So I’ve been saying for a while now that I’m suffering with some body pain. I’m going to try and burn through the history of it really quick. 

I honestly don’t even remember when it started, but it was just my left shoulder. It was warm and blotchy, always. Sometimes it was visibly swollen but mostly it was just warm. I left it alone but kept an eye on it. I had a stretch where it began to restrict my movement so I decided it was finally time to see a doctor. After quite a runaround, I saw someone who was vastly unhelpful and left a pretty bad taste in my mouth. I moved to physio and got some exercises. They helped a little, but the pain had started up a little in the right shoulder now. I followed up with a second physio appointment and was given new exercises with very light weights. Right around that second appointment, Cher had a car accident, and I felt strong sympathy pains for her for a while. And then shortly thereafter, I caught our round of stomach flu, resulting in painful, rib moving, back breaking vomit. So my body went through a fair amount of stuff in a short period of time, and the pain refused to get better. And it continued to refuse to heal. 

The pain situation is this. Pretty much ALL of my joints hurt. All. The. Time. It began with shoulders, and went down to elbows, wrists, and fingers. That has always been the worst parts. My wrists hurt so much that my fingers cannot physically bear weight. So things like pouring coffee creamer, opening milk, opening doors, and pulling up my own pants were incredibly difficult. Forget the fact that I have five small children to lift and dress and diaper and snuggle and all that good stuff. Doing dishes was excruciating. Laundry was near impossible. By the end of the days, I kid you not, I couldn’t lift my blanket or adjust my pillow. My hands had nothing left. As if that wasn’t enough, I’d also lose all leg strength by the end of the day. My hips, knees, and ankles were unreal. I couldn’t get up stairs on my own. Sometimes my ankle pain would mimic my wrists, and leave my toes in excruciating pain or seized up. The pain just chose where it wanted to be and jumped to and fro every day. I had a couple of days where my jaw decided to flake out and I couldn’t bite my teeth together. And after a day or two of difficulty taking deep breaths, I was officially concerned.

Christmas was hard. I couldn’t pitch in at the family gatherings the way I’d have liked, and when I powered through and I did pitch in, I paid dearly for it. There was at least one morning that I had to miss out on and lay flat on my back in bed rather than being with my siblings and their kids. Another morning, Brady literally had to dress me because my body was creaking so hard and my hands wouldn’t work. It was a low, low time. I went to a walk-in on Christmas Eve. He was polite and concerned. He ordered xrays and bloodwork but basically said I should follow up with my doctor rather. I went for the tests on the 27th, and while they told me my bloodwork is normal, they WILL NOT releases my X-ray results. As in I signed a release and my doctor has called and emailed, and she still doesn’t have them. Its so stupid. 

I saw my doctor. Finally. Last Tuesday. I called on Monday morning and said I needed an appointment. They told me I was a month out. I told them I knew they held same day appointments and I needed one. Thankfully, I knew the receptionist, and she fudged the systems and gave me one for the next morning. The pain meds the walk-in doctor gave me ran out that next morning anyway. 

I saw Dr. Guselle on January 7th, months after this whole thing began. And I blubbered. All she knew was I had pain, but she had no idea where I was at. I cried about all of my pain, told her about all of my stupid appointments and lack of results. I told her about all of the events that happened one after the other and how I was SO angry that it wasn’t getting better. I spouted off all kinds of stressful events that I thought were contributing to my pain. She had her hand over her mouth, and I heard her swear for the first time ever when I told her about Waverly’s breath holding. She just felt with me, and it really showed. I cried and told her about Dekker’s collarbone break the day before. I finally said that if we write this pain off as stress, I’m never going to get better. She stopped me in my tracks, as she does once in a while when I overreact, and said no. No, this will not go on forever. She could help me with this. 

She asked me about my sleep and I cried again. Its been crap. I wake up a lot, because I’m in pain. And then I can’t fall back to sleep, because again, pain. So that was her first move. I had to sleep. She told me there was a “study” done back in the day on med students (Med students are people too! Lol!) where they all went to sleep in a facility, and were shook awake every hour on the hour. Apparently, they were all MISERABLY ILL through the study, with physical sickness, hallucinations, etc. We NEED sleep. SO she said that was a huge necessity so my body could actually let down and heal. Because normally, her advice would be to bind up the had that was in the most trouble, and not use it AT ALL for a number of weeks. However, not only are both of my hands in trouble, but I have to use them. There is no way around that! 

She did a physical exam, and saw how little mobility I had in my upper half. I did fine with my legs, but she also was very understanding that my pain jumps, and that day simply was not a leg day. She noted how high I could (couldn’t) lift my arms, and she watched me lift Waverly when she needed me. (Yes, I brought Wavy. It wasn’t ideal, but she was SO GOOD! SO content! I was incredibly proud of her, sitting in the chair next to me, swaying and singing to herself while we talked.) 

So we made a plan. Dr. Guselle changed up my pain medication just a little, got me on a stomach protector (because why add an ulcer to the pain I already have?) and gave mine something for sleep. Beyond that, I will seek out some more physio, hopefully this coming week. As always, I left my appointment with Dr. Guselle feeling hopeful and uplifted. 

Brady carried the torch for Dekker’s nighttime meds this week while I’ve been completely drugged up overnight, which I have really appreciated. And by “appreciated,” I mean both Brady and the medications. Because there is improvement, thank the Lord. 

Not long before now, I would wake up with hands that hurt to move at all. As in I was unable to bend my fingers. Especially my thumbs! The worst! My shoulders were horrible if I slept on my side, which I worked really hard not to do. I couldn’t sit up in the mornings, and usually I couldn’t turn my head fully both ways. It took a LONG time. And then however the day played out, Brady would get me up stairs by walking behind me with his forearms out so I could brace my forearms on his and push up. It was slow going, and I would lay in bed and say “I don’t know what to do. What am I going to do?” I was desperate, and so scared. 

Now, its different. In my deep sleep, I do end up moving my arms more, so my shoulders ache in the morning, but they recover. My hands are still sore and my thumbs are still frozen but they warm up to be usable fairly quickly. My legs are much better, and only tired maybe a little bit quicker than average. My neck is fine. My jaw is fine. My rib cage is fine. I can move my blanket, dress myself, and do all of those things that previously left me feeling like an invalid. If I’m being totally honest, lifting is still quite painful. I can do a lot of things, but they hurt, and I’m trying to heal, so I’m currently not pouring milk, lifting groceries, doing laundry, doing dishes, and I’m holding the kids as little as possible. I was able to close the van door on my own the other day, which felt pretty victorious! The pulling motion of wiping/scrubbing is agony on my wrists, so I’m doing as little of those things as possible. I feel like a total slacker. But I know there is progress, so I’m taking it. 

Three days ago, my pinkies were frozen, couldn’t bend or move without extreme pain. 

Two days ago, my pinkies had more movement. They still hurt a LOT, but they could bend.

Yesterday, my pinkies moved normally without pain ❤️ This sounds small and silly, but it leaves me tearing up as I type it out. Maybe healing is coming. 

I know the pain I’m dealing with it small potatoes in comparison to so many of you who struggle with chronic illness and pain. I know that I don’t know. But I can vouch that pain every single day is incredibly taxing, and that quality of life tanks pretty easily when you cannot do anything for yourself. But as always, our little village checks in and takes care, and God covers us with His wings. 

Thanks you, those who popped in physically and virtually, and made sure all was well. And to you who have actually come in and cared for us. Its been a GO of it, with all the flu bugs and colds and broken bones and pain 😓 but God is good, and so are you guys!!

I decided to keep Dekker home today. He was a little cautious after only making it a half day on Thursday, and I told him we could just take the long weekend and be ready to go again on Monday. He was all for that. 

My loving mom came and took Laela to school on her way into Saskatoon this morning, and I spent the remainder of the day with Cher and the four kids. It was super relaxed and low key. 

My mom had helped Dekker through a sewing craft on Tuesday, and he’s been itching to do another one, so she brought one over this morning. Dekker asked for it all morning, and was practically counting down until nap time, when I told him I could more properly help him along with it. He LOVES those stuffies!!

I ducked out to get Laela from school in the minus a thousand degree weather. It was brutal, but while I don’t love the cold of winter, I do enjoy getting back to the school once in a while and visiting with the teachers and other parents. Today, another parent shared his wisdom with me on collarbone stuff. I really appreciated that. 

When I got home, I brewed some coffee and had a nice chat on the phone with my brother. When I came back upstairs from talking with him, Dekker was helping Laela with her green bag book ❤️ 

My heart!!!! Ack!

Also my heart, my littlest Miss is such a great mommy 😩

This makes me both happy and sad. She is SO snuggly and would be SUCH an amazing big sister 💜 Maybe someday.

Brady is now home, and we have an actual weekend coming up! I wish we could just rest, but likely we will spend the entire weekend keeping up with tasks I haven’t been able to maintain. And unfortunately, most of that will fall to Brady, but maybe I’ll tell you all about that soon. I’ve basically been babysat all week in an effort to heal my hands and wrists, so there is laundry piled up from Christmas that needs doing, and the whole house is a mess. Sooooo this weekend is dedicated to that! Wish us luck! 

A continuation of the last few posts…

I did manage to organize medicine with the school yesterday. I considered bringing him meds in the day and giving them to him myself, because of the unknowns of school policies, but was able to get out sorted out legally and professionally. Even though Dekker is only taking Children’s Advil and Tylenol, perfect doses as on the bottles, the school needs to not be responsible for his medicine. But I signed the right forms and wrote out what I wanted him to take and when. I drove him and Laela to school today, because a) freezing, and b) Dekker can’t wear his backpack. I dropped them off at their classes and got Dekker’s stuff hung up before I went to the office with his medications, measuring cups, etc. I chatted with the admin staff at the office, and they asked how he was doing. He was SO excited to go back today 🙂 On my way back outside, I realized I had kind of brushed Laela off, so I ducked into her classroom to say a better goodbye. She ran for me with a big smile on her face. She gave me a great big hug and said goodbye. I hope she always runs at me like that when she sees me ❤️

Unfortunately, Dekker didn’t make it the whole day. I checked in at lunch, and he was “pretty ok.” He sounds like his mom, haha! But I received a text around 1:30pm saying he was dizzy and wanted to come home. That made total sense to me. My amazing mom had been at my house all morning with me, helping around the house and with the kids, and she had JUST left, insisting that I needed some alone time, only for me to call her back within fifteen minutes so I could go get Dekker. THANK YOU, mom, for leaving so much space open this week to help me! We didn’t even know at the time that Dekker was going to break his collarbone, and it has timed out so beautifully. I appreciate you SO much. 

Upon pickup, it was clear that Dekker wasn’t in any extra pain, and he wasn’t upset, but he had simply had enough. He was a bit pale, but was clear eyed and dressed to go home. His teacher said he had had a good morning, without any upset or tears, but he had shifted a bit after lunch and seemed more fatigued than one would’ve thought. Besides his teacher, we ran into a few other staff members who were all in TOTAL understanding of him being done for the day. Poor little guy, but amazing staff. I was so impressed. 

So, he’s back. 

I’m not sure yet whether to send him for a half day tomorrow, or keep him home and just give him a long weekend. I don’t know yet. I’m struggling with everything decision being based on my judgment call and my read on the situation. Its all so specific to each situation, and I just don’t know the answers. Will he skate with his class at all this season? Should I push him in terms of moving his arm or using better posture? When can he wear a backpack again? I’m at such a loss 😓 I feel with you, Dekker. I’m sorry I can’t help you know whats to come. 

Thank you everyone who has reached out and asked about Dekker or encouraged him. He is loving the love and attention 😆 It helps my mama heart, too.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your love and concern for Dekker ❤️ I read him your messages, and he feels pretty extra special. I know I just talked all about him yesterday, but it feels relevant to provide some updates already. 

Yesterday’s daytime was smooth. Dekker didn’t get bumped or jostled or overdone even once. He actually worked on a craft ALL afternoon, as in a solid three hours. He was noticeably tired but he end, but he had insisted he’d power through and finish it. Once it was all over and done with, he excitedly told me he’d definitely do it again. His perseverance is astounding. 

Coming up to supper time, he was suddenly near tears. When we asked, he said, somewhat irritatedly “I’m just really sore!!” He hadn’t tipped anyone off that he was in pain, and I had literally missed his Tylenol by a half hour. I, of course, topped up his meds, held him for a little, and offered him ice, which he declined. We both hate being iced for pain, lol! I get him. But he rallied and was back in action. 

That interaction did, however, convince me that he needed to stay home another day. He is SO capable and in good spirits when his pain is under control, but he NEEDS his medication schedule followed pretty exactly. Otherwise, his pain jumps, and he gets SO upset. So we decided to keep him home another day. He accepted that. 

Dekker, once again, was asleep almost immediately upon laying down in bed last night. I actually went to the doctor for a few things yesterday (that’ll be its own post) but I was given a medication to help me sleep and in hopes to let my body heal up faster. So I slept through it, but Brady got Dekker up in the middle of the night and brought Dekker more medication. 

Today, Dekker is even a little brighter. 

I wonder if I’ll be able to take him to school tomorrow! I’ll have to contact the school and see if they’d give him a dose of medication if I sent it. Because as he sits here beside me today, he said he’s ready to go back to school ❤️ Again, my brave brave Dekker. I’m SO proud.

Thank you again for all of your love for Dekker 😘 

Yesterday was an absolute whirlwind 😓 My goodness. 

It began simply enough though. First day back at school. Laela went, but Brady took Dekker to an ophthalmologist appointment. He goes every 4-6 months, depending on how his eyes are doing. And this appointment had gone off without a hitch! He had aced his tests, his prescription was exactly the same, no turn or change in his eyes, and he had cooperated really nicely. No eye drops this visit! They decided he’d come for another visit in 8-10 months, and maybe then refer him out to an eye doctor outside of the specialists at the hospital! BOOM! I love progress! 

Brady took Dekker back to school in time for lunch, and a bit of class. However, I got a call after the afternoon recess. His teacher told me he had been pushed down a slide and his collarbone looks “a liiiiittle….. ya…” I told her I’d be at the school as fast as I could. Thank goodness I had just been on the phone with my mom and actually hung up on her when the school called, so I called her back and asked if she could run over and be with the nappers. She jumped right to it and was over in minutes. I practically high fived her on the way out. I even took her car, and I booked it to school. 

Aaaaand good thing. It was actually a cute sight. Dekker was propped up in a comfy chair in a cozy corner of his classroom, an ice pack on his shoulder. He had three mother hens – no – friends around him, reminiscing about his fall and how crazy it had been and how glad they were that he was ok. It was adorable. He had red eyes and nose, and he was pretty pale. As soon as the girls spotted me, they ran to get their teacher. She was very loving, having been through this a handful of times, I’m sure, as an elementary school teacher. She recounted what had happened and helped me know what to do, since I have not been through this a handful of times, or even once. He was quite crooked, so she suspected maaaybe a break, or a dislocation, etc. He needed to be seen, that was important. 

He had a cry when it was time to get up. He was SO scared to move. I was relieved to have his teacher with us, who has children of her own and is warm and caring. She encouraged him to call the shots, and he ended up holding me around the neck and she helped lift him. She helped him get his boots on while I drove the car right up as close to the doors as I could, and I took him home. 

Not for long though. I had to touch base with my mom. She had come so willingly to care for the kids, but now I was going to be gone longer now. Unfortunately, my mom isn’t allowed to lift more than 20 lbs, so getting Waverly up from her nap isn’t possible. I didn’t want to leave her high and dry, but I also had to get Dekker to the doctor. We made a quick plan together, and while I drove to the nearby walk-in clinic, I made some phone calls. I called Brady, filled him in, and asked him to call our neighbour and arrange with them to be able to go get Waverly out of when when the time came. Boom. That was solved. I called Health Line and confirmed that it made sense that I was going to a clinic rather than the hospital. They said it was right, as long as there was X-ray access, which there was in Warman. Once calls were made, I talked with Dekker and reassured him where we were going. The bumps and turns of the road really hurt him. But my brave boy started thinking positive about halfway to the clinic.

“Good thing I didn’t hurt my right hand,” he said. “This is better.”

And he was SO right. 

Once we got to the clinic, I helped him out of the car and he went and sat very still on a chair in the waiting room while I checked him in. We waited probably a solid 20 minutes, but Dekker was a really good sport, and we had some laughs. 

I think he felt a lot of relief being at the doctors office. He had had a tearful moment in the car when I kind of prepared him for the possibility of it having to hurt more before it got better, in the case of someone needing to reset something. He was scared, and cried, but was nodding the whole time. He knew the possibility already, and he understood. 

Thank goodness we didn’t have to go that route!! 😓 The doctor we saw was really nice to Dekker. He asked if Dekker could take his shirt off, and when Dekker hesitated, he gave him ALL kinds of respect. Didn’t make me feel like he was uncooperative or anything. He touched Dekker’s collarbone gently and very easily found the spot that was in question. Dekker grunted and just told him “Thats the spot.” The doctor told him he could tell that spot was angry, and he wanted to take a picture of it. Xrays. We had talked about that in the car, Dekker wasn’t afraid. And I really appreciated the next thing, because the doctor had been SO warm and interactive with Dekker, but he looked over at me and quietly said “but I’m pretty sure we’re looking at a crack or a break of some kind.” I was really happy to know where he was in his thinking. 

Dekker and I waited a couple of minutes in the waiting room before he was called into the X-ray room. I hung out with him while the tech set him all up in there and made sure he was comfortable, and then I was asked to step out while she took the pictures. He was brave, and was excited to tell me all about it when he got out. 

We sat in the waiting room while they perused our results, and Dekker told me all about the picture and the big room, and wondered why there was a separate room for the lady taking the pictures. We discussed radiation and safety and importance. He nodded wisely, as if he knew it all the entire time 😉 

Finally it was our turn to go talk to the doctor again, and he pulled up the xrays on his computer. Behold! Our first fracture! 

So while it looks like a full break (to me at least) its a crack. No resetting necessary. Just rest, meds, and healing time. Boom! We talked about slings, and were advised that we didn’t need one, but that some people prefer to have it slung up on their body. I know I’d prefer to have it slung up if it were me, and I figured Dekker would be the same. The doctor could move Dekker’s arm around, but he was so hesitant to move it himself. So the doctor walked us over to the treatment room and put together a makeshift sling out of some kind of tensor bandage. He told me we could go buy a real sling at the pharmacy, but that this was basically the same thing. We’re pretty low maintenance, and I was just SO thankful to have him there with us, squatting on the floor, deciding the height of the sling, tightness, etc., and explaining it to us along the way. He was so warm to Dekker and kept engaging with him, talking to him about his classmates and siblings. It was nice, and Dekker was laughing and calm. 

Leaving the walk-in looked a lot different. There was an unmistakable confidence now that he knew he didn’t have to go to the hospital, and he was happy to have that sling. Before that, his arm was just pasted to his side, and he was so scared to move it. Now, he knew where it was and didn’t have to worry as much about being bumped around or anything. 

Getting home was nice. My mom had all the kids up, Cher had come by to lend a hand and visit, and she had brought some colouring for Dekker. Before I even had his jacket and backpack put away, he was at the table, colouring happily. He doesn’t look animated here, but he’s also SO tired. And pale. Oy. 

He enjoyed his supper of leftover apricot chicken and rice with cucumbers beside, and then he decided to go sit in the living room for a bit. He’s so soft here. ❤️ SO himself.

Right before bedtime, my sister and her family FaceTimed Dekker and they all commiserated about their broken bones and pain and fear and how it’s SO ok to feel all the feelings. He laughed and chatted and his spirits lifted 🙂 He was happy to talk to them again. Our Christmas visit feels SO far away already. But he was also tired, and we had to call it. 

Getting him ready for bed was a bit stressful. Taking off his shirt was a HUGE deal. MAN did he cry 😭 PAIN!! But it needed to happen. He had a good, tired, scared cry before he was able to relax again, and he headed to the bathroom. He had another couple of good cries, where he’d just move the wrong way and everything would hurt all over again. His pain was not fully managed at the time. 

He was scared to sleep. Laying down hurt worse than sitting up. I propped his banana pillow under his shoulder, and that seemed to help. He was upset to have to lay flat on his back, as I would be too. We set up a baby monitor, and told him we would wake up if he cried in the night. He was really reassured by that, and it showed. 

That being said, he was asleep within fifteen minutes. 

We stayed up late so we could wake him in the middle of the night for pain medication, and when Brady went down there, Dekker was laying on his chest, sort of sideways, completely comfortable. He was able to sit up and take his meds before falling right back to sleep. And then this morning, around 6:15, he surfaced to pee without help. These sound like small things, but getting into bed was really hard in the evening! It goes to show that fear exacerbates pain. Completely. His fear and pain are both totally justified, don’t get me wrong! But when he was nice and tired and less worried, he was able to do more on his own. YAY!

I kept Dekker home today. 

I’d like to give him a day or two to get his pain nice and controlled, and for him to get confident with his left arm either in its sling, or moving again. He’s allowed to move it and use it all he wants. No real rules. Every “right” is based on his pain level. When should he go to school? Depends on his pain. When can he use his arm? Depends on his pain. When when when? Depends on his pain. But that works great, because my sensitive little man is ROCKING his courage like a total champ! 

This entire time, Dekker has kept a positive attitude. Only when he’s SO tired does he show discouragement. Otherwise, he’s focusing on how perfectly timed his injury is. 

“Good thing its not a season for biking.”

“Good thing its probably indoor recess.”

“Good thing I can eat with only one hand.”

Over and over again, he amazes me. I’m SO proud of him. Way to break trail, Dekker!! 

Aaaaand your collarbone 😳 #badjoke #toosoon

Months ago, a friend of mine reached out to me about Christmas. She had something in mind, and she really wanted to give my children gifts. She asked if that would be ok, and I of course said yes! She ran a list of animals by me and asked me to choose one for each child. So I did, and that was the last I heard of it. By the time December came around, I remembered our conversations and wondered if she had gone forward with her plan. I certainly wasn’t about to send some “So, did you get my kids presents” message, so I put it to the back of my mind. But she remembered, and very casually asked if she could drop them off sometime around Christmas. We picked a date, and she popped over when it suited us. 

Guys. Have you heard of Cuddle + Kind? You should look it up online. Its this beautiful company who donates meals to children with the sale of every stuffed toy. The general idea is “1 doll = 10 meals.” You should really read up on it yourselves, I’m not going to do it justice. Neither will the pictures. These are some of the softest, most beautiful stuffed toys we’ve ever had in our possession. 

Dekker got a puppy names Noah. 

Laela got a unicorn named Zoe. 

Rowan got a llama named Lucas. 

Solomon got a penguin names Everest.

Waverly got a mermaid named Skye. 

(Waverly also learned how to say “mermaid.” She plays with her toy in her bed and says it over and over again. “Mermaid. Mermaid!”) 

Because so many toys were purchased on my children’s behalf, along with some extra goodies, a total of 150 meals were donated. It feels pretty wonderful to know that not only are the people making the toys being paid fairly, but that there are donations happening beyond that. Aaaand for someone to include my children in that is honouring and humbling and such a special teaching moment. 

As always, I continue to feel SO grateful for our little village, who chooses to love my family. 

Yesterday felt like a solidly appropriate winter day. First thing was first, though. 

Brady’s work van had quit running on Thursday morning. He had started it for the first time all Christmas break on Wednesday night, and all had been well. And then, Thursday morning, nothing. He tried to boost it from our van, but no dice. It didn’t even turn over. Thankfully, Brady was able to get to work Thursday and Friday with our bus and just a few tools without complication. One of our awesome neighbours really showed up for us, and helped Brady work and diagnose out vehicle, and got us all set up with a new starter. We are constantly in awe of the amazing community we have around us! 

Not only did he play an integral role in the repair of Brady’s work van, but then invited our children to join him and his son on the quad! They accepted super happily!!

Yesterday was also Waverly’s first time out in full winter gear, and she was pretty eager!

She enjoyed it completely 🙂 Until she got cold, but even then, she was happy. 

I liked observing the crossover out the window, too 💕 She may be too little to quad but she fit right in. 

All in all, I don’t love winter, but there are things that make it more survivable. Less miserable. And some of that is the people around us who put into our family without having to. 

Pink snowsuits also make winter better. Just sayin.

Wavy did a super bizarre thing yesterday.

She slept. All. Morning. 

And all. Nap time. 

I checked on that little girl multiple times, to see if she was maybe just hanging out in her bed, playing with her new stuffed toy. She was not. She was completely quiet. Very likely completely wiped out from the holidays and gatherings and such. Its like she knew it was her first full home day and was going to really rest her body. 

You may know this, but it can get pretty disconcerting when a kid doesn’t wake up for so long. Dekker slept past noon from the night SO often, and it really made me nervous. Yesterday felt like that. As nap time was wrapping up and I still hadn’t even seen my Waverly since the night before, I decided it was time to wake her. 

I know, I know. Don’t wake a sleeping baby. But guys, when the baby has slept for 19 hours, its time to wake that baby. So I did. 

And she was pretty ok. Not really one way or another. I fed her some cereal, and she ate it, but wasn’t really into it. Didn’t show signs of sickness. Didn’t really want to play. Just groggy and neutral. She lay on me in the recliner for the majority of the remainder of the day.

The others were super sweet and did a great job of being quiet and sensitive for her, even without my asking. 

Wavy ate supper and did the evening with us, and went to bed at a normal time, right around 7:00pm.

Buuuuut you’d better believe she woke up at 9:00pm feeling just fine, and figured it was time to get up from her nap 🤦‍♀️ It makes sense, except that her parents were pretty tired themselves, and weren’t looking to spend another handful of hours awake. Thank goodness, she didn’t last as long as it seemed she was going to, and she went back to bed in time for us to not be complete zombies. 

It was an odd day without Wavy, but her little body clearly needed it. This morning, she woke up around 9:00am and rocked a normal morning schedule. I’m thankful that blip didn’t turn her around too badly, and we can all carry on because *drumroll please* reality starts tomorrow!!! Or Monday. We’ll see how lively we all are tomorrow 😆 But we need to be back on our game and our regular schedule starting bright and early on Monday!

Enjoy this last weekend, friends ❤️ With the new year comes longer days and colder temperatures, lol! 

In case you missed it, I’ve been making a lot of Christmas gifts this year. I’ve crocheted since I was about 12, so that’s been my main source of homemade gifts over the years. I’ve gone through stages where I felt kind of creatively stunted, but I’ve always rallied and just learned more about crocheting. I can safely say I’m actually pretty good at that now. 

This year, I wanted to try something new. I wanted to try knitting. But I was nervous, for a handful of reasons. What if my project gets bumped and just slips off the needles? Is it all just over then?? What if I drop a stitch?? I have no idea how to get that stitch back! I assume that would come with time and learning, but I felt like knitting left WAY more room for error than crocheting did. 

So. I cheated. And I did loom knitting instead. I’ll admit that loom knitting is quite a bit more limiting, but I’m honestly SO happy with how my projects and gifts turned out this year! So this post is mostly for my records, to see all I managed to put together for Christmas this year. I feel accomplished, which is GOOD, because my body is screaming from all the bad posture and repetitive movements and all that good stuff. If I wasn’t so happy with how every project had turned out, I’d be a lot more upset about my pain. I can confidently say, it is SO worth it!! 

First, I’m going to explain my scarves to you. They’re double thick infinity scarves. As in, if they weren’t attached at the end, they’d be tubes. They’re ridiculously warm. This is actually the first one I ever made and planned to give as a gift, but never found the right person for. 

So here are the scarves I gifted out this year!

First one was supposed to be trees, but it looks more like feathers. Still nice though, I think. Its for Laela’s teacher. 

Second one is a purple ombré type thing with some grey and navy in there. Its for my doctor. I had a whole other one going for her but then it got super messed up right at the end and I couldn’t save it :/ So this one will do!

Third was is probably the coolest one I made. Coral and charcoal. For Jerilee. 

Fourth one is a textured yarn called “painted desert.” My mom chose it for herself 🙂 Its a heavier scarf but SO warm and soft. 

Fifth one is Rider green with white snowflakes. For Dekker’s teacher who is a diehard Riders fan. 

Sixth one is very “Christmas sweatery,” which is the perfect fit for our Christmas sweater loving neighbour, Rae. 

The last one is the same kind of textured yard, but the shade “Nouveau.” Cher chose this one for herself too. She loves a good neutral brown tone. 

Now for mitts! Who knew you could do mitts on a loom!

I feel it’s important to say, I made another pair not featured here for Brady. They weren’t so much a gift as a trial pair that he ended up loving. 

First pair is for my sister, a lover of pink. 

Second pair is for my sister in law, in a yarn called “Hudsons Bay.” 

Third pair is actually the pair I made for the homemade gift exchange I organized this season! My person is something of a lipstick addict, so I hope they’re a good fit!

Fourth pair is for my neighbour, Tom, who seems to always been outside, clearing his driveway. Unfortunately, I miscounted rows, and they’re not perfect :/ But, I didn’t have the strength left in my hands to remake one.

Lastly, here are the sets I made for the kids! Toques and a double thick neck warmer, made like the scarves. 

Wavy has sheep with hearts, and the neck warmer is just little dots. 

Solly has trees and moons. 

Rowan has the foxes, because he LOVES foxes. That set felt the most labour intensive. 

Laela loves her cupcake toque from last year, so I’m hoping this one goes over just as well!

And Dekker got triangles, because he likes something cool and different, and didn’t express any particular object or animal on his. I know the main colour blue is different, because I found nicer yarn partway through the project, but I don’t think Dekker will mind. He is a BIG encourager that mistakes are important to make 🙂 

I guess lastly lastly is the gift tags I made. 

I always want to make little snowflake gift tags and never get to it. So this season, I had a bit of a “Whatever, I’m already broken” attitude, and made them. I’m really happy with how they turned out 🙂 Even if they get pitched with the wrapping paper, I’m happy I made them. 

Thats it, folks!! Now just root for me, that I can’t pick up real knitting this coming year! Thats the goal of 2020! One of them, anyway… Resolution post to come! 

Alright, friends! I’m back again, like every year, to tell you what my children got from their parents for Christmas. Its NOT for competitive purposes at all, but more so to talk about the four categories we buy into over here! 

If you’re new, welcome! We do Christmas gifts in four categories in our family. You may have heard of this. We buy each child something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. On top of that, in the last couple of years, we usually buy a pair of jammies and I also crochet something. We don’t do stockings. 

To clarify the categories a little, we work pretty hard not to buy toys. They get lots of toys from others, and they have plenty already, so we have to get pretty creative. This year, their “wants” are things we know they will like but do not need. Their “needs,” on the other hand, aren’t necessarily needs, because we are fortunate enough to be able to give our children what they need along the way. In the “need” category, we just choose a more practical gift. Their “wear” can be anything from a new hoodie to jewelry, but since money was particularly tight this Christmas season, we ended up using the extra jammies as their “something to wear.” And their “something to read” also has a lot of range. Storybooks, magazine subscriptions, activity books, etc. 

So! What did we get the kids, you ask?? 

Dekker got a daily calendar for his want. Each day’s page is a new instruction for a paper airplane, and the page itself is colourful cardstock to make it out of. His need is a minion electric toothbrush, which is a new concept over here. His wear is a cute set of jammies with milk and cookies on them. His read is his BEST gift, easily! Its called the Ultimate Book of Vehicles. He got the construction version years ago and still LOVES it, so I knew he’d LOVE this one, too! On top of his gifts, I made him a blue toque and neck warmer set with aqua and grey triangles on them. 

Laela got a small loom and a ball of yarn for her want. She is always itching to knit with me, and this way she has a loom that fits her hands and attention span a little better 😉 Her need is a My Little Pony electric toothbrush. Her wear is matching jammies to Dekker, and her read is a book called the Dinky Donkey. Do you remember the Wonky Donkey book that blew up this year?? Its also a song, and Brady sings it to the kids all the time. There appears to be a spin off, and its a girly version! This book tells the story, and I’m confident she’ll sing along to it and we’ll all know it in no time! Laela got a dark purple toque and neck warmer with cupcakes on them.

Rowan’s want is a train whistle. He LOVES it. You can maybe sense a theme, but he also got a minion electric toothbrush and jammies, but he got a big cozy sleeper! His book is called Rowan the Red Squirrel, where he and his friends, Hazel, get into all kinds of trouble. I loved that Hazel is his friend, because Laela is Laela Hazel, and they definitely love to play together. Its SUCH a good fit. Rowan also got a grey toque and neck warmer set with foxes on them. 

Solomon’s want is probably the lamest, haha! I got him stars to stick on the ceiling above his bed. I think he’ll love them, but he won’t really be able to have them, as in play with them. But still, I think he’ll enjoy them once they’re up. He got a minion electric toothbrush and a sleeper, and then I got him the book The Day the Crayons Quit, mostly because I couldn’t work up the nerve to pay out $30 for the book I really wanted to get him, but also because its a really funny book. Sollys toque and neck warmer were black with greyish trees and moons. 

Waverly got a little stuffed singing caterpillar for her want. It has a super soft little song, which I love. I don’t love noisy toys. She, too, got a My Little Pony electric toothbrush and a sleeper. I botched up sized though, and her sleeper is too big 😔 So I also bought her a pink pair of monster feet slippers, because they’re cozy, and she LOVES dress up. Lastly, her book made me a little sad. The one I had my eye on was only released towards the end of this year. Brand new. And when I found it, it was only a paper book!! The board book version isn’t set to be released until (wait for it) June of 2021!!! Not even 2020. 2021!!!!! Absurd. While she does ok with books now, I felt like a board book was still the best, so she got a board book version of Chicka Chicka 123. Wavy’s toque and neck warmer were grey, with sheep and little coral and white hearts. 

Realistically, looking at their gifts, I know there’s nothing too thrilling there, but I LOVE their gifts, and they’re such grateful kids. ❤️ I like the standard we’ve set, and I like the push to be creative and practical with gifts, where I’m not bringing TONS of new stuff into the house every year, but they’re also not going without. I like brainstorming ideas with friends, too, if anyone wants to do categories with us next year!! The day before the children opened their gifts, I had a little sad moment where I wish we had done more. I worried their gifts were boring and merpy. I was disappointed that most of the gifts we got our kids, people would easily slip into stockings and wrap up the bigger, better gifts. After I took a step back, though, I am SO happy with how it all looks. 

And, true story, not a single child in the room was disappointed!! Win!