A Couple Thorns

Just to make it clear that things aren't all sunshine and roses over here, I thought I would talk about some of our harder adjustments with a new family member!

For me it's the obvious, lack of sleep! When I had Carter I felt tired from the broken sleep but I've never felt exhaustion like I have over the last month. I'm so tired that many days my whole body aches. At times I've cried at just the thought of having to get up to get myself a drink. My body is just not use to such little sleep!

Carter was a dream sleeper (and still is). Our first night home with him, Dan and I both got 9 hours sleep. It was broken into 3 hour chunks but it was still 9 hours. And it continued like that until he started sleeping longer and longer, getting up to 12-13 hours straight a night. To this day he still sleeps 11-12 hours straight. We had a few tiring nights due to teething or sickness but over all they were few and far between.

Lincoln on the other hand is no where near being a dream sleeper. That being said, he's not a bad sleeper, he's just a normal newborn sleeper. He usually gets one good chunk of sleep (3-5 hours) but then they go to 2 hour chunks and every other night or so I'm up with him for 2+ hours at a time. I have occasionally asked Dan to take over when Link is fed and just not sleepy, but Dan's been watching Carter all day, every day (and Link too when I try to nap) so for the most part I'm on my own at night. Now that Dan's back at work it's a little harder because my only chance for a nap is if I can get both kids to nap at the same time, which is not an easy task!

The other contributing factor to my exhaustion is breastfeeding. Anyone that has done it knows how hard and tiring the first few weeks can be while your supply is catching up. It's almost non stop nursing. Luckily, Link is starting to get on a three hour schedule which is doing a lot for my sanity. Until the next growth spurt that is! And the other plus is that it eventually becomes easier then the alternative since it's always there and ready! Not to mention all the health benefits for both of us that make it worth it no matter what!

Since Dan has gone back to work this week I've started to really see how life has changed for Carter. Before Lincoln was born Carter had our attention almost all the time. And when we were at work, he had gramma or papa here. He has always been fine playing on his own if we were cleaning or cooking but other then that we have been almost constant entertainment for him.

The good news is, although we definitely have our moments (tantrums and tears like never before), for the most part he is adjusting really well. He is eating at the table, sometimes by himself for breakfast or lunch, without someone reading to him. He's playing on his own a lot while I'm nursing or comforting Lincoln. And yesterday he played in the backyard by himself (while I watched from the kitchen). I think the last one was harder on me then him but in the end I got to see the benefits of his new found freedom. He managed to get toys out of the deck box that previously required our assistance, he bumped his head without a tear (what's the point if there is no one there to kiss your boo boo), and he managed to get himself unstuck from his play house window. So in the end, as hard as it may be, I really see these adjustments as good ones for Carter. I think it will give him more independence and confidence. Lately if I'm feeding Lincoln, and Carter throws something, I will threaten to take it away but he says "I take it away" and he throws the toy in the laundry room and shuts the door!

And last but not least, is poor Pancho! He loves Carter and Link but he's not a fan of losing a lot of his attention. After Carter was born Pancho started sighing a lot. His sighs have increased since Lincoln was born. When Carter came home from the hospital Pancho would run to his room when he cried the first few weeks. He has never done that for Link. And one night when Link was sleeping with us and started crying Pancho jumped off the bed and in to a chair in our room to sleep, which he had never done before. Poor doggy!

All in all, I think these are just regular adjustments going from one child to two. As exhausted as I am it is all worth it! I wouldn't trade my life and family for a thing!

I mean, who wouldn't want one of these...

What Being a Mother Means to Me!

In the spirit of Mother's Day, I thought it was a good day to reflect on what being a mother means to me. Believe it or not, some of my views have changed just in the last month. When they say every kid is different they sure aren't lying. What worked for Carter doesn't work for Link.

Just like every adult learns, acts, and reacts differently to things, so do children. I think this is the most important lesson I've learned over the last two and a half years. It's so important to learn your child's strengths, weakness', and quirks. And it's not about fixing them, it's about working with them and teaching our children how to do the same!

To me, being a mother also means...

*trusting your instincts
*putting your children first
*putting yourself first sometimes too (hello "me" time!)
*you are a fool to not accept help when offered
*hugs and kisses whenever you want, at least for now!
*losing sleep, a lot of it!
*swearing as you get out of bed at 3am and then feeling more love then you can handle two seconds later when you walk in to your child's room and see them
*reading advise from experts and then forgetting 80% of it because it doesn't work for you...on to the next book!
*being a helicopter parent
*trying not to be a helicopter parent
*smiling and nodding every time someone assumes every whimper your child makes means they are hungry
*having the magical power to fix boo-boo's with just a kiss
*never ending worry
*never ending love

There's probably a million more I could come up with but it's literally taken every free second today, and not free second (I'm nursing right now), to write this so that will have to do!

Oh, and *being very very busy ALL the time!

Updates

Well, some day I'll have time to post again. For now I'll just give a quick update on us all for those interested!

Lincoln is doing great! He's nursing like a champ and growing like a weed! The first two weeks he seemed to have his nights and days mixed up but the last two nights he has spent most of the night sleeping. I'm trying baby wearing more this time so Link gets to be close and I still get to get some things done (like this post!) He loves it as he's not a fan of me putting him down anywhere right now. I love it too!

I am recovering well. The first week was rough but I have felt better each day since then. Unfortunately I had a mystery bump on my stomach that turned out to be muscle distension. Basically, the muscles in my abdomen split and unfortunately one side is slightly herniated. So I get to look about 4 months pregnant until I can work the muscle out "a lot, a lot, a lot" (per the OB) or I end up having to have surgery. Not thrilled but it gives me more motivation to work out. Now I just need to find the time and energy! For now, while I'm supposed to take it easy, I'll just focus on spending time with my boys.

Carter is adjusting well to life with a sibling. He is still sleeping through the night (which is a blessing) and being as sweet as ever. He doesn't seem to notice that I haven't lifted him since Lincoln was born but I think it helped that I couldn't lift him much before either. He also seems okay with the fact that I have to feed and hold Link a lot. I'm sure it helps that Dan's been home so he's had a lot of attention from daddy. I'm actually in the process of writing another post about Carter and Link so I'll leave the rest of Carter's update for that.

Dan is still off work for another week (another blessing!), though I think he might be secretly looking forward to going back to work. Because of the c-section he is still having to do pretty much everything around the house and he does it without a single complaint! He's the best husband and father we could ask for!

That's it for now. Someone woke up and is hungry!

Best Friends for Life

As a mum you hope that your kids will get along but there is no guarantee that they will. Luckily even kids who fight, many times become friends in adulthood, but even that is no guarantee.

When we found out we were expecting another child I wondered how Carter would handle it. Being an only child he had attention almost non-stop and I wondered what would happen when that changed. I was especially worried when he would say "don't want one!" any time we brought up him getting a brother or sister.

Luckily things changed when we found out we were having a boy and gave him the nickname JoJo from Carter's favourite movie. All of a sudden Carter was excited about getting a brother. He would ask to see my belly and we would talk about what it would be like when "JoJo" got here. We explained how babies cry and what they need when they cry. We talked about where "JoJo" would sleep, the clothes he would wear, and how he will get bigger and bigger and some day be big enough to play.

Then Lincoln was born. Dan's parents had Carter while we were in the hospital. I missed Carter and couldn't wait to see him! We had read that it's best not to be holding the baby when their sibling comes to meet them so we made sure Link was asleep in the bassinet when Carter first came to meet him at the hospital.

Carter came in holding a gift for Lincoln (a musical lamb). He looked quite nervous when he walked in the room but the nerves seem to fade once he got a big hug from mum and dad. Then he started looking for his brother. It took a few looks around the room before he spotted him but once he did, he instantly reached over and touched him. When Link moved his hand Carter pointed out that Link has hands just like him. When Link cried he said "dad, make him feel better!" And after asking what it was, Carter pointed out that he doesn't have an umbilical cord. Carter got some gifts from Link and he gave Link his little new musical lamb. It couldn't have gone better!

Things only got better when we got home a few days later. Carter went looking for Lincoln as soon as he got home. He seemed to be in awe of his little brother. He got a new game from Gramma and Papa and wanted to show Link right away so he dropped it in the bassinet (luckily its the first and only time he's dropped something hard in there!)

Since then the love has only continued to grow. Carter always wants to see Lincoln first thing in the morning. He gives Link his lovey when Link is crying, tells me to "take care of Link" as he leaves the room, he asks if Link is hungry when he hears him cry, gets really upset when Link is crying in the car and we can't make him feel better quick enough, and gives Link lots of hugs and kisses. Even when Carter gets to do something special on his own he always asks if Lincoln can come too! And a couple times a day Carter asks "he getting bigger mom?" He just can't wait for Lincoln to be big enough to play.

Now, I'm under no illusion that things will always be this pleasant but it does give me hope! My brother and I fought like cats and dogs but I love him to death now, so I know that two fighting kids doesn't really mean anything. But I still hope that they will get along (at least most of the time) and if not, that they will always respect each other. And on days when they don't get along, I just may have to read them this blog post!

Lincoln John Craig

Well, I'm a week late but JoJo, aka Lincoln John Craig is here! He was born April 15th at 6:05 pm. He was 9 lb, 2 oz and 22 inches long.

I really really wanted to do a VBAC this time but it just wasn't in the cards for me. I waited until I was 42 weeks, tried every natural way to induce (including a foley catheter), and there was still no sign that Lincoln was ready to come earth side.

I had two options, have a c-section or start on a rough path of oxytocin in which the OB and midwife said it would take at least 12 hours for it to just get me ready to start "real" labour. Then it would most likely be another 12+ hours of a tough labour.

Although I so wanted a VBAC and truly believed that's the way it would go throughout the whole pregnancy, my instincts told me to opt for the c-section. I felt my body was telling me something by not preparing for labour. Also, as with any induction there is a high rate of cesarean and with the fact that my body was no where ready to give birth I felt that I would end up there anyway, after 24+ hours of labour.

Well, it turns out my instincts were right. Lincoln was wrapped up in his umbilical cord multiple times. The OB said afterwards that we made the right choice. He felt that if we had gone the other route we would "have had trouble." Although I am disappointed in having to have another c-section I am just glad to have my precious baby boy here with us.

We are all adjusting well to life as a family of four. Carter is turning out to be such a great big brother. He loves talking to Link and spending time with him. He is always concerned when Link cries and loves talking about what they will do together when Link is older. Now I just hope this continues!

Looking Forward!

Well, seeing as I'm 39 weeks tomorrow, and since I have a hard time doing much of anything these days, I spent most of the day laying in bed. While doing so I started to think about all I have to look forward to in the next few weeks, months, and even years. First though, I thought about what I'll miss about being pregnant and that was a whole lot of nothing! Luckily at most I have three weeks left so there's no point dwelling on that.

In no particular order, here is what I am looking forward to:

*Getting to finally meet the newest member of the family. I still remember holding Carter for the first time and the overwhelming love I felt for him (and still do). I can't wait to experience that again. Oh, and to give JoJo his real name!

*Getting to see Carter with JoJo. I know it will be an adjustment for Carter but I have high hopes that it will go well. Ever since we gave him the nickname of JoJo, Carter changed from saying "don't want one" to happily talking about JoJo and what it will be like having him here. He has talked about teaching him things, he helped sort through his clothes, and he even says all the baby toys in the house are JoJo's. He's also really great around other babies. He use to get jealous when Dan or I held another baby but now he just smiles, softly touches their hands, and says things like "aww, cute!"

*Getting to play with Carter. It's been a rough 7 months of saying "sorry babe, mum can't do that right now." Although Carter's been a trooper about it (especially with sharing his lovey to make me feel better), and I feel it may have prepared him for the first few weeks with a baby here, I can't wait to be able to lift Carter without hesitation and to be able to get down on the floor and play with him.

*Being able to clean! Yup, it's true, I like to clean. I don't love it, and I know it will be a while before I'm up to it or even have the time, but it will be nice to be able to clean without getting sick or hurting afterwards.

*Being able to eat cereal for breakfast. In the last 7 months I've only attempted to eat cereal for breakfast two or three times and I paid for it each time!

*Working on losing weight. That ones self explanatory!

*At the top of the list, watching JoJo and Carter grow, learn, and play. Carter brings us more joy then we could ever imagine so we can only assume that joy will double shortly!

My Modern Man!

As I'm coming to the end of my pregnancy I'm having to rely on Dan even more then I previously did. It's getting harder to pick up toys off the floor, lift Carter, and do dishes. He brings the laundry up and down the stairs for me, does pretty much everything around here that requires lifting and bending over, and sleeps on the couch so I can get a better sleep. Everyday when he comes home for lunch he even spends half of it putting Carter down for his nap.  I can't imagine going through this without his help!

It does make me wonder though. If this was 50 years ago or I was with someone not nearly as helpful, how would I get through it. Would I just have to suck it up and do it. Would I have had to stop after one child (that I can pretty much guarantee would have happened!). Would I have ended up in the hospital more then once each pregnancy due to dehydration from not being able to take it easy and therefore keep some food/fluids down. Would I resent my husband for putting me through this while he went on with his normal daily life. It's too hard to know.

All I do know though, is that I love and appreciate my "modern" man so much. That isn't to say that all men in the past weren't helpful or even that the ones now are. It's just that things have changed a lot. It's a pretty well know fact that men now a days see their role as fathers differently then those of the past. Even just 30 years ago when I was baby things were way different. Though from what I can tell, Dan learned a lot from his own dad so it shows that not all men are the same, regardless of the times.

When Dan and I were first getting to know each other (10 years ago!), I asked him once what his biggest fear was. His response was that he wouldn't be able to provide for his family. I knew then that he was a stand up guy, but I couldn't possibly understand how much so until I saw it with my own two eyes over the last 10 years.

I'm not going to sugar coat it and say that he does all the things I listed above with a smile on his face, but he does do them without complaining and many times without me having to ask. Even last night I went to bed forgetting to put the laundry in the dryer. I later remembered but when I went to do it he had beaten me to it. That one small act put a smile on my face and reminded me how lucky I am. He's had to take on way more then his share during both pregnancies and he's never made me feel bad about it.

Most importantly, Carter (and JoJo) couldn't ask for a better father. I know the last thing Dan would want to do is take an arts and crafts class or swimming class with a bunch of two year old's, but he does it. He also goes to the park, follows Carter around in a giant jungle gym, goes to see disney movies, changes poopy diapers, gets thrown up on, reads children's books ad nauseam, and most importantly gives up his daily naps, all because he's a great dad!

I love you Dan! I can't wait to start this newest journey with you...we are finally in the home stretch!!

The Lorax!

Carter had his first movie theatre experience tonight! It didn't start out so well as we had to try to rush through dinner, and as anyone who has ever had a toddler knows, you can not rush them! Even as we were trying to get him in the car Dan opened Carter's door only to promptly have to close it so Carter could "do it myself!" Luckily once we got to the theatre he was mesmerized by all the lights and newness of it all.

First we stopped to get our tickets. It was cheap Tues and we were pleasantly surprised to find out kids under 3 are free, bonus!! Next we stopped for some popcorn. We smuggled in drinks (what can I say, it just pains me to pay $5 for a pop). So the whole night cost us $20. Definitely worth it for a night out at the movies!

When we got to our seats Carter started in on the popcorn, his new love! When Dan tried to grab some, Carter kept a watchful eye and grabbed each kernel out of Dan's fingers faster then he could get it to his mouth. Although it was humorous, we put a swift end to that with warning of losing the popcorn all together. We then just put some popcorn on a napkin in his lap which worked better for all involved!

Once the movie started Carter was mesmerized again and never took his eyes off the screen. He even swayed back and forth and shook his foot to the music! When the movie was over he said "don't want to go home!" We aren't positive but we're pretty sure the thought of leaving the popcorn was the most upsetting for him. Dan asked him if he wanted to live there and he shook his head yes. Luckily when everyone else started leaving he realized it's the right thing to do. As we walked out of the theatre the first thing he said was "we come back another day?!"

When we got home he was excited to call gramma to tell her about it and his usual "let's talk" at bedtime was changed to "let's talk 'bout Lorax!"

So I would say it was definitely a success!

"Speck" Inspector Kit!

Today I made Carter a "Speck" Inspector Kit. Thanks for the idea Kelly and the blog "Val's Crafty Corner" from the Melissa and Doug website!

For those of you that don't know, the term "speck" here is from the movie Horton Hears a Who. Carter's favourite movie! Horton finds a clover with a "speck" on it. The speck is actually a town called Whoville where all the Who's live. It's a great book and movie that emphasizes that just because you don't see, hear, or feel something doesn't mean it doesn't exist!

So off to the dollar store I went...

Every kit needs a case!

The supplies!

Let the inspecting begin!

Found a speck!

Sorting fun!

Like George!

Conversation from today...

Carter - "dad, I put this is my mouth"
Me - "then what happened"
Carter - "mum take it away"
Me - "that's right because mum asked you not to put it in your mouth. Then you got really upset, didn't you"
Carter - "yeah"
Me - "then mum gave it back to you later once you calmed down and promised not to put it in your mouth"
Carter - "that nice of you mum!"

Then our conversation while getting Carter ready for bed tonight....

Me - "Carter, tell Dad what you did with that cream after your nap yesterday"
Carter - "I just squirted it"
Me - "yeah, it was all over your hands and pj's when I came in, right?"
Carter - "sorry mum, I just lookin' at it. I squirted it."
Me - "that's ok babe, I know you were just curious."
Carter - "yeah, me like George!"

Two weeks from H. E. double hockey sticks!!

Well, the only good thing about the last two weeks is that it's over!! On Valentines day Carter woke up with what appeared to be a run of the mill cold, but by days end it turned in to a horrible horrible flu. Within 48 hours Dan and I had it too. What followed was two weeks of vomit, crying, no sleep, runny noses, coughing, dehydration, and other details that I'll spare you of! Then to top it all off, just as we were all starting to feel better, Carter ended up with pneumonia and then had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. After three trips to the doctor, chest x-rays, lots of tears (mostly from me), cancelled plans, even less sleep and lots and lots of cuddles, we are officially on our way out of this mess!

Carter is back to his happy self, with the occasional bump in the road due to digestive issues caused by the antibiotics. With the help of some home made wipes, cortisone cream, and some pro-biotics, that seems to be improving as well. Five more days on the antibiotics and then we can try to forget that any of this ever happened.

Actually, there was one other thing that happened that was good. Carter started telling me on a daily, some times hourly, basis that he loves me and Dan. It never gets old. Melts my heart every time!

Our day...

Breakfast!

"Dump out the letter's mum!"

"Do big alphabet! Do little alphabet!

Practising using scissors 

  

Dad showing him how it's done!

Sticking to his own way!

Pillow pit!!

Lunch time! (I swear we don't drill him on his letters, he insists!)

Shovelling with the smallest shovel he could find!

Relaxing after shovelling!

Unfortunately I didn't have my camera for the last event of the night. Dan was at Jiu Jitsu so it was just me, Carter, and Pancho for bed time. Carter and I started going up the stairs when I remembered I had laundry to bring up. I asked him to sit and wait for me. He agreed; however, he proceeded to take off up the stairs, run into my room, shut the door, and LOCK IT!! Ugh! I tried to get him to push on the door nob and turn it but he said "can't mum! Look at you under the door." Luckily I had insisted to Dan that we keep some old wire hangers incase this ever happened. After getting the hanger and unlocking the door I opened it to find Carter and Pancho sitting in the middle of the floor in my pitch black room just smiling at me. He's lucky he's so cute!!

Quickie Update

I know I've been slacking on the blog posts lately. Between the pain and discomfort I'm now in due to JoJo (33 weeks this Sunday!) and the fact that Carter's energy seems to have doubled in the last few weeks, by the time I get a moment to myself all I want to do is sleep!

Things are going good though. Everything with JoJo seems right on track. I'm pretty sure the pain and discomfort I'm in is probably the same as it was when I was pregnant with Carter but back then I could just relax whenever I wanted. That's a little harder to do with a two year old! At this point I'm counting down the days to when this little one is due and I'll feel normal again. I remember with Carter, even though I ended up with a c-section, I felt amazing after he was born. I'm sure a lot of it had to do with being madly in love with the little man, but it also had to do with it being the first time in about 7 months that I didn't feel like I was going to get sick at any moment. It's been a rough road but at least I get the best reward of all at the end of all this.

Now on to the important stuff, Carter! He's doing great. Still obsessed with his letters. Every time he sits down to eat it's still "let's learn letters mum!" And of course "what's that say mum?" to every sign he sees.

Today after his nap I told him we had to go downstairs so I could start dinner but he said he wanted to stay upstairs. So I shut all the doors except for his room and closed the gate at the top of the stairs. After a few minutes I went to check on him and this is what I found:

He immediately told me to go back down stairs. The two of them stayed there for about 20 minutes before he finally asked to come down. 

Thursday nights Dan and Carter are now going to an arts and crafts class for 4 weeks and then they start swimming. Here's a picture of the crafts from last week. He seems to really enjoy it!

Tonight on the way home from class Dan was playing with an alligator puppet I got for Carter. Pretending to be the alligator Dan said "hey Carter, let's go home and have some juice!" Carter's response, "no dad. He don't like juice, he eat cows!" Can't get anything past him!

Singing ABC's

Click here to see a video of Carter signing his ABC's!

Inquiring Mind of a Two Year Old!

Ever since Carter was born I've been amazed watching him take in everything around him. What an overwhelming prospect if you really think about. Babies have to learn to walk, talk, and understand the world around them. Ideally, we also want them to learn to have patience, manners, to share, to be kind, to be honest, and we can't forget - to fall asleep on their own and stay asleep until morning!

We as parents have the responsibility of behaving in a way we want our little ones to, to teach when an opportunity presents itself (please, thank you), to guide when they may try their own approach (no we don't hit Johnny on the head because he took your toy), and to learn the clues of when they have had enough and need a break! Luckily though, most of what they need to learn is done by just observing what we do. When in a loving environment they will learn so much all on their own! They are like little sponges that observe everything, process it to the best of their abilities, and use it to help them learn even more.

As they get older they start to take on more of the responsibility of learning themselves. This is when "what" and "why" become their favourite words! They start to consciously decide what they want to learn (while still subconsciously learning). This has become blatantly obvious with Carter lately! The most common phrases I hear from Carter are "why mum?" (and I better give a really good answer or another "why mum?" will follow), "where you going mum?", "what you doing mum?" (he just said that to me now), "what's that mum?", and one of my favourites "what you thinking 'bout mum?"

Carter has most recently started asking "what letter is that?" and "what's that say?" This started with Carter's new fascination with letters and numbers. He has always loved to read but any time we previously tried to teach him a letter he didn't seem interested. I put some stick-on letters on his wall a couple months ago that he loved to look at and sing about, "a-b-c-f-g" while pointing at any letter! Then he started to enjoy playing with a set of magnetic fridge letters. Although he still didn't care what they were, he loved dumping them out of their case on to his train table and tossing them over the studio wall into the front hall. It became a favourite pass time!

Then one day he decided to bring the letters to the table with him while he ate his lunch. They haven't left the table since. Now every time we eat Carter wants to play with the letters and learn what they are. He says "let's learn letters mum!" or "let's set up alphabet mum!" Because he's so interested in the letters we've started putting a new letter on his chalk board every day. We've also pulled out some alphabet flash cards that we used for sign language and he plays with those at the table as well. After 2-3 weeks Carter now knows 21 letters (capital and small).

It is just so amazing to watch him learn and be so interested in it! We went to the grocery store last night and he was asking what every sign said and even what the label on every item said. It opens us up to so many more learning opportunities!

Boring Day = Great Day!

This morning I woke up wondering what we could do today. For once we had 0 plans. What I first thought was going to be a very boring day turned out to be such a great one!

First we had fun having breakfast!

My hungry dinosaur (as he likes to call himself)!

Then we went to visit Gramma and Papa, where he got to wear the dinosaur costume Gramma made! He also dragged papa around the house for about two hours - "let's go some place else, papa!". Hopefully papa had as much fun as Carter did!

Cutest dinosaur I've ever seen!

Then we went home for lunch and a nap (for all three of us!) The rest of the day we got to just hang out and enjoy each others company.

Being silly!

Aww...my boys!

After dinner was my favourite moment of the day. I started singing "Happy Together" to Carter and he loved it! He was dancing up a storm in his seat. I thought I'd spare you all my singing so I took a video with the song playing from YouTube, though Carter wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as he was when I was singing it. The video is when he was trying to copy Dan's moves.

Time to watch Garfield - Pet Force!

Flash too bright mum!

Wow!

If Garfield will wear a cape, so will I!

 Then it was bedtime!

Brushing our teeth!

Being silly washing our hands!

Gotta practice our letters before bed!

Snuggle puppy of mine, everything about you is especially fine!

Night time chat!

Couldn't have asked for a better day!

Come Here You Little Turd!

This morning I went out for breakfast with some girlfriends. When I got home Carter was saying "come here you little turd!" Apparently Dan and him were wrestling and Carter ran off, so Dan said that to him. Of course Carter immediately started saying it. Dan tried to tell him he said "come here you little turkey!" but Carter wasn't having it!

Then a couple minutes after I got home Dan said "oh geeze" about something and Carter of course followed suit. He's a little sponge so we really have to watch what we say!

30 weeks down, 10 to go! Pregnancy Update

Hard to believe I'm 30 weeks along now. It's been rough, since about week 7, but I can finally see the light! Today I got to hold my friends perfect little boy who is only two days old and it really made me excited for what's to come. Well, I could skip the whole labour/delivery part, though I hope it goes as quickly as hers did, but what comes after is so worth it all!

Regardless of how awful it's been I feel so blessed to be expecting and to have such a wonderful support system. Dan's still doing most things around the house; though I've managed to make a few dinners over the last week or so. Dan's mom is still coming in the morning whenever I need her and Carter couldn't be a more supportive little guy! He asks a couple times a day if my belly hurts and if I say yes he brings his lovey to me and says "feel better!" He also just accepts it when I say I need to take a break or I can't lift him up. JoJo (that's what we are calling baby Craig for now - it's a character from Carter's favourite movie Horton Hears a Who) is one lucky boy to be getting such a caring big brother!

Now I just need to really start getting stuff ready! JoJo will be taking over Carter's nursery so that part is done, minus a few finishing touches. I've sorted through all of Carter's 0-12 months clothes so now I just need to wash them all. Though, with them being born during opposite seasons I'm not sure how much of Carter's clothes he'll get to wear. So now I'm waiting for the stores to come out with some spring/summer clothes so he won't have to wear fleece pajamas in the summer time! Luckily, another friend gave me a bin of clothes yesterday to borrow and her son was born in March so they will hopefully be more suited for the weather when JoJo is born.

Next on the to do list is to find a monitor that doesn't interfere with Carter's monitor or our WiFi. I'm really hoping to get a video monitor. I bought one at Babies R Us last weekend that was on sale and I LOVE it. The only problem is that it interferes with our internet connection. It wouldn't be a big deal except that once we have two kids, the only time Dan and I will get to check our email/go online is when the kids are sleeping. We also previously tried an Angel Care monitor but it appeared to interfere with Carter's monitor. Back to the drawing board!

Next thing is I have to go through all the baby stuff in the basement still to get out what we'll need (breastfeeding pillow, pump, receiving blankets, bath, car seat, etc). And then I have a bit of shopping to do for little things like newborn diapers, baby book, and a car seat base.

Last, but not least, is to pack our bags for the hospital and for Carter to stay at Gramma and Papa's. Those can wait though!

So all in all we don't have a whole lot to do before JoJo makes his appearance. Luckily I'm feeling pretty good lately in comparison to how I was feeling. I still get sick if I do to much before dinner time but if I take it easy I can get through most days without getting sick. Also, my sciatic pain has let up. I'm sure as JoJo gets bigger I'll start getting more aches and pains but I'm going to enjoy feeling half human while I can!

Decluttering!

Dan's dad came over on Saturday to help Dan build some shelves in the basement. I was thrilled as I was getting sick of looking at the piles on the floor down there. Over the last few weeks we have been selling stuff on Kijiji that we don't need/want any more but it wasn't doing enough to help us get organized. Plus, we have a large number of Rubbermaid bins that are great for storage, but kind of annoying to have stacked on top of each other. Not only do they not hold the weight of each other that great but it's really a pain to get something from the bottom bin. So, papa to the rescue!!

Getting started!

Cover your ears! Drill was too loud

Got nails!

Serious business!

Gotta get the measurements right

Finished product - Thanks papa!!

Took about 15 minutes to fill it

Well, it didn't take long to fill it but it beats having everything on the floor. Now I just have to go through all the baby stuff to figure out what I need for the baby when he first comes home. That should make some room on these shelves and the other ones we have, since almost all of it is baby stuff!

Busy Day!

I love my days with Carter. Sometimes I really wish I could just video tape him all the time so I could some day look back and remember how sweet and innocent he was. The problem is, the minute I start video taping him he usually turns into a goof ball!

Today we gave gramma the day off as our old baby group was going to come over. Although I was feeling rough in the morning getting us ready, Carter made me feel better by how excited he was for his friends to get here. He just kept saying "friend's coming over!" Of course, as soon as they started showing up he turned into a mute and wouldn't leave my side. There was also a few tears over his toys being played with. All in all though it was great to see everyone and Carter still said "that fun" after everyone left and was excited to tell daddy all about it. "Aiden's plate, Kayla slipped, where's Hailey?, etc"

Before playgroup!

Another before shot!

After playgroup!

Another after shot! Clearly someone has too many toys!

And that didn't include what the kitchen looked like! Luckily Dan came home for lunch shortly after and helped clean up! It was all worth it though to see the little ones as it had been a really long time since that many of them had been together.

Although I managed to get a nap in this afternoon I'm pretty sure Carter didn't. When I fell asleep at 1 he was talking away in his bed and he was still talking when I woke up at 2:30. Now I usually can't sleep through the sounds of him talking over the monitor so I don't know if he did actually sleep or if I was just that tired. Either way he was happy and didn't want to get out of bed when I went to go get him.

After nap time I had to go give a urine sample at the doctors office. Carter and I got ready and got into the van. As we started driving Carter said "be careful mum! Snow on road. Don't slide in to other cars."  I swear he remembers every conversation he has! This wasn't one of ours so it was obviously something him and Dan or him and gramma had talked about. On our way home from the doctors I thanked Carter for being so good and listening to me (there were lots of "don't touch anything"'s in the dr's office bathroom that he thankfully listened to). He replied by saying "thank you mum....for taking me there." What a sweet child I have!

Unfortunately some of the sweetness left when we got home. He started doing everything we tell him not to do (which makes me pretty sure there was no nap). At one point he took his little shopping cart and drove it right in to my foot. When I said "Carter! That wasn't very nice. That hurt!" he replied with "Sorry mum, me go round you." Now how could I possibly stay mad!

After dinner we finished the day off with a visit to Kidscape with Carter's cousins. Any energy he had left was completely drained and he was out like a light within 5 minutes of bed time (skipping his now usual chatting for 30-60 minutes before falling asleep). Unfortunately it also tired out Dan who has now gone to 2-3 hours of strength training for jiu jitsu! Lucky guy!