Mr. Serious is starting to smile more

He doesn't only smile, but poses for the camera!

My Heart Melts

There are many reasons that I had kids, but these pictures capture some of the moments of parenthood that truly capture my heart.

Cute things from this week

Part of the purpose of keeping this journal is to keep track of the cute things that kids say. Well, I have fallen off of that mark lately. I know that Sydney said a couple of things this week that now for the life of me I can't remember. Hopefully it will come to me later.

On Friday we took Jason for his speech assessment & I took Sydney with me. Although we had the talk before we went in that Mommy needed to talk to this woman & Sydney would need to play on her own, she kept asking me over & over to read a Curious George book. I felt so bad for saying 'no' and we never got a chance to read it when the session was over either.

As for Jason, he did pretty good showing her what he was supposed to show her. I was fearful that we would go in & he would just sit beside me the whole time. Fortunately she had some pretty good toys. She noted that he doesn't have very many different sounds, which makes it difficult to have a lot of words. She said his comprehension is very good, so good that we will need to be careful that we work hard to break our speech down into short phrases. Talking in normal sentences with him does not give him the chance to model words back to us. So, if you are around us & you hear us saying the same thing to Jason over & over again, you will know why. She also stated that his personality (stubborn) will make it even more difficult to see changes. He will do things in his own time- don't we know it!!!

So, Brad & I will be taking a Parent Course that will give us tools to help him & have a few sessions to monitor his progress. Let's just hope the time they call us for the group will work!

This weekend we are kid-free. Sydney & Jason are with Aunt Kim, Uncle Peter, Nana & Regan while Brad & I are putting the kitchen floor down & painting- will update you on that later.

Grace & Maddie Stolen Image

Robb & Michele have their own site for Grace & Maddie- not blogger mind you. Brad told me to check it out this morning for updates & saw this picture, so I had to steal it. I requested the video, but will have to see if they will give it to me (Grace is sucking on Maddie's head). It really is too cute not to share & the site they chose will not post videos (I will link to the site in the future if they say it is OK).

Gracie & Maddie

Due to the back-to-back illnesses in our family over the last month, I saw the twins for the first time since the hospital this weekend. Their proud Mommy & Daddy say they are doing very well, but I think Mommy is wishing for some more sleep.

I really need to think about their names because to me "Gracie" is a fair haired little girl & "Madeline" is a dark haired little girl- but these two are named the opposite!

Jason was amazingly cool with the little ones. He was very curious to see them & did not freak at all when I would hold one of them- although he was very close by. Sydney was surprisingly not very curious- I think that she may get the fact that more little girls in the house means more sharing of everyone's attention. :)

Grace

Madeline

MS Walk

Thank you to everyone who supported me on the WALK today. Thanks to your generosity I raised over $800! That is double what my goal was, but it means that next year I am going to shoot big & try to raise $1000.


Since Miss Sydney is sick, only Jason & I went but we had fun. I wore my jacket that I earned last year for my fundraising, so I put the shirt on Jason. He got some pretty big smiles from a lot of people. To keep him occupied, I set him up in the Chariot with books & a drink. He was really good for me & managed to stay awake until the last 10 minutes before he fell asleep.

Keep bring the nicer weather

Bikes & scooters are great Christmas gifts, but it is hard when you need to wait 4 months to be able to use them!

Mini Daycare

For the past 3 weeks I have watched my friend Tara's little girls on the Friday morning. Since I already had 2 extra, I figured I would make play dates out of it too. I must say things went remarkably well- but I will not be setting up my own daycare anytime soon!

Pretend "nap time"

For Julia's birthday I made cupcakes & the kids got to decorate their own.
The mess was not nearly as bad as I expected it to be.

I think I could have just saved time with the cupcakes & given Julia the icing & decorations.

Happy Birthday Julia!!!!

104.4

The theme of our household for the past two weekends??? 104.4 degrees. Last weekend, that was Jason's temperature & now this weekend it is Sydney's. The last month at the Taylor household has not been a healthy one. Brad luckily is still missing out, but it has not been a fun week for me. Many days I am working with little voice, but it seems to be getting better now.


This bleary eyed stare is all you saw of Jason last weekend & it is now replicated on Sydney's face. In a way I am thankful that they get the worst of it on the weekend, because then it does not affect work- but it does not make for a very fun weekend. Tomorrow I have to go to Montreal for the day, so I am not too thrilled that I won't see Sydney at all since she will be asleep when I leave & asleep when I get back. She will be with Brad's parents so at least I know she will be in good hands.

Last weekend Sydney helped her dad to make breakfast, this weekend she is just lying around. At least she is not "demanding" when she is sick (unlike her sibling). She wants to do stuff, just can't.

Now, The Taylors 5

Today we welcomed 2 more nieces to our family. Grace Isabelle was born at 8:53 am this morning and weighed 5 lbs 12 oz. She was soon followed a few minutes later by her sister Madeline Olivia who weighed 5 lbs 4 oz. It is amazing to see the difference 8 oz makes when someone is so small.

Grace is currently in the neonatal unit because she hasn't quite learned how to breathe outside of the womb yet, so they are forcing natural air through her nose. Hopefully over the next day she will learn how to breathe from her lungs and not her tummy. The neonatal nurses say that it is really rare that they see the larger twin in their unit, it is usually the small twin. Aside from the tubes and wires connected to her, she looks great.

Madeline (Ma-de-line, not Madelyn) aka Maddy(ie?) is doing well, but she also needed to add some excitement to the delivery. She was tucked nicely under Michele's hip bone & wasn't too interested in making it too easy for anyone. Michele was quite ready for these girls to come out and join the world, but it seems both of them were quite snug in their little home.

Mommy Michele is doing well and Daddy Robb is definitely the proud Daddy. He was busy carting everyone (2 sets of grandparents, 1 son, 1 aunt & 1 uncle) over to see Gracie. Mr. Max still seems overwhelmed by the whole experience & really who could blame the poor little guy. His world has changed drastically & although I am sure he will love his sisters dearly- I believe he is going to have a tough time adjusting to how busy Daddy & especially his Mommy are now going to be. I think Max will need to have a few sleepovers at our house when we get it back in order. Give him some time on his own.

Here are the pictures that I am sure you want to see.

Grace Isabelle Taylor
"Gracie"

Madeline Olivia Taylor
"Maddy"

Big Brother Max & Maddy

Proud family with Maddy

Over Indulgence

This weekend was a pretty fun one, but it did have its moments.

On Saturday I took Jason to buy the hardwood & a "first" happened. Jason actually was friendly & played with a stranger. I was talking on the phone with my father-in-law about a transportational difficulty & Jason cavorted with the nice gentleman at the store. Shocking!

While we were gone Sydney & Brad had their "special time" and Sydney informed me later that she never wanted to have special time with me again. Well- isn't that just what every Mom wants to hear?!? Not sure what I did to deserve such a statement. I also am not sure what we are in for when hormones start playing a role, but last week was a very "dramatic" week. I swear the gray hairs that are sprining up on my head (grrr!) are the direct result of my frustration with the "attitude" that is starting to develop & she hasn't even gone to school yet!

Saturday night we attended a wedding for a guy that Brad & I work with. It was a really nice time, but I chose this night to request that Brad be the DD. Considering I have been DD for 4 years now, he did owe me. Typically by not being a DD that allows me to have more than 2 drinks over a 4 or 5 hour period. The problem is at best estimate I had at least triple that & man, oh man, did I pay for it.

The wedding truly encouraged drinking- never seen anything like it- but it was very fun. It was a civil ceremony & drinks were available during the ceremony. You also got a shooter right when you walked in & all through dinner the waiter was willing to go to the bar for you on top of the wine he was serving at the table. Add to that the woman sitting beside me was drinking & I think I was subconsciously pacing myself with her- BIG MISTAKE- she is obviously a "better" drinker than I & I am sure that she did not pay for it in the same manner I did.

The saddest part is that we had to leave the wedding at 11pm to get home to relieve our babysitters because Dale had to go to work for midnight. So, I managed to get myself in this state in only 6 hours. The next morning I told Brad that he was going to have to go alone to my Mom's with the kids because I didn't think I could do it. It was really pathetic. After a couple of wakeful hours I realized that I could stand without having to rush to the bathroom & could face the ribbing that I would undoubtedly get from my family. Surprisingly it wasn't too bad- my husband seemed to get the most enjoyment out of the experience. Probably because he knows that he is good for about another 5 years before he will need to be DD again.

I am happy that we did not have the camera out to get the horrendous site that I am sure that I was, but I am regretful that Brad & I didn't take a picture before we went out. I can't remember the last time we had our picture taken together.

So, the only pictures I have are from our belated Easter.

Yes, that is Natalie sleeping right below all the commotion.
She seems to be a pretty content, laid back little lady.

Jason of course was his sociable self and was attached to me most of the day.

Proud Grandma & Ben

And the hunt is on!!!

Tyler was trying to help Jason out by pointing out where the candy was, but Jason kept trying to give it back to him. I think he thought that it was Tyler's.

Six More Days...

In less than a week we will have 2 more nieces. Michele is scheduled for her c-section next Tuesday, but is praying that the girls decide to move it along before then.

I cannot wait to meet Grace, or Rachel, or Madeline, or Olivia- whatever the names I am sure they will be darling!

Poor Michele is not moving too far or too fast these days & is looking forward to normal movement again.

Easter Recap

At the end of the day we asked Sydney what her favourite part of the day was & her answer was...church. Wow, not the answer we expected but I sure liked hearing it considering how much I know she loved hunting eggs.

Jason has a new word. Ehggg!!! Really loud & really exaggerated. It did not take him long to catch onto things.

Yes, you will note that we still have a plywood floor.

Saturday Egg-stravaganza

Today was busy, busy, busy. In the morning we went to a local church that was having crafts, egg hunt, lunch & a movie for ages 2-11. Sydney & Max seemed to have a really good time & liked each of the activities- especially the egg hunt.


They tried to do some games which was just an excuse for the organizers to completely stress themselves out. Coordinating a bunch of kids of varying ages into teams for games??? Not an easy task. So, they did the smart thing & just did one game- for fun- no competition.


When the kids were to line up for the egg hunt I was convinced that Sydney was not paying attention to the man trying to explain the rules. She was too worried about where Max had gone to, but as soon as the man said that kids ages 1-3 could go- she yells, "I'm 3 & was off like a bullet". I guess she was only paying attention for the important part.


After the egg hunt was lunch & a movie. They had technical difficulties getting set-up, so while they were figuring that out they had a talent contest. The man asked if anyone had a song to sing or a joke to tell. I couldn't believe it but Sydney was the first one up there & sang Humpty Dumpty. Max too got up to tell a joke. Funny kids.

After those activities were over it was off to Sydney's last gymnastics class. I am glad she had fun during it, because I don't think she actually learned anything from the experience.


Once we got home, Sydney finally got to ride her bike that she got for Christmas. There were snow banks surrounding her, but at least the sidewalks were clear enough for her to go out. We definitely need to take her to a bike shop to have her properly fitted for a helmet. The one she has is supposed to be for 5-year-olds, but it seems way too small for her. Jason & I took advantage of the time (& also to keep him from freaking out that he could not ride the bike) to go for a walk. He spent the walk pointing to every truck and bird he saw. Still not that intelligible in his speech, but at least he now tries.

There's only one left...Brad

The last week has been another week of sickness in our house & this time it wasn't just Jason. On Friday night, Jason didn't want to eat supper & so I took him away from the table. We were sitting on the couch when he gave the fearful cough so I stood up & then out it came. We saw everything he had to eat that day at Grandma & Papa's. Again I went & sat in the tub with him until we were sure it was all done, then cleaned it up & gave him a bath. About 45 minutes after he was down we were back in his room cleaning him up and his crib. Poor little guy was half asleep & throwing up.

On Monday when I picked Sydney up at Grandma & Papa's, I found her lying on the couch. She had been there all afternoon- very unlike her. She said her tummy was upset, so we brought a bag just in case. She was fine all the way home & while we picked Jason up at daycare, but once we got home she threw up all over herself & of course the car seat. So I had her crying because she was a mess & Jason crying because I was paying too much attention to her. After she had her shower she informed me that "I feel much better after I puked" and informed her dad of the same when he got home. We kept her home from daycare on Tuesday to play it safe & she was running out the bottom end as fast as she had been coming out the top end, so it was probably a good idea.

To manage the day, Brad worked from home in the morning & I worked from home in the afternoon. But by 3:30pm I was hugging the porcelain bowl myself & preceded to do the same for the next 3 hours. The worst part of it all was that I had to go to Quebec City yesterday to testify in a case (not against us). I was not too impressed to be going in the first place, but to have to go when I was not in control of the fluids in my body made it even worse. Add even more displeasure was that my ride to the airport was picking me up at 5:30am- meaning a 4:30am wake-up call. Wednesday was a very long day, but I was thankful it was not longer. The snow was really coming down in Quebec & the flight scheduled for 7pm was delayed- so I was praying that the same fate would not fall to my 5:40pm flight! But, flight was only a little late (to de-ice the plane), my ride was waiting for me, & I was home to my couch by 8:30pm. This morning Jason was up much too early for my liking, so I brought him into our room & he looked at books while I huddled underneath the covers behind him. He was reading aloud to himself & sounded so cute that I assumed he must look cute too, so I asked Brad to grab the camera & here is the result- very cute.


I asked Brad if the kids seemed to miss me & the answer was actually "no". Again one of those answers that you are only sort of happy to hear. However, it seemed that this morning they were making up for the fact that they were OK without me last night. Sydney was a grumpy girl who hardly smiled all morning- so she had her first nap in a long time. Jason would not let me out of his sight for a moment all morning, but thankfully was much better this afternoon. Presumably he trusted that I was staying. But our little boy has caught yet another bug. It appears that although he was puking on Friday, he has now caught part of what Sydney had & he had multiple stinky, watery diapers today.

Please let this be the end of it!!! Brad seems to have escaped this last round & I hope that fate continues!

This was our picnic snack today- once both kids were happy. Sydney picked out her clothes today & is wearing as much yellow as possible.

This was Sydney on Sunday at Sunday school. I taught the class for the first time. Teaching a bunch of 3 & 4 year olds is a little chaotic. You will note that again she is wearing yellow.

Snowed In

This weekend we went to see my Mom. Not surprising to anyone who was in Southern Ontario-y we got snowed in. We went up on Friday night & intended to come back on Saturday because I was suppose to teach Sunday school at 9am Sunday. It became very obvious on Saturday morning that I was going to need to find a replacement because I was not going to be getting out of town for two reasons: (1) lots of falling and blowing snow and (2) Jason had the stomach flu. Poor little guy was sick everywhere & we had to hang out in the tub together for awhile until I was sure he was done. I had bile & curdled milk all over me & him- ugh!


When Jason was down for a nap, Sydney & I headed out to do some errands & go for her first "paid" haircut. Her hair was driving me crazy & I have been pumping her that the next time she gets her hair cut that Nana wasn't going to be the one to do it. Then of course when we were at Mom's I thought we could get her to do it- but no way. I told Sydney that it was going to be someone different- so that's what it had to be. She now has more layers & the curls are much curlier instead of a wavy mess (especially when her Dad just combs it straight in the morning instead of trying to encourage the curls). Sydney loves her curls, so she was happy that her hair was even curlier after her haircut. Wonder how long that will last?


Jason's weekend was spent attached to me or sleeping. I hated to send him to daycare today, but I had to go back to work & he really did seem better- just not much spunk. I called a few times through the day & was assured he was find & thankfully tonight he still seemed much better. He was playing instead of wanting me to hold him- although I really did enjoy the extra cuddle time this weekend.

And what was Brad doing while we were off gallivanting? He was working again. This weekend's task was a tough one. Ripping up the ceramic tile in the kitchen & front entry way. What a mess our house is again. I will be so happy when it is all finished, but the dust in the meantime is taking some getting used to. Considering that he really doesn't even "want" the new kitchen, he is getting a lot of crappy jobs in the process.