Carter's Birthday Weekend

Well, my little man turned 3 today. We had a weekend full of parties to celebrate. First there was the party with his friends. There was: 

Swimming

Food

Cake

Fun

Friends

Ball Pit

Then Sunday we had the family party:

Link hanging out with gramma

Three kings

Fireman in the house

Showing off his muscles

Kustermann's Berry Farm

For the last three years we have gone to a farm on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. Here are some pics from this years outing:

A Zoo of a Day!

Yesterday was definitely a crazy day. Well, crazy for me anyway. Mostly because 10 min before we left for Greenview Aviaries Park & Zoo Dan realized he was coming down with the flu Carter and I had early in the week. So we went on without him!

Things were not looking good on the way there. With in 5 minutes on the road I knocked Carter's drink all over the floor of the van and had to listen to him say repeatedly "don't do it again mum!" Then he realized his lovey had "crusty's" on it, which later turned out to be poop! Awesome!

The rest of the ride was actually really nice. Lincoln slept the whole way so Carter and I got to chat. He even taught me how you play catch. It went like this:

Carter - "Mum, I want a big football"

Me - "oh yeah, maybe we should put
it on your wish list."

Carter - "do you know how to play catch?"

Me - "yes, I do!"

Carter - "What you do is, you throw the ball to someone and they catch it. Then they throw the ball to you and you catch it."

Me - "sounds like fun."

Carter - "do you want to play catch with me some time?"

Me - "I'd love to!"

Luckily I had help there and Carter had his buddies Connor, Evan, and Keira there to keep him occupied. I think the best thing I heard all day was Connor's realization about Lincoln's gender while I changed Lincoln's diaper.

Connor - "Lincoln's a boy!?!"

Me - "yes, what did you think he was?"

Connor - "a girl!"

Me - "nope, he's a boy!"

Connor - "So when he grows up he's going to have a big penis?!"

Me - "Most likely!"

Gotta love em'!

Here's the one picture I got all day! Being a single parent at the zoo for the day with two kids doesn't leave much time for picture taking. Luckily I have some on order from Jay and Kelly! Unfortunately Keira had gone home by this point but seeing how she preferred the tractors over the animals, she would have fit right in!

Father's Day 2012!

We celebrated a day early this year. When I went in to Carter's room to get him this morning the first thing he said was "dad open his presents now?" and it was followed by "can Linky come to Father's Day too?" The rest of the day followed with as much excitement. As I like to do, here is our day in pictures....

Carter keeping Lincoln company while we make Dan a surprise Father's Day breakfast!

Mmm, blueberry pancakes!

Gifts for Dan!

Our home made gift!  

After Dan opened his gifts Carter asked if we had any more for gifts for dad. I told him no, but that we were taking dad out for lunch. He turned to Dan wide eyed and said, "You so lucky!!!"

Before lunch we got to go see Evan at Little Gym but unfortunately I forgot to bring my phone in with us to get some pictures. He did great though!

Then Carter and Dan took their dad's out for lunch to Boss Hogs! We could have fed twice as many people with the amount of food they gave us. Oh, and Linda's eyes are open in a picture - it's a Father's Day miracle! :)

Both boys had a nap on our way home!

We decided to let them sleep!

Then the water fun began!

Splish splash!

Dan made it rain!

Until Carter got a hold of the gun!

Payback!

Blocking!

Visit from a ladybug!

Cranky baby!

Nothing a soother and a blanket beside his face won't fix!

Nap time for daddy and Pancho! (until one of the boys squirted him in the back of the head!)

Drying off!

Someone's hungry!

Bedtime stories with all the boys!

As of 8:30 all the males in the house were asleep. I'd say that's a sign of a great day!

Toddler Talk!

Every time Carter and I go for a car ride I always think to myself that I wish I was taping our conversation. Today on the way home from gramma and papa's I decided to write it all down as soon as I got home. Here it goes...

Carter is in bold.

I don't want to go home
We have to go home and have dinner. We are having hot dogs.
What you said?
Hot dogs
I say hoT doG. It's hard to say with gum in your mouth. (I was chewing gum.)
Yes, it is!
I don't want to go home.
Why not?
I want to live at gramma's
Wouldn't you miss us? (no response)
What did you do at gramma's?
We blow bubbles. That one didn't work. Maybe the yellow one will work. I don't want to go home. Hey, what's that guy doing?
He's running.
He's jogging!
Maybe he's chasing those kids on their bikes.
Maybe!
I don't want to go home. Who lives in there?
I don't know. Who do you think would live in there?
Maybeee raccoons! They could sleep on the branches.
I don't want to go home.
Hey, there's an extra Tim Hortons (we took a different way home so it was a Timmies he hadn't seen before).
What's that?
I'm not sure. What are you looking at?
It's a red dump truck! That guy's taking a break. (there was a guy standing beside the truck).
I think you are right!
What's he eating?
Who?
Lincoln, he's chewing. Maybe it's spit up. We clean it up when we get home!
Is Lincoln awake?
Nope.
We go up the hill and then down the hill.
I don't want to go home.
1, 2, 3
What are you counting?
My fingers. 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. I have 7 fingers!
What is this one?
Which one? Hold it up so I can see.
This one!
Oh, that's your pinky finger!
My finger nails are pink. I have orange hands.
I don't want to go home.
Lincoln's awake. Sometimes he opens his eyes and then he closes his eyes.
Yes he does!
Why we go this way?
Because it's quicker!
Why we go this way?
Because it's quicker then the other way.
Why?
Because everyone is coming home from work now.
Hey, there is two blue signs on that house. Why?
I'm not sure.
Maybe because they are going to dig!
Maybe!
Why we go this way?
Because its quicker!
I don't want to go home. 
Where's Connor Evan?
They are inside with their Gramma!
Their gramma's name is Eleanor. My gramma's name is (very slowly) gramma. 
Gramma, papa
Is Eleanor going to come out?
At some point she will.
I want a cookie (papa gave him two to bring home - one broken in half and one full one.)
Not until after dinner.
I WANT IT NOW!
Carter
Pleeeeese
How about we compromise. You can have half of the broken one now and the rest after dinner.
I want the other one! (points to the full one)

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!