A Day At the Fair

The fair was recently in town and I took the girls during the day for a few hours, went home for Meagan to nap, and then when Ryan was home, we all went in the evening for a few more hours. It was great, the girls had a great time. Meagan LOVED the animals - didn't matter what kind, she was enthralled with them all. We also chose to go on Friday so Kaitlyn could go on some rides since they were only $2/ride. Meagan wasn't too thrilled just being strapped in the stroller while her sister went on 5 rides, but overall did really well. When we were finished, we were all starving so we went out on a rare occasion to Boston Pizza for supper. Thankfully we were seated amidst lots of families since Meagan was having a difficult time waiting for her food to arrive. And when it did, she was happy to share with Dad :) It was a great day!

Summertime

Finally summer weather has arrived! The girls are enjoying playing outdoors all day at their cousins' house and then relaxing on the deck in the evenings. Think it's time to set up a little pool on the deck for them to splash around in :)

Haircut Time!

Kaitlyn was due for her "annual haircut" as her hairdresser calls it. It's the perfect length - can still tie it back in a ponytail, or just leave it loose and light :)

Before:



After:

Preschool Graduation

Kaitlyn graduated preschool this week. After two years with Mrs. Lynnette, she is moving on. Preschool has been so good for her, both socially and developmentally. She will miss sharing a class with her cousin, Alyssa, but she is sooo excited about starting kindergarten next year.

Random - Not so much an update

I'm way too behind on the blogging thing to really catch up. So I am going to follow the example of some of my fellow blogging friends and just keep it simple. If I have something exciting to share, I'll share it. If I have the time - lol. If I have a cute picture to share, I will. Trying to keep everyone updated on everything just stressed me out since I have so much else going on, so if you want to catch up, give me a call or shoot me an email. For now, here are some random pictures of the girls from the last couple months. And of course, I HAVE to say:

GO CANUCKS GO!!!

March Update

Hello out there - if there's anyone that still reads this :)

Life has been crazy busy and we've been dealing with some health issues. I've been suffering from increased fatigue so they sent me for blood tests and confirmed I am B12 deficient, which affects my iron levels, hemoglobin, all kinds of stuff. So I'm back on B12 shots. Right now, once per week until further notice and then hopefully they'll be able to wean me to once every 3 weeks. I received my first shot this Wednesday and it seems today I'm feeling some improvement, despite lack of sleep this week due to Meagan.

Meagan has been in and out of hospital for a few things in the last few months. Last night we were back in the ER again (after being sent directly from the doctor's office yet again) and he highly suspects asthma. She is on 2 inhalers and an antibiotic to try to clear out her lungs, and he warned the blue inhaler may be a permanent feature, but we will need to follow up with our family doctor for more investigation. I'm thankful she's finally getting what she needs and hopeful we can keep her healthy for a while, with the help of her inhaler.

Other than that, Kaitlyn and Ryan are doing great, despite Ryan being super tired as well having to take up the majority of the housework due to my exhaustion. And the kids are calling so I best be putting them to bed. I will try to post more this week, including some updated pics of the girls.

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)...