Perfect Fall Day

Brad had a vacation day today & since it was calling for such beautiful weather, I wanted to be sure that we took the kids to "do" something. Although when I say "kids" truly I mean Sydney since it seems wherever we take Jason, he tends to sleep through the whole experience.

We went to a farm near our house that has an apple orchard, animals, maze, wagon rides, and a play area for the kids. My friend Tara also met us there with her two little girls. When we pulled into the parking area I realized that we were not the only with this idea- it was packed. Apparently all the school boards had a "Professional Development" day.

We took Sydney apple picking- which when I mentioned it Brad thought I was crazy to take a 2-year-old apple picking, but she really liked it. There was enough low hanging fruit that she could get at, but we quickly learned that she doesn't completely understand how to put the apples in the basket "gently". Therefore, we did not leave the orchard with unbruised apples. Some of the apples will be used in my first ever pie made from scratch. I received a pastry lesson from my mother-in-law this week & am all set to go. Can't say that my pastry is the prettiest I have seen, but it was made with my own two hands. The work that is involved in making pastry definitley makes Tenderflake in the freezer section look good. We will see if it turns out & if any of the Robinsons will be brave enough to try it.

Other than apple-picking, Sydney & Evelyn just played in the kiddie area & enjoyed playing on the hay bales (when Mr. Allergy was paying for the apples). We missed the wagon ride & never saw the maze, so I guess we will need to go back for those two activities sometime.

Hockey season begins

Brad is covering up the "GAP" written on Jason's shirt.
When he came home from work & saw what Jason was wearing his comment was,
"I see we are renting out space on Jason's chest".

Last night Jason was introduced to the Leafs. Although I am looking forward to the time when his bedtime is closer to his sister's, it was nice that he could watch the Leafs' season opener with his Dad. I am sure that in the future there will be many more opportunities for both Jason & Sydney to watch the Leafs play games that do not take them any closer to the Stanley Cup.

Overall, yesterday was a very good day with Jason. We went to Stars & Stroller's which is Famous Players' opportunity for you to watch a movie & bring your baby. It says something about Jason that I would even attempt this, because there is no way I ever would have tried with Sydney. The movie was The Guardian & I actually got to enjoy the movie because Jason was as good as gold. I had to put the blanket over his eyes to encourage him to go to sleep instead of smiling at me or looking at the lights, but overall the getting him to sleep before he became overtired went very well. There were crying babies in the theatre, but thankfully it wasn't mine & it wasn't too distracting either.

Jason definitely will have a different understanding of personal space, because Sydney does not tend to give him too much room when she wants to play or talk with him.

Last night Jason was content enough to encourage play with him & Sydney, so that was nice too. I am really looking forward to him having more wakeful periods without being fussy to encourage more interaction between him & Sydney.

Yes that is another bonk on her forehead (notice how it always seems to be the same spot?). This one was courtesy of a game she was playing with Nana & Jason when she took a header into the playpen & got "rug burn" on her forehead.

Two Months Old

Jason, because you were born on the 31st, your Dad & I disagree when we mark your monthly birthday. He thinks it should be the last day of each month & I was marking it as the first day of the new month when there are less than 31 days in the month. Either way, today we are congradulating ourselves for helping you make it through your first two months of life.

If I am honest with you, as I look back over the last month I would have to say that you have been a Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde baby. We no longer can describe you as the baby that you can forget is around. You have certainly found your lungs to be useful in the last month and have gotten plenty of "exercise" (as Papa likes to call it) crying. Not all days are bad, but when you have a bad day- it is a tough day for all of us.

The greatest thing that has happened in the last month is your smile. At about 5 weeks you broke out that gem, but you were very stingy with it for awhile. In the last couple of days you are definitely more generous with others when they try to get you to smile. You are often adding a full body wiggle with the smile & it is definitely a reward to whoever is trying to entertain you.

Although by this time many babies are starting to regulate their sleeping at night, you are still all over the map. You are usually ready to have your last feeding for the night around 9pm & in bed by 10pm, but your first middle of the night feeding can be anywhere from 1:30am (not Mommy's favourite) to 3:30am (this is Mommy's current favourite). Typically after that feed you sleep until around 6am, but you do throw a few 5am ones at Mommy too. See what I mean? You are all over the map still.

During the day, we are still not on any sort of schedule or routine. Hopefully for both our sakes, this will improve over the next few weeks. I am beginning to believe that you are not going to be a morning person, because you definitely don't start the day happy if you are up before 8:30am. Although, you've only had 9 weeks to sample life, so I do understand that your preference here can change too. You show the promise of being a napper, unlike your sister, but you currently have very restrictive circumstances in which you demonstrate this characteristic. In the beginning of your second month, this only applied if Mommy was holding you & thankfully we moved away from that requirement. However, much of your napping is done in your carseat because that is the only place that you seem to fall asleep & stay asleep. It is a RARE occassion that you nap in your crib- unless of course we have put your carseat in your crib.

Thankfully you are a very portable child, so we have the opportunity to go out & do lots of things with friends. I think your Daddy is whispering stuff in your ear though about shopping. You quite often fuss if we go to the mall- are you in cahoots with your Dad to restrict my spending? If so, keep in mind that this could could come back to bite you in the butt later.

Except for the regulating of your system for sleeping, you are hitting all the expected milestones. You are making lots of sounds now that aren't crying, which is wonderful, & your repetoire of sounds seems to be expanding each week. You are getting very strong with your head, both when sitting and lying on your tummy. Tummy time is not the work with you that it was with your sister. If you are in the right mood, you will spend over 5 minutes on your tummy before you start to fuss by making a sound that indicates that you've had enough. Much of the time you will just lie there, suck your hand & look around.

In the last week you have started to use your legs more when I am holding you in a standing position. You used to just pull them up to your tummy, but now you actually are applying some pressure- good work! You also are starting to move your head around a lot more. You show a definite preference for looking to the right & as a result your head is a little misshapen, however I am told not to worry about it because it will correct itself when you start sitting up.

In the last couple of days you are showing more control of your hands, but you are still pretty jerky with your arm movements. Therefore, you are still swaddled at night to help you sleep better. I think you will be happy when we stop doing this & will choose to sleep with your hands over your head. We've tried swaddling you during the day to see if you will sleep better, but this hasn't worked so well for us.

Overall, you are still a pretty good baby & we are all learning more about you each & every day. At two months you weigh 11 lbs 9 oz and are 23 1/4 inches long.

Note to self...

I will not host another playdate for at least a month. This morning a few of my friends came over with their kiddies. I love playdates, but I am definitely not ready to host another for at least a month. I did not take any pictures, so there are none to share. Hosting a playdate when you have two children is much more exhausting than when you have one.

It took an hour to convince Sydney that she needed to have a nap & then when she did it was very short-lived. Jason is not easy to get to nap at home, but hopefully he is down for the count now. I am looking forward to Daddy coming home & really looking forward to Nana coming tomorrow. I'd like an extra pair of hands around here for a day.

My comment about Jason, no luck- I hear him crying now.

The flip-flop of a control freak

Although this picture portrays Jason as a easy, laid back little man- that is not always the case- see below. This past weekend was a rather "fussy" weekend that I think had both Brad & I a little frustrated. So frustrated that Monday morning I dreaded getting out of bed because I did not want to do it all by myself for a day. As it turned out, Monday was not a fun day & seemed even longer because Brad had hockey in the evening. There was a lot of crying (by Jason) & I was not sure what he wanted. He seemed tired, but was really fighting sleep. So I then resolved that I was going to spend the week "working" with Jason to get him on some sort of predictable schedule that had him sleeping IN HIS CRIB hoping that the result would be a happy, rested child!


Well within two days the control freak, yet again, needs to admit that she cannot control everything & he is a little baby whose body is still not on a schedule. He is not anywhere near predictable & yes he does cry more than I want him to, but I am just going to have to deal with it for a little longer. When they induced my labour & Jason started to climb up- I think he really was trying to tell us that he was not ready to come out yet.

Please let there be regularity by the three month mark- this is starting to drive me mad!

Happy Birthday Will

Tomorrow is Will's, first birthday, but today the big event was marked with lunch including a cake which Will got right into! I did not get to see the cake presentation because I was feeding Jason, but apparently Will did not want to blow out the candle- instead used his fingers & squeezed it out! Did not cry, just looked at his fingers afterwards. Hopefully he doesn't have a burn.

My hat is off to stay-at-home Moms

Yesterday Sydney was home from daycare due to a death in Jo's family. It was only my 3rd day of having Sydney & Jason all to myself and it went pretty good. In preparation for this challenge, I scheduled a playdate for the morning with my friend Allison who also has 2 children around the same age. Although the day went well, I am very thankful that I only have this challenge one day a week. I realize many women stay home with their children, but I am thankful that I am not one of those women with that daily challenge. I am in total support of the saying that stay-at-home moms have the toughest job. I am sure that it gets easier as the kids get older (or rather the challenges are different), but right now trying to balance a newborn's needs with a toddler's needs (& wants) is absolutely exhausting.

However, I must say Sydney's mood & behaviour yesterday was better than it has been in a long while. With the exception of the fact that she did not nap- at one point she was jumping in her crib yelling, "I want to go to the park!" After an hour of this & other antics, I finally gave up & got her up. She read books while I fed Jason & then we went to the Early Years Centre with our friends Wendy, Ellie, & Katie. I did not want to go to the park because that would seem like a reward to Sydney for not napping, but since she did not nap I knew that I had to get her out of the house & be busy or it would be a long afternoon for both of us. She loved the Early Years Centre (so essentially was still rewarded for not napping) because she painted, coloured, and played with play doh. Of course we have all this stuff at home too, but it is much better to do somewhere else.

Here are a few pictures from our playdate.

Little hostess Julia & her friend Rain.

Moxie, Dylan & Jason were not as active as the others for the morning.

Thankfully Jason was happy for our playdate though.

Little Mommy was making sure the babies were all doing well.

When she wasn't with the babies, she was prancing around in Julia's play shoes.

I don't see the resemblance

Lately there have been a few people that have said they really see Sydney in Jason. I agree that both kids look like their Dad, but I do not think they look alike at all. Each resembles Brad in a different way & Jason's cheeks cannot compare to Sydney's.

Here is a picture of Sydney from when she was a week older than Jason is now (conveniently wearing the same clothes). After comparing the pictures, I do not see how you could say they look alike.

Get your punches in while you can Jason

We took a few shots of Sydney & Jason together yesterday & it was sort of successful.

Left upper cut to the chin

Missy is telling me how to take the picture.

This was the best of the session.

The days before children

Yesterday we went to a barbeque at our friends' place & again I was struck by these comparisons...

Before kids
* arrived & left when you felt like it
* worried about only yourself (or sometimes your significant other as well if too much alcohol was being consumed)
* ate your meal and carried on an intelligent conversation with another adult
* helped the host with whatever they needed
* did not worry about where you put your drink down
* talked to everyone you wanted to

After kids...
* usually the first to arrive because you know that you will be the first to leave
* always watching where your kids are and what they are doing
* eat your meal sitting near the kids table & ensuring that your child eats or at the very least is not starting a food fight
* the biggest help you are to your host is ensuring that your kids are not tearing their house apart
* do not put your drink down wherever & walk away
* leave the party wondering who you talked to & what you talked about, because you were usually carrying on a conversation with only 40% of your attention

I think most of these apply to Moms & Dads, but if I am truly honest I do think that the Dads are closer to enjoying the party as they wish- unless they are constantly being nagged by their wife.

I am sure that as Sydney & Jason get a little older, this will not be as difficult- but on the rare occassion that we do manage to get together with all of our friends- it seems that the kids are still the biggest focus of our gathering. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining because I would not trade my children for anything- but I do long for the days of just "pick up & go".

This was the highlight of Sydney's day. A kid-size trampoline, she LOVED it!

For those of you wondering where are the pictures of Jason??? All I can say is that you can only take so many pictures of a baby sleeping & he has done a lot of that in the last week.

The Newborn Phase

I have no problem admitting that I am not a big lover of the newborn phase. If I could skip the first three months, I would love it. I can very clearly remember when Sydney was 6 weeks old standing at the front door with my inlaws & saying "I don't care if she sleeps more, I just want her to be happy when she is awake". Well, my wish did come true eventually because Sydney did grow into a very happy little girl- who by the way never did become a big daytime sleeper. I also remember that I thought things did start to get progressively better after 6 weeks.

Well, on Sunday night I said to Brad...tomorrow marks the point when things get better & the halfway mark for when they are much better. Well, I am not sure if Jason heard me & thought "I'll show you!". But yesterday was a very long day for me. Mr. Jason is a baby who appears to want a lot of daytime sleep (unlike his sister), but he has conditions on how he wants to get this sleep. That condition is for Mommy to hold him. Try as I might yesterday to put him down, it only resulted in him screaming- not crying, screaming. Therefore, from 9am to 3pm I had him in my arms for the whole time with the exception of maybe a half hour here & there. It was a very long day for Mommy.

Thankfully today has been much better (although the sleep he is getting is in the carseat & not his crib). He was not pleased with me this morning when I yanked him out of bed to go to my doctor's appointment. I had planned on just leaving him as is & putting him in the carseat to go rather than changing him, but a certain aroma advised me that was not a good idea. So he got woken up this morning, changed out of his clothes, & then put in a carseat.

Although it was nice to see my one obstetrician (Dr. Smith) again, my appointment this morning was rather useless. The histology of my placenta gave them no further indication of why we had the complications during Jason's labour. Therefore there was really no new information from today. Unfortunately I did not see my OB (Dr. Meuller) that delivered Jason, but did learn that upon Dr. Smith's return from holidays Dr. Meuller told her that "You won't believe what Kelly did to me!" As if I had any control of what happened. Dr. Meuller states that I gave her a very big scare & took years off her life. Although I am sorry that I caused her that stress, I am happy that I was at Mac and in very capable hands. So thank you Dr. Meuller for taking such good care of me & bringing me through it all!

This is where he has slept this afternoon. Although I would prefer it to be his crib, this is much better than him being in my arms all day. I love to hold you Little Man, but not while you are sleeping & I could be doing some other things!!!

Birthday Celebrations

Birthday Girls

Friday Morning
Sydney and I went to my friend Tara's so that Sydney & Evelyn could have a play date for Sydney's birthday. Going to Tara's house was to be for Tara's convenience since her little one, Julia, naps well in the morning. Well, the playdate essentially turned into Tara hosting a party for Sydney as she invited Sydney's friend Ellie, made lunch for us all, and baked cupcakes so that Sydney could blow out a candle after lunch. I do not know how to say thank you enough to Tara for this, because it was completely unnecessary- but completely appreciated.

Sydney even got to ice the cupcakes at Tara's

Evelyn was the Junior hostess

Ellie & Katie joined the party too. Ellie gave Sydney a Cinderella doll with a Sydney-size tiara. Too bad Sydney does not have enough hair to be able to wear the tiara. Thankfully she is more interested in the glass slippers.

Friday Evening
In the evening, Sydney got to open her presents from Mommy & Daddy & she definitely has the opening presents thing down- no wondering what to do here anymore.


Saturday
This was the "official" party. I am pretty sure that Sydney enjoyed her cousins being there & I know she enjoyed her presents & cake. Apparently a two-year-old party doesn't meet the "standards" of an almost 5-year old because after about an hour Bailey asked Aunt Kim when the birthday party was going to start. Kim told her that playing with toys was a two-year-old's birthday party. I found this all quite humourous & was not surprised by the question. When I realized that the weather was not going to be warm enough for swimming & being outside I wondered if we should "plan" some activities for the kids. I quickly ruled that out as I figured what could we plan that would satisfy an eleven year old, 3 five year olds, a three year old & a two year old? Tyler played on the computer & the rest of the kids plaed with the toys. Even though there was no real plan, I think the kids had fun.



Sunday
My birthday is today & it was a lazy day that saw most of us in our p.j.'s well past noon. However, we had to get dressed eventually to go out for dinner with the Taylor's. This year I chose Thai. Then it was back to Robb & Michele's for cake. I choose to bypass traditional cake in favour of pie- this year it was ice cream pie...yum, yum.

Sydney is two years old today

It's hard to believe, but two years have passed since Brad & I became parents. In two years we changed from being DINKS (Double Income No Kids) to each being armed with a child. We are very blessed to have two healthy children & are definitely content to stop the kid parade here. Now since it is Sydney's special day, what can I say about her?

Dear Sydney,
Today you turn two & it is amazing to me that each day we continue to fall more and more in love with you. Right now you are having a tough time adjusting to sharing Mommy & Daddy with your new brother, but you are a very good big sister. Mommy is having a tough time too adjusting to not being able to jump as fast as you want her to jump, but I am confident that over the next few weeks we will all be fine.

You are quite the litte talker & and a little songstress too. You always seem to have something to say. Books are still your favourite thing & you now know a lot of the stories so well that you can look through the book & tell us what is happening in the story. You have so many words I don't think I could even guess how many you know. Dinner time is often marked by a melody of all the songs you know (or parts of them) and it reminds me of when I was a little girl & Uncle Craig saying that if I sang at the table I would cry before I went to bed. I don't think he appreciated my singing as much as we love yours.

You have already started with the "Why??" question & I think it is a long road ahead before we leave that word behind. You also are learning to be "sassy" which is not always as entertaining for Mommy & Daddy as you would like it to be & you do not like when we are stern with you & tell you to stop. Tears often result...a hehaviour that we did not see a few months ago.

You are still a great sleeper at night, which Mommy & Daddy are so very thankful for- but you would still rather not nap during the day. There are things that are much more fun to do, but you definitely still need your nap. After a couple of stories, you are willing to lie down in your crib & you will rest or sleep for at least an hour on most days. Some days you shock us & sleep for more.

You are currently in a Cinderella craze & I think we read that story twenty times a day on the days that you are home with us. However, this is a story that you are learning well & can look at the book on your own & tell us the story.

Physically you lasted accomplishment is...jumping with both feet. Over the last month you have mastered this skill & you do it all the time. I have no idea how much you weigh, but I am guessing around 27 pounds. You are 32 inches tall & I think 2 inches of that height happened over the last four months!

You are a good little girl & keep us interested in what comes next!!!

First Smile

Yesterday was the momentous first smile, but I could not manage to get a photo of it. My neighbour Lindsey was here to validate that it was a real smile because she managed to get one out of him as well. This morning he was really smiley, but again I did not have the camera. So this afternoon I purposely got out the camera to see what I could get...this is the best I can do to share with the world.

5 Week Update

Well, the honeymoon is over. About a week and a half ago Jason switched from the dream baby whom you could forget was in the house to a "regular" newborn who fusses & cries & requires work to settle down. He has not been too bad, but he has definitely required constant attention from Brad or I throughout the day because he chooses not to sleep. This of course has led to a behaviour change in Sydney.

To start Sydney was pretty good with the transition, cut over the last few weeks there has been a progression of behaviour changes. First she wanted to be carried everywhere, then would cry when she fell, then began to whine & cry for most things that she wanted, and finally if our tone is at all "stern" with her she will cry. All behaviours I believe are normal, but I hope that we move out of this phase soon & see the return of our happy-go-lucky little girl. Brad went back to work today & Sydney returned to daycare, so maybe the return to our regular routine will help move things forward.

Jason had a doctor's appointment today & here are the results:
Weight: 9 lbs 8 oz
Length: 54 cm (20.5 inches)

Twin Valley Zoo

Yesterday we met with Grandma & Papa and took Sydney & Max to the Brantford zoo. It's not a very big zoo, but for Sydney's age I think it is perfect. More than enough animals for her to see & not too much walking to see them. Thankfully, because she wanted to be carried the whole time- a side effect we have noticed since Jason has come home. Jason came to the zoo too, but he slept the whole time.


They had a creature "show", but we did not stay for it because of the timing & we figured that if it was mostly birds- Sydney might be scared anyways. Oddly, of all the animals- it is the fluttering of bird wings that scares (startles) her the most.

Petting Pit- these guys will eat your shirt if you don't take peanuts in for them!

Biggest smile was for the owl, not sure why- maybe because it did not move at all?

Bin full of bunnies- the kids would pet them, but not hold them.

Of course, take the kids to the zoo & they keep asking if they can play on the playground!

One Month Old

It's amazing, but one month has passed since Jason joined our family. For someone who dreaded the newborn stage, this month has not been too bad. I remember with Sydney that there was a definite improvement once she was 6 weeks old, so I am so hopeful that although I have not been as neurotic with Jason in his first month as I was with Sydney- we will still see that 6 week "marker" improvement. Most notably getting more sleep at night!

Dear Jason,
In the first 3 weeks of your life you were a very content baby. When awake you were perfectly content to look around, you liked to be held- but did not demand it, you were easy to put to sleep (& slept lots), and we could quite often forget that there was a baby in the house (I always thought that was a wives' tale, but it was true with you on many days). In the last week, you have modified some of your ways & give us more reminders that you are around.

When you are awake you really like to look around and are drawn to looking at lights. Unfortunately you seem to want to always look to the right & therefore I am worried that you are going to get a lopsided head, but you don't seem open to my suggestions to lying the other way. Tummy time takes place on a regular basis & it is nice that you don't put up the fight for it that your sister did.

Nighttimes are still a variety of experiences. Some nights you completely spoil me and will sleep until 3am, eat quickly & go right back to sleep until 7am- I love those nights. Other nights you are on a definite 3 hour cycle, take longer to eat & burp, don't settle as easily, and therefore leave me very tired by the morning. I treasure sleep, so I am so hoping that your body rhythms out soon!

Daytime sleep is also still all over the map. Sometimes you will nap really well & easily. Other days you are just in & out with cat naps & spend a lot of time in the bouncey chair for those naps. I am determined that you will be a better napper than your sister, so hopefully I do not turn into the Sleep Dictator too soon- although it's a bad sign that I am already reading "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" to be sure that I do not miss an important opportunity.

We go to the doctor on Tuesday, so your weight & length will need to be updated at that time. You seem bigger & more filled out, so I am sure that we will see a big increase in your weight at Dr. Koole's.

In the last week you have made a few "cooing" type sounds, so it will be fun when those increase in number & we are also starting to see a hint of what your smile will be like...so we can't wait for that milestone!!!

Overall, you are a very good baby & we cannot wait to see what the next month will bring. Hopefully a return to your "contented state" for your well-being & ours.

Great Grandmas

Today we went to Listowel to introduce GG to Jason. It was Jason's first "long" car trip & he did well- thankfully. It is our hope that Jason grows to be as good in the car as his big sister is- hopefully she will set the bar for him to beat.

GG had lunch ready for us & she had also sent the word out to the family that we were coming so that they could drop by. This was great for us because we got to see Cara, Christa, Uncle Jack, Aunt Sue, Uncle Ron & Aunt Lois & we only had to make the one stop. Unfortunately Aunt Debbie was busy with work, so that introduction will probably have to wait until Thanksgiving. We had a good visit with GG & it was well worth the trip to Listowel. Jason is still sleeping now from the car ride home- I sure hope I don't pay for this in the middle of the night.

Sydney & Jason are lucky to not only have one great grandma, but three. Last week Jason met Great Grandma Taylor & Great Grandma Winn. Winn is Brad's Mom's stepmother & we all call her Winn rather than Grandma. Obviously Sydney has observed this because when we asked her who Winn was, she would not agree to Great Grandma- only Winn. We were not thinking when we went for this visit, we forgot the camera.

Jason & Great Grandma Taylor