32 weeks

I had a conversation with someone a few weekends ago, who asked, "how much bigger do you think you could possibly get?" (note to people - don't say these kinds of things to pregnant women - I don't care if you're family or close BFFs, or it's just a "joke" - because having to actually respond to these stupid remarks makes a person feel defensive - and that's just shitty - trust.)... but anyways, I was "nicely" trying to explain to him that indeed I could get much larger - and that I didn't think I was all that much larger than I was first time around, when I still had 2 months to go.

Because - remember those last few weeks? Where your skin feels so tight it's like it's going to split at the slightest bit of pressure? Barely being able to fit behind the steering wheel in your car? And needing to nap every 2 hours or so of being awake because you're barely sleeping at night?

In comparison? Right now? I feel effing fantastic. Nimble as a ballerina. So that's the nice thing about the 2nd time around - you KNOW how lumbering and swollen and uncomfortable that you're gonna get - that in fact the lead up is much easier because you enjoy the freedom that you still have.

That being said, I posted on Facebook last week that I was so excited the weather was warming up, simply to remove the necessity of me having to grunt and groan trying to put socks on. Because socks? Are not a preggo's best friend.  Cheezies, on the other hand....

Other things that have changed? The movements - less kicky kick kick and more the rolling, elbowing, alien-baby-inside-me-feeling. My appetite - gone way done. Assuming this is probably due to my stomach being jammed up into my  throat right now. I mean - I'm still eating. Just not contemplating the complete and utter destruction I will be making on a bag of sour kid candies in the car on the drive home at night. In other words, the days of eating with the abandon of a wild hog is over. At least for now... And swelling - it's started a bit - just in the calves + ankles, at the end of the day. Again, thank god for flip flops.

8 weeks to go. Nursery prep is happening this weekend for sure, as I am free of Hubs and Miss M - which means I can actually get things done. I will be enjoying my vacation.... thoroughly.

xxoo.S

The resilience of children

We had a sick weekend here at Casa V - Maddie came down with a fever by noon on Saturday and ground productivity for the weekend to an effective halt. Luckily the fever was easily managed by Tylenol, but it's still upsetting to see your little boo get cranky and flushed and incredibly unhappy every 4 hours as the medicine wears off.

But the flip side - watching how incredibly happy and mobile she was while the meds WERE working - now that's a sight.

Is it just me? It always amazes me how well kids deal with illness. Or I should say, how my kid deals with illness (can't really speak from experience about others - but have heard similar sentiments). It's like - they're only taken down and out when it's really serious. But some sniffles? A few aches and pains? A sore throat or even light fever? Without fail, Miss M is smiling and happy and playing her way through it.

So here's my question? Is it just because we're older and therefore just that much closer to death (har dee har har) that makes us unable to fight the temptation to pull the covers over ourselves and block out the world when we're feeling sick? Or barring be able to do that (because, really, when's the last time you ACTUALLY spent the day in bed, taking care of yourself when you were sick - and men, this question is not for you!)... just how well do you find yourself coping with the feeling of being sick?

I'm not going to sugar coat it. I'm a whiner. I'm a total table-for-one, host-of-the-pity-party. I like to call MY Mommy and tell her all my ailments so she can tell me what I should do (which, being a nurse, usually is, stop feeling sorry for yourself, take some Advil and drink some tea).

And don't get me wrong. A sick Maddie is a miserable house over here 60% of the time. But it's the other 40%, where she's spinning around the living room singing some Cinderella song at the top of her lungs, that makes me go, huh. Wonder if it's just mind over matter. And if being so self-aware (and self-pitying) is really worth it...

xxoo.S

Snippets

There were no posts all of last week because of work stuff, life stuff, the busy schedule that spring seems to bring everyone. But it all culminated in a fantastically productive meeting with the bossman on Friday and means several projects that have been slightly languishing in nowhere land have been given the green light and I have a busy busy plate for my last 2 months.

And last 2 months it is - we're on final countdown. I gave my "official" notice and June 11th is my last day of work. Which means I get a week and half to myself before my due date of June 23rd. The response from everyone when I tell them this is, "Wow, you're working right up to the end, huh?" The response from Hubs? "Giving yourself a nice little cushion, huh?"

***************

April is the "Month of Birthdays" amid our group of friends' children. We hit up our 2nd kid's birthday party this past weekend and have one more birthday party to attend next weekend. This was a pirate-themed party and watching Maddie play a piratized version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey was possibly the most adorable moment of our weekend. PS - you know what freaks my 2.5 year old out? Putting a blindfold on her amidst a group of excited kids.

But you know what's not fun? 6 screechy kids all hopped up on sugar*. When I can't drink the noise away. Damn you co-parents that had beers in your hand this weekend. Damn you...

***************

We still haven't painted the nursery. I did make the attempt to really get it done this weekend - but got sidetracked while cleaning out the room (the closet had been relegated as part-clothing storage, part-craft storage, part-spare-linen storage and part-wrapping-paraphernalia storage). So while I started taking all of this stuff down to the basement, I realized the basement MUST BE CLEANED. NOW. IMMEDIATELY.

I'm not going to be a tattletale, but this may have caused some dissension amongst the ranks. For those firmly on the side of "Sunday is the day of rest". Okay, I will name names. The Hubs. He thought I was bonkers. I got angry. There may have been some shouting. That's all I'm gonna say...

Sidebar: I think with every positive pregnancy test, the doctor should be required to take the husband into a room where he is forced to watch a couple of educational videos called, "The Importance of Hormones" and, "The Nesting Instinct". Perhaps this could be combined into one video called, "Survival Guide: The Irrationality That Will Consume Your Life For The Next 9 Months - And How To Learn To Say Yes, Dear".  

Yes, with the clarity of a Monday morning, I see that perhaps I was being a little unreasonable in my demands that the ENTIRE BASEMENT MUST BE ORGANIZED. NOW. ASAP. SHOULD'VE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF MONTHS AGO. WTF?!?!?!? The urge to nest has hit me much harder this time around. At least I think it has. Perhaps all the packing and preparations to move into the house helped to funnel some of those urges last time. Who knows. But this time? Oh yeah. It's full-on crazy. Like, get the urge to clean the bathroom at 5am when I wake up for the gazillionth time to pee, kind of crazy. Poor Hubs.

***************

I'll leave you with a little Maddie-ism that she pulled on us this morning. (Prefacing it to say, I see the devil coming out in her more and more. Manipulating. Guilt-tripping. Stubborn as a mule. It makes an a-type female such as myself so very proud...) Doing the breakfast thing, she was offered another yogurt, various types of fruit, cheerios and juice. To which everything she responded, "No. Maddie no want." And clearly realizing what a little pain in the ass she was being, she looked up at the Hubs with a gleam in her eye, "Maddie say no to EV-WE-TING!"

xxoo.S

*To my nearest and dearest - I love your children, I really do. And I enjoy the excuse to come and hang out with you for a few hours at a party. And I like the gift-giving and the cake-eating. But I really think we all need bigger houses. Or finished basements. Or soundproof rooms - if these parties are going to continue. ;-)

Dear Maddie (the two and a half version),

It gets old saying this all the time - but HOLY CRAP how much you have changed in just 6 months. You are a little person. With opinions on.... everything.

• Fashion. Which, for the record, I usually try to respect - but wearing your fancy white dress to daycare on one of the rainiest, muddiest days we've seen all Spring. Wasn't going to happen - ever. And I have a thing about white before the May long-weekend. (I blame that on my mom)
• Food. And this opinion changes almost weekly. Sometimes potatoes are acceptable. Most times they are not. Usually blackberries are the bees knees. Sometimes they are the devil. You do have a few constants though. My lemon chicken, brocolli, green beans, watermelon and Nutty Cones (but only when shared with Daddy).
• Books. Again, you like to switch up favourites, but with a fun little twist. You call them different things. Peter Pan is currently called the Orange Book. Which wasn't easy, when you were demanding the ORANGE BOOK ORANGE BOOK ORANGE BOOK one night at bedtime, and we had no idea what the hell we were looking for. I practically tried giving you the Home Depot flyer, because that's orange, and OMG please just stop shouting at me.
• Daycare drive. You like Daddy to drop you off at daycare. And you like when I pick you up. We haven't exactly determined why this is. And why the world meltsdown when this isn't possible. But ... yes. You have your reasons I'm sure.
• Driving. You don't like it when I take a different route home from daycare. And (usually) don't love stopping for the mail on the way home. I like to think you're just so excited to get home and spend time with me, that you don't want to delay it at all. But I think it's just a routine thing and you, my dear, do not love change. I wonder where you get that from?

But even with all those opinions, at the same time, you're also one of the happiest little girls I could ever imagine. You belly laugh at my lame silly jokes. You smile and make funny faces with Daddy at the dinner table. You maul Simon and chase Garfy for "snugglebuggles" while he runs away terrified. 

You'd rather be outside than in. At the park, or playing in the yard or just going for a walk. But on rainy days we craft and we bake. You bring me your apron and demand that we "make cookies for Daddy". Or you ask in the most convincing voice, "Mommy - you paint wit' me?".

I'm your daytime sidekick. Daddy is the preferred bedtime guy. He does bathtime. He reads story after story after story. He snuggles you into bed and reads one last book. You are a daddy's girl and you have him wrapped around your little finger.

I know you probably won't remember being so young, but I hope all the photos and videos we inundate you with help you remember these happy times.

Happy half-birthday bugaloo.

Love,
Mommy

I caved - he didn't

On Tues night, around 8:15pm, my resolve caved.

Me: Okay, let's just do the 3D ultrasound and find out the sex.

Hubs: Nope.

Me: ???? What? I thought you were dying to find out? I thought you were annoyed that I wanted to keep it a surprise?

Hubs: We decided to keep it a surprise, so that's what we're doing. Anyways - isn't it too late to do it?

Me: It's ALMOST too late. The ideal time is before 26 weeks, but we could still do it.

Hubs: Nope.

Me: (whining like a 5 year child at this point) But why??? I've changed my mind - I thought you'd be happy.

Hubs: You convinced me a surprise would be fun. Don't be so convincing next time.

And so... hrrrrumph.

xxoo.S

29 weeks

Nesting. That's my word for this week.

A few nights ago, while we lay in bed, I turned to the Hubs, "We HAVE to paint the nursery this weekend". 

His response? "It's Sunday night. We just got Maddie's room done. Can you give me a few days break before you line up all the things we need to do this weekend?"

But all you moms out there get what I mean, right? Feeling like you just HAVE to get this done RIGHT NOW if possible. Yes, the nesting urge is alive and well - and keeps my brain going with all the things that I'm feeling very "behind" on. Namely the nursery - getting that done, or at least painted, will make me feel a lot more relaxed. I think. I hope...

In other news, I don't have PUPPs - the rash has disappeared completely. So we'll chalk that up to crazy hormones and their wacky reaction to substances that I've never had a reaction to before.

And after being advised by my midwife to up my iron pills to 3 a day, I've felt pretty good. At least in the mornings I do - that dragging-yourself-half-dead-out-of-the-bed-in-the-morning feeling has abated. The 3pm slump still comes. And after 8pm? You'll find me curled up on the couch attempting to stay awake for at least an hour before I give up and succumb to the blessed sleep by about 9-ish.

xxoo.S

We were ready for you long weekend!

With the in-laws confirmed as built-in helpers and babysitters, we made the commitment - this weekend was:

BIG. GIRL. BEDROOM. WEEKEND.

Oh that's right - it needs the caps.

We took advantage of the outrageously gorgeous weather and painted up a storm in the garage. With the door up. As people walked by, looking on suspiciously, at an enormously pregnant woman painting a dresser.

It's low VOC paint people! I am safe! I am thoughtful of my little unborn sprog! I promise! 

I didn't really yell this at them. But I wanted to. Oh how I wanted to...

So... drumroll please... it's done. The deed is done. She slept in her big girl bed for a nap and all of last night. She doesn't seem to understand yet that she is fully able to escape the bed, should she wish to do so, at any time. AND THAT'S FINE BY US!

We caught the entire "unveiling" on video for all eternity, and if I ever find some spare time, I will post that - because the squeal of delight she gave upon entering the room was flippin' fantastic. And made it ALL worth while. As did her repeating "you turned it over" with a massive smile on her face, while she opened and closed every drawer of the dresser about 50 million times. For the record - "turned it over" means (we think) you changed over my room. Not that we literally turned shit upside down. Because, duh - clearly that's not what she meant. (That's totally what I thought she meant at first, and I was all - no, everything is it's right place. Oh, you don't mean literally? Right - I'madumbass.)

It still needs some art on the walls - but I need to figure that out. And get some paint to cover up the patching of a few holes. And find a bed skirt, because who thinks about a bed skirt in all the planning? But here's the pics anyways...

Zee fancy white iron bed that I covet and wish I could be 10 years old again for... 

thank you Costco!

My childhood dresser, that was someone else's before it was mine. 

It has been blue, pink, white, stripped + varnished, and now painted again. 

With new hardware. Dontcha just love the lil pink glass knobs?

Her reading "nook". Again - can I tell you how jealous I am of her room? 

Because dude. I want a reading nook.

The infamous chandelier for the closet. 

Adorable, perfectly sized, and matches the dresser hardware perfectly.

She likes it.

xxoo.S

28 weeks

Welcome to your seventh month! said the weekly update email I get from Today's Parent. Um? Holy shit. Seventh month sounds REALLY far along, doesn't it?

I guess I should stop telling people that I'm just over halfway done.

And I think my head exploded in little stress-bits all over the place thinking of all the project deadlines I have approaching at work, and all the things I wanted to get done at home before I got "too far along".

Shitty shit shit...

In other news - sprog is good. Apparently has "...practically doubled her weight in the last four weeks and her brain tissue has begun to increase and its signature folds and grooves are now taking shape." (Don't get excited - that's Today's Parent using the gender specific verbiage. They switch it up every week.)


He/she is also in breech position currently, according to the midwife appointment I had on Monday. Which isn't anything to worry about right now - plenty of movement will (should) happen before d-day. But does have the lovely benefit of feeling like someone is tap dancing on my bladder all day and all night long. Because if you haven't felt an alien inside of you kicking at your internal organs, then you really just haven't lived. LOVELY, I tell you.


I also got a bit of clarification on the iron supplement thing. Apparently I'm supposed to be taking 3 pills a day - not just the one. And should feel "marked improvement in my energy levels" within a week. I thought I was feeling better, but apparently admitting I go to bed around 9pm every night is not the energy levels she was hoping for. 


That's all I've got. Did this update sound whiny again? I had someone tell me recently that it didn't sound like I was "enjoying" pregnancy this time around a little while ago and it made me feel guilty. And then indignant. And of course, a wee bit defensive.


To set the record straight - it's not as easy as it was the first time. I'm more tired. I was sicker (and for longer) than the first time. But I'm also older and without the ability to just lay on the couch, unencumbered with responsibilities, for hours on end, all weekend long (omg doesn't that sound blissful?). So.... yeah. It's not horrible. But it is harder.

So, if I sound a little less than rosy-peaches-and-cream-sunshiny-goodness? Well, have you met me? I put the snuh in SNARK.

And that's on a good day.

xxoo.S

Knobby

The knobs for Maddie's "big girl" room furniture finally arrived. And it didn't cost me a cent in Custom's charges. Which is fabulous because I'm a big cheap-o! Each knob comes in it's own little plastic bag emblazoned with MADE IN TAIWAN on it. Way to make my antique "reproduction" knobs feel special. Thank you, eBay seller.

So this weekend is now officially the "big girl room transformation" weekend. When we're done I'll post the results, and you can comment about how beautiful and wonderful it is and any other comments will otherwise be lovingly deleted. ;-)

xxoo.S

The weekend - in a nutshell

Craft caterpillars made out of egg cartons were painted.
Cinderella was watched.
Tea parties were had.
Easter cookies were cut out and iced and eaten.
Playdoh spaghetti and other various "worms or snakes" were created.
Vacuums "chased" little girls.
Parents took naptime too.

The perfect at-home, wet weekend.

xxoo.S

How to torture oneself in 7 easy steps

1. Decide to have an early night, because it's been a long week and you're tired.
2. Enjoy a nice cup of hot milk prior to bed (yes indeed, I do this often - it's cozy and warm and helps me sleep, so shut it).
3. Fall asleep instantly and enjoy said sleep for 1.5 hours.
4. Be awoken by a call over the monitor... "Mommy.... Maddie want milk".
5. Realize as you awake that, shit, you drank the last of the milk before you went to bed.
6. Try to explain this absence of milk to an increasingly demanding and irrational toddler.
7. Deal with the fall out for a full THREE HOURS while you seriously consider just driving to the local 24 hr shop to buy the milk that will just.shut.her.up. (But don't actually do it - because that would be c.r.a.z.y.)

Yes, we still give Maddie a bottle when she asks for it when she wakes up in the middle of the night. Yes, we realize how ridiculous this is for a 2.5 year old.

But in fairness - we have been discussing (for about a year now) just how to stop this. And due to the fact that she is so against drinking milk during the day (remember? I've whined about this a few times I'm sure), it's always been easy to rationalize giving it to her before bed and at night time.

So last night - well, I guess that was just fate stepping in and forcing us to play the tough love card. Because there was no way in hell we were driving to the local convenience store to buy milk at midnight. Not that we wanted her to cry - but really? At some point you just have to say no - and I get it - and we've sucked as parents - and taken the easy road until now - especially as she only wakes up like 2 or 3 times a month for milk, it's not an every night thing. So it was always easy to just do it "one more time" every time.

For the record? We are idiots. So all you experienced moms that are silently rolling your eyes at our weakness right now? We KNOW, okay? We totally should have stopped this habit ages ago. 

Because a tired, demanding, irrational 2.5 year old is a far cry different from a 1.5 year old. At least from what I can remember. 

Let's just say, there was a lot of crying last night. And yelling. And screaming. And hitting. And temper-tantruming. A good 3 hours worth, in fact.

But in the end, after a book (reading Cinderella TWO TIMES IN A ROW at 2am? a.w.e.s.o.m.e.) and a few sips of juice (don't judge don't judge don't judge - it was all part of the hostage negotiations - sweet, blessed sleep, being the hostage) - we got the little monster back to bed and content with going back to sleep.

She then continued to play with her dolls in her crib for another 1/2 hour or so. Reenacting essentially the entire milk drama-rama of the past few hours. With "Dora-baby" playing the roll of the milk-demanding child and Maddie playing the Mommy trying to reason with her that "there's just no milk right now - we're all out - it's allllllllll done!"". 

It was all a bit surreal. Until I turned the monitor off...

xxoo.S

27 weeks

Ever heard of PUPPP? Probably not. Because it's a crappy side-effect of pregnancy that actually isn't all that common (but not really uncommon - I don't know - what's a 1 in 200 chance? Personally, I'd play a lottery ticket on those odds).

Anyways, it's a rash. An itchy as all hell, bumpy, gross rash that goes from your belly up your chest, sometimes down your thighs and sometimes down your arms. And it's itchy. It shows up (usually) around the third trimester and goes away magically when the mother gives birth. And did I mention it's really effing itchy?

Oh, and it makes you look REALLY ATTRACTIVE. Like "my body is erupting in a pimply, itchy, gross rough rash" type of attractive. Now that's hawwwwt.

I'm holding out hope that it's actually not PUPPP but instead a random allergic reaction to the Palmer's Tummy Butter that I recently started using (and yes, I used it on more than my tummy a few times because I'm lazy and didn't feel like grabbing the regular moisturizer to finish the job - it's also exhausting for me to put on socks, and therefore I don't much anymore - wanna judge me?). In my frantic googling last night of pregnancy-itchy-rash-am-I-dying I found out that in fact lots of women get a rash from the Palmer's cream. Because it's so concentrated? Because pregnant women are weird? I dunno. I've never had a reaction to regular cocoa butter before, but I also know that a pregnant body is about as rational as me in a January shoe sale, so I wouldn't put it past hormones being at the root of this problem.

And in the meantime, while I'm in agony and hoping against hope that this stupid rash goes away, I'll leave you with one little tidbit. Certain studies show that 70% of PUPPP sufferers deliver boys.

Interesting, non?

xxoo.S

The hard graft weekend

After spending a week in Kingston, away for the March break visiting Grandma & Grandpa V, our little Miss M was lovingly returned to us Friday afternoon.

We celebrated by zipping out to a Raptor's game and leaving her with the Grandparents for the evening, yet again.

Oh Maddie - we love you. But we also loved our platinum seats (although the game was less than loved - they took a bad beating).

That's okay - we had vowed to stick close to home for the rest of the weekend. And stick we did - in the garage. Cutting mitre joints out of the tiniest mouldings you ever did see. I shouldn't say "we" as I left the cutting and measuring up to the Hubs and his dad. I did join them at Home Depot to buy supplies. And I had done all the measuring for the room weeks ago. So I feel like I did my part. And Hubs got to play with his saw. And learn stuff. And hang out with his dad.


But I did help with the installation and the mudding and sanding. The result is looking fairly spectacular (if we do say so ourselves) even without the paint or any furniture.

For the record - wainscoting (or really "trick-the-eye-mouldings-in-the-shape-of-proper-wainscoting") is not impossible or even all that tough. But it IS time-consuming. Like several evenings of measuring and leveling and drawing out all those boxes on the walls. Then many hours measuring and cutting and measuring and cutting. And more hours spent gluing and mudding and sanding. But the results we are more than happy with.

Now our focus is back on Miss Maddie's room. Her "big girl" room. We have the bedding. We have the bed. We have (some of) the furniture painted. Now we just wait for the knobs to arrive through customs. And paint a few frames for some wall hangings. And then it's set up time.

Once she gets settled into her room and doesn't miss her crib anymore, then progress will begin again on the nursery.  Since she was already calling the nursery (while we were working in this weekend), "Maddie's big room", I'm pretty sure we should make sure she loves her room first to avoid any pre-emptive jealousy.

And what's not to love? As of this weekend her walk-in closet features a newly installed pink crystal chandelier (another project checked off with help from Grandpa). I would show you pictures, but let's wait until we actually have things set up for you to see it in all it's glory.

And last but not least, we are also proud owners of a functional doorbell once again.

As exhausting as "project" weekends are - don't you love that fulfilled feeling of accomplishment when you collapse onto the sofa on the Sunday night?

xxoo.S

Is it a proper crime ring?

When we bought our house the previous owners had just had interlock put in up the front steps and landscaping done all up the walkway. It is lovely and was very much a bonus when we were making our decision on whether to put in an offer. Part of the landscaping includes some hard-wired patio lights - larger than the "moonray" style lights you see a lot - these are lantern-looking, hanging on a mini shepherd's hook.

Anyhoo, my point being, they look lovely and I lurve them. And the fact that they are hardwired into an outlet in the garage on a timer (so they actually give off good light vs. those mini moonray types) is a bonus.

Two years ago when I was in Ireland with Maddie and the Hubs was also away on business at the same time - he came home to find one of these lights missing from our flowerbed, all the wiring and whatnot ripped up and just hanging out on our lawn.

We pinned it down to stupid kids - hooligan teenagers - whatever. It was annoying and took a few months to find an identical replacement, but that was it - we didn't really think much more of it.

And then last night it happened again. We were out for dinner at a friend's house and got home around 11pm. The house was dark (as we hadn't thought ahead and left any lights on - either outside or inside). So yes, it was quite clear no one was at home, even with my car parked in the drive.

As we're walking up the steps to the house, I notice - hey! TWO of our lights are missing.

Now - I usually park in the garage, but since we've been doing some furniture refinishing this week, the garage has been taken over and I've been parking out on the driveway. Which means, if these lights were missing last evening - when I was out as well - I would have easily noticed.

The lights were definitely pilfered last night. Sometime between 6:15pm and 11pm.

Nothing else was missing. My car, left wide-open (because I thought we lived in happy lovely suburbia), was not ransacked - they easily could have taken the car seat or new hiking carrier that was sitting wide open in the back seat.

Absolutely nothing else was taken. Just two of these walkway lights.

Say it with me... W. T. F.???

Are there hard up landscapers out there that troll neighbourhoods for good, quality, hardwired patio lighting? Or are these jealous DIY-ers that wish they had better walkway lighting?

To chalk it up to hooligan kids again would be easy - but just doesn't make any sense. Since both neighbours, on either side of us, use those solar-powered, stick-in-the-ground type of lighting, you'd figure they would have effed with their lights as well. Why go to the trouble of pulling up wires and ripping off large lights when you could (also) easily pull up some staked-lighting next door?

It's a mystery to me. And the main reason I now don't really think it's kids. Even though it's also hard to wrap my head around an actual ADULT doing this.

So what to do? Clearly, we've learned our lesson - we're leaving our lights on when we go out and don't anticipate being back before dark. At least to give some type of semblance that someone is home. And I'm now also toying with getting a motion light (since we already have the electrical hardwired into our landscaping, it shouldn't be hard to set up) - but I find those spotlights so obnoxious.

Do we even bother replacing the lights? Or just buy some cheapy moonrays to line the walkway? Clearly they aren't in demand amongst the landscaping crime-ring of the Boonies. But I liiiiiiike my lights. They're pretty. And on a timer. And did I mention how pretty they are?

Sadly, I'm actually going to call the cops and report this properly. Because I feel like once is a random occurence - twice is just weird enough that it makes me feel weird and I want to make sure I'm at least doing my part in whatever channels should be followed in this type of situation.

Strange, non? And also? People suck.

xxoo.S

26 weeks

I was asked last night whether I was in my 3rd trimester yet. My answer? I don't think so.... I'm in my (pause), um, 26th week. Yeah - that's not 3rd trimester yet is it? For the record it's not - I looked it up when I got home - 3rd trimester starts at 28 weeks.


Isn't it funny how different two pregnancies can be? First time around, I was obsessed - OBSESSED - with tracking the sprog's development. What size, what weight, what they were building at that very moment. That also translated into being obsessed with eating healthily, getting enough rest and pretty much living the decadent "I don't have other kids to worry about right now" pregnant lifestyle.

And then came the baby and my world came crashing down. I had spent a lot of time reading about and researching what to do while pregnant to incubate a healthy little sprog, but hadn't take any time to really prepare for actual baby-time. Like how to breastfeed. Learn a 'swaddle technique'. So we winged it and survived (barely) and life is good.

This time, I keep getting asked where the bump pictures are. I've been (a LOT) more lax with my diet. And maybe not as stringent at keeping up with all the sproggy developmental milestones. Which could make me feel guilty and like I'm not giving the same kind of attention to this pregnancy (oh - the beginnings of the fairness tightrope we all walk).

Except I realize it's not true. Sure, I can't tell you exactly what size they are this week (actually it's the size of an English cucumber) but I've already made a small little baby purchase. Something I didn't do with Maddie until well after she was born (superstition? or just ignorance about what to buy? I can't really say why I didn't - but I did make up for all that lack of shopping afterwards - just ask the Hubs).

I think your obsession just gets channeled differently each time. The nursery, gender-neutral clothes, and (for some reason) miniature-stuffies, are my obsession this time around. Just like eating fruit salad for breakfast and salad for dinner was my obsession last time around.

There you have it - the ramblings du jour of my hormone-addled brain.

In other news - my midwife confirmed there's a reason I'm so tired (beyond just being preggo with a 2.5 year old running around - because, hahahaha! that explanation hasn't gotten old...). Low iron. So I get to take supplements and that should help with the energy levels. Sweeeeet - constipation...

xxoo.S

Transformation - part un

The sanding and re-painting of the furniture for Maddie's "big girl" room has begun. It sounds a lot more dramatic than it is - really it's just a dresser and bedside table. But since I haven't actually done any furniture restoration in about 10 years I was feeling a little nervous about these projects.

Because it's the smaller piece and I was a little unsure about my painting prowess (my past furniture restoration projects always involved me stripping the paint and sanding down to natural, not the other way around), I decided to start with the side table.

Here's the "before":

(not really a full before, as I forgot to take a picture before I started sanding - but you get the general idea)

Post-sanding:

(and while I'm happy to be owner of an electric sander - those legs needed to be done by hand - fun!)

After the 2nd coat - which I just finished: 

(I don't paint at night - natural light helps you see all the mistakes you're making so much better)

Sadly, it's going to need a 3rd coat for sure. And I need to go get a fine sanding block so I can fix some of my drips and other mistakes. In retrospect, I think this piece would have been much easier just to spray - the legs are killer and no matter how careful I am, they are not going to look "professional".

For those of you judging this preggo woman for painting :) you'll be happy to know I'm using Benjamin Moore's "Natura" line - it's zero VOC and apparently very washable (as I opted for satin finish vs. semi-gloss but still wanted the durability of a gloss). It's also the most expensive paint I've ever bloody bought in my life. $67 for a gallon. But we also have the wainscoting in the Sprog's room to paint, and I've been meaning to paint the rest of the trim in the house (as the brilliant homeowners previous to us decided to repaint all the doors + trim in a flat, stark white - which looks lovely but stains like hell).

So there you go, that's the progress report. The Hubs is going to sand down the dresser tonight (I've trusted him with this job after he complained I was having all the "fun". It's basically all straight, flat surfaces, so he can't screw that up, right?)

Oooooh - and because I'm no good at keeping secrets - check out the adorable knobs I found for them!

Adorable, non? I think they'll sweeten up the pieces considerably. Can't wait for Miss M to see the surprises we have in store for her when she gets home from Gramma V's.

xxoo.S

Hell Week

Remember the first week of grade nine? Whether it was called "Hell Week" or "Hazing Week" or whatever?  And your popularity to the masses was reflected in direct correlation to how much perfume or shaving cream or permanent marker was forcibly layered onto your body by the older kids?

I was poignantly reminded of that week this past week, as we endured the parental version of Hell Week. Also known as salmonella poisoning. No regular stomach flu - this persistent little bugger likes to stick around for up to 7 days. And did you know you don't just get salmonella from unwashed chicken hands or eggs or bad mayo - but you can catch it from someone else? Betcha didn't realize that one. It's almost as nasty as the Norwalk in how long it can live on random surfaces.

Anyhoo - Madds caught it and alerted us to this fact at 1:30am on Tuesday morning. Aaaaaand enter vomit-fest for the Vallier's for the next 3 days. I could go into details - like how much laundry I've done. Or how many times I caught a little bit of dried vomit just caked on my neck or in my ear or on my cheek. Or just how uncomfortable it is to sleep upright, with a heavy toddler on a pregnant tummy.

But we've all been there right? Instead I'd like to focus on the good stuff - like:

• Maddie has learned how to throw up like a big girl - meaning into the toilet or in a bucket - instead of on me, her initial location of preference. She knows when it's coming, she alerts us and as long as you get her to the toilet, or a bucket in front of her, she's the tidiest little puker you ever did see! Can you hear the mom-pride in my voice?
• I got to enjoy more cuddles from my little girl than I've had combined in the past 6 months. Nothing like a good case of "gastro" to get a toddler to want to actually lay on the couch (or anywhere for that matter) with you.
• As much as Maddie loves and prefers Daddy - it's ALL ABOUT Mommy when she's sick. And that's just fine by me. I can function on barely any sleep a lot better than the Hubs can. (For the record - now that she's feeling better she's totally back to being her daddy's girl self and I could jump off a dock for all she cares - but I was totally her favourite for a few days, and you know that means I win! Ha.)
• Cinderella (and I'm sure many of the older Disney movies) have soundtracks that soothe. It was like falling asleep listening to Morgan Freeman tell me a story. Must.Get.More. Older Disney movies like Peter Pan and Lady + the Tramp - guessing they would be similar in their waltzy, sleepy, lullaby scores.

So that's why it's been quiet over hear. Basically we were functioning in survival mode for the past week. But I'm happy to say she's been on the mend for a few days and has now been shipped off to Gramma V's to enjoy a relaxing March break vacay while we get a few things done around the house here. Like working and spring cleaning and painting her "big girl" dresser.

Enjoy your rainy Sunday peeps...

xxoo.S

SAWA!

It's been a habit, for... well, ever... that Maddie calls for me over the monitor when she wakes up. As in, "Mommy! Maddie wake up now! Good morning Mommy!"

And yes, it sounds just as adorable as it reads. Although I'm still not a morning person, but that kind of wake up is better than an alarm clock any day of the week.

However, over the weekend she changed her call a bit. I now wake up to: "Mommy! Maddie wake up! Saaaaaawwwwwwwaaaaaaaa. Wake up Sawa. Where is Sawa?"

That's right. My 2.5 year old daughter is summoning me by my actual name. I mean her inability to properly pronounce the "R" in my name softens the blow a bit. But seriously? I work hard at the Mommy title - I'd like to keep it for a few more years please. Although any attempts to explain to her that my name, to her, is in fact,  "Mommy" and not, "Sawa" just makes her giggle and call me that even more. And so - I ignore it, for now.

Check with me in about 15 years when I'm sure it won't seem nearly as cute or adorable anymore.

xxoo.S

Electricity 101

Remember the gorgeous chandelier light fixture I was bragging about finding at Homesense for a STEAL last week? I got it home and it was a swag light. But also came with a ceiling plate. Which makes about - zero - sense in my opinion. But again, this is likely why it was only $40.

Since I was determined to "make it work", I proceeded to spend Friday evening consulting the all-knowing Google, numerous DIY forums, and the always useful expertise opinion of Facebook. The results were fairly unanimous - you can totally hardwire a plug in fixture - especially one that makes it easy on you and comes with a ceiling plate - just snip and attach.

Sounds like a 20 minute job, right?

Don't worry - there's no electrocution story here. On Saturday afternoon (the time of day that actual sunlight pours into Miss M's room like crazy), we cut the power and got to working on the fixture. And anything that could be difficult was. But eventually we were ready to wire - and in trying to get all the wires attached and also holding up the fixture at the same time, something went wrong, and the grounding wire snapped.

Long story short (and yelling of profanities edited out), the light isn't up quite yet. And the Hubs is not allowed to play anymore. But I'm getting a taller stepladder today from a lovely friend, and if all goes as planned, the fixture will be in place by tonight (or you know, the end of the week - which is also a great goal to have).

I'll let you know - but am excited to show you the end result... eventually.

xxoo.S

The votes are in!

Including the Facebook votes as well - here's how the tally breaks down:

Quilt #1 - 9 votes
Quilt #2 - 2 votes
Quilt #3 - 4 votes
Quilt #4 -
Quilt #5 - 3 votes
Quilt #6 - 2 votes

Seems like the most expensive quilt from Pottery Barn is the clear winner. That's my secret favourite right now too - although I was told to go check out Homesense and they have some adorable quilt sets there that were REALLY reasonably priced. (AND a sparkly pink + white chandelier that I couldn't resist because I'm a sucker!)

And I have a line on possibly commissioning one - although really, I'm starting to wonder if a 2 year old should have a quilt that has been commissioned for her? I mean really? My bedding is a plain white duvet. Let's grow some perspective.

Thanks everyone for the input - always appreciated!!

xxoo.S