dr. Mike. And Dekker’s glasses need adjusting. I really hope we can get everything accomplished so we don’t have to go in on Saturday too.

Anyone else having crazy deja vu? I’m pretty sure we did this exact trip a week or two ago, and it worked out that we didn’t have to go in on Saturday. Hopefully thats the case this time too!!! Pray that the fam sleeps well!

My mom came over this afternoon to lend a hand, which I GREATLY appreciated! I had a big list of calls to make, appointments to schedule, things to big her about, and stuff like that. All very easy, but difficult with two. My Dekker is communicating sooo well these days, I hate to discourage him by not being able to give him what he wants when he says please. Laela is sleeping wonderfully at night but struggles to sleep on her own in the day, which leaves me holding her pretty constantly. And as of this morning, both of them, and myself, have colds. So none of us can breathe and we’re all a bit on edge. We needed my mom for the day!

So I called. And called. And called. I booked Laela a chiropractic appointment, and her shots. I booked Dekker his follow up appointment with Dr. Rubab in case his surgery date is a bit later than we’re expecting. I booked counselling for myself. I booked family pictures and Christmas tree shopping day (a tradition with us) with my mom.I booked Brady and I dental appointments. I. Booked. Everything.

I did a bit of research on a few things as well. Just random things. I want to send a thank you card to the doctor who actually ended up delivering/catching Laela, but he doesn’t work at the same office as my doctor. So I figured out where (I think) he practices. I looked up the price of something from Hickory Farms that I’ve been waiting until the Christmas season to buy. I tried to look up the girl I bought Dekker’s amber necklace from, but can’t seem to get a hold of her 🙁 I’m a bit frustrated by that, to be honest. Another amber retailer had a sale on the exact necklace I want yesterday, and I bypassed it in an effort to support locals instead of ordering from Ontario. Hopefully its worth it. Either way, I tried. And I shopped around online a bit for  white dresses to no avail. My kids have so many clothes, we need more storage for them. Anyone have a tall white dresser they’re looking to get rid of? Or sell? Either way, we know its time to move out a bookshelf and move in a dresser. Sharing that wardrobe is just not cutting it.

Lastly, I finally routed through all of Laelas clothes and gifts that we’ve accumulated. Bradys mom did a bunch of it while she was out but they have continued to sit exactly where she left them. Ugh. Go me. So I hauled them downstairs, along with all her baby shower gifts, and early Christmas presents. The sorting process took a fairly long time actually, but it was fun to go through and see all of the adorable things she’s received! I can’t wait to put her in everything! Except the big things. Those can wait. But we pulled out everything that is from 0-6 months and I ran it through the laundry so its all ready to go. She sure it blessed. As I said, we need more space for all her clothes!!! You guys are all ridiculously generous.

We slacked off and had cheese pizza for supper. Brady was holding Laela afterwards and I decided to get Dekker ready for bed, even though Brady always does. Thats often their special time together, but Laela was pretty hands on today, and she was currently happy, so I figured I’d help out. Dekker was not impressed that it was bedtime but he held my hand and cried while he walked obediently beside me. We played on his change table and got him all diapered and dressed. Then I brought him to our room and he fell backwards onto the bed. And then we had the BEST playtime ever!!! Again, I’m usually holding Laela, but I took this opportunity of being hands-free to play with the best little boy that ever lived. He was hilarious, and super ticklish! He would laugh hysterically, and when he would try to squirm away, I’d drag him back by his feet. Or if he tried to get up I’d either tackle him or just knock him over. It was so much fun! I haven’t had the pleasure of really wrestling him yet, and I can see that I’ve been missing out. However, having so much fun makes going to bed really hard. He cried as soon as I told him it was time to go to his room. But we had a nice talk about it being ok to be sad, but that doesn’t mean its ok to hit or be mean. We’re just sad, and then we sing a song and pray with daddy, rest, and then we can play all over again. He seemed to accept that, and waved as Brady left with him. It was really, really nice.

I felt great after accomplishing stuff today, and playing with Dekker was my cherry on top. I think the rest of my list should be doable and easily(?) accomplished on Friday afternoon and Saturday with Brady. But I’m sure next week, as usual, will bring a whole new list of things to accomplish. Bring it on, last week of November!