Slow down November!
The days are racing by, even though I sometimes feel I am trudging through black treacle (ie., molasses) with hazed-over glasses. I blame my need for sleep. I love being with my kids. But sometimes I am just *tired*! As soon as Felicity was asleep last night, I went to bed. Titus still wants to eat every 2-3 hours during the night - but thank goodness Felicity is staying asleep most night now again we're away from the kid-tag-team-momma-can't-sleep-more-than-45min-before-the-next-crisis nights (well, at least we weren't doing that last night.) Simon has stopped coughing, but now the rest of us have it. I just hope we don't give it back and forth to eachother now.
It's been dreary and raining for the last week as well. *sigh* this time of year is harder to be 'up' with the weather. Only 33 days until the days start getting longer again. Normally, my optimistic self is thrilled to finally see the stars again this time of year (you just don't in the summertime) but you can't even see the stars when it's 'pissing doon' (to use the Scottish-ish for it!) (what an awful graphic image for rain when you think about it - but it sums up how we feel about it sometimes! Especially after 4-5 days solid. lol)
Good things - the wind has stopped blowing so hard at night and the roof will be getting fixed as soon as it's safe for the roofer to be on the house. We think we've found the source of the leaks. And no damage to the ceiling paper that we can see - we'll just need to touch up the paint after it's dried out.
Felicity's hair is so long and beautiful. We're getting into the habit of brushing it most every morning and I love when it's smooth and shiny. It's not thick and the curls are almost grown out of it, but it's halfway down her back and that's lovely.
Titus is a sweetie. He's been perfect at Bible Alive the last two weeks. He's such a chirpy little guy, but he's only wanted to sleep while being cuddled the last week. I should enjoy that while it lasts.
My bed-warmer is a God-send. I can't sleep when I'm cold and that thing is the most amazing invention. Yesterday (when it was dark by 3pm because of the rain!) I took the kiddos upstairs, turned on the bedwarmer, let Felicity play on the tablet a bit while I nursed Titus to sleep. Before I knew it, Felicity had fallen asleep too, so we all just conked out. These are times I will miss, despite the general sleep deprivation.
Felicity's nursery was doing a little bake sale yesterday when I picked her up. 'How much does it cost?' I asked the kids. 'Just donations' Louise the nursery worked explained. Then Felicity wondered, 'Mommy, what kind of dog is a donation?' which made me laugh. But later in the car she insisted, 'A spotty dog is a no-nation?' And I explained the difference between a dalmatian and a donation. She chose a cupcake that had marshmallows on the top. 'A marshmellows is a very big snowman' she commented. And it took me all day to realize that she was talking about Frozen - not just making a random hilarious statement.
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
Sunday, 15 November 2015
15 November 2015
Yeah - my last post two days ago was right. Calm before storm. Maybe had 3 consecutive hours of sleep the last two nights...maybe? Sick kiddos. Sick parents! Oi. Nevermind. We had nothing in the diary this weekend and we've spent a lot of time resting and being at home. This is what we needed to do.
However, I wanted to post because Titus was *rolling over* tonight! Woah! He rolled over once, then back onto his back. Then, he rolled over 3 more times! No more leaving this boy anywhere! It's crazy how strong he is because when he rolled over to his tummy, even when he was slightly laying on one of his arms, he was able to lift not just his head, but his shoulders and the top of his chest completely off the floor. And his little legs were pumping away, doing that whole face-plough-into-the-floor-before-crawling-thing.
On the one hand, I'm so proud of him! and on the other I'm like, 'NooOOoooo.....I wanna keep my baby.....!'
He is a little home-boy. He's been so happy just being at home. Aside from a cough and a few tummy bubbles, he's been OK. Playing on his mat with his rings. Bouncing in the bouncer. Talking to his daddy. Talking to his sister. Flirtin' with his momma (actually, I think his momma flirts more with him...) It's cute how he's able to lift his head up higher on his neck now. Shows his pretty profile on that strong neck. And hints at how he'll look without the baby chubbiness.
We had a pancake picnic on the floor of F's room tonight while reading stories. I persuaded her to have 3 bites. She's been feverish and headachey and hasn't wanted to eat hardly anything this weekend. Keep her hydrated. May call the doctor in the morning if she doesn't sleep any better tonight though.
And on that note - goodnight! Wish me luck! xx
However, I wanted to post because Titus was *rolling over* tonight! Woah! He rolled over once, then back onto his back. Then, he rolled over 3 more times! No more leaving this boy anywhere! It's crazy how strong he is because when he rolled over to his tummy, even when he was slightly laying on one of his arms, he was able to lift not just his head, but his shoulders and the top of his chest completely off the floor. And his little legs were pumping away, doing that whole face-plough-into-the-floor-before-crawling-thing.
On the one hand, I'm so proud of him! and on the other I'm like, 'NooOOoooo.....I wanna keep my baby.....!'
He is a little home-boy. He's been so happy just being at home. Aside from a cough and a few tummy bubbles, he's been OK. Playing on his mat with his rings. Bouncing in the bouncer. Talking to his daddy. Talking to his sister. Flirtin' with his momma (actually, I think his momma flirts more with him...) It's cute how he's able to lift his head up higher on his neck now. Shows his pretty profile on that strong neck. And hints at how he'll look without the baby chubbiness.
We had a pancake picnic on the floor of F's room tonight while reading stories. I persuaded her to have 3 bites. She's been feverish and headachey and hasn't wanted to eat hardly anything this weekend. Keep her hydrated. May call the doctor in the morning if she doesn't sleep any better tonight though.
And on that note - goodnight! Wish me luck! xx
Friday, 13 November 2015
13 November 2015
Friday the 13th....
I wonder why it's considered unlucky?
Today has been a great day. This morning we drove Simon up to work. It'd been raining all night, but the sun was shining and there was actual blue in the cloud-sweeping skies. On our way home, Felicity and I were playing with letter sounds (she told me, 'cah, cah, clown!' and 'cah, cah, cafe!' and then we did 'road', 'van', 'sign'...trying to get her to sound out the sound of the first word.) And she informed Simon and me on the way to work that, 'I am waiting very patiently in the backseat to have a drink of milk please.' (woah, oh oh! Emotional intelligence, anyone?) Anyway, it was perfect rainbow-making weather and we spotted a *huge* one on our home. Felicity said it was 'beautiful.' and we sounded it out. ('Ruh, Ruh, Rainbow!')
I was brave and walked the kiddos up to Dr. Bell's for Titus' baby massage class, despite the unpredictable weather. That class has been so great - just to spend a bit of focused time with just Titus. He was interested in looking at the other babies in the class. And he was singing! and wiggling! And he had a huge drink afterwards and slept for roughly the next 2 hours. We did his arms and tummy today. Next week is the last class and I'm sorry it won't go for longer.
It was sooo cold on the walk up to the centre though. I thought I'd be clever and walk across the Links, but there was no shelter from the wind there and I thought my hands were going to get frost-bitten. It was about 6*C and the wind was biting and blowing the stinging rain sideways. So glad I had bundled Felicity into her coat, wellies and hat - (she was very reluctant - her father's child.) Still, had to keep encouraging her to hurry up across the park - I was so cold! I have a good rain jacket I invested in this year, but I'd forgotten my gloves. I ended up stopping into a charity shop and picking up another pair (cheap, but bright red with fingers you're supposed to be able to control a smart phone through). Felicity picked out a fuzzy pair - garishly pink! - about 3 years too old for her. The lady at the shop said they were too big, but I told Felicity the most important thing about gloves was if she was going to *wear* them. 'Will you wear them if I buy them for you?' 'Yes. These are the ones I want to wear.' So I helped her poke her fingers up through the far-too-big holes (fortunately, they're stretchy and I can stuff the extra cuff down into her jacket.) I told her she looked like she had 'Muppet hands!!' and she solemnly corrected me saying - 'No. These are gloves like Elsa's gloves.'
And we've continued the Elsa fascination. In addition to knowing 'Let it Go' by heart....and dressing up with a purple blanket pinned around her shoulders for a cape (she wanted to wear it through the rain yesterday afternoon 'I want to drag it behind me in the wet!' and got very upset when I picked up her cape and carried it.....today she watched the song and pointed out to me that Elsa does *NOT* lift up her cape....so DON'T pick up my cape Momma!.....*gosh*) She's started to play 'Let it Go' with some of her little friends. Apparently, Lois said there was only ONE Elsa and only ONE person could be Elsa. Felicity informed me (so seriously!), 'and Lois said there was only one Elsa.......so I'm the REAL Elsa and Lois is the pretend one. Mommy, I'm the REAL Elsa.'
Though I was happy yesterday when she wanted 'Anna braids' because they just look so cute on her. She was tossing her braids around her shoulders and showing them to Titus and explaining that 'They are ANna braids, Titus. ANna braids. Does Titus like my ANna braids, mommy?'
Today after the class, we managed to walk up the Walk to the pharmacy and get F's prescriptions dropped off. But I chickened out and took the bus home - best decision of the day!
The wind and weather this afternoon and evening has been wild! Really gusty. The rain's been audibly slapping at the windows and even the house got cold this evening. I put a wee fan-heater on in F's room before she went to sleep to supplement the house heating system, just to give it a wee boost, because despite being dressed in 2 layers (including flannel PJs), her poor hands were frozen. I washed both kiddo's hair tonight though and we all have a wee touch of a cold, so I hope that's all it was. She's such a great kid - I forget sometimes that's she's still as small as 3.
She's started saying, 'I love you and I like you and I love you, Mommy.' before she goes to sleep.
She tells Simon when she's kissing him g'bye in the car in the mornings, 'Bye Daddy! Have a good time at your work...andI love you! and Have a good time at your work! ....and I will meet you there later! I will meet you there! Bye! Hvae a good time at your work! I love you! Bye! I will meet you there!'
She wanted to watch 'the funny guys' (Despicable Me 2 - ugh, I *hate* that movie now!) this afternoon after we came home from the grocery shopping. I told her it was Mommy's turn to choose something to watch - she had a turn last time. She was moaning, and said something, 'but I don't LIKE the things YOU choose to watch!' so seriously, I had to laugh. I chose something pseudo-educational - 'Planet Earth' - a nature documentary narrated by David Attenborough. I was so pleased, though not too surprised, when she got completely hooked on it (within the first 2 minutes.) She kept saying, 'I want to see the baby polar bears again....' and then she wanted me to hold her on my lap and wrap her up close in a big flannel blanket. Aww....
Debating what to do for pre-school/school next year. Man. So conflicted. Have visits scheduled to the Gaelic wrap-around care club and to the Christian school in the next couple of weeks. Also been reading a bit about homeschool resources. Trying to decide what's *best* isn't easy. There are a lot of good options.
All in all, a good day. I got the kids in bed by 7:30pm, have had some time to clean up and get some laundry on, and even do a little quiet reading myself tonight (and write a blog post!) and it's not even quite 10pm (Simon's on a work night out.)
I think I'll cautiously congratulate myself and go to bed. Who knows? I might need the extra rest to deal with unexpected emergencies tomorrow (hope not!) At least today's been a good day.
I wonder why it's considered unlucky?
Today has been a great day. This morning we drove Simon up to work. It'd been raining all night, but the sun was shining and there was actual blue in the cloud-sweeping skies. On our way home, Felicity and I were playing with letter sounds (she told me, 'cah, cah, clown!' and 'cah, cah, cafe!' and then we did 'road', 'van', 'sign'...trying to get her to sound out the sound of the first word.) And she informed Simon and me on the way to work that, 'I am waiting very patiently in the backseat to have a drink of milk please.' (woah, oh oh! Emotional intelligence, anyone?) Anyway, it was perfect rainbow-making weather and we spotted a *huge* one on our home. Felicity said it was 'beautiful.' and we sounded it out. ('Ruh, Ruh, Rainbow!')
I was brave and walked the kiddos up to Dr. Bell's for Titus' baby massage class, despite the unpredictable weather. That class has been so great - just to spend a bit of focused time with just Titus. He was interested in looking at the other babies in the class. And he was singing! and wiggling! And he had a huge drink afterwards and slept for roughly the next 2 hours. We did his arms and tummy today. Next week is the last class and I'm sorry it won't go for longer.
It was sooo cold on the walk up to the centre though. I thought I'd be clever and walk across the Links, but there was no shelter from the wind there and I thought my hands were going to get frost-bitten. It was about 6*C and the wind was biting and blowing the stinging rain sideways. So glad I had bundled Felicity into her coat, wellies and hat - (she was very reluctant - her father's child.) Still, had to keep encouraging her to hurry up across the park - I was so cold! I have a good rain jacket I invested in this year, but I'd forgotten my gloves. I ended up stopping into a charity shop and picking up another pair (cheap, but bright red with fingers you're supposed to be able to control a smart phone through). Felicity picked out a fuzzy pair - garishly pink! - about 3 years too old for her. The lady at the shop said they were too big, but I told Felicity the most important thing about gloves was if she was going to *wear* them. 'Will you wear them if I buy them for you?' 'Yes. These are the ones I want to wear.' So I helped her poke her fingers up through the far-too-big holes (fortunately, they're stretchy and I can stuff the extra cuff down into her jacket.) I told her she looked like she had 'Muppet hands!!' and she solemnly corrected me saying - 'No. These are gloves like Elsa's gloves.'
And we've continued the Elsa fascination. In addition to knowing 'Let it Go' by heart....and dressing up with a purple blanket pinned around her shoulders for a cape (she wanted to wear it through the rain yesterday afternoon 'I want to drag it behind me in the wet!' and got very upset when I picked up her cape and carried it.....today she watched the song and pointed out to me that Elsa does *NOT* lift up her cape....so DON'T pick up my cape Momma!.....*gosh*) She's started to play 'Let it Go' with some of her little friends. Apparently, Lois said there was only ONE Elsa and only ONE person could be Elsa. Felicity informed me (so seriously!), 'and Lois said there was only one Elsa.......so I'm the REAL Elsa and Lois is the pretend one. Mommy, I'm the REAL Elsa.'
Though I was happy yesterday when she wanted 'Anna braids' because they just look so cute on her. She was tossing her braids around her shoulders and showing them to Titus and explaining that 'They are ANna braids, Titus. ANna braids. Does Titus like my ANna braids, mommy?'
Today after the class, we managed to walk up the Walk to the pharmacy and get F's prescriptions dropped off. But I chickened out and took the bus home - best decision of the day!
The wind and weather this afternoon and evening has been wild! Really gusty. The rain's been audibly slapping at the windows and even the house got cold this evening. I put a wee fan-heater on in F's room before she went to sleep to supplement the house heating system, just to give it a wee boost, because despite being dressed in 2 layers (including flannel PJs), her poor hands were frozen. I washed both kiddo's hair tonight though and we all have a wee touch of a cold, so I hope that's all it was. She's such a great kid - I forget sometimes that's she's still as small as 3.
She's started saying, 'I love you and I like you and I love you, Mommy.' before she goes to sleep.
She tells Simon when she's kissing him g'bye in the car in the mornings, 'Bye Daddy! Have a good time at your work...andI love you! and Have a good time at your work! ....and I will meet you there later! I will meet you there! Bye! Hvae a good time at your work! I love you! Bye! I will meet you there!'
She wanted to watch 'the funny guys' (Despicable Me 2 - ugh, I *hate* that movie now!) this afternoon after we came home from the grocery shopping. I told her it was Mommy's turn to choose something to watch - she had a turn last time. She was moaning, and said something, 'but I don't LIKE the things YOU choose to watch!' so seriously, I had to laugh. I chose something pseudo-educational - 'Planet Earth' - a nature documentary narrated by David Attenborough. I was so pleased, though not too surprised, when she got completely hooked on it (within the first 2 minutes.) She kept saying, 'I want to see the baby polar bears again....' and then she wanted me to hold her on my lap and wrap her up close in a big flannel blanket. Aww....
Debating what to do for pre-school/school next year. Man. So conflicted. Have visits scheduled to the Gaelic wrap-around care club and to the Christian school in the next couple of weeks. Also been reading a bit about homeschool resources. Trying to decide what's *best* isn't easy. There are a lot of good options.
All in all, a good day. I got the kids in bed by 7:30pm, have had some time to clean up and get some laundry on, and even do a little quiet reading myself tonight (and write a blog post!) and it's not even quite 10pm (Simon's on a work night out.)
I think I'll cautiously congratulate myself and go to bed. Who knows? I might need the extra rest to deal with unexpected emergencies tomorrow (hope not!) At least today's been a good day.
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
11 November 2015
Whew! Finally! So, I forgot my google password and have spent a good 15 minutes trying to reset my account to get back on here! (And 15 minutes in the evening after the kids are asleep in bed is like *expensive* time!!)
Where to start? I have so many stories I want to tell....
OK, so tonight when we were watching 'Monsters Anniversary' (Monsters University, according to F), we made a big bowl of popcorn and Simon was holding Titus and I was cuddling Felicity on the sofa. And Felicity started by just laying her head on my shoulder and I was playing with her (long! golden! gorgeous!) hair. And then she crawled up on one of my knees. And then, talking to Titus, she must have climbed into my lap. (I just get used to kids crawling over/around me.) But she was cuddling up close, and gave me a big hug with her head to my chest and her arms around me while sitting in my lap. And then she looked up at me and smiled really big and said, 'Mommy, we're panda bears!' and I laughed and said, 'oh, does hugging me with both your arms like that like a panda?' and she thought for a minute and said, 'wait....we're like koalas.' LOL! And I totally get what she meant, because you always see baby koala bears hanging onto their mommies in the front. And I said, 'are you the baby koala and I'm your momma koala?' 'Yes.' And she snuggled in for another big hug and I hugged her back and stroked on her hair some more. Priceless, fleeting moments.
Tonight, she prayed: 'ThankyouGodforDaddyandformommyandforTitusandthankyouforexplorersandthankyouforallthefriendsatExplorersandIlovemymommyandI'mnotgoingto hit heranylonger. Amen.' I couldn't laugh then but - LOL well, thank goodness for THAT!
OH! and another not-so-small miracle!! Felicity has been sleeping through the night for the last 3 WEEKS. I want to put this all in CAPS, (but that would be very annoying) but honestly, I'm so excited and amazed by this. Her sleeping through the night, finally!!! at age three and a half!!! This honestly deserves its own blog post. Can't believe it only happened when we have another baby who is keeping me up every 3 hours anyway, but hey!! We are going to get there! *cue Hallelujah Chorus!!!* (ha ha, so if my posts are ever crazy in any way, you know the reason why! I sometimes idly and casually wonder how many years of my life I have lost through sleep deprivation over the last 4 years.)
I usually bundle up Titus in a soft fuzzy suit before putting him into bed - one that is all fluffy inside, with feet and a hood and sleeves that are too long and cover up his wee hands (so he stays warm and cannae scratch his wee face!) Tonight as I was getting him dressed for bed, I was singing silly love songs to him. One was 'You are so beautiful........to me.....!' and as I danced around getting his diaper and PJs on, singing and laughing and looking right at him, he was absolutely cracking up! I'm used to him cooing and even trying to sing back at me (most fun when I've attempted something with a high range - like Puccini! he lets loose with *amazing* high calls back to me and then looks so pleased with himself. I think I may have another singer on my hands!) but tonight he was proper *cracking up.* Giggling and irresistable baby belly laughs. He'd listen while I sang....and then bust up at the end of every phrase. It was adorable. I love when he gets a little punchy.
It's really funny when Felicity makes him laugh. She usually starts bobbing up and down in front of him and making repetitive rhythmic/chanting nonsense, ie. 'Doo dodo dee dooo doo! Doodedoode doo doo!' or 'ts ts ts tsss tss tss...' and she keeps it up without a pause. Then he just starts giggling at random intervals - there's not a pattern that I can see, but there must be some kind of joke I'm not getting! I just laugh when he does because it's hilarious.
Titus was 17 weeks old on Tuesday. He is such a personable little guy. He really loves making eye contact with people and smiling and *talking* to people. He will hold conversations - you say something - he oos or 'gaaas' back. He loves it when I imitate the sounds he makes - he gets really chatty then. I read that developmentally, he's supposed to be exploring different textures. And when he's happy in his Moses basket, I'll see him stroking the straw and fingering the cloth around him and looking intently at it. And it's hilarious how he balls up his fists sooooo tightly, right up in front of his eyes, staring at them, like a boxer! Then he jams his fist up against his mouth and starts gnawing his fingers. Poor guy drools a river - I think it might be teething starting, though there's no evidence of enamel yet.
I called the chiropractor yesterday and arranged for an earlier appointment this week. It was supposed to be tomorrow afternoon, but I'm so glad they had space for me this morning instead. I know I wasn't right - on Monday I stupidly picked up something waaay too heavy and carried it up the stairs - I should have just left it - but it was in the way and I was impatient. I regretted it as soon as I did it because my back wasn't the same afterwards and I've been walking around in pain for the last 2 days. Gina straightened me out again though (relief!) and I've been more careful with myself today than I have been in a long time. Trying to take my time. Turning my whole body one way or another, not swiveling or pivoting. Using my core to support my back when sitting, standing, holding the baby. Keeping weight distributed evenly across my body if I have to carry anything. Sitting on my big gym ball and rolling out my spine if I feel myself getting locked-up. Despite having the kiddos with me, I stayed at the chiropractor's office for an extra 20-30 minutes after my appointment to try to give my back a chance to settle before lifting the carseat and buggy back into the car. I was frustrated last week because I feel it's 3 steps forward and 2 back. Still, I was talking to Simon about it all, and it really wasn't *that* long ago when I wasn't able to do *anything* and I was so immobilized. Sometimes after an appointment, I'll just walk and marvel at the way my hips swing back and forth without hurting. Makes me feel like a runway model - and that's when I know things are lined up right. I need to give myself time and permission to recover and not feel like I have to do everything now. Even when taking extra time seems a bit boring.
We've been going to the library! I love the librar(ies). I feel like a kid in a candy store there. Been reading lots of dinosaur books to F, and several books on organising finances and budgets and such for me.
On the same note, inspired by my reading, I found some brilliant printable 'list-y' things on the 'queen of free' website. A super menu planner, a budget summary and a monthly ledger. I've stuck them up over the nail on the calendar to see how practical they are to use. Everyone's different, but I found her visuals very approachable and practical. On the same wavelength. And anything to make the housework easier, more approachable and more in control.
So that's probably enough for tonight. Good times. Good life. Perplexing speed of things, despite having days that sometimes literally last 24 hours. (Note to self: also had car evaluated after the bump a couple weeks ago - thank goodness for insurance!, still need to call the roofer as seems there's water on the guest room ceiling, doing Bible Alive with Agnes for the last 2 weeks, looking forward to Thanksgiving with the Carters again in a couple more weeks.)
Where to start? I have so many stories I want to tell....
OK, so tonight when we were watching 'Monsters Anniversary' (Monsters University, according to F), we made a big bowl of popcorn and Simon was holding Titus and I was cuddling Felicity on the sofa. And Felicity started by just laying her head on my shoulder and I was playing with her (long! golden! gorgeous!) hair. And then she crawled up on one of my knees. And then, talking to Titus, she must have climbed into my lap. (I just get used to kids crawling over/around me.) But she was cuddling up close, and gave me a big hug with her head to my chest and her arms around me while sitting in my lap. And then she looked up at me and smiled really big and said, 'Mommy, we're panda bears!' and I laughed and said, 'oh, does hugging me with both your arms like that like a panda?' and she thought for a minute and said, 'wait....we're like koalas.' LOL! And I totally get what she meant, because you always see baby koala bears hanging onto their mommies in the front. And I said, 'are you the baby koala and I'm your momma koala?' 'Yes.' And she snuggled in for another big hug and I hugged her back and stroked on her hair some more. Priceless, fleeting moments.
Tonight, she prayed: 'ThankyouGodforDaddyandformommyandforTitusandthankyouforexplorersandthankyouforallthefriendsatExplorersandIlovemymommyandI'mnotgoingto hit heranylonger. Amen.' I couldn't laugh then but - LOL well, thank goodness for THAT!
OH! and another not-so-small miracle!! Felicity has been sleeping through the night for the last 3 WEEKS. I want to put this all in CAPS, (but that would be very annoying) but honestly, I'm so excited and amazed by this. Her sleeping through the night, finally!!! at age three and a half!!! This honestly deserves its own blog post. Can't believe it only happened when we have another baby who is keeping me up every 3 hours anyway, but hey!! We are going to get there! *cue Hallelujah Chorus!!!* (ha ha, so if my posts are ever crazy in any way, you know the reason why! I sometimes idly and casually wonder how many years of my life I have lost through sleep deprivation over the last 4 years.)
I usually bundle up Titus in a soft fuzzy suit before putting him into bed - one that is all fluffy inside, with feet and a hood and sleeves that are too long and cover up his wee hands (so he stays warm and cannae scratch his wee face!) Tonight as I was getting him dressed for bed, I was singing silly love songs to him. One was 'You are so beautiful........to me.....!' and as I danced around getting his diaper and PJs on, singing and laughing and looking right at him, he was absolutely cracking up! I'm used to him cooing and even trying to sing back at me (most fun when I've attempted something with a high range - like Puccini! he lets loose with *amazing* high calls back to me and then looks so pleased with himself. I think I may have another singer on my hands!) but tonight he was proper *cracking up.* Giggling and irresistable baby belly laughs. He'd listen while I sang....and then bust up at the end of every phrase. It was adorable. I love when he gets a little punchy.
It's really funny when Felicity makes him laugh. She usually starts bobbing up and down in front of him and making repetitive rhythmic/chanting nonsense, ie. 'Doo dodo dee dooo doo! Doodedoode doo doo!' or 'ts ts ts tsss tss tss...' and she keeps it up without a pause. Then he just starts giggling at random intervals - there's not a pattern that I can see, but there must be some kind of joke I'm not getting! I just laugh when he does because it's hilarious.
Titus was 17 weeks old on Tuesday. He is such a personable little guy. He really loves making eye contact with people and smiling and *talking* to people. He will hold conversations - you say something - he oos or 'gaaas' back. He loves it when I imitate the sounds he makes - he gets really chatty then. I read that developmentally, he's supposed to be exploring different textures. And when he's happy in his Moses basket, I'll see him stroking the straw and fingering the cloth around him and looking intently at it. And it's hilarious how he balls up his fists sooooo tightly, right up in front of his eyes, staring at them, like a boxer! Then he jams his fist up against his mouth and starts gnawing his fingers. Poor guy drools a river - I think it might be teething starting, though there's no evidence of enamel yet.
I called the chiropractor yesterday and arranged for an earlier appointment this week. It was supposed to be tomorrow afternoon, but I'm so glad they had space for me this morning instead. I know I wasn't right - on Monday I stupidly picked up something waaay too heavy and carried it up the stairs - I should have just left it - but it was in the way and I was impatient. I regretted it as soon as I did it because my back wasn't the same afterwards and I've been walking around in pain for the last 2 days. Gina straightened me out again though (relief!) and I've been more careful with myself today than I have been in a long time. Trying to take my time. Turning my whole body one way or another, not swiveling or pivoting. Using my core to support my back when sitting, standing, holding the baby. Keeping weight distributed evenly across my body if I have to carry anything. Sitting on my big gym ball and rolling out my spine if I feel myself getting locked-up. Despite having the kiddos with me, I stayed at the chiropractor's office for an extra 20-30 minutes after my appointment to try to give my back a chance to settle before lifting the carseat and buggy back into the car. I was frustrated last week because I feel it's 3 steps forward and 2 back. Still, I was talking to Simon about it all, and it really wasn't *that* long ago when I wasn't able to do *anything* and I was so immobilized. Sometimes after an appointment, I'll just walk and marvel at the way my hips swing back and forth without hurting. Makes me feel like a runway model - and that's when I know things are lined up right. I need to give myself time and permission to recover and not feel like I have to do everything now. Even when taking extra time seems a bit boring.
We've been going to the library! I love the librar(ies). I feel like a kid in a candy store there. Been reading lots of dinosaur books to F, and several books on organising finances and budgets and such for me.
On the same note, inspired by my reading, I found some brilliant printable 'list-y' things on the 'queen of free' website. A super menu planner, a budget summary and a monthly ledger. I've stuck them up over the nail on the calendar to see how practical they are to use. Everyone's different, but I found her visuals very approachable and practical. On the same wavelength. And anything to make the housework easier, more approachable and more in control.
So that's probably enough for tonight. Good times. Good life. Perplexing speed of things, despite having days that sometimes literally last 24 hours. (Note to self: also had car evaluated after the bump a couple weeks ago - thank goodness for insurance!, still need to call the roofer as seems there's water on the guest room ceiling, doing Bible Alive with Agnes for the last 2 weeks, looking forward to Thanksgiving with the Carters again in a couple more weeks.)
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| Kiddos think Momma's the perfect pillow |
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| My kids have the same face - see above! |
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| The app 'Paper Artist' will let you turn your photos into impressionist-type sketches at the click of a button. |
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| She was singing and moving so fast - but I had to capture the princess gown over the lumberjack shirt! |
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| She wanted to 'glue buttons' yesterday. So we made it a learning opportunity! Buttons, construction paper and glitter glue for the win. We've also now done 'D for Daddy' and 'S for Sophie' |
Monday, 2 November 2015
2 November 2015
This morning I walked Felicity up to nursery, kissed her goodbye and walked home again by 8:10am, By 9:10, the kitchen was cleaner than it's been in a week. By 9:11am, I was sitting in the study banging my head against the *taxes.* Aside from a short break to feed a squally baby around 10:00am, I spent the rest of the morning trying to chase down figures/papers until exactly 11:52am, which is when we packed into the car to go and get Felicity from nursery at noon. (Yes, we *can* be there in 8 minutes flat - I love being close to the school!)
But we spent a dreamy afternoon walking around Dalkeith Country Park. It's one of the few places here where I can pretend that I'm back at the farm, walking around in the woods. The colors were fantastic and even better now that we have two intrepid side-kicks to share the experience.
But we spent a dreamy afternoon walking around Dalkeith Country Park. It's one of the few places here where I can pretend that I'm back at the farm, walking around in the woods. The colors were fantastic and even better now that we have two intrepid side-kicks to share the experience.
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| Walking in the woods by the banks of the Esk River |
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| I was so happy when she voluntarily decided to drop the enormous stick she was carrying. |
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| Papoose! I walked for at least an hour and a half, up and down 'hill', carrying this chunky wee man. Look at me! |
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| Esk-side and the massive bridge from the 1800s in the background. |
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| Her hair is getting so long. Big girl. |
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| These ancient oak trees look like they are dancing in a motionless whirl. |
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| My little hobbit child in Middle Earth. |
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| Titus fell fast asleep about 1/4th of a ways into our walk. So I got to snuggle him up and enjoy hugging him close for the rest of the time. |
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| I didn't think I'd ever be able to do this walk again. Selfie by my trees. :-) If we ever move away from Edinburgh, I'm going to collect leaves from this place to press in my dictionary. |
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| She did soooo good! Aside from maybe being carried for a 5 minutes rest, she walked the whole way herself!! Like almost 2 hours!! This is her 'I'm tired' default position - bellybutton, thumb and nose. Bless her heart. |
Sunday, 1 November 2015
1 November 2015
On 31 October and/or 1 November, I make a point to sing Allerseelen by Strauss. This year seems particularly appropriate.
Yesterday we visited a 'new' castle (for us.) Bothwell Castle is an hour or so West of here on the outskirts of Glasgow. It sits right beside the River Clyde and there is a lovely walkway that connects it to the David Livingstone Center. Unfortunately both the castle and center are in various stages of refurbishment/repair, but the walkway was glorious in the late October light. Great photos of our beautiful kiddos.
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| In the Great Hall of the castle. I was trying to tell Felicity about the colors and music and food and people who would have enjoyed this room in days gone by, and she was happier looking at the pigeons. |
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| Our happy boy. He's just a light. |
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| Many apologies for the side-ways photos, I don't know how to fix it! Rather post them now though! |
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| She was checking on her 'Elsa braid' in this picture. Over her head, you can see the tall turret of the castle hidden behind the trees. |
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| Different boys, same face. :) |
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| In front of the great hall |
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| Poor Titus - stickers and dollies and lots of pats on the head.... |
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| Crunchy leaves |
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| Castle peekaboo. Gorgeous day |
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| On the ruins of the old walls and turrets. 'Look at me!! Look at me!' |
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| In the window. Felicity climbed up first and said, 'I can see the water!' I didn't know where she'd gone for a moment and nearly had a heart-attack, thinking she was going to fall over and into the water. Thankful for the prison-worthy iron grates enclosing the old window now. And the River Clyde was pretty neat to see out this old window! |
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