Updated Pictures

Before we hit picture overload with Christmas, I will follow through with my promise to post some updated pictures from the last few weeks. Enjoy!

1 Week Till Christmas!

Hi - remember me? Life has been crazy and it's hard to find a few moments to myself in front of the computer these days, but lo and behold, Meagan is napping, Kaitlyn is playing My Little Pony's, and Ryan is working. So here's a bit of an update from us.

I am back to work. For the most part, the transition has gone smoothly. I fell right back into work as if I never left, and remember pretty much everything. The girls have adjusted to spending most days at my sister's house with their cousins and after about a week or two, seem to be doing well there. I was thankfully able to mostly wean Meagan and she now will drink whole milk (with a little strawberry flavour) from her Dora sippy cups no problem. She is still night-nursing, which we plan to break in about a month (more on that in a minute). Do I enjoy leaving my girls everyday? No, but I do love my job, the work I do, and right now my working is a necessity. Hopefully one day I can cut back to some part-time hours, but for now this is our reality, and we are adjusting to it.

The girls are starting to learn to play together, but they are definitely totally different personalities. Meagan wants to figure everything out - how to put things together, take them apart, what's behind that door or in that drawer. Kaitlyn lives in her imaginary princess land where everything is pink.

Meagan saw the ear specialist after her 9th ear infection and tubes are now scheduled for January 13. She is recovering from her 10th ear infection now and sleep is limited in our household. When she has an ear infection, she is up (even with pain killers) anywhere from 4-8 times per night. A regular night without an ear infection is 2 times (although last night was once which is RARE), and the specialist attributes this to constant fluid behind her ear drum, causing irritating pressure which wakes her up. So once the tubes are in, we are expecting a dramatic turnaround, and I will then wean her completely as well.

Well, Meagan is up from her nap and a little crabby, so I better run - hope to post some updated pics later tonight.

Halloween

Here's a catch up post from Halloween.

Kaitlyn got to choose what she was going to be for Halloween and chose fairy godmother. Not much of a stretch considering Cinderella is her favourite movie, but I was still surprised she didn't want to be a princess and no matter how many times I asked, she didn't change her mind. She chose her outfit - from her dress to her wings and wand - and loved it. And she designed the pumpkin face this year too - it's great seeing her creativity come to life! It definitely was a fun weekend with her preschool party and trick or treating, and Kaitlyn loved being the center of attention which rarely happens with a younger sister these days.

Look What I Can Do!

Despite fighting yet another double ear infection, Meagan is getting more and more mobile everyday! And yes, looks like tubes are in the future for Meagan (same as Kaitlyn) fairly soon :(

Pumpkin Patch 2010

Blogging has definitely taken a backseat to a lot of other things right now, including getting ready to return to work, bonding with the girls, sleep when I can get it, being sick with a cold and flu and trying to get better, and trying to wean Meagan, among other things.

Here is a quick post with some photos from Kaitlyn's field trip to the pumpkin patch this week. This year we went to the Apple Barn which was a total hit with the kids and parents. We also lucked out with some great weather and great kids, which really helped. There were so many stations for the kids to learn things and Kaitlyn is at this age where she loves to learn and then tell us all about it at the dinner table. She is definitely a total sponge right now.

So without further ado, the photos :)

Another Month Down, 1 More to Go

This week I finished filing the paperwork for my return to work following my maternity leave. My official return date is now November 1st. I'm a little sad I won't be home anymore, but excited to return to a job I love. Not many people can say that about their job, but I truly enjoy it. It makes me feel like I am contributing to the world, using my brain, and I learn so many new things in one day at work. I'm afraid I'll be a little rusty on my return so hopefully my supervisor is nice and puts me in some slow courtrooms to adjust!

Life around here is good. We're discovering a few tricks with Meagan's sleep including no covered feet (e.g. no socks for naps, no footed sleepers at nighttime). Last night she woke up twice - first time because she was completely soaked (oops - that would be my fault for not changing her right before bedtime) and the second time because she was very snotty. So we are improving!

I just received my district newsletter from my Avon manager. I am so excited - my sales have been slowly improving and I actually am in the top 20 for this fiscal year - at #16! Considering I wasn't even in the top 20 last month, I'm pretty happy with this! Yesterday I packed Meagan into the stroller and we went for a walk with Kaitlyn and delivered about 40 flyers - hopefully we'll get a bite or two from those.

And here are a few pictures since I've been delinquent in this category lately.

Kaitlyn's first day back at preschool (sorry - she was not in the mood for pictures):





Meagan having fun with some different facial expressions and showing off her teeth:

Wanna Win a Doopsy?

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for your chance to win a free cloth diaper! I've been looking forward to trying a new diaper so hoping I win one!

Another Day, Another Doctor Visit

Last night was brutal.

Meagan woke up from her afternoon nap grumpy. She just wanted to be held and even then, that didn't guarantee she was content. She'd have spurts of happiness where she would run after Kaitlyn in her walker and then suddenly stop and start screaming with nothing provoking it. Something was obviously wrong so we gave her pain medication. That didn't seem to help. So we tried some orajel on her gums. More screaming.

As I was rocking her, I noticed she had a mild rash developing on her neck and face. So I took off her onesie and it was all over her stomach too - not fierce, but there was a rash. Of course, I assumed she was allergic to the penicillin (since my mom, myself and Kaitlyn all are) so off to the drugstore went Ryan for some Benadryl. We gave her the Benadryl and she promptly threw up.

But then, calmness. She fell asleep and slept until 3 AM. Woke up for a quick feed, then slept until 6:30. And woke up happy but still with a rash that was now fading.

So this morning I packed up the girls (Ryan is working) and headed to the walk-in clinic where we met with a fabulous doctor who listened to me, examined her closely, and said it's not an allergic reaction but she most likely had a virus that "broke" last night. Apparently the worst is behind us, continue the penicillin (keeping a good eye on her), and she should be recovering now. I sincerely hope he's right since I don't think I could cope with another night like last night.

I tried to take some pictures of her rash this morning, but she was all smiles so I went for those photos instead :)

Sleep Deprivation

So Meagan's sleep was getting a lot better. She wasn't even nursing at night, just woke up for a few minutes and then back to sleep with a little rocking. Then it started to get worse. And worse. So I started to suspect teething or even an ear infection? But then it got a little better so I avoided the doctor appointment. Yesterday she was fevered and Miserable. Yes, with a capital M. She just wanted to snuggle and sit in my lap but as soon as I put her down, she would scream. So off to the walk-in we went. Ear infection and either tonsilitis or strep throat. The doctor told me to piggy-back Advil and Tylenol which we've been doing and wow - 2 doses of penicillin and some pain medication - and she sleeps from 9-4, back in bed at 4:10, sleeps until 6 (right when the Advil is wearing off so I give her another dose), and sleeps until almost 9! Suffice it to say, I am feeling much better after finally getting a decent night's sleep.

We did meal plan, but started it earlier than planned when we realized it was no-tax day on Saturday at Superstore. What a zoo though! Between renovations and living in a town with mostly cheap Dutch families (we are included in that), the place was crazy. Thankfully Ryan was with me and took care of pushing the cart and managing the girls while I swiftly went through my list and threw things in the cart. We actually managed to draft a meal plan with almost two weeks' worth of meals on it, so besides dairy and some produce, we don't even have to really shop much for the next while which is nice.

As for other happenings ... not much. I had a record breaking AVON campaign last week (record breaking for me that is). Definitely my best ever and I somehow manage to get new customers each time. My district manager says it will only get busier as we get closer to Christmas so I'm looking forward to it. I definitely enjoy doing it - meeting new people, helping them choose the right product, trying out products, getting my stuff for next to nothing. I get excited when the boxes show up and it's time for me to sort through everything. A couple of my clients have already expressed concern about when I return to work, but if it does become too much for me, I'm sure I could find a helper if needed.

Well that's it from us here. Sorry, no photos - I'll work on that!

Remembering Opa

On Friday morning we awoke to find out my Opa had passed away the night before. He had been in hospital for a while, battling cancer. He passed away peacefully and is pain-free in his eternal Home. Today as they lay his body to rest, our prayers and thoughts are with Oma, my mom, uncles, aunts, and other relatives in Edmonton.

Grocery Shopping

Got around to my big shopping trip at Superstore today. Spent $77 (so add that to the chicken I bought the other day and I am still under $100/wk for groceries again). Our grocery store is a bit of a nightmare right now since they are renovating and moving everything around. Which is a pain when you are looking for specific beans for vegetarian chili, find the bean aisle, can't find the ones you're looking for so you settle for a substitute, and then 3 aisles later find the ones you were originally looking for.

But the wonderful thing about Superstore besides prices is both girls will sit in the shopping cart and last almost the entire trip. I start my shopping and try to get as many items as I can before one of the girls starts fussing (usually Kaitlyn) and then we head to the bakery. Kaitlyn gets a cookie from the bakery (free) and Meagan gets a Mum Mum cracker (from my purse). We continue shopping. Usually when I am on my last 2 or 3 items, Meagan is done and fussing off and on and then promptly falls asleep on the way home.

Today she transferred beautifully into her crib once we got home and slept for about 3 hours and Kaitlyn has been painting ever since we got home (with small lunch and bathroom breaks here and there).

All in all, it's been a successful day - I like those :)

This and That...

Meal planning is done again for the week. I have already made one trip to the grocery store and this time it was Safeway (I know, shocking!). The only reason was club packs of chicken breasts were on sale so I made sure to pick one up to help with the meals this week.

I won't bore you with what we're eating this week, but I'm getting the hang of meal planning on a budget. I'm trying to diversify our plans each week so we're not repeating the same meals over and over. I try to incorporate:
(1) vegetarian meal
(2) soup (served with bread)
(3) close-to vegetarian meal (using bacon or ham)
(4) pasta
(5) easy & cheap meal
(6) chicken meal
(7) beef meal

By first doing inventory of my shelves, fridge and freezer (and possibly some requests from my dear husband), I'm able to stick to this general formula and keep the costs down. And I have to say, I am loving the absence of the 5 PM question of the day - what's for dinner?

In other news, Meagan is still not sleeping through the night but generally doing a lot better. Usually one night waking but back in bed pretty quickly. Last night was 3 times which is a little exhausting, but she's taking a nice long morning nap which is nice too.

Kaitlyn starts preschool again in 2 weeks. I get a little sad when I read the school calendar and know that I won't be able to participate in some of the parties and field trips that I was able to attend last year while on mat leave since I go back to work at the end of October, but I'll definitely be doing my best to try to get those mornings or afternoons off when I am able to.

But for now I am still enjoying being at home for 2 more months and have really had a great year off.

Here are a couple pictures of Kaitlyn "helping" feed Meagan breakfast from this week. And notice the braid? Kaitlyn is finally allowing me to try other hairstyles on her besides the daily pony-tail. Only took 4 years (actually, I should say 2 since she was bald until 2)...

Friday Update

This week was a pretty good one! Despite Meagan cutting another tooth and 2 more on the way (with multiple night wakings for a few nights in a row and a trip to the doctor only to confirm she was teething), the last half of the week definitely made up for it. Meagan is now waking up once a night around 3 AM, happy but just needing 3 teething tablets and a little snuggle (no night nursing!), back in bed where she puts herself back to sleep quietly - I'm very hopeful this is the new trend and once those top two teeth poke through, hopefully she won't need those night time teething tablets anymore either.

The budgeting/shopping is going well too. Last week I ended up running out of a few things like milk and dishwasher detergent but my grocery budget money was gone and I was determined not to cut into other areas of my budget to buy those items. So I posted a few things that we weren't using for sale and within an hour, I had sold the bassinet for the same price I had paid a year ago. So with $30, I had more than enough money to purchase the few items to make it the rest of the week.

This week I did draw up a rough meal plan, this time with Ryan's input since he wanted healthier meals, and finally managed to get my Superstore shopping done yesterday. This time I did purchase produce at Superstore as well since I only had a few items on my produce list and the girls wouldn't have lasted another shopping trip. So a week's worth of groceries for $77 - not too bad! I'm learning to scour the flyers and match up great prices with coupons for great savings. Example: Special K cereal was on sale for $2.97/each (regular price was over $5/each), limit of 2, plus I had $1 off/box coupons so I was able to get 2 boxes for $1.97/each. Same with Gerber Graduates snack foods for Meagan - on sale for $2.27/each and I had a coupon for buy 2, get $1/off. Great deals when you pair them together and they were items on my list anyway (which is key - I'm not buying stuff just because it's a "good deal" - it has to be on my list!).

Last evening was really great. We had dinner together - Ryan and I had "fiesta rice" (a recipe we made up together using hot sausages, salsa, onion, garlic and rice) and the girls had scrambled eggs. I went to a preschool orientation meeting for 45 minutes, came home to find the girls ready for bed, and Kaitlyn went to bed with no fuss around 8 PM. We let Meagan stay up and crawl around to burn off some energy and she started to crawl slower... and slower... until she found a nice spot under the table and just zonked out. This girl really is her mother's daughter - apparently I used to fall asleep anywhere and everywhere as well.



Anyway, I am feeling refreshed and ready for a good weekend! A few good nights' sleep will do that!

Grocery Update & Meagan is 9 months today!

So I did my groceries for the week yesterday. Superstore shopping came to $87 and produce shopping was $18 - so I went $5 overbudget. The good thing about that number is I was forced to buy a few things that hopefully next week I won't have to - like coffee, chicken, and some other meats. I also picked up a couple peaches when I saw they were in from the Okanagan and cut some up for Meagan last night - she loves them! If only I knew how to can, I would can a bunch and store them up for later while they're cheap.

Right now I'm reading a book called America's Cheapest Family by Steve and Annette Economides. I'm currently on the grocery shopping chapter and am floored at what they accomplish. They are a family of 7 (including 3 teenage boys) who feed their family on $350 per month (book was published in 2007) and only grocery shop once per month so only 12 times per year. The trip takes 5 hours each time but wow, $350 per month??

My baby is 9 months old today. Crazy! The time is flying by with some ups and downs. I don't have her stats yet but might just go to the clinic today to have her weighed and measured for the record.

At 9 months, Meagan:

- still doesn't really sit unless she's in a chair. She can do it, but doesn't want to - she'd rather be scooting around the room either doing an army crawl or in her walker (she flies across the room in that thing!)

- has 1 tooth on the bottom and another on the way

- usually wakes up once a night for a quick feed and still won't take a bottle or a sippy cup

- loves to feed herself and is trying new tastes and textures everyday. Right now her favourite is Gerber Puffs - doesn't matter what flavour, she loves them!

- is a super happy baby and loves to laugh. By herself, with her sister (those two can really get each other going), or a silly fake laugh just being a bit of a clown

- loves Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn loves her

- is such a joy and blessing to our family :)

Meal Planning Monday! It's Back!

Due to the new spending restrictions and organizational aspect of it, I am returning to meal planning! This time the menus will be a little different as we are trying to keep our weekly grocery bills less than $100/wk. Without diapers and cosmetics on our list, I think it's doable, but the true test will be when I do my groceries today or tomorrow and get my total. Groceries will be done at Superstore and produce will be done at the produce market (so much fresher and cheaper!).

So here we go...

Monday: Oven steak & vegetables

Tuesday: Beef barley soup & bread

Wednesday: Hot dogs

Thursday: Spaghetti tuna casserole

Friday: Chicken puff casserole

Saturday: Cauliflower-ham bake

Sunday: Brinner (breakfast for dinner) - eggs, bacon, toast and pancakes

Most of the meals were planned around ingredients I already had in my house (frozen hot dog buns, leftover roast for the soup, spaghetti noodles, tuna) or cheap produce and cheaper meats than we normally pick.

I've submitted requests for about 10 books from the library on grocery shopping, budgeting and cooking on a tight budget. If anyone else has any suggestions, tips, etc., please pass them on! And thanks Cecile for your comments!

Getting Proactive!

After being disappointed for a few days about the loss of opportunities, we decided to start looking at the bright side of things and start working towards our goals. One goal we have is to be debt-free and we have been working hard on figuring out how to do that, especially now considering Ryan's employment may not change anytime soon.

We have started a budget, are cutting out all credit in our lives (besides a van loan that finishes in February and our mortgage), and are going to live as frugally as possible! So, yes, returning to menu-planning, only this time choosing only budget-friendly meals, cutting out everything but necessities, and figuring out wherever we can trim back and doing it.

So if any of you have any tips, websites, book suggestions - anything - please pass them on! We want to make our goal a reality!

Trying Times

I've been laying a little low in bloggerville as there was a lot in the works for Ryan jobwise and didn't want to blog about it until it was finished. I was hoping it would be a happy blog entry, but it's not. Ryan applied for a job with the university and was very hopeful he would get it. Considering he was considered the favourite going into it, it was a major disappointment when he was not offered the job. Granted, someone with a lot more schooling and experience did get it, but it was still disappointing. And in the same week we received confirmation that due to the provincial government hiring freeze, Ryan would no longer be considered as an applicant for the sheriff program. This was not a shock to hear since I work for the provincial government and knew they were focussing on retention with zero outside hiring, but it was disappointing to hear it in the same week that he didn't get the job he had his heart set on.

Other than that, things are continuing as normal around here. Meagan had a horrific day last week with many bouts of crying and general fussiness. The next day Ryan discovered her firt tooth. And it feels like there is another coming through already. Her sleep is still a battle most of the time, but last night she slept from 11 to 6:30 for the first time. Not that I did. Too many things going on in my head and I was awake from 5 am, just worrying about everything.

And really, what does worrying accomplish? Nothing except added stress. I am sure everything will work out in the long run, but in the short run, it still sucks.

So that's my gripe post for the year hopefully!

Life Semi Crunchy

Check out the Life Semi Crunchy blog for a great giveaway of Lulu's in the Fluff! Ever since I started cloth diapering, I've been looking for the magic diaper detergent and am excited to try it out soon.

Hanging out at Home

We're having a bit of a "down" week, mostly hanging around the house and doing errands here and there. We are loving spending time together and have survived a week of Ryan working double shifts (makes for super long days). The girls are starting to play well together and Kaitlyn loves to read to Meagan and sing to her. She also likes to tell her to "stop freaking out" when she gets mad about something. Here are some pictures from the last couple days.

Reading:



Breakfast! Another girl who does NOT like oatmeal!

Meagan Asleep...

Proof this child can fall asleep just about anywhere.

The other day Meagan was crawling around on the floor and then I noticed she was being super quiet. This is what I found.



And today, slowly the bounces in the jumperoo were getting slower and slower and then I found this.

BUSY Summer

Sorry for the lack of posts - I know family likes to keep up with us on here but we've been pretty busy the last couple of weeks. Kaitlyn had VBS at the same school she goes to preschool last week, and VBS again this week at my sister's church. It's busy but great and gives me a chance to do things without chasing after a 4-year-old (e.g. grocery shopping, cleaning, etc.).

Meagan is doing really well. She is starting to eat much better and I'm starting to put her in the highchair for 3 meals a day (actually just started yesterday). She eats more when she thinks she's in control, either feeding herself (she loves bananas) or grabbing the spoon and "helping" me put it in her mouth. She loves mixed cereal, berries, bananas, fruit blends, and baby jarred turkey casserole so far. We're trying more each week and she's only improving which is great!

Meagan is also in cloth diapers. I swore I would never, ever do it. But the last package of disposables I bought for her made her break out in a fierce rash across her waist and my sisters both do it, so we tried it. I don't love the laundry aspect of it, but it's super easy to do and really doesn't take much time (it's just remembering to do it before I run out of diapers that's the problem!). My sisters were great and lent me a few different kinds and so far my favourites are the Fuzzibunz one-size with snaps. They seem to fit the best with no leaks for her which is great. Plus they're cute ;)

Here are a few pics from the last week.

Kaitlyn getting her face painted at the Party in the Park (a free event that is held every Friday in our town during the summer):





Meagan helping herself to Dad's breakfast:



Super happy baby :)



Almost 8 months - where does the time go?