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:

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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 :)