Friday, October 24, 2008

I am a bad blogger!

It's been over 2 months since my last entry, and strangly enough, I don't have a whole lot to share.

The girls have been growing like crazy. Addy is now 20 months old. She has a great vocabulary, but only uses it when she feels like it. She understands every word you tell her, but half the time when it's something she doesn't want to hear (such as "Don't do that" or "Put that down") she just looks at you like you're an idiot speaking a different language. She has discovered a new love, as well...The Wiggles! lol She is also going through a phase right now where pretty much the only thing she wants to eat is bananas (known as numnas to her). But there are many, many things that she could be wanting to eat, that I'm not going to complain about something healthy like numnas.

She has officially stopped walking and now runs everywhere. There is no stopping that child. She is into anything and everything and no matter what it is, how heavy it is, how high up it is, or whatever, she is determined to get into it! She doesn't seem to understand the word no in the listening context, but in the speaking context, she has it down pat.

Bedtimes and naptimes have greatly improved. She is now going down fairly easy, and when she doesn't want to sleep she just gets up and plays until she tires herself out and crawls back into bed. Although the other night, rather than playing she decided to color. All over her closet doors, her bed and her sheets. Whoever left those crayons in her room where she could reach them will be in big trouble when I find out their identity!

Potty training is not even in our vocabulary right now. She was doing really well with pooping on the potty, but has since decided that it takes too much time and she just can't fit it into her busy schedule. So when she is ready, I will be there dropping to my knees and thanking God I only have one in diapers!

And speaking of that little one in diapers, my tiny little Lexi-Lou is not so tiny anymore. She is crawling all over the place, although she still isn't sitting up without having to support herself by keeping her hands on the floor. She loves to babble away and make lots of loud, high-pitched noises.

She's taken after her sister in the great sleeper department. We get a solid 10 hours before she wakes up for a bottle and goes back to sleep for another 4 hours. Naps are pretty good too. She was napping for 3-4 hours in the afternoon, but she has started preferring to take 2 naps that are only an hour to an hour and a half long. Still nothing to complain about though! She never did take the soother, she just goes down with her bottle (yes, I know, I'm bad) and sucks on her 2 middle fingers.

She absolutely loves to be in her jolly jumper. As soon as you start to put her in it those little legs start kicking and make it quite difficult! lol She will just jump and jump and jump in that thing. I think the only thing she might like more than it is crawling around.

At this stage with Addy, her sleep habits had kinda gone to hell, and she was either sleeping in bed with me or having to be put to sleep in the swing and then moved to her crib. Lexi won't even lay still in my bed, and she isn't too crazy about the swing, whether for sleeping or distracting her so I can get stuff done.

The 2 girls absolutely adore each other, but even at this age they are already fighting. A little sibling rivalry is to be expected, though, especially when they are both so young and don't understand the concept of sharing, or quite get that pulling hair and pinching hurts like a mother. lol

It's sweet to see them interact when they're getting along. They love to hug each other and give kisses and their faces light up when they see each other. I'm sure that they will be great friends throughout their childhoods and when they are adults.





















Thursday, August 7, 2008

Yay Me!

Today I had a very productive day. I got my kitchen all cleaned up (it was such a disaster, I am embarrassed to even think about it), got everything unpacked from camping on the weekend, cleaned up all the toys that were scattered from one end of the house to the other, did some laundry and even got my floors washed!

My sister also took Addy and Alexis for me this evening. She wanted to take them for some Auntie/Nieces time and I jumped at the chance to have 2 free hours to myself. Jamie was already gone to work and I spent the whole time doing what I wanted to do. And man did I need it. I got to blast my music, did some reading, had a little workout, took a bath and just relaxed.

And now the heat in this house could very well kill me. It has to be close to 30 degrees in here and it seems no matter how many windows I open, it's not cooling off in here like it is outside. If it doesn't get much better tonight, I'm definitely not going to be sleeping well. All I can say is thank heavens I'm not pregnant!

Friday, August 1, 2008

Another Long Weekend Is Here!

This week has been a really good week with the girls. They have been in good moods, napped well, went to bed well and were cuter than usual, if that's even possible. They slept in and treated their mommy to leisurely mornings and quiet afternoons that they slept away. And still, I managed to get absolutely nothing done around here!

This weekend we were supposed to be getting the house ready to have the realtor come take a look and give us an idea of a selling price, but it looks like that will be pushed to the back burner again. Instead we're going to spend the weekend out at the lake with friends and possibly at another lake with my sister and her hubby. There isn't a whole lot to do around here anyways, that doesn't require a trip to the city to buy supplies, and we aren't going to the city any time soon so I suppose it's no big loss. I'm still in love with the house we looked at in Myrnam, but we're not sure we're ready to make that move. But it has been for sale for quite some time now (things don't seem to move very fast out there), so my fingers are crossed that when we're ready to make a move, it will still be available.

Jamie is off until Tuesday evening when he goes onto nights, so I'm looking forward to having some family time and for the girls to get to spend some time with him. This week he has been long gone by the time they get up for the day, and when he's been getting home, they're already in bed asleep, so I know they are missing their daddy and he is missing them.

Anyways, I have lots to do to get ready for the weekend, and not much time to do it, so I am off. Enjoy your long weekend, everyone!

Friday, July 18, 2008

My New 'Do!

Today was a day I have been looking forward to for awhile. It was my afternoon, child-free, to get my hair done and relax. I wanted a change, so I went in and told the stylist "Something short, and red, and different," and this is what she did. It's bold and I think it's way cooler than I am, but I love it!

Here is my before picture, taken yesterday:



And here are the after pictures taken this afternoon:



Thursday, July 17, 2008

1 More Sleep!

1 more sleep until my kid-free afternoon of pampering. I can hardly wait! It will be so nice to have an afternoon to myself. I love my girls, but I need some time for myself. It is long overdue.

Today was another uneventful day, although I did put a pretty good dent in Mount Washmore. There is still alot to do, but I did get a surprising amount done. I didn't manage to get much else done, but I can deal with that. It seems that whenever I do laundry, it gets washed and dried, but then just stuck in a laundry basket and forgotten about. So today I had alot of folding and putting away to do.

Tonight seems to be a nice treat. Both girls are already fed, bathed and in bed asleep. So it looks like Jamie and I may have some couple time!

I broke Addy's blind in her bedroom today. It's one of those stupid roller ones that you have to pull down farther to get to go up. Well I pulled, and it fell on my head. So now her window is covered with our duvet cover, which is a not so subtle pink. And being in her room is now like being in a cotton candy machine. Everything is pink. Hopefully Jamie can get that blind fixed soon!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Happy Hump Day!

Well the week is half over now. Only 2 sleeps until my child-free afternoon! I can hardly wait, although I know as soon as I leave the house I will be missing my girls.

I didn't do much of anything today, although I did see the doctor. I went because my ears have been giving me issues, but it turns out it is just because of my allergies and the fact that I'm not (not to mention can't) take anything for them because I'm breastfeeding.

I also asked about all my belly pain. I have been having alot of numbness and pain around my c-section incision as well as pain on the left side of my abdomen. He says that it is muscle spasms from screwing around with my muscles during my surgery (obviously he didn't use those words...lol) and that I have 2 options. Option #1 is a topical gel that should help. Option #2, if that doesn't help, is "targeting the spasms" and he says he does that for a few patients but that it is incredibly painful. So I figure I'll try the gel, but if that doesn't work I'll just wait and let it work itself out. It's not painful enough that I want to try an "incredibly painful" procedure to get rid of basically some mild-moderate discomfort. Plus I'm a wimp. lol

Not much else to mention, though. Tomorrow will be dedicated to laundry and housecleaning, assuming my kids let me.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

What is wrong with people?

I sat down at the computer this morning with my cup of coffee to check my email and see what's in the news today, like I usually do. And what do I see? Yet another news story of a dead, abandoned newborn being found.

I just don't get what is wrong with these people. I can understand someone finding themselves dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. It's not fair, but I know it happens. But do these women (and girls) not understand that they have options? As much as I disagree with it, and I am 100% pro-life, I would rather see a woman have an abortion than to leave their baby in a dumpster or a stairwell or wherever to die. But if they do carry on with the pregnancy, why not just give the baby up? Why abandon it? Why not seek medical help when they go into labor? Or if they don't, at the very least drop the baby off at a hospital after it's been born so that it can be taken care of.

There are so many couples who can't have children, or who miscarry, or who have a baby or child die, yet these women who are blessed with these babies just throw the child's life away like it doesn't count.

Hopefully one day there will be a system in place for women who feel they have no other option. So that another baby doesn't have to suffer like so many have. In the meantime, I suppose all we can do is hold our own kids close to us and be thankful to be able to provide for them.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Another new week.

It is Monday again, and for once I am actually feeling well-rested and happy. I am usually not a morning person, and although I am usually in a better mood by this time of the morning than when I first get up, I have been strangely un-grumpy since I rolled out of bed.

It's certainly not because I had a restful weekend. Saturday Jamie was barely around at all and I had a difficult day with the girls. By the time the weekend rolls around I am so ready for his help, and he was busy and I didn't get it. Yesterday was also busy, but the girls were much easier than they were the day before.

I think the real reason why I feel so wonderful is because I got a good night's sleep last night. And not just 6-ish hours of straight sleep like parents of a baby are thrilled to get...Lexi was down by 11:00, I was asleep shortly after and she let me sleep in until 8:45 this morning. That's how real people sleep! lol

This week should be relatively uneventful. Nothing planned until Friday, when I get an afternoon to myself. Either my mom or my mom-in-law will be watching the girls and I will have the entire afternoon to myself to go to St. Paul and get my hair done. Something short and red, I think.

The weekend should be busy because we have a wedding to go to, but it will be nice to get out and do something. We won't be kid-free (although we will likely only take my breastfeeding lady with us), but it will be a nice change of scenery, not to mention routine.

So I have my fingers crossed for a nice, quiet, maybe even relaxing week. Hopefully my 2 lovely ladies are in agreement with me on that one!

Some photos!

Lately I have been trying to make a conscious effort to take more pictures of the girls. I always took alot when I just had one child, but since Lexi was born, I haven't taken as many. Which I suppose is to be expected, but I really want to have those memories.

So along with taking more pictures, I have been really trying to get some good ones, too. To put some thought into them and try to make them as good as can be, not just Lexi propped up in the corner of the couch, or Addy in the highchair eating because that's the only time I can get her to sit still.

So here are some of the ones I am most proud of. They're almost all of Addy. For some reason, I hardly get any good ones of Lexi. Although she has gotten much better, she is still not greatly photogenic, and her movements are still a bit jerky and unexpected, so I end up with some part of her blurry.









Thursday, July 10, 2008

One Of Those Days

Today was a day, as Cathy so perfectly put it, from you know where. It started last night, with both of my girls not sleeping well. Jamie was on nights so I was left to deal on my own. Addy was a little difficult to get to sleep, but there was no throw-up, so I'm not going to complain about that. But she had a very restless sleep and was up countless times crying out, but she was able to soothe herself back to sleep, so that was good.

Alexis...Not so much. She was up at aroung 12:30am, and then again at about 4:00am, wide awake both times and very demanding of my constant attention. She also had me up much earlier in the morning than I would have liked, and wouldn't you know, as soon as we were up and I was semi-awake, she was snoozing in her swing.

Addy had a very difficult morning. She was very bratty, which is unusual for her. She was pinching, hitting, throwing toys at her sister, picking on the cat and throwing tantrum after tantrum after tantrum.

Lexi was a little better, but still not very happy. Fussy and, again, very demanding of my attention. I'm beginning to wonder if she might be teething already. I was hoping that would wait a few more months so the breastfeeding would continue to stay pleasant, but I'm not so sure.

Anyways, they both basically slept the afternoon so that was nice. And I shipped Addy off to her Grandma Dianne's for the night, so it's so nice and quiet around here. Lexi is already fed, bathed and in bed, and I have the evening to myself.

The weekend is nearing, but I don't think it will be very relaxing. It sounds like it's going to be another busy one that won't be much of a break. Maybe one of these times I'll get a bit of a break. Just not this time.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Friday Yet Again

Another week has come and gone, and we're back to the weekend. I sat down a couple of times this week to write in my blog but I just couldn't think of anything to say. It was a pretty uneventful week here.

We tried the potty training thing again with Addy. I was happy leaving things alone for awhile (although I am so tired of changing diapers I could cry). But Sunday night Addy made the "poop face" and Jamie asked her if she needed to go potty and she went straight to the bathroom. So I thought maybe she was ready. Monday morning came, I put her on the potty right away. You could tell she was trying but nothing came, so I put her in a pair of panties and off we went with our day. We tried a couple times between then and lunch (she had slept in so there wasn't much time there) and nothing. During lunch she was sitting in her high chair and got a strange look on her face, so I asked her if she needed to go and she gave me her yes "noise" but by the time she was out of the chair she had wet herself. And boy did that upset her. And after that she didn't even want to try anymore. I'd say 'potty' and she'd throw a tantrum. So that was the end of that.

Lexi had her shots last Friday and that went well. She cried a bit, but I managed not to. She is now weighing in at 13 pounds, 12.5 ounces and is just under 25 inches long. She seems chubbier to me than Addy did, but I checked Addy's book and she was actually bigger at her 4-month shots (14 pounds 6 and 3/4 ounces and 25 inches long). So I must not be remembering very well.

Anyways, at that appointment the health nurse also told me they changed the recommended age to start introducing solids. It was 4 months when I had Addy, but now it's 6 months. But I had already started Lexi on rice cereal at that point. So I'm still debating whether I will continue or not, but since then she hasn't gotten it.

This week has actually been really crappy weather-wise. Overcast every day (although I believe Wednesday morning was nice, but it went to the crapper by lunch time) and at the very least rain, although I think we had a thunderstom every day too. But so far, today is nice. Hopefully it stays that way. Savannah and Alicia are spending the night here tonight and I thought it'd be fun to have a campfire. And I'm dying to get outside and get some fresh air (and get my kids out...You can tell Addy has been cooped up too long), so hopefully the weather cooperates.

This weekend should be a busy one too (although aren't they all?). Tomorrow is the community garage sale, so I will definitely be doing alot of garage-saling. The rib cook-off happens tomorrow too, so that saves me having to make a meal but it's definitely not a time-saver. Tomorrow night is Irene's bridal shower, which Martina, Lexi and I are going to. And then Sunday we're off to the city to buy Jamie his Father's Day BBQ, do his tux fitting for Kim and Ryan's wedding and hopefully be back in time to get to the beach with Holly and the girls, assuming it's nice.

I'm tired just thinking about it all.

Monday, June 16, 2008

My Lucky Girls and Their Wonderful Daddy

This Father's Day has really gotten me thinking about how lucky my kids really are. I always thought I had a great dad when I was growing up, but when push came to shove, he made it very obvious his children are not a priority to him.

When I was first pregnant with Addy I wasn't too sure how Jamie would do. But he surprised me and he really grew up and stepped up to the plate when she was born. And all through my pregnancy with Lexi when I was unsure of everything and had no idea how things could possibly work out, he was there to remind me how wonderful she would be and to not worry about things.

He may put up a fight about changing dirty diapers, and he may not help with the laundry, and Lord knows he is completely oblivious to the housework that I need help with, but my 2 little girls have the most wonderful Daddy they could possibly ask for.

He loves them and spoils them. There is always room in his lap for a little lady and I quite often find him hiding out in one of their rooms playing with them. I know in the years to come he will endure more tea parties than either one of us can imagine, have more pretties in his hair than he could care to count, and he will probably end up made up more than once too, but I know there will be no complaints out of him.

Sometimes I think he could use a lesson or two in compassion, but he always puts their needs first. His baby girls are his top priority and he doesn't try to hide it. We were barely home from the hospital with Lexi and he was asking me when we could have another baby.

Addison and Alexis are very lucky to have such a wonderful Daddy, and I know they will never have to endure the emotional pain my father has put my siblings and me through. And that is a good feeling.

Even though it was yesterday, Happy Father's Day to a wonderful father and husband! I hope you enjoyed your day about you, when you make every other day about your kids!




Monday, June 9, 2008

Mondays Suck

Today was a rainy day and I spend most of it in bed being lazy. Jamie is on nights this week so he was my enabler. He watched Addy for most of the day and Lexi either slept or laid in bed with me and nursed.

Usually I like rainy days but today I didn't. The weather just made be feel mopey and exhausted. And now Jamie is working and my pity party is continuing. I've been trying to get Addy to sleep for about 2 hours now with no luck. And all I want to do is go to bed so I can sleep and not feel so tired tomorrow.

This weekend really did me in. Since 2 Saturdays ago, Holly and I had been into the city 4 times including this weekend. And yesterday I didn't seem to get anything done but it still somehow was a busy day.

My house is still a disaster and I'm beginning to think it will look that way until my kids have moved out in a couple of decades from now. And even then it might still look like a disaster because I'll probably need another few years to catch up on my lost sleep.

I'm also still behind on my laundry. But I am coming to terms with the fact that that's never going to change.

Well, Addy is still in her room, wide awake, crying her head off and now my boobs are leaking like the Hoover Dam, so I guess it's about time to cut this short.

Here's hoping tomorrow is a better day.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

My Girls

Thought I should post a little update about the girls, seeing as it's been awhile since I have. Plus I like to talk about them. lol

Addison seems to have entered The Terrible Two's a few months early. She has become very stubborn and the temper tantrums are happening more and more often. She has also begun to really climb things. I am forever catching her on the little table in her bedroom, up on the back of the loveseat sitting facing the window checking stuff out and on the kitchen chairs, which are really only on the way to getting onto the table where I most often find her. When we first brought up the patio furniture, we had put the baby gate up on the deck and Jamie and I were outside playing with her. Lexi woke up to be fed so I went to get her and Jamie went to get us some drinks and before he even had them poured Addy was on top of the patio table.

But even if she is very defiant and has that famous Davidsen Temper, she is still a wonderfully loveable little girl. She likes to give hugs and kisses, and she loves her baby sister more than anyone. She is forever getting up close to her face to look at her and talk to her and she loves to snuggle her and shower her with kisses. She will even try to pick her up of of your lap if you are holding her, or take her out of her bouncy seat. And the scary thing is she can pick her up no problem, so unfortunately for Lexi she doesn't get to chill out on a blanket on the floor.

You can definitely tell that Addy is transitioning from a baby to a toddler when you look at her eating habits. Before she would eat anything and everything and lots of it. Now she is becoming a little bit more picky and will take things out of her mouth that she doesn't like and chuck them across the room. Also, some days she will eat like crazy, but the next day she will hardly touch anything.

She's still on the formula and gets a bottle when she goes down for her nap and at bedtime. I have been debating trying milk again, but I think this time we will try soy milk and see how that goes.

I am anxious to start potty training, although I know it's still too early. We have the little potty in the bathroom and every so often I will sit her on it (still clothed, though) just so she can get used to it. I am just so tired of changing diapers, so I blame that on my anxiousness.

Addy is also learning new words all the time. Unfortunately her grandma taught her Shit when we were in Jasper and now it's not unusual for me to hear "Oh shit!" come out of her mouth. I find that so frustrating and it upsets me to the point that I really think I could cry because I try to be so careful and I was always worried other people's language would result in this. She also has learnt Stick, but that seems to come out as Dick and unfortunately some people don't feel the need to correct her and ennunciate when they speak. Some of the words that don't tick me off that she has now added to her vocabulary are Duck (and any bird is a duck), Daddy (which she says clear as a bell and when I coax her to say Mommy, this is what she comes back with), Hot and Ow.

She has made the adjustment to her toddler bed amazingly well and is back to sleeping through the night I would say about 95% of the time. She is going down well for her naps and I have noticed a real decrease in her making herself throw up (praise the gods!).

Alexis seems to be a completely different baby and sometimes I can barely believe my eyes and ears. She has completely outgrown the colic and is a happy, smiley baby. She was laughing the other day, but I think that is going to be like what her smiling was like. When she first started smiling she was soooooo hard to get to smile, and that seems to be where the laughing is headed. But now she is smiley all the time so hopefully in a few weeks we will get to hear that amazing little giggle on a regular basis. I said to my sister a couple of weeks back that there is nothing more amazing than looking down at your baby when he/she is breastfeeding and having them smile at you, but I think hearing that laugh for the first time might just be right up there with that.

Lexi is definitely on the road to sleeping through the night. I was getting a good 6 hours out for her usually, which is really nothing to complain about. But since I have started trying to get her out of our bed at night and into the bassinet, those stretches have seemed to decrease, but I guess that is to be expected. Soon enough she will be sleeping through the night, though, and she'll be out of the bassinet and into her room, so for now I think I will just cherish these nights where I get to snuggle with her in bed, even if I do get woken up more often than I would like.

This morning we gave the rice cereal another shot. I think this is about the 3rd or 4th time we have tried. Addy started at 4 weeks (no, that's not a type-o, and boy was she ready for it!) so I have tried Lexi a few times since about that age, but she just wasn't ready for it yet. But today she was. Those little arms and legs were flailing and kicking like crazy, and her mouth was open like a little bird waiting for the food in between bites. And when the bite would come, she would slurp it off the spoon like there was no tomorrow! With it taking her so long to be that way, I really find it amazing that Addy did those things at a fraction of Lexi's age.

Lexi has also started rolling over from her tummy to her back. I thought to myself one day that she should be getting close the being able to do it, so I put her on her tummy and she rolled almost immediately.

She's still breastfeeding like crazy, but she is also getting better with the supplementing. I have to hand it to those moms who breastfeed without the occasional supplementing. I sure couldn't do it. Some days by the time the evening rolls around, I just feel so "touched out" that I have to ask Jamie to give her a bottle. And actually, last weekend my sister and I spend an entire day in the city doing some shopping, getting pedicures, saw a movie and just had a girl's day, so Lexi didn't get to breastfeed from about 6:30am until about 9:00pm and she did amazingly well. I, on the other hand, was very full and tender and that was after "taking care of it" twice in the last 5 hours.

Well, Jamie is home from work now, so I guess it's time I go find us some supper.

Monday, June 2, 2008

6 Things.

I have been tagged by Erin. The topic is to share six unimportant things about myself and then to tag six other people to do the same thing. Here are the rules: 1. Link back to the person who tagged you. 2. Post these rules on your blog. 3. Share six unimportant things about yourself. 4. Tag six random people at the end of your entry.

#1. I hate popcorn...Even the smell makes me nauseaus but every once in awhile I get a huge craving for it.

#2. I'm actually not a big fan of driving. I would much rather have someone chaffeur me around.

#3. I hate to cook, but I love to bake.

#4. I can type over 100 words per minute and I never have the right fingers on the right keys.

#5. I have a horrible temper. It takes me a long time to lose it, but when I do, I lose it big time.

#6. I love shoes. And the higher the heel the better. I have a large collection, but nowhere to wear them.


Well, I'm supposed to tag 6 people now, but I think everyone whose blog I read has already posted this. But in case I'm wrong and I've missed someone, I tag you!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Not Computer Savvy

Apparently I am not very computer savvy.

I started my last post on Tuesday but only just finished it today (and no, for those of you who are smart-asses, I have not been posting since then...hehehe), and now it is dated for Tuesday.

Or perhaps I was just fore-telling the future??

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Still Kicking

Apparently it has been awhile since I've posted here (as Holly pointed out last weekend), so here I am.

Not too much exciting has been going on around here lately. On the long weekend the 4 of us went up to Jasper and met my mom and cousin there. It was kind of a bust, though. Two babies and all the gear that goes along with two babies made it very difficult to be able to sightsee and do the things we wanted too. Although I did book a "surprise tee time" for Jamie to go golfing at the Jasper Park Lodge and I tagged along with him leaving Mom and Leigh to look after the babies. It was really nice to be able to spend an afternoon together without the girls, although I think I spent most of the time driving the golf cart to catch up to Jamie and fetching clubs. Which I still don't understand. Most of the time it would have been faster for him to get them himself than for us to do our charade of:

"Bring me the 9 iron!"

"Which one is that?"

"The one with the 9 on it!"

"Where would the 9 be? Oh, is it this one?"

"No! The one with the 9 on it!"

"This one?"

"Does it have a 9 on it?"

"No!"

"Then not that one!"

Anyways, I don't think I will ever have a job as a caddy. hehehe

This past weekend was my neice's birthday and the party was at our house. I remember saying to my sister "If I can handle 2 babies, surely I can handle a pack of 8 and 9 year old girls." HA! lol I suppose it would have been a lot easier if I had been organized. My house was a disaster and Holly's and my "quick trip" into Veg to get the party stuff ended up taking half the day and half of the guests beat us to the house. Thankfully Jamie was home. Jamie who was supposed to clean the house but instead left our 9 year old neice to babysit Addy while he napped all afternoon. Men. *sigh*

So the lack of organization combined with the mess that was my house put my stress level through the roof. But we all still had fun and surprisingly, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Jamie is back to working close to home and he is at the house at some point throughout the day every day, so that is so nice. It's been great for the girls to get to see him. He was missing out on alot with both of them, and although Lexi was still to young to know the difference, Addy was really missing her daddy.

This week I haven't managed to get anything done other than my yardwork. I still need to get my planters and hanging baskets all done up but everything else is done. And I am so happy about it. I had been after Jamie to do it (it seems I'm always after him to do the outside work) and I was sick of having to ask and having to look at it, so I figured seeing as both girls were napping at the same time I would just go out and get it over with. But now I need to find some sort of outdoor toy box for all the play things that go outside because I don't have anywhere to put them. And the tent needs to come down from the party last weekend but that is a 2-man job. It seems the to-do list never ends.

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. We're each getting a "free day" to do whatever we want. So on Saturday my sister and I are going into the city. She's got a couple of stops to make in the morning, and then in the afternoon we're getting pedicures and going to see the Sex and the City movie at silver city in West Ed (or whatever it's called now). Surprisingly, all the times I have been to that mall, I have never been into that theatre.

Then on Sunday Jamie is going golfing and afterwards we're going to have some people over for a BBQ. So that should be fun. The only thing is that gives me a crappy timeline to get the house cleaned. Sunday I want to get my planters done so that means I need to get all the housework done before my day on Saturday.

Okay, well I think I've been boring enough so I'm off to try to get a few more things done before my girlies wake up.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Another Week

We actually had a very productive weekend, which was long overdue. We got alot crossed off our to-do lists. The cabinets all have locks on them now (or at least the ones that the locks we bought will work on), we got the new light fixture up in the entry way as well as one in Lexi's room, Jamie finally took down the Christmas lights and brought in all the extension cords he had outside, the deck got pressure washed, some of the raking in the backyard got done, the vehicles got washed and a bunch of other little miscellaneous jobs got crossed off.

And I got a massive sunburn, not to mention a touch of sunstroke. I do it every year. The first really nice day comes along and I spend way too much time outside and without any sunscreen (and I know better, and I'm usually really careful about sunscreen, but I always do it) and I end up sick and sunburnt to a crisp. And to make matters worse, all that raking I did left me with arms and shoulders so sore it's painful to pick up Alexis.

And speaking of which, I cannot believe how quickly she is growing. She is already into 6 month sleepers and outfits, although she hasn't quite outgrown all of the 3 month stuff. She is smiley and happy and much less demanding of my attention now and she grins when she sees her big sister. She's still sleeping in our bed, but she is also now spending a good chunk of her time at night in the bassinet next to me. She loves to be outside and even though she won't fall asleep in her crib or bassinet on her own, if you put her outside in the stroller she will doze off on her own.

Addy, it seems, has finally made the adjustment to her new bed. As long as you get her down for her nap or bedtime on time (and don't try too early when she isn't ready yet), she goes down on her own and doesn't need someone in the room. She is now (other than the rare time) back to sleeping through the night. Typically she is down for the night at about 8:00pm, and sleeps through until early morning for a bottle. She'll then go back to sleep until somewhere between 8-9:00am. Everyday it seems she does something new. She has mastered going down the steps to the living room on her own, as well as climbing up on the couch and stealing the phone or remotes off the end table when nobody is looking and she loves to throw toys, shoes, bottles and whatever else she can get her hands on through the railings down the stairs. She also loves to be outside and likes to walk on her own when we go for walks. Yesterday she had her first trip of the year to the park and she was all over the place, swinging, going down the slides and climbing on anything and everything. She loves her baby sister and I have to be extremely careful about making sure that if I'm not in the room that Lexi is out of her reach because she will pick her up. She is a smart, loveable little girl, and I can't even fathom how much she has grown and changed in the last 14 or so months.

Last night, I did bedtime on my own with no help. I even had to bathe Lexi after supper (she doesn't usually get her bath around that time because we're so busy getting Addy into bed) but she had a major poo explosion so we had no choice. So 2 baths and I still had Addy into bed at a decent time. And I was on my own for the night too, and we all did really well. Addy was up at about 11:30 and was not very happy, but it only took her a few minutes to calm down and we were all back to sleep fairly quickly. And other than the crappy sleep I had because of the aforementioned sunburn and sore arms and shoulders, we had a really good night.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Welcome, Weekend!

I am so glad it's Friday afternoon. Jamie will be home in a few hours and I can enjoy the weekend. Hopefully I can actually get some stuff done and get Jamie to do a few things around here too. Number 1 on the list: installing the childproof locks on the cupboards. *Someone* has been putting off doing it basically since Addy has become mobile, and I am sick of picking up stuff she has pulled out of the cabinets and drawers and fishing her out of the lazy-susan cupboard.

I am also looking forward to a break from the laundry. This week has been an entire week of catching up on laundry and I am almost there. There's a load drying right now, a load in the washer waiting for the dryer and one more load to be washed. That is the closest I have been to caught up probably since Addy was born. In the past 5 days, I have washed, dryed, folded and put away...I would say if not 20 loads, pretty darn close to it. I am so sick of laundry but I will stay caught up with it from now on.

My Gorgeous Baby sling arrived this week too. I am having some difficulties with it, though. I can get Addy into it no problem in either the tummy-to-tummy with legs out position or the hip hold position. But I have been having some real issues with Lexi. I bought it basically for the cradle hold so I can nurse her in it or let her sleep in it so that I could get some housework done. But she does not like it and I can't figure out how to position her to nurse her. I tried the tummy-to-tummy hold with her today (legs in, though, not out like with Addy) and she liked that a bit more but I can't nurse her in that position. And I still don't even know if I have her in right in either of those positions. I'm sure that the sling fits me, I just don't know how to get Lexi in it. With Addy it's easy because her body isn't hidden away in the sling. But with the positions for Lexi, I don't know how she is supposed to be positioned because in the pictures and videos, you can't actually see the baby's body once they're in there. I feel like she is lost in the pouch. And of course I can't contact the company I bought it from because the couple that runs it just had a baby so they are closed until June 1st. Any baby-wearing mommies out there that can offer me some advice?

Thursday, April 24, 2008

It's Been Awhile

I've been slacking with my blog lately, but things have just been so busy it seems I barely get a chance to check my email, let alone post an entry here.

Things have just been the same chaos as usual around here. Jamie is still working in Camrose, but it looks like he should be back working close to home and here every day within a month's time. So that'll be nice. Especially for Addy because it's obvious she misses him alot when he's gone.

Alexis is growing like crazy. I've already packed away alot clothes she has outgrown, and it looks like I'm needing to do it again. She is finally starting to go longer in between feedings and sleeping for longer lengths. She is also happy when she's awake, for the most part anyways. She has been smiling for a couple of weeks now and although she hasn't rolled over yet, I don't think it will be long. Maybe now that she is awake for longer periods throughout the day she will be able to get more tummytime and hit that milestone soon.

Addison is now in a big girl bed. We had to ditch the crib because she was very close to being able to climb out of it. Not to mention she's done a real number on it. She would stand up in it and shake it, and it was not taking the abuse as well as it should have been. So into a big girl bed she went this past weekend. It has been a fairly smooth transition, although we have to stay in the room with her while she is falling asleep. If you leave her alone she either gets out of bed and bangs on the door while screaming her head off, or she stays in bed but makes herself throw up. Yes we're still dealing with that. Will it ever end? Anyways, all in all it has been a pretty easy transition. She sleeps normally once she's fallen asleep, it's just getting her there.

Yesterday we ended up spending the afternoon in the ER, though. I was sitting with her while she was falling asleep and she had been sitting up in the bed. I don't know if she lost her balance because she was on the pillow, or if she went to lay down and moved too quickly or what, but she smashed her head into the side of the bed. Right along her left eyebrow, across her temple and to just above her ear. She cried and cried and cried, and then she quit crying, calmed down and proceeded to throw up. So off to the hospital we went.

The nurse checked her out when we got there (about 1:45) and the doctor ordered x-rays and said we'd have to stay there the afternoon to make sure she was okay. He said he wanted to check her out when he got there after clinic hours and then we could go, assuming all was well. Other than the x-rays which she did not like, she was really good all afternoon. She was running around the ER and the waiting room like the crazy child that she is, and she even had a little nap on the stretcher. And we finally got to go home at about 5:30. Today you'd never know she was hurt except for the bruise on her eyebrow and the goose egg above her ear.

So that was her excitement for the week. And really, in all honesty, with the way this child is and being into everything, climbing on stuff and trying to jump off of things, I'm really surprised that was the first trip to the ER with her.

And for me this seems like it has been the longest and most stressful week ever, and I cannot wait until it's over.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Happy Friday!

Today the girlies and I had a nice, relatively quiet day. Lexi and I were up early and Addy slept in. We spent the morning visiting with my mom, who stopped in before work, and playing. I even managed to squeeze some tidying up in there.

After a late lunch, I got the girls ready to go out, strapped them into the stroller and headed downtown. We went to the bank, then across to the clinic to visit Grandma, to the post office and finally home. We went about 1km and it was so nice to get out of the house and enjoy the weather. And when we got home, before coming in, Addy and I played in the front yard while Lexi snoozed in the stroller. And apparently all that fresh air tired them out because they are now both in their cribs sleeping.

Tomorrow we're going into Walmart to get some photos done. I've been really wanting to get photos done by Tammy from Smiley Eyes Photography but it's been really hard to find a day where we can make it out to see her. So to Walmart we go for now. Addy has a bruised fat lip from falling and biting it, so she'll be wearing her first makeup at an early age, I think. And Jamie needs to get a haircut before. So we'll be in Veg for awhile, but it will be nice to finally have some pictures of my new girl.

Other than that we don't have alot planned. I have a couple of things that I want to get done around the house, but they're pretty small jobs that shouldn't take long. And Holly and I are planning on going out for a walk and enjoying the nice weather too, so that will be fun.

But it's getting to be that time where I have to figure out what we're having for supper, so I'm off.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Halfway there!

We're halfway to the weekend and I am definitely going to need a rest once we get there. This week has been busy, and today was only the first time I had to actually leave the house.

Grandma Dianne came this morning and took Addy because Lexi had her 2-month shots scheduled for 10:30am. She actually did quite well. She cried alot during the visit but that was just her normal fussiness. She got measured and weighed. At birth she was 20 inches long and 7 pounds 15 ounces. Today she is 22.5 inches long and 11 pounds 12 ounces. She is in the 25th percentile for length and the 75th percentile for weight. So she is growing nicely, and on a steady curve the nurse said.

She slept through the first needle although she did cry out in her sleep. But once that 2nd needle went in she was wide awake and screaming. And the volume only increased by the 3rd one. But as soon as she was done getting poked, I gave her the boob and she was fine. If memory serves me correctly she did alot better than her sister did at her 2-month shots.

Now she is fast asleep in her bouncy seat and you would never know she had such a rough morning.

I also got my flu shot. I apparently should have gotten it when I was pregnant, but I didn't. Addy has to go in later in the week to get hers too because she was supposed to get it last month at her 12-month shots but she didn't.

Today is absolutely beautiful out so I think I may take the girls out for a walk. We tried yesterday but Lexi cried the whole way so we cut it short. Hopefully she enjoys herself more this afternoon.

But Addy and Dianne are still not back, so I think it is time for me to tackle some laundry. There's a big pile to be washed, 3 baskets to be folded and 3 baskets that are folded but still need to be put away.

Have I mentioned that I hate laundry?

My Little Mischief Maker

Yesterday was quite the day with Addy. Trouble was finding her like it had never found her before. First off, I was trying to get Lexi to sleep and I realized I could hear Addy's whiney cry. It sounded like she was in the kitchen, but when I got there all I found was one of the lazy susan cupboards open and a bunch of cans out of it on the floor. But no Addy. Which I found strange because the whining was definitely coming from the kitchen.

I had a little moment of panic before I discovered where she was hiding. At that point I burst out laughing, which apparently made her feel a little better about her perch because the whining stopped.

I managed to squeeze her out (it is an unusually small opening), but 2 minutes later she had crawled back in. How in the world she could manage to squeeze through the opening, climb up onto the top shelf and get turned around and sitting, I do not know. She is mind boggling sometimes.


Then a little later in the afternoon I was once again busy with Lexi and I realized that things were a little too quiet in the house. So I went looking for Addy and found her on her way to the patio door. Which wouldn't be so bad except she had a trail of sandwich bags following her all the way from their drawer in the kitchen. *sigh*






She also got stuck trying to get behind the swing to play with the wood stove tools that she knows she's not allowed to touch. Nothing like getting busted disobeying, eh?
And here I thought the girls were having a nice sisterly love moment, but upon closer inspection of the picture I realized that Addy was pinching Lexi. Poor baby.
Yesterday we also had a little lesson on getting down the stairs. She has no problem going up the 2 steps from the living room, but she always needs help getting down. So I taught her how to get on hr tummy and go down backwards. She caught on quick and was up and down them all day. After her nap she was playing in her room and I was sitting on the couch nursing Lexi (notice a pattern here? She always gets into trouble when I'm busy with Lexi) and she came out. She was standing at the top of the 2 steps holding onto the railing and waving one foot out at the top of the stair. I wasn't too concerned because if you are holding her hands to get her to go down, she will do this but she will not step down them. Only this time she did. Somehow I managed to get from the couch and to her and catch her in midfall. And Lexi didn't even lose her latch. lol

And after all that, what better way to wind down than by sitting down with a sippy cup of apple juice and watching Cinderella?









Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Oh Yuck!

I just finished nursing Lexi about 5-10 minutes ago and I decided to treat myself to a little piece of chocolate because she wouldn't need another feeding for a couple of hours.

So I pop a chocolate Easter egg in my mouth and grab the jug of milk out of the fridge. I checked the date on it and it said April 15 so I poured a glass and downed it.

And after finishing gulping it down I realized it had turned bad and I drank it so fast I didn't realize this until it was gone. So now I can feel the belly ache coming on.

How does milk go bad a week before the best before date??

I think from now on I'll stick to water.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Another Monday

Today Jamie went to work and I began another week alone with the girls. GO's opened so Martina is working there in the evenings so it's a little later than usual that she gets here, but I think we'll cope okay.

This weekend was a busy weekend, and I didn't seem to get anything done around the house. We went to the home and garden show on Sunday and I got some good ideas for the house and yard, but mostly I just wanted to get out of there because it was incredibly busy.

This evening I got Dianne to come over and watch the girls after supper so I could get some housework done. I got quite a bit done, so now if I can just catch up on my laundry this week and stay caught up with the kitchen I should be doing good.

Anyways, I'm beat today so I'm gonna grab a snack and crawl into bed, I think.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Some (Overdue) Pictures From Easter

Hunting for eggs.




"I see more!"




"Gotcha!"




Checking out her loot.




Lexi showing off her Easter dress. I couldn't find matching ones that I liked, so the day before Easter my mom made 2 dresses and 2 pinnafores.




Giving Mommy a dirty look.




My 2 girlies (and Lexi's crazy eyes...lol).




I love how worried she always looks!




"Woohoo! Can I open it??"




Addy opening the basket the Easter Bunny left her.




Lexi wearing Addy's bunny ears.




Lexi getting help opening her basket from the Easter Bunny.

Pictures!












Oh the emotions!



It seems my girls are a little grumpy today. I thought I would share a couple of pictures of their grouchy faces.

An update...

Things here have continued to be busy and chaotic. Alexis seems to have settled down a bit, but she is still very demanding. She always wants to be held and won't sleep at night unless she is snuggled up to Mommy. Fortunately, I have learned to adapt to having a tiny person in bed with me and I am getting a much better sleep while still being aware that she is there.

Alexis is still also very gassy. You have never met a child that stinks like she does, I tell you. And she's strictly on breastmilk so I don't really understand why. But it does seem to be improving. I only have to turn to my friend Mr. Ovol Drops about 1-2 times a day now, rather than at every feeding. She is still only giving me about 3-4 hours of sleep at a time, although last night I was treated to 5 straight hours of glorious, glorious sleep.

Addy is continuing on with her sleep issues. Some nights she sleeps right though, but most nights she doesn't. She is back to being parented to sleep (by Auntie Martina, though) which frustrates me. I know she is old enough to be able to put herself to sleep, but I also have to accept that her world has been turned upside down basically since Christmas when I was put into the hospital. She also is rarely sleeping the night now and I know she can do that as well, so once we have a better routine with Lexi and she becomes a little less demanding and is sleeping better, it will be back to the Empathic Sleep Teaching with Addy.

I am both very proud and a little sad to announce that my baby Addy is now walking. She looks so funny because she is so little, but she just cruises around and it seems that the trouble that would find her before is finding her alot more quickly now. How can one little "innocent" baby find so much mischief to get into? No, the dog food is not to eat. No, don't put the dog food into their water and make them soup. No, please don't rip everything out of your dresser. No, please don't pull everything out of the kitchen drawers. Please get out of the fridge. Don't tear up the newspaper. Where in the world did you find that? No, don't shake drops of your drink out of your sippy cup and onto the floor and then lick it up. Please get out of the toilet. Why do you try to climb into your playpen, then scream bloody murder when I put you into it? Stay out of the garbage. Please don't climb into the dryer. Please don't swing the baby so high in her swing it threatens to tip over. *sigh* I am going to get old before my time, I think.

Anyways, despite her sleep issues and her mischievious ways, Addy really is a joy to have around. She loves to love her sister and give her hugs and kisses. When she isn't pulling the dogs' or the cat's tails or whacking them with her toys, she loves to love them too. Every morning and after her naps when I pick her up out of her crib she gives me a lovely snuggle and she makes me laugh every day. Her vocabulary is increasing by the minute and you have to be incredibly careful about what you say in front of her because she picks things up so quickly.

And I have been doing well too. I don't know what I would do without Martina staying here with me. I think I would have lost my mind by now!

My New 'Do

Last week I decided it was finally time to do something for me. Plus, I needed a little break and my mom offered to take the girls for me. So I went and got my hair cut and colored. I had been wanting to go short for awhile, but thought that with 2 babies it would take too long to style (as I do have to dedicate at least 5 minutes to styling my short hair) and a ponytail would be much easier. However because of my natural curls, it was taking me close to 10 minutes to brush it out each morning so I decided to go for it.


Here is the before picture:





And here is the after:





Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Happy Humpday!

Wow, 2 days in a row I have been able to post! Alexis just finally let me lay her down for her nap (she's been sleeping awhile but every time I laid her down before now she would wake up and want to be picked up), and Addy is still down from her nap, although she will probably be up soon.

This week is dragging on and on and on. It feels like it should be Friday already. But it's American Idol night again tonight so I won't complain. And tomorrow I have an appointment to get my hair cut and colored. I figure I deserve it, plus Jamie has been nagging me for a long time to go short again, so it will also be a nice surprise for him.

So, I am still wondering if it really is colic with Alexis. When Addy was born and I was breastfeeding her, right from day 1 I could not touch chocolate without it bothering her. I tried a bit in the hospital with Lexi and she was fine with it. But a couple of days ago I thought just to see I would not eat any and see if things improved with her. And they have gotten a bit better, so we will see if things continue to improve or at the very least stay the same, or if it was just a big coincidence.

I also have a swing issue. We have the Fisher Price Ocean Aquarium swing and ever since we got it it's been going through batteries like crazy. One day we noticed that in 2 of the battery slots (there's 4) there was some dark brownish marks (kind of like rust, but sludgy so it could be wiped off) which we assumed were from the batteries leaking, but I cleaned it up and there were no problems. Last night, the batteries in the swing died while Lexi was sleeping in it and this morning when I went to change them, one of the batteries I took out was dripping wet. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the part of the "body" where the suspended part of the swing comes out of also had drips of the battery acid (I assume that's what it is, anyways...What else would it be?) and it was right over top of the baby. So now the swing is out of commission. Even if it is all cleaned up and is no longer doing it and doesn't pose a risk as is, I am not going to risk it happening again and that crap dripping on my baby. So time for a new swing.

So hopefully we can get through the next few nights until I can get somewhere to get a new swing. Our sleep options with her at night are either in bed with me or in the swing and I don't get a good night's sleep with her next to me, so we will see what happens.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

A Free Minute!

Finally I have a bit of freetime to update my blog! Things here have definitely been difficult lately, so it has been tough to get a chance to do even my daily chores around here, let alone get on here to update.

Well, as much as I hate to admit it, I have been blessed with a colicky baby. I don't know why it's hard for me to admit. Maybe partly because admitting it makes it real, or maybe because my mom has always said that colic is due to a nervous mom and I don't feel I'm nervous (nor do I believe that, but it's hard to not question whether or not it's my fault she is this way), but nonetheless, it is hard for me to admit.

I guess on the scale of colic horrors, Alexis is not way, way up there, but she certainly is on it. She is next to impossible to settle or calm, she is always extremely gassy no matter what I do, and she doesn't like to sleep, or at least fall asleep. And, of course, worst of all, her favorite thing in the world to do seems to be scream her head off and demand my constant attention. Some times are much worse than others, and I wonder if the reason the evenings are so bad could be because come the end of the day my nerves are so shot from the crying that she senses my stress, or at least partially caused by that. Anyways, that is why I have been MIA.

Plus, the girls and I are sick right now, which doesn't make things easier. And Addy is in the midst of teething but it seems to me she always is. As soon as one tooth pops through, another part of her gums swells up to signal the arrival of yet another one. My poor girl is always dealing with a sore mouth.

So in the midst of all this, I have been trying to be very aware of my mental health and whether or not I may have or be developing post partum depression. And at this point, I can honestly say I've dodged a bullet this time. Which I find a little odd. I definitely had PPD with Addy, although at the time I was definitely in denial and never did get any help for it. And I had things so much easier with Addy than I do this time. For one, she was such an easy-going, happy baby and she rarely cried, but also I didn't have 2 babies to deal with like I do now. Anyways, I know that it can take alot longer than this to rear its ugly head, so I will continue to pay close attention.

I have had alot of help this time around too. It was always available to me the first time, but I didn't need it as much as I do now, so I am definitely utilizing it. I don't know what I would do without everyone around to help out and give me a break when I need it, or even just tidy up my house and catch up on the laundry because I never seem to have time to do those things. Although today I lucked out and both girls are napping at the same time, so I have been able to get alot done.

But on that topic, there is alot more I could be doing too, so I'm off to take advantage of this free time and get some much needed cleaning done.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

3 weeks today!

Today Alexis is 3 weeks old. It feels like she has been here forever, so when I stop and think that it has really only been 3 weeks, I can hardly believe it. In the last 3 weeks she has been a busy girl. She's gotten over her jaundice and grown alot. She seems so big compared to when she was born! She is a very demanding eater and wants to eat all the time. I think part of it may very well be her using me as a pacifier, but we have tried giving her the soother and she doesn't seem to like it. I think she has her days and nights mixed up too, as during the day she will sleep 5-6 hour stretches and is barely awake long enough to finish a feeding, but at night she wants to be fed every 3 hours and I have a very difficult time getting her back to sleep. So we need to work on that.

The 3 of us have been taking walks in the afternoons this week. Lexi usually sleeps the whole time, and Addy just sits up front in the stroller and looks all over the place and babbles away to herself. We don't go far (only about a 20-minute long walk) and I keep the pace pretty leisurely because I'm still healing, but it's so nice to get out of the house and enjoy the nice weather. And Addy seems to be sleeping better at night after having gotten some fresh air during the day. Today we're going over to Mom's for supper, and I am planning on heading over there early so there probably won't be a walk today. The girls are sleeping now, but when naptime is over and Addy has had her snack (and Lexi will probably want to eat again too), I will have the enjoyable task of trying to get 2 babies ready to go and remember everything we'll need. So we'll see how I do. lol

Anyways, being that it's almost 2pm, I should probably go get myself dressed. I remember 5 or so years ago when it was a big deal when I was out of bed, dressed, teeth brushed and hair done by 10am. Now it's a big deal if I have both kids up, clean diapers, dressed and fed by that time, and I'm lucky if I get to be ready for the day by lunchtime.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Another long day.

Today I had both girls all day, and no help at all and I am exhausted. I don't think it was my first day with both of them alone, but I certainly haven't had enough of them to be used to it. I felt like all day either one of them was crying or I was feeding Lexi. I did manage to get in about an hour long nap this afternoon, which was really nice. I can't imagine how tired I would be by now if I hadn't gotten that little snooze.

This afternoon I also managed to get the 3 of us dressed and out the door for a walk. It took about a half an hour to get the girls happy, clean, diapers changed, warm clothes on and myself dressed and all of us out the door just for a 20 minute walk, but I so needed to get out of the house and enjoy the nice weather. I haven't had a chance to take advantage of the warm temperatures yet and Addy needed some fresh air too. So hopefully it will help us all to get a good night's sleep tonight.

Today Jamie found out that rather than working close to home for a couple of months before going back to Camrose, they will be starting six week's worth of work there sometime this week. So being home without him at all during the week will be tough, but I have people to ask for help so hopefully we'll do okay. I am feeling a little sad, though, that he will miss alot of Lexi's first couple of months. By the time he is back here and working close to home, she will be alot bigger. Oh well, such is life, I guess.

Anyways, my bed is calling me so I am going to go try to get some sleep. Here's hoping for a good night with both girls. Lexi gave me a rough time from 1am-3am last night, and Addy was up twice in hysterics, so hopefully tonight will be better.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Boy am I a slacker, almost a week since my last post.

Really, this last week has not been very eventful. We did some visiting over the weekend, but that's about it for excitement. Yesterday Jamie went back to work, so I have been on my own. Addy spent Monday night at my mom's and she didn't bring her home until almost suppertime yesterday, so today has been my first full day with both girls without any help, and it has been going surprisingly well. Addy had a long nap and now she is back in her crib because she is kind of crabby this afternoon and seemed like she could use more sleep, although she has yet to fall asleep. And Lexi is in the swing snoozing away.

Addy is so close to walking it scares me. She will stand on her own, and she has taken a few steps (the first time being on Feb. 10th), but she is still a little scared. It won't be long, though. She doesn't even seem like a baby to me anymore.

I feel lately like all I do is nurse the baby. She is so hungry. During the day she's fine, and she's usually fine after I've gotten her down for the night, but in the late evening before bed and in the early morning (like 5-6am) she is ravenous. This morning I brought her to bed at 6am because she was hungry and I was tired, and I slept while she nursed off and on for 2 entire hours. And then she was still fussing to eat, so I gave her a bottle and she took about an ounce and a half of that before she was finally content.

I really can't complain, though. She is so good, even if she does seem to think she's starving to death lately. And Addy has continued to like her and lavish her with attention and hugs and kisses, which is a big relief. I was kind of worried that the novelty of her might wear off and she would start to feel jealous (I would certainly feel jealous if I were her stuck in the playpen while Mommy held and nursed the baby), but she has been so awesome. Here's hoping that things stay this way.

I saw the doctor yesterday and he said my incision looks good. He cut off that little piece where the stitch had poked through and come undone. It's a little sore there now because he pulled it to cut it, but it's not bad. My blood pressure was still on the high side (140/100). He said that at this point he isn't going to worry about it, but if it's still high at my 6-week check-up then he may put me on something. I won't have that appointment until April because he's gone on holidays all next month, so perhaps I will be able to get my iud by the time he is back and I go in. No more babies for me, or at least not for a very long time.

Actually, the crazy thing is I have really been missing being pregnant. I guess because I have spent the better part of 2 years prego, it feels strange to not be now. Although I'm sure if I felt with Lexi like I did with Addy I would certainly not be missing it, but even when I had the pre-eclampsia with Lexi I didn't feel sick.

Oh well, miss it all I want, I won't be that way again for a very long, long time.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day

Although today is Valentine's Day, it really wasn't different from any other day around here. We opt not to do anything for v-day because we both feel that it's important to show each other our love and do nice things for one another every day, not just one day, so all we did was exchange cards. We also got cards for the girls and a little box of chocolates for Addy. My mom also got them the cutest little matching slippers, and more chocolate for my tiny choco-holic. So, again, like every other day, it was more about them than us, but that's the way it should be.

Today was also our first outing since bringing Alexis home. We went to Vegreville to do some shopping. The diaper situation here was not looking good and we didn't figure we'd make it to the weekend. Anyways, it went really well. Alexis slept from the time we put her in the carseat to leave until we got home and took her out of the carseat. Poor Addy had a little breakdown when we got to the check-out because I wouldn't let her have the diaper coupons, but we made it out of there alive. Then we got home and I was exhausted, so when Addy and Alexis went to sleep, so did I.

Tonight I finally gave up on waiting until day 10, and I had a bath. I figured it's day 8, my incision is closed up and I hadn't had a bath in at least 9 or 10 days (the shower just doesn't cut it...lol), so I got in the tub. I also wanted to take my steri-strips off and there was no way I was doing that without soaking them first. My incision looks good, though, except for at one end of it there was a stitch out (they only stitched inside with the dissolved stitches). Anyways, this stitch was out and in the tub I notice it had come undone so now there is a piece of "thread" about 1cm long coming out of my incision and just sitting there. So we'll see what the doctor says about that. I'm to go see him on Tuesday.

Anyways, I'm sleepy and Jamie should be done giving Alexis her bedtime supplement, so I think we're all going to head off to bed.