A Wise Friend

Before having Jason, my friend Wendy advised that any resurrection of a toy that was Sydney's should occur a week before we plan on Jason using it. Well, on the weekend we tested Jason in the exersaucer to see if he was getting anywhere near ready for it & he did OK. So, we stripped it for the wash & set it up to be cleaned. Last night Sydney was downstairs with Brad & saw it there & of course wanted to get in. So, thank you Wendy for the advice. We will try to get Sydney's curiousity cured before her brother is sitting in it with any regularity. However, this like any other activity that Jason does will likely be done under the close eye & direction of his big sister.

Yes we see how dirty it is.
Not to worry it will be clean before he can actually play in it.

There are moments when...

There are moments when you would like a break from being a parent. Like yesterday when we went shopping for a "play" winter coat for Sydney & both kids screamed in the backseat on the way there. Sydney told Jason to stop crying because she was crying. I guess she figured that since he ALWAYS cries in the car that she should get this moment.

Then there are moments like these when you really enjoy being a parent.

I love kids in p.j.s

Storytime with Daddy

Two more Sydney classics...

On Monday her classic moment that we want to remember is her getting her head stuck under the couch.

Tuesday, she fell in the toilet. On Monday I bought her a stool so that she can get onto the toilet without our help. Last night before dinner she climbed up but did not have her little seat there, so she fell in the big bowl & Daddy had to pull her out. Let me tell you, there were tears after that trauma! Thankfully she was willing to get on again once her seat was there.

Wednesday- This morning before leaving for daycare she was dancing in circles in the kitchen to her alphabet song. When she stopped dancing she starting saying, "Stop floor, stop floor". We tried to explain to her that the floor wasn't really moving that it was just because she was dizzy that she felt like it was.

I can't wait 'til Jason is joining in & doing things for us to gather these funny little memories.

What a night!!!

Jason went to bed last night at 8:45pm & slept until just after 6am this morning!!! I think we will try for a repeat performance tonight!!!

In a Jam

Yesterday Sydney was at Grandma & Papa's & her and Max were playing their little "Mouse House" game which involves the cushions from the couch. Sydney stuck her head under the couch when she was lying on her side, but before pulling it out rolled onto her back therefore her head would no longer come out. Well, I guess the crying started & Papa had to save her. When she got out, all was fine & she kept saying, "Papa got me out".

When Daddy heard the story he asked if she was going to do that again & her answer was "no". Let's see if she remembers her lesson the next time her and Max are playing Mouse House.

Long Road Home

Technically the title should be the "Long Road to Mom's" since Brad always corrects me when I refer to it as home. Our visit was very good, but the drive there was not. Jason cried with great enthusiasm for the first half hour to forty minutes of our drive. It was nap time for him, so he should have fallen asleep & been asleep for the duration, but that did not happen. Finally he did fall asleep & woke when we were about 15 minutes from Mom's place. Unfortunately for him, we had to make a pit stop because we forgot his food in the fridge in our rush to get out the door. Moments like that really make you appreciate one of the main benefits of breast feeding.

Although I love the little guy a whole bunch, he makes it very hard to not get frustrated or stressed during our outings!

Tyler was also at my Mom's and Sydney was thrilled to have her cousin for a playmate & was cozying up to him at dinner.

Personal Space

Friday morning I came into the living room
& this is how I found Sydney & Jason.

How do you teach a two-year old about personal space??? Jason was born a snuffly guy & now is even snufflier due to a cold which he was bound to get because his sister does not understand the concept of "not so close".

We keep telling Sydney that when she was a baby, if anyone got in her face as much as she gets in Jason's she would FREAK OUT. To a certain extent she is still that way, but she is very much a "do as I say, not as I do" kind of girl. Thankfully Jason is not rejecting his sister's close-ups.

Jason's thinking, "Back off sister & give me some space"

Tonight we had the second candy apple that Brad's mom made for us for Halloween. Last night it was a "Turtles" apple with caramel (that nearly pulled our teeth out), chocolate & pecans. Besides the difficulty eating, it was very good. Tonight our treat was covered in caramel, chocolate, and crushed Oreo cookies. It was even yummier!!! Sydney calls them yum, yum apples & as you can see she enjoyed every bit of it. Well the candy at least, the apples were still sitting in her bowl once she picked all the goodies off of it.

Happy Halloween

Brad took today as a vacation day so that we could go out for lunch to celebrate our upcoming wedding anniversary & pick Sydney up early from daycare so that she could enjoy the trick or treating part of Halloween.

She now has a pumpkin full of loot, more than she will ever eat & we have lots of leftover candy in our pile as well. Our trick or treaters are done & we only had 32 kids. I believe that we do not get a lot of kids because our street is not right within the survey & we are not an efficent use of their time with the goal of getting as much candy as possible. Therefore, with all the chocolate sitting around I think that I will be waiting to focus on those pounds that I want to lose because I know with the "junk" that is in our house that I will be continuing to indulge.

For Sydney's first trick or treat experience we took her to see Grandma & Papa (who were also watching Jason for us) and also to see G.G. Taylor and Great Uncle Jim. On our street we also went to our neighbours that know Sydney. Although it was only 10 houses the little girl has a lot of stuff!

On Friday Sydney was Cinderella, but today she was a ladybug. Jason was sort of a mummy for his first Halloween, but he really only was dressed for the trip from the grandparents. Max came over to see us too & this year he was dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Three Months Old

Well, we made it through another month & we are definitely getting to figure each other out more & more. You are becoming a very smiley baby, but you will still often make people work pretty hard for it before you give them out- even Daddy. In the last month you have been called a "Mommy's boy" by more than one person, but really you spend 99.9% of your wakeful time with me so why wouldn't you be??? You really are getting to be a chatty thing when you are awake, but those wakeful periods are still pretty short. After being awake for only an hour you often show signs of being tired & in need of a nap. In the last couple of weeks you have had a nap each day that can last up to 3.5 hours, but getting you settled into that nap is still a bit of a challenge. I think I have accepted that for whatever reason you have to have your little cry before you will fall asleep. Hopefully this is just a temporary thing until you learn to fall to sleep on your own. You are also napping in your crib now, which is great except when we are out you do not always sleep well because you want to be lying down on your own. At night you are typically in bed at 9pm & sleep through until 4am-5am. Lucky for me you are very quick when you feed in the night & are usually back in your bed within half an hour & then sleep until around 8:30am. You are really starting to check out your hands & like to get them in your mouth. However, your control is still not the greatest & you sometimes punch yourself in the eye. Because you have been sleeping so much during the day, it doesn't seem that we have been out & about as much in the last month. I have ventured to the mall a couple of times with you & that is not a successful outing if you are awake- you do not like to be confined to your carseat & you let anyone who is listening know it! If I carry you, you are just fine- so I am not sure how easy Christmas shopping is going to be with you. We don't go to the doctor this month, so we will have to wait until next month for your growth update. However, I would guess that you probably weigh about 14 lbs & I am starting to wonder if I will last carrying you in your infant seat...you are getting heavy!!!

Happy Belated Birthday Uncle Robb

Congrats on your new job with Mississauga Fire Department...hopefully you get to the fire before the houses are this engulfed with flames!!!

Check out the smoke created by all those candles!!!

Also, happy 7-year anniversary to Robb & Michele.

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.)