We're THREE!!!

We had a special birthday planned for The Ducklings yesterday, which, despite fevers and a glacial pace, we managed to enjoy.

For their birthday present, we renewed the family 3 Museums 1 Card membership that we were gifted last year.  We live so close to the Farm, and they enjoy it so much, that we definitely get our money's worth visiting that site alone.  Then, we went to "Old McDonald's" for lunch with Maryline, Opa and Nana.  We have our visit to that fine establishment down to an exact science.  We finished the day with a much needed Quiet Time, fun with our evening helper extraordinaire Myriam, and cake and ice cream.  Or, if you're Keith, CAKE AND ICE CREAM.  

Colin, looking a little subdued, at The Farm.  This child specializes in getting sick on special occasions.  The last time he had a fever?  Christmas Day.

Evelyn tackling the ladder.  She loves her overalls!

This was my best picture of Keith: faced smushed into plexiglass of questionable cleanliness.  Sigh.  Well, last year he likely would have licked it.  Progress... 

The cake that Edward made.  As noted in the clip, he got to blow out the candles because he is the only one without a cold.  Ah, the joys of preschool.  I'm guessing we'll all be sick until at least Christmas.

We have cavalry arriving today in the form of Aunt Pinie, so my goal of publishing little snippets capturing Colin, Keith and Evelyn at 3 (!!???) may in fact happen before next week.  Stay tuned!

PS:  Hoping to see some of you on Saturday morning for the party, 10:30 to 1:30.

First Day

Today was The Day.  Just before nine this morning, The Ducklings obligingly took Edward's hand, and skipped down the road to preschool.  We went last week for our orientation session - The Ducklings, Edward, myself, Nana and Malcolm - and while two of them claimed to have liked the experience, one was adamantly opposed to the whole thing.

So, as they walked with Edward, they peppered him with happy commentary about how they were going to have fun at preschool with Daddy and Nana.  The truth, when it dawned on them at the gate of the slide room, was greeted with total hysterics.  They were in good company.  One child was lying despondent on the floor.  Another was getting a last minute pep talk from his mother.  Everyone was crying.  Edward bolted for the door and didn't look back until he was on our front step.  

However, when we all went to pick them up two and a half hours later, there they were at the gate, full of smiles.  The director said there were some tears, but that they really settled down well.  Colin came home with a lovely coloured paper banana, and Keith with a painted masterpiece.  And - at least at this exact second - they can't wait to go again on Thursday.

I might have cried ... a little.  And then Edward and I hunkered down while Malcolm slept (in his crib, for an hour!?  A first.  Of course, he was up all night...) and got a lot done around the house.  I think I'm looking forward to Thursday now, too.

Can you tell who was looking forward to preschool - and who was not?

Before The Awful Truth

Laugh, Bath and Be Merry!

Taken last night...

Our Three Are Three!

Driving with their cousin Derek in Shediac

Three is the new sixteen!

Come celebrate with us at our house

On Saturday, September 28th from 10:30 until 1:30

~Best wishes only~

Back From The Shore!

As I mentioned previously, Malcolm and I joined Edward and The Ducklings in Shediac two weeks after they went out, and we all stayed an additional week.  We had a blast, and The Ducklings came back brimming with new-found freedom, confidence and enough stories to sustain them until next summer.  As you can see below, they ate at the table with placemats, bowls, plates, cups and cutlery - we had instituted a few of those big-kid privileges before we left, but the cottage is the perfect place to try out new skills.  You can bet that they wanted to do the same once they got home, and it was with great pleasure that we put away the feeding chair trays.

Unfortunately, I only took two pictures on our camera; but Aunt Jane, the family photographer extraordinaire who joined Edward for the first week, took lots of pictures and hopefully, a few of them will make their way onto the blog.

One of the best parts of being at the cottage is the entourage of caring people who trundled after our brood, and indulged their never-ending queries and demands with grace.  We had so much fun with Grammy and Grampy, Aunt Jane and Aunt Benny, Aunt Pinie, Uncle Ken, Norbert, Mary, Eric, Ashley, Molly, Tom, Sally and Brian (due any day with their first little boy!), Sarah, Sue, Bob, Derrick, Aunt Laura, Tim, KathAleen, Kathy, Linda and Frank... and they represent only part of the community of friends and family that make up life at the Shore.  Each and every one of them made time for The Ducklings.  There were trips to splash in the creek catching hermit crabs, ice cream cones at the Warf, sitting in the breezy porch at the Brown Cottage visiting with their cousins, playing with Roxy on the lawn, picnics under the Big Top... truly, all of the beautiful experiences that make even better memories.  

I am so glad my children have a place like The Shore; I strongly believe that the sense of belonging, community and identity that comes from having a magical place like that nourishes their soul.  I had a special place like that too, growing up, and even now, one day at "The Camp" spent listening to the wind whistling through the tall pines and watching it shimmer across the water gives me such a sense of peace and serenity.

Enjoying breakfast on the back porch of The Yellow Cottage

Our Sweet Beet and his Frenchy's hat - he's been indoctrinated!

Stayin' Alive

As I wrote earlier, Malcolm has a sensitivity to cow milk protein, as Keith did, so a few weeks ago, I went off all dairy and soy.  Ultimately, I was hoping to relieve him of the obvious discomfort that comes with a sore tummy, and while I did manage to eradicate some of the symptoms of his sensitivity, he was very still upset throughout the day.  

Hindsight being 20/20, it wasn't until I looked back at the past few weeks that I noticed he was actually getting worse.  At first, he refused to go into the bouncy chair or swing.  Then, he wouldn't settle in anyone's arms but mine.  It got to the point where he wouldn't let me put him down for one second over the course of the day without screaming, so he spent the day sleeping in his carrier on my chest.  Then, he'd get hysterical if I sat down at all, and wanted me to bounce him constantly.  Carrying an 11 pound baby strapped to you for 14 hours a day is good for postpartum weight reduction, but not so good for doing just about anything else.  And I have a fair amount to do, as Edward is currently in New Brunswick with the Ducklings (one week to go before we join them!), so I'm taking the opportunity to redo two bedrooms upstairs to incorporate our new sleeping arrangements for the brood, and attempting to finish our newly carpeted basement space.

But it wasn't just that Malcolm didn't want to be put down - ever - it was that he cried and fussed most of the day when he wasn't eating.  And he started to be up all night, too.  I'm clocking about 2-3 hours of sleep a night at the moment, because he is just so miserable.  I started to pay more attention to his nasal congestion, his marathon hiccup sessions, his writhing around while eating (especially in the early morning), his random coughing and his raspy breathing.  Finally, on Saturday, he had an epic choking fit that was so alarming, I brought him to the hospital.  They diagnosed him with silent reflux, and told me to get him in to see his doctor, which I did yesterday.  Truth be told, I had already begun to suspect reflux was the culprit.  Colin and Evelyn had it, too, although theirs was the projectile-spit-up-out-the-mouth-and-nose variety that makes it really hard to miss.  Silent reflux can be harder to spot.  

His pediatrician is justifiably cautious before handing out medication for infants, but I'm guessing he took one look at my rather haggard appearance (Malcolm was smiling on the table - this was before he got his two month vaccinations...) and handed over the prescription.  I've given him a few doses already, and while I think I noticed an improvement - we had our first three hour feed overnight in over a week, as opposed to feeding every hour or two - I'm going to give it a few more days before I venture an opinion.  For Colin and Evelyn, it was a combination of medication and the maturation of their digestive system that put an end to their reflux, so we might have a little longer to wait before we see a significant change for Malcolm.  I just hope my poor, overtired Muppet gets a small break from his tummy woes, and that I get to enjoy his dimpled smile a little more often!

A happier Malcolm this morning, striking a pose!

Malcolm - Bouncy Chair