Fall fun!

Today Scott bought us a new car! It's a 2009 Hyundai Elantra, our 97' Blazer pretty much bit the dust! Is it weird to feel sad for the death of a car? In any case I'm happy for the new addition to the family and can't wait to go for a drive in it. Scott's going to take us for a family drive tomorrow maybe we will do something halloweeny.

I love Halloween and I can't wait to dress the family up and wander the neighbourhood looking at the decorations and other kids in costume (we've decided to nix trick or treating because Gabe still has to get his H1N1 booster and he's too young to gorge himself on candy). Last year Gabe was a monkey which totally suited his personality and this year he will be going as Superman. This makes total sense as he's always hurling himself off of high dangerous places in the belief he's invincible. Edie's costume was harder to find since she's so small but we managed to get her to look pretty cute in this bumble bee costume. I figured I could set up pictures where it looks like shes attacking a city and Superman flies in to protect its helpless citizens! I decided to be a witch (original right) and Scott commented that it suits me perfectly....so Scott is going as a murder victim.

November is going to be a busy month with my cousins baby due, my brother's birthday, a myriad of appointments from dental to doctor, plus saving up for Christmas! I just love this time of year! Bring on 2010, it should be a good one!

Night

Tonight was one of those nights where Gabe and Edie loved being around each other. These nights are few and far between but when it happens it makes for a relaxing, easy evening. It all began with bath time and the routine that shortly follows. Gabe and Edie usually have a bath together, then we move to Gabe's room where he runs around like a naked psycho for 20 minutes, Edie does tummy time in the meanwhile and then its a bottle, book and bed for Gabe.

Gabe did run around like a naked psycho but instead of ignoring Edie during her tummy time (which he usually does) he got down on his stomach and began to copy her every move, shaky head and all. Then he sat and talked with her and she giggled and cooed and just loved all the attention. (Their cute conversations just make my heart melt). Then we headed downstairs and as I was getting Gabe's night time bottle from the microwave I told him to say good night to his sister. He walked up to her and kissed her, said "night EeEe", then waved to her (with his sticky finger wave) all the way up the stairs.

They are so cute when there isn't any violence or subsequent crying!

I'm such a lucky mommy.

Even better the second time

Today our little family went for a walk to the Vedder River. Its about 10 minutes from our house and its trail is about 20 kms long, needless to say we didn't even finish a quarter of it. Even though we didn't finish it (I'm not training for a marathon!) the trail was so beautiful. I love fall, its definitely my favourite season. The vedder trail is especially beautiful with the changing of the leaves and the sound of rushing water. The serenity of it all caused both of our kids to fall asleep.

Despite the awesome sights and calming sounds by the time we turned around I thought I was going to die. Apparently my hips are not yet fully recovered from pregnancy and birth despite the fact its almost been four months. Scott jokingly referred to me as granny the rest of the way home and I have to say, i kinda felt like one!

After getting home Gabe whined and started to grab the front of his pants so I asked if he had to go potty? He said yes, walked to his potty, and then flipped the lid. So I stripped him down so he could practise and he sat down, then got off, then grabbed a book, then sat down, then got off. At this point he hasn't peed in a potty yet, he just likes to pretend and I figure its a good first step. Instead of putting a diaper back on him right away I decided to leave him naked for some air bum time. I began making dinner and after about 20 mins of naked time i glance down at him and notice that hes slurping something off the floor. That's when I realize....

It's his own PEE!

I start screaming " OMG, Scott Stop HIM!!" Scott's like "What"..."What is that"? I was like "He's naked!! What do you think it is?" Well I start gagging and Scott starts laughing hysterically and Gabe is sitting there, with this self satisfied look on his face and this bizarre little grin.

I have to say when you think you've seen it all as a parent...you haven't!

Puddle Play.

Everyday I try and get out of the house with the kids. We all enjoy the fresh air, new sights, and interesting surroundings. I try and change up our walking route so that Gabe doesn't get too bored and have found quite a few treasures while doing so. For example, I once believed that our quiet, gated community had no child play area until one day in our wanderings we came upon a beautiful, quiet park, nestled in a roundabout, surrounded by trees. Gabe loves it. But I digress. This particular day it was pouring rain and I didn't feel like letting Gabe climb around on a slippery playground, so I thought I would take a walk to the woods (a preserved area of old growth forest a mere two minute walk from our house) and let him run around.

He loves walking the trails, picking up pine cones, pointing at squirrels, basically exploring every nook and cranny. Another thing I have recently learned is that he loves puddles. During our rainy walk he ran through one on accident and noticed that it splashed everywhere. Well that was the start of his puddle marathon. He forgot all about the trees, squirrels, birds, and pine cones; he had found something much better. Miniature, outdoor, baths. Sweet! He ran from puddle to puddle, jumping, kicking, slapping. Connect-the-puddle was his new game and for the next ten minutes it amounted to nothing more than some wet boots and one amused mother; that is until he found monster puddle. It was deep enough to completely cover his boots. He gave two quick stomps of his feet, looked up at me with an award winning smile, and to my chagrin dropped straight to his hands and knees. I knew I had only seconds before a full belly flop ensued, so I quickly plucked him from his puddle fun, and plopped him into the stroller where he proceeded to cry in protest the rest of the way home.

I got the kids inside (Edie slept through the whole puddle ordeal) pealed off Gabe's soaked clothes, put new ones on and gave him a luke warm cup of hot cocoa. I'm not sure which part of the day he liked the most, the walk, the puddles, the impromptu swim, or the hot chocolate afterwards; but in my opinion, rainy days and all that comes with it, holds some of the best outdoor memories, if only your brave enough to face the elements.

Boys will be boys.

Today Gabe has been nuts. I think a good night sleep had something to do with it. It started with him running around with a bottle hanging out of his mouth, taking a big spill over Edie's bouncy chair and coming up with a bruise mustache. There is nice imprint of the bottle lid on his top lip so needless to say he is no longer allowed to run around with anything in his mouth. I scooped him up gave him some hugs and within minutes he had forgotten that the bottle had assaulted him. I fed him breakfast and not 20 mins after eating he decided it would be a good idea to take his toy train (I was sweeping) and smash Edie in the head with it. She has a nice little goose egg to show off. He promptly got a time out while I consoled Edie with her breakfast. I couldn't see Gabe because of my position on the couch but soon heard a spoon clatter to the floor. (He gets a time out in his high chair and was obviously too close to the counter). When the timeout timer went off I got up to let Gabe out and saw that the spoon he had knocked off the counter was on top of the Folgers can, a brand new one I had just opened that morning. And the spoon and Folgers can was now on the floor, coffee grounds everywhere! "Gabriel" I sighed exasperatedly. He turned towards me, smiled, and then leaned over and started to flip the light switch off and on, off and on. Yup too close to the counter and clearly too close to the wall as well.

Obviously this timeout didn't work worth a dang. I got the broom, cleaned up his mess, let him out of the timeout/high chair where he promptly ran towards Edie and attempted to kick her. "Really"? I asked while shaking my head "timeout" I stated. At hearing this he screeched, ran, and tried to hide between the couch and the wall (for some reason he thinks he's invisible there). I grabbed him, he laughed hysterically and then proceeded to talk to himself throughout his new timeout. At this point I know its going to be one of those days that I will have to run him ragged or he will run me into the ground. After his nap there will be a nice, LONG walk, some playing in the backyard, and maybe a game or two of "bad guy". Phew. Boys - little balls of intense energy and poor Edie, always caught in the damage path of his crazy, tornado self.

Peek a Boo

Today Gabe was his usual self towards Edie. One minute he would love her and be kissing her (he gives real kisses now, not the open mouth, slobber hanging out, kind) and the next he would be trying to slam one of his toys in her face; while I, once again, stopped injury with my cat like reflexes.

Then today while making dinner I could hear Gabe interacting with Edie. He'd go quiet then suddenly shout. It was like he was screaming a warning to her or something. So I peered around the corner and their he is with my blanket playing peek a boo with Eden. Although from her perspective I'm sure it was more like "hmm wheres the guy who likes to poke, bite, slap, and hit me gone too...HOLY CRAP...he's right there and he's screaming something unintelligible!" (Okay maybe those weren't her exact thoughts) In any case, it was really neat to see since I have never seen him play peek a boo with her before, in fact he hasn't even played peek a boo with me since he was a baby so I was a little surprised by his game choice, and quite impressed that he picked one so baby friendly.

Unfortunately, he was a bit too aggressive with Peek a Boo and instead of making her laugh or smile she would just jump and look terrified. Although to her credit she never cried. Then he got bored, tossed the blanket on her, and walked away. It was a sweet, private moment between brother and sister and as with all things it ended much too quickly.

Breast Cancer Awareness

I have found a lump in my breast. In fact, I found it about a month ago. I assumed that it was from breast feeding, a clogged duct perhaps. After finally getting some time to do some research on google I discovered that having a clogged duct without pain and then without mastitis occurring is very rare. This worries me. The lump is painless, and always there whether my breast is drained of milk or not. It could be a cyst, or a benign tumor; or it could be cancer.

Cancer.

I have a doctors appointment today. The only people who know about the lump is my fiance and my friend Lynsey. I don't want to worry people unnecessarily. Especially my mother. I can see her now. Brave, defiant, too sure. I don't want to be reassured. I want to be diagnosed "hypochondriac". Still....

Cancer. It can't be. Can it?

One in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

I'm too young, vital and beautiful to have cancer. :P

1 in 8. What does that work out to percentage wise? What are the chances of a 26 year old woman having breast cancer? Can't be that high... The googler that I am, I just cant find the statistic on that. Maybe cancer surveys don't ask specific ages. Maybe women are just lumped into age ranges.

I hate lumping.

I hate lumps.

Weird though, it's breast cancer awareness month. Seems like a good time to donate. Good Karma is never a bad thing, especially when lumps are involved.




*2 hours later, back from doctors appointment*


So what has the fun, fondling session with Dr. F uncovered? It's not mastitis, it's not a clogged milk duct. It could be a cyst. It could be a benign mass. It could be cancer. I have a diagnostic ultrasound in late November. If it's fluid filled then its a cyst, if it's a solid mass...then...more tests would be needed. Thanks to my slight hypochondria and avid googling disease I know the next step would be a biopsy. Hopefully a giant needle in my breast won't be needed.

It's kind of annoying that they can't get me in for an ultrasound any sooner than November. I already feel like a prepubescent boy thinking about breasts all day. Ah well. Hopefully I'll get good news for Christmas.

Family Days

Scott and I have been attempting to have family fun days once a month, where the day is all about the kids. Not going out to dinner with them, or grocery shopping or visiting relatives. We do that regularly but instead having one day dedicated to something they might find fun. It was my decision this month that we should go to the Aldergrove Zoo. Gabe loves animals and I thought it would be neat to see his reaction to all the different kinds. But I should know by now that my son never does exactly what you would expect him to do.

The first indication that our trip may not go exactly as planned was seen in the first five minutes. The ticket booth for the parking was inside the zoo entrance and after paying for our ticket we couldn't seem to pry Gabe's attention from the machine.

Clearly this trip would take multiple hours if we had to keep grabbing Gabe from inanimate objects. So they have these tandem bike cars at the gift shop that could be rented for 15 dollars an hour! Perfect! Now we could see the whole park without it taking forever and a day. So Scott and I pedaled, with Gabe in the seat up front and Eden strapped to me by backpack. We got to the first pen, which had these HUGE camels and we got out to show Gabe. He took one glance at them then noticed a donkey in the pen next to the camels and found this much more interesting. Alright....I never dictated which animals i thought he should be interested in. His interest in the donkey subsided just as quick and within 30 seconds he was back at the bike, investigating the tires, the seat, the lights. He spent five minutes talking to the bike, laughing at the bike, talking to us about the bike. It was cute...but we just spent 40 dollars to see the animals! Well we got back on the coolest machine Gabe had ever had the pleasure of riding and saw rhinos, capybaras, flamingos, lions, a tiger. With almost every animal we visited we found Gabe wandering back to the bike to explore it a little more thoroughly.

The only pen we stopped at where Gabe spent more time looking at the animals inside instead of the bike parked next to them was the one with the ducks...For some reason he really loves birds. He also loved how close he could get to the peacocks without them taking off. Of course me, the ever vigilant mother was driving Scott nuts with how many times I said "make sure he doesn't get his fingers too close". Typical mom always jumping in with warnings and dire predictions, and a typical dad who would let the child explore every little crevice, short of the pens with the man eating animals.

We finally got around the whole park with a few more reminders that little kids don't need a lot of money spent on them to have fun. As we were leaving, Gabe once again became enthralled by the ticket dispenser...I'm thinking our next trip should have something to do with machines.