Birthday Fever

Well almost a year has passed since Ethan was ripped from my womb. Sounds harsh doesn't it? But truly with a c-section that's kind of how it feels. The boy is about to turn one, well in a couple weeks that is. However I have birthday fever, and a planning I will go.

We have his birthday party planned for May 4th and Grandma and Grandpa R will be flying into town to join the festivities. How fun to have G and G R in town for the big B’Day party. I can't help but wonder how Skylar is going to handle Ethan having presents to open and not her. I'm not a huge believer in bringing the sibling a present to the party so they don't feel left out, honestly I find that ridiculous. But each to their own, Skylar will just have to realise her day is coming and this is Ethan's big day. Now I will encourage them to share the new toys of course. And even if Ethan won't share Skylar will rip it out of his hands or put it out of reach or run off with it anyway. So goes having an older sister I guess.

So the guests, all of our wonderful friends will be in attendance and the menu is planned. The cake will be a doggie cake that I will carefully hand-craft to look just like the picture in the recipe. Yeah right!!! Who am I kidding? It will be a cake with a jumbled mess of frosting that vaguely resembles a dog, road-kill perhaps but a dog nonetheless. And the guests will have to be told that it’s a “doggie” and then of course they will all have to compliment me on my Martha Stewart like prowess, even though none of them believe it for one second. This is why we have friends, they lie to us to make us feel better about ourselves. I love my friends and am very blessed to have each one of them in my life.

The sun has been shining down on us brightly the past few days, as the Winter dullness makes way for Spring sunshine I feel a shift in the mood. I love this time of year, I get to celebrate my babies, a birthday in May and one in June. Bring it on Summer, we are ready for days filled with laughter, bubbles and general shenanigans. I am not ready for a swimsuit, but that's an entirely different blog.

Close Encounters of the Excremental Kind...stay with me here

This is not for those with weak stomachs, or for those who don't enjoy poop-talk. It's been a week from...well instead perhaps I should say, and quite appropriately so, it's been a shitty week.

The week started out with Daisy (furry kid with the herniated disc) having terrible problems with her stomach. I started out Tuesday morning by giving her a bath, and then ended the day with giving her a bath. Three baths and about four spray downs later, Tuesday was done. That was just the dog.

Ethan, same problem, only in addition to the constant liquid poop, he also has a double ear-infection and two top teeth that are taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R to come through and of course a good old fashioned diaper rash that is so bad he could barely sit down. The boy clings to me like a tree-monkey. So as a result Tuesday night yielded no sleep for me (are you starting to see a theme here?) and Wednedsay morning I decided to stay home and take care of my boy and help him heal. Well it worked. He is on the mend and had a great nights sleep last night.

But, still, I am not done. So Ethan is sleeping and relatively pain free, Daisy has eaten a half can of pumpkin pie filling (who woulda thunk!) and that leaves Skylar. Well in true form, things can't run smooth, there will be no 8 hours of sleep in my house, no way, no how. She starts coughing, coughing leads to gagging, gagging leads to puking. Of course...why not right! So goes the rest of the night, a couple pjamas and a few changes of bedding later. And yes I had to clean the carpet, which by the way, I just steam cleaned on Saturday. Then I had to scrub the bathroom floor. My knees smelt like puke, my knees people. Hard labourous scrubbing = puke knees. I love my life!

Tonight, I'm drinking, heavily! Oh how I wish. Tonight, in reality I'll be doing the 5 loads of laundry that one day brings.

Do you all feel sorry for me yet?

Will I Ever Sleep Again?

This is a question I have been asking myself a lot lately. It seems that sleep is something from the past, much like most of all the other activities I once enjoyed. Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge having my children that resulted in my altered lifestyle, but I sure wish these babies that turned me into a home body would just lie down and go sleep, for say, oh ten or twelve hours at once. I have worn a pathway in my carpet from my room to theirs, hour after hour tending to one, or the other, or even both at times. Ethan is teething, Skylar has nightmares. I understand, truly I do, well I do when it's 8am and I'm supposed to be awake, I do not when it's 2am and I'm supposed to be asleep.

I look at sleep like it was once my most passionate lover, always left me feeling amazing. We have since parted ways and I'm left with nothing but the memories of euphoria that I once felt.

I'm feeling exceptionally whiney this morning, perhaps it's because...ummm, let's see...that's right, it's because I had NO SLEEP. Bingo!

So in toddler news Skylar cracks me up these days. She relays stories about kids at her daycare that go something like this. Me: "So how was your day today sweetie?" Skylar: "Good. Blake pooped his pants.” Oh so matter-of-factly. I love it.

Skylar also likes to tell me what Ethan wants or needs. For example, he wants cheese, or he's crying because he wants me, that he is stinky. She also likes to tell on him when he is about to get into some mischief you know she is dying to partake in but instead rats him out. I can't wait to hear their first conversation. It's going to be a good one.

I want to end on this note. I'm so grateful for my family, my husband and my two beautiful children. I hope some day when I have slept you will all feel the same way about me.

Furry Kids

Yes, in addition to the two human children I also have three furry ones. We had four until last November when we lost one of our kitties to a Lily! It was a sad time and we still can't believe the manner in which he went out.

It's been a bad time for the kids of the furry kind in our house as of late. Upon our return trip from Africa we came home to our one dog with a herniated disc, some steep medical bills from emergency room visits and a $4500.00 - $7000.00 quote for a surgery. Fun times, fun times!!!

Firstly, what?? $7000.00?? It didn't even cost me that much to have two kids by c-section. Anyhoo, in my quest to find an alternative to the surgery I found a doc who does acupuncture and holistic healing in a small mountain town about an hour from here. Well after the consult I was given an 80% chance of a full recovery for my pooch. What a relief. Now I know it sounds a little quirky, but I'm willing to give it a shot and see where it takes me. I can't help but have faith in the methods of the madness.