Christmas 2012

We had a wonderful Christmas this year, and we felt privileged to be able to share it with Edward's parents, sisters and my parents, too.   A lot of photos were taken, and I picked a few that would give a flavour of the action-packed, yet still surprisingly restful, days that surrounded Christmas 2012:

Auntie Jane came down from Toronto a couple of days early, so we managed to take advantage of a fresh blanket of sticky snow to make our first snowman in the backyard:

Aunt Jane provided the muscle to get the snowman assembled.  Here I am adding grapes for the eyes.  Keith merrily ate them, and so we moved to Plan B...

Colin and the second incarnation of the snowman, with pebbles and cedar leaves as eyes/eyelashes.  Keith tried to eat those, too, but they didn't prove as tasty.

Not everyone was enamoured with being cold and wet

But we still had fun playing peekaboo

Auntie Jane's presence also meant that I had time to finish the felt board I made for Christmas.  I got the idea for the board and some basic shapes from this blog.  Of course, I had to add the OpaNanaCar, as well as Sprocket (the black, spikey, slightly devilish-looking creature against the barn).  You may notice that almost every vehicle has a steering wheel and a door handle.  For whatever reason, those items are a must in Keith's opinion.  The Ducklings love it!  We already had Sprocket driving the ambulance.  I'll add more shapes as inspiration and demand strike.

 Grammy, Colin and Keith enjoying the wonderful family photo album that Aunt Pinie put together.  If there's anything the Ducklings like better than seeing pictures of family, it's seeing a picture of Monkey!

This is what Christmas morning looked like.  We waited until the kids were in bed on Christmas Eve before we put up the tree in an effort to minimize the potential for damage by grabby toddler hands.  Colin didn't participate fully in the experience, as you'll see, because he wasn't feeling well.  He woke up with a fever and was out of sorts for most of the day.  Happily, he's feeling much better today.

Keith getting down to business.  Santa brought him a huuuge digger.

Santa brought Evelyn a new "baby".  We hope it will tide her over until, say, the end of June when she'll have the real thing to play with....

Yes, that's right!  Edward and I are over-the-moon and tickled pink to announce the pending arrival of our best DIY project to date:  Baby Z.  I'm half-way through my 14th week of pregnancy and the baby (and Mama) are doing really well.  We'll get our next peek at baby at the end of January, so stay tuned.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2013!

Quiet is Good

Life has been pretty quiet around here the past few weeks... as quiet as possible with three busy two year olds.  But Edward and I greatly appreciate the uneventfulness.  No middle of the night hospital trips - not even a sniffle since Evelyn recovered from her tangle with whatever it was that Keith had.  We both know that this good run will necessarily come to an end, but in the meantime, we've enjoyed an evening out with friends, had Nana and Opa over for dinner, finished Christmas shopping and accomplished a few things on our colossal To Do list.  All of this is easier to achieve when everyone is healthy.

I wouldn't say we're well rested, but one can only hope for so much!  Keith has been struggling with settling at bedtime, and has resorted to several hours of howling.  I think it's mostly separation anxiety, but he is extremely hard to soothe once he works himself into a lather.  Last night, he started up as soon as Edward left the room.  He cried for ten minutes, and then I heard Colin talking to him.  Keith stopped crying and started chatting, and within another ten minutes everyone was asleep.  I've noticed them starting to reach out to each other a lot more and really enjoying each other's company.  In fact, as I type this, they're giggling madly upstairs, singing along to Raffi and pretending to drive their car (they sit under the craft table and use the chairs as doors).  At first, I spent a lot of time encouraging them to help and comfort each other.  But now they'll do this on their own initiative.  When something really goes awry, they still want Mummy.  However, for the little trials and tribulations, they will turn to each other.  Of course, it's not utopic - they are, after all, two years old.  I still (and will for years) get called in to arbitrate regularly, but these guys are getting pretty good at negotiating on their own.

Hmm... maybe those greedy hockey players and owners could learn a few skills from our two years olds.

Back To Normal... Almost!

As you can see, Keith is feeling much more like himself.

Here they are with Aunt Pinie... of course, the perfect group shot is pretty much out of the realm of possibility these days.

Edward's Aunt Pinie and his mother (Grammy) have been visiting since last Wednesday, and the kids are totally relishing the fun and love being showered on them!  And Edward and I get a bit of a break.

Of course, yesterday morning Evelyn awoke with a fever that slowly climbed to 39.2, and she had a restless night.  She seems better (if not slightly overtired) this morning, so here's hoping her illness is just the usual flash-in-the-pan, and not a repeat of last week!

Keith - Well On The Mend

Edward and I took Keith back to CHEO yesterday morning for his first outpatient blood draw at the Medical Day Unit (MDU), which is divided into Oncology, Dialysis and Hematology clinics.  It was very sobering to take Keith into that waiting room, and I spent my entire time in there feeling supremely grateful that we are not known there by name, like some of the other children.  I saw a man I was in Air Cadets with 20 years ago.  He was there with his 9 year old son, who is battling leukemia.   The waiting room is filled with toys, puzzles, games, a big screen TV and even a classroom for kids missing school due to treatment.  Keith was in his element playing with a box full of Matchbox cars.

Of course, Keith's itty bitty veins caused even these very experienced nurses a ton of trouble, and it took them four tries to get the needle in for the draw, but to no avail.  By then, Keith had screamed himself hoarse.  For the fifth try, they brought in a special nurse who was able to complete the blood work in about two minutes, much to everyone's relief.

The pain was worth the gain, however, because Keith's blood results were really good.  His neutrophil levels were a whopping 1.6, and his platelet counts were normal.  His liver enzymes had only recovered a smidge, but she told us that can take time.  We're supposed to do a repeat blood test next Friday, as well as a repeat ultrasound to make sure his liver and spleen are no longer enlarged.  Very good news, and hopefully after next Friday, we will be lucky enough to never have to see the inside of the MDU ever again!

WE'RE HOME!!!!

When I showed up this afternoon for a quick, fly-by visit, Edward couldn't wait to tell me the amazing news:  Keith was discharged!   Today's neutrophil levels had increased to 0.4, so although we have a ways to go, they felt that he was on an upward swing.  We packed up and left before they could change their minds.  Keith couldn't believe that he finally got to go in the elevator, and then was overjoyed to be treated to a car ride AND Raffi.

Opa, Grammy and Aunt Pinie arrived at home virtually the same time we did, and Nana was waiting for us with open arms and lasagna in the oven.  Keith felt a little overwhelmed to be home, and is still a little pale and wobbly.  Our Pumpkin will be thrilled to learn that he can finally eat all the ice cream he wants as we try to regain the weight he's lost.  He keeps asking for a bath, and we are only too anxious to accommodate him - he hasn't bathed in a week!   We're looking forward to a relaxing evening with everyone at home.  What a wonderful, wonderful early Christmas present.

Keith has to go back to CHEO Friday morning for a blood test, and he will continue to be treated as an outpatient by Hematology until they are satisfied that all his levels and liver enzymes are within the normal range.  For now, we're avoiding public places, as Keith has virtually no immune system.  Hopefully, he'll recover in time to visit with Santa at the mall!

We all remember (Santa too, I'm sure), how that went last year:

A Happier Keith

Here's Keith, taken this afternoon.  We're so very pleased that he's looking this great, and that his hearty appetite is slowly returning.  We know that will only improve his situation.  The pediatrician wants to see him walking around, as he is wobbly on his feet, and she wants him to start drinking on his own.  They decreased his IV fluid intake in the hope that this will encourage him that direction.

The hematology report wasn't as rosy.  His neutrophil count didn't drop, but it also didn't improve.  As well, there are some underlying liver issues that need to resolve before he's allowed to go home.  They're still working to rule out Microphage Activation Syndrome (MAS), for which he meets some of the criteria, but not all.   MAS could have been triggered by the viral infection, which still tops the list of their theories as to what befell Keith.  In any case, they believe that should his neutrophil levels reach an acceptable level (his is 0.2, and they should be over 1.0), Keith can be seen as an outpatient at the Hematology clinic.  In fact, we were given our first glimmer of hope today that Keith would be out before the weekend!

It was wonderful leaving his room with a smile on my face.

--------
Unfortunately, today's hematology report wasn't any improved on yesterday's.  The neutrophil and platelet counts were exactly the same, or lower.  Keith is still perking up very nicely, so we know he feels better; but his body is very much still in recovery mode.  With a neutrophil level like his, his immune system is almost non-existent, so if they were to send him home, he'd be laid flat by the next little sniffle he caught.  If we allow for a few days for the levels to improve, we're now inching closer to the end of the week, and we're worried that a Friday release is becoming a bit of a pipe dream.  Looking forward to seeing Keith tonight, and giving him an enormous kiss n hug.

Keith - A Better Day

Much to our relief, Keith started to perk up a little yesterday afternoon.  Of course, this meant that he had to sample the tubing, press the "Call Nurse" button, watch Shipping Wars (big trucks!) and try to climb the bed rails.  And do a lot of screaming when anyone came too close to him, or when Daddy escaped for a 10 second shower.  He desperately - and vocally - wants to go home.  All very, VERY good signs.

His ultrasound showed an enlarged liver, and a spleen at the upper edge of normal size, but otherwise, nothing of note.  This allows the doctors to rule out the immunological disease.  They are now almost fully convinced that Keith had an extremely strong reaction to a very nasty virus.  They are still working to figure out what that could be, and a Hematologist will be in later to discuss this with Edward, along with the Infectious Disease Specialist who has been part of the team since the beginning.

The only worrying result is that Keith's neutrophil numbers were still dropping as of yesterday's blood panel.  They will not discharge Keith until these numbers show a significant jump, and so we're still in that holding pattern.  They took another two vials of blood this morning, so hopefully we'll get some good news about those levels later this afternoon.

Edward FINALLY got a chance to leave Keith for a few minutes, other than when I show up for a quick visit/laundry exchange.  A volunteer with a basket full of toys (including a police car!) showed up, and Keith didn't even see Edward slip out.  He's on the prowl for a few car magazines, which hopefully will keep our increasingly busy little guy out of trouble.  But then, you know Keith.....

Thanks everyone for all your well wishes.  We'll be sure to keep everyone posted.

Keith - Update

I apologize for the radio silence concerning Keith's illness, but at the moment, there is little to report.  Otherwise, I'm getting used to having Edward and Keith in the hospital while I manage on the home front.  It's actually a real pleasure and comfort for me to be so busy running after Colin and Evelyn.  My parents have been phenomenal in helping me get to the hospital twice a day, although with the work day traffic starting up again tomorrow, my afternoon visit won't be practical anymore.  Keith is in isolation, so only Edward and I can see him.

As it stands now, the doctors do not know what is ailing Keith.  They have run batteries of tests without conclusive results, and they are continuing their diligent efforts to identify what is making him so sick.  All the poking and prodding is extremely upsetting for Keith (and Edward), and this morning, he's going for an ultrasound of his spleen and gallbladder to see if that will confirm a few of their suspicions.  Currently, they have two front-running theories:  a virus, or an autoimmune disease.  I won't go into the specifics of each at the moment, because it's very complex and ever-changing.

As for Keith himself, he is clearly feeling worse and his dropping red and white blood cell counts support this.  He spends his day cuddled against Edward with his eyes closed - unless he is protesting the latest indignity.   Edward managed to get him to say "Hello Mummy" on the telephone last night, but otherwise he is patently disinterested in talking, eating or playing.  His IV is causing him a lot of discomfort and he is very restless.

The doctors believe that the next 24 hours will give them a much clearer picture.  If it is autoimmune, the disease they have in mind can only be clinically diagnosed, so we have to wait for the disease to continue its tell-tale track, and the virus blood work to come back before they're ready to start any form of treatment.  Given that they're currently testing him for "every virus known to man", as his doctor informed us, this can take time.  I won't lie, it's very hard to wait.  But they will not begin a therapy until they know it will do more good than harm.

And so, we wait.

Shaking Our Sillies Out - Keith in Hospital

Taken this morning... Keith is in shorts and a t-shirt because he's running around with a 39.2 fever.  In this video, you wouldn't know it.  But this afternoon, he let us know just how miserable he feels... in case we missed yesterday's post-dinner vomit memo.  Perhaps Edward and I will be spared.  Perhaps not.  Oh, the suspense!

However, as you can see, they still LOVE Raffi.  And if you think the table doodling demonstrates an interesting abstract design, you should have seen Keith's face.  And Colin's tongue.  Thank God for non-toxic markers... and a reminder to me that I should make sure the markers are well out of 6-arms-reach when I try to fold the laundry.

Edit #1:  Yesterday late afternoon, it became clear to us that Keith was really unwell.  While Edward and I finished making dinner, he sat slumped against the living room wall as Colin and Evelyn played around him.  He crawled into my lap - Evelyn came by every now and again to pat him and say "Poor Keef", and Colin tried to tempt him with a stuffed caterpillar, but to no avail.

The situation became clear when Edward put Keith in the bath and called me upstairs.  A swath of Keith's left arm was bright red, and it hadn't been when I got him dressed that morning.  We had seen this before with Colin and we knew not to mess around with cellulitis.  Edward had to run (literally) to pick up our van, which was (of course!) at the garage getting the winter tires put on, and I dressed Keith for his Emerg visit.  We drew a circle in pen around the redness, and it had already passed the margin by the time he was seen by the doctor.  He was also developing the cellulitis on his right arm.  We have no idea how he got it, which is unsettling.  Edward and Keith got home at around 1:30 this morning; Keith was bright-eyed and ready to tell me all about his visit, but he eventually drifted off for some desperately needed sleep.  We have a course of antibiotics to follow, and although Keith is still feeling pretty poor this morning, we're hopeful the medication will kick in fast, as it did with Colin, and he'll be on the mend soon.

Edit #2:  After talking to our pediatrician this morning, Edward took Keith back to the Emergency.  He still had a fever of 39, and was extremely miserable.  In addition, the cellulitis was spreading up to his shoulder on one side and was spreading down his other arm.  It would seem that unlike Colin's case, where the infection was introduced via a puncture wound, in Keith's case, it is in his system and exhibiting itself outwards.  We'll see what they say, but his pediatrician wants him on IV antibiotics.  Stay tuned!

Edit #3:  Well, 8 hours in Emerg at CHEO later, and they're admitting Keith.  The doctors are not pleased with his response to the IV antibiotics, and they're doubting that it is a superficial skin infection.  Please, if you can send a positive thought to our Pumpkin, we'd be very grateful.

Another "Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time"

This is what happens when Edward and I try to have a real, face-to-face conversation whilst the chidlers are playing happily in the next room:

Evelyn came running to get me, because "Keef is on da table".  I heard a plaintive "Stuck, stuck" from Colin.  Keith was totally unfazed by his near-tragic brush with the laws of gravity.  I really do wonder whose idea this was?  Wait... let me guess...

I Have An Idea!

Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time...

Hallowe'en!

Dressed as green M&Ms... or 3 peas in a pod - it's an interpretive (read: last minute - thanks, Grammy!) costume

I literally grabbed this picture as Edward and The Ducklings rolled down the driveway for their first Trick or Treat experience this evening.  The kids were extremely anxious to get going, which surprised me.  We talked about Hallowe'en in passing, and they did try on their costumes for Grammy a week ago, but their level of enthusiasm was unexpected.  Maybe it was the idea of going out in the wagon that stoked the fire more than anything, but Evelyn went running to her costume and demanded to "put Hallowe'en on".... Moments later, she announced that she was "ready to go, Mummy!"

And off they went.  I was also curious to see how they'd react to some of the more frightening costumes.  "Scary" has entered their vocabulary, and makes an appearance pretty regularly as they encounter things like spiders, loud trucks and boisterous kids at the park.  In fact, they seemed to take it all in stride tonight; asking "what's that?" when they saw a particularly gruesome mask.

They came back after visiting a few neighbours with their pumpkin full of goodies.  For dessert tonight, they each got a tiny box of Smarties.  Colin and Evelyn savoured each one.  And Keith, well, he attacks food with gusto, particularly if it's sweet.  He is definitely my child.

It was a fun night!  I have a ton of costume ideas that I figure I have a few short years to implement before they'll want to choose their own.  We'll see what happens next year, but hopefully, our costume will involve Sprocket as Toto...

Rainy Day

Watching videos on the "poopooter" (Colinspeak for "computer"), while sitting on their plastic lawnchairs.

Colours

I have to admit to having a bit of tree envy in our very densely foliated neighbourhood.  Last year was our first fall in the new house, so as the trees around us turned the most magnificent shades of red and orange, I waited in eager anticipation for the metamorphosis of our own maple tree on the front lawn.  I waited and waited - the other trees were basically bare by this point, and I was convinced the leaves on our tree were just going to go brown and fall off.  It turns out that we have a late bloomer.  However, last year, I was nonplussed by the sallow, pale colour they finally turned.  But this year, the leaves have gone this deep, luminescent yellow that just glows on the tree.  So pretty!  My photo doesn't do it justice.

DIY Kids Craft Table

At long last, I present the project that's taken me since February to complete!   I wanted to make the kids something for their second birthday that would be practical, affordable and usable over the next few years.  This past winter, my parents gave me a small table and two matching chairs that my sister and I used over thirty years ago... and they looked every one of their thirty plus, well-loved years:  

The chairs, one with the seat and backrest removed

The chairs needed reupholstering; and for some regrettable reason, I chose to re-cover the original vinyl in a cute but oh-so-cumbersome new vinyl fabric.  I guess I was thinking about durability, but I really should have thought about gauge... aka, the thickness of the vinyl.   Enchanted by the sweet little apple print, I failed to notice that the fabric had very little give and was closer in flexibility to cardboard than to chenille.  

Being a reupholstery novice, I watched a few Youtube tutorials before getting started on my own project.  I began by cutting the material, giving myself a lot of wiggle room on all sides:

A word about pattern:  it was a challenge to match the apple pattern on the seat and the backrest, and darn near impossible to make the two chairs look the same.  I gave up.  As a rookie with restricted free time, it would have been wiser for me to choose a solid print.

Pulling the vinyl tight, I stapled the sides of the seat:

When working with a stiff fabric like vinyl, it's a good idea not to staple too close to the corners, so that you have more material to work with.  I also trimmed the excess vinyl in the corners.

However, no sooner did I begin folding corners when I realized that there was no way I could follow the instructions I saw on-line.  Most tutorials suggested folding the corners like you'd gift-wrap the ends of a present.  However, the thickness of the vinyl made the corners look bulky and uneven.  Plus, as you can see above, the seat corners are rounded, thereby giving me no straight edge to work with:

After a lot of finangling, this was the best corner I could come up with using basic upholstery techniques 

After a lot of trial and error, I hit upon the idea of cutting the vinyl into strips, and stapling each piece individually.  This meant that I could adjust each strip to accommodate the curve of the seat and the thickness of the fabric.  The key is not to cut too close to the edge of the seat, otherwise the cuts will be visible once you turn the seat over:

The fabric cut into thin strips...

... and stapled.  Not a perfect corner, but I'm happier with this result than the one I got using the other technique

For the table, I wanted the paper to roll from underneath because the table surface isn't that big.  I spent a lot of time trying to find a roll of paper that wasn't too wide and a method to fasten it to the table which would allow me to access it easily.  Further, given that I was doing my running around during nap time (thanks Nana!), I didn't want to drive all over the place to find the various items I needed.  So, IKEA was my one-stop shop for the paper and the brackets (which are actually meant for curtain rods). I went to Home Depot to cut the wooden dowel: 

All of the components

Side view of a bracket in place

Both brackets attached.  The placement of the table legs posed a challenge.  I would have liked to place the brackets closer to the table edge.  As well, I had to make sure the brackets would project the dowel over the table legs.

The paper roll in place

For finishing touches, I ran the paper under the green polkadot ribbon, which acts as a paper guide.  To that end, I also took one enormous black paper clip and hot-glued more ribbon to it to add a little colour, and used it to keep the loose end of the paper firmly in place.  In order to protect the table top, I cut some foam board to the table's size and attached it with velcro so that it's easy to remove and replace.  The third chair was an Opa's Value Village Treasure that I spray painted red.  The final product in use:

So there you have it!  It was true labour of love, but I enjoyed the challenge.  And The Ducklings?  Well, we basically have to pry them off the chairs for their nap.  Here's hoping it will bring many years of fun and creativity - and a little quiet time for Mummy ;)

Birthday Pictures and Video

We had a wonderful second birthday party!  We thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone, and I was happily surprised by the number of people who came to celebrate with us.  Very special was meeting Phil and Cindy's sweet Mia, who was less than a month old.  In fact, at one point the under-four crowd in the living room included Mia, Maia and Malia!  It was a blast, too, having my sister Deborah, my brother-in-law Sepp, my niece Siobhan and nephew Liam with us.  They've just moved to Ontario from Alberta, and will be moving into their new house in Petawawa at the beginning of November.  The party also served as a Leighton/Irving family reunion, with a whole bunch of cousins in the kitchen and Aunt Pinie bustling around helping everything run smoothly.   We had so much fun.

I took a quick picture of the table before mayhem ensued...

Later that evening, Colin, Keith and Evelyn had a chance to delve into their cupcakes.  Keith almost had a meltdown in anticipation of his, and at the very end of the video, you'll catch Evelyn's honest opinion of hers... and Colin, well, it wasn't meat.  So he was less than interested!

Here they are rocking their brand new birthday slippers!

And what did they get as a present from Edward and I?  Stay tuned for the monster post that tells all!  It only took me from, oh, February to hours before their party to finish their gift...

Two Years Ago...

In some ways, it's incredibly hard to fathom that two years have passed since that fateful 2am leap out of bed, at almost 32 weeks pregnant.  Two years since we first laid eyes on our tiny bundles as they whizzed past us on their way to the NICU.  We had no idea what the future held at that moment.

We couldn't even imagine how these little beings can bring both the best and the worst out of you, often simultaneously; how you can hallucinate from severe sleep deprivation; how that moment you think you *might* have finally figured out their sleeping/eating needs and patterns is actually a subconscious signal for them to throw the next curve ball; how hard it is to talk and think rationally over three screaming two year olds; and how, when people ask you time and again how you manage, you shrug your shoulders and honestly reply:  I have no idea.  I do know that it has taken a village to raise these children to this point, and I can't see that changing any time soon.  We are very, very fortunate to have the support and help that we have on a daily basis.  So thank you all.

On the other hand, Colin, Keith and Evelyn are just so.... two.  "No" is "no" even when it's "yes".  Everything is theirs.  They count cars and puppies and tell me rather ruefully that they have made a "big big mess".  They like to play follow the leader and Simon Says.  They laugh themselves breathless.  They play together and fight together and make it all up with a peace offering: "tankyouvermuch".

A few additional thoughts:

Colin:  Favourite word:  "EL-AH-LEEEEEEEEN", when Evelyn has done something to raise his rather ready ire.  Sometimes all she has to do his look at him, and he will burst forth with righteous indignation.
           Favourite activity:  Piling items into other items:  toy cars in the barn, a fork and spoon in his cup holder, scraps of paper into a box.  Singing himself to sleep.  Playing by himself while talking to himself.  Cuddling.  Batting his eyelashes at himself in the mirror.  He monitors Keith when the latter is in full exploration mode, preemptively saying "No no Keith".  He is very much the older-by-one-minute big brother.

Keith:  Favourite word:  Truck.  Car.  Steering wheel.  Headlight.  This is a child who beeps when walking backwards, and the other day, he proudly showed me how he had bitten his cereal bar into the shape of a "school bus" and then a "digger".  Ice cream.  Ooooh, lookaDIS!!!  Everything he says is spoken very, VERY loudly.
           Favourite activity:  Anything he isn't supposed to be doing.  Our Curious Keith.  Happily, he also loves to read his books.  He adores being tickled and still plays peekaboo with abandon.  If you chase him, he will laugh hysterically.  He sings himself awake in the morning, and is (usually) our little ray of sunshine.  Very little gets Keith down.  He will eat pretty much anything we put in front of him, including "apple criss".

Evelyn:  Favourite word:  NOOOOOOO.  Shoo me ("excuse me").  Hilarious.  Delicious.  Anything you say - she is a constant echo.
              Favourite activity:  Playing with her dolly.  Building lego towers.  Coercing anyone into reading to her.  Cuddling - strictly on her own terms.  Helping:  she gets her brothers each a cracker after lunch and dinner, and cleans up.  For now.  She's always been feisty, but now she has the vocabulary to take it to the next level.  Loves her food, and still flaps her arms when she's enjoying her what's on her tray... the Flap Factor is a quantifiable reaction.

So there you have it - a little snapshot of our trio at two.

We love you so much, and can't wait to see what adventures lie ahead!!

*Photo courtesy of our friend Margaret.
        

At Two

I just dawned on me that the majority of the videos we take are at the kitchen table.  This is partially because we do spend a certain amount of our time eating.  However, it's also because it is one of the very few moments of the day when the kids are actually contained and thus easily captured on film.

Hot Air Balloons

 Last Saturday morning at breakfast, Keith informed Edward, Aunt Jane and Aunt Gillian that "red and yellow" were "up up high".  He was very insistent, particularly after Edward suggested that the yellow was Mr. Sun.  They looked out the window to see several colourful hot air balloons float by.  Yet another increasingly frequent occasion when we are put in our place by our resident two year olds!

PS:  They had their hair cut that afternoon... Keith was (again) very vocal about his dislike of such chi chi institutions as hair salons, Evelyn spent most of her time studying Keith melting down, and Colin was making faces at himself in the mirror.  Pretty much the status quo.

Keith And His Car Book

For the longest time, Keith has been obsessed with cars... trucks... anything with wheels and a motor.  He pulled this book off the shelf at the library and they have been joined at the hip ever since!

GUESS WHO.....

 Guess who is turning two?!





Evelyn says, "Are you sure??!!"

Yes!!  These little monkeys!

Keith says, "Alllmooost old enough to shave!"

COME CELEBRATE WITH US!

Saturday, September 22 from 2-5pm 

At our house

Informal open-house format, no RSVP required

If you need directions or more information, drop me a line!

NO GIFTS, PLEASE

Singing, Clapping & Playing

After this, you might have your fill of "Twinkle, Twinkle" and/or "Baa Baa Black Sheep".  It can get a little repetitive.  The other song featured, which goes something like "Claap-clap clappy", appears to be the Baby-fied song we sing at the beginning of every Story Time at the library.

The Alphabet Book

A Few Things We Enjoy

 We really love our strawberries ("stawbabies") - which also include raspberries - and "beeboos" (aka blueberries).  We've been buying them all year-long for the babies, but was it ever tasty to have them fresh earlier this summer; including a plethora of raspberries from our own garden.

Dressing up!  I do find it bittersweet that last summer's almost-too-big hats are small enough now to be the cause of much mirth amongst the under-two set.

I think it's almost time to get a full length dress up mirror for them.  Colin loves to hunt down big people shoes and clomp around them - until the momentum gets the better of him. The playgroup we go to occasionally has a super play kitchen which seems to hold their collective interest for a good 20 minutes.  And I still entertain hope that they (read: Keith) will soon be able to colour without eating the crayons.  All of this means that within the next two months, I suspect our very baby playroom will become a little more big kid-friendly.  We'll have to say a fond farewell to the Exersaucer which will be cleared out to make room for the table and chairs that I am attempting to recover; some of our precious books will be replaced in the book slings now that they can reach them, and hopefully our bins of Duplo and wooden blocks will become a little more popular.

A few other recreational things that we LOVE:
-  Evelyn:  RAFFI.  This child is Raffi's #1 fan.  The Lord preserve you if you play a Raffi song that isn't in her repertoire of acceptable Raffi songs;  singing, especially "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Wheels on the Bus" and, of course, anything Raffi; her dolly and her various accessories (yesterday, we spent a good ten minutes applying "keem" to dolly's delicate skin); making Bunny and Gigi dance to music, biting her siblings.

-  Colin:  Evelyn's dolly.  Keith's cars.  Pointing out everyone and everything real and imagined (Evelyn, Keith, puppy, his bottle) that "bite you".  Colin loves little fiddly things like rocks, blades of grass, Matchbox cars - he almost always has to have something in his hands if he's walking around.  One of his greatest loves is his stuffed dog Puppy and "bankie".  He really enjoys making things move and putting things together, so I suspect he'll be my biggest block and lego fan.

-  Keith:  Anything with wheels and a motor; but particularly busses, garbage trucks ("dobig tuck") and my parents' car, which he has christened Opananacar.  He will announce every vehicle that passes, including type and colour.  He can spend half an hour at the window in this pursuit.  He still loves his books and singing, although he is SO over "Old MacDonald".

One thing we can all agree on:  bubbles!!

People ask me all the time whether the kids play well together, and I would say they do remarkably well.  They're evenly matched in size, strength and determination, so there isn't usually a clear winner when they do scrap it out.  They still play better when I'm out of the room, and have learned a few important techniques to keep the peace and to get what they want:  they barter and trade.  Eventually, they will let another sibling use a contested toy.  Of course, the moment you try to establish ground-rules and turns (the concept of sharing is still a few years beyond their comprehension), all hell breaks loose - they do a much better job if left to their own devices!

Busy Babies

A collage of a few short videos showing what we've been up to this past week.  And no, I wasn't deliberately trying to get all artistic and go "soft-focus" with the camera; somehow (read: 30 grimy fingers) a huge smear affixed itself to the lens.  It took me a while to figure it out, but I got it cleaned off... until the next time, of course.

Jumping

Taken tonight.   Probably not the best pre-bedtime activity...

Pictures!

We've been extremely fortunate to have Aunt Jane visiting us for the past week, which means tons of fun (and help!) as well as some excellent photos to share:

Evelyn enjoying Nana and Opa's garden (and, as evidenced by her wet hat, Nana and Opa's sprinkler, too) on a warm Sunday evening 

Colin shows us how to turn on the itty bitty splash pad at one of their favourite parks

Colin at the counter under the playstructure... ice cream for wood chips, anyone?

Said itty bitty splash pad

Keith counting the buses, cars and trucks.  

Keith and Colin clowning around

Evelyn, her farm and... her hair

We love Aunt Jane!!  Is there room for one more?!

Overheard....

Yesterday evening, Sprocket and the babies were playing happily in the living room.  Edward asked Evelyn: "What do we say to the puppy?".  Evelyn replied with a wagging finger: "Stop it, puppy!"

This morning, when Edward brought Keith down to join Colin in the kitchen for breakfast, Keith greeted him with "Hello, buddy".

Each of them can say "Keith" perfectly, although Colin tends to come out as "Kahleen" and Evelyn was "Ai-ee" for quite a while.  But today Keith managed "Evahleen".

They are talking up a storm!  Evelyn is our little echo, repeating the last word or two she hears.  All of them love to pick an animal for "Old MacDonald" (our tooth brushing song), although on occasion they come up with "cookie" or "chair".  They continually amaze me with their vocabulary and comprehension.

Of course, in public, they tend to clam up.  Their linguistic capabilities are my own personal Polka-roo - you'll just have to take my word for it!

Evelyn and her dolly

Evelyn got a new dolly from Dammie and here she is putting her to bed... at the end, she whistles her a little lullaby... We leave Shediac for Ottawa tomorrow via Quebec City. Here's hoping for a smooth and uneventful trip!

More From Shediac

After complaining about the weather in my last post, we've since enjoyed back-to-back dazzling, sunny and hot days, which of course, means we've spent our afternoons playing in the sand at the beach!



 Keith, Evelyn and Colin ready for some waves, "bumpin' up and down in their little red wagon".  We loved "Ratti" (Evelyn-speak for Raffi).

 Evelyn doesn't want Sprocket to miss out on the fun!

As promised, babies in bathing suits.  They love digging in the sand and finding treasures like hermit crabs, shells, periwinkles and...

....seaweed, although Keith looks a little skeptical.  Thankfully, cousin Sarah was there to hold his hand.  And yes, his shirt does say "Danger! Giant Squid". 

Today, the weather started off a little rainy, but that didn't deter us from heading out to the Magnetic Hill Zoo.  Edward remembered it as a rather depressing place, replete with a "bear pit", but it has since become one of the most decorated zoos in Canada.  We were extremely impressed with the beautiful, well-kept grounds and animal enclosures.  Keith roared at the lion, and they were most excited about the bears, ducks (and ducklings), and of course, the river otters and their antics:

 What a great place to spend the morning!  It's hard to believe we're leaving in less than a week.  Here's hoping the better weather holds, and we have a  few more lazy days at the beach before we head home to stifling hot Ontario!