We're Moving

Not very far. Not very far at all. We will be moving upstairs. We will be moving Feb 1st. Why bother you ask? Well we went up and looked at the apartment today (Shawn set this up today while he was outside shoveling), and well it is quite nicer than our apt is. A lot of things that I would like to do but am too lazy and non skilled too and well come on, Shawn doing like manual labor? Ha. One of the big things for me. The kitchen. I'm always saying how much I hate the kitchen and just want to paint the kitchen cupboards but I'm am just not ambitious enough to sand them and paint them. I wouldn't have to worry about it if I moved upstairs. It's already been done. All of the rooms have been freshly painted. The living room and hallway wouldn't be bright yellow anymore (yes, i hate painting that much i've lived with yellow walls), and best of all, they have a nice big deck that would become ours. this is what we like best. it was the whole reason that brought us to even checking the place out.
It doesn't leave me with much time. It's going to give me a good chance to go through some things and decide if it's really necessary that we keep it. Moving is also going to be tricky between all of us. Should be interesting.
I'm excited. I think we'll like it much better. How can we not?

Am I Crazy?

Aside from getting ready for Christmas, not a whole lot is going on. Oliver seems to have the cold that never ends. He is currently into hour 14 of his afternoon nap. Isn't that crazy? Imagine being able to sleep a solid 14 hours? Jack's runny nose doesn't seem to want to go away either.
I am finally about 1/3 of the way through my Christmas shopping. It just seems to never end. There always seems to be something for someone I have to pick up. I'm pretty much caught up on the wrapping too. That is when it gets tricky. In our little apartment, there isn't much hiding space for gifts. Shawn jokes we will probably forget a gift someplace and will find it in the spring. There is a lot of remembering to do. Remembering is definitely not one of my strengths. I have to be sure to remember what paper I used from Santa and which paper I used from Us. We couldn't dare have the same paper as Santa. What would be the odds? Seriously.
I'm very excited for Christmas morning. Not that we bought the kids a lot of presents, because we didn't, but Jack is going to be super excited about the gifts he is getting. Even if his list is different now then the one he gave me a couple of weeks ago. Oliver of course will likely be more interested in the paper and boxes.
My entire family is going to be here for Christmas. Yes that's right, my entire family. Mom, Dad, Bill, Pam, Tim and their boys, Jody and Rita. Should be interesting. Again, small apartment. What was I thinking? I was thinking it would be nice to all be together for Christmas, even if it means being squished like sardines. Shawn will be serving his first turkey dinner. He is pretty excited about this. I had better start making a shopping list. We are going to need lots of food with all these people coming. Maybe I should bake some treats. Aside from some cookies and cake from a box, I've never really baked anything. Any suggestions?

It Has A Name

So I was doing some reading on the circadian rhythm and I came across some information on circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Oh my goodness. My sleep problem. It has a name. You know what that means? That means that I am not the only person out there with this sleep problem. Do you know how much more normal that makes me feel? It has a name!

It's name you are asking? It is called advanced sleep phase syndrome. It absolutely describes me to a T. You would think someone had asked me to write about my sleep schedule.

In case you are curious, here it is.
http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/advanced.html

What is with describes me to a T anyway? Why a T? What does that even mean?

Is There Anybody Out There?

I always wonder if there is anybody out there reading or not. By anybody, I mean anybody other than Chantal and Laura who I know stop by and see if I've had anything to say.
Not much is going on around here. Jack is growing smarter every day. It's amazing to me the development in his language this past year. I think he is going to be a into computers just like Shawn. He can already turn on the computer, load up a web browser and navigate his way around various websites. He has pretty good mouse control and he picked up using the mouse pad on the laptop pretty quick too. He's cute too. He likes using the headphones when he is using the laptop. He always looks like he is hard at work.
Oliver. That boy certainly keeps me on my toes. He is quite a busy boy. He doesn't much like sitting down and reading books. His idea of let's cuddle is let's crawl and climb all over Mommy. The kid just never sits still. The most still he ever gets is when he is standing at your feet while you are eating or standing next to Jack's chair while he is on the computer, though while this is happening he is always busy pounding away at the keyboard or trying to get the mouse.
He sure is sweet though. I always just want to pick him up and squeeze him tight.
He had the pleasure of getting a haircut from Jack the other day. I suppose I left a pair of scissors within Jack's reach. The thought never crossed my mind that Jack would ever pick them up and try to cut his or Oliver's hair. I didn't even know Jack could even use a pair of scissors. Boy was I lucky I saw him when I did and that no eyes were poked out or ears were cut. The cut is not too bad and not really noticeable unless you are looking for it. He only made the one cut. I will have to take a picture and post it.
Oliver is still a great eater. He will eat everything and anything. I am very thankful for this and hope so much that he continues to be. It's by far the one struggle I have with Jack. I know this is partly my fault. I think if we sat around the table and ate dinner as a family, this would eventually change. The problem is, we need a new table that fits better in our kitchen that would allow us to sit around it. That's my excuse anyway.
I'm off to load the dishwasher and try to squeeze in a shower before Oliver's morning nap is over. Wish me luck!

Oliver's haircut as promised. Notice the top right.

Lest We Forget

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Fields.
- John McCrae

Happy 1st Birthday Oliver

Today I celebrate the birth, growth and development of my baby boy. It's crazy to think it was a year ago today I was in denial about the possibility of actually being in labor. It was about this time, 11:30, that I was getting ready to go shopping for a take home outfit. I remember being in a store and having THAT contraction. The one that was more painful and intense the they had been. When I think back now, what was I thinking? The embarrasement I would have felt had my water broke. Thank goodness that didn't happen.
It has been a great pleasure to watch Oliver grow into the little person he is becoming. He has brought many smiles to my face. I love that little boy and I can't wait to keep watching him grow and become and young man.
We celebrated his birthday yesterday with close family and friends. It was nice having everyone together to celebrate his birthday with us. I thank you all for coming.
Unfortunately Oliver isn't feeling well. He started to have a fever yesterday afternoon and continues to have one today. He is getting plenty of sleep and will hopefully start feeling better soon. Poor little pumpkin.

Halloween II

Halloween has come and gone. Jack thoroughly enjoyed going out to trick or treat. He's funny that kid. He flat out refused to put his costume on during the day. It's sole purpose was to be worn trick or treating and that is it. As I mentioned before, he was a clown. He wore his clown nose for one, maybe two pictures. It was not to be a permanent accessory. He did carry his lollipop though.
My little Oliver went out as Donald Duck. He looked so sweet in his costume. The head was actually quite big and heavy making it hard for him to balance it. He preferred it when it was off. That little tail feather was cute when it wiggled when he crawled.
Here are a couple of pictures for you to enjoy.

Halloween

Halloween is coming and Jack is so excited. Every day he tells me he can't wait for Halloween. This year, he really had his heart set on being a clown. You would think this would have been an easy costume to find. Wrong. I couldn't find a kids sized clown costume anywhere. I ended up finding one through Freecycle. Thank God. When I asked Jack what else he wanted to be, he replied a circus clown (like there is a difference). When I told him I was having a hard time, the look of disappointment on his face would have broken anyone's heart.
My sister Jody and Mom were kind enough to teach Jack what they call "The Trick or Treat Song"

Trick or treat
Smell my feet
Give me something good to eat
Thank you

As cute as it is when he sings it, I'm not a big fan of the whole "give me" part. Maybe since I don't sing it with him, he'll forget the words by Halloween, but since the kid seems to be remembering just about everything lately, I'm sure he will remember.

The Time Has Come

I go back to work today. I can't believe it's actually time to be going back to work. Has it been a year already? Clearly it has. Wow, that went by so quickly.
Not that I'm working a whole lot. I work one day a week and every other Saturday. That is of course, until I find another job or pick up extra shifts. I wonder how Jack is going to be today when I leave and he stays with the babysitter. I hope he is okay. I can tell already he's going to have a hard time. He already doesn't like it when I just talk to him about it. My poor, sweet boy.
Oliver, he will have no issues. As long as someone is around to feed him, he doesn't care who is with him. lol

I hope going in for my 5 hour shift doesn't kill me. I want to vomit all over just thinking about. It is definitely much harder this time around.

The Phone Call

I just received the dreaded phone call. In less than 4 short weeks, I will be returning to work. My first day back will be Oct 15th. Oh, I have knots in my stomach now. I knew it was coming but getting that phone call really makes it real. I keep thinking I'm ready to go back but now...oh my god, it's going to be so hard. I didn't think I would care. Apparently I do. I'm going to be sick now...

I've never thought my kids looked like me. Especially Jack. I've always thought he looked so much like Shawn. It brings me great pleasure to see this picture next to one of Jack.
I'm about the same age as Jack is now in this picture. Nana said I am about 3.5-4 years old.

Undecided

It's been awhile since I've taken Jack to get a hair cut. I just couldn't be bothered to deal with all of the drama that goes along with getting one. I would suggest Shawn take him but I know that at the first sign of protest from Jack, Shawn will turn around and come home without a haircut.
This morning, for the first time in his 3.5 year life, Jack woke up with some messy hair. It was messy enough that I felt the need to get out a comb and comb it. This came as a surprise to him. He had a "dude - what are you doing?" look on his face. After combing it and taking some pictures and looking at them I wonder, now what?

Family Fun

Tuesday the kids and I headed to Canada's Wonderland to meet Nana, Grampa, Jody, Pam and her kids for a day of fun. The weather was great, the lines were long but we all had a great time. I wasn't too sure what Jack was going to think or if he would even go on any of the rides but he again surprised me and did. I think the highlight of his day was playing at the water park. His least favorite? I think that would have to be his ride on the Ghoster Coaster. I dunno. What do you think? I can't wait to take him back next year.

A Day Out With Thomas

This past weekend we packed up the van and headed to Ottawa to go to A Day Out With Thomas event at the Ottawa Central Railway. Jack and I attended the event with Laura and Nicholas. Although he had a good time, I think I was more excited than Jack was. Jack enjoyed himself until it was time to pose for a picture with Sir Topham Hat.

He claims (and still does when looking at pictures) that he is afraid of him. lol I find that quite amusing. He hasn't given me any excuse yet why the scenario was the same when posing with Thomas. I'm blaming that on 1) waking up at 5:50am (thanks Oliver) 2) it was hot 3) it was past lunch time and we still hadn't had anything to eat 4) it really is typical Jack behaviour.

While in Ottawa, we stayed at Shawn's Aunt Tootsie's house. It was a nice visit. It was the first time she met Oliver. Jack also surprised me by not being shy with her as it's been awhile since he has seen her. We were also lucky enough to have a little visit with cousins Tiffany, Chris and Jax who were also visiting from Kingston.

To my surprise, the kids were really good for both the car trip there and back. We even managed to make it home without having to make any stops along the way. We made it home in record time. It made me really thankful my kids are used the the long car trips from going home to Midland all the time.

It was a fun and succesful weekend and I'm glad we made the trip.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Seriously, does it need to rain every single day? I don't remember ever getting as much rain as we have this summer. The weather has been insane. It was sunny and warm earlier today. Lunch time rolls around and a big, dark cloud decides to end it. There is thunder rumbling in the distance and the air as cooled. Now all we can do is sit around and wait for the rain to come. It has rained so much I've had to take Jack out to play in the rain just so he is able to get outside to some fresh air and run/jump around and burn off some energy.
Of course we could be at the other end of the spectrum like they are in Alberta and be experiencing a drought. Isn't Mother Nature able to balance herself out? I don't mind sharing some of our rain with our neighbors. Please give us a chance to go outside and enjoy some of the summer. A weekend even would be greatly appreciated.

Baby Gear

Now that Oliver is crawling and pulls to stand, he isn't very interested in his baby activities anymore such as the Jumperoo and exersaucer. It's nice finally being able to get rid of these things. They are just so big and take up so much room. Not like the space they were taking up won't be replaced with other toys but at least they will be toys that will hopefully get played with. It's been hard for me to decide if I want to keep all of his baby things that he outgrows, you know just in case or just get rid of it. I kind of enjoy just having my two kids and a family of four is a good, manageable size. Some days though, I think to myself that maybe, just maybe I want to have another baby in a couple of years. But do I? I hate to think that Oliver is going to be my last pregnancy and baby. I'm not even 30, do I want to be done having kids already? I think this is just one thing we are going to have to play by ear and just wait it out and see. It was much easier after having Jack because I knew I never wanted to just have one. I guess I will just have to wait and see what the big man upstairs has in store for me. Until then, I'm at least getting rid of the big large items that should be easily replaced.

Time. Where does it go?

Not much going on over here at our place although I can hardly believe that it is already Thursday evening. Where has the week gone? Jack played his lat game of Blastball this week. You could easily tell he'd been only 3 of the 6 weeks. He didn't even play. He claimed he was "too scared". What he was afraid of, I'm still not sure. I'm guessing the fact that there was other people there. That boy is not a fan of the people. I'm afraid to admit that he has inherited the "I don't mesh well with people I don't know" gene from me. He does not do well in new and unfamiliar situations. Neither do I. It's going to be really interesting when it's time to return to work and he has to go back to daycare. I'm hoping it will make it easier for him with Oliver there. Ugh, speaking of work, only 3 more months until it's time to go back. You think having a year off is a long time, but man it goes by so quickly. Blink. I have my baby. Blink. He can roll. Blink he can sit. Blink. He crawls. Although it's nice being home with the kids, it's also going to be nice getting back to work and being around other adults and having some non-kid related conversations. I'm still not sure how women stay at home every day with their children. I couldn't do it. I'm looking forward to going back to work. Where I'm going to work is a whole different story. I guess I should get working on that because before I know it, it's going to be time to return.

Tears Are A Language That God Understands

My grandmother passed away peacefully Monday with my family by her side at the Huronia District Hospital in Midland. She was 81. I'm so glad I was able to be with her the last few days of her life. They say hearing is the last of the senses that someone dying loses. Although she was not able to see or speak, it's comforting to know that I was able to hold her hand and tell her how much I love her. She will always remain a very special person to me. I also take comfort in knowing she got to meet Oliver, who I named after her husband, my grandfather. It was important for me to honour her in someway when he was born.
I love you Grandma, and it makes me happy to know that you are up in Heaven with Grandpa. May you both rest in peace. xo

My Home and Native Land

Happy 141st Birthday Canada!

A Morning at the Zoo.

The Bowmanville Zoo had free admission today. I'm not 100% sure but I believe it was because Bowmanville is celebrating its 150th birthday. Laura and I decided to take the boys. How can you pass up a free trip to the zoo. The boys really seemed to enjoy themselves.
They zoo has a few, shall I call them carnival rides. I took Jack and Nicholas on the one that spins. That was a lot of fun. I didn't think I would be able to get Jack to go on but he did and really enjoyed himself. They then went on the boat ride. I was so proud of him for going on it by himself (well with Nicholas). Jack is always a little bit leery when in new places and with trying new things. It was a fun, successful visit. I'm hoping if we make it again, maybe we can try to go the water park.
My favorite part of the zoo however had nothing to do with the animals. While Jack and Nicholas were having fun playing at the playground, to my surprise Amy and Kim (a couple of girls I worked with at the group home) came up behind me with two kids from work. I was so excited to see them. I haven't been by the group home in awhile to visit. I hugged and kissed the kids many times. I miss them so much. I was almost in tears because I was feeling so overwhelmed seeing them. I really need to go by there and visit. It's been far too long. I'm starting to get teary eyed now just thinking about them.

You call that a barricade?

From our living room, there are two entrances into the kitchen. One of these is very simple to block. I simply roll the dishwasher over a little more and voila, you can't get into the kitchen. I didn't have anything to block the other entrance so I thought I would try the umbrella box from the patio set which is for some reason in the kitchen. Apparently, I need to invest in a baby gate.

I'm already starting to miss him and he hasn't even left yet.

Well the Jackster is off to Midland today to spend a few days. Somehow, these few days always turn into a week or more. I'm going to miss the little guy while he is away. The house is certainly going to be eerily quiet with him not here. It's going to be nice though to have some 1:1 time with Oliver. Although Jack has adjusted well to having a new person in our home and being a big brother, he can be pretty demanding for your time and attention. I sometimes feel bad for Oliver that I don't have all the time I wish I did to spend alone with him. It's a real balancing act trying to fit in enough 1:1 time with each of the kids. At least Oliver still takes 2 naps every day which provides me with plenty of time to hang out and play with Jack.
Have fun with my little boy Nana and Grampa. I hope you realize how hard it is for him to be away for such a long time.

Oh, and just want to say thank you to Chantal, Kyle and Milli for taking my Jack up north to see my parents. They really, really do appreciate it and I do too! xo

Forgetfulness

I am so upset. Shawn and I both totally and completely forgot that Jack has his Blastball picture day yesterday. It wasn't until Midnight that I remembered. Now he isn't going to have a picture of his first year playing. It isn't his solo picture that I even care about because I know I am capable of putting him in his baseball shirt, giving him a bat to hold and taking his picture. It's the team picture. He's going to be missing from it. I don't even know that they take a team picture, I'm just assuming they do. I'm very, very disappointed about this.
For this, I am blaming my mother. I get my great (okay my not so great) memory from her. She is even more forgetful than I am. Nana, couldn't you have just not passed on that specific piece of DNA to me? Of all things.... J/K Nana, you know I love you!

What is even funnier is that Shawn is the teams coach. Is that going to look bad?

Happy Father's Day

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.

-Henry Ward Beecher

Happy Father's Day to my Dad, Bill, Dave and of course Shawn.
God Bless xo

Crazy Mosquito Bites

This past weekend we headed up to Shawanaga to visit Shawn's parents. Shawanaga is an Indian reserve located in Nobel which is about 20-30 minutes north of Parry Sound. It seems we tend to make it up there every year in early June. It's an easy way to get Mother's Day, Dave's birthday, Father's Day and Shawn's birthday all taken care with at one time. It's always such a busy time of year with so many celebrations. Shawn's sister Laura and her husband Johnathon as well as their two sons Nicholas and Shane also came up. Derek too. He is one of Shawn's best friends. It was a full house but we had a lot of fun, aside from all of the bugs.
Speaking of bugs, Jack tends to have allergic reactions to mosquito bites. He got a good bite on his left ear which caused his ear to swell and stick out. I finally broke down and gave him some children's Reactine after speaking with the pharmacist. I say this because I don't like to give my kids or take myself, medicine unless it is really, really needed. Aside from catching him rub in once in awhile (which I'm assuming he does when it itches), it doesn't really seem to bother him. The pharmacist told me it's important to get the swelling down because it could cause a breakdown of something (I don't remember what) which would require an antibiotic. His ear looks much better today.Oliver is 7 months old today!! I can hardly believe it. It certainly doesn't feel like it's already been 7 months. He has grown and changed so much. He is just a big bundle of sweetness. There is nothing sweeter or more rewarding then watching my children grow into the little people they are too quickly becoming. Along with that goes watching their ever-evolving relationship. Oliver's eyes light up and he always get a giant smile on his face each and every time he sees Jack. Jack notices this and it excites him. He will even say to me "I think he loves me Mommy, I think he loves me!" He is very good to Oliver. Always there when Oliver cries, he gives him random hugs and even shares his toys with him once in awhile. It's just all so exciting.

We are in Midland now for the rest of the week. Jody goes for her 2nd ultrasound tomorrow. I am so excited. I am going to go with her. I can't wait to see her little babe who is growing inside of her. I'm even more excited to find out if I'm going to have a new niece or nephew. I will let you all know in my next post. Until then, enjoy every day as if it's your last. xo

Blastball

Jack played his first BlastBall game tonight. BlastBall teaches all five basic fundamentals of baseball---hitting, throwing, catching, running and fielding. Shawn was asked if he would like to "coach" and he accepted. I was interested in seeing how Shawn was going to manage fourteen 2.5-3 year olds. For any of you who don't know Shawn, he is definitely not one for large groups and not much of a talker. This isn't something I would have ever expected Shawn to agree to do. Luckily with the help of some parents, it all went smoothly. Should be an interesting 6 weeks. Jack did well. We lost his attention however by the end of the second "inning". He decided it was time to go check out the playground. Oliver was well behaved while we watched Jack play. He sat quietly and was full of smiles, even though it was cold and raining. I'm still amazed that a 3rd inning was actually played. It should be fun to see how all the kids progress in the next six weeks.

Birthday Wishes

Just wanted to shout out a Happy Birthday to my sister Pam. I hope your day is filled with happiness, good cheer and lots of love.

Cheryl xo

And the Fun Begins

Oliver has decided at 6.5 months that he is going to start to crawl. He isn't up on all fours crawling, he does an army crawl. Jack didn't do this until he was 8 months old. I thought I was good for another month and half. He's still just learning and is still pretty slow, luckily. Jack has slowly been learning he can't leave his toys on the floor around Oliver anymore because when he does, they tend to get taste tested. He doesn't like it very much when Oliver "eats" his toys. And so the fun begins.

Midwives

When I was pregnant with Jack, I had an OB/GYN as my primary caregiver throughout my pregnancy. I found every visit to be the same. Very impersonal. I don't think he once ever called me by my name. To top it all off, obstetricians work on an on-call schedule at the hospital so chances were he would not be the one delivering my baby (which he didn't). We didn't build any sort of relationship. In fact, if I had returned there for my second pregnancy, I would bet that he wouldn't remember that I was once before a patient of his. When I became pregnant with Oliver, I didn't think twice about choosing a midwife.
In Ontario, midwifery is fully funded by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. A midwife is a primary caregiver, which means that she can provide all the care necessary for a healthy woman and her baby throughout pregnancy, birth and for six weeks afterward. With a midwife, you have a choice between a hospital or home birth.
I loved my team of midwives. They were so wonderful. They took an interest in not only my pregnancy but my family as well. Another great thing about midwives, is they are available 24/7 for any questions/concerns you have that are pregnancy related.
I knew having a midwife was the best choice for me. It wasn't until the day I gave birth, that I realized just how wonderful and supportive these women truly are.
Having gone into labor, I called the midwife and she (Andrea) told me she would be over within 40 minutes to assess if it was time to go to the hospital. Upon arrival and finding out I was already 9cm dilated , she suggested we stay put and have our baby at home. She called for backup as they always deliver in teams of 2. OMG! I couldn't believe my ears. Have my baby at home? I never even considered this an option. She assured me she had everything necessary in the trunk of her car. She returned from her car with the supplies needed. I was freaked right out. Andrea calmed me right now. She remained so calm and supportive through the rest of my labor and delivery. I could not have asked for a better birthing experience, even if it did happen at home unplanned with no drugs. I don't know if I would do the whole home birth again next time, but I know without a doubt I will have a midwife.

Potty Training

When I decided it was time to say good-bye to diapers for Jack, I thought it was going to be a week of messes and be done with. Ha. Little did I know Jack was having nothing to do with that. First off, he refused to use the potty. It was only upon coming across a Thomas and Friends toilet seat that he became interested and actually starting sitting on the toilet to go pee. We moved from pull-ups to underwear. He's even pooping in the toilet. Not all the time, but at least most of the time. We even have night time tackled. And then it just hasn't progressed any further. In fact, it's even worse. Jack never poops in the toilet. Never. As in, he always poops in his pants. He doesn't even try. I try really hard to remind myself he's only 3, give it some time but really, who is interested in cleaning poopy underwear every day? I don't understand this whole "you shouldn't scold him for accidents". Am I just supposed to act like it's normal and okay he is pooing his pants? I dump it in the toilet, "See Jack, when we poo we poo in the toilet. Maybe next time we'll make it". That's a lot of next times. We still aren't making it. It is really, very frustrating.
And then Jack reminds me about all the other reasons I love him so much.

The Common Cold

Don't you just hate the common cold? Sniffling, coughing. All around just feeling crappy. There is nothing to make you feel better unless you want to consume something that just might knock you on your ass. I have two kids to look after, that's not an option. What is even greater than having a cold yourself? When you try your hardest to not spread your germs to your children, but are unsuccessful. Is that even possible? Seriously. How does a sick mother keep her children from becoming sick? I want to know the secret.

Here fishy, fishy, fishy, fishy

Every April I like to take a walk down to the Bowmanville Creek to the Goodyear Dam to watch the fish try to make their way upstream. I'm pretty sure the fish are salmon. I'm also pretty sure they do this to spawn. This year was even more fun because Jack also got to watch the fish jumping out of the water trying to make it over the dam. He thought this was pretty exciting.
What he isn't going to find so exciting, is seeing/smelling all the dead fish that are to follow.

In Memory of Ava

Just like most people today, I have a Facebook account. Facebook has allowed me to connect with friends and acquaintances from college, high school and before. Today, my thoughts and prayers are with one of these acquaintances. Her name is Karla. I know Karla from high school. Aside from having a few classes together, we never really spoke much. Looking over Karla's Facebook profile I came across a link she had posted. This link brought me to her blog. I started to read it. It is this first visit to her blog that I learned so much about her.
On this day in 2005, Karla gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Ava. It is also on this same day she and her husband had to do what no parent should ever have to. They had to say good bye. Ava lived for only 7 short hours. Every year Karla and her family release balloons in the air in honor of her. This year, I also plan to do the same. I plan to do this every year for Karla, to honor the memory of her baby girl. It's the least I can do. May you always rest in peace. xo

You'll want to know more:
http://www.untanglingknots.com/

Up With the Birds

Ever since I was young, I've been an early riser. I wish I could tell you that early meant 0700 but I can't. By early, I'm talking 0500/0530. It is starting to become pretty inconvenient. While I used to be able to have a nap somewhere around the 0700 mark, I can no longer do this. My days are starting to become long. I used to blame it on Oliver since that is around the time he wakes for a bottle, but he has been at Nana's the last couple of mornings and I'm still up. It's like, once I'm awake that's it. There is no going back to sleep. This explains why I'm dead beat tired and asleep at 8pm. Sadly, I am in bed asleep long before Jack is. If Shawn worked evenings, I'd be in trouble.

A Little About Me

I'm not too sure where to begin. I decided on a whim to start writing a blog. I've been reading a few and thought it would be nice to have someplace to jot down my thought and feelings, have a place to vent even if nobody is going to read it.
I grew up in Midland, a community situated on Georgian Bay. Well, that's partly a lie. I didn't actually grow up in the Town of Midland, I grew up outside of Midland in Tiny Township. We lived by the beach. It was one of the most beautiful beaches, very private. I miss it dearly. It's where I spent my summer vacations from sunrise to sunset. I would spend all my time outdoors as a kid. We didn't have cable (it wasn't available out where we lived). We got a total of 3 channels and that was when the weather was nice and the antenna was positioned just right. I definitely didn't know what my friends were talking about when the subject of TV came up at school. It was nice though.
When I was 17 my parents separated and this when I moved closer to town with my Mom and little sister. After a couple of years, we made the move right into town. This is when I became lazy. I stopped riding my bike. I had no more beach to swim, play frisbee or volleyball. My only form of exercise became walking wherever I wanted to go because I didn't get my license until I turned 21.
After high school, I ventured off to Humber College in Toronto only to discover the city lifestyle was not for me (although, it was A LOT of fun). I transferred far away all the way up to Sudbury. Man, is it ever cold up there. I'm proud to say that after my break and transfer, I graduated from Cambrian College with a 3-year Child and Youth Worker diploma. This is one of the top 3 things I am most proud about.
I met my partner Shawn online via ICQ in 2002. We chatted for a few months and decided on a whim to meet. We've been together ever since. I sometimes can't believe it's already been 5.5 years. In 2004, we found out by surprise that we were expecting our first baby. Jack was born Monday, February 7th, 2005. He weighed 6lbs, 140z. We have since had a second son, Oliver. Oliver was born Saturday November 10th, 2007. More about my pregnancies and deliveries to follow.
I'm ending today's post. Enough about me and only me. Here's to hoping this is as therapeutic as I'm hoping.

Cheers!