It is not a secret that Dekker hates the bath. After my last post, a number of you made suggestion, which I REALLY appreciated! I have tried lots of the methods in the past, but none recently. So this evening, we figured we’d give one a go. A popular one. The shower.

I’m not one to build suspense. It was awful. And I really don’t know how we could have tried harder or done any better, honestly! We left Laela to her own devices and just the three of us went to the bathroom. Brady jumped in the shower and washed his hair in an effort to show Dekker how it wasn’t too scary. He sat on my lap and just shook his head anytime we spoke to him. He was mesmerized. We had previously discussed that just plunking him down in the shower would terrify him, and he would likely fall or try to climb out, and it would end badly. So I carried him over to the shower and asked him if he wanted to go in. Of course, he shook his head. So instead of fighting, I just jumped in, holding him. Yup. All three of us were in there for his benefit. And the second that water ran over his back, he shook like I don’t even know what, and he screamed and screamed and screamed. His legs were death gripped around my body and every time one would slip a little, he would shriek in panic. It was so sad. I was surprised at myself, actually. I was so upset for him. Why does he have to be somewhere that scares him so much? Yet at the same time, why can’t we find a way to make this work?!

I’ll be honest. I was scared of the shower as a kid. I preferred to bathe in the tub and wash my hair under the tap at the end. I didn’t have a shower before I was in eight grade. I am capable of showering now, of course, but I still hate it. LIke you all know, I soak in the tub every night, and I actually wash my hair in the kitchen sink during the day. I hate the shower. So I don’t want to push Dekker so hard at something that I found scary too! But he’s so upset by baths too! I feel at such a loss.

So I hauled that boy out of the bathroom so fast. I wandered the house for a few minutes, trying to decide what to do, until I found myself in the kitchen. I knew that, no matter what, his bath tonight likely wouldn’t be fun. But I could be as sensitive as possible. So I lay out a towel on the counter and ran some water into the sink. Dekker sat on the counter while I wet him down with a cloth and scooped water from the sink with my hands. I was washing his hair and only then did he seem to perk up a bit. However, how in the world was I going to rinse him off?! I ended up sitting him in the sink to rinse him off. He was not impressed, but he survived.

I carried him off for cuddles and jammies as soon as I possibly could. He was laying on his change table, unmoving, as I put his diaper on for night. And then, very quietly, he goes,

“Love.”

After all that. My son still loved me. I can get so wrapped up in how he can’t understand that the bath isn’t scary!!, yet he can comprehend the fact that he was safe with me the entire time, and that everything is ok. He doesn’t resent me for making him do something he’s afraid of. He loves me.

I am now COMPLETELY wiped out, and ready for bed. But Laela isn’t, and we haven’t even had supper yet. The night is young, people! We, apparently, are not “young people” anymore…

Before I get to todays post, I just have to share with you all something that I discovered as I settled in to start writing. I had a super icky ingrown toenail on this toe for waaay too long, if you remember from a few weeks ago. Its pretty well healed by now, but I’m completely scared of clipping my toenails right. I had done it recently, and it turned out, and somehow today, the thing busted off super short on the corner >:( Not too impressed with this whole thing.

Does anyone remember when I posted about hypothetical New Years resolutions? I was fairly wishy washy about what to set as goals for myself. The last two years, I’ve given myself serious leeway and have just tried to do better in my life. Trying new things, being more responsible and more loving. And I can honestly say that I think I’ve done alright. Sometimes, those lax guidelines just leave me free to do nothing at all, but I really felt it was time to grow up a bit, and I did. This year, I wanted to ask more of myself. I had a few people tell me that the things I was thinking of challenging myself to do were too much, which was true. I was struggling to find the right balance of what wasn’t going to overtake my life, but would also get me out of my box. But I think I’ve got it!! Ready?? Ok, 2014’s goals…

1. Brady and I are going to attempt the 52 week savings plan. The way it is recommended to all is to put away $1 on the first week, $2 on the second week, and so fourth until week 52, where you will have saved almost $1400. We are, however, going to double up for the first eight weeks, so we’ll have saved our years worth by the beginning of November. That will be our Christmas money. For everything. Presents, family Christmas date night out, seasonal Keurig cups, gas money if we travel somewhere, a turkey, new decorations, a tree, and who knows what else. How incredible will t be to not be broke after Christmas?! Very.

2. I’m going to try one new recipe per month. I know this one isn’t huge, but if I want to do more, I can. I already have my recipe for January picked out. Apricot chicken. It doesn’t sound like something I would necessarily choose of a menu at a restaurant, but I stumbled upon a recipe that makes it sound sooo delicious and flavourful and, best of all, EASY! We have all the ingredients in the house and I am ready to try it!

3. On a similar note, I would like to do/make something new once a month. If that leaves me scrambling on the 31st, speed/crocheting a newborn sized toque at 11:30pm, so be it. But I’m more so hoping it’ll encourage me to try new things altogether! I haven’t written a song since the one I recorded for Brady as a wedding gift, and I would love to try that again. I’ve also recently been realizing interests that I didn’t know I had, and my desire to pick up certain new skills. Maybe I’ll be able to dabble a bit in them. So I don’t claim that these potential monthly projects will be wild successes, but they will at least encourage my creative juices and work ethic.

4. I want to be a blessing to people. I’m not sure how yet. I see so many cute, DIY gift ideas on Pinterest, and they almost always remind me of someone. Why would I not take a bit of time and put one together for that person? Or even just leave encouraging notes?! Anonymously, even. I feel like this is the least “organized” part of my goals and, while I don’t love the sound of that, what else am I going to say? “I’m going to bless someone once a week.” Well, thats silly. So this will be my blanket goal this year – trying really hard to bless people.

I’m thinking thats it. I know its not too lofty, but I want to be able to dump TONS of love into my family, and that takes top priority over food and gifts and art and money and everything else. I’m really looking forward to the year 🙂

Seriously, this post could be done now, but I have to add cute pictures of my kids first 🙂 How can I not?

We were going to go to church today but the kids were WIPED OUT from the last few days! Dekker slept forever, and in that time, Laela woke up, was awake for a couple hours, and took a nap. These three pictures took place moments apart…

This is Dekker after getting dressed this morning. Standing there with his cell phone, he looks so grown up!

Laela also after getting dressed. She certainly is sweet!

Free cookies at the bakery!!! “Dekker, smile big!”

I was teasing him and making nibbling noises, and he pushed his cookie into my mouth 🙂 Great sharing!

The little miss, napping and milk drunk. I love pre-bedtime naps. Why don’t we all take those?

Time to close up. Days like today always leave our schedules wonky, and we are only now making supper for Brady and I. Let me know your thoughts about this upcoming year. Does anyone even make new years resolutions anymore? What are your goals for 2014?

 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t blog very well this Christmas. Sorry, guys. But I think we were likely all busy with the season. So, to recap…

Dekker flourished this last week! He’s been exhausted and overstimulated and has learned SO MUCH through it all! He adores his aunties and uncles and nephews, and has started putting words together for pretty much the first time! Asking for help is no longer “Help. Please. Mum.” Its “Please mum” instead. Things like that. He’s been much quicker to use manners without being prompted, which I would not have thought would be the case when around a crowd of people with lots of noise and hubbub. He’s been communicating more and more clearly. Last night, he was quite upset, and no amount of asking or cuddling would fix it. Finally, I took him into the computer room, closed the door behind us, and told him to let it out. Scream, jump around, throw himself on the floor, whatever he needed to do. He seemed kind of thrown off by the idea, but took me up on it to an extent. I just sat on the floor and waited and told him he could go as long as he wanted. After some time, he came over to me and reached for a hug. While I hugged him, I heard him very quietly say “sorry.” He has never said that all on his own! I forgave him immediately, and before I could reassure him of anything else, he said “Love!” I told him I loved him back and asked what I could do to help him feel better. “Snat? Please?” A snack it was. My little boy is not so little anymore.

Today was the day everyone left my parents place and headed on to their next Christmas celebrations and/or real life. Before that all had to happen, my sisters, my mom, and I went to the city for some shellac manicures and Starbucks. It was a super fun date for us, as we all can appreciate a little pampering, and have never went together. They also got me super excited about taking Laela, one day, for manicures. Maybe in a few Christmases. We came back to a house that was still standing happy, fed kids. We all ate leftovers for lunch and had a pretty short afternoon, it seemed, of visiting and packing. It was a sad thing to observe, and we did our best to lurk in the basement with our siblings as they got their things in order. Dekker was having so much fun playing and dancing with the boys, but right around 3:00, he was soaked in sleep sweats. He came to me and asked to be lifted up. And he slumped on my shoulder. It was certainly nap time. So he said his goodbyes then, and missed them in the moment. I think thats ok, though. Goodbyes are hard and confusing for him.

When he did get up, we were packed up for the most part as well, Laela was awake and playing on a playmat, and the rest of us were getting settled in for some delicious and guilty pleasure mac and cheese. He seemed sad and kind of baffled that no one was around, but he warmed up quickly and ate a good supper. It was sad to leave my parents/his grandparents house, but arriving home was really well received by all.

Yes. We are home. The clocks are reset (thank you, power flickers), the heat is turned back on schedule, and bags are all in, my pumpkin candle is lit, and we are comfy.

Now, what I’ve waited days for – my bathtub.

It felt so great to spend a day at home with all of my siblings, their spouses, and all four of the kids. It has certainly been a full house for a few days, but it been incredible. It will all end abruptly tomorrow, which I’m not fully ready for. I will sure miss everyone. We took some family pictures today, and I’m sure that will trigger memories 🙂 every year they seem to be getting crazier, with every child added. It’s fun.
We also celebrated my brothers birthday, as it’s on January 6th and we always see him right before but rarely on his actual day. After putting kids to bed, we ended up eating cake quite late at night, but it doesn’t seem right to turn down cheesecake. So I didn’t, and it was delicious.
The last thing I need to add is a few pics of Laela. She was painfully beautiful and I couldn’t stop photographing her!!

She is just the happiest little girl I’ve ever seen 🙂 Truly the cats pyjamas. Or perhaps her own pyjamas, because those are likely cuter than the cats.

I apologize for yesterday’s post. At the end of the night, I started to feel really sick. I got the chills, I felt nauseous, and was completely exhausted. I had a soak and some water and fell asleep on the bathroom floor for a minute or two before finally getting myself to bed without puking. Only then did I realize I hadn’t blogged yet. So that was a bad post. Sorry, friends.
Today was actually our family Christmas. When all the kids were up, they opened their gifts together. Dekker and Laela were both spoiled rotten, of course. I slept for a chunk of the afternoon and had another bath while most of the rest of the family went for a walk. My parents ordered pizza and we watched Cars and ate supper downstairs. Everyone had tons of fun, which made bedtime a pretty sad time for the little ones. But everyone went down for sleeping eventually and then the a rest of us opened presents. I should have taken pictures but maybe that wouldn’t have mattered. We all pulled in great gifts. Waaay more than any of us needed, but it was really fun 🙂
Now, we’ve all got our snacks and are calling it a night. I slept away so much of today, but I’m still optimistic about the night. I’m still not feeling 100% but it’s all much better than last night and this morning. Kind of an inconvenient time of year to feel so sick but it was (hopefully) just one day.
On the subject of calling it a night, I’m out. Laela is having her last drink of milk and then I’m ready to cuddle up for some netflix and a snack.
How was everyone’s Christmases? Any good stories?

It is Christmas and I am nauseous 🙁 no post today, sorry everyone. The merriest Christmas, from my house to yours!

It’s not even 11:00 and I am wiped out beyond belief! But in a really good way 🙂 Brady and I slept in this morning and only around 10:00 did we start packing. Our kids stayed sleeping pretty well the entire time we packed! Dekker woke up an ate breakfast while Brady loaded the car up, and Laela only really woke when we changed her diaper and got her dressed. And they both slept on the drive to my parents. Best kids ever.
We’ve spent the day with my parents and my sister and brother in law. Tomorrow the rest of my siblings arrive, with my nephews. Once were all together, the fun will really begin 🙂 but we spent today visiting, eating, and watching Elf. It was wonderful.
Dekker was playing so well in the evening and I knew he would be pretty choked at bedtime. I tried to be gradual about it, and jus slowly undress him while he played. He’s often half dressed at home so it’s not unheard of, and I figured he wouldn’t find it weird. But he cried, and then inquired “Bum?” and headed towards his room. So I went with him and changed his bum. We put his jammies on and he had a bit of a cry, but he was ready. I love seeing him make those hard decisions all by himself. Such a big boy!
Ok, in old and tired. Luckily, so is everyone in this house! Officially time for bed. Or Netflix. Either way, the merriest Christmas Eve to all of you and yours! More tomorrow 🙂

Laela and I went shopping today with my friend, Hailey. We only hit up one mall before the snow started and I had to be all responsible and head home, but we actually did great! I had been saving my birthday money for a while in preparation to buy some really nice boots sometime this season. However, now, I have my mukluks and have no desire for any other boots. So I cashed my birthday cheques and one other cheque we had lying around, and that was my allotted “spending money” for the day. Yay for new wardrobes!

Firstly though, Laela was possibly the cutest she has ever been. She attracted SO MUCH attention! She was bright and vibrant and eager to hold hands with random employees in the stores who came to see her. Its fun being the mother of such popular kids 🙂

I have been eyeing up a pair of jeans for quite a while now. They’re normally $70, which I really can’t justify at all, but I was gifted $50 specifically towards some quality, new jeans, so I figured now was my chance. I looked them up online the other night and they were on sale for $50! I was so pleased, and went to that store right off the hop. And somehow left with a pair of the jeans and a shirt for $49… Not sure how it happened, but I guess there was a further sale that I just wasn’t aware of. Either way, I’m completely thrilled with that! I bought two other shirts and one sweatshirt, and I’m completely happy with all my purchases. When I added everything up, I didn’t touch the additional cheque I threw in just for good measure. I just spent birthday money and the jeans money that was given to me as a baby shower gift. I’m really happy with how it all turned out! And Hailey had a good time, too, for someone who doesn’t specifically prefer clothes shopping. We had a great girls day together, and I really hope we can do that kind of thing again soon.

I arrived home around 7:30 and hung out with everyone until it was Dekkers bedtime. Well, he went down later tonight so we could have some playtime together. Once he was down, Brady and I had some soup and Laela slept on our bed. When I had to get her in jammies and change her diaper, she woke right up! Definitely not one of those babes who can sleep through everything. I got her all ready for bed and gave her a bit more milk to lull her back out, but she was wide away. I figured it would be a good opportunity it lay her down wide awake and just expect her to fuss for a good while until I went to get her. A good thing to practice anyway, right? Soothing herself. She was wide awake when I put her down, and within minutes, she was out. She’s pretty much incredible.

Now that both babies are sleeping, its bath time and sleep time. Brady still feels gross, and we have to get up and pack tomorrow. We’re heading to my parents to spend the week with everyone, and I can’t wait!!! Hopefully you all have wonderful Christmases planned as well.

Sleep deep.

For the first time in almost 550 posts, I really don’t feel like blogging tonight. Sure, sometimes its  hassle, and there are lots of days that I wonder what actually keeps me writing on here, but never have I felt quite so unmotivated as this. Is that even a word? Anyway, I don’t feel like being here.

It was, however, a great day. We FINALLY got ourselves to church. People were concerned. Were we sick? Was everything ok? Yes, we just had a lot of company several weekends in a row and then took a few breaks due to health or inclement weather. We are back. Dekker say in the sanctuary for the entire service for the first time in over a year, so yay him! And yay to my mom, who pretty much kept him entertained with books and things the entire time. She definitely made a sacrifice for him this morning. Laela was calm and quiet and slept on my shoulder for a good chunk of the service. She was sooo beautiful today, in her furry boots and new sweater dress that she got for Christmas.

After church, we got to go spend the day with my parents like we used to do before we added a second child and life picked up. It was calming and comfortable and it tasted delicious. We even played cards while Dekker napped and Laela played on a playmat. We really had a nice time catching up. And to think, we’re going to be staying there most of this next week! I can’t wait 🙂

We hauled out around 8:00 and listened to Christmas music on the drive home. Dekker is sleeping now, and Laela is not. She has been way too good today, sleeping like crazy, which does not bode well for night. Sleeping all day equals not eating all day, so that usually means wakeful/eating time happens in the night. But we’ll see. She borders on flawless so maybe she’ll surprise us. We’ll love her either way, obviously.

Ok, all done with this. I want a snack and a bath and some tv. Hopefully I’m more exciting tomorrow.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve Eve.

 

Our family Christmas is over, and the Christmas spent with my parents, siblings, and nephews is just around the corner! So our plan was to get some things done today without stressing or rushing. I’d say we did a pretty good job of it. However, we’re on day three or four of feeling like garbage, so while we didn’t do tons of running around, Brady and both are pretty wiped.

We did a few loads of laundry, and put away the random laundry thats been sitting in hampers for several days now around our house. We lived for so long with one laundry hamper, and now that we have two brand new ones, things get left. So we tidied that up and put everything away. We played with Dekker’s new cars on his ramp, and finished the Cars movie from yesterday. We did dishes, and took out the garbage. We did some secretive Christmas things I’m not at liberty to discuss at this time. Those things probably took the biggest bite out of the day, but were the most exciting. Brady was planning to change the oil in his van today but it is viciously cold so we figure it can wait until the new year.

I had a lot of fun making treats! Earlier in December, I bought big pretzels and dipped them in chocolate and covered them in sprinkles, coarse sugars, etc. They were delicious but I learned a few things from making them, and figured out how to make them better. So I made another batch today to bring with us when we spend a few days at my parents with the whole family. Only I made them better! I first dipped them in caramel, and then chocolate. The caramel was just those square, individually wrapped candies with a tiny bit of water mixed in, and the chocolate was Belgian chocolate chips melted down with a bit of coconut oil in it to keep it from breaking off the pretzel. Thanks for the tip, Willa! Lastly, I drizzled them with white chocolate so they’d be pretty and they’re setting in the fridge. I’m so excited to try them!

Once Dekker got up from his nap, he was pretty unhappy with the world, and didn’t last too long. He went to bed right at 8:00 and Laela and I cuddled and watched YouTube for a bit while Brady did a few more dishes.

On that note of beautiful Laela, she just puked everywhere, so thats my cue to get up and help. Of all days to actually have all the laundry put away, she barfs on her burp pad, blanket, and jammies. And everything else is in Dekker’s room. Hopefully we’ll scrounge up some extras after she takes a bath with me. Barf neck!