Sunshine + Strawberries

Sunday was a beautiful day after 6 days of rain.  Greg ran the 10k at the Calgary Marathon.  I was registered but never trained so I skipped it.  Hopefully next year I will do it but to be honest, I am not much of a runner.  Greg finished at just around 55mins which puts him in the middle of the pack for his age group for last years results.  This years have not been posted.  This was his first time ever running.  We are so proud of him.

Penelope playing on the swing.  She loves the swing still!  Sunglasses not so much!

Playing on the freshly cut grass.  Finley + I spent 3 hours picking the dandelions that popped up during our rainy days.  I was furious at how many there were.  We ended up with 1.5 black bags worth of them.  It frustrates me that the neighbors behind us let their dandelions run wild, go to seed and then blow in our yard to give us more dandelions.  PICK YOUR DANDELIONS PEOPLE!!!!!

Finley cruising around the yard.

Eating some strawberries. She's a strawberry hogger so make sure you eat a few before she gets them!!  HAHA

Finley and Daddy planting the flower pots that go in front of the garage.  We did 2 pots of whatever these plants were called.  I think they are gonna look hawt.  I will post a photo once they start blooming and grow.

Penelope playing on the front yard while we do the flower pots.  She can't army crawl on the grass so she prefers to sit.

We then headed to Fish Creek where we went on a nice walk.  It was pretty nice + surprisingly the mosquitos weren't that bad.  A few of the trails were closed because of flooding but we managed to not have a problem.

We ended the day by going out for supper to the Flatiron Grill with My Aunty Leslie, Uncle Doug, Cameron + Connie.  It was my Aunty Leslie's birthday.  Cameron's is also coming up on Sunday.  Happy Birthday to you both!!

May Long 2011

Our May Long was interesting to say the least.  We hit up the Calgary Zoo, The Farmer's Market, Chinook Mall, went to the Chicago Chophouse for an anniversary dinner followed by watching Bridesmaids which has got to be the funniest movie ever.  The following day we hit up Crossiron Mills, The Royal Tyrell + a hospital in Drumheller, and a trip to Red Deer where we stayed til Monday.  Here are some of our favorite pics:

 Madi was writing Justin Beiber a letter...

Finley picked them out just for Madi

Seriously, This just happened....AGAIN

Where do I start?  Finley went pee in the potty and decided to empty it herself.  She tripped and ended up dumping her pee all over her, Penelope and the floor.  I undressed both kids and cleaned up the pee on the floor while Finley went upstairs to get new panties + clean clothes.  This is not unusual as she normally dribbles on her underwear and/or clothes + needs to  be changed so away she went.  I was feeding Penelope lunch when I realized she'd been gone awhile and it was very quiet in the house.  I yelled Finley and she let out the loudest scream as I walked to the bonus room and this is what I saw...

FIrst you must notice the repairs along the wall.  Finley ripped out what was supposed to be a childproof gate.  Anyways, you can see that Finley is covered in diaper cream.  I rarely ever need diaper cream because Penelope usually wears cloth diapers.  However, this morning she woke up a diaper rash.....please tooth fairy just give us those damn teeth and go away....3 months of teething for 2 teeth is ENOUGH but I digress.  I usually keep diaper cream high + away from Finley as she had a similar incident on her 1st birthday.  I changed Penelope and then I took the girls outside without giving it a second though.

I have no idea what happened for this to occur in the fashion that it did.  Not sure if she knocked if off trying to get panties or a diaper for penelope.  I have no idea and unfortunately she is no help.

And of course it had to be the super expensive $20 for a tiny tub of cream that is super thick and medicated for situations like Penelope.  It took forever to get off of her, the floor, the walls, the carpet, the banister and her hair.

I gave her a bath where she screamed as I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed at her skin.  I then had to wash her hair 2x much to her dismay to get the diaper cream out of her hair.  After brushing her hair I noticed that she still has cream in her hair, scalp + hairline.  She looks almost albino.  It was not and still isn't a pleasant situation.

I currently have the clothes in the washer with hopes that they don't stain her dress (which is brand new), my dress or any of the towels.

Adding to this already stressful situation is that I forgot I was feeding Penelope lunch and needless to say she was not happy about not getting her lunch.  I handed  her the spoon and bowl and she then dumped it everywhere.

Thankfully Penelope goes for her nap soon and hopefully Finley will behave because she knows how mad I was about the whole situation.  It will be Greg's job to wash her tonight because I am pretty sure I have traumatized her into hating bathes and water again.

{this moment}

 {this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

Favourite Crazy Cousins

Ears + Mouth....

So I decided to make an appointment with Dr Bernhardt before he leaves at the end of June to discuss Finley's speech - or lack of it.  I am still torn on whether she is just being lazy or simply cannot.  Sometimes she is as clear as day but most other times its a lot of mumbling and whatnot.  She can probably say about 25 - 30 words very clearly which is alright but not good enough.  She is around other kids her age 2 - 3x a week so she gets the interaction with kids which is necessary but I usually notice how far behind she is in terms of speaking.

Because she can comprehend almost everything you say to her I wasn't concerned that it was a severe learning disability or anything like that.  So we went in and he said that Finley had to have her hearing tested and see a speech pathologist and gave me all the info to do so.  He said that he didn't think hearing was part of Finley's problem but its procedure for speech delayment and stuff like that.

I called the hearing place and they told me that because of her age she needs to go to the Alberta Children's Hospital and gave me the number.  I spoke to the nicest lady who kept referring to Finley as a boy despite me correcting her who said that I need to fax her the referral sheet I had and she would be entered into the system but advised me that there was a lengthy wait to see an Audiologist.  I am not too concerned because I am almost 100% certain her hearing is of no problem whatsoever.

The speech pathologist is located at East Calgary Health Center which is downtown. It is in the preschool speech + language division of the Calgary Healthy Region.  They were closed today so we have to wait until Monday to book an appointment.  Hopefully we will be able to figure out what is causing Finley delays in her speech development and correct it as soon as possible.

Will  keep you updated on our progress!

Penelope's Gone Viral

In the post about Penelope's 9 month birthday I apologized to her for letting her sleep in her vomit for an hour and then said she appeared to be fine.  I was wrong.  So very wrong.

She appeared fine after breakfast so we went to Giggle Toes and then to South Center and on the way home from the mall, Penelope through up all over her car seat.  I put her to bed and she slept for a few hours but continued to vomit after waking up.  She refused to eat so basically just had her formula.  She had a bit of a fever throughout the day that broke around 8 or so.  She quit throwing up later that night.

Thursday was pretty good for her.  She woke up with no fever and didn't throw up again until just before bed.  It was just a tiny amount so I wasn't too concerned.  I was a little concerned about how little she was eating but was happy that she was at least taking fluids.

Friday was great for her we thought.  We went to the zoo, the farmers market + chinook and she ate a bit of fruit and had a bit of milk which had me worried but no vomit.  We came home and gave her a bottle and she vomited a tonne!!  Greg and I went out but my sister said she ate her supper and didn't vomit at all that night.  Relief.

Saturday morning she wanted her oatmeal + peaches so badly she just inhaled them.  But she vomited it all up before she finished.  I was quite worried at this point that she wasn't getting enough nutrients.  She didn't look sick or anything so I thought it was just because she was so hungry that she ate to fast and her body couldn't handle it.  It was 645am and no drug store was open so I went to Walmart to buy some pedialyte which they did not have.  I bought some gatorade which she absolutely refused to drink.  She had a bottle and drank half of it with no vomit.  We went to Crossiron Mills and then travelled to Drumheller without incident.  She was drinking some milk but wouldn't drink the gatorade or eat much of anything.

When we got to Drumheller we went to the Royal Tyrell Museum and just as we paid and were about to enter she vomited everywhere.  We cleaned her up but she was the happiest we had seen her in awhile.  We decided though that after we got to Red Deer that night, we would take her a walk in clinic.  There were no instances while we were at the museum and she seemed ok.  My mom and 2 aunts and uncle were driving from Saskatoon back to Calgary so we met them in Drumheller so we could get my mom and head to Red Deer for the weekend.  We were going to meet at the large dinosaur but as soon as pulled up Penelope through up again and I was so worried that we went to the Drumheller Hospital.

Once we got to the hospital, we spoke to a nurse and then waited in the waiting room for about an hour. It wasn't too busy but they only had one doctor on and a few medical students.  Penelope and I were then taken to a room where we waited for a doctor for about 45 minutes.  The student doctor was really good and because Penelope showed no signs of distress, her lungs were clear and one ear was slightly red they figured it was just a viral infection going through her.

The real doctor came and looked at her and said that Penelope had had a virus going through her and she was vomiting now because she was still kinda getting over it and because she was hungry she was eating too fast.  Her advice was pedialyte + formula with a syringe until she didn't inhale her food and vomit it up.  What we ended up doing was giving her some gatorade that we had left over and some formula.  She drank some gatorade and some formula during the drive from Drumheller to Red Deer without incident.  Once in Red Deer she had some more formula and went to bed.  No more vomit.

Sunday was a little better.  She was still really tired but happily ate half her oatmeal and fruit for breakfast.  She had her usual bottle and naps and ate the rest of her breakfast for lunch.  She did the same routine for most of the day.  She didn't look sick but she looked really tired despite all the sleep she was getting.

Today was worlds better.  She ate 3 real meals and had 4 bottles which is one more than usual, 3 naps and even played for the first time in 5 days.  She was playing with toys and rolling and army crawling all around.  I was so happy to see that she was almost back to her normal self.

Tomorrow I think will be better as we get back on her regular routine and I plan on disinfecting my whole house + vehicle so that nobody catches whatever it was that she had.

We had a really good weekend and thank all of my family for their help with the girls this weekend!!!!  I have plenty of pictures to post when I find some time!

Hope everybody had a great long weekend!

Happy 5th Anniversary

Today marks the fifth anniversary of our forever after.  

5

Wonderful

Years

Here is a song that Kristin Wiig's character sings when MacGruber goes to see her.  I was watching it recently and when she sang it made me think of my perfect little family.

2 is a wonderful number

And 3 is a crowd that's true

But 4 is the perfect number for sure

If its 2 kids + me + you

I love you

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY GREG, 

Thank you for giving me the greatest gifts anyone could give me, for loving me unconditionally, for putting up with my crazy need to paint and redecorate, for trying to hard to perfect my poached egg that is always a little too runny, for making me laugh, making me smile, and for all the meals you cook when I simply don't want to.  But most importantly, for simply being you.

I LOVE YOU

HERE'S TO 95 MORE!!!

Penelope's 9 Months!!

Dear Penelope,

Before I start on my usual letter I must first apologize to you for last night.  You see when you woke up crying shortly after you went to bed, I just assumed it was your darn teeth bothering you.  It wasn't unusual for you to wake up, cry and then go back to sleep or even just cry while you were sleeping.  The crying only lasted a few minutes before you were quiet again.  It was when I checked on you about an hour later that I realized why you were crying.  I feel so terrible that I found you sleeping in your own vomit.  Your sleeper, sheets + blanket were soiled and you had vomit on your face and in your hair.  You looked pretty cute though.  I don't know why you didn't move to the other end of your crib though.  You seemed startled when I woke you up and after I cleaned + changed you were very happy.  You smiled and laughed while I changed the bedding and were happily rocked for a few moments before laying back down in your crib.  You went right back to sleep.  The guilt was overwhelming but I am glad to see that you seem to be fine this morning!

So you are 9 months!  I can't believe it.  I was just looking at your photos from the hospital and I am just shocked at what you once were and who you are now.  You are a happy, loving baby who loves to smile and giggle.  You are very ticklish just like the rest of us.  You are still known by most as Penelope and I assume that's what you will be until you decide what you'd like to be called.  I have tried so many nicknames and I still fallback to calling you Penelope.  Daddy calls you Penelopoop and Penn while Finley calls you Sisi, Pippy, Pippa, Poppy, Puppy and some weird version of Penelope that I can't figure out how to spell.

You love the nice weather and playing outside.  You are getting used to both your hats and your glasses but would definitely prefer neither if I let you.  You like sitting on the grass but laying not so much.  I suspect that this is because you haven't figured out how to get around in the grass!

 You love being on the swing.  You can sit in it forever as long as it is moving.  You start to kick your legs when it stops.  This is a signal to quit whatever we are doing and push you.  Finley loves to push you although sometimes you kick her in the  head.

You still have not figured out how to crawl.  You get in crawling position and just rock back and forth.  The rocking is getting longer but still no crawling.  You are super fast at getting around by doing an army crawl.  You can boogie everywhere.  I am looking forward when you can walk but crawling would be a nice start!

You are starting to use the transition sippy cup from NUBY quite regularly.  We went from once every few days to once every day and yesterday all 3 bottles were from the sippy cup.  This is my favorite sippy cup as it has 3 different sippy things to get you from the bottle to the sippy cup.  We have two styles of this sippy cup and this is your favorite.  For some reason, you will only drink from the other one occasionally.


You are eating very well.  You can officially start on dairy today although I accidentally gave you dairy on 2 occasions last month.  I had forgotten about the cheese in the risotto and milk in the chicken but you were fine after eating it.  The last 3 mornings you have enjoyed cheerios with real milk for breakfast.  Today you will get yogurt after lunch.  Finley loves yogurt so I am sure you will too.  You are eating chopped up fruits and veggies.  You eat the baby food already made for lunch and for the most part eat what we eat for supper.  This has become a bit of a challenge for me because now we eat at the same time which makes for a much longer supper!

You absolutely love your big sister and she loves you right back.  She loves getting your diaper, your sippy cups, feeding you, stealing  your shoes, and getting toys for you.  She kisses you goodnight when  you go down for naps and before bed.  She always night night to you right after each kiss.  She is so excited to see you when you get home and sometimes runs right to your room as soon as she hears you are awake.  She loves playing with you although she does not like it when you touch certain toys or blankets and definitely does not like it when you pinch or pull her hair.  Yes, you do do that.  A lot.

You are such a happy girl.  You are rarely ever grouchy.  Even when you miss your morning nap,  you are still very happy!  You have the cutest smile although I am not going to lie, you sometimes remind me of Hatchetface in some photos.  For those who don't know who Hatchetface is, she is one of the ladies in Cry Baby with Johnny Depp.  I don't mean this as an insult to you my beautiful girl, I really think it makes you look  pretty darn sweet!  You have beautiful chubby cheeks that people just want to squeeze.  You are just a darling little girl!

You still nap 2x a day for a total of 4 - 5 hours.  You go to bed between 730 +8pm and will wake up anywhere from 630 - 8 although average time is around 7am.  It's been a struggle to get you asleep during naps and stay sleeping since both the zippers on your 2 grobags have broken.  Daddy said that they cannot be fixed.  I have looked on kijiji and have found nothing.  Not even anything on ebay.  The next one up we have is way too big for you.  Looks like we will have to get you one soon!

You still are loving your jumper and we now have it moved it to the 4th notch.  I am happy you are still enjoying it as it helps keep you contained when I am getting meals ready.  Your sister sometimes will bounce with or steal the toys off of it.  Now that you can sit without any assistance you love to sit and play with toys .  You definitely love the Lamaze Octupus which doesn't surprise me since Finley never had interest in it.  I find it fascinating that your favourites are her least favourites and vice versa.  You also love your giraffe that has all kind of fun things for you to play and all those baby einstein + bright start rings that Finley and I put all together for you.  You love to make noise with toys.  If your toys don't make noise you will bang them on the hardwood to get them to.  You will take Finley's beaded necklaces and throw them repeatedly on the ground to get noise out of them and when you are bored of that you screech happy screeches.

You still love to suck your thumb although I think it is getting less and less.  Or maybe that's just what I am hoping!  You starting to not enjoy bathtime but I am hoping that now you can sit on your own maybe a bath with your big sister will be fun!  You are starting to hold  your hands out to be picked up and I have been trying to teach you high fives and clapping.  You are getting there slowly but surely!  Finley is very excited to do high fives with her!

So that my dear Penelope is month 9 of your life.  Next month proves to be even more exciting with some big visits with some family, a trip to Edmonton, camping + father's day!  And hopefully some crawling!!!

Love you my sweet little girl,
Mommy.

Building A BBQ

When I bought Greg his barbecue as an early anniversary present, I found a supercute play version for Finley + Penelope.   I thought I would put it together while Greg was rock climbing on Saturday.

Opening the box and taking it all out.  The easiest part of the process

At this point nothing was screwed on - all was just sitting there nicely.  Finley was very excited.

I managed to put on the sink

I also put on the stickers, the knobs on the barbecue and the handles on the top part

Finley reading the instructions after I gave up.  Little Tikes toys have to be the worst to put together.

Late Saturday night, Greg + Brad finished putting it together.  Greg also hates putting together Little Tikes stuff.

She was making supper the other night and her kitty was touching the red button to start the barbecue and she kept saying no don't touch just like we do to her when she goes near it.  At least we know she's listening to us despite ignoring what we say :)