School, round 3!

Went great!!

Patrick was a bit sad when I left, but quickly recovered. He played well with the kids and coloured on a big piece of paper!! The crayons actually MADE MARKS! I'm so proud of him!

He went on a big walk, and played outside, and when I came to pick him up he was laughing and playing with the other kids.

While he was at school today, my mother-in-law helped me put the second coat of paint on my bedroom walls. It has been needing a second coat for over a year and a half!!! Because this was our 7th can of paint, it was free, which was very nice. The colour is called "St. Martain Sand" and it is very similar to what we already have.... except now there are NO streaks and NO blochy spots! The reason it hadn't gotten a second coat when I painted it originally is because after 2 coats of primer (the walls were very VERY dry) and 1 coat of top paint with touch ups, I was 1) exhausted and 2) out of paint! Our masterbedroom is quite large, and painting the walls and ceiling eats up an entire gallon. Crazy. This time I have a wee bit left over for potential touch ups.

After nap, Patrick and I have some quick erands to run and if the rain holds off we can go to the park.

This weekend we're going to my parents' place -- all of us! Yay!!

Revised nap schedule & no-call timeframe

Hello!
Due to P's new napping schedule, I'm changing the please-don't-call window from 11-3 to 12-2.

Thanks!!

School - round 2, part 3

We're home. He's had lunch and he's napping.

I arrived while they were still out in the bye-bye buggy - a 6-seater stroller. When they all arrived back, I was expecting (hoping?) that P would see me and give me a big smile! I got zero reaction. ZERO. Blank stare. Nothing. I was quite sad about that.

I got P out of the stroller, and gave him a hug, then put him down to run around outside and play with the other kids. He had a blast!! He was really happy to play with the other kids and toys. I decided we would stay until it was time for them to go in for lunch, and so we were there until 11:25! WOW!!

I got to talk to Karen about how everything went, and she said he did terrific. He played with one of the other girls and a toy upstairs, he sat beside another girl in the stroller and held her hand (not sure who initiated that but super cute -- they took a picture!) and also played with the other boy. He refused snack which surprised me because it was blueberry muffins - and he likes those! He also refused their sippie cup, which I expected. He's pretty picky. I am sure that given time he will give it a go and be fine.

So all in all, a good morning for P! I am glad. I am also sad that the transition was so easy for him to be away from me. I am glad that it was easy for him, but sad at the same time.

He goes again on Thursday so I'm hoping for another great morning for him!!

school - round 2, part 2

We arrived just after 8:30. I took off his coat and hung it up, and we walked together through the building to the stairs that go up to where the little ones are. I tried to see if he would climb up by himself, but he refused, so I handed him over to his teacher and watched him cry his way upstairs. I cried too. But when they got up there, and she distracted him with lightswitches he was happy! I am glad of that.

Patrick has been at school since 8:30. It is 10. In that time I've gone for a walk, picked up my prescription, gotten a chiropractic adjustment, cleaned both my bathrooms, plucked my eyebrows, started the laundry, put a kitty-bed together and updated this blog. Whew.
I really miss him, though. Its so weird not to have him here with me. I know this is good for him: to be with other kids, to learn different things, to have a change of atmosphere. I just hope we're doing the right thing.

I called to see how he was getting along and he's great. He's had a few sad moments but overall he is enjoying himself.

I'll leave here at 10:30 to pick him up.

School - round 2!

I barely slept last night in anticipation of this. I really hope everything goes better this time. I came up with a better game plan that we're going to put into effect today.

We'll arrive around 8:30 (this is when the kids go from group play into their smaller groups). I'll take P right to his 'class' and get him settled for a few minutes. I'll talk to the teacher, say goodbye and exit. This will be VERY difficult because I am expecting that he will be very upset. I've made a list of P's favourite things for the teacher to use as distraction -- hopefully this will help.

P will have playtime, snack, craft, and outside play and I will pick him up around 10:30 - while they are still playing outside. This will 1) limit his time there, hopefully to a more manageable amount for him and 2) limit the number of transitions he has to go through while there. Also, he will be home by 11 (his typical melt-down time of late) for a quick lunch and nap by 11:30 (he's been down to nap by 11:30 lately).

My hope is that eventually we can work up to him being there through lunch! This will probably take a few months.

Wish us luck!! I will update later.

We had fun at the apple orchard!

The weather was not exactly co-operative, but we decided to go anyway as planned. We didn't pick any apples, but Patrick had fun with the 'toys'. He especially liked the straw 'maze' and tunnels. Here are some pictures!!!

Dog Diary vs. Cat Diary

My Sister sent me this one!

As seen in a dog's diary:
7 am - Oh boy! A walk! My favorite!
8 am - Oh boy! Dog food! My favorite!
9 am - Oh boy! The kids! My favorite!
Noon - Oh boy! The yard! My favorite!
2 pm - Oh boy! A car ride! My favorite!
3 pm - Oh boy! The kids! My favorite!
4 pm - Oh boy! Playing ball! My favorite!
6 pm - Oh boy! Welcome home Mom! My favorite!
7 pm - Oh boy! Welcome home Dad! My favorite!
8 pm - Oh boy! Dog food! My favorite!
9 pm - Oh boy! Tummy rubs on the couch! My favorite!
11 pm - Oh boy! Sleeping in my people's bed! My favorite!

As seen in a cat's diary:
Day 383 of my captivity... My captors continued to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from clawing the furniture and urinating on the bath mat.

Tomorrow I may eat another house plant.

Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded - must try this at the top of the stairs.

In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair - must try this on their bed, or swallow enough thread from my captors mending basket to produce a trailing piece of fecal matter.

I decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body in an attempt to make them aware of the horror that I am capable of, and to try to strike fear in their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was. Hmmm, not working according to plan...

Later, there was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the food. More importantly, I overheard that my confinement was due to my powers of inducing "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. My proof is that the dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird, on the other hand, has got to be an informant, as he speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room, his safety is assured.

We BOTH walked to the park!

Patrick and I just walked to the park and back together! What an experience. I'm so proud of him!

He can now climb the stairs to the slide, get onto his toosh and push himself down the slide. All I have to do is spot & catch at the bottom (he's still to short to land on his feet).

He's still rather cranky after his rude awakening, so we're going to go watch treehouse! That is always a nice treat.

BAD KITTY

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "look at him! He's too cute to be bad!"

Well, you're WRONG!!

For the second day in a row, Ramses has jumped into Patrick's crib while he was sleeping!! yesterday I only suspected it, but today it was CONFIRMED when I could hear Patrick giggling through the monitor and Ramses mewing in the same manner he does when Patrick gets a good grip on his tail. I then heard the familiar "thump" of a large cat jumping down from a higher place, followed by Ramses running scared (and so he should be) past me and under the spare bed before I could get my hands on him. ARGH!

The WORST part is that he woke up Patrick and now there are kitty hairs in the freshly changed crib and Patrick is crabby because he didn't get his full nap.

I am ticked!!!!!

Thursday

No school today! Sorry I didn't post this earlier, you're all so sweet with your email well wishes for a better day.

The center called yesterday to say the kids were going on a feild trip to swim at the pool. I was uncomfortable with the idea of P being at the pool with a TON of other kids, and not 1-on-1. I declined going also because I want him to get used to the center, not the pool!! Plus I figure the pool would freak him out.... it took almost all summer for us to coax him into the lake and he LOVES water. Go figure.

We are scheduled to go next Tuesday and Thursday. I am not looking forward to it.

Thanks Anna!

Check out this website that Anna found for freebies, deals and stuff just for CANADIANS! Very cool!!

http://smartcanucks.ca/

Sara: I already signed you and mom up for the free dove handwash ;) so you can skip that one!

New skill

I have decided that starting today, I am going to make a real effort to teach Patrick how to come down the stairs backwards.

We've tried before, and he is quite resistant to the idea, but today and forward I'm ONLY going to let him come down backwards -- that means no more 'rides' from mommy. I am hoping this will help my back and besides, its a great skill for him to have in case he is accidentally exposed to a staircase without supervision.

Wish us luck!!! Updates as they are available.

8:36 p.m. Tuesday Sept 19th

Its over. I hope. The day is over. As long as the kid goes to sleep (and he is tired enough that this should not even be an issue) my day can be over and I can go to bed too.

Our first day of school was very VERY traumatic for both Patrick and for me.

To start it off, he was up at 5 a.m. -- wide awake and happy. We put him back to sleep but he was up for the day just after 6. We did laundry, ate breakfast, got dressed and left for school at 8:20 to arrive 8:30.

Patrick started off OK. We found his cubby and hung up his coat. We met his teacher and then we all went upstairs together. He was clingy, but OK, he did refuse to climb the stairs by himself though and started to cry. We got upstairs and got settled... I found Patrick a toy similar to one we have that he just loves to pieces and all was going well until another little boy 'stole' it from him. Now I must clarify... Patrick and another little girl were playing with the same toy, quite co-operatively I might add for a 17 & 18 month old!!! Then this other little boy reached infront of them and swiped it. He didn't even play with it!!! He just moved it so they couldn't get it!! Patrick burst into tears, and I got the toy back, and a few minutes later the little twerp did it again. This time I got the teacher involved by saying "oh ____, we need to share that toy and Patrick was playing with it. Can you share it with us?" The teacher took it back and gave it to Patrick and the little girl, but it was all downhill from there.

There are 5 kids in his class. 1 is this little toy thief (who I actually have met before at a play group where he did the SAME toy swipe thing to Patrick with another toy), 1 has hearing difficulties, 1 isn't walking and 1 is just a little angel of a girl who is super well behaved and listens well. I really feel for this teacher -- she's got her hands FULL!!! We may or may not have the same group of kids when we go on Thursday.

After this toy fun, we had snack which did go over quite well I must admit. Then we made a 'craft' with glue (Patrick thought the paint brush to smooth the glue around was a spoon and ate glue with it -- yum! He wasn't too happy with the taste) and nature-walk items such as sticks, leaves and grass. Turned out nicely! I'm not sure I would want to be responsible for 5 kids with glue!!! She is a brave woman.

After snack and craft, we all cleaned up and she took the kids for a walk in the huge 6-seater buggy. Patrick got to ride up front because he is one of the LIGHTER kids!! I always thought he was 'sturdy' for his age... oh well! He had a GREAT time on the walk and I stayed behind. He was all smiles and happiness when he came back until we went back inside.... then he was super sad again -- crying and crying, red face and eyes and boogers everywhere.

The good news is that his nose and sinuses must be completely clear now. Yay!

We went back upstairs to play with toys, but there was no consoling Patrick. He was so tired and sad and upset that he actually pushed me away and just sat and cried. By this time it was closing in on 11 and I decided the best thing for us would be to pack up and leave before he fell asleep on the floor. We got his things together, put his coat on, and as soon as we exited the building he was pointing at the van and making noises.

We came home, ate lunch, and both collapsed. Patrick slept until 4 p.m. waking only briefly at 1:15 crying -- but was easily consoled and went back to sleep after a few minutes of wimpering. I also napped from about noon (with a brief wake up) till 3:15.

It was very tramatic for me to watch my child be so upset EVEN with me there to be of comfort. When Shaun came home we had a big talk about the situation and despite my reservations we are going to go again on Thursday and see if things improve. I think I will stay again, but, I am also open to the idea that I could leave him for a bit. I think part of his reaction was due to poor sleep and aggravated by the toy thief. I'm planning to make a list for the teacher of his favourite things (songs, activities, games) so that when I do leave she's got some tricks to distract him and keep him happy. I am also open to the idea that he is still too young for school -- we will see.

What goes around comes around!

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.
"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."
"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.
"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.
"Yes," the farmer replied proudly.
"I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of."

And that he did. Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia. What saved his life this time? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said: What goes around comes around. Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching. Sing like nobody's listening. Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

Story: The Cab Ride

My sister sent me this one. Its a goodie!
-------------------------------------------------

Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away. But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked to the door and knocked. "Just a minute", answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware. "Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing", I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated". "Oh, you're such a good boy", she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?" "It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly. "Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice". I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. "I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long." I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighbourhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.`As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."`We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. "How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse. "Nothing," I said. "You have to make a living," she answered. "There are other passengers," I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you." I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.

What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, ~ BUT ~ THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL .

6 months belly pics

Here they are! I ended up hating that shirt which kept falling off my shoulders!! Too bad.

We had a nice time at the wedding, but by the time the speaches were over at 9 p.m. we were ready to come home and go to bed as Shaun had to get up at 5:30 this morning and I had slept poorly the night before.

WOAH!

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-big-baby-0914,0,3139882.story?track=mostemailedlink

CRAZY!!!

We're home!

We did a lot of things, but I won't bore you with long details :)

Its nice to be home. Patrick was so excited to see his house, his kitty, his grandma dorothy and especially his daddy!! He was even excited to see his room!!

Patrick starts 'school' on Tuesday (we changed to Tuesday/Thursday) so a long trip like that won't happen for a while. I am nervous about him starting 'school' because, in many ways, I don't think he's ready. He's in the midst of getting his 15th and 16th teeth AND he's having a growth spurt. Every day around 9 a.m. he wants to go back to bed, and its a struggle to get to 11:30 for lunch and 12:00 nap -- somedays we do lunch before 11!! I just don't know how he'll make it till noon at school, and then the ride home. I really hope it works out for him though, because I do believe there is a big benefit in it for him, especially the peer-pressure that I am hoping will convince him to try new things/foods/etc. Stay tuned -- I am likely to post a huge blog on Tuesday afternoon!!

I got on the scale when I got home and I am a little concerned. I've gained!! UGH! I was really enjoying +7 but it looks like I might be more in the +10 club. I'll try in the morning (post pee, pre breakfast, completely nude). I hope the mental picture of that didn't make anyone pass out or throw up!

Tomorrow Shaun and Iare going to a wedding! I am looking forward to it. I bought a new top to go with a navy suit that I got from my cousin and I am going to get Shaun to take some preggy pics for all of you that have been asking! I will post them here probably Sunday afternoon, provided we remember to take them in the first place!

Here we are!

Anyone else just think of Daniel Cook on Treehouse when you saw that line? hahha! I need help.

Seriously, here we are! We arrived on Tuesday afternoon and I feel like we haven't stopped since. After arriving on Tuesday, Patrick had lunch and a nap while i unpacked. After nap, we went to WalMart (I got diaper wipes!) and Price Chopper. We had a YUMMY dinner which had lots of screams-of-protest from Patrick because I tried to feed him mashed sweet potato instead of pureed. Wheeeee.

Wednesday I woke the entire house at 6 a.m. screaming with a leg cramp. I can't help it -- I wake myself up because i'm screaming!!! We all went back to bed for another half an hour then got up. Patrick and I went to Sara's and played with Ben and Avery. Patrick has just about mastered getting up and sliding down the slide in her basement, and really thought the pop-up tunnel she has was cool. We returned 2 closet rods to home depot, and then checked out my dad's new school (the 'holding' school while his is being re-done). Unfortunately, Patrick fell asleep RIGHT when we got there, so he spent the entire tour asleep on my shouder. We returned home, had lunch, and P was awake so we went to the mall. He had a nap when we got home.

After dinner, Patrick and I got our hair cut!!! YIPPIE!! Patrick looks SO different, he always does after a hair cut! I just got about an inch cut off mine to fix up the ends. I also noticed the other day that I have grey hair. UGH!! Break out the hair dye!! Patrick had a nap when we got home, and then snack and bed. I went to bed quite swiftly after him and was asleep quickly!!

Today we've had fun too! My sister and Janae came over and we ran some errands in town. I was able to get Patrick a pair of black pants ($1) to go with his team canada jersey that he got for Christmas last year. Its still too big but he will wear it this winter over another shirt. I also picked up a baby gate for the top of our stairs! YAY! Its exactly the one I want, the only problem is that it is wood -- I would have prefered white except that I couldn't find a white plastic one that I liked and choices are limited when it has to attach to the wall (Pressure gates are dangerous at the top of stairs!). I got a great deal on it and am contemplating painting it white to match our railing.

And now Patrick is napping and mom is out to lunch with a friend. I just finished re-organizing my mom's fridge (hope she likes it!) and reading blogs and writing emails. I may go relax now :)

Going Away

Well folks, due to Shaun working an obscene amount over the next week, I'm heading 'home' to see my parents and my sister.

Messy Messy

Patrick loves to feed himself his 'cheese' at night! Quite messy though.

See n' Say

I had a nice afternoon out with my SIL today. We went to Owen Sound because she needed to get crickets for her BFs lizzard *shudder*. We had a great time together and had lunch at Wendys!

We also went to Walmart and had a look around the toy isles for good deals. You'll NEVER guess what I found -- I found the EXACT See N' Say that my parents bought for Patrick!!!! YAY!!! So I purchased it (after checking that all the spots worked) and will return the one that doesn't work in its packaging. I am so glad that Patrick has one that fully works!! YAYAYAYAYAYA!! :)

I also bought Shaun a $0.97 watch for work. He refuses (rightly so) to wear his good watch at work incase it gets contaminated, because if it did, he'd have to surrender it! This is the same reason he doesn't wear his wedding ring to work. Unfortunately, it didn't come with instructions (paper too pricy?? haha) so he's not sure how to set it and I might have to return it too :).

Good news, bad news

As I mentioned in my last post, my parents bought Patrick a See-N-Say. He LOVES it and hes getting REALLY GOOD at pulling the lever.

Unfortunately, when we were playing with it last night we noticed that 4 of the animals (all on the same side) did not work. We tried and tried and repositioned the arrow but no luck :( I was sad for Patrick but of course he didn't care.

Today I called Mattel to see what we could do about it. Unfortunately, this product is no longer available (which is weird because my parents JUST bought it in the states like 2 weeks ago) but the good news is they're sending us a voucher for $12 worth of Fisher Price / Matel products.

So he gets to keep the see-n-say and we also get to get him something new!

Family Fun!

My mother, sister and three nieces came for a visit yesterday! I haven't seen any of them in quite a while, so I was really excited! We had a great time -- we walked to 2 parks, spent time at the beach, visited while the girls watched "The Little Mermaid" and then went to another park before everyone headed back home.

Patrick had a terrific time too! He always has a great time with his cousins. He loves to play with them and they are sooo good about playing with him too. I'm glad that despite only seeing eachother once in a while, they get along terrificaly!

I think I'll be able to go 'home' next week, Tuesday - Tuesday because of Shaun working and going with his father to Ottawa to see his Nana. I haven't cleared this with my mom yet though!!

Speaking of Mom, she and Dad just got back from 10 days in the states. They brought me one of those collapsable storage containors -- VERY COOL and they also got Patrick a see-and-say which he is enjoying. They got Shaun maple syrup -- always BIG hit!

Today Shaun is working in Sprout's room getting the trim up, and after that he'll start on the closet! Yay!! I think I have all the accessories pulled together to finish it off, and I can't wait to get them up. I'm also looking forward to going through the buckets of baby clothes I have and washing and putting them in the closet & dresser -- this will have to wait until late November, early December.

Sprout has become more active over the past couple days. Right now he/she is measuring 7 1/2 inches from head to bum. At 24 weeks, she/he will be 15 inches from head to heal!! Holy growth spurt!!! :)