Happy Day Sweet Boy

Today, Harrison is three months old. I can't believe how fast the time has gone.He has changed so much over three months. He's starting to get a personality now. He smiles the biggest smiles, coos and caas, turns over from tummy to back, almost sleeps through the night, hardly ever cries and just makes our lives complete. We're very blessed to have two wonderful children.

Tomorrow is his Christening. To mark the event, I decided to frame a scrapbook page. I did the same thing for Charlotte for her Christening. It's actually the last page I scrapbooked. I keep saying I should start scrapbooking more but I never do. I've scrapbooked calendars, pictures for people, but never an album for myself. I think it's because I feel the pages will just become the same and not very interesting. I guess though, it's better to get the memories down rather than worrying about making every page unique and perfect. I used to make my own cards and that's what I found happened. I lost interest in doing them because they just became all the same. I also had a two year keeping me busy so there wasn't as much time to sit down and make cards. I'm sure I'll pick it up again. Maybe I'll start scrapbooking more too.

For Harrison's page, I started to think about where I'd get the inspiration. I was going to look through my magazines and online but then I realized I had all the inspiration I needed.

So, with this inspiration, this is what I came up with. I'm pretty happy with it. Hopefully Harrison will be too. :)

Lest We Forget

Today, November 11th is Remembrance Day. It's a day of reflection. Remembrance Day dates back to 1919 and marks the armistice to end the First World War which came into effect at 11am on Nov 11, 1918. Unfortunately, there are still conflicts today but we also still have brave Canadian men and women fighting for the same reasons as they did so many years ago. To give us the freedom to live our lives.

So today, take a moment to stop and reflect. Think about the men and women, especially family and friends who served and are serving to make sure we continue to live the lives we live.

Oh Sunny Day!

After being cooped up in the house for the majority of the last 6 days, we took advantage of the sunny weather and a happy little girl and walked to the park for some fun in the sun.

Hanging out with Mom

Push me!

Faster!

I want to go higher!

Playing Hide and Seek - You found me!

Weeeeeeee!

Race you!

A long 5 days

All day today I've been trying to decide what to write about tonight. I wanted to come up with some great topic that would be different, inspirational, not related to my children. Alas, I couldn't think of anything. That's a lie. I could think of things but they didn't mean anything. I thought about a recipe, but I didn't cook or bake anything that was worth mentioning. I didn't want to blog something just for the sake of it. It's better not to blog for an evening instead. I've realized that if I'm going to attempt to write a daily blog, then a lot of the time, in fact, probably most of the time, my children will be the subject. How can they not be? They are my life. I'm on maternity leave so I spend more time with them now than I was 3 months ago and than I will in 6 months from now. So of course they're going to be mentioned. So, that's the subject of my blog tonight. My children, or rather Charlotte.  It's a post about guilt again, I'm afraid. Guilt about trying to get it all done when I should have just sat.

If you've been reading my blog regularly, you'll know Charlotte, my three year old, has been sick since Thursday. She was sick most of the weekend. She seemed a lot better on Sunday, but we stayed close to home, letting her rest. On Monday she woke up and said she felt a lot better. She was happier, dancing around, she was more like our Charlotte. She ate some breakfast, all was good.

Andrew was off on Monday as he worked Saturday and we had some things we wanted to do as we hadn't been able to get out over the weekend. It's Harrison's Christening on Sunday and we wanted to get his gift and also go to Toys R Us to see what Santa could bring to Charlotte. Well, Charlotte was great. She of course loved Toys R Us, looked at books in Chapters and then endured an hour in the mall. Throughout this time, we had promised her if she was a good girl we would look for a dress for her when we went to Stavanger Dr. Yes, we were going to go there too, but decided to do that after her nap. 

So, we got home and Charlotte went for a nap. She had had a little lunch but didn't say she was feeling poorly, so we didn't think anything of it. 2 1/2 hours later, Charlotte woke up. She mentioned her tummy hurt. I asked her if she felt sick, she said no. I asked her if she was hungry, she said yes, so I gave her a banana and a granola bar. She gobbled them down. Then, some goldfish crackers in a bag, we headed to of all places, Costco. You see, I wanted to go to Costco with Andrew so we could decide if there was anything we wanted for Sunday. Walking around Costco Charlotte said her tummy hurt. I asked her if she thought she was going to be sick. No, she said. So we continued on. I had mentioned to Andrew we were going to have to hurry up as she wasn't feeling well, but did we stop? No, of course not. I wanted to go down just one more aisle, Charlotte by this time was in my arms and we were heading towards the cashiers. "Mommy", she said, "I need to get down". And then it happened. She threw up on the floor right next to the brown sugar in Costco. My poor little girl. Up came the banana and granola bar. As we tidied her up and called for someone with a mop, she apologized to me. I told her that there was no need to apologize to me, I apologized to her. I told her that we should have stayed home.

So, I took her to the bathroom and she was already feeling better. Andrew got us checked out and we took our little girl home. She felt fine once she was home, in fact she was in a great mood, but I still felt horribly guilty. We had done way too much with her but just didn't think. We just did.

So today, Tuesday, I kept Charlotte home to make sure she is better and rested. She's usually in daycare on Tuesdays and I had a jam packed day planned - get the winter tires put on the car, go to lunch with a friend and then go on my first hike with a group of local mammas. But, as with most days with two kids, the day didn't go as planned, but this time, it was entirely my fault.

But, I am happy to say, by the time she went to bed this evening she was feeling a lot better. We're going to take it easy again tomorrow(maybe a quick trip to get her dress) and hopefully she'll be good to go to school on Thursday. She's gotta be right? I've got to get things organized for Sunday. 

And that's how it goes. We try to balance kids and everything else without compromising anything. The thing is, it's all about compromise and sometimes we compromise the wrong thing while not intentionally doing so. We expect so much from our kids and from ourselves that we think if we push our limits just a little we'll get the outcome we're looking for. Instead, it sometimes backfires and we end up missing out on more than we would have had we just stopped and thought for a minute. Charlotte wouldn't have gotten sick if we hadn't pushed her on Monday and probably could have gone to school today. But, there's no point in thinking about what could have been. Instead, I hope I'll learn from this and will remember, the next time Charlotte or Harrison is sick, to just stay home, look after them and forget about everything else.

Charlotte was feeling better last night and actually asked to have a picture taken with Harrison.
It wasn't until I was taking the picture that I thought it might not have been a good idea. 

To Pacify or not to Pacify

When you decide to have children, are expecting or already have them, you have thoughts, opinions, decisions to make on what you're going to do or not do with your children. Whether it's to breastfeed, use cloth diapers, make your own baby food, not allow your children to sleep in your bed, or never use your wet finger to wipe your child's face, we hope to follow through with the decisions we make.  Of those listed, we've managed to stick to them. Well, I may have used a wet finger to clean my child's face in a pinch. (Don't tell Andrew).

Another decision we made was to not use a pacifier. Both my husband and I didn't want our children using pacifiers. We didn't like seeing kids with a pacifier in their mouths, especially older kids. We thought, we don't need a pacifier.

When Charlotte was born, I breastfed. I found after a month or so, I seemed to be constantly feeding her as when she cried she'd cry as if the world was ending.  She wasn't tired, she wasn't wet, so she must be hungry right? But I had just fed her a little bit before, could she be hungry again? We decided then that maybe she was just looking for something to suck. Not wanting to be a human pacifier, we decided to try a pacifier. Every time I put it in her mouth I hated it. I felt I needed to justify it to everyone. In the nighttime, we'd use it to help her  get to sleep. Once she was asleep, I'd take it out. I didn't want her getting used to it.

Within a week or two of us using it, she started to spit it out. She didn't want it. What a relief. But then, she found her thumb. And never lost it. Charlotte sucks her thumb now, especially when she's upset. She's an emotional sucker.

When Harrison was born, we again didn't want to use the pacifier. We got away with it for awhile but then the same thing happened. He always seemed to be hungry when I really didn't think he was. I found I was feeding him more than I should be and he often fell asleep or spit up the liquid gold soon after feeding. While a little spit up is normal, I think it's often a sign that he's full and has eaten too much. Of course, if you have food shoved in your mouth constantly, you'll eventually spit it up too.

So, we bought a pacifier. It worked. Harrison started to settle a little easier and I wasn't being used as a human pacifier. He too seems to be an emotional sucker. When he gets upset, or is over tired, the sucking action calms him down and off he goes. Do I like using it? No, but it does make life a hell of a lot easier. Especially when you also have a three year old vying for your attention.

So, we use the pacifier to help him get to sleep but I do still take it away once he is. We have, however, started to put it in his mouth when he wakes in the night or during a nap. It helps him sleep longer. He wakes once in the night and I feed him. A couple of weeks ago, I found that he was waking about 4pm and not really feeding for very long. I wondered if he really needed it as he had gone all night once or twice. So, I started leaving him a little and if he really started to cry, I put the pacifier in his mouth. I felt guilty doing it at first. But it worked. He slept all the way through. Now, this week, we're back to feeding when he wakes up. Growing spurt I believe. The pacifier isn't pacifying him. So, I'll continue to feed until he starts to sleep through the night again or I'll use the pacifier if necessary. Of course, every week, every day even is different, so who knows.

So, while I still sometimes have to justify the pacifier to myself, I know I'm doing what is best for Harrison and that's all that matters. He's happier and sleeps better which means we're all sleeping better.  I don't worry (or try not to worry) about what others think when they see him with a pacifier in his mouth. I just know it means he's not crying so we're all happy. And when we don't think he needs it anymore, we can throw it out. Unlike a thumb.

A Happy Harrison 

Guy Fawkes - That wasn't supposed to happen...

Just like Guy Fawkes himself, our plans for the weekend didn't go as we expected.

We had a busy weekend planned. Dinner at friends on Friday night, Guy Fawkes Saturday night and swimming and The International Food and Craft Fair today. Alas, poor little Charlotte put an end to those plans. She's been sick the entire weekend and today is the first day she's actually felt a bit more like herself. At least she didn't throw up today. As on Thursday, Charlotte's been a very good little girl, drinking fluids, eating toast and sleeping alot.

So, we've stuck close to home, lying on the coach, watching Mickey Mouse and Strawberry Shortcake and reading her library books which were very good picks on her part.

So, I thought I'd share my Baked Beans recipe with you. They were my contribution to Saturday's festivities. I'm hoping they were enjoyed by all.

Baked Beans

450g pinto beans
225g bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chilli sauce or ketchup
2/3 maple syrup
1 tbl molasses
1 tbl dijon mustard
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
pinch of baking soda

Soak beans over night. Next day, drain the water and cover the beans in water and boil for 2 mins. Drain and cover beans again with water (around 5 cups). Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30min until tender. Drain liquid, reserving 2 cups.

In meantime, saute bacon, until it starts to brown. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent and bacon is crisp.

Preheat over to 250

In large casserole dish, place beans, onions, garlic and bacon along with pan drippings. Add 1 1/2 cups of reserved liquid and remaining ingredients. Mix well. Cover and bake for 4-5 hours until thickened and beans are tender. Stir occasionally.  If the beans dry out, use the reserved liquid.

Enjoy with fresh bread. Good cold the next day too.

Sorry, no photos. I had expected to be posting pics of the Guy and fireworks.

Guy Fawkes Night

I thought I'd post this morning on an event taking place in England tonight and in many parts of NL as well. It's November 5th so that means it's Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night.


In case you weren't aware.... Guy Fawkes Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the introduction of the Observance of 5th November Act enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure. (source: Wikipedia)


Growing up in a family with an English Father and living in Topsail (where there was always room for a fire), we had a huge bonfire each year. Well, it was huge to me anyway. Living in England for 5 years and marrying into an English family, I learned quickly that Guy Fawkes Night was even bigger than I thought. While Halloween isn't really recognized, November 5th makes up for it. In fact, the fireworks (you're not allowed to have a bonfire) usually start a week before, but on November 5th, the skies light up.


While living in England, we celebrated Guy Fawkes Night at our place with my husband's father and family. Following supper, we all headed out and stood as far away from the back fence as we could, as Andrew and his Dad lit the fireworks. You see, the gardens in England aren't that long (at least ours wasn't), so we (or at least I), felt pretty darn close to them as they went shooting up into the sky. Having survived without injury, we'd return to the warmth of the house for further food and drink. A lovely way to celebrate the night.


So, tonight, we are doing it again. Celebrating with Andrew's Dad and his family as they are now living in NL, just 5 minutes away. It's our first Bonfire night with us all together since we moved away in 2003 and we are really looking forward to it. I don't think Guy is though. Yes, there will be a Guy and of course fireworks. Stay tuned for photos!


So, however you celebrate tonight (whether with fireworks or a community bonfire), remember to be careful. Stand clear of the fireworks, make sure a responsible adult is setting them off and if you want to experience a fire, go to your local one where there will be marshmallows and hot chocolate. Firemen too for all the ladies our there! Here is a link to where they are taking place in NL. http://www.mun.ca/ich/inventory/profiles/bonfirelist2011.php


But remember, above all,  have fun!