Pop goes the button

I have just discovered that I can flick my belly button from an inny to an outy on demand. I find this both fascinating and kind of icky. I have never before seen the complete inside of my belly button. Hope I don't come undone, haha!

Simple pleasure #8 - delicious

Homemade apple pie.

Simple pleasure #7 - restful

Getting a full night's sleep in my own bed.

Sucker punch

What an unusual feeling to be punched in the stomach from the inside.

Pokey Outy

This is my university educated brain on sleep deprivation and pregnancy:

"Hey look, my belly is all pokey outy now!"

Pickle

Lauren has nicknamed her sibling to be, "Pickle".

C & I have no idea where the inspiration for this came from. She doesn't like to eat pickles, and she rarely sees me or C eating them. In fact the last jar I bought was many months ago and I gave it away before it was finished.

Whatever brought it on, it's very cute, and I like it.

Three and a half!

Lauren has been three and a half for one month now and is fully enjoying the promotion from when she was "just" three.

The other night I noticed that she can now reach her head under the tap in the bathroom sink to take sips of water (while standing on her bench). To which she explained proudly, "That's because I'm three and a half. When I was three I couldn't reach, but now I can."

She is also looking forward to being a big sister when she's four.

Simple pleasure # 6

Sunshine!

I'm tired from an restless nights sleep, my neck is sore from the pillows being propped too high and my sinus has flared up. But, it's a beautiful day and the sun is shining.

Morbid Monday

I was stopped at a red light at the end of my street this morning when a hearse pulled up behind. It then followd me along the main street for two blocks before pulling into the parking lot of the funeral home.

A little too morbid for me at 7:45 on a Monday morning. 

Five

Well husband of mine. I blinked and we've reached another milestone.

Maybe not as impressive a number as lucky 13, but 5 years married is definitely worth acknowledging. And we've come a long way baby.

We've gained some new skills - in work and play; we're approaching the light at the end of the home reno tunnel - sort of; we've got a healthy & happy little girl - absolutely; and we're fortunate to be welcoming a new addition in a few months - hooray!

This calls for a celebration. The reservations are made, the babysitter is ready and the bags are almost packed. Date weekend here we come!

Thanks again for a grand ol' time. The future, as always, looks bright.

xox

Party pooped

You know it's been a busy birthday party season when you've attended 3 in 4 days and by the end of it your child asks, "So, who's party are we going to next?"

Flutter

I've been feeling some bubbly action in my lower abdomen every once in a while for the last day or so. It's either the continuous flow of food that I keep shoveling into my mouth making it's way through my intestines, or gentle jabs from tiny feet and hands. 

It's more likely the former, but the latter would be way cool.

Glorious food

At the rate I've been eating, I'm going to be a blimp and the end of this round.

Or maybe I'm really just burning up more fuel than I realize. I do have a 3 year old to chase around and stairs in the house to climb up and down several time a day.

Revival

I'm beginning to feel normal again.The other night I spent an hour doing dishes and tidying up the mess that is our home, and had enough energy to stay up until 10:30 to watch mindless television.

I'd say the fog is  lifting. Phew! The last few weeks haven't really been terrible, but it's nice to get back into routine.  I even made a few meals this week, and enjoyed eating them too! Food is my friend once more.

With this new found energy I may even ...dare I say it... start riding my bike to work again. It may be too ambitious for next week, especially if it stays hot, but I really do hope to get a few rides in before end of season. That would be great.

Pirates in the city

Chatting with Lauren can be very funny sometimes. I love how anything is possible in the mind a 3 year old. Here's a snippet of a conversation we had on the drive home from daycare this afternoon:

L: That man has an eye pit

Me: You mean eye patch?

L: Yeah, eye patch.

Me: I guess he hurt his eye

L: Or he's a pirate.

Me: Right, or he's a pirate

Crumbs

You know you’ve been eating too much food at your computer when you pick up your keyboard and  it sounds like one of those rain sticks from all the crumbs that have fallen between the keys.

Ding dong the concrete's gone!

Well, the concrete isn't all gone, but it's nicely smashed up.

Coming home today I pulled up behind a construction van that was parked in front of the house, then noticed the huge mound of rubble in the alley between our house and the neighour's. Still not sure if the neighbour was having work done, I plunked my stuff on the porch and came across a young guy walking out from the alley.

Are you working behind my house?" I said. "Yes" he replied.

So, the water proofing has begun! It was just one guy today and he did and nice and neat job of smashing up the concrete platform that ran along the back on the house.  I'm glad to see it go. It was ugly. He did leave an awkward stump though because it doesn't interfere with the work that needs doing. I wondering if we can get it removed as well if we offer more money. It's worth a shot seeing as they have the tools and will be hauling it all away anyways. Could also be cheaper than getting someone else in there later on.

The guy will be back tomorrow along with someone else to do the digging. Hopefully the rain will hold off until the weekend so the major work can get done this week.

Rain rain go away...

Actually, I was happy to hear the rain pouring down this morning. Not so happy to be woken up from a very peaceful sleep mind you, but whatever. I'll forgive Mother Nature this time.

The waterproofers were scheduled to come today to work their magic on our basement, but had to postpone due to rain. I imagine they'll be back later in the week after the ground has a chance to dry out.

We still haven't had the AC cleaned because two appointments were postponed do to rain back in May (or was it June??). There are so many work from home days that C can or is willing to take, so I have a feeling the AC will have to stay grubby until next Spring. Fingers crossed that it doesn't conk out on us now.

In the meantime I am positive that my poor parched garden is thankful for the dousing, because I sure haven't been paying it any attention lately. Some of the wild flowers popped up in the front yard, which I'm pleased to see, but I don't know what happened to all the sunflowers I planted in the back. Couldn't take the heat I guess.

Sleeping dry

Hey, have I mentioned yet that Lauren has been completely diaper free for at least a month?

The daytime diaper wearing has been done with for almost a year now, but we didn't try the overnight training until a few weeks ago. I suppose C and I were a little lazy and could have tried earlier, but it took us a while to get organized to go to the store and buy a water/liquid-proof matress cover for her bed.

Anyhoo, we did eventually, and after only two accidents, it's been dry sleeping ever since. Yay!

Heartbeat

Music to my ears.

Snoozer

Sometime during the very very early moring last Saturday Lauren ended up in my bed. Soon after that C took up the empty spot in her bed. There's only so many kicks to the groin by her little feet that he's willing to tolerate.

A few hours later when the sun was up, she rolled over to face me and said casually, "Good morning Mommy. I'm just going to snooze for a little, alright?" Then pulled the sheet over her shoulder and rolled over again.

"How nice", I thought. "I get to snooze on a Saturday morning!" Didn't last long though. She turned over to face me again about a minute later and was ready to chat and start the day.

Her father's daughter

Ever since Lauren graduated to her big girl bed, her sleeping routine has been a bit out of whack.

It took a whole month before she could make it through the night without waking up crying, and now we've gotten her in the habit of leaving the hallway light on and bedroom door open  so she can look at her books after we've said our final "good-night".

Lately the book "reading" has been lingering longer than usual, and now it's 9:39pm and I can still hear her digging into her bag of books by the bed and chatting to herself about kitty cats and cars and Robert Munch.

C is a night owl too. I like my beauty sleep, but he likes to stay up late doing who knows what and still wake up to face the day 5 hours later. He may not be a cheery fellow in the morning, but he will be up. I really think Lauren's nocturnal side comes from him.

A few moments ago I warned her that it was late and if she wasn't going to sleep she is not to wake up cranky tomorrow morning. Believe it or not, this condition has actually worked the couple of times I tried it. She's pretty good at sticking to a "deal", and she has a great memory so she will wake up remembering that she's got to be nice even if she feels tired.

The reality of course, is that she's still only three. We'll see what what mood she wakes up in tomorrow.

Leaky basement continued...

So it's been well over a month since the leaky basement incident and we still haven't done anything about it. Actually, that's not true. We got 3 quotes and decided on a company to move forward with, we just haven't called yet to get the work started.

We've had lots of heavy rain since and nothing has seeped inside as far as I can tell, so the situation doesn't seem as urgent as it did. I know that ignoring it isn't the way to go but for now we're ok. I think C and I are are caught up in our daydreams of what we would rather do with a few thousand dollars. Like have hardwood floors installed, or go on vacation.

We really should call. Maybe next week...

Oh! We did get the eaves repaired as scheduled last month. Definite improvement. There's still a slow leak from the back corner but that will require replacing the whole gutter which we weren;t prepared to do. For now it's fine. There's also run-off water dripping from the roof of the balcony, but the only solution for that is to replace the roof. And that's a bigger project for years down the road.

Tune up

I finally brought my bike to the shop for repairs this afternoon. I meant to have it tuned up weeks ago, but the place where I bought it is across town from home and not convenient to get to. Also, they were already backed up for 2 weeks when I called in April.

The rear gear switch broke on me yesterday and the back brake has been worn out of weeks. The front brakes are just about gone too so I figured it was time to give it some love bfore I get into an accident.

Poor bike. I feel guilty about not tending to the issues sooner. I should have taken the front reflector popping off (when was that, last month?) as a cry for attention. I accidentally knocked off the bell weeks ago too, but was able to fasten on a new one easily enough on my own. Still, I think the bike knows when it's in the hands of professionals.

The bike repair guy asked if I mounted the bike baskte by myself. I guess it's obvious to someone who knows what they're doing, when a job hasn't been done quite right. Sigh...

I was going to attened a bike repair workshop taking place at the library this coming Saturday, but a family BBQ has shoved that plan aside. It's just as well though, as I believe the bike being in the shop is the best place for it right now. I'll find another repair workshop another time. And I won't wait so long for a a tune up next time either.  I think the trick is to schedule an appointment in March. That would put me ahead of the pack.

First dentist appointment

Lauren had her first ever dentist appointment today. I couldn't have imagined it to go any better. I'm so proud. She was brave and let the dentist count her teeth (20!), then brush them, then swabbed them with a floride wash.

Her teeth are great, which is good news, and they're well spaced with plenty of room for when her adult teeth come in. Just a little plaque on the back teeth so we'll have to take special care to get the brush back there.


C and I had appointments too, so Lauren and I observed as C got his teeth cleaned so she could see what to expect before she took the chair. I hope her good mood continues for future appointments. Trips to the dentist could actually be a pleasant family day out!

Little bum, big bum

Lauren and I were sitting on the couch last night when she blurted out this gem:

"I have a little bum and it doesn't break the couch. You have a big bum and it doesn't break the couch."

Not sure what train of throught prompted this obervation, but I thought it was pretty funny.

Leaky basement

Yesterday morning C noticed a pool of water in the basement crawl-space below the staircase in the back of the house. I had a look myself and witnessed water gushing through the brick wall.

ZUT ALORS!!

We grabbed some towels and shop-vac and sucked up what we could before the vac gave out. At that point C called the accountant who was due to arrive an a few hours to work on our taxes. If anything trumps taxes, a flood in the house would be it.

The water gushing through the bricks eventually stopped and what was left of the water receded, I guess into the floor or somewhere. I'm really not surprised about the flood considering the amount of snow and water there has been this past winter and spring. There's also a hint of musty smell in that area from time to time so I suspect that there's been a leak for longer than we think. We've just never seen any water coming through the wall.

We managed to get a hold of a basement waterproofing contractor who can come by on Thursday at the earliest to have a look. Of course we're in peak water in the house emergency season so we have to wait our turn. I left a message with another contractor, but the other guys come highly recommended by a friend of ours.

I have a feeling the reapair is going to be major. Waterproofing usually is, isn't it? Anyway, Thursday's assessment will tell all.

Leaky pipe AGAIN!

C noticed a splotch of someting under the sink again last weekend.

Zut Alors!

We never did get the leak fixed last year because it stopped on it's own somehow. But now it's back. It's so weird. Why does the pipe drip a few times and them stop?

Maybe we should just spear some silicone caulking around it once and for all and be done with it.

Still, so weird!!

Eaves continued

I spoke to Pierce from Tip Top Trough yesterday to get a quote for the repairs that have to be done. Nice guy and he seems honest so I haven't bothered to get other quotes. I did read a bunch of reviews about the company beforehand and they were all positive, so why not?

Now that we're well into rain season, I just want to get the work done asap, so no need to shop around.

Weather permitting they should be coming by end of next week to get the job done. It's nice to get another project crossed off the list. It's also nice to ge this done before the neighbours start to complain about all the water that gushes over the side of our house during a big rain. I don't ever want to be responsible for someone elses basement flood.

Electronics

C and I made an emergency trip to Futureshop this weekend to buy a new printer. We needed to print a parking pass and we already asked the neighbough last weekend. The old one suffered an ink leak and I have no idea how to clean it up, nor the patience or time to figure it out.

I suspect that the last time I got the cartridge refilled it wasn't closed properly, or I didn't install it properly and cyan blue got into the cartridge area and messed up the other cartridges.

Turns out that a brand new printer that comes with brand new ink cartridges costs less that a full pack of new cartridge replacements for the old printer. I actually knew that already, but somehow it  took this long to get ourselves over to Futureshop. We're a bit lazy when it comes to electronic upgrades.

And since we were there we picked up a new keyboard too. The old one had a few sticky keys - I suspect because of the tea spill incident a few months back. This new one is super slim and super quiet. No more need to type quietly so as not  to wake Lauren in the next room.

With all these new peripherals, our 4 year old computer is suddenly looking ancient. Never mind though. The last thing I want to spend more money on right now is a new computer, so fingers crossed that it keeps on keeping on. 

The non cold

Just when I was taking notice that I have not been sick with anything for the past two months, I got a sore throat on Tuesday. Booooo...

It started with a strange sensation in my throat in Sunday, which I ignored. Monday was good, but on Tuesday there was definite irritation. I've been taking Oregano drops, gulping spoonfull sof honey and lathering Vicks on my nose and around my chest for the past few nights, which has helped, but today my nose has started to drip. It's evolving.

The thing about this cold is that it's so mild. I've had some doozeys in the past year, but this one is just present enough to be annoying. A little sore throat here, a little nasal drip there, a tiny bit of fatigue all around, but really not al lthat bad. Like I said, just annoying. I suppose this better than the full-blown variety.

Anyhoo... I'm hoping it will be short lived. I'd like to enjoy the upcoming weekend rather than spend it in bed.
   

Blue lipped mischief maker

I am constantly amazed at the amount of mischief a little kid can get into even when they're at arms length away.

The other day I was washing some dishes at the sink and had the dishwasher running while Lauren was buzzing around my feet. The dishwasher, by the way, is literally a foot away from the sink. After warning her not to touch the dishwasher buttons and swatting her away a few times so I wouldn't step on her, she suddenly burst out saying "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I looked down and noticed that the dishwasher "Start" button was blinking.

Of course I start my own outburst saying, "Oh no Lauren! What happened? What did you press?! What button did you press?!" which prompted more "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry", and then tears. I quickly realized that she managed to open the dishwasher door, so I closed it back into place and checked the floor for puddles. Thankfully no water got out and the washer continued its cycle as normal. I suppose Whirlpool had meddling toddlers in mind when they made this model.
 
Later that afternoon I was in the office with Lauren typing at the computer while she was playing with crayons and paper. Again, no more than a foot away from where I was sitting. I glanced over and saw that she had glue ink smeared all over her lips and fingers. And not just any ink. Lauren had gotten hold of the cue tips that I was using earlier to mop up ink that had spilled from a cartridge in my printer. The stuff stains badly (I myself  already had blue stained hands) so of course I burst out saying "Oh no Lauren!" while she started up with "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" as I whisked her into the bathroom and proceeded to scrub her face and fingers. I noticed then that she had put the cue tips in her ears too.

The stuff finally came off after several minutes of vigorous scrubbing with lots of soap. Thank goodness I caught her in the act and the ink was still wet. Any longer and she would have had blue lips, fingers and ears for days.

Some parents say that they have eyes in the back of their head and can see everything. I'm still waiting for my extra eyes to sprout.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

So it seems I was a bit quick in thinking that it would be an early biking season.

The city got a big 'ole dumping of snow last week. For the whole day it snowed and snowed and snowed. It was very impressive actually. I should have known though. I've lived through over 30 winters in this country and it's never really over until it's OVER. Like in May. Even though calendars everywhere had March 20 marked as "First Day of Spring".

Ah well. It does seem to be warming up a bit. Hopefully enough for me to pull out the bike for real by next week.

Bike rider!

I rode my bike to work this morning. What a lovely sententence that is!

First time ever riding in March (in adulthood) and it was nice! I made great time too - about the same as if I drove. My legs must have been so excited to be riding again, but I have a feeling I'll be really feeling it tomorrow. Oh well, it was worth it.

May 1st is my usual ride to work start date, but last yeat I managed to start in April. And now mid March for this year. Global warming? I don't know, but I'm not complaining.

I overheard that the temperatures will be nice next week too so maybe I should get on over to the bike shop for a tune-up. Spring is here!

Simple pleasure #5

Being indoors with a hot cup of  tea and chocolate on a blustery and wet day in March.

Potty talk

This evening's conversation while in the bathroom.

Lauren: Boys have peanuts

Me: Boys have what?

Lauren: Boys have peanuts. But Daddy doesn't have a peanut.

Me: What do girls have?

Lauren: Girls have bums.

Me: So how does Daddy pee if he doesn't have a peanut?

Lauren: Oh, actually, Daddy has a peanut too.

Super girl

What happens when you sit your 3 year old in front of an episode of Dora for 20 minutes so you can eat a meal in peace with your husband?

She covers her face, a pillow and part of the couch in stickers and exclaims with arms outstretched, "I'm super!!"

Little Miss Sunshine

Lauren is not a morning person. At least not at 6:30 in the am.

I can't blame her. I don't like getting up that early too, but if I want to be useful in getting us all ready and out of the house in time for work and daycare, I've got no choice.

C switched to an earleir work schedule at the beginning of the eyear and it's been an adjustment for all of us.  The toughest time was January when it looked just as dark outside when we woke up as it did when we went to bed.

The sky is getting lighter now, but it hasn't made moring wakings any easier. Yesterday I was greeted by screams of, "GO AWAY!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!" as I tried to pull the covers off of her. I wasn't offended by this because I know firsthand that it's hard to be nice when all you want to do it sleep. I couldn't help but giggle as her little body flopped around frantically like a fish out of water as she tried to pull the covers back over herself.

This morning she clutched onto the covers before I could pull them down and punctuated her screams with "PLEASE!", which I thought was a nice touch. I have to commend her strategy, unfortunately manners don't count for much when we're on a tight deadline to get out of the house. 
Just 3 more weeks until spring. I'm hoping that the new season will bring a little more sunshine to our mornings.

Gas

In January I paid the Enbridge gas bill again since last the bill in August. My credit finally caught up, but the bill was still only $116 - much less than what I've paid in a very long time.

Anyway, the hiatus was nice while it lasted!

Milestone

Lauren spent her first full night alone in her bed last night - hooray!

On Sunday morning when I was dressing her (and after she had already woken at 4am wanting to get into my bed) I asked what we could do to make her room more cozy. "Change the walls to pink", she said. Not an unreasonable request, but before we do the walls we need to fix the ceiling in her room which is beginning to peel, then fix the eaves outside before the spring rain comes. The fixit list never ends!

Anyway, hopefully last night really was the first of many nights in the big girl bed, and not just a fluke. I guess we'll see tonight...

When I grow up

Just as Lauren and I came home from daycare and started taking off our coats and stuff she declared, "You know what, I want to be a teacher when I grow up."

I told her that her grandpa Philip was a teacher which she seemed to take into consideration for at least a second or two.

I can't wait to see what she makes of her life, but whatever it is I have no doubt it will be great, and I will be proud.

Big girl bed

C and I finally got around to getting Lauren a big girl bed. When we mentioned to her weeks ago that she would get one, she was so excited she squealed. I'll never forget the look of delight on her face.

It's taken a while, what with all the weekends gone by that one of us in the house has been sick, but we finally made an effort to get ourselves to IKEA this past weekend and found something that C and I both agreed would be suitable. Surprisingly we both have very different tastes in kid beds.

It's twin size with drawers built in so we can use the extra storage for linens.  I'm hoping it will last unit she's a teen or is old enough to buy a new bed of her own. I'd be happy with either scenario.

So after we spent some money on new sheets and comforter and pillows and having the bed delivered, and spending nearly four hours building the thing, Lauren decided she didn't want to sleep in it.

For some reason it didn't fully occur to me that a new bed is a huge adjustment to a little kid. We also rearranged her room a bit to accommodate this bigger piece of furniture, so of course she was apprehensive. That was Sunday night. I put her in our bed while C and I slept on the pull out couch inthe office. She slept like a baby.

Last night I slept with her (as I promised I would to keep her company) and got no sleep at all. She fell out of the bed once and a short while after that I caught her just as half her body was sliding over the edge.  For the rest of the night she tossed and turned and hogged the sheets and actually asked me to "move over to give me more space", as I lay on my side on the very edge of the mattress.

Tonight she lasted about a half hour on her own before she finally cried out. Maybe I'm giving in too soon, but I'm too tired to push back. Right now she's in our bed again alone, sleeping soundly as I prepare to pull out the couch.

Welcome back, and Happy New Year!

Hey, look at me - I'm writing again!

I blame illness and fatigue for my hiatus. I've been sick with something every month since October and am finally now feeling alive again. It was a cold after Thanksgiving, followed by another cold, followed by the stomach flu followed by another flu that turned into a cold and sinus infection.

This winter had beaten me down hard.

I'm finally feeling human again, but of course now that I've said it, I've probably jinxed myself and can expect to come down with something again next week. Lovely.

Anyway, with this small burst of energy I'm taking advantage to write a few lines. Stay tuned for more!