the dark side

Well, the bathroom reno is done! It looks great, although I have not taken pics yet. But I found out the dark side of renovating. Yes, I have a beautiful sparkly new bathroom, and it is wonderful. However. I also have a back yard filled with debris. Bathtub, sink, various plumbing things I cannot name, shower doors, boxes of tile and plaster, off cuts of drywall, cardboard. Ooh, and our Faux fireplace which I forgot was there until the snow started to melt. And an old fan, which still works, but Keith apparantly hates. He has tried to throw it away several times, and this time, I was too late to save it. I bet he will ask where it is this summer when he is sweating away on a project in his garage. Ha. Oh, and also a compter monitor, which sadly burnt out. So, Welcome to Wabasca! At least until we rent a truck to do a dump run.

Also, here are some pictures of my beautiful girls. They have nothing to do with the name of this post, by the way...

Todays Ramblings

Well, I have a couple of thoughts today. The first being, when I told Keith that it was time to have a baby, I did not realize that there would be days where my biggest accomplishment would be sucking out a booger from my baby's left nostril. Really. That huge thing was in there all day, going in and out every time she inhaled and exhaled... It was driving everyone crazy. I really felt like I had won a prize when I got it out! Thank goodness for the nasal aspirator I um, brought home, from the hospital.

The other thing is about crockpots. My sisters all swear by them, how they are so handy and make such delicious meals and all that. So, again wanting to fit in, I got one for Christmas this year. (well, actually TWO!) I have made several dinners. The first got burned. Yes, burned to a crisp in the crockpot. The pot roast was good, but I fail to see what the advantage of the crockpot here. It is just as easy to put it in the oven, and does not really save time because you still need to make the yorkshire pudding, mashed potatos and gravy, because that is the real reason to have pot roast in the first place. The other things I have made, including several soups, and a few chicken things, all come out this anaemic brown colour. And I noticed that the pictures of crockpot recipes in all of the books are also the same sludgy colour, so it is not just me. I am really grossed out by that colour. I cannot eat it. Especially after Keith pointed out that it turns that colour in your stomach anyway. So, I may retire my crockpot, and just try to be myself. I will cook my future stews on the stove, because I like my carrots to stay orange.

Update

Well, I have not blogged in almost a month. Which is about the time we tore apart our bathroom, and began renovating. It is a big job, when you are working around 2 kiddos and a husband who works long and hard hours. So we get 10 minute increments randomly dispersed throughout the week to work on the bathroom. But I think another week and we will be done! It is looking very good, and soon my lifelong dream to have a beautiful clean bathroom will be realized. I have lived far too long with tubs that never look clean, grout that might have been white at one time, no shelves or cabinets, yellow water that stained all of the fixtures, and yes, even mushrooms growing in a spot where the wood was rotten and would never dry. I can't believe I admitted that on the internet. Disgusting. Even repeated doses of bleach did not kill them.

I have learned how to cut and install drywall, bought my first powertool, rented tools from Home Depot, laid some tile and grouted a floor. I still have some painting to do, hopefully tonight, and we have to put the mouldings and silicone around the tub. Then the fun part of buying new towels! I have not had new towels since I got married, and I am really excited! I love being a homeowner, because I do not have to put up with fungi growing in the WC.

V Day

Well, not to be out done by my sisters, (why is this such a theme in my life? hmm, perhaps a future blog about that...) I am posting our cookie making picture. Thank-goodness for Cookie Monster's Famous Cookie dough! It is a Payne tradition. Every boy we have ever woo'ed, or wished we were woo'ing has sampled this timeless recipe. And I must say, that the cookie method is tried and true, and works nearly every time. Abby gave cookies to our neighbors, and also made Valentine's day cards for the Mailman (taped onto the mailbox), the birds (placed on the front porch for the magpies to find) and the "Princess's at Disneyland" (which was mailed to the Disneyland hotel.) Happy Valentines Day to all. A very good excuse to make cookies.

Joining the Club

Some of my sisters are fitness freaks. Well, they are not freaks, they just really seem to like working out, counting WW points and - gasp - running. I have never done any of these things, because my Crohn's keeps me malnourished enough that if I ever do break the 100 mark, I save those pounds for the lean times coming... I have even been known to say that I would never run in my life again unless I was being chased by a bear or some such creature. I am not going to start running (sheesh, I am still sane!), but I have been thinking about getting fit. You see, I have several baby pounds hanging about that I would rather be rid of. And since I plan on seeing a naturopath after I am done breastfeeding, I have some confidence that I will be better able to manage the Chronies, and not have to keep the poundage in reserve. So. I have started doing my Yoga tapes. Holy Moly! It is really hard! I am not a very good Proud Warrior, and I absolutley cannot to the Triangle without falling down. It is hard to "feel my breath with the soles of my feet" when the Warrior's arms are burning and about to fall off. Another problem I am having is my junk food cravings. It makes it really hard to plan healthy family meals for the week when all I want is chocolate cake and gummy bears. But I will persevere.

And so it goes on

Well, my dear first born has incredible willpower. She is fighting the fibre. Which is why we are awake at this ridiculous hour, dealing with her issue. This means, her screaming, going into the bathroom every 3 minutes and then changing her mind. This goes on all day, every day. I am so tired and stressed about this. I cannot even leave the house with her this way. We get absolutely nothing done, and now we are not sleeping either. I feel like I am missing something in the parenting skills box because I am really sucking at this. I am trying really hard to remember that she is only 3 years old, and is not a rational human being yet. But I am getting so mad!

poops

Why, oh why, is my life filled with POOP issues??? First of all, there is my Crohn's disease. All about poop. (Well, and pain too, but that is a whole other poor-me post. This one is only about poop.) Second, my cat, who still poops on the floor a few times a week. Yuck. Thirdly, and most importantly, my first born. She has had poop issues forever. When she was a baby, she stopped going for about 2 weeks! My dad, books, and her GP all said normal, fine, she is breast fed, don't worry about it. Well, of course I worried, cried and lost a lot of sleep, and was convinced that everyone was wrong, because only I knew my baby's poop patterns. So, I got my dad to fandangle a emergency appointment with a pediatric specialist, who also, said that she was fine. And she was. I think this is why we have issues today. It is all my fault. She will actually hold it in for a week at a time, and make herself sick. It is awful and really stressful for everyone. So, today I took action. I made a double batch of bran muffins, fed her blueberries and muffins for lunch, and spiked her drinks with that powdery fibre additive. Lo and behold (drumroll please....) a huge poop! I am so happy and relieved. ahhhh. Nothing like a good poop. Fibre is our friend, and will be a part of our lives, even when it is secretly added to water, forever!

pictures!

Okay, at long last, here are a couple of pictures of our little one. She is 9 weeks old already! I was going to do a blog too, but it is running so slow today, I will wait until later.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all (of my sisters, smears, and my dad, who seem to be my only Blog readers). I can't blame everyone else though, because my blog really is quite boring. However, I will continue on. A few days ago, Abby said to me. "Mummy, we need to go to the store and buy a new chair, with soft cushions. Our time-out chair is very hard, and I would rather not sit on it." She was suffering from "too much Christmas" syndrome: an interrupted schedule, being dragged all over town to visit well-meaning friends, too much sugar, late bedtimes, all on top of being three, which is not easy. Which resulted in many temper tantrums, bite marks on daddy's leg ( I really thought we were past that!), slamming doors (I think she gets that from me), and breaking things. Next year there will be some changes around the holiday time... We will decorate our gingerbread house with vegetables, for starters.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! We had a great holiday. We went to my mom and dad's place for a few days and visited most of the family. Betina's branch was dearly missed though. It was so nice to see everyone else, especially Eve and Sean who we don't get to see very often. We had a "pre Christmas" gift opening, and Abby's gem was, as she was opening yet another present, "I sure hope this one is not clothes!" It was really funny. I think kids like toys best, but the parents like it when they get clothes. Her favourite toys were the Barbies from Santa. I cannot believe I caved in to the Barbie thing. I always swore that no daughter of mine would have barbies.. But it makes her so happy. I think this is how Keith mush have felt when his dream of a Disney-free childhood for our kids was shattered....

I also got to see an old friend of mine! One of the very few people from my old SL life that I really missed. I have not seen her since my wedding, and it was really cool to have that visit. She has a little baby girl too, and it is just so neat to see your old friends in a new context. Instead of playing saxophone together and dodging Billy Onofrychucks spit bombs from his trombone, we were sitting side by side on matching recliners nuring our little girls and talking about spit up. I miss her.

Happy holidays all!

My little Ballerina

Yesterday was Abby's ballet recital. I am such a proud mummy! It was at a big theatre - not a gymnasium, a REAL theatre! With stage lights, curtains, stadium seating and everything!!

Abby was part of 2 preformances. One was with her class, a group of equally cute 3 year olds. They were all dressed up in their red bodysuits, a Christmas print tu tu, and curly ponytails. (Although, Abby has hair issues. Once again, I had hair envy of all of the other girls, with thick, flowing long ringlet-y hair, while Abby's barely goes into a half ponytail, and is so wispy that it does not stay...) Well, I felt much better when the music started, because Abby was the only one actually doing the dance steps! She was so good! The other girls were all distracted, staring into the lights, playing with their jingle bells, or fiddling with their ponytails. There was Abby, tapping her toes, doing her plies and jumps, and singing the words.

Her second time on stage was the preschool finale, where about 50 3 and 4 year olds stood on the stage and sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". All of the kids were lined up around the stage - sort of in a horseshoe shape, so that you could see all of them. Well, our cute little stagehog goes into the centre of the U, so that the kids are all in a horse shoe AROUND HER! And then she stands there dancing while all the other girls sing. Like they were all wishing Abby her very own personal Merry Christmas.

I was laughing and crying so much! What a little preformer she is! I am so proud of Abby.

I know, it is about time

Well, the day after my last blog, Mina was born! Right now, she is cuddled up in Abby's old sling and having a snooze. (I love the sling!!) She was born as planned, in Stony Plain, in a big ol tub of water, with no drugs, and with a midwife attending. It was the most awesome and indredible experience that I have ever had. I am still so awed by it all, that my body actually knew what it needed to do, and that I had the courage to let it. My labour was only 3 1/2 hours from start to finish, and everything went perfecftly, as it should. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to have a midwife attend Mina's birth and take care of us. If you want to know all of the gory details, just call me up and I would love to tell you all about it. In fact, I seem to have become a tree hugging earth mom and just want to tell total strangers what a beautiful thing it was, while whipping out the boobs and nursing the baby anywhere. But I hesitate to talk about my vagina too much on the internet...

Things have been rather crazy around here, I am learning that having 2 children is a lot different than having just one. It takes a whole lot more planning and juggling, and really I have no clue how everyone else does it so well. I took the girls grocery shopping, and was so proud of myself, until I realized that with 2 kids, I had no room in the cart for groceries. There are a lot of tricks I still have to learn. I wonder if I will ever be on time for anything else in my life again. I used to be such a hard a about my patients who would show up for their appointments late. But now, I am beginning to understand...

Mina is a great baby, and Abby is doing incredibly well with all of the changes, and she is very happy (still) about being her big sister. I will post pictures soon.

No-Baby Update

Well, I am now a few days PAST my due date. I just wanted to update you all on what is not happening. I go in again on Wednedsday, to do a non-stress test, which just checks on how baby is doing. I get hooked up to a fetal monitor for 1/2 an hour or so. That is also the day we will schedule induction of labour, probably for the weekend sometime, if nothing has happened by then. The weird part is that I have been having early labour contractions for the past week - they are much more intense than the Braxton Hicks I have been getting the past 2 months... But I lay down to go to bed at night, and they go away. So, no news here.

I am very frusturated and irritable about it all, so please do not call me unless you want to chat about something other than the fact that I am still pregnant. If you call, and I answer the phone, you can be sure that nothing has happened. I will let you all know if anything happens. Also, if you see me, please do not comment on how big I am. I see myself every day, and I struggle to fit into my maternity clothes. I am well aware that I am enormous. I do not want to be reminded. If you slip up and say something like "holy cow you are so huge! How can such a little person become so monstrous??" I will probably say something equally rude, even if you are a stranger. Like to the lady in the grocery store, who was no light-weight herself.

On an unrelated note, Abby has been sleeping with no diaper on! She decided last week that she was ready to try, and she is doing great! She has accidents now and then, but is usually dry in the mornings! We are very proud of her! Now we just need to wait for her to decide to poop in the potty. She says that she will do it when she is five.

5 Year Plans

I come from a family of planners. Growing up, we had family planning every Sunday night at 7 PM to discuss our various schedules for the coming week. We all had calendars and pencils in hand, and while it may seem a little strange to an outsider, it worked out really well. And it molded me into a planner. I devised my life into segments of 5 year plans, set goals and found ways to meet them. Well, I have run out of 5 year plans. I have attained everything important that I set out to do before I was 30. (well, except for delivering this second baby, that is...) I even got a rock tumbler and am almost done processing my first set of polished rocks! (Not all plans and goals are earth shattering). I suppose when I was "young" I just did not think I would ever get as "old" as 30, and would not have to plan that far ahead. Well, here I am, not quite 30, but still in need of a new 5 year plan. Would it be lame to say that for then next 5 years I plan to enjoy the things in my life that I have worked for, like my family, my home and my job (and my rock tumbler)? I think for the next 5 years that is precisley what I am going to do. And I will make frivolous goals, such as making sure I get my hair cut 4 times a year, not just when my sisters are going to see me, do the renovations in our house to make it the way we want, and go on a few nice holidays. I just feel like such an underachiever when there are not signifigant items on my list. Perhaps I will make that a 3 year plan, and then revise as necessary, since I did finish this current 5 year plan a couple of years early.

Oh! I think I am having a contraction! Hopefully this one will lead somewhere...

Creativity

Well, pumpkin time is here. So we brought home a big ol pumpkin and set Abby to decorating it. I gave her some paint, expecting that she would paint the jack o lantern face, and then I would cut out the shapes. Well, she did her own thing and it is so cool! She covered the entire pumpkin with colourful paint, and then asked for glitter to sprinkle over it. It is so neat what kids will come up with when they are not jaded by what a halloween pumpkin is "supposed" to look like. I think most of us become adults and forget about real creativity. At least, I have...

I am going to try to post a few pictures here, hopefully it works. One is Abby with her pumpkin, and another showcases my enormous inflated size. Baby is still not here yet, and I am getting even bigger than I was with Abby - I did not make it this far along with her. So here it is, have a good laugh. I just might have to join my exercise fanatic sisters in their butter boycott after this is all said and done...

Cat Poo

One year ago, we moved into our little house, and since then, our cat (whose name is Fisch) has been pooing on the laundry room floor. Every day, without fail, sometimes even two times a day. It drives me crazy! I was soo mad at her, and started actually to hate and resent her. I was totally convinced that she was doing it just to piss me off. I stopped being nice to her, stopped petting her and letting her cuddle with me. I would leave the door open for an extra second hoping that she would escape and get lost. In fact, the only reason I did not let her get away is because Abby loves her so much. I was just so tired of cleaning up that poo all of the time! She was getting all mangy and pulling our all of her fur too. I would wake up and the (white) kitchen floor would be covered in tufts of cat hair, and Fisch would have yet another bald spot...

Well, I think I have solved the problem. I started buying a different food for her, because since I no longer work, I don't make it over to the place where I used to buy her food. And, since this new food, she has only pooed on the floor a couple of times! I think her food was making her sick, and that is why she became a mangy, fur pulling, floor pooping beast.

I feel terrible that I withdrew all of my cat motherly affection from her. I really had no clue that she might be sick, I just thought that she hated me. I am so glad that she is better! I am going to go and pet her. Poor Kitty.

Thankful

Thanksgiving was this last weekend, and even though I did not have any turkey dinner (I know! A travesty! I might make one soon...), I have many things to be thankful for. I have been feeling like my life is so happy right now, so many of the things are "just right".

I have an incredible husband who I adore, and adores me. Once I was driving to Slave Lake with a girl from high school who I had not spoken to for a long time, and she asked me what Keith is like. At first, it was hard to answer her question, but once I got started, there was just so much to say. I think I ended up talking about him for at least an hour! He is kind, thoughtful and makes me laugh. He is creative, and can fix nearly everything. I don't think I have enough blog space to sing all of his praises... There are so many great things about him, I am so happy to call him my husband and that I get to spend the rest of my life with him.

I get to be Abby's mummy! She is such a great little girl. I know you all have heard all of the corny things about being a parent and how it changes your life, and so on and so forth, but they are all true, and it is overwhelming. Every night when I am cuddling with her before bedtime, I just feel like I have won the lottery again. And I get to be someone else's mummy soon too! It just astounds me that I get to have so much happiness in my life.

Because of my being pregnant, my Crohn's is in remission, and that is wonderful. Even though I have all sorts of complaints about being 8 months along, it is WAY better than the way my body usually feels... I try to think about this at night when it is impossible to get a good nights sleep.

I am also thankful for my home. We were fortunate to be able to buy a house before the real estate market here expolded. It feels so good to have set a goal, and worked really hard to reach it, and be able to enjoy it.
........................

On a totally unrelated note, Abby has lost her childhood innocence. She had a balloon for about a week, and she loved it so much. Then she got the idea that she wanted to trace the letters on it with a sharp pencil. And of course, the balloon popped. It was the first time this has happened. Usually, she takes such good care of her balloons that they eventually deflate and shrink. Not so traumatic. Well, the look on her face was so heartbreaking, especially when I had to tell her, that no, Daddy cannot fix a popped balloon. It is such a harsh world.

apology

I know I have not blogged in a while. I am sorry, Betina and Eve (no one else reads this, I am sure.) It is just that right now, my life is overwhelmed with waiting. waiting. I am too pregnant to do anything fun, as I cannot walk 3 blocks without needing to stop and catch my breath. Seriously, I tried walking to the grocery store today with Abby. My maternity clothes are getting too small, and considering that there are only a few weeks left, I REFUSE to buy anything new. So I have to hike my pants up every few steps I take, and pull my shirts down to cover my belly. I am too tired to have any witty comments about everyday life with a husband and three year old, and I am not a world traveller with exotic locales to report about.

Also, my mother was here over night for 2 nights in a row. Since my only readers are my own siblings, that is probably explanation enough for me to stay in hiding for at least a month while I recover.

the down side

Okay, I am on my third week of stay at home mom-hood. I have a terrible confession to make. I am getting really bored. I am sure that fate if going to kick me in the butt for saying this (probably on or about November 7th), but it is true. I have finished some major household duties. Some things I want to do, I cannot because of my delicate state (delicate my left elbow!) and have to wait for my dear husband to help me with. My house is cleaner than it has been in ages, I make the beds every day, and plan and cook good healthy meals for supper. I have arranged weekly play dates with my neufie neighbor who has 2 kids close in age to Abby. I also have arranged to be at story time once a week at the library. I have caught up on all of my phone calls and paper work stuff. What do I do now????

Do I have to start canning vegetables?
Do I circle the best deals in flyers and spend all day doing grocery shopping at 17 different stores to get good deals and "save money"?
Do I pester everyone I know to buy Discovery Toys from me? (Actually I might just do that - the toys are really cool, and I love doing all of the paperwork involved in putting peoples orders together. Watch your mailbox for a catalogue coming soon!)

AHHHH! What do stay at home moms do all day long???

the down side

Okay, I am on my third week of stay at home mom-hood. I have a terrible confession to make. I am getting really bored. I am sure that fate if going to kick me in the butt for saying this (probably on or about November 7th), but it is true. I have finished some major household duties. Some things I want to do, I cannot because of my delicate state (delicate my left elbow!) and have to wait for my dear husband to help me with. My house is cleaner than it has been in ages, I make the beds every day, and plan and cook good healthy meals for supper. I have arranged weekly play dates with my neufie neighbor who has 2 kids close in age to Abby. I also have arranged to be at story time once a week at the library. I have caught up on all of my phone calls and paper work stuff. What do I do now????

Do I have to start canning vegetables?
Do I circle the best deals in flyers and spend all day doing grocery shopping at 17 different stores to get good deals and "save money"?
Do I pester everyone I know to buy Discovery Toys from me? (Actually I might just do that - the toys are really cool, and I love doing all of the paperwork involved in putting peoples orders together. Watch your mailbox for a catalogue coming soon!)

AHHHH! What do stay at home moms do all day long???