How time has changed

I remember the days when turning the clocks back meant an extra hour of sleep. This was obviously the days before having young children in the house. I love sleep, so I used to look forward to making this change even though it meant that the days were turning dark much earlier.

This year I was a little anxious about making the hour change. I have a friend whose little guy never "time changed" last year & she spent every morning waking up at 5am until the clocks changed again in the spring. I have heard other people also complain that it takes their kids a couple of weeks to adjust to the time change & as a result have a lot of early mornings. Last week Sydney was waking earlier than usual & I was fearful that this morning with the time change she would also be up well before 6am. Our friends Laura & Patrick were over with their kids yesterday & I was hoping that playing with Morgan & Marley would sufficiently wear
Sydney out & result in a longer than usual night sleep. But she slept her "usual" meaning that she slept until 7am which with the change was 6am. We actually should be thankful that she did sleep that long because sometimes if she goes to bed too late, she will wake up even earlier. Thankfully that didn't happen. I say thankfully, but really I was in bed for another hour & a half after she got up. Her Daddy is an early morning person & he was up before her- had to check where he was in the hockey pool. Therefore, I got to sleep in until 7:30am & got up when I heard them getting Jason up.

She is down for a nap now, which was accepted without too much resistance. Jason is also napping right now, so it is nice having a quiet household...if only for a few moments.

Some shots of Sydney & Morgan dancing last night...too cute, I think.

A Dour- faced Princess

Today Grandma & Papa came over to watch Jason so that I could take her to a Halloween Party at a nursing home with her friends Ellie, Emma & little Katie. Well Sydney loved dressing up in her Cinderella costume, but sure played shy the whole time we were out. I expected a little shyness with the residents, but even trying to get her to smile for the picture with her friends was obviously not successful. Then of course after I pack the camera away, Sydney starts laughing & talking to Katie- but alas no photo of the smiling princess. Hopefully we will have more luck on Tuesday.

Emma the Catepillar, Sour Cinderella, & Puppy Ellie

Even a group hug from her friends didn't illicit a smile

Before we left for the party she was a happy girl holding her brother

Not the type of alarm you want to wake up to...

This morning the alarm on the smoke detector in Sydney's room went off just before 6am. Not exactly the sound you want to hear, especially in your child's room. The culprit??? The vapourizer that we had running for her cold. The night before she was up coughing from 4am to 5am & yesterday didn't really nap because she kept coughing. So, last night we put the vapourizer in. Brad hates using them because he hates the moisture they create in the room & create mold concerns. I must say that the alarm did nothing to add to his interest in using them, but until the alarm went off Sydney had a good sleep!

Of course, Brad & I go running in to her room & she looks up at us & says "Mommy & Daddy in my room!" I am not sure if she was really aware of the loud beeping coming from her room before that or not. She then wanted to lie on the couch with me, rather than going back to sleep. We compromised with me lying down in her bed while she was supposed to go to sleep in her crib. Of course, that didn't happen- she just sang & talked until I finally relented & figured we might as well get up. I sure hope she naps at Jo's today!!!

Thankfully Jason did not wake up to the alarm, which is pretty amazing since I had just put him back to bed 20 minutes before the alarm went off. He slept until his current "usual" of 8:30am. For the past 3 days he has gone down for a nap a couple hours after getting up & slept for about 3 hours which has been so wierd for me. Of course each day I spent each minute expecting him to wake up & never really got into anything major. Today I had my little list prepared for what I was going to do while he napped, but today has not gone as smoothly as yesterday. He is still napping, but he keeps waking up & needs some "SHHHHH" whispered in his ear to get him settled & back to sleep. I think he too has caught Sydney's cold (how could he not when she talks to him about 2 cm from his face) and as a result breathing is a little more challenging for him.

Tomorrow Grandma & Papa are watching him in the morning while I take Sydney to a Halloween party with her friends, so I really hope he naps for them & doesn't wake up freaking out because his Mom has disappeared.

(If I can convince Brad to ever use the vapourizer again, I think we will take the batteries out of the smoke detector in the bedroom so that we do not have a repeat performance of this morning.)

A Successful Friday

Tummy Time

Today was another day with Sydney & Jason home together & it went well. Yesterday from the time that I picked Sydney up from daycare until the time Brad got home from work, she was a little pill when it came to me trying to do anything for Jason. So, I was not looking forward to our Friday together. Then I was rather worried about how the day would shape up when I woke this morning & felt like crap. I went to bed last night with a headache & knew it was a bad sign when I was dreaming about trying Exedrin (sp?) rather than Advil. But thankfully the headache went away after some breakfast & coffee helped the tiredness (Jason was up at 4am, not 5:45am- although he had essentially been sleeping since 5pm so I cannot complain).

I don't know if it is coincidence or not, but before Jason woke up I had a talk with Sydney about how she could help me out today. I told her that Jason needs a lot of help from Mommy & that Sydney could be a big help to Mommy if she would do as Mommy asks when Mommy is with Jason. Well, we had a day with no tears or tantrums from Sydney & she essentially did everything I asked all day. I consider that a huge success. Especially when Jason woke Sydney from her nap much before she was ready to get up because he was crying trying to get settled into his nap.

Each week gets better, so next week should be better than this week. Although next week Grandma & Papa are watching Jason so that Sydney can go to a Halloween party at a nursing home with her friends Ellie & Emma.

Prior to waking Sydney up from her nap with his crying, Jason was a very happy little fellow. See they make cute clothes for boys too. I think this little shirt is very cute with his trendy jeans.

Jason's new thing is exploring his hand with his mouth, but he quite often is trying to ram the whole thing in his mouth.

Since Sydney got woken up too early from her nap, she got to have "quiet time" lying on the courch & watching "Comfy Couch". I've never watched this program with her before & thought it was the first time she had seen it, but when it was over she told me that "Comfy Couch" was over...so I am wondering where she has seen it before.

To sleep, perchance to dream

Today I should be celebrating because I think technically last night we have to congratulate Jason for sleeping through the night. He did not wake up until 5:45am for a feeding & was in bed at 10:30pm. Technically he had been sleeping since 8pm because he fell asleep after his feeding at 7pm & we just had him in the swing because I was going out & Brad was putting our nephew Max to bed (an impromptu overnight stay because his Mom & Dad had to go out). We did not realize that he would stay sleeping the whole time I was out & need to be woken again to get ready for bed.

So, why do I say I should be celebrating??? Two reasons. One- although Jason slept well through the night, yet again I did not. First, although Jason is starting to sleep later I am still waking at 3am & having trouble getting back to sleep. Second, Max was sleeping in our bed with Uncle Brad therefore I was on the couch with Logan. Logan for whatever reason was throwing up last night, so I was up with her to get her outside. I think I can eventually solve my own sleep issues, but I can't figure Jason out.

You would think that after having one child that was a poor napper and endlessly consulting Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child I would be a whiz at the sleep strategy for children- right??? Wrong! You don't really know what Jason is going to do at the "supper" feeding until after you have fed him & he crashes on your shoulder. Second, getting the child down for a nap is really becoming a challenge.

"The book" says that babies can handle no more than 2 hours of wakefulness and that you should watch for signs of when they are becoming drowsy so that they will fall asleep easily. Well, Jason rarely can last an hour and a half before he becomes a fuss pot. And the drowsy signs??? Even when I think I am catching them & try "soothe" him to sleep he fights it. When I say fights it, I mean fights it. This child can scream!!! I think he has a flare for the dramatic.

So, I am very happy that Jason slept through the night last night, but I am not counting on a repeat performance tonight. I wish I could say that I am because then maybe my mind would sleep until it hears him, but I know myself well enough to know that I am not there yet.

However, I do know exactly what MY problem is. I am, by nature, a planner. I like to know the day before what I will be dealing with the next day. I like routine & schedules. Not something to expect when dealing with an infant. Jason is starting to establish a bit of a pattern, but is not quite there yet & I am eager for him to be predictable. I would also appreciate if the child who does like to be held would accept that attention when trying to relax into his sleepy phase.

Although kids develop well when there is structure to their lives, I will need to wait for Jason to mature into his own routine so that I can assist to provide the structure.

As you can see, when well rested- he is a very happy little guy.

A girl can never have too many clothes

Prior to Sydney being born, Logan was my baby & I enjoyed buying her different bandanas to wear. Brad has always thought that this is crazy & said the dog had more clothing options than him. This weekend Sydney was introduced to Logan's wardrobe options so that she could pick something for Logan to wear & Brad had to snap a picture of her. I think he was trying to make a point with this picture, but I still see nothing wrong with a girl having options.

An update on the sleeping status...
Yesterday Jason had a 3.5 hour nap & I think only woke up when he did because I encouraged it by opening his blinds & door. My goal was to have him to bed by 9pm last night to see if the earlier bedtime was contributing to the longer sleeping phase, but he completely crashed for a "nap" at 7:30pm & Brad had to wake him to change him into his p.j.'s & feed him before going "bed". Because Jason slept so much yesterday during the day he did not eat as much in the day as he typically does therefore I initiated the feeding at 7pm that resulted in him crashing for the evening. Now I wonder, if I had not fed him & let him go until about 8:30pm would he have still slept for a long time or would he wake up because he was hungry? Who knows.

He did sleep until 4am which considering he was essentially asleep since 7:30pm with the exception of Brad waking him to change & feed him before bed at 10pm, he did pretty good. Let me tell you, he was screaming to be fed at 4am though!!! This boy has a cry that would convince strangers that we are torturing our poor son. He may only be two months old, but he does seem to have a flare for the dramatic already.

As Jason is approaching his three month birthday, I am really trying to establish some routine & structure to our day. I truly believe that if we can get a pattern established, my Fridays with Sydney will be much more enjoyable for all involved. This week my focus has been to try and get Jason to have a true "nap" in the morning. As I said, yesterday he slept for 3.5 hours which I think was mainly due to his exhaustion from the day before & today so far we are marking an hour. However, that hour has also involved me going into his room already to soothe him back to sleep after a 15 minute catnap. If I can get him to have a true nap in the morning, I think that Sydney be more tolerant throughout the rest of the day if she can have some "Mommy time" in the morning during his nap.

Dare I say it???

For the past three nights, Jason has been increasing the length of time he sleeps before waking for his middle of the night feeding. First it was 4:30, then 4:15 & last night he slept until 5:15!!! Also, last night he was way beyond tired so he also went to bed at 9pm!!! So now I am wondering, do I work to get him in bed by 9pm tonight to see if the earlier bedtime is contributing to the longer sleep at night??? We shall see if I can manage to work it out.

Tonight could be a big enough challenge since Brad has hockey at 7pm therefore has to leave shortly after 6pm. That means I have Sydney & Jason & bedtimes to contend with on my own...wish me luck.

I really hope we are on the road to eliminating the middle of the night (or rather very early morning) feedings.

Happy Belated Birthday Papa

This post is very belated since Papa's birthday was over 2 weeks ago, but today was the first chance that we all could get together to go out & celebrate. So sorry that it is late, but it is still filled with love.

(Brad, in case you are wondering why I didn't post a picture that includes Max- it is because they are all blurry)

Just for a second

The other day I had to run downstairs to get something from the freezer. When I returned upstairs, I witnessed Sydney "dressing up" her brother with the headband that she made at daycare. I thought it was too cute to not take a picture of...just wait Jason until she starts dressing you as if you are a doll.

Happy Thanksgiving

On this Thanksgiving weekend I am thankful for:
1- happy & healthy family
2- beautiful weather
3- having an extended family with whom we gather with (especially for the extra additions this weekend)
4- living in a country that allows you to take a year's maternity leave to watch your child grow
5- friends that have children the same age as mine & who are also at home right now allowing for "social" time

Of course, I could continue with all the things that are in my life for which I am thankful, but those are the ones that spring to mind in the "right now". Today we went to Uncle Ron & Aunt Lois's for our traditional Robinson gathering. My pie was a hit- if I do say so myself & I was told that I will be expected to keep it up. We shall see- pastry making is an art form & like learning a language I think is only something that you are good at if you have the opportunity to practice often. My post-pregnancy waistline cannot afford me to take on the task of perfecting the art of pastry-making, although I am sure that my husband would love it if I did.

It was a great day & in my opinion was made even better by the addition of a few extra boys. Here are some pictures from the day.

Finally, some boys added to the mix of little girls. Too bad Tyler
wasn't there to be surrounded by more testosterone-filled cousins.

Uncle Ron was a hit with Sydney. He showed the kids the way to the park.

He also showed the little ones that he is still a kid at heart too.

Hayleigh & Emily. Is Liam trying to break away?

Looks like he was trying to break away.
Brad took this because it reminded him of Prison Break.

Impressive, a climbing apparatus that Sydney (and little ones her size) can master.

Here Regan is sitting with Emily, but she got to spend some individual time with Jason while the others went to the park. She did very good & Jason was quite happy just to watch her.

They say that after a day of being handled by a lot of people that babies can be very fussy in the evening. Not the case with Jason. He was chatting up a storm & smiling lots tonight.
I think he was telling us what he liked best about the day.

(I started this post on Sunday, and it is now Wednesday & I am hoping that it will finally publish. Blogger again has been a little particular about when it will post my pictures.)

Rockton World Fair

Today we started what I hope will become one of our new Thanksgiving traditions- going to the Rockton fair. Not to be done for infinity of course, but at least for as long as the kids want to go & don't need to be dragged there to spend time with Mom & Dad.

Our day got off to a bumpy start with Sydney puking, for the first time in her life, in the parking lot going into swimming lessons. Her reaction was priceless. She immediately said "Oh dear" and I think was looking to me to see what my reaction was, but I was rather concerned since the child was acting normal & has never puked EVER! She then commented that she "made a mess" and I reassured her that it was OK. Not too sure why she was sick because she was fine before and fine all day after. After swimming she fell backwards off the bench in the changeroom & bonked her head. No bump to be felt, but there were a lot of tears over that one, "OUCH". When we got home, we learned that Jason had had a similar experience with his Dad due to an unlocked arm on the carseat causing him to take a tumble forward and do a face plant. Our poor children have more bumps and bruises than seems to be their fair share.

At the fair, Jason did not sleep through the whole experience and was a very happy guy in the time that he was awake & yet I still did not take a picture of him- poor second child. The only time we took the camera out was when Sydney was on the carousel- which she loved!

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!!!