I’ve bitched and moaned and bitched some more……

And now here you have it folks…..

Merely a month (and a bit) late….

pictures from our christmas….

Thank you Cory!

Have I mentioned before that Elsa likes to climb. Yes. I’m sure I have.

She is trying to get on top of everything. For months she’s been climbing on the couch, and off again. Thanks to the ‘mates bed’ frame on Merrin’s bed Elsa’s really close to getting up there on her own, without the aid of one of the two stepping stools we now have to hide while Elsa is awake.

A couple of weeks ago she found her way on top of the coffee table. Today I watched her over and over again get on top of it by merely using her protuding baby belly as a fulcrum to leverage herself up.

Today while I was putting supper together – lentil loaf I made last night and warmed up today, with cucumber & red pepper on the side – I heard her at the kitchen table. When I had a second I turned around and she was standing on top of one of the narrow benches we use as chairs.

Also today, once she was finished smashing her lentil loaf into nearly everything except her mouth, she climbed up on one of the dining room table chairs. She didn’t stand in it, just sat. Presumably to attempt to see our view of the table during supper.

But at least it was a more successful dining room chair attempt than yesterday.

My cousin Lori, who grew up in Ottawa but now lives near Truro, was in town on business. She is newly pregnant, just entering her second trimester. This is her first pregnancy and the last time I saw her I was just entering my second trimester of my first pregnancy. Weird, huh.

Anyway amidst all the baby talk and the hopefully not so lame nor unsolicited parenthood advice Elsa decided to try to climb one of the dining room chairs. But she attempted to scale it from the back. Naturally she didn’t get very far before falling flat on her back, and then the chair falling on top of her. And then she cried and cried and screamed and cried some more for a couple of minutes.

Thankfully she scared herself more than she hurt herself – nothing a couple minutes of mommy cuddle and rocking time followed by jumping & dancing in mommy’s arms time couldn’t fix.

As for how much psychological damage we did to Lori, well, I’m not sure about that.

*As in, Sir Edmund

Sometime this fall, or maybe it was the spring, I can’t really remember, Merrin began talking about her friend Nathan from daycare. She’d come home with stories about what toys she’d play with Nathan or what Nathan said or did. Then she began colouring and drawing pictures for Nathan. And then she just. wouldn’t. stop. talking. about. Nathan.

One day when I brought her in to daycare Nathan and his family were there – they are at daycare early as we are. I introduced myself to Nathan’s mother and said that Merrin really liked Nathan and talked about him a lot.

She seemed surprised by this, and asked me to repeat my daughters name. Seems Nathan has never mentioned Merrin at home.

My heart blushed for my 3 year old and her one-sided crush.

Since early December (real early, unfortunately) Merrin has been talking about, and planning, her birthday party. Now, for anyone not good with dates, her birthday is at the end of February. She has been talking about her birthday party going on 8 weeks now, but at least we are in the final stretch countdown. Because seriously – I am going to go insane if I have to listen to much more about the birthday party and how much fun it’s going to be. That or die from stress trying to live up to the expectation.

Anyway, in this past few weeks Merrin has talked more about Nathan coming and how much fun she was going to have playing with Nathan at her party and how Nathan promised he was going to come and could I please talk to his mom because we have to make sure Nathan is there and Nathan said he would get her a gift and it is going to be the best gift and Nathan is going to sit by her and they are going to have fun and could I just please tell his mom that Nathan was going to come to her party and OMG I’M GOING TO GO INSANE IF SHE DOESN’T GIVE IT UP!

I had been trying to explain that just because you go to daycare with someone or are friends with them or you give them an invitation doesn’t mean that they can come to your party. That something might happen and maybe Nathan or his brother might get sick or might have to go to their grandparents or something – that we would definitely invite Nathan but that she would still have a good party even if he couldn’t come. She seems to buy it, but I think more or less agrees because she knows that’s what I want – not because she really believes it.

This morning when I brought Merrin in to her daycare Nathan and his family were there. So I very clearly spoke:

“Good morning. I know I’ve mentioned it before but I just want to say again how much Merrin likes Nathan. And just so you know, Merrin is having a birthday party on Feb.20th and if Nathan is available Merrin would love for him and his brother to come. We will give him an invitation in a couple of weeks and we hope he can come.”

Yes. Those were essentially my words. In a clear loud voice to be sure that Merrin would know what I was doing.

And she did. The entire time I was talking she just stared at Nathan, smiling her big goofy smile. I turned to leave, calling goodbye to her over my shoulder. At first she ignored me or at least didn’t hear me. But a couple seconds later when I had my hand on the door Merrin called out to me and ran over.

“I love you Mom” she said while hugging into my leg as tight as she ever has.

And without a beat she proudly walked back to the table where Nathan was sitting.

Merrin had her first swimming lesson today. A true bonafide couple of kids to an instructor, mom or dad not in the pool, I have to listen but I’m a big girl kind of swimming lesson.

Merrin couldn’t of been more excited. Or proud of herself.

She knew that she was to listen to her teacher, and to do everything her teacher said. And she did. For the most part.

She was just so excited, I think, to show her teacher how well she could swim that she was having a hard time focusing. When the instructor asked her to walk in the water by herself Merrin dove underneath and did her version of swimming (think: cross between a dolphin and a mermaid. picture: wriggling whole body back and forth underwater while going no where). When her teacher stood her on the side of the pool and asked her to jump in Merrin leaped and did a belly flop, landing about 6 feet from the pool edge nearly landing on top of another instuctor and student – and then came up with one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen on her face.

She loved her lesson but if I had to take a wild guess I’d have to say it wasn’t challenging enough for her.

Or exciting enough.

But who knows, it might be perfect for her. She just might need to calm down a little and begin listening to the actual instructions she’s given, instead of just doing what she wants to impress others with what she can do.

But as long as she’s having fun, I don’t really care.

I realized today that it’s been entirely too long since we posted pictures of the girls – and by ‘we’ I mean Cory, so direct your plea’s and nagging toward him please – and we’ve only ever posted a couple of videos.

I have lots of stories about/from Merrin but not so many about Elsa, I guess because she’s not talking perhaps. It’s not a favourites thing, I don’t think you were thinking that, but the ingrained mommy-guilt makes me mention it.

Anyway, tonight I wanted to give you a quick update on our 15 and 1/2 months old Miss Elsa, what’s she doing and eating and saying and anything else I can think of frankly:

- Elsa has lots of teeth! 4 on top in the front, 2 fully up on bottom in the front and 1 more nearly through, and a top molar tooth down on each side. Yeah, those were fun coming in.

- She sleeps pretty good now, when she isn’t teething. Getting her to sleep is less of a chore as we pretty much just put her in the crib and go. And on average lately it’s only about once a week that she wakes up in the middle of the night and we have to get up with her. Unfortunately then she completely loses her mind (and screams and screams and screams) until we go lie down on the couch with her with the tv on the Treehouse channel. Yes, we created this bad habit/monster – and we haven’t yet been able to break it/her.

- She eats all kinds of food, and lots of it. She loves banana’s and raisins – they are definitely her favourite foods. She also loves yogurt and cheese strings – a newly discovered favourite snack of both kids thanks to Nan & Pop Pardy. But with respect to real food she will eat almost anything we put in front of her: chicken, rice, pasta, salmon, tofu, eggs, corn, peas, kiwi, strawberry, toast, peanut butter, pancakes, cereal – yup, everything.

- Speaking of eating, she’s wearing size 18 months to 2 years old clothes. She’s not fat, just the typical baby pudge legs bum and belly. She is solid though. As a rock.

- Which is a bad combination with the excessive mobility, that I think you already knew about…..

- but also bad combined with the stubborness that she has. She does not like being told no, or not getting her way in general. She will continue trying to get what she wants or to do what she wants to do, and when you end the possibility of that happening she falls to the floor and cries and cries. Sometimes she lies flat on her front and cries, and sometimes she sits on her bum, with her legs out in front of her, and doubles over at the waist so that her face is nearly buried in her legs. She’ll do that for less than a minute usually, and then she’ll move on to play or try to get at something else. Until the next pseudo tantrum.

- Unlike her sister at her age she loves being outside in the winter. She loves walking and prefers to not hold our hands – tricky with the ice around but we let her walk alone when it seems safe. When we leave or come to the house she wants to walk up and down the steps, and not be carried, and she hates getting in the car in the morning – preferring to happily walk around and around the car in the driveway. When we have time and the weather is nice enough we suit them up and bring her in the backyard to trudge around, and she likes it.

- She has a couple of dolls/stuffed animals that she favours and has been ‘mothering’ them for a while – hugging and rocking and kissing them. And dragging them with her all around the house.

- Today she wanted to sit on the toilet using Merrin’s potty seat, and I took off her diaper and let her. She then pointed to the shelf above the toilet, indicating that she wanted to book to read. Merrin does this and I’m sure that the interest in the potty today was more imitation of Merrin than true interest in using a toilet.

- And as I’ve said a hundred times but I will say it again because it makes me so happy, she loves her sister. In the mornings she loves getting in her bed with her to wake her up. If Merrin is sitting at the table colouring/painting/drawing Elsa wants to be up in her highchair next to her. Elsa has no interest in paper and crayons (outside of eating them), she just wants to be near her sister, watching what she is doing. She will follow her sister around the house and likes playing with her. They really are getting along great. For now at least.

Alright guys, that’s it for now. It’s way too late for me to be up but I wanted to post some kind of entry tonight as I’m really trying to be better at blogging more often and keeping you in the loop as to what we’re up to. Even if you really just want to hear about the girls you are gonna have to suck it up and read about what we eat for supper every now and again.

We kept ourselves pretty busy this weekend – even though we missed a birthday party we said we’d go to because I thought it was next weekend. Stupid me – and sorry Marlo (and Colin & Lori)!

It started on Saturday morning when we first went to the free kids gym (Elsa’s first time and she loved it as she’s been training for it ever since she became mobile), then to Chapter’s to let them play (for free!) in the kids area there (while we drank coffee), then Merrin and I to the library while Elsa napped, and then the entire family went swimming (for $3! YAY for work benefits!). Then today, after a rough night with Elsa that kept Cory up half the night, I cooked a big brunch and then we played at home with the kids (missing aforementioned party) before cleaning off the car & driveway to bring Merrin and I to the movie while Elsa napped. We weren’t home from there very long when both girls and I made banana walnut muffins before Cory started in on supper.

Once the muffins were in the oven and I’d directed the girls to their play stove, cash register and assortment of pretend fruits & vegetables, I sat down on the couch and pulled out the laptop. At the first peep from Merrin, which occurred before the laptop was fully opened, I directed her to return to her stove to make me something to eat because I was very very hungry. Her and Elsa both began bringing me tiny pots & pans filled with as many plastic fruits & veggies that they could hold, while I slurped at the edge of the pots and nibbled on the contents, overexaggerating as much as I could my “mmmmm yummy”’s.

“Mommy, when I’m bigger, I’m going to cook you lots of food.”

“That sounds great Merrin, I’d like that.”

“Yeah, you can come over to my house and I’ll cook you food.”

“Well Merrin, you know, when you are a bigger girl, like a teenager, and you still live in Mommy & Daddy’s house, you and Elsa could wake up on the weekends, and let Mommy and Daddy sleep, and you could cook a great big breakfast like we had today and when it is all ready you could come into our room and whisper “Mommy, Daddy, breakfast is ready”.”

(excitedly) “Yeah! We could do that!”

“Merrin, I really hope you do.”

Then later, when they were in the bath and I was popping in and out of the bathroom keeping an eye on them while putting clean clothes away and trying to get ready for the ‘going to bed’ routine, I came in at one point to the tub walls and faucets covered in soap bubbles and Merrin scrubbing furiously with the facecloth.

“Merrin, what are you doing?”

“I’m cleaning.”

“Thanks for doing that Merrin, but next time we won’t use your soap for your body or your shampoo for your hair, okay?”

“Okay Mommy. Mommy, when I get bigger, like a teenager, I’m going to clean lots of things. I’m going to clean the floors, and the walls, and the windows, and the kitchen, and the bathroom, I’m going to do lots of cleaning because I love cleaning.”

“That’s great Merrin, I hope you do. Now, let’s pinky promise this okay?”

And so in ten, and no more than twelve, years I will be pulling up this blog entry and holding her to her word. And if I’m lucky, I’ll get one partially cooked breakfast and a sloppily mopped floor.

If I’m very, very lucky.

The days are getting longer but it doesn’t seem to be getting any lighter at 6 or 6:30 in the morning. This is when we get up during the weekdays as we have to be at work at 8am.

In late November it became more of a struggle to get Merrin out of bed in the morning. She has enough sleep each night, minimum of 10 hours and most often getting 11, I think she’s just warm and cozy in her bed and doesn’t want to get up.

I’ve tried a bunch of things to encourage her to get out of the bed – I talk about what theme day it is at daycare, I pick out what clothes or jewelry she could wear, I try to tempt her with something she loves to eat for breakfast. It’s all worked for a while, and then she doesn’t buy into it anymore.

This morning when I crawled into bed next to Merrin to rustle her up Elsa was not yet calling out. Often when the alarm goes off, or when she hears Cory or I up and moving around, Elsa will call out letting us know she’s awake and ready for us to go get her. As Elsa was asleep this morning I managed to get Merrin excited about going to wake her up.

She ran to Elsa’s door and then slowly and quietly opened it up while whisper singing “Elsa, girlie, it’s time to wake up Elsa girl”. Elsa bolted upright and let out a couple of squealing grunts while Merrin giggled and skipped to go turn on the bedside lamp. Elsa couldn’t wait to be lifted out of the crib and Merrin couldn’t wait to give her a hug and a kiss.

We all piled into the papasan chair so that Elsa could drink her 3oz of warm milk (I’m trying to wean her of it) before breakfast. Once I had the bottle in her mouth Merrin wanted to hold it, and Elsa didn’t mind.

It was comfy and warm and quiet with the three of us piled into the chair, slowly waking up together.

“Mom, I love helping my baby sister. I love her so much,” Merrin sighed.

“Merrin, you are a great help and you are a great big sister. Elsa is so lucky that you love her so much, and she loves you too.”

Then my heart swelled a little more, so proud of my big girl and so happy, and extremely grateful, of the life I have been blessed with.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

Visited the north coast of Labrador.
And I switched to Linux on my laptop. Which is a big deal in the geek world. Take it from Cory.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I wanted to get healthier by losing the baby weight – It’s not all gone but by mid-December (pre christmas binge) I was 5 pounds shy.
I wanted to read more books – I failed that one big time.
I want to stop biting my nails. Which worked for about a month when I had fake nails on and then for about 2 weeks after they came off. But then I started biting them again.

This year I resolve (again) to become healthier by losing the baby weight, and then some, through proper diet and exercise. And to stop biting my nails. I’m giving up on the real books thing for this year, but check back in a years time.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My sister-in-law Michelle had ‘baby cousin Nathan’ in July and Merrin (and the rest of us) couldn’t be happier.
My good friend Krista had her second child, this one a girl named Tamsin, in April. When Elsa grows out of clothes Merrin says we have to give them to Tamsin.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

My Aunt Debbie died. She was my dad’s sister and was only 52 years old. It was the first sibling of one of my parents to die (outside of an infant brother of my mom’s before she was born).

5. What countries did you visit?

Again this year no countries were visited but as mentioned I did get to the north coast of Labrador for the first time. We took a five day cruise on a ferry leaving Goose Bay and visited Rigolet, Makkovik, Postville, Hopedale, Natuashish and Nain, and then back.
I had wanted to go to Nain since doing a grade 5 social studies unit about Newfoundland culture. The couple hours in Nain was definitely the highlight of the cruise for me (though going to Uncle Jim’s house in Makkovik was a close second): it was the best weather day of the trip and a ‘real’ cruise ship had stopped there just before us so there was a whole cultural heritage fair thing happening for them, that we jumped in on. There was craft and art for sale, a seal skin being cleaned, fish & seal ribs hung to dry, raw salmon and bannack being served for free – and lots of people, both tourists and locals. Again, my 20+ year wait to visit Nain did not disappoint.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

More money. And that just might happen in October when Elsa turns 2 and we stop paying seventy million gabillion dollars a month for infant daycare.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

July 12th, the day Nathan was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Losing 30 pounds of body weight.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Again anytime I lost my patience with the kids. In 2008 it was Merrin, in 2009 it was more with Elsa. I know it’s not her fault, but sometimes I just didn’t have it in me to get through those tough sleepless nights without resenting her.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

No.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Our month long vacation in the province this summer – from St. John’s to Nain to Port Aux Basques, we had a great time.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

And the same as last year – Probably my husband’s, for dealing with me every day.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

And also the same as last year – Probably my own, at times. But mostly it was Stephen Harper’s, that crazy Prorogue rogue.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Daycare. Without a doubt or hesitation. Unfortunately.
Followed by mortgage, and then groceries.

And we spent a fair amount of money on our month long vacation, though we spend considerably less than most others who would duplicate our travels. It pays to have connections. And parents.

15. What did you get really excited about?

Our month long summer trip in the province.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

We really suck when it comes to getting new music. Come to think of it, maybe that should be one of my resolutions – to find more new music.
The songs that will remind me of 2009 are kids songs playing in the car, and then in my head, over and over and over again.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:


a) happier or sadder? Maybe a little happier, because Elsa is sleeping better now, and I’m back at work. 

b) thinner or fatter? Thinner. You know, getting rid of the fat from that whole second child thing.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer. By more than $1200 a month – damn baby daycare!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Same as last year: Reading. Specifically reading from real live books as opposed to the crap I read online.
But maybe I should add ‘listening to (adult) music’ too.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Reading crap online.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

My sister Sandra surprised us this year and came home on christmas eve without telling anyone. We all had a great time hanging out with her. The girls loved having her here.

I thought we had a good mix of spending time in and out of the house. Most of the days we hung out in the house but each day we did one thing outside of the house: visiting family or friends, taking the girls outside to play, hitting the mall to get some clothing deals.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Just more in love with my family.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Canada’s Worst Driver is pretty good.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No, I don’t think so.

24. What was the best book you read?

Well I didn’t read a lot of books. And I’m sitting here wracking my brains trying to think of one book I read to tell you the title of and I can’t. I really suck.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Really quiz, are you trying to make me feel totally bad about my complete lack of musical knowledge or taste.

26. What did you want and get?

A month long trip across the province, including a cruise to Nain.
Oh, and a tenant that is more in line with our (boring & quiet parental) lifestyle. Yay!

27. What did you want and not get?

Me, I can’t think of anything really. Cory says he didn’t get a new camera, but cry me a river, right?

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

I’m proud to say that we did get to a couple of movies this year, primarily because we started paying a babysitter late in the fall. It’s my cousin Jennifer who is in first year university, but we are honest-to-goodness paying her so I feel partly grown up & partly extravagant paying her but mostly just poor.
Anyway, all that to say that though we have seen a few movies I can’t tell you which one might have been my favourite.
I can tell you that if I had gotten to see Inglorius Basterds I bet that would have been my favourite. But mostly just to look at Brad Pitt.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I went to work in the morning. The weather was warm & mild and the sun was shining. I picked up a great sandwich and coffee and brought it home for lunch, panini-izing the sandwich. I took the afternoon off to cook lasagne & cupcakes and clean the house for my party, the (7th? 8Th?) annual ShelCor Tree Decorating party. A good
number of people came over and some of them even threw some decorations up on the tree. I drank several glasses of dad’s wine and ate a couple pieces of lasagne. It was a great day. I turned 33.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

As last year, I don’t really know. Maybe a new house? Or at least floors that don’t creak at every step.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Work appropriate.

32. What kept you sane?

Same as last year: Cory. And having meal plans.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

And I’ll say it again: I LOVE BRAD PITT AND ANGELINA JOLIE.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

I don’t know if anything really stirred me politically this year, but Stephen Harper being a douche about the Cophenhagen climate change talks was annoying and then him being a complete arse and proroguing parliament for the second time in as many years is, pretty much unforgiveable.

35. Who did you miss?

My sister Sandra, who lives in northern Onterrible. Or as she calls it, Peta-f*$%ing-sucks-a$$.

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Our new tenant. Who has a daughter a year younger than Merrin and who is the best tenant we’ve had probably, ever.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.

I’m still learning it but: Cogs in the wheel have a valuable purpose, as long as they keep turning the wheel.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

From one of those annoying kids songs, to the tune of Auld Lang Syne :

“We’re here because we’re here, because we’re here, because we’re here.
We’re here because we’re here, because we’re here, because we’re here.”

Or another one, Cory recommends:

“I’m a little acorn nice and round, I live in a rut down in the ground.
Somebody came and stepped on me, and that is why I’m cracked you see.
I’m a nut (cluck cluck), in a rut (cluck cluck), I’m a nut (cluck cluck), in a rut (cluck cluck).”

I know this is not the proper way to treat your blog readers, but, could you please just wait another day or two for a new posting?

Please?

I promise* if you come back in a day or two there will be something new, and worthwhile**, to read.

And perhaps even comment on.

In the meantime, why not tell me how your christmas*** was? Ours was good. Lots of eating & drinking and lying on the couch, and some out and about visiting and hanging out.

Now, your turn. What have you been up to for the past couple of weeks?

* perhaps an unkept one

** not necessarily

*** or whatever