First of all, Happy Halloween!!! I hope everyone is out there having a good time whatever you may be doing. I just have to say, I love Halloween. Now that Hayden is super into it it's even more fun. The last 2 Halloweens she didn't really get it. And I feel so horrible I can't remember if she could even say "trick or treat" last year (mental note: video tape every moment of Hayden and Deacon's entire lives). Even now her "trick or treats" sound like she's saying, "Sick or Seat!!"
Hayden was a ghost for Halloween! Her choice! Last year I decided for her that she would be a little kitty cat, and she loved it. This year, she changed her mind every day what she wanted to be which made me a little nervous since I intended to sew her costume and that takes some planning. She went from wanting to be Jack-O-Lantern, to a parrot. And then silly things like a book and a trail-cam. So she decided on a ghost and thank goodness that it didn't require much sewing because I ended up spilling coffee in my sewing machine the day I finally got around to making it. Her costume was literally a square of white polar fleece draped over her head with eyes and a mouth cut out of it. And then elastics sewed on for her wrists. And Deacon didn't get dressed up. Sorry Deacon!!! Mommy is disorganized! Next year I'm going to put a lot more effort into their costumes. We are currently in the process of renovating and moving so things have been a little crazy.
Sidenote: hopefully everyone got their sugar-fueled little ones to bed without too much difficulty! I didn't have to worry about that tonight because Hayden and Deacon are both at Tyler's moms for a sleepover. God help her!
So I know it's been a very long time since my last post. In the beginning, the main reason for this was because Hayden stopped napping in the afternoon which was when I would routinely update my blog. ALSO, we moved Deacon's crib from our bedroom into the living room and his little sleeping head is literally 2 feet from my computer (also in the living room). I can't seem to type quietly enough to not wake him! You can tell from the above paragraph, that we desperately need more room.
ALSO, we are currently in the process of renovating our bathroom and packing our house because we are putting it up for sale ASAP! Hayden, Deacon and I have basically moved in with my parents at their farm so that we're not getting in the way.
I am at the house right now "helping". Since we've been sleeping at my parents house I've been sharing a bed with Hayden every night and to be honest, I love it. We get to snuggle all night and I get to listen to her say crazy things to her stuffed toys. Deacon's crib is in the same room so there's a lot of "SHHH"'s going on. But I still really really miss sleeping in my own bed.
Sidenote #2: Deacon is 1 now!!! I am writing a blog post dedicated to him coming shortly!
Sidenote #3: I am RE-quitting eating sugar starting November 1 until Christmas!!!!!! I have been majorly binging lately. In a hardcore addict way. My darn parents are just typical grandparents with their house all full of treats and whatnot! So it must be done. Wish me luck. Again.
xoxo Liza
Saturday, 1 November 2014
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Two Sick Kids
When Hayden was a baby she got this terrible cold. She was all stuffed up and boogery and just grouchy all day long. She couldn't nurse, drink her bottles, or suck on her soother because her nose was too plugged. One night I just could not get her to sleep and she cried and cried. I think she must have been around 9 or 10 months old at this point. We ended up taking her for a car ride to calm her down and when it seemed like she could breathe through her nose I gave her a bottle in the car and she eventually fell asleep. We carefully transferred her to her crib when we got home.
So now that Hayden and Deacon are BOTH sick it's just a bit more challenging. Hahah. Today is Day 3 for Deacon and Hayden is pretty much over it. Deacon's temperament is a little bit more complacent than Hayden was at the same age so he's not unbearably irritable. For Hayden, even the smallest discomfort turns her into a completely different child.
Getting them to bed has been the hardest part. Hayden was up until almost 1am on Saturday because she just couldn't seem to fall asleep with her stuffy nose. Even once she's asleep it's still not the end of it. I am now seeing a pattern with Hayden that she has horrible horrible nightmares when she's sick. Thankfully that's not very often. I'm always in and out of her room at night as she rolls around in her bed crying. On Sunday night I went in her room and she was thrashing all around and screaming. I couldn't manage to calm her down so I woke Tyler up and he went in there and got her to relax. When we asked her what was wrong she pointed at me and said, "You go away!!" Fine with me! I gladly went back to bed. Tyler decided to sleep with her in case it happened again which it did. But the second time it took a lot for us to get her to calm down. It was actually really scary. She was asleep yet her eyes were half open looking around but not focusing on anything. She was calling "Mommy mommy!!" but even though I was right there saying "Mommy's here!!" she wasn't hearing me! I thought she was definitely possessed. I know this sounds mean but we even sprinkled cold water on her face to get her to snap out of it. She eventually woke up and even though she was all sweaty she couldn't remember any of it except for having watered poured on her face. Poor thing.
Deacon is difficult to put to sleep at the best of times. Deacon's sleeping patterns (which have become A LOT better in the past month) need a blog post all of their own. Today seems to be Deacon's worst day. He's also teething so that doesn't help his situation. He just cut a top tooth yesterday! I was hoping he would be feeling better so I could take them to play group tomorrow but they're still pretty boogery and we don't need to be passing that on.
So my house is covered with baby boogers and I am covered in baby boogers and we're all sleep deprived at the moment. BUT this too shall pass, right?
Apparently neither child is napping today so we're going to go to Walmart instead and look for birthday party stuff! Wish me luck! hahah
XO Liza
So now that Hayden and Deacon are BOTH sick it's just a bit more challenging. Hahah. Today is Day 3 for Deacon and Hayden is pretty much over it. Deacon's temperament is a little bit more complacent than Hayden was at the same age so he's not unbearably irritable. For Hayden, even the smallest discomfort turns her into a completely different child.
Getting them to bed has been the hardest part. Hayden was up until almost 1am on Saturday because she just couldn't seem to fall asleep with her stuffy nose. Even once she's asleep it's still not the end of it. I am now seeing a pattern with Hayden that she has horrible horrible nightmares when she's sick. Thankfully that's not very often. I'm always in and out of her room at night as she rolls around in her bed crying. On Sunday night I went in her room and she was thrashing all around and screaming. I couldn't manage to calm her down so I woke Tyler up and he went in there and got her to relax. When we asked her what was wrong she pointed at me and said, "You go away!!" Fine with me! I gladly went back to bed. Tyler decided to sleep with her in case it happened again which it did. But the second time it took a lot for us to get her to calm down. It was actually really scary. She was asleep yet her eyes were half open looking around but not focusing on anything. She was calling "Mommy mommy!!" but even though I was right there saying "Mommy's here!!" she wasn't hearing me! I thought she was definitely possessed. I know this sounds mean but we even sprinkled cold water on her face to get her to snap out of it. She eventually woke up and even though she was all sweaty she couldn't remember any of it except for having watered poured on her face. Poor thing.
Deacon is difficult to put to sleep at the best of times. Deacon's sleeping patterns (which have become A LOT better in the past month) need a blog post all of their own. Today seems to be Deacon's worst day. He's also teething so that doesn't help his situation. He just cut a top tooth yesterday! I was hoping he would be feeling better so I could take them to play group tomorrow but they're still pretty boogery and we don't need to be passing that on.
So my house is covered with baby boogers and I am covered in baby boogers and we're all sleep deprived at the moment. BUT this too shall pass, right?
Apparently neither child is napping today so we're going to go to Walmart instead and look for birthday party stuff! Wish me luck! hahah
XO Liza
Thursday, 18 September 2014
Prairie Love
Two Sundays ago now I attended the first annual Prairie Love Yoga Festival. I've been writing this blog post ever since, adding and revising things which is annoying to me because I like to just write what I'm thinking at the time and then post it. Tonight I can't sleep and this topic is on my mind again so here I go....
As soon as I heard about the Prairie Love Yoga Festival back in June I knew I had to attend. I'd been dreaming of getting back into a yoga practice after having Deacon so I figured this was a good way to kick start things. But also, it was the name that struck a chord in my heart, "Prairie Love...".
I feel deeply deeply rooted to the prairies. I don't know what it is, but I just love it. I'm not going to attempt to pin-point my reasoning. Yes, my entire family is here. Yes, this is where my home is. But that's not it and I can't quite put my finger on it. I strongly feel that people should do exactly what they feel in their hearts they need to do and I simply have never felt called to relocate myself to another area of the county or world for that matter.
Sometimes it seems like there's this "traveling vs. having babies" debate going on. I've read many a blog listing reasons for people to see the world. Maybe I'm writing this because part of me wonders if I should have done more of that before having children. Yet at the same time, all I remember wanting to do from a young age was have a family to share my love with where someone else may have always wanted to explore the Earth. I can't describe what a truly phenomenal experience it is to have a heart so full of love for your children. But I would never make a blog post titled "10 Reason's To Have Children" because I know that is a path that not everyone feels the need to follow! Bottom line - let's all just follow our own bliss because we all know that no amount of persuasion can convince someone to do something they don't feel is right for them. Obviously you can travel AND have children. Maybe I'll hit the road in the future, who knows?!?!
So many people leave the prairies for the coasts. They want to be by the ocean. I get that. It's no secret that being by a large body of water is super good for the soul. But what about the wide open spaces and gigantic skies of the prairies? Is that not good for the soul too? I feel that it is. Today when I was out running on the country roads it occured to me that I couldn't feel any more free anywhere else in the world. Not on the top of a mountain or at the seashore. I like being in a place where I can literally walk in any one direction with no obsticals in my way. Its just fields and sky. No giant trees, mountains, ocean. It's so simple.
I feel so grateful to the women who coordinated the Prairie Love Yoga Festival for recognizing that there is so much beauty and love here in the prairies. There is a power here that is so often overlooked and so taken for granted. All we have to do is spread it!
XO Liza
As soon as I heard about the Prairie Love Yoga Festival back in June I knew I had to attend. I'd been dreaming of getting back into a yoga practice after having Deacon so I figured this was a good way to kick start things. But also, it was the name that struck a chord in my heart, "Prairie Love...".
I feel deeply deeply rooted to the prairies. I don't know what it is, but I just love it. I'm not going to attempt to pin-point my reasoning. Yes, my entire family is here. Yes, this is where my home is. But that's not it and I can't quite put my finger on it. I strongly feel that people should do exactly what they feel in their hearts they need to do and I simply have never felt called to relocate myself to another area of the county or world for that matter.
Sometimes it seems like there's this "traveling vs. having babies" debate going on. I've read many a blog listing reasons for people to see the world. Maybe I'm writing this because part of me wonders if I should have done more of that before having children. Yet at the same time, all I remember wanting to do from a young age was have a family to share my love with where someone else may have always wanted to explore the Earth. I can't describe what a truly phenomenal experience it is to have a heart so full of love for your children. But I would never make a blog post titled "10 Reason's To Have Children" because I know that is a path that not everyone feels the need to follow! Bottom line - let's all just follow our own bliss because we all know that no amount of persuasion can convince someone to do something they don't feel is right for them. Obviously you can travel AND have children. Maybe I'll hit the road in the future, who knows?!?!
So many people leave the prairies for the coasts. They want to be by the ocean. I get that. It's no secret that being by a large body of water is super good for the soul. But what about the wide open spaces and gigantic skies of the prairies? Is that not good for the soul too? I feel that it is. Today when I was out running on the country roads it occured to me that I couldn't feel any more free anywhere else in the world. Not on the top of a mountain or at the seashore. I like being in a place where I can literally walk in any one direction with no obsticals in my way. Its just fields and sky. No giant trees, mountains, ocean. It's so simple.
I feel so grateful to the women who coordinated the Prairie Love Yoga Festival for recognizing that there is so much beauty and love here in the prairies. There is a power here that is so often overlooked and so taken for granted. All we have to do is spread it!
XO Liza
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
So Long, Summer
My mind is actually blown at how quickly summer flew by. Is time not speeding up??? I think so. I'd like to think we made the most of this summer. We went camping twice, spent plenty of time in the park, had a number of picnics, and had a few good swims. It is now apparent that Hayden has inherited Ty's Ukrainian skin since she is already far more tanned than I have ever been in my life, and that's with being sufficiently shielded from the sun so I don't know how that happened.
Fall always just creeps up on us all of a sudden doesn't it!? August is jumpstarted with this epic long weekend and everything is saturated in sunny summer bliss. Then 3.5 short weeks later, summer is over and it feels sort of like a nasty trick.
Compared to July with it's full schedule, August was a clean slate. We totally made our schedule up as we went along and it was really nice. We listened to lots of live music going on around downtown and The Forks. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at The Cube/Old Market Square there were live acts at lunch time so we took advantage of that when we could. It's easy for us to go downtown on the bus since we live so close to Main Street. It's literally not even 10 minutes and it's so nice not having to drive around trying to find somewhere to park. Other than that, we had a few awesome playdates and made some new friends.
Quarry Days weekend was memorable. I had fully intended to take Hayden to watch the parade and then go on some rides and check out the petting zoo on Saturday morning, BUT the night before Tyler decided to make margaritas which turned out to have way more alcohol in them than it tasted like. Before he mixed them I strictly said, "Not too strong! I don't want to get drunk!" I had no idea. It doesn't help that I've hardly drank anything since before being pregnant. I felt so horrible the next day, I couldn't do a damn thing and I even lost my hangover KD on the side of #8 hwy (a first for me). So I layed in bed at the farm all day while my mom and nana played with Deacon. Tyler took Hayden to the midway. It worked out in Hayden's favour because I would have never taken her on The Sizzler and let her have mini donuts for supper. I was magically feeling better at around 7:00 after eating a pickle and so Tyler and I went back to town and went on some rides.
The day after, the kids and I attended a friend's baby shower and it was just beautiful. I could have easily eaten all the food and cupcakes and even the insanely gorgeous cake that actually looked too lovely to eat. I've realized that I've become one of those people I hated when Hayden was a newborn. I'm now obsessed with newborns and babies. Because I value my friendships, I will totally control my baby hoarding urges.
On August 23rd Tyler's dad got married to his longtime girlfriend, Pete. It was such a wonderful wedding! Just a small backyard event. Everything was so nice and very "them". The weather was a bit tempermental that day but it ended up cooperating perfectly.
The long weekend was pretty uneventful! I took Hayden and Deacon down to the Forks for the Prairie Barge Festival on Saturday night. I hope they continue to organize this event for future summers because I really enjoy it!! I generally just enjoy The Forks at all times. Hayden and I would go there quite often when she was around Deacon's age but we had to stop when Hayden got to the age where she wanted to run away from me and apparently never come back. Just when you think they're out of the stage where they take off running in the opposite direction they go into escape mode when you least expect it. At least Hayden does. We had a rather embarrassing run around Target the evening before Tyler's dad's wedding. Haha.
So now you go outside in the evenings and sniff the air and you know that familiar smell! It's fall! For me, it's grain dust - the unmistakable smell of harvest. The days are getting shorter and the temperatures dip way down at night. Tyler and I have begun our annual dispute over which window to leave open at night and how wide.
As of right now, we're off to Dollarama to search for birthday supplies for Hayden's 3rd birthday party! Only one of the many fall birthdays for members of our family.
Happy Fall every one!
XO Liza
Fall always just creeps up on us all of a sudden doesn't it!? August is jumpstarted with this epic long weekend and everything is saturated in sunny summer bliss. Then 3.5 short weeks later, summer is over and it feels sort of like a nasty trick.
Compared to July with it's full schedule, August was a clean slate. We totally made our schedule up as we went along and it was really nice. We listened to lots of live music going on around downtown and The Forks. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at The Cube/Old Market Square there were live acts at lunch time so we took advantage of that when we could. It's easy for us to go downtown on the bus since we live so close to Main Street. It's literally not even 10 minutes and it's so nice not having to drive around trying to find somewhere to park. Other than that, we had a few awesome playdates and made some new friends.
Quarry Days weekend was memorable. I had fully intended to take Hayden to watch the parade and then go on some rides and check out the petting zoo on Saturday morning, BUT the night before Tyler decided to make margaritas which turned out to have way more alcohol in them than it tasted like. Before he mixed them I strictly said, "Not too strong! I don't want to get drunk!" I had no idea. It doesn't help that I've hardly drank anything since before being pregnant. I felt so horrible the next day, I couldn't do a damn thing and I even lost my hangover KD on the side of #8 hwy (a first for me). So I layed in bed at the farm all day while my mom and nana played with Deacon. Tyler took Hayden to the midway. It worked out in Hayden's favour because I would have never taken her on The Sizzler and let her have mini donuts for supper. I was magically feeling better at around 7:00 after eating a pickle and so Tyler and I went back to town and went on some rides.
The day after, the kids and I attended a friend's baby shower and it was just beautiful. I could have easily eaten all the food and cupcakes and even the insanely gorgeous cake that actually looked too lovely to eat. I've realized that I've become one of those people I hated when Hayden was a newborn. I'm now obsessed with newborns and babies. Because I value my friendships, I will totally control my baby hoarding urges.
On August 23rd Tyler's dad got married to his longtime girlfriend, Pete. It was such a wonderful wedding! Just a small backyard event. Everything was so nice and very "them". The weather was a bit tempermental that day but it ended up cooperating perfectly.
The long weekend was pretty uneventful! I took Hayden and Deacon down to the Forks for the Prairie Barge Festival on Saturday night. I hope they continue to organize this event for future summers because I really enjoy it!! I generally just enjoy The Forks at all times. Hayden and I would go there quite often when she was around Deacon's age but we had to stop when Hayden got to the age where she wanted to run away from me and apparently never come back. Just when you think they're out of the stage where they take off running in the opposite direction they go into escape mode when you least expect it. At least Hayden does. We had a rather embarrassing run around Target the evening before Tyler's dad's wedding. Haha.
So now you go outside in the evenings and sniff the air and you know that familiar smell! It's fall! For me, it's grain dust - the unmistakable smell of harvest. The days are getting shorter and the temperatures dip way down at night. Tyler and I have begun our annual dispute over which window to leave open at night and how wide.
As of right now, we're off to Dollarama to search for birthday supplies for Hayden's 3rd birthday party! Only one of the many fall birthdays for members of our family.
Happy Fall every one!
XO Liza
Saturday, 23 August 2014
Peace is the Objective
I've been wanting to post to the blog for a long time now but I haven't because truthfully, I've been super agitated lately and I don't want to write from a place of negativity. Anyone who knows me well knows that I can be very emotional, very sensitive, and I can complain a lot when things aren't going smoothly. Here's the thing about my complaining: I do not internalize anything. When I feel negativity inside me, I need to get it out. Be it by journaling, running, complaining etc. Sometimes I even cry. But I don't hold anything in. Any "negative" emotion that infiltrates my headspace is questioned and analyzed and dealt with and released. Because I can't be a good mom when I'm in that place.
Anyways, things get crazy around here with Tyler on the road so much. Deacon's started scooting around and getting into stuff so he requires a bit more energy. On top of that he's teething and not sleeping well at night. It's not uncommon for him to be up 3 times in a night. This past week I decided I am done with night-time nursing. I feel like if I don't stop now, I may be stuck doing it forever (obviously not forever but longer than I'd want to). He doesn't care to use a soother so getting him back to sleep is challenging, but he's actually getting the hang of it! After the first couple nights, I was very tired during the day. You don't feel like doing anything when you're so exhausted, yet there's so much that needs to be done! I find that it feels so much easier to be out and about with the kids than be at home where I can see everything that needs to be done but cannot find a way to tackle it. It has also been very refreshing to get out of our daily routine by going on little excursions.
Tyler is home today and today only for his dad's wedding and I am totally taking advantage of the extra parent in the house. I went to the gym this morning which was awesome but even just having another person to defer Hayden's millions of questions to has been a huge relief. It's the little things that require so much patience. "Mommy, what is this?" and "Why?" are big ones right now.
What I've been meaning to write about over the past week but couldn't find a way to say it without sounding distressed is: Where are all the inspirational leaders/spiritual teachers/"life coach" types that are also MOTHERS? I've had days when I just feel so done with cleaning up sparkles and changing diapers. Sometimes I feel resentful or bitter and I don't want to feel that way because I am SO grateful for my babies and my life. I LOVE them so much I can't even bear it, yet they drive me bonkers! So I go to the library and I read Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Robert Holden. I understand their messages. They make perfect sense to me. Be grateful, free yourself from your ego, live peacefully, follow your dreams, create your own reality, trust in God! Honestly, I can't think of how grateful I am without getting tears in my eyes. There is no reality that I can or would want to create where my babies don't need me to be there for them 24/7. Like most mom's, I live for my children and that is something I know you cannot understand unless you are a mom. My list goes on: Oprah, Gabrielle Bernstein, Instagram's @yoga_girl - all women I look to for inspiration and guidance, yet none of them are moms. I'm just going to throw this out there, sorry if I offend anyone - Jesus, was not a mother. Buddha, was not a mother. Mother Theresa, not a real mother.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that sometimes it feels like on the path to enlightenment there's a toll booth and mother's are asked to pay just a little bit more than everyone else. Because we're carrying our little ones with us. Do you get what I'm saying?
I hope everyone enjoys their weekends!! All my love and gratitude. And to the other moms out there feeling like sanity is a struggle, we're in this together!
XO Liza
Anyways, things get crazy around here with Tyler on the road so much. Deacon's started scooting around and getting into stuff so he requires a bit more energy. On top of that he's teething and not sleeping well at night. It's not uncommon for him to be up 3 times in a night. This past week I decided I am done with night-time nursing. I feel like if I don't stop now, I may be stuck doing it forever (obviously not forever but longer than I'd want to). He doesn't care to use a soother so getting him back to sleep is challenging, but he's actually getting the hang of it! After the first couple nights, I was very tired during the day. You don't feel like doing anything when you're so exhausted, yet there's so much that needs to be done! I find that it feels so much easier to be out and about with the kids than be at home where I can see everything that needs to be done but cannot find a way to tackle it. It has also been very refreshing to get out of our daily routine by going on little excursions.
Tyler is home today and today only for his dad's wedding and I am totally taking advantage of the extra parent in the house. I went to the gym this morning which was awesome but even just having another person to defer Hayden's millions of questions to has been a huge relief. It's the little things that require so much patience. "Mommy, what is this?" and "Why?" are big ones right now.
What I've been meaning to write about over the past week but couldn't find a way to say it without sounding distressed is: Where are all the inspirational leaders/spiritual teachers/"life coach" types that are also MOTHERS? I've had days when I just feel so done with cleaning up sparkles and changing diapers. Sometimes I feel resentful or bitter and I don't want to feel that way because I am SO grateful for my babies and my life. I LOVE them so much I can't even bear it, yet they drive me bonkers! So I go to the library and I read Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, Dr. Robert Holden. I understand their messages. They make perfect sense to me. Be grateful, free yourself from your ego, live peacefully, follow your dreams, create your own reality, trust in God! Honestly, I can't think of how grateful I am without getting tears in my eyes. There is no reality that I can or would want to create where my babies don't need me to be there for them 24/7. Like most mom's, I live for my children and that is something I know you cannot understand unless you are a mom. My list goes on: Oprah, Gabrielle Bernstein, Instagram's @yoga_girl - all women I look to for inspiration and guidance, yet none of them are moms. I'm just going to throw this out there, sorry if I offend anyone - Jesus, was not a mother. Buddha, was not a mother. Mother Theresa, not a real mother.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that sometimes it feels like on the path to enlightenment there's a toll booth and mother's are asked to pay just a little bit more than everyone else. Because we're carrying our little ones with us. Do you get what I'm saying?
I hope everyone enjoys their weekends!! All my love and gratitude. And to the other moms out there feeling like sanity is a struggle, we're in this together!
XO Liza
Wednesday, 6 August 2014
Do You Snooze Cruise?
Today we went for a snooze cruise. In other words, I drove around aimlessly so that I could get a break while my children chilled out in the back seat. I've only ever had two such jaunts in my time as a parent. I'm pretty conscientious about burning unnecessary fuel, so only in desperate times does the snooze cruise ensue.
I'll start from the beginning:
Two nights ago, Deacon awoke in the wee hours with a small but noticeable fever. Putting him back to sleep was difficult. He was hot and uncomfortable and super grouchy, not wanting to nurse OR be held. Eventually, I rocked him back to sleep. Same night, Hayden was up and down because of an itchy rash she had acquired during the day somehow. It was bothering her and I had to keep applying cream to it throughout the night.
Needless to say, the whole next day I was feeling pretty sluggish. But on the bright side, Deacon seemed fine! His fever had vanished and he was his normal self all day. As for Hayden, she wouldn't stop itching this damn rash! I'd decided she must have gotten poison ivy somehow. We had just been camping, after all. We continued with the hydrocortisone cream, which really seemed to help.
Well, then night came and all hell broke loose! Deacon's fever returned and Hayden wasn't sleeping. Deacon's crying woke up Hayden, then Hayden would reciprocate the gesture. I finally got to bed at around 4am. Hayden eventually crawled into bed with me at some point after that (which would never fly if Ty had been home).
So this morning Deacon's fever was gone again, which was good, but when I went to change his diaper, this terrible rash had cropped up out of no where! Was this somehow connected to the fever? I didn't know. And what was I going to do about Hayden's "poison ivy"? I called Health Links! "Bring them to the Dr.!" she said. OK. So I called their Dr. and luckily was able to get them in at 2:30, during naptime, but oh well.
It turned out, Deacon's fever was not at all related to the rash but because he has a tooth about to pop through (DUH! Why didn't I think of that?) and Hayden's rash is not poison ivy but possibly heat rash. She sent me away with a prescription for Deacon's bum and pep talk about keeping diaper rash at bay.
Off to the pharmacy we went! We only had to wait 15 minutes for the prescription to be filled, but 15 minutes of walking around a pharmacy with a two year old can be deadly! She picked out a brand new tooth brush and tooth paste, some bubble bath, a nail polish, some baby food for Deacon, and some candies that were on sale for 50 cents so I let her keep them. Everything else was left on some random shelf. I treated myself to an organic, naturally sweetened dark chocolate bar.
We got back into the car, strapped everyone in, and drove out of the parking lot. I gave Hayden her candies in the backseat and I opened my chocolate bar. Well, it was such a tasty chocolate bar, I decided I'd just drive around a bit longer until it was finished! Then, wouldn't you know it, Hayden, for some reason, didn't like her candies so I ate those too! Before I knew it, I was cruising down the perimeter with two sleeping kids in the back seat and a serious sugar high. I turned the tunes up and drove off into the sunset...and then down Chief Peguis and then home.
I have to say, this was a truly blissful experience amidst a very trying day. I returned home feeling SO much better. I have to wonder, do other moms snooze cruise?
Goodnight all!!
XO Liza
I'll start from the beginning:
Two nights ago, Deacon awoke in the wee hours with a small but noticeable fever. Putting him back to sleep was difficult. He was hot and uncomfortable and super grouchy, not wanting to nurse OR be held. Eventually, I rocked him back to sleep. Same night, Hayden was up and down because of an itchy rash she had acquired during the day somehow. It was bothering her and I had to keep applying cream to it throughout the night.
Needless to say, the whole next day I was feeling pretty sluggish. But on the bright side, Deacon seemed fine! His fever had vanished and he was his normal self all day. As for Hayden, she wouldn't stop itching this damn rash! I'd decided she must have gotten poison ivy somehow. We had just been camping, after all. We continued with the hydrocortisone cream, which really seemed to help.
Well, then night came and all hell broke loose! Deacon's fever returned and Hayden wasn't sleeping. Deacon's crying woke up Hayden, then Hayden would reciprocate the gesture. I finally got to bed at around 4am. Hayden eventually crawled into bed with me at some point after that (which would never fly if Ty had been home).
So this morning Deacon's fever was gone again, which was good, but when I went to change his diaper, this terrible rash had cropped up out of no where! Was this somehow connected to the fever? I didn't know. And what was I going to do about Hayden's "poison ivy"? I called Health Links! "Bring them to the Dr.!" she said. OK. So I called their Dr. and luckily was able to get them in at 2:30, during naptime, but oh well.
It turned out, Deacon's fever was not at all related to the rash but because he has a tooth about to pop through (DUH! Why didn't I think of that?) and Hayden's rash is not poison ivy but possibly heat rash. She sent me away with a prescription for Deacon's bum and pep talk about keeping diaper rash at bay.
Off to the pharmacy we went! We only had to wait 15 minutes for the prescription to be filled, but 15 minutes of walking around a pharmacy with a two year old can be deadly! She picked out a brand new tooth brush and tooth paste, some bubble bath, a nail polish, some baby food for Deacon, and some candies that were on sale for 50 cents so I let her keep them. Everything else was left on some random shelf. I treated myself to an organic, naturally sweetened dark chocolate bar.
We got back into the car, strapped everyone in, and drove out of the parking lot. I gave Hayden her candies in the backseat and I opened my chocolate bar. Well, it was such a tasty chocolate bar, I decided I'd just drive around a bit longer until it was finished! Then, wouldn't you know it, Hayden, for some reason, didn't like her candies so I ate those too! Before I knew it, I was cruising down the perimeter with two sleeping kids in the back seat and a serious sugar high. I turned the tunes up and drove off into the sunset...and then down Chief Peguis and then home.
I have to say, this was a truly blissful experience amidst a very trying day. I returned home feeling SO much better. I have to wonder, do other moms snooze cruise?
Goodnight all!!
XO Liza
Tuesday, 5 August 2014
Goodbye July!! Part II
OK Reeewinnd!!! Before I continue my recap of wonderful July, I have to mention that I re-read Part I and realized that it might come across as negative to some. That was not my intention at all and please know that my personal feeling towards our whole experience is very far from negative. I am not going to lie, July was a challenging month: Ty was out of town a lot and we had a packed schedule. I found myself stepping out of my parenting comfort zone on many occasions. BUT with challenge comes growth and grow I did. I am steadfastly approaching super mom status.
Also, I forgot to mention a very joyous reunion that took place between myself and my longest, dearest friend, Miss Sara Jolene. She came home from Salt Spring Island for a few days during Folk Fest where she was working in the Hand-Made Village. (I love you Sara! xo)
July 19th marked the wedding day of our long time friend, Lee, to his wonderful fiance Mel. It was a beautiful wedding!! The weather was great. All of our friends, new and old, were there from near and far. We laughed, we cried (well, I did.), we danced, we sang, we ate, and drank, until the wee hours of the morning! Truthfully, I didn't drink nor did I stay very late because hungry Deacon was waiting for me in Balmoral but I still had an amazing time. The next day we returned to the wedding venue, Camp Manitou, for post-wedding festivities. Hayden and Tyler swam in the pool and we filled up on a yummy Ukrainian lunch.
That was a very busy day. I tried and tried to get Hayden out of the pool so we could get to a birthday party on time, but it was not easy. We were late and naps were skipped, but we eventually made it to our friend Grace's 2nd birthday! We were the stragglers, arriving after most guests had already left but we still had a great visit/play.
The whole week after that, I think we must have had some down time between events but I can't honestly remember. One thing of note is that Hayden is part of the Winnipeg Library's Summer Reading Club! So we've been spending quite a bit of time at the library (which is literally across the street, AND air-conditioned!!). On our slow days we usually walk there and I plunk Deacon on the floor in the kids section while Hayden and I search for books. Right now she loves Richard Scarry books and books about dinosaurs! Haha.
Oh yes, I mustn't forget a visit I had with one of my favourite people, Jodi Bonkowski, visiting alllll the way from jolly old England. It was so great to see her and this is just a minor observation, but she looks more and more lovely every time she comes home so I think London must be agreeing with her.
The last Tuesday of July Deacon had his 9 month check-up. He'd gained 1.5 lbs since his last weigh-in. So now he's almost 27 lbs putting him in the 99th percentile for weight and 97th for height. He's big. As you can imagine, I am becoming very very strong.
The last week of July a whole bunch of my family went up to Hecla for more camping! There were very few mosquitoes and the weather was again beautiful. It was quite the party. Altogether we occupied 4 camp-sites and my cousin, Katherine, and her 2 little ones stayed at the hotel. It was nice to have someone staying there so we could take advantage of their bathtub and the swimming pool! Rocky was SO well-behaved that trip! He had so much fun at the dog beach fetching gigantic timbers from the water.
Dad usually brings his guitar camping to play around the fire and when I had to chance to play it, I was so surprised at how much I remembered. I rarely practice and I didn't play at all while I was pregnant. Yet it all came back! It totally reignited my passion for music and now I'm actively seeking people to jam with so if you're interested, feel free to join me in my basement after my children to go bed!
That just about sums up the month of July! August has a lot to live up to. But if it turns out to be a more mellow month, I don't think I'll be disappointed.
XO Liza ;)
UPDATE: It has been called to my attention that a couple very notable events weren't mentioned! Hayden, Deacon, and I attended Ballet in the Park at some point in July. Hayden didn't seem like she was really paying attention while we were watching but apparently the ballet made quite the impression on her because she's been doing little pirouettes and pointing her toes ever since! I can't wait to put her in dance classes!!! :)
Also, I had a major day of relaxation on the Saturday afternoon before Hecla when I went in to town for cupping and a hot stone massage by my good friend Catherine Waterer. When you deprive yourself of these "spa treatments" you really truthfully do not know what you are missing. I strongly urge everyone to take the time to treat themselves to an afternoon of self-care. It makes alllllll the difference.
Also, I forgot to mention a very joyous reunion that took place between myself and my longest, dearest friend, Miss Sara Jolene. She came home from Salt Spring Island for a few days during Folk Fest where she was working in the Hand-Made Village. (I love you Sara! xo)
July 19th marked the wedding day of our long time friend, Lee, to his wonderful fiance Mel. It was a beautiful wedding!! The weather was great. All of our friends, new and old, were there from near and far. We laughed, we cried (well, I did.), we danced, we sang, we ate, and drank, until the wee hours of the morning! Truthfully, I didn't drink nor did I stay very late because hungry Deacon was waiting for me in Balmoral but I still had an amazing time. The next day we returned to the wedding venue, Camp Manitou, for post-wedding festivities. Hayden and Tyler swam in the pool and we filled up on a yummy Ukrainian lunch.
That was a very busy day. I tried and tried to get Hayden out of the pool so we could get to a birthday party on time, but it was not easy. We were late and naps were skipped, but we eventually made it to our friend Grace's 2nd birthday! We were the stragglers, arriving after most guests had already left but we still had a great visit/play.
The whole week after that, I think we must have had some down time between events but I can't honestly remember. One thing of note is that Hayden is part of the Winnipeg Library's Summer Reading Club! So we've been spending quite a bit of time at the library (which is literally across the street, AND air-conditioned!!). On our slow days we usually walk there and I plunk Deacon on the floor in the kids section while Hayden and I search for books. Right now she loves Richard Scarry books and books about dinosaurs! Haha.
Oh yes, I mustn't forget a visit I had with one of my favourite people, Jodi Bonkowski, visiting alllll the way from jolly old England. It was so great to see her and this is just a minor observation, but she looks more and more lovely every time she comes home so I think London must be agreeing with her.
The last Tuesday of July Deacon had his 9 month check-up. He'd gained 1.5 lbs since his last weigh-in. So now he's almost 27 lbs putting him in the 99th percentile for weight and 97th for height. He's big. As you can imagine, I am becoming very very strong.
The last week of July a whole bunch of my family went up to Hecla for more camping! There were very few mosquitoes and the weather was again beautiful. It was quite the party. Altogether we occupied 4 camp-sites and my cousin, Katherine, and her 2 little ones stayed at the hotel. It was nice to have someone staying there so we could take advantage of their bathtub and the swimming pool! Rocky was SO well-behaved that trip! He had so much fun at the dog beach fetching gigantic timbers from the water.
Dad usually brings his guitar camping to play around the fire and when I had to chance to play it, I was so surprised at how much I remembered. I rarely practice and I didn't play at all while I was pregnant. Yet it all came back! It totally reignited my passion for music and now I'm actively seeking people to jam with so if you're interested, feel free to join me in my basement after my children to go bed!
That just about sums up the month of July! August has a lot to live up to. But if it turns out to be a more mellow month, I don't think I'll be disappointed.
XO Liza ;)
UPDATE: It has been called to my attention that a couple very notable events weren't mentioned! Hayden, Deacon, and I attended Ballet in the Park at some point in July. Hayden didn't seem like she was really paying attention while we were watching but apparently the ballet made quite the impression on her because she's been doing little pirouettes and pointing her toes ever since! I can't wait to put her in dance classes!!! :)
Also, I had a major day of relaxation on the Saturday afternoon before Hecla when I went in to town for cupping and a hot stone massage by my good friend Catherine Waterer. When you deprive yourself of these "spa treatments" you really truthfully do not know what you are missing. I strongly urge everyone to take the time to treat themselves to an afternoon of self-care. It makes alllllll the difference.
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