No Place Like Home

Clever Title - FAIL

2012-01-20T11:29:00.002-05:00

I seriously spent a good ten minutes trying to think of a punny title using TEETH but I'm giving up.

Sorry. It's her fault.

Who, me? The world's easiest baby? Surely you jest.

Or I should say, the TEETH's fault.

2 down, 18 to go! (*sob*)

Gaze into my eyes as I beguile you with my ridiculously long eyelashes... Who needs sleep?

We are currently working on the perfect homeopathic-teething-liquid/Tylenol/Advil cocktail so that Maman over here gets at least three hours of shut-eye in a row. Last night we were down to 2 wake-ups instead of 4 so I call that a WIN.

In other exciting news, Liliane split her lip open last night! Poor kid. WAIT- before you rev up the sympathy clucks, note that she injured herself while flopping in the throes of a freak-out because we wouldn't turn on yet another light in her room. One we have NEVER turned on for her before. It was all fine, lots of blood but she's A-OK. And bonus - husband turned it into a lesson! The consequences for having a meltdown and not listening to your parents WILL MAKE YOU BLEED. Or something like that. She got it and once we fixed up her Diego doll who had also apparently hurt his lip, she was out like a light. Ha ha - get it? Light? That we did NOT turn on, blood be darned. Parents: 2 for 2.

And yes, call me Mommy Dearest, but I sent her to daycare today anyway. Hey - this blog won't write itself plus having her here would seriously cut into my lounging-on-the-couch-eating-bon-bons-and-watching-soaps time.

HAHA. Although that does sound like fun.

Oh and our fridge is dripping. Only on the inside, but I'm thinking that the vegetables drawers aren't meant to be floating. Sigh. But wait! Did I mention the weirdo rash I have on the inside of my left wrist? Nowhere else, only there. An allergy to small babies with button noses who like to use me as a human pacifier all night long? Sounds about right.

But the good news is that we're all otherwise healthy, Stéphane and I are officially addicted to The Walking Dead (yay Netflix!), it's Friday and we have a fun-filled weekend ahead of us. A weekend that includes a trip to Ikea which will hopefully not end like the last one. Although in my defense I was pregnant last time. Hmmmm... already working on my excuse for bad behaviour for this trip - lack of sleep perhaps?

Happy Weekend everybody!

My Baby is Trying to Kill Me (Ha ha just kidding - HELP)

2012-01-18T13:26:00.002-05:00

So the world's easiest baby has her two front teeth and I sure hope she's working on a lot more because this waking up three times a night to feed and be cuddled is not working for my, you know, MENTAL HEALTH.

Yeah, go ahead. Laugh all you want. Pretend to be sympathetic but I know you are secretly gleeful that the baby who started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks is actually now sleeping less than your average crankypants newborn. And possibly breastfeeding more. It's OK. Checks and balances, checks and balances.

So anyway, baby issues aside, we got back last week and have been busy overcoming jetlag (3 hours, just enough to junk everybody up) and doing laundry and putting away decorations and dealing with all the new stuff that needs a home now THANK YOU PÈRE NOËL. Oh and can I just say that coming from plus 10 degree weather to snow snow snow and heck yeah, it's COLD HERE is not easy.

We took this picture the day before we came home. It was GORGEOUS. Now of course Vancouver is covered with snow so looks like we got out just in time but it's nothing like the Winter Wonderland we have goin' on out here.

Somewhere in there I managed to load my 700+ pictures and picked this one to share with y'all:

These are the matchy-matchy PJs that all the cousins got this year and Liliane wore hers 24/7. She wore them on the plane to come home, she wears them every night to bed. I will post the obligatory "all cousins in their Christmas PJs" photo as soon as I can find it.

So that's it. I'm still here and really REALLY looking forward to finding a rhythm again that doesn't involve me mainlining caffeine to stay conscious not to mention actually WRITE something.

If I'm not back by next week, send in the Marines. Preferably with supplies of Tylenol and espresso.

Of Pyjamas and Prunes

2012-01-05T16:43:00.001-05:00

DAY. INT. - Grandma's Living Room.

Pink snowman pyjama-clad 4 year old lounges on the couch watching Thumbelina on the iPad. Her similarly pyjama-ed mother is curled up beside her, alternately checking Facebook and reading a book while sipping coffee. Husband is away at London Drugs and the baby is asleep. A last round of Christmas music plays softly on the stereo even though it's well into the new year.

MAMA

(contented sigh)

4 Y.O.

(contented sigh)

THE END.

Yep, we're still on vacation and I am soaking up every lazy, relaxing moment. I am relishing each day that I don't have to be anywhere at any time or bundle two kids up for minus 25 degree weather.

Rest. What a treat.

Alice and I aren't getting a lot of sleep per se due to her NEW TOOTH and newfound habit of waking up twice a night to feed. Suffice it to say that I have finally mastered the lying down/dozing off position for nursing. I didn't really have time for it when she was first born since she started sleeping through the night so darn early.... Ha ha, cry me a river. I know. Sorry.

True to form, the teething version of Alice is only a little droolier and occasionally crankier than her regular "easiest baby EVER" self. As my Mom commented this morning, she is the perfect size for snuggling so she gets a lot of that from her west coast family.

On the subject of milestones, she turned over all by herself on Christmas Day. We're still working on sitting up without faceplanting but she's almost there.

She has also started eating a couple of different cereals, loves sweet potato, banana, peaches and now prunes. Her introduction to solid food was a little haphazard (hey, try this banana that I'm eating and see if you like it!) but we're settling into a sort-of routine.

And Liliane, LILIANE. We all had a rough first week or so (thank you jet lag + random cold germs) but she has completely adjusted to our new "schedule" of spending most of the day in pyjamas and doing fun stuff like going to the Aquarium or Science World and hanging out with family and friends. She's had the best time with all her cousins and bonding with her Auntie Jaime. I overheard her teaching my Mom words in French and asking my Dad to speak to her in English please. She's at the perfect age to enjoy all the magic of the season and she only recently stopped asking me if we were going to open more presents today.

Speaking of which, I may need to buy an extra seat on the plane to go home to accommodate my beeeehind. Hoo boy! This year I didn't come across a single Christmas cookie or mince tart I didn't immediately stuff into my treat hole. I'd have to be breastfeeding quintuplets to make a dent in my daily calorie intake.

Sorry, no pictures to share right now because my camera is all the way upstaaaiiirs and as you know, I'm here, all comfy on the couch.

Back to the East Coast next week where normal, haphazard, hopefully 3 x per week blog posting will resume.

In the meantime, happy, happy New Year everybody!

Wordless Wednesday: Tiny Dancer

2011-12-14T09:17:00.000-05:00

Merry, We Made It

2011-12-12T11:18:00.001-05:00

I don't have any pictures of the stocking-opening or the general hysteria over Santa's cookie and milk consumption (not to mention Rudolph's teeth marks in the carrots we left out) but picture a lot of jumping around. It was exciting.

Hero husband went out for fresh bagels and fancy chocolate and cranberry brioche for our Christmas breakfast. Liliane ate an entire plate of fresh berries and could not finish her bagel due to the proximity of so many unopened presents. She did well, bless her little heart, but the stress was too much.

I fulfilled my parental role by relishing every single bite of my breakfast then suggesting that maybe before we open any gifts we should perhaps do some cleaning? Take a walk maybe?

The BEFORE picture. They are all blurry since it is physically impossible for a 4 year old to not wiggle. It's a scientific fact.

Each person took a turn opening and she was as excited about handing out presents to everyone as she was about opening her own. So cute.

"Hey Alice! How do you feel about drinking formula?"

The bouncer went over well. Anybody else remember those? The hippety hop was the hottest toy in my kindergarten class, no question. Now they are called bouncers. And they have princesses on them.

Whatever. The effect is the same.

And the grand finale: Cinderella carriage.

All good.

I was very, very spoiled.

Say hello to my new baby. I call him... ALEJANDRO.

(I realize this makes no sense because it's a French-made, Italian espresso maker but IT'S MY ESPRESSO MACHINE AND I CAN FANTASY-NAME IT WHATEVER I WANT TO)

Bonjour, lover.

You are so very, very handsome.

And you make my morning so much better with your powerful steam, gorgeous crema and cozy little cup warmer.

Sorry Bodum, I love you too, but Alejandro will be ringing my bell until further notice.

Stéphane got me an espresso maker (among many other excellent treats) and I got him these:

Darth Vader light sabre chopsticks. AND I got him the blue Luke Skywalker chopsticks. I know. Almost as good as Alejandro! (OK I also got him some clothes AND a very fancy sleep mask which is really like giving the gift of GOOD SLEEP which is priceless, don't you agree?)

Can you tell which one of us is on a maternity leave budget?

ANYWAY, all this to say that we had an excellent early Christmas. Am now focusing on packing up to head out to BC.

Also stockpiling tranquilizers for our first two-child, cross-country flight. Ha ha. NO, REALLY.

Happy Monday everybody!

Friday Favourite: Shortbread and Coffee

2011-12-09T11:24:00.001-05:00

1 cup of butter

1/2 cup of brown sugar

2 cups of flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add flour and mix together, you may want to use your hands. Form dough into a ball and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or if it's well wrapped, it keeps in the fridge for a few days).

If you are in touch with your inner five-year old (like me!), roll out and cut into shapes and add sprinkles before baking at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Then make yourself a Bodum of French Roast and join me in one of the best traditions of the season!

*Recipe courtesy of Thelma Fairclough, who is no doubt enjoying her shortbread and coffee with the angels. We miss her.

Wordless Wednesday: Rice Cereal, Not So Much

2011-12-07T11:18:00.001-05:00

Brunchtastic

2011-12-05T11:53:00.001-05:00

There are many, many reasons for loving the Arbour Clan Christmas Brunch.

The food. Obviously.

Family! They really are a photogenic bunch:

My table decoration. Fresh flowers and red berries just make me so.... HAPPY.

The gift exchange! Once your name has been drawn...

you choose a present OR swipe someone else's.

Hilarity ensues.

We all got great stuff.

As per usual, Liliane was indifferent to the whole thing.

Alice slept through most of it, but made an appearance to wow everyone with her mad snuggling skillz:

Plus I didn't even have to clean up!

Once everyone went home, we girls had some self-portrait fun:

Liliane got lots of great presents (wow, what a difference a year makes, this year she is obsessed with presents, presents, when do we open the presents presents presents aaarrrrgfgggghhhh) but her favourite (at least right now) was this Rapunzel doll.

So guess which movie we watched? AGAIN?

And that's a wrap on the semi-annual Arbour Family Christmas Brunch. Thanks for coming everybody! And leaving my kitchen so clean!

Friday Favourite: Fancy Lettuce

2011-12-01T11:26:00.001-05:00

After last week I thought it was time to concentrate on a different kind of delicious, actually good-for-you kind of food.

Do you remember the original story of Rapunzel? A pregnant woman has such a strong craving for her neighbour's lettuce that she sent her husband over the fence to steal some for her. It was so delicious that she absolutely had to have more. When dutiful hubby went back to pinch another head, he got nailed by the neighbour. Unfortunately for them, their neighbour with the green thumb also happened to be a big-time enchantress. Her punishment for eating her lettuce? They had to give her their child so she could raise it.

That must have been some freaking good salad.

ANYWAY, all this to say that when I saw this lettuce at the store, the story of Rapunzel's poor pregnant mother sprang to mind. It was always a mystery to me how someone could actually crave something as lame as lettuce, but now that I'm older and have been through two crave-heavy pregnancies, I kinda get it.

It's Tanimura and Antle Artisan lettuce and not only is it pretty, but it keeps FOREVER. Plus you get different varieties that you maybe wouldn't ordinarily buy in your little container. So much better than the pre-bagged or boxed spring mix that gets slimy in no time.

I get mine at IGA and I think the one with four varieties cost me about $2.50 last time. But maybe it was on sale?

So if you like salad but are a little bored with iceberg or romaine, check it out. Or if you overdosed on mini chocolate enrobed cheesecake bites, this is the perfect antidote!

Happy Friday everybody!

Big family brunch tomorrow, wish me luck.

Out with a Whimper

2011-11-30T11:06:00.001-05:00

I had so hoped to have something inspiring and eloquent to say about the close of NaBloPoMo, but I don't.

That could be because of the list of things I have to finish before Saturday is looming or because frankly, I'm out of juice.

What I will say is that I really, really appreciated this whole experience. I appreciated having the chance to improve my writing, to explore some subjects that I've had knocking around in my head for a while. I LOVED hearing from all those who took the time to comment! Thank you!

Shout out also to my SIL for ~~harassing me~~ inspiring me to take part this year. You were right, it IS fun!

So... Thanks everybody! Going forward I think I'll be able to keep the new content coming... Maybe three posts a week instead of one? How does that sound?

I will tell you now that I am FER SURE taking tomorrow off - our floors won't clean themselves after all. Believe me, with all the magic wands and assorted pixie paraphernalia we have around here, I've tried. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-FAIL.

The good news is that I already have an idea for Friday Favourite so... see? I just can't quit you.

À bientôt!

What's In A Name?

2011-11-29T11:12:00.001-05:00

It was in that magical moment right before dropping off to sleep that Stéphane came up with her name.

What about Liliane?

We had been going back and forth - I wanted Lily (for my favourite flower), but he didn't like it. I don't even remember what he suggested but Liliane was a perfect compromise. Much lighter and prettier sounding than its English counterpart, Liliane is a lovely name on its own. But there was the added bonus of paying tribute to my paternal grandmother and aunt in one fell swoop as both have Lilian in their names. Brilliant! And to complete the homage, Liliane's middle name is Nicole after my sister Jennifer Nicole.

When we found out we were having another girl, we didn't debate for very long. We were looking for a simple but pretty name and, like Liliane, easily pronounceable in either language.

What about Alice? I said.

Done! And Ruth for my maternal grandmother as her middle name. Oh and my youngest sister Jaime has Alice for a middle name so we got her, too.

Here we are, all the Piercy siblings. Just Uncle Matthew that doesn't get someone named after him. Sorry about that, bro.

Now that little Alice is here, I love hearing people use her name because it constantly reminds me of my grandmother. I can't wait to start calling her Al, like my Grandpa used to do.

My Honey Grandma and Grandpa have both passed, but I am lucky enough to still have Ruth and Rolf. I can't wait to see my Grandma this Christmas and introduce her to her chubby little namesake.

Ruth and Rolf, on their wedding day:

This is a teeny tiny photo (cursed technical problems, husband away) of my paternal grandparents, Alice and Bill (a.k.a. Honey Grandma and Grandpa) on their wedding day:

You can see them here a little better. This is actually how I remember them.

And me with my Auntie Jean on her wedding day in 1974. I'm about two months old.

So all this to say, wow, these girls have some pretty big shoes to fill. From taking my first steps on Ruth and Rolf's patio to countless Friday evenings and Saturday dinners spent with Alice and Bill, my grandparents have always been an important part of my life. What better way to honour that than bestowing a little piece of those happy memories on my children.

Decorama, Etc.

2011-11-28T11:39:00.001-05:00

I normally wouldn't put up the decorations (let alone the tree) this early but we're having a big family Christmas gathering here next Saturday (IN LESS THAN A WEEK PLEASE SEND HELP) so we did what we had to do.

We even did the tree. Just our little fake one since we'll be away for most of the season. I confess to banishing Liliane to her room for some "quiet time" (a.k.a. MAMAN NEEDS TO BE ALONE) while I put on the ornaments. I left some of the wooden ones for her and we did tinsel together. You heard me, TINSEL. Old school, that's how we roll.

In sleep news, Alice is pretty much back her to peaceful, long nights. Naptime is now about 15 minutes of protest before she gives up and finally drops off.

FINE. You win.

She's starting to get a little unhappy before she falls asleep at night but we've found a kind of cuddle/rock/put-in-her-bed-drowsy combo that seems to work for everyone.

FOR NOW.

That's the thing about parenting, just when you think you've got something figured out BAM! We are no longer amused. Please to figure out a new strategy.

I have a pretty huge TO DO list this week including trying to fix our horrible, horrible chandelier in the dining room. I say chandelier as if it's all fancy, but it's not. It could actually double as a heat lamp if you ever wanted to come over and burn the top of your head while sitting at our table.

Today I have to find a replacement ceramic thingy because as you can see, one of the lights only has half of one. I also managed to cut the wires in another one as I was fiddling around with the malicious frosted glass cover trying to make it please for the love of heaven stop falling off and dangling dangerously over our already-burning heads.

I don't know much about electricity and design and whatnot, but I'm guessing that you shouldn't want to hurl your fixture out the window every time you have to change a bulb. Amirite?

Anyway, can you tell that my universe has gotten a little, um, small?

Finally

2011-11-27T20:48:00.001-05:00

Caught the giggles on camera last night. I defy you to keep a straight face as you watch this.

You're welcome!

Life's Candy and the Sun's a Ball of Butter*

2011-11-26T10:33:00.001-05:00

Last year was the first time the St. Hubert Christmas parade was held at night and we FROZE. Stéphane had to buy an emergency hat at the drugstore that is about the dorkiest looking piece of headgear you have ever seen. Complete with pom-poms and snowflake motif.

But last night it was practically pleasant. Perfect standing around on the sidewalk weather.

Of course that didn't stop all the other kids from wearing their warm and cozy tuques. Literally, a sea of children, all wearing appropriate head coverings.

Except one. I know because I was arguing with Stéphane that she wasn't the ONLY one but I could not find another kid not wearing a hat. For real.

Oh well. At least she had her jacket on.

Daycare pal Yannis joined us for his first parade experience.

Yannis has some smooth moves. Good thing he's so cute.

This one was nice and warm.

Aaaand, then she fell asleep. Alice is big on being consistent.

Manon and Luana also joined us for St. Hubert supper and stayed for the parade.

It was awesome, as per usual.

This llama was pretty cool. Meant to be a camel? I think it was a three wisemen kinda deal.

This reaction was reserved for...

Smurfs! Nothing says Christmas like little blue, Belgian comic book characters.

And the big man himself.

Such a great way to spend Friday night. Free, fresh air and close enough to walk home.

Time to get your decorations up people! Get off the computer and get to it!

Also, thank you husband for all the super cool Instagram photos!

*Any other musical nerds out there who caught the reference? Family members excluded - I KNOW you guys know.

Friday Favourite: Chocolate+Cheesecake

2011-11-25T12:13:00.001-05:00

This is a weird Friday favourite because I tasted these evil little morsels for the first time ever only yesterday.

Oh mini chocolate enrobed cheesecake, I loved you even before I met you.

BUT, a friend of mine went on and on about them (or the Loblaw's version of them) back when I was pregnant and I had to physically stop myself from driving to the store immediately, that's how good they sounded to me. Hi Tara! This is all your fault!

Since then I have managed to steer clear, not due to amazing willpower on my part (Ha!) but mainly because my IGA didn't carry anything like that.

Until this week. It took me all of about 0.35 seconds to justify buying a box.

Heaven help me, they are spectacular. Something about how the dark chocolate contrasts so perfectly with a scrumptious, rich and creamy inside. Wow. So good.

Don't you love the use of the word "enrobed"? I think normally these would be called chocolate covered cheesecake bites but for some reason, they stuck with enrobed. Not sure that's even a word in English. But what's even funnier is that enrobé is also a way to describe someone carrying a little extra weight. Like: elle est un peu plus enrobée depuis la naissance de sa fille en juillet.

Maybe they did that on purpose, as a warning. Because if you eat just three of these babies it'll cost you 240 calories and 16 grams of fat. Ouch.

Full disclosure: I just ate two while writing this. HELP.

Something else that I find funny on the box is the "How to Prepare" section. Remove from box and defrost in the refrigerator for 25 to 30 minutes. WHAT!? Take it from me, eat them directly from the box, making sure you clean the chocolate smears off the baby before your husband gets home.

Oh, and if you think you can try them by dropping in to visit me, think again. The rest of this box will be gone before you can say Weight Watchers. And they shall never darken my freezer doorway again.

Happy Friday everybody! Tonight we'll be at the Santa Claus parade (that L keeps bizarrely calling the Santa Claus barrette) so fair warning, tomorrow's post will be all about freezing our behinds off, waiting for Père Noël.

Better bulk up with some more cheesecake bites.

Schadenfreude, Lite (Also - It's My Blog and I'll Whine if I Want To)

2011-11-24T10:29:00.000-05:00

All you parents of non-sleeping babies please look away. As I have maybe mentioned in the past, Alice has been sleeping through the night since she was around 6 weeks old. I KNOW. (Sorry)

But can I tell you that there is a downside to that? Like when your perfect, preshus babee commits the most innocent of sleep crimes, it's shocking. SHOCKING.

*insert eyeroll here* (It's OK, I deserve it.)

So Alice is now four months old and like most babies this age she has been getting all wriggly and a little whiny every two or three hours as she goes through her newfound sleep cycles. No more instant REM sleep (sad face). Since she is installed right beside me in the beloved co-sleeper/mini crib, I wake up every few hours to pop her soother back in until goes back to sleep. Okay so maybe it only takes about a minute each time but COME ON.

I also notice that she has a curious new approach to naptime. Instead of dozing off peacefully, she prefers the "what is this feeling, I MUST FIGHT IT" technique. She doesn't want to be rocked or fed or cuddled (I know that because the back-arch-of-doom has now become part of her repertoire), she wants to get into her bed but feels compelled to yell about it for a while once she's comfortable.

No, not hungry. She is screamy and incredibly persistent when she's hungry. And since we did start giving rice cereal to Liliane at this age, I think that's on the agenda next week.

Oh and then I made the mistake of Googling "4 month old baby sleep." For about five minutes I enjoyed a little shadenfreude of my own reading about other people's baby sleep issues. But a knot started forming in the pit of my stomach as I started to dread all the disruptive things MY baby could be doing (and is maybe starting to do?) and OH NOES IT'S ALL GOING TO GET WORSE.

I know, cry me a river, right? But I thought I should share my concerns so I can a) have something to talk about on this here blog and b) have something to talk about next month when it all goes wrong. Or right. The way things have been with this kid, it will all be fine and I'll once again be that annoying mother of a freakishly good sleeper.

Also, I have to attempt to pump some milk and give Alice a bottle. Don't talk to me about some WINDOW between 6 and 8 weeks, hippies. I missed the freaking window so we're trying it now. Or soon. Why is everything taking so long with me?

I'll keep you posted. Please don't throw rocks at me.

Thigh Master

2011-11-23T11:19:00.000-05:00

It happened in 6th grade. I had a conversation with one of my very best friends (still is) wherein I moaned about the size of my thighs. I was eleven. Ever the diplomat, my friend wished that hers (athletic, Korean, perfect) were more curvy.

When did bodyparts become an issue? Sure, I said it out loud at eleven, but when did that switch go off? When did I even notice that thighs were supposed to look a certain way? I don't remember the exact moment but I don't think there is one single woman who is immune to it.

But oh, look at these babies. Chubby and gorgeous, I'm already sad for the moment that she'll start resenting them.

I solemnly swear to do my very best to make sure that you, Alice Ruth, will appreciate your delicious haunches as long as you possibly can.

And that goes for you, too.

Although if Liliane sticks to her current plan of becoming a ninja (Un ninja fille, Maman. Avec du rose et du rouge.) I don't think we'll have to worry.

Up tomorrow: Get ready for some good old fashioned schadenfreude, my friends. SOMEONE around here isn't sleeping quite as well as they usually do.

Who, me?

Turns out little miss perfect snoozer is not immune to the four-month baby crazies. Ouf. Details demain.

Betcha Didn't Picture This While We Were Backpacking Through Europe in 1993

2011-11-22T14:05:00.001-05:00

My long-time and very dear friend Deb came to visit us overnight from Ottawa last night. It was lovely to see her and introduce her to Alice. Liliane was her usual low-key, aloof self. Ha ha! Good one!

It took her about two minutes to warm up to "madame" (and eventually Deb) and by the time she went to bed they were the best of friends.

Poor Deb.

So great seeing you! Let's go back to our Christmas tradition of shopping and eating, you know, out in public, next year, OK? Just us? PLEASE.

Looking forward to it already.

Coup d'État

2011-11-21T11:56:00.001-05:00

Look out blondie, there's a new Princess in town!

I shall be a firm, yet benevolent ruler.

Royal tributes of tummy zerberts, goofy faces and nomming of the cheeks will be accepted.

Hee hee, I pooped in my throne!

In case you were wondering, last night we decided on the big present for the 4 year old:

We're going to adopt a slightly older, also very adorable blonde kid to play with her! Ha ha, no. We're going with the Cinderella horse and carriage. Oh, and of course we have to buy the Cinderella doll to go inside.

We actually had the doll AND the carriage in hand yesterday but chickened out because the box was a little junked up. I KNOW. Taking bets now on how quickly these will disappear from the shelves now that we figured out that we want it. I'll keep you posted.

Trading Up

2011-11-20T22:43:00.001-05:00

We spent time at toy Mecca today (Wal-Mart and Toys R Us)and have come to the following conclusions:1. We're scrapping the LeapPad idea2. We need something shiny in a big, impressive box. Remember when the size of the box determined the coolness of the present?3. Santa's job is harder than it looks4. I think my best idea is the hippety hop for freaking $12About to pull out the haul and make some decisions. Wish us luck.In case you missed yesterday's post, please scroll down. I really like how it came out.

The Last Time

2011-11-18T23:35:00.001-05:00

It was a balmy spring day, typical of Vancouver in May. Her son was waiting with the car running in the driveway. A driveway they made big enough so that four cars could park there at once.

She fixed her hair, made sure her lipstick was on and hooked her purse over her arm. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror of the mudroom, the cold entryway that always smelled like the Macintosh apples they stored there. Carefully she walked down the back stairs, making sure the door was shut behind her. She had done this a thousand times.

Her carefully tended backyard garden was thriving and she glanced up as she walked towards the car, making a mental note to water the marigolds. The pink dogwood was in magnificent bloom and the air was fresh and sweet. She drew a sharp breath and as her head hit the pavement, her last thought was that the patio needed sweeping. Rolf must tend to that.

****

It was her usual 4AM wake-up. So familiar now with her grunting and rustling, neither mother nor baby opened their eyes as baby latched on to the breast. Even after 3 months, the mother still marveled at the sounds a nursing baby makes. A special sigh, a particular swallow. Like nothing she had ever heard before. These moments were rare now as the once-fussy babe had recently started to drink formula, a relief for both mother and child. But neither was ready to give up this special, quiet moment in the wee hours.

****

Four years old is not not that old, but already she could see her oldest girl pulling away. Not a surprise given her own independent spirit but surprising just the same. She found herself looking wistfully at pictures of her little bundle toddling around on chubby legs or standing precariously on a chair to help her make cookies. Nostalgic for when she always wanted to be picked up, extending her arms and willing her mother to do her bidding with enormous blue eyes. When she needed her. When was the last time she picked her up? Felt her baby's arms around her neck? Why was she so anxious for that to be over?

****

She couldn't remember the last time she held her parents' hands. Her grandmother had an iron grip and required her granddaughter to hold her hand as they crossed their sleepy street, even when no cars were in sight. She was probably 8 or 9 and rolled her eyes at this quaint precaution. So funny that now she would give almost anything to feel her hand being squeezed like that. The way she holds tight to her own daughter's hand. But for how long?

****

I've been preoccupied with this idea that all things end. I mean, obviously, yes. But in each of our lives, we did something that was once significant for the last time. The very last time ever.

But those moments come and go, they pass without fanfare. There is no hallelujah chorus, no finale, no curtain call, no debriefing, no official notice. It's just.... over.

My grandmother walked out of her home one day in May of 2010 and took a spill in the driveway. She didn't die, but she was injured badly enough that she needs constant care. We were all so relieved and thankful that she survived that all the rest didn't matter.

And in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter that she will never again see the home she lived in for 55 years. She will never again see her flowers bloom or pick raspberries or ask her son to rake the leaves. That part of her life (and subsequently our lives) changed in an instant and changed for all time. She looked in the mirror of the mudroom for the last time ever that day. She walked unassisted for the last time ever that day. And there was no warning.

We decided to start giving Liliane formula when she was 3 months old. She wasn't sleeping well, she was irritable and we were exhausted. My sister (bless her) having raised 5 children at that point suggested we try it and our baby was completely changed. Happy, content and sleeping like an angel. A decision that we did not regret. I continued to breastfeed her in the night until one day, we just stopped. I don't know what the date was, it wasn't planned, but one night it was the last time I would breastfeed my daughter. Ever.

Now that Liliane is a big sister, I can see her growing up at a ridiculous speed. Maybe it's the comparison between 4 years old and 4 months old, but it has struck me recently that she doesn't seem to need me. Of course that's not true, she just doesn't need me in the same way. And just like one day I didn't hold my Dad's hand as we crossed the street or my Mom's hand in the mall, Liliane won't need to hold my hand anymore either.

And it will be the last time I ever hold her hand.

Holy cow, I am re-reading this entry and it all sounds crazy, but I've had this on my mind for a few years now and I think it's important to acknowledge these tiny passages. To acknowledge the Last Time. It's not morbid, it's not sad, it's life. We need for these big change to pass imperceptibly. Or at least I do anyway.

So how do I deal with this? I work on cherishing every moment, even the crappy ones. Not in a greeting card way, but I know a few years from now I'll be at my computer, all choked up, reminiscing about how great it was to fight about bathtime or how sore my nipples were from breastfeeding. Or how it's weird that our kids don't call out for us in the night anymore. Which is a good thing!

But today I want to pay tribute to those changes, to those passages that leave their mark on us physically and spiritually. To write it all down so I can read this entry 5 years from now and laugh about how hormones took over my blog for a day :)

So whatever you're doing these days, enjoy it! And remember, the good news is that the Last Time brings wonderful NEW things.

Friday Favourite: How My Vacuum Cleaner Makes Me a Better Person

2011-11-18T09:06:00.001-05:00

It's after midnight, I'm sitting in the rocking chair, breastfeeding. AGAIN. The same chair I find myself every 2 hours or so with my newborn. I have nothing else to do let my head loll between reality TV and the living room carpet where I see the same crap on it that's been there for days and days and days. Ok, maybe two days but when you're that tired it's like forever. Can I get an amen?

So, what's the big deal? Get up and vacuum, problem solved. Yeah, I'll get right on that but wait! I think I'd like to ACTUALLY CLOSE MY EYES for an hour or two first. Sleep wins, as it should if you want to survive those first few months.

Also we had the world's most disagreeable vacuum cleaner (yeah YOU aptly named Dirt Devil) that took to spewing out more dust than it sucked in. Noisier than a jack hammer, about as easy to manoeuvre as an elephant in a wheelbarrow and just as heavy. Ugh.

But a crappy looking carpet, (not to mention dust bunnies lurking in every corner), doesn't help your already fragile morale. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the sight of all my hair on the bathroom floor triggered more than one "waaaaahhh, this is too haaaarrrddd" breakdown in the early days with both babies. Hormones for the win!

So when we got our Dyson DC35, my life (and the frequency of my crying jags) completely changed. Sound crazy? Hear me out.

This completely cordless (runs on rechargeable battery) super lightweight vacuum has changed my life. Our one and only rug is back to its original colour. Dinnertime crumb disasters (of which there are MANY) are a cinch, even pesky ceiling dust is a thing of the past. And my HAIR (currently at the 3.5 month falling-out-in-huge-clumps-everywhere stage - bye estrogen! It was a great party!) which is everywhere all the time, is now under control.

And I vacuum EVERY DAY. Why? Because ~~I'm insane~~ it's fun!

This baby is perfect for our 1100 square foot hardwood floor condo. It hardly takes up any space hanging on the wall in the laundry room and what they say is true, it never loses suction.

Also super easy to empty and one filter to rinse out with cold water once a month. And it's light enough that I can do the whole house with one hand, carrying a chubby almost 4 month old on my shoulder with the other.

It comes with a wall mount where it plugs in so the battery is always ready to go. There are nifty little attachments and the long nozzle comes off so you can use it kinda like a dustbuster. The roller bar is amazing and super easy to clean. Plus the instructions are user friendly (perfect for sleep-starved parents) and shipping is free!

No, Dyson is not paying me to rhapsodize about their product (hey! Let's get a random mommy-blogger with three readers to promote our stuff! That will get us a big fat Christmas bonus this year!), this just me, genuinely so happy with.... a vacuum cleaner.

And that my friends, was another edition of Friday Favourites. Hmm, maybe next week I can talk about my dishcloths! Ha ha, just kidding. Kinda.

Under the Wire - A Post About Dinner

2011-11-17T21:50:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I shared a photo on Facebook of our pot roast dinner as it was about to go in the oven. But I didn't include a photo of the world's most adorable sous chef:

Yo Batali, I'm getting bored over here.

In case you didn't see it yesterday, here is Pioneer Woman's perfect pot roast on its way into the oven:

Um, is this dish appropriate for us milktarians?

I forgot to take a picture of the final result but here is my lunch of leftovers.

Yep, totally ate that entire bowl.

So happy she likes the Bumbo. Unlike other babies I've hung out with (not to name names but rhymes with FLILIANE) Alice was happy to sit and watch and occasionally comment on my cooking.

You deglaze like a newborn!

Do I need to motivate you with mah spoon?

So yeah, that's it. This is what happens when you make cornmeal cranberry orange muffins this afternoon instead of blogging. Sorry, but they were DELICIOUS.

Also, my brain is a little busy lately what with Christmas coming and hello did you know that it's already November 17? We're hosting an Arbour family Christmas brunch here on December 3rd which is REALLY REALLY SOON.

AND we really want to get Liliane the new Leappad tablet and I'm having flashbacks to the great Cabbage Patch Panic of 1984 or whenever it was. I can't find one anywhere! If you have any leads, please help me out on this one okay? I'm a little desperate since we'll be flying out west in a few weeks with TWO CHILDREN and since we can't (legally) knock them out for the entire flight, fancy electronical toys and games are the way to go. Plus some Gravol for the 4 year old who never met a chair she didn't like to wiggle off in 3.2 seconds. FOR HER TUMMY, yeah, that's it.

Oh and I can't remember the last time I washed the floor. Like I've stopped trying to figure out where the gunky spots are that keep making my feet stick to the hardwood. Welcome to our home! Complete with movie theatre floors!

ANYWAY, thanks for the new comments, readers!

Mark L: Am totally enjoying The Marriage Plot. Sorry, more poop than politics around here :)

Ally: Yay, your first comment! Now who are you exactly?

Back tomorrow with Friday favourite!

Wordless Wednesday: We Are the 99% (courtesy of Stéphane, on his way to work. Merci mon amour!)

2011-11-16T11:23:00.001-05:00

Chim Chim Cher-ee

2011-11-15T14:47:00.001-05:00

Liliane asked if she couldwatch Mary Poppins for the first time yesterday.

What!? Hey,don't get sarcastic.

It was a big moment for me! As a baby (according tomy parents) I listened to the music from that film over and over, and I,in turn, made Liliane listen to it over and over when she was a baby. Before she could talk and ask me to please, please listen to something ELSE.

Once the film got started I did alot of explaining about who was mean (the nanny leaving at the beginning) andwho was not (the Constable, Admiral Boom and Bert).

But as soon as we got to thedancing penguins, she was hooked. Another convert.

In other news, I took my new favourite picture of Alice last night.

*already scheming to not like musicals*

We'll see about that.

In other, other news, it's officially halfway through November! Since I still have FIFTEEN more posts to figure out, please feel free to show your appreciation by leaving a comment!

Anyone?

*tap tap* Is this thing on?

Monday Morning Almost-Laugh

2011-11-14T08:53:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I attempted to capture Alice's newly minted, squeaky giggle on camera. It didn't work but Liliane and I had fun trying.

Yes, that's Liliane repeating CACA over and over at the beginning. That word is the pinnacle of a preschooler comedy routine, a guaranteed hit with her crowd. Alice, not so much.

Happy Monday everybody!

Also, I'm taking requests for subjects to post about - just leave me a comment. PLEASE. There are SIXTEEN days left in November.

Nerd Alert

2011-11-13T10:44:00.001-05:00

Of COURSE I'm wearing a Star Wars onesie (courtesy of Auntie Bari and Uncle Matthew)

Have you met my parents?

Yeah.

Please send help.

Yesterday at 10:13 AM, Parc Jarry

2011-11-12T10:06:00.001-05:00

A view of the Friday 10AM Cardio-Poussette (Cardio Stroller) class from my usual spot at the back.

Just me and the Mom who has to stop and breastfeed. And sometimes she's even faster than me.

But I could be doing this instead of running around a chilly park in November!

Go me!

In other news, we're almost half way through November. Right? RIGHT?

I'm ~~running out of ideas~~ taking requests for blog posts - leave me a comment if there is something you'd like to see here this month!

Remembering

2011-11-11T09:58:00.000-05:00

I am lucky to have a veteran in my life. This is my grandfather, Gordon Fairclough (technically he's my step-Grandfather but we've never been big on making that distinction) and I have the pleasure of being able to speak to him on this day every year.

He had a remarkable experience in World War 2 that you could actually read for yourself in his book Brick Hill and Beyond.

His story reads like the synopsis of an Oscar-winning, Hollywood blockbuster:

Taken prisoner while defending at anti-aircraft gun site at Brickhill Peninsula on the island of Hong Kong in 1941, Gordon Fairclough at age 22 was sent to the North Point Prison where the flies were so bad he received orders to spend several hours a day swatting them. "A six-foot barrack table would appear to move," he recalls in his self-published memoir, Brick Hill and Beyond (Vancouver: Superior Imaging, $13). "I remember counting the flies that I had killed with one swat, and the result was 49 flies." Sickness was taking its toll, along with outrageous cruelty from the Japanese and a starvation diet, so Fairclough and a companion rationally considered the viability of escape. "Having decided that it was a 50/50 chance of survival whether we stayed as prisoners or attempted to escape," he (and several others during the early 1940s) managed to free themselves by trekking across China and into Burma. When he finally returned home to England as a captain in 1945, after military service in India, he was awarded the Military Cross from King George VI. Troubled by recurring nightmares until 1951, he immigrated to Canada in 1953 and now lives in Tsawwassen, B.C. The degradations endured by Allied soldiers in Hong Kong, including Canadian prisoners held at Shan Shui Po, remain under-publicized, so only an effete critic will not welcome Fairclough's mostly humble and often humourous recollections.
(-from from website ABC Bookworld)

HE WALKED ACROSS CHINA INTO BURMA.

Can you imagine?

Well try, because this day is set apart for us to be grateful for the sacrifices the men and women of the armed forces made and continue to make today.

Thank you.

Potty Mouth

2011-11-10T09:44:00.000-05:00

Wow, nice drawing Liliane, I love the colours! What is it?

Un Papa qui fait caca.

*pause*

A man pooping?

Oui Maman.

Alrighty then.

Wordless Wednesday: Eyelash Envy

2011-11-09T09:19:00.002-05:00

Arrival, Part 2

2011-11-08T16:33:00.000-05:00

Before I continue, I want to point out that my husband Stéphane was a total hero throughout this whole process. He read Part 1 yesterday and commented that I made him sound like a bit of a loser. Not my intention! Aside from drawing a blank on how to get to the hospital (forgivable in the circumstances), he was my hero.

So!

There we were, at the hospital at, um, a fairly advanced stage of labour. The nurses were casually asking me admission questions and filling in forms as I struggled to get into a gown and then pee. Ha! Not happening.

My thing with labour is that I handle it best standing up. So I kept standing and walking and yowling and the nurse kept asking me to lie down. They sent Stéphane off to admissions so I was with our doula and between contractions I gasped out that I would be happy to lie down as SOON AS SHE WAS FINISHED FILLING IN FORMS.

Once we determined that I was indeed at 7 cm, I was allowed to stand up again and three contractions later.... BOOM. I'm pushing!

You have to remember that this is not a sensation I was familiar with. I toughed out my entire labour the first time around without an epidural (only because the epidural guy was busy with the lady having twins next door) so I knew what it was like to get to 10cm. A world of pain. But the whole pushing thing was new. And entirely out of my control.

Suffice it to say a lot of hustling happened at that point as I got back on the table and Stéphane was rushed back upstairs.

Now, when we arrived, I believe I politely requested some pain medication. Something to the effect of "Aaaaarrrrrrrggggkkkkk I can't taaaaakkke thiiiiiis I neeeeeeed druuuuuugggs NOOOOWWWWWWW." But my doula grabbed me by the shoulders and she said: "you'll be done in a half an hour, you can do it." Which didn't help the pain AT ALL but it was enough to get me focused on gittin' 'er done. But first I tore my gown off and gave Johanne the crazy lady in labour face when she tried to cover me up with it.

It's important for me to say that I wasn't planning on absolutely having an epidural-free experience. I don't want to engage in that horrible female exercise of one-upmanship when it comes to childbirth. (Oh yeah? Well *I* asked the nurse to bash my kneecaps as I was pushing just so I could experience MORE pain, I mean, more of the joy of childbirth!) Uh, no.

But with an epidural comes the possibility of other complications (some of which I experienced with Liliane - not being able to pee for three days is seriously awful) plus having to wear a claustrophobia-inducing monitor, etc. And since I only had to endure a half hour, I figured what the heck.

But what a half hour it was. Dr. Merovitz arrived and she was calm and kind and open to me trying to push in a different position. With Stéphane and Johanne at my side sponging me off with cool water, I tried pushing on my side a little. It wasn't happening. Dr. Merovitz helped me find a position, to grab the handles and really concentrate on what I was trying to do. It's wild to be in that much pain and know that YOU are the one that can bring it to an end. You and the baby. But I was still lucid and basically pain-free between the contractions so it wasn't long before the end was in sight.

I'm big on status updates (plus I keep my eyes firmly closed) so Stéphane kept encouraging me with progress reports.

Theresa: aarrruuugggg, what's happening????
Stéphane: You're doing great, I can see her hair!
Johanne: Do you want to reach down and touch her head?
Theresa: NO, I WANT TO BE DONE NOW

But here's where it gets interesting.

I knew that once the head was almost out, the hard part was almost over. So when the Doctor said that we were at that point (and I started to feel the crowning - please shoot me now), I was surprised when the next push didn't finish the job.

Imagine my surprise when all of a sudden my legs were being pushed back as far as they could go (hey, I don't BEND THAT WAY) and my uterus was being removed with pliers. No, not really, it was better than that! Unbeknownst to me, Dr. Merovitz had given the signal (I remember hearing "big baby" through my pain haze at some point) and all the nurses leapt into position to perform the McRoberts manoeuvre.

It sounds so benign. Cute even. But no, the McRoberts maneouvre is not a style of knitting, nor an evasive tactic that you saw once on Star Trek, it's not even a dance move. Think of it like a kind of torture with a jaunty Scottish name.

When I regained consciousness (I didn't really pass out, but if ever someone could die from sheer pain, that would have been the moment.) This was on my chest:

Are you talkin' to me?

I found out later that the reason for ~~trying to kill me~~ performing the McRoberts manoeuvre was due to shoulder dystocia. Basically our 9 pound, 1 ounce linebacker got stuck at the exit. But thanks to Dr. Merovitz and a crack team of nurses, we had a happy ending.

Actually, thanks to Dr. Merovitz and her awesome sewin' up skillz, I can confirm that all is well in that region. And of course all is well with Alice.

Stéphane got to cut the cord and as I pushed out the placenta (Can someone just pull it for me? No?), then went through all the stitching up (Um, I CAN FEEL THAT) and cleaning up, our new babe figured out the breastfeeding in no time flat. Which was extra impressive given that I had the major shakes afterwards (adrenalin apparently?). When it was his turn, Stéphane whipped off his shirt to get the full skin on skin experience like a pro. The nurses were impressed.

Full disclosure: I didn't have that overwhelming "I'm so in love" feeling right away. First it was "holy cow that's a big baby" then "I guess she's not blonde like Liliane" and then "hey, she knows how to latch on already!" But once I was all fixed up and could finally close my legs (it's amazing how good that feels), I was falling in love. Not just with her, but with the whole second baby experience.

I held Alice in my arms as the orderly wheeled us through the halls to get to our room. She didn't like his deep voice but she was happy in my arms. I was giddy with relief.

My OB, Dr. Johnson, stopped to see us a few hours later. She had heard all about our adventures and half-heartedly tsk-tsked me for waiting so long at home. But not really. Then she gave me props for surviving the McRoberts manoeuvre. She said that even when you've had an epidural it's painful.

No, REALLY?

We had the sweetest nurses and we even ended up back in the same room we had with Liliane! See, meant to be.

Our doula, Johanne

I sent Stéphane home to sleep that night in air-conditioned comfort and Alice and I spent the night cuddling and feeding. It was peaceful and a little too warm but otherwise, bliss. I even got to read my book a little (yay Kobo!) and we listened to Eddie Vedder ukele music on my ipod. Since it drove me crazy never knowing what time it was last time, I had at least three different clocks in the room.

Stéphane's parents and sister brought Liliane for a visit the next morning. I had a shower before they got there (no easy feat with a catheter, but I was determined) and I literally felt like a million bucks. Like a million bucks dragging around a bag of my own urine, but still.

We left the hospital around 7PM that night. A totally different experience from the 4-day marathon we had with Liliane. I had a lot of anxiety about the whole peeing thing and had a minor meltdown when I had to have a catheter but by Saturday afternoon, everything was in working order.

Our friend Pierre came to drive us home. It was a glorious Montreal summer evening. Warm but not too hot, a golden, setting sun, everything looked beautiful. Alice didn't love the car seat but stopped crying once we started moving.

Welcome home baby!

Stéphane's saintly parents wanted to give us time alone to get organized at home so Liliane stayed with them two more nights. We pretty much got into our pajamas and went to sleep.Alice was pretty hungry so I was feeding her every 2 hours or so but it wasn't as bad as I had remembered. (Notice a pattern here?)

And then the babymoon started in earnest. I was having that experience that you hear other people talk about. That gooshy, mushy, marveling at her fingernails experience. I missed it the first time around (thanks A LOT brain chemicals) but I reveled in it with Alice. Sigh.

So that's her story. She continues to be a delight.

Looking back almost four months later, I am still happy with the choices we made. I loved having a doula (even though she was made to feel unwelcome in the delivery room, but that's another post), I have the loveliest nostalgia for all the staff at the hospital. Liliane adores her little sister and has been sweet and gentle with her from Day 1. My husband continues to be a hero, working hard at his job and working hard at being an exceptional Dad to two girls.

All in all, we rocked it.

Arrival, Part 1

2011-11-07T11:44:00.002-05:00

You know how some things just come together and you know that this is how it's supposed to happen? That was Alice. Nothing like our induction experience the first time around where it was all planned and controlled. Nope, Alice did her own thing and we just went along for the ride.

I'll start by saying that Thursday is my favourite day of the week. For real. Partly due to that lovely Montréal tradition of the Thursday 5 à 7, partly because it's almost Friday and the whole weekend is stretched out in front of you, just one more day of work. I love that.

So it was a Thursday, July 21st, 5 days after my due date. It was about eight thousand degrees outside and ridiculously humid and I had my weekly appointment scheduled at noon with my OB. I took this picture as I was heading out the door. You may remember that I was sporting a hideously bruised left leg so I actually wore a cute dress and put on some jewelry and even a little makeup to distract myself from the OVERDUE OVERDUE OVERDUE I'M SO OVER BEING SO HUGE feeling.

I have had my membranes stripped before. With Liliane, the experience was so awful that I was plunged into dark self doubt about my ability to survive childbirth. Ha! Turns out poking around your very closed and unprepared cervix is more painful than actually squeezing a baby out of there but who knew?

ANYWAY, by this time I had already been swept twice (I grit my teeth and gripped the table and told them to GO FOR IT and surprisingly, it wasn't half as bad as I remembered. Go figure.) Since I was overdue and really so ready to be please be not pregnant anymore, Dr. Johnson went in for another sweep and TA DA! Broke my water.

In case you haven't had the pleasure, let me clarify that it's nothing like you've seen in the movies or anything. Oopsie, my water broke! (*dainty chuckle*) No way man, it's like a warm ocean of liquid. AN OCEAN. The good news was I didn't have to clean it up. The other good news was that the fluid was all clear so we were officially on our way. I didn't immediately have any contractions (thankfully) so once my wave of nausea had passed I was able to clean myself off, wad up a bunch of sanitary products, put my dress back on (hallelujah, I wasn't wearing shorts) and waddle back to the car without leaving a trail of "is that lady peeing?" behind me.

My doctor told me to head to the hospital. I negotiated a stop at home to get my stuff and organize for Liliane to be picked up but after that, we were hospital bound.

I got to the car and called Stéphane who went immediately into panic mode. I tried to reassure him that I wasn't having contractions yet so don't worry but I don't think he heard me over the hyperventilating. I called the doula and my family from the car and went through every emotion on the drive home from elation to dread to BRING IT.

Stéphane went to pick up Liliane from daycare and I got into the shower (what a relief). Still no contractions so I calmly finished packing up Liliane's stuff and we got her out the door with Grandmaman and Grandpapa. She was so excited to go off and be spoiled for a few days. Stéphane had started to breathe normally again by this point.

It was around 3PM when I started to feel the first telltale twinges. I knew that the official plan was to go to the hospital, but since things were moving so slowly, we thought, why rush? See how cocky you get when you've already done it once?

By 5PM contractions were maybe 10 minutes apart. I kept busy, walking around and making phonecalls and psyching myself up. We ate some dinner around 6, then took a walk to keep things moving plus I thought a frozen lemonade from DQ would make me happy. Do I get a discount for being in labour?

Johanne the doula arrived around 8PM and although my contractions were clocking in steadily at every 8 or 10 minutes, they would almost disappear as soon as I sat down. She checked the baby's heartbeat (all good) and we talked about our next move. Since going to the hospital would mean hanging around and waiting there (me in a bed but my team in very uncomfortable chairs) or possibly being induced to speed up the process (no thanks), we decided to stay at home a little longer. In fact, we were all pretty worn out and knowing that sleep was going to soon be hard to come by, we actually went to bed.

Oh, it was blissful. Stéphane fell asleep immediately and Johanne stretched out on the sofa. We kept a few lights on low and it was so calm and so quiet. I dozed and occasionally breathed through some of the more intense pain but it was mostly just peaceful. I'll never forget it, the best decision we could have made.

At about 2AM I woke up, shivering. Not cold, but my teeth were chattering. I got up and walked around a little, took a lot of deep breaths and wrapped myself in my old cat comforter, a blanket I've had since I was about 10. Contractions were coming stronger but still at least 5 minutes apart and not more than 30 seconds long. I went back to bed all curled up in my blanket and dozed off again but by 3 the contractions were a solid 3 minutes apart. Time to go.

I was so dreading that ride to the hospital, positive that I would be sick in the car. Stéphane was all prepared with plastic bags and towels. And although contractions were fast and furious, I was totally lucid in those minutes between. Which was good when I had to explain the best route to get there. Jean Talon (gasp, gasp), all the way to Cote des neiges (aaarrrrrrragggg).

Labouring in the car was completely unpleasant but I didn't barf (yay!) and we had the road to ourselves so it only took about 10 minutes to get there. By the time we got to Emergency I was that lady from the movies, huffing and puffing and stopping every couple of minutes to yowl through another contraction.

When we got upstairs to the birthing centre, (no thanks wheelchair, gotta keep moving) the nurses were not only totally unfazed by my contractions, (speak up dear, I can't hear you) they were irritated that we waited so long to come in. (Your water broke WHEN?)

It was 3:45 AM and I was 7 centimeters dilated.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Sundays in November

2011-11-06T07:02:00.001-05:00

Our family loves Christmas and we're big on the Christmas Rules. For example, we bust out the Christmas carols in November, but ONLY on Sundays.

I hear ~~Scroogey~~ people complaining already about holiday music, but I love it. Frankly I am suspicious of people who don't like Christmas music. Of course it's normal not like SOME or even MOST of it (example - no thanks Justin Bieber!) but these days there is something for everyone out there. What's not to love about music that celebrates peace, happiness and good will towards your fellow man? Even the Grinch likes Christmas music in the end.

ANYWAY today is the first Sunday in November! As an adult, it almost always catches me by surprise. Usually it goes something like: Hey, I can't believe it's already November, my stomach is still sore from all that Halloween candy. And it's all dark and depressing outside already. Sigh. But hey, tomorrow is Sunday and I can listen to Christmas music! (insert husband eyeroll here).

Since it's only one day out of each week you don't wear out your whole Christmas music collection and it breaks up the drear of November with sparkly visions of cozying up by the fire and eating too much shortbread. Can't wait.

My earliest Christmas music memories all revolve around the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Listening to their Christmas album sends me back to the green carpet living room with the fireplace and the big stereo with the record player and the tinsel gumdrop tree at our aunt and uncle's house down the block.

Enjoy.

(Unless you are a ~~jerk~~ someone who doesn't like Christmas music or happy memories in which case, why are you still reading this?)

Bathing Beauty

2011-11-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Who are you and what have you done with my kitchen sink bath?

Oh hai! It's you, the milk lady!

Hey! This means I will finally stop smelling like sour milk and pee? Hooray! Also, please take care of my feet - the toe lint is getting out of control.

Must. Look. At. Dora. Toys.

OK, this is awesome! As you were.

Voilà. First bath in the big bathtub. Welcome to our life of non-stop excitement.

Friday Favourite

2011-11-04T09:09:00.003-04:00

It's Friday so welcome to... Friday Favourite! This is a new feature wherein I share something that I like with you all. (Hence the catchy title.)

If you've ever spent any time at the hospital, you know that the last thing that come to mind is "hey, this place feels like a spa." Quadruple that feeling if you happen to have given birth in which case your idea of luxurious pampering is two minutes of shut-eye and maybe a shower. Hello - lamest spa treatment ever.

Knowing what awaited me this time, I brought a little piece of the spa with me.

My friend Paola (follow her on Twitter, she's hilarious) brought me a gateway tube of Bliss Lemon and Sage Body Butter for my birthday. Despite being eighty bazillion weeks pregnant, I held that lotion to my nose and was immediately transported to a happy, less bloated and cranky place.

I casually mentioned to her a few days later that if ever she was going back to Sephora anytime soon, please oh please can you get me MORE OF THAT LOTION.

Turns out it comes in "desperate pregnant lady size" (14 oz) and costs $35. My friends, it's worth it. That stuff is creamy but not greasy, light but effective and the scent is delicious but not overpowering. A guaranteed mood-lifter.

Here is a link to it on the Sephora Canada site: http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P258625&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=4326

I just noticed while I was on the site that there is a BIGGER BOTTLE available.

Hello, Santa?

Happy Friday!

Halloween, PART 2

2011-11-03T08:59:00.001-04:00

Well! Fancy meeting you here!

If you are wondering why I am still on Halloween, scroll down and read yesterday's post.

(TL;DR - posting everyday for month of November, need content)

Halloween is second only to Christmas around here so there was a lot of buildup to the actual DAY.

Stéphane left work early and I prepped a dinner that we could eat really quickly in order to start trick or treating before the cranky hour.

Why yes that IS a sandwich in the shape of a ghost.

I love this photo not only because it showcases my mad skilz at cutting pizza into the shape of a cat, but also because his expression is exactly the same as Liliane's in the above picture. Man, you'd think they were related.

After repeating about eighty gazillion times that we were going out only once it got dark, we almost killed her by taking photos on top of it all.

This is how Liliane smiles. Don't ask me why arms have to be included. Also, check out Alice who is already working on her "my family is such an embarrassment" expression.

That's better.

The haul!

It was actually a really pleasant night to be walking around so we were out for at least an hour this year before even Ariel Ballerina's endless energy started to drag.

We saw lots of fun houses with really cool decorations and pumpkins and one memorable stop offering shots to the adults. Having watched too many episodes of Criminal Minds lately, we declined. ("our unsub is likely a personable, friendly, otherwise unremarkable middle-aged male who offers free, poisoned alcohol to unsuspecting neighbours"). Ha.

All in all, lots of fun. And that was BEFORE we took our cut of the treats.

Same time tomorrow?

Wordless Wednesday: Snuggly Siblings Edition

2011-11-02T09:19:00.000-04:00

All November, All New, All ARRRGGGH!

2011-11-01T08:49:00.000-04:00

The NaBloPoMo tagline is "Post something every day for a month. That's all you have to do."

It doesn't say, "Post something AMAZING every day" or "Post something WICKEDLY FUNNY and INSIGHTFUL every day." Nope. So just keep that in mind when I flood y'all with baby pictures instead of actually writing anything.

Would that be so bad?

Welcome to November! Let's start by looking back, shall we? I seem to lack the ability to move on from things this year. I have only recently and reluctantly acknowledged that Alice doesn't actually fit in the three month sleepers anymore (What? Her legs are supposed to be bunched up like that) and I'm holding on to every single moment of her babyhood. This attitude is spilling into the rest of my life which means that I'll be dragging out Halloween for a little while even though it was SOOO yesterday. Literally.

This year we blew Liliane's mind by finding not just an Ariel costume, but an Ariel BALLERINA costume. Then she actually got to wear it to her BALLET class on Saturday. Jackpot!

We had ourselves a Halloween dinner party on Saturday wherein we feasted on fall fare (slow-cooked pork chops, roasted veggies, sweet and regular mashed potatoes and cupcakes, natch)...

...and let Liliane and Luana eat too much crap and run around playing a game of "let's scream at 30 second intervals."

This may have had something to do with the cupcakes.

I managed to once again to not get a picture of Pierre, Ariel and Remy. Our imaginary friends! No, really, they came too and Remy was even dressed up. Adorable.

So... I have more photos but hey! Since I'll be back here tomorrow, I'll post them then.

I told you I would be dragging this out.

NaBloPoMo Day 1 - done! Same time tomorrow?

Portrait of a Preschooler on Her Birthday

2011-10-24T16:47:00.001-04:00

A friend of ours with two older girls (and veteran of the under-10 girlie birthday party scene) tactfully suggested a gymnastics party for Liliane this year. Pfftt, my kid? Run around and bounce off the walls with her friends? What makes you think she would like that instead of, you know, painting or making jewelry?

Oh, right. She's actually MET HER.

Man, they had a good time.

And so did the parents knowing their kids were ~~going to sleep well that night~~ getting lots of healthy exercise!

It was her first birthday party with friends from daycare (and of course her besties Luana and Rosie were there and they fit in brilliantly with everybody).

At the top of her invite list was pal Amine who has been in the same group at daycare with her for the last two years.

Stéphane is already eyeing him with suspicion.

After the gymnastics part, we gathered in the party room for presents and cake.

I had very specific instructions to please make chocolate cupcakes with pink icing.

I was also permitted to make some white cupcakes for people who don't like chocolate.

Note for next year: a mob of preschoolers hopped up on icing is a force to be reckoned with when giving out balloons.

And yes, she slept like a log.

Alice pretty much slept through the whole thing, thanks to my friend Manon. I just handed my snuggly little bundle over and didn't see her for much of the afternoon.

In case you forgot what she looked like, here are a couple of shots of our hectic and busy life, hangin' on the couch.

Yep, all good.

Happy Birthday Baby

2011-10-16T10:06:00.000-04:00

Dear Liliane,

Today you are four. Four years old and already well on your way to big-girl status.

Your favourite meal is ham, cucumber, red pepper and bread in any form. Also squeezy yogurt and Oreos.

I am continually amazed by your wicked sense of humour and love of practical jokes, pratfalls and farts. You adore Dora and anything Princess in equal measures. You are completely bilingual and speak in a completely charming franglais. You are gentle and patient with your baby sister and can almost always get her to stop crying and give you a huge, gummy grin. She idolizes you already.

You have an opinion about everything and a streak of stubbornness that Grandma and Grandpa keep reminding me will be a GOOD thing. You now have a pretty good grasp of the concept of "consequences" and we're working (hard, so very hard) on time management. Particularly in the morning and just before bed. Ooof. The phrase "strong-willed child" was coined just for you.

Your wholly independent spirit is matched only by your fierce attachment to me. Meltdowns are less frequent but HOO BOY, they are epic. The phrase "no means NO" is a frequent one around here. I find myself hoping desperately that you will stand just as fearlessly in front of your peers in the face of all the temptations of adolescence. But one thing at a time.

When we're snuggling together reading a story or at prayer time before bed or when you leap into my arms at daycare you are just... my baby. My first-born, the one who changed my entire life and filled my heart with ridiculous amounts of love.

You are proof that children are so much more than the sum of two parents. It's a privilege to watch you grow and I can't wait to see what amazing things you will do with your life.

Love you forever,

Maman

Late, but Still Grateful.

2011-10-14T11:56:00.001-04:00

You know, maternity leave is not just lying on the couch, occasionally breastfeeding and otherwise eating bon bons. No sir, it's a complicated race against time to get all the things done that you think you SHOULD have time to do while spending quality time with your newborn.

And watching daytime TV.

Ahem.

This is why it has taken me all week to post about our spectacular Thanksgiving weekend. Can I get a holla for the weather in Montréal? 24 degrees and sunny all three days. Makes up for the ridiculous amount of time I had to spend trying to find a half-decent turkey in this town. (Maxi & cie, I will start with you FIRST next year, promise.)

My Dad came in to feast with us and meet his newest granddaughter. As you can see, Liliane was, you know, kind of excited to see him. Whatever.

Heck even Alice was excited. I thought her face was going to split in half from all the smiling. Of course I don't have photos of THOSE moments, but this will have to do.

This is what our weekend looked like:

Oh and Stéphane introduced my Dad to instragram. Nice, right?

Those are the pies he made (my Dad is a brilliant baker of pies, frankly the reason we invited him) - one apple and one pumpkin. We used the apples from our trip to Oka last month and I don't think I can describe the deliciousness of that pie without salivating all over the keyboard. Ridiculous.

I will note here that my Mom is also a brilliant maker of pies although she is a Tenderflake girl while my Dad is all about the Crisco. I know, no wonder they aren't married anymore, right?

Not pictured are Pierre and Ariel and Remy who also came for dinner. I would have loved to get a photo of us all around the table but just as we were sitting down to eat, Alice pronounced that she was thankful by performing an epic diaper blowout, the kind that involves a two-parent cleanup. At the same moment, Pierre and Ariel were trying to get Remy down to sleep in the other room so Dad and Liliane were the only two to actually eat a hot meal.

When we were all finally back at the table, we each came up with one thing that we were thankful for (a family tradition that I ~~force~~ request our guests to engage in when they come for Thanskgiving), my Dad said he was grateful not to have any children under the age of 2. The rest of us laughed and then immediately gulped our glasses of rosé.

The rest of the weekend was spent watching movies and marvelling at Liliane's proficiency at finding clips on Youtube with Grandpa's iphone. Also preventing her from calling Japan.

Speaking of Liliane, it's her 4th birthday on Sunday and I promise I will bring the camera and even take pictures. She and a bunch of her friends are going to have all kinds of gymnastic fun at Club Gymnix, then we'll do cupcakes (chocolate with pink icing as requested) and presents in the birthday party room. The best part is that it's a) not at our house and b) over by 5!

In baby news, Alice is still sleeping through the night and then some. She has started to swing her legs around so turning over on her own is in her very near future. She smiles all the time but when she's frustrated, she has very particular, squeaky cry. Breastfeeding is going well although there were some concerns that she's not gaining enough weight due to her long sleeps. Her pediatrician assures me that it's fine but we're keeping an eye on it.

Does this look like a kid who is not getting enough to eat?

Am also thinking about doing NaBloPoMo. My SIL has been doing it for the last couple of years and it's such a treat to have new content every single day! Plus it would be good exercise. For my brain I mean. I'll get back to you on that.

Back next week with a full report on the birthday festivities.

UR Doin' It Right

2011-10-05T10:08:00.001-04:00

My favourite time of day is actually at night. It comes when I am lying in bed and in the soft glow of the nightlight I can see Alice's dark little head in her bed beside me. Stéphane is sleeping and so is Liliane. Is there anything more delicious than sleeping kids?

I cherish that sensation. The feeling of utter satisfaction, of gratitude that we have a cozy home and a healthy family and a full fridge. Despite my issues with hearing the neighbours occasionally stomping around upstairs, it's almost always completely silent by midnight. Sleep in heavenly peace. And I do.

The first time I felt this way was when Liliane was just around a year old. It had been a warm fall so the heat wasn't on yet. One night Liliane kept waking up. We ruled out all the usual stuff but nothing helped. Finally I realized the poor kid was COLD. The nights were suddenly cooler and her room was chilly. I turned the heat on, but since it would take a while to warm up, we brought her her into our bed.

Now, let me remind you that Liliane slept exclusively in our bed for the first three months of her life because she would not sleep anywhere else. She slept in our bed, stuck to me. Which meant that Stéphane and I went through some pretty major sleep deprivation.

Once we got her out of that habit, we were always wary of bringing her back to our bed, partly because of flashbacks to those first months but also because once she started sleeping in her crib, she was happiest there.

But on this night we tucked her in between us and she immediately went back to sleep. No squirming, no wiggling around, no dread in the pit of my stomach. I lay there, listening to her breathing and to the clock ticking in the kitchen and I had an epiphany. THIS is what it's like! THIS is what it's like to be perfectly content, knowing that you did something right for your child. I hadn't felt anything like it in my parenting experience up to that moment and I go back to it often when I need to keep anxiety at bay.

It sounds trivial, but as any new parent will tell you, the question of sleep (how much is the baby getting, how much are we the parents getting, why won't she fall asleep, is she sleeping too much, no sleep because of teething/bad dreams/gas/you name it, oh please for the love of GOD please sleep) becomes all-consuming. And when you throw some post-partum depression into the mix, LOOK OUT!

So that moment has stayed with me these past three years. That overwhelming sense of well-being. Of knowing my baby girl was right beside me, safe and warm. That we figured something out and fixed it. And what a treat to be able to experience it again so soon with sweet Alice. My yummy babe that nods off after feeding around 11PM and wakes up about 12 hours later.

You know what this means though, right? We got off easy on the sleep so far, teething is going to be a nightmare.

And don't even talk to me about the teenage years.

I Know What You Did Last Summer

2011-10-03T11:54:00.001-04:00

Stéphane made this nifty video that pretty much sums up our whole summer. An estival season greatest hits collection if you will.

The timing is perfect because if you googled "doldrums+definition" today there would be a picture of the view out our front window. It's a nasty, rainy day here so excuse me while I watch it a few more times to ward off the SADs.

Now before you start judging, note that the baby is still sleeping, (I won't say for how MANY hours she consistently sleeps overnight because I might get an envelope of anthrax from a fellow new Mama, but it rhymes with at least SHMINE), and there is a lot less butter involved than my usual "oh-no-summer-is-over-and-its-cold" go-to cure. (Hint: FOOD)

But sunny, cheery video aside, I can't guarantee that I won't bake something sinful today. #cardioclassSOS

Enjoy!

Wordless - um - Thursday?

2011-09-29T10:18:00.000-04:00

Seven Years, No Itch.

2011-09-26T10:54:00.002-04:00

It was our 7th wedding anniversary yesterday and I seriously feel like it was the best celebration we've had since the big day. I don't know why, but it was a kinda perfect. Kids and all.

We swapped fancy dinner out for brunch and thanks to Julie and Joyce (and particularly BFF Rosie), we went just the two of us while Alice politely slept through the whole thing.

Of course we talked about Liliane's birthday plans the whole time, but still! It was uninterrupted conversation!

Afterwards we strolled along Park avenue and picked up a few things for dinner including a splurge bottle of Amarone for the occasion and soaked up the early fall sunshine.

After reluctantly leaving our friends and their lovely backyard (including an actual vegetable garden from which I scored BEETS, RIGHT FROM THE GROUND) we skipped off to the park.

I brought the camera because hey, this blog isn't going to write itself...

Our park view - so urban, so Montreal.

I love these crazy blue, super blue flowers. Name? No idea. But I love them.

Then of course Mr. Fancypants had to outdo me with his iphone and Instagram...

Sigh. Gorgeous.

Anniversary dinner? BBQ mini burgers, green bean salad and Amarone. With apple crisp for dessert. Ha! We barely made a dent in our bounty from last week but I have a mind to make apple pie this week. I'll let you know how it goes.

Sorry for the lack of Alice photos, I'll get on that for the next post. She is almost 12 pounds now and still sleeping like a champ. Which means that I'm sleeping well and surprise! Life is beautiful :)

Don't worry, I'm sure teething will be a nightmare. Or something. But so far, so good.

I had my last appointment with my OB/GYN this week. She checked to make sure that I'm all healed up (I am), I weighed myself (35 pounds down, eighty bajillion to go) and generally wrapped up that whole part of my life.

You know what's weird? This time around I have total nostalgia for childbearing, even childbirthing. But I'm looking forward to all the fun stuff to come now that our little family is complete.

You hear me ovaries? COMPLETE. DUNZO. NO MORE. So please stop calling me.

Because I'm pretty sure it can't get much better than this.

An Apple A Day... (is what we will be eating from now until Christmas)

2011-09-20T21:48:00.000-04:00

Alice does not enjoy the blog. She demonstrates this by waking up the minute I sit down to update. For real.

Alright, baby stashed with husband, let me make up for lack of posts with a million photos of us picking apples this weekend!

This is where we went this year and it was brilliant.

These are the people we went with and THEY were brilliant. The usual suspects:

Manon and Luana

Pierre and Ariel (Remy asleep in the red hood)

And the rest is pretty self-explanatory...

Stéphane still on his Instagram bender:

Yes, I totally changed Alice in the trunk. There were approximately eighty bajillion little black flies around the car so believe me, it was for the best.

Besides, she doesn't seem to mind...

Sleep is still going well, we have one feed around 5AM or sometimes we have nights of 8, 9 or 11 hours. But if you follow me on Facebook, you already know that. And if you are a parent of young children, you might even want to punch me. Fair enough. Just know that we DID OUR TIME with Liliane and her wackadoo sleep issues so we really, really earned this.

I'm cute now, but wait until I want to drive your car!

Besides, that tricky baby turned into the world's best big sister who looks ridiculously adorable in her new ballet ensemble. Oh my, she is having fun.

I am working on a resolve to blog more (hey, I'm actually exercising these days so anything is possible!) so don't give up on me!

Not Eating Deep Fried Butter Plus Alice is 6 Weeks

2011-09-06T11:58:00.007-04:00

We hit the Brome Fair on Sunday and despite my craving for artery-clogging fair food, I managed to get by only eating one hot dog, one fried-onion-smothered cheeseburger and a bag of mini donuts. Even *I* would have trouble rationalizing funnel cakes as an acceptable snack even though I'm BREASTFEEDING and always SO HUNGRY.

My reward? As I type this, I am wearing my REGULAR, PRE-PREGNANCY, NON-MATERNITY JEANS.

Not a single elastic panel in sight. BOOYAH!

Anyway, I know you're not here for me, let's just get to the pictures already:

I believe I was promised a corn dog?

She loved the fair, mainly because when it got dark there were lots and lots of lights for her to be all mesmerized at.

Photos courtesy of my husband and his newfound love of Instagram:

Otherwise, we're all doing well aside from a little thrush that Alice and I are working on getting rid of.

Alice at six weeks is a smiley package of chubby yumminess. She is spending more and more time being awake and goggling at whatever is around her. Lots of oooh and aaahhs.

Her most favourite person is still her big sister:

Although Stéphane and I have both been treated to a grin or two.

Her sleeping patterns are pretty clear at the moment and (attention: I have turned into that annoying mother re: sleeping through the night) this weekend we got three nights of 8+ hours of uninterrupted sleep. HELLO - what? Maybe I dreamed that whole giving birth thing and she is actually adopted.

Ha ha - oh right. I haven't shared the story yet! It's on my list, I promise.

Still not ready for the end of summer, but fall IS a great time of year (she said begrudgingly). Although now that I have jeans to wear, I'm not dreading it so much :)

How are you all doing with back to school/summer's end?

Four Weeks, etc.

2011-08-23T14:32:00.008-04:00

Of COURSE Alice smiled for the first time for my Mom.

Of course she did.

It's our first week home with no one else around. My Mom was here for 10 days and it was so easy. Alice spent most of her visit like this:

Oh, yay, it's Grandma! Hi Grandma! I'm not tired, really I - zzzzz......

It was great.

Otherwise, Alice is now just over 4 weeks old. She's sleeping 6 hours at a time overnight (okay now that I've written that, buh-bye sleep) and getting bigger by the day. She sleeps in her co-sleeper beside our bed, she sleeps in the vibrating chair, she sleeps in the Baby Bjorn carrier and she even sometimes naps in her crib.

She started smiling two weeks ago (when my Mom got here - surprise!) and continues to express total delight at all kinds of awesome things - the pattern of the couch, Winnie the Pooh, any kind of light, and anything Liliane does. She's not so much smiling at ME per se although her frowny face softens a little when I coo at her.

Our windows rattle regularly with her mid-feed burps. Truly impressive. We have a bottle of gripewater at the ready for her cranky evenings and it seems to help.

She gazes adoringly at Stéphane when he carries her around in the evening. She likes to have a warm tummy at all times. She doesn't hate having a bath but her favourite part is having her hair washed. She is fascinated by her reflection in the mirror.

Not sure why it's taking so long for me to pen the story of her arrival. Maybe because I don't want it to all be over? Or something? Not enough brain cells right now to analyze so I'll just concentrate on writing something coherent.

Remember my fears about adding a second kid to the mix? So far so good. Liliane has been pretty good about accepting that I can't do things while I'm feeding Alice and we manage to clean up the kitchen after dinner either because Alice has been considerate enough to sleep or we just get it done with her on our shoulder or in the carrier.

Speaking of Liliane, in case there was any doubt, she is still the resident princess:

I'm reading Dr. Dobson's Strong Willed Child right now which has been helpful if for no other reason because I feel pretty grateful that it could be SO MUCH WORSE. Yes, Liliane has some very definite ideas and is about the most stubborn being I've ever encountered, but at least she has lots of moments of sweetness and a spirit of cooperation and obedience that gives us hope. We're going through an adjustment period right now so we've got some things to figure out re: discipline, but it's coming together.

As for me, I signed up for Cardio-Poussette (Cardio-Stroller) class starting Sept 12th so here's hoping that motivation to get some semblance of my pre-baby body back will kick in before then!

Also - as per usual at this time of year, SO NOT READY FOR THE END OF SUMMER. Is it just me?

Babymoon

2011-08-08T11:50:00.004-04:00

We're all good over here. You know, hangin' out.

Occasionally bathing.

Trying to do as much of this as possible.

Bonding. Lots of bonding.

Working on the birth story post. Sorry it's taking so long, but here is a spoiler: 9 pound baby, stuck shoulder, NO DRUGS. See what I did there? SUSPENSE. Now don't you want to come back and read all the (loud) and (unheroic, really not) details?

Wordless Wednesday - First Dentist (NO BABY YET)

2011-07-20T09:20:00.005-04:00

Bloodied but Unbowed - or Something (Spoiler - STILL PREGNANT)

2011-07-15T16:54:00.007-04:00

Let me get the whiny part of this entry out of the way first. This is the current state of my left leg after falling down on the sidewalk on Tuesday afternoon.

Also - check out my swollen feet! Giving new meaning to the phrase "little piggies!"

Yep, scraped knee, hideous bruising and all. The worst part was not being able to actually get UP from the ground while L danced around me "you okay Maman?" That and the ugly crying because HOO BOY IT HURTS. Ironic, right, since the next big thing on my agenda is to give birth? Maybe I can poke my wounds during the really big contractions to distract myself.

Any lingering attachment I had to being all glowy and pregnant pretty much took a nose dive the same time my knee crashed to the pavement. That and a completely disappointing visit to the spa that morning pretty much did me in.

Why yes, the spa! Dear friends of mine gave me a gift certificate for my birthday (which my SIL documented brilliantly here on her blog) to go and float for an hour in a salty bath at Ovarium. Thrilled at the idea of actually being weightless, even for an hour, I practically skipped down to my appointment on Wednesday morning.

Imagine my disappointment to find that a) floating on my back doesn't make it stop hurting and b) guess what! just like massage, floating makes me nauseous! Awesome! I lasted about 20 minutes before hefting myself out into the longest shower EVER. I availed myself of every beauty product they had to really get my gift certificate's worth. Then I ate a sandwich at Subway and felt fine.

I had my weekly OB appointment yesterday and the good news is that getting my membranes stripped this time around was NOT the horrible painfest that it was with Liliane. I also got kind of excited because it kicked off a bunch of contractions that lasted all day AND a total tidying frenzy that saw my washing the floors and finishing all the baby laundry and organizing, organizing, organizing.

Well, that was yesterday. Today I'm nauseous and sleepy and frankly a little grumpy. I'm not even past my due date yet (Sunday) and already I can't WAIT for this to get going. A combination of dying to meet this little girl and really REALLY so tired of being pregnant. Buh-bye heartburn! Buh-bye pelvic pain! Buh-bye hideous snoring that keeps my husband awake! Buh-bye random mood swings! Buh-bye serious problem with dropping things and/or knocking things over and then not being able to bend enough to pick them up! Buh-bye random 3rd trimester nausea!

Liliane is excited as well, although a little unsure about what's all going down. We explained that when it's time for the baby to come, she'll be going to stay with Grandmaman and Grandpapa, then she'll come and see us for a visit at the hospital to meet her sister before she comes home. We have our friend Pierre standing by to come and stay should we have to run off in the middle of the night (just like the movies!) I'm so grateful that we have Stéphane's parents standing by to take over. One less thing to worry about!

Our doula is checking in with me every day and keeping things positive. She lent us a kid's book about childbirth that depicts a Mom with three other kids giving birth at home. Liliane is completely fascinated by it - particularly the page where the new baby is actually being born. The mother is standing up so in the pictures it looks like the baby's head is emerging from her bum. Yeah, this has been a little tricky to clarify. At the moment she believes that babies come out like poop. So.... there's that. We'll have to work on that.

But otherwise our hospital bags are pretty much packed. The baby laundry is done. There are a few things that we could pick up to be REALLY ready, but if not, no big deal. The house is clean, arrangements with friends and family are done, now we're just kind of waiting. No big plans for this weekend, but hanging out together. No stress. The weather is gorgeous. I'm grateful for that.

Speaking of grateful, I asked our friend Ariel (fancy pro photographer) to please take some family/bump pictures. We met up at Jarry Park on July 1st and these are some of the results.

I'm so thrilled to have these photos! Also BB II won't have quite as much ammunition for the whole "you always loved HER better" argument 15 years from now or so. See! Professional photos! Who needs more lame ultrasound images? Pfff.

Ariel also took this photo of Liliane on the dancefloor at Stéphane's niece's wedding last weekend. Oh man, we had so much fun.

The flowergirl with her very own flowers.

It was a really lovely ceremony and reception. You'll have to take my word for it as I didn't bring my big camera so my own photos aren't that great. We had a great time hanging out with family and I'm telling you, L tore UP the dance floor. Truly a sight to see. Did my heart good actually.

On that note I will close this bloated post (see what I did there? It's a THEME) and promise to compose something a little perkier for the next one. Possibly including newborn baby photos?

Hammer Time

2011-06-30T09:55:00.005-04:00

I love this picture and figured I could buy some time if I post it with a quick WE ARE ALL OK OVER HERE.

Some of us are lumbering, ungainly bundles of hormones (HINT: not Stéphane) but otherwise happily nesting/watching TV/occasionally freaking out about upcoming birth.

But these two are good.

Heck, I'm good, too.

Especially with our new addition. My baby, the AIR CONDITIONER.

How did I ever live without you, beautiful machine?

That chattering noise you hear in the background may or may not be Stéphane and Liliane's teeth. Hard to tell over the whining about blue lips and frozen toes. PUT ON A SWEATER ALREADY.

Otherwise, I had a brilliant baby shower/leaving work party, we had a ridiculously good time at the Jazz Festival last weekend and I even planted more flowers. Pictures to come.

Happy Canada Day long weekend!

Tiny Bubbles

2011-05-29T08:58:00.005-04:00

This week has been RAIN RAIN RAIN, COLD RAIN and WIND and then... THIS!

Our friends Manon and Luana came over yesterday and we hung out in our urban backyard a.k.a., the back alley.

I know, it sounds ghetto. But look! It's really nice back here!

And it comes complete with polite, funloving neighbour kids!

L, foufling the bubbles. (To blow in French is "souffler" but L says "fouffler" which cracks me up every time. I don't even correct her. She may be the only high schooler with a speech impediment but man will she kill at parties!)

Time for corde à danser. Yeah, in English it's jump rope or skipping. In French it's dancing. They must have been starved for good moves when they came up with that one.

Mohammed's turn. He did pretty well. That's Miriam on the left, she came to join us.

It must be said that Luana is a dancing QUEEN. She was leaping and spinning in the air and generally amazing the heck out of us.

Liliane not so much. No photos because I was busy turning the rope for her but she could usually get the first jump.

Looks like we're back to rain and general gloom today but on the up side it's been good for my plants!

Off to see Kung Fu Panda. Not sure but Stéphane may be more excited about this than Liliane. I'll let you know how it goes.

All good on the bébé II front. Lots of movement. Lots of ice cream and a renewed need for raspberries.

Air conditioner coming next Friday! I may have sold Liliane off to the highest bidder in order to pay for it but I figure that will be one less person to have to keep cool.

Kidding!

Happy Sunday!

Ring My Bell

2011-05-23T15:30:00.005-04:00

A lot of firsts this May long weekend.

First time we hung out at our local fire station.

Come to think of it, first community BBQ!

Some of Villeray's finest. I'm sure their firefighting skills are not too bad either.

First blossom sighting. This tree is on our street.

Liliane had her first waterfight with the kids in the neighbourhood! Isn't that cool? She made a new friend in an adorable 6 year old girl who lives across our back lane whose Mama is not only anglophone but she and her francophone husband lived for 8 years in.... Surrey, B.C.!

Turns out there are a bunch of really sweet kids on our street who hang out in the back lane so she spent Saturday afternoon running around with them (under Papa's watchful eye of course). It did my heart good.

For the first time EVER I actually got flowers planted on the May long weekend! We (along with the rest of the ENTIRE CITY) hit Jean-Talon market on Saturday afternoon and I picked up some pansies....

And a wee herb garden! There is parsley, two kinds of basil, lemon thyme (man I love the smell), oregano and sage. That other pot is Rue, an anti-cat/anti-squirrel plant.

The beginning of urban paradise!

Not pictured: our first trip with two kids to the park! We took care of our friends' 3-month old baby all day Sunday so we tried out our new stroller. You know what? Not a problem! He fell asleep on the way and snoozed all the way through our picnic. Plus he doesn't walk yet so HELLO. So EASY.

Call me naive, but I felt pretty good about it.

I wish I could say that this weekend was our first visit to Dairy Queen but HA! My readers know that's not true. All I can say is THANK YOU LORD for the Mini Blizzard.

Speaking of thankful, I saw an osteopath this week. My painful pelvic issues were DEALT WITH. As gentle as it was effective, my treatment lasted about 45 minutes and it was awesome. This particular osteopath is a pregnancy specialist and he also does a pre-birth treatment to make sure your body is ready for labour. Cool, right?

Oh and he also treats babies! Sounds weird? I know. But think about it - birth is as big event for them as it is for the mother. All that squeezing and pressure and trauma of coming into the world. Like the worst sports injury EVER. If anyone could use an adjustment, it's a newborn, am I right?

Project Air Conditioner is coming along nicely. Consequently, so is my marriage :) I should have news on that soon.

Hope y'all had a great long weekend!

Around Here, Lately

2011-05-20T09:32:00.002-04:00

Morning breakfast on the counter. The child knocks over her juice glass, of course. I overreact maybe just a little, mostly because I KNEW THAT WAS COMING.

Me: (cleaning counter/cupboards/floor, furiously) No more juice in a cup! Ever! EVER!

L: *silent*

Me: *various grumbling and pregnancy-related-bending pain*

L: (quietly, respectfully) C'est pas grave, Maman. (It's not a big deal, Maman).

Me: (guilty) You're right, c'est pas le fin du monde. (it's not the end of the world).

I give her a hug and she puts her hands on each side of my face.

L: C'est le fin de TOI! (It's the end of YOU!)

Hit the nail right on the head, kid.

*****************************************

Bedtime. Story is done, prayers are done, time for kisses and hugs.

L: Un gros câlin Maman! (A big hug Maman!)

T: *big hug*

L: say "mmmmmm"!

T: *big hug, this time growling mmmm in her ear*

L: Ca sent les cheveux à Maman. (Smells like Maman's hair)

T: What does my hair smell like?

L: C'est bon, like Maman!

I think that's a good thing.

And then the obligatory sign off:

T: I love you!

L: I love you! Je t'aime!

T: Je t'aime! Bonne nuit!

L: Bonne nuit! Good night!

In that order. Otherwise we start over.

*****************************************

Have a great long weekend!

Spring... So Far

2011-05-14T11:51:00.006-04:00

Wow, this lack of regular posting means a lot of catching up. I'll be brief. Ish. Brief-ish.

The bump! Please do not be concerned by the freakish appearance of my left hand. I have no idea what is happening to my once-photogenic self.

The Playoffs. We're now rooting for Vancouver in case you were wondering.

Easter, oh Easter. Beautiful celebration of spring, redemption, hope and SUGAR.

Chocolate pudding cookies with mini eggs, adapted from this recipe.

My dear friend Manon invited us over on rainy Easter Saturday for brunch and backyard Easter egg hunt!

The Easter bunny thoughtfully packaged treats in ziploc bags due to inclement weather.

It was awesome.

Inside we feasted on wafffles, amazing baked ham and CAAANNDY!

That is not made out of chocolate, get it away from me.

What better activity for jittery sugar-jacked pre-schoolers than egg painting?

It was pretty rad actually.

Not pictured: Excellent Sunday morning service and Easter treat hunting at our house that Liliane is STILL talking about. Stéphane nixed my idea of putting out lettuce scraps and raisins as evidence of the Easter bunny's visit. But it was still thrilling. The lapin put chocolate in my CUISINE! Yeah, we're all about the Frenglish in our house these days.

In other news... Bébé II is growing and wriggling and forcing me to eat a lot of ice cream. Which is fine since I'm not diabetic this time. My father introduced me to Chapman's sugarless ice cream in case of emergency so even if I do end up with diabetes, it's all good. Priorities, people.

We bought a stroller! After much research to determine what we wanted to get, I found a used one for at least half the price and although it was a 45-minute trek out to the burbs to get it, we LOVE IT. The car seat adapter came with it as well so we can use it right off the top. We've taken it out for a few test rides and Liliane loves her little seat in the back. I love that we will have a way of getting around with TWO KIDS (!) that doesn't involve a lot of back pain or money spent. WIN.

My new obsession is air conditioning. We have everything we need to have a mural air conditioner,we're just missing the actual unit and the intelligence to install it. Oh, and the budget to do that. Details! We WILL have air conditioning, mark my words. I'lll keep you posted.

It's a very rainy weekend here in Montréal. My saintly husband took L to the movies and just called to ask if they had to rush back. HECK NO. Stay all day! I'll be here, putting our stuff on eBay.

The One Where I Don't Have an Ego

2011-04-15T23:31:00.008-04:00

So I was in Vancouver last weekend, partly for work:

partly for family:

but mainly to GET AWAY. Ha ha, just kidding. Kinda.

It's crazy how much I appreciate air travel these days. What, NO ONE can reach me? Or ask me stuff? No one needs me to take them to the bathroom or get them a drink or anything? For five and a half solid hours? And I can watch TV or watch a movie or read my book or have a nap? Heaven. Spa-like.

ANYWAY, I'm back, it was great, it was exhausting, it was exhilarating. I saw my grandparents in their new digs, I saw my sisters and my nieces and nephews, I saw lots of friends and even more family. I got my dose and it was good.

I also had my check up with the doctor this week and GUESS WHAT?! Sugar levels are... NORMAL. What!? All that pre-emptive whining for nothing. Not that I'm busting out the Jolly Rancher and maple syrup sandwiches or anything, but I'm just so relieved that I don't have to deal with all that. Yet. I'll have another test in 4 weeks or so but until then - Mama needs a BLIZZARD.

Related: I actually had a Blizzard while I was away but I ordered the new mini size. How virtuous am I, right? A MINI Rolo blizzard. It practically doesn't count! Unfortunately I then went to the Marble Slab Creamery (sluurrp, yaaarrrggg, must. eat. ice. cream. yyaarrr, mmmmm) and restraint really didn't come up in the conversation. Weird.

Also related: I ate 3 White Spot burgers in my 5 day sojourn. I got off the plane, got to my Dad's, dropped my suitcase and immediately ordered take out. True Story. I saw this while I was going through the Triple-O drive through for fix #2:

No, I didn't try it. But can you imagine? The best of both worlds. Or something.

My Marble Slab poison: Birthday Cake ice cream with fresh strawberries and pieces of white cake. Excuse me while I wipe off the keyboard now.

Hoping my OB-GYN doesn't read my blog. Hi Dr. Johnson! I was really careful about eating sugar AFTER I finished this ice cream. Really!

Stopped in to see the girls at Beauty Nail and got a manicure because hey! It's good for the morale. Plus it means I have to stop eating for a few hours while I'm there.

This is me with my little sister Jaime (R) her friend Rachel and Tara Johns, writer/director of The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom. We went to visit Jaime's writing class to talk about writing film scripts and making movies and... boobs. You have to see the movie. We had a great time, the students asked lots of great questions and Tara and I were both relieved that the high school days were safely behind us!

Speaking of sisters, I have to post this photo. In the spirit of Pioneer Woman's "keepin' it real!" you have to see what might be the DORKIEST photo of me yet. And it's almost worse because my sister Jennifer looks so completely adorable.

Even my captioning powers fail me.

She did point out that I tend to be the photogenic one so it's payback time. I bet she would revive her blog just for the pleasure of posting ALL the photos we took in this series. Oh ego, get over yourself. Just go look at our wedding pictures and remember the glory days.

Since we're on the subject, here is a self-portrait of Tara and I when we found out that the film was being extended for a second week at Tinseltown.

Oh well. We were excited.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Those Three Little Words

2011-04-03T09:10:00.009-04:00

Let's. Make. Coffee.

Aaahhhhh.

Three and a half years we've been waiting for this moment. It just started last week, as part of a new morning routine. (Maybe we have the new Dora bed to thank?) Instead of watching cartoons when she wakes up, she prefers to sit on the counter while I get breakfast organized. She scoops the coffee into the bodum then stands by to stir it once the kettle whistles. Sometimes we listen to the music from Tangled (or as it's known around here, les cheveux longs), but mostly it's just quiet.

While we're waiting I usually unload the dishwasher and get lunches organized and we eat a banana or share a grapefruit. Then she eats her usual raisin bread (cold, not hot! No toast!) with du butter, Maman. A LOT of butter. What can I say, I guess she's not adopted after all, her freakish aversion to potatoes aside.

Then she gets to push down the plunger and joy abounds.

We've had a few nights of fully UNinterrupted sleep (of course now that I've actually typed those words I'm sure that's the end of that) and it's almost the best part of my day when she comes bursting into our room in the morning: "Maman! Je veux faire du café!"

Luckily she has no interest in DRINKING the coffee but she does love making it. And I love having her sleepy little self perched on the counter with me. She's great company.

In other news, we have watched the Tangled DVD approximately a bajillion times since Papa brought it home on Tuesday. It's a really adorable film with a great message (a smart and capable princess-type that doesn't need rescuing!) and although I can now watch the end without crying, I may have developed a crush on Flynn Ryder. A cartoon crush. Sad.

Speaking of sad, it looks like the ol' gestational diabetes is back. My doctor sent me for an early test and I got the news last week that my sugar levels are a little high. Do not pass GO, get to the hospital for the dreaded two hour exam! Crap. There goes another half day! I know it's really not a big deal as far as pregnancy complications go but I was still disappointed. It means extra time hanging out at the diabetes clinic and following a sugarless diet until delivery not to mention random feelings of dread that PREGNANCY - UR DOIN' IT WRONG. Great. Oh and the Dairy Queen right down the street is now open for the season. I might get them to put my picture by the cash "DO NOT SERVE THIS WOMAN, NO MATTER HOW SHE BEGS FOR A STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE BLIZZARD."

Yes, B.C. readers, due to the frigid temperatures that we get around here almost 6 months out of the year, Dairy Queen closes down in the fall. Plus we don't have actual restaurants that sell burgers and stuff. They are all (I think anyway) outdoor walk-up/take-away counters.

Heading to Vancouver on Thursday, can't wait. Lower Mainland readers, we'll hang out at the movies next weekend, right? I'll be at the 7PM-ish screenings on Friday and Saturday of The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom at Tinseltown along with the writer/director and B.C. homegirl Tara Johns, not to mention Julia Stone, the star herself. Thanks for your comments on my last post! We wavered somewhere between panic and despair for a while, but now we're at peace with embracing the chaos. It's all good.

How Ikea Tried to Kill My Marriage

2011-03-28T21:43:00.005-04:00

We survived. Probably because we ate lunch for less than $10.

But we got what we went for - a big girl bed. We decided to go for the not-quite-single-bed-size model which turned out to be perfect.

While Stéphane stayed home to put it together, I took the big girl out to choose bedding. Surprise! It's all about Dora.

Mission accomplished.

So the crib is now on the other side of the room, juuuust out of frame of all these photos. Once we moved a few things around, we were surprised at how well the two beds fit. We also got some super cute under-the-bed storage which took care of a surprising amount of toys.

So.... right. We're going to be putting another baby in that crib.

Wow. Kinda makes it real now that it's all empty and just sitting there. Ready.

It hits me every now and then, like when I'm combing out Liliane's hair after her bath and Stéphane is cleaning up the kitchen, that it's pretty easy just having one. How the heck are we going to add a newborn into the mix? Do I comb hair with one hand? Will the kitchen just always be a mess? Is it too late to change our minds?

Anyway, everything else is fine. I think my husband has almost forgiven me for Sunday. Liliane is good although all about Maman these days.

Parents, any advice on the morph from one to two? Everyone says it's easy but... really?

Girl Power, Etc.

2011-03-21T21:10:00.006-04:00

I'm still here! Really! Blah, blah, still busy (please see my last post) oh and pregnant. Which is fun and everything but this kiddo is sucking the LIFE out of me already. ALREADY. Ha ha, just kidding, baby. I can't wait until you get here (stork is dropping off, right?) and you can suck the life out of me... literally! Actually I can't wait to nuzzle your fuzzy head and nibble your teeny toes. BAYBEE FEET. NOM NOM NOM.

So in case I didn't mention it already, we had an ultrasound 2 weeks ago and yep, definitely another girl. We're relieved because we have all the stuff already although hoping desperately that this kid is a little more, um, easygoing than her big sister. There's a finite allowance of personality per family, right? Surely Liliane has used up all that Type A juice so fingers crossed that the new girl is kind of a slacker. Or at least likes to sleep and doesn't hate doing her jacket up or wearing snowpants or being buckled into her carseat. Can you tell I'm a little tired of winter?

Speaking of which, since today is actually the first day of Spring, Montréal decided to celebrate with a 10 cm wet snowstorm. Yep, it was awesome. On a related note, I have seriously stopped calculating how much money we've spent on crap-weather taxi rides to and from daycare since January. Just doing our part to keep the car-for-hire industry alive and well here! Sorry baby, hope you like hand me down EVERYTHING because Maman couldn't handle a little bit of slush.

ANYWAY. Now that I'm firmly in my second trimester, I'm waiting for that "burst of energy" I'm supposed to be getting anytime now. Hello? Anyone? The all-around queasiness is definitely gone, but oh ho ho! Surprise! It comes back with a vengeance when I'm too tired or too hungry or the wind blows the wrong way or I get a massage. Yeah, a blissful, stress-releasing, muscle-soothing maternity massage last week made me want to hurl. Sigh.

So that's what's up with me! Aren't you glad you asked? Just be glad I didn't tell you about the pelvic pain (how is it possible to HURT LIKE THAT, THERE) and how I am periodically blinded by homicidal rage towards the upstairs neighbours for, you know, walking around so loudly.

The good news is that Dairy Queen will be opening soon, I have no stretch marks (wait, that first point could be a problem) and I'm totally enjoying feeling this kiddo move around so much. I also appreciate knowing specifically what I need to buy this time around. I have my eye on the Arm's Reach co-sleeper and I'm narrowing down the stroller/car seat combo we need to get. I'm even already checking Craigslist!

I'm also completely looking forward to my upcoming trip to Vancouver in April for the Dolly opening. Which reminds me: Lower Mainland readers - consider yourselves BOOKED for the weekend of April 8th! The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom is opening at the International Village/Tinseltown theatre (downtown) on Friday April 8th and you definitely need to see it!

While we're in promo mode, if you're on Facebook, I'm sure you're already a fan of the Dolly Facebook page. Right? Are we friends or are we friends?

Speaking of Facebook, while you're there becoming a fan of our page, check out this contest that Stéphane made a video for. Click this link, watch the video (it's 30 seconds, you can do it) and hit LIKE. (Where it says "votez pour Stéphane Arbour.") He and I will be forever grateful. Or at least happy for a few minutes.

Alright, time to put this way long post out of its misery. Before winter leaves us completely (don't let the door hit your butt on the way out!), a couple of happy hivernal memories.

Back soon!

Still Kicking

2011-03-03T21:49:00.004-05:00

Hellloooo from Preggoville! Land of snacks, naps and ill-fitting pants!

As some of you know, I helped make a movie that is coming out here in Quebec TOMORROW so between gestating new life and tending to the life we already made, my professional life has been off the charts with the BUSY.

Blah, blah, blah, everybody's busy. You're right. So I'll skip all that and just POST SOMETHING already.

I'm going to cheat a little and share a video with you that my adorable and talented husband made last weekend. It stars one Miss Liliane Arbour AND her new fish Dory.

Enjoy! While y'all are watching that, I'll be working on some more posts. Promise :)

Sunny Side-Up from Stéphane Arbour on Vimeo.

Surprise! New Year, New Project!

2011-01-04T21:23:00.006-05:00

Yes indeed, what you are seeing here is the first image of who we're affectionately calling Bébé II.

Here are some vital stats:

-due July 17

-had ultrasound this morning, all is well

-I currently weigh more than the average blue whale

-70% chance that this one's a girl too. Help.

-Liliane knows, tried to see the baby herself through my belly button

-Stéphane and I alternate between being thrilled and terrified but mainly thrilled (although often terrified. Let's keep it real, shall we?)

Since I'm posting such awesome news, can I be forgiven for a nearly month-long hiatus? I assure you, I spent that time either eating to quell the nausea or eating to appease my random cravings (no, for reals, if you happened to mention food of any kind in my presence, THAT is what I need: STAT. Literally had to turn off the TV when the Burger King commercials came on), or eating because hey! I actually don't feel gross right now!

The good news is that my first trimester diet consisted of more than bagels (mmm, bagels) and milkshakes (ooh, that sounds good) like with Liliane. I've been able to keep eating a fairly balanced diet with vegetables and everything. So that's kind of nice. On the other hand, I'm already in my maternity pants and I don't think it's just the baby's fault if you catch my drift...

ANYWAY, that's our news. I have a bajillion fun photos to post but I'll leave you with this one for now.

Wishing you all a very happy and healthy new year!

My resolutions include more blogging, less eating of multiple lunches. Also surviving this crazy childbearing thing again, not to mention the whole newborn phase.

I'll keep you posted! Ha ha!

I Love Mall

2010-12-05T22:46:00.008-05:00

We had the best time at the mall today. We didn't see Santa and we didn't actually buy anything. Weird, right?

It was a quiet morning at the Piercy/Arbour homestead. I have the head cold that won't die so we hung out at home until cabin fever started to set in. We heard about the fancy festive set up at one of the malls downtown so we set out towards the Metro.

We don't roll with a stroller anymore, but thanks to Papa's shoulders it doesn't take us 2854 hours to get anywhere.

Hallelujah! Real decorations!

Related: thus begins a series of mediocre photos taken my random (kind) people at the mall. Who suck at photography.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Ok so this time Stéphane framed us up before handing off the camera.

Oookaay. I think family photo time is officially done.

It was super fun! Lots of activities that don't have to do with waiting in line to see Santa. You have to make an APPOINTMENT to see this Santa and all I will say is that those who foolishly mosey out to the mall at 3PM don't get an appointment. Really not.

In other news, my child knows more words to O Christmas Tree than I ever did. She has a blossoming love of the Christmas season and particularly Père Noël. Who brings presents! And candy!

She asks me sometimes "You OK Maman?" and occasionally requests that I not speak. Usually when I've reminded her to PLEASE SIT DOWN ON YOUR CHAIR. But her excitement for Christmas is really the best ever.

I don't know about you but December 1st kind of took me by surprise. It felt like it was forever away and then BAM! How come your decorations aren't up and WHEN WILL YOU GO SHOPPING?

Ha ha, no stress. Liliane has her Christmas gymnastics show next Sunday which just so happens to be the same day as Carols by Candlelight at the church. I'm singing in the choir again this year! The good news is that our commitments are over on the same day and pretty early on in the game.

*Side note to my Mom - I understand why having the church Christmas program happening so close to the 25th was so tricky! And here I am whining about my Dec. 12 activities. Pshaw.

ANYWAY, that's it for me, taking the code in my node and heading to bed. Have a good week!

Christmas Decoration at the Mall FAAAIIILLLLLL

2010-11-19T14:18:00.004-05:00

Let me preface this by saying that these photos are not from, like, Florida or anything. This is a big-time, downtown Montréal mall. Montréal, Québec. Where it's COLD at Christmas. You see where I'm going with this? You see why I'm confused?

Umbrellas? Really? This decor is supposed to make us think of the most cursed weather of all time, ICE RAIN? It's hard to see in the photo, but the Santa parasols (??) are hung in the midst of sparkly, icicle-y (??) lights.

I would seriously not wish ice rain on my worst enemy. If my hormones jumped out of my body in the form of evil, vicious, carb-crazy goblins I wouldn't even wish ice rain on THEM. That's how sucky it is.

And to compliment the theme, behold the jaunty evergreen swirl complete with partially closed Santa umbrella/parasol and more icicles. At least there are a few snowflakes in there to make it a little festive. Like okay, thanks to global warming Christmas will probably be WET, but just for the sake of tradition, we'll throw you a flake or two. Thanks a lot.

The photos don't accurately capture the sheer FAIL of this decor.

End of crap decoration rant. The rest of the city is gorgeous, I assure you. Although so snow yet. Which is A-OK by me.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Crumbs

2010-11-14T22:26:00.002-05:00

I had a witty, photo-filled post in mind but sadly I fell victim to Sunday night fatigue.

So I leave you with only this - a princess waiting for her coach to bring her to dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table.

Even if there are no Royal meals in your immediate future, have a magical week everyone!

Ready For My Near-Drowning Mr. DeMille

2010-11-07T22:03:00.015-05:00

Friends of mine where I used to work needed a toddler to shoot a re-enactment for this documentary. Now, having just come back from holiday (and needing distraction from the Disney depression) and knowing how Liliane does enjoy the spotlight (ahem), we signed her up!

Wait, I signed her up once it was determined that she was a SURVIVOR of the shipwreck. This was important to me.

She had to get all dirtied up to play a penniless passenger.

I don't think I can describe exactly how comfortable my child was having not one, but two lovely make up artists fussing over her. Like it was totally normal.

Did you get my espresso?

What do you mean they didn't have Dora crocs in 1849? Get my agent on the phone.

Although her burlap sack-like ensemble was far, FAR from the very sparkly princess garb she had been used to wearing, she was thrilled to be in a COSTUME.

Even the headgear.

Luckily they weren't shooting this re-enactement anywhere near icebergs, or water for that matter. Welcome to the magic of green screen!

Hello little urchin.

Since she was to be rescued from the ocean, she had to be wet. Julie from wardrobe sprayed her with water which was about as unpleasant as it sounds.

L was a total trooper. She got right into character.

Being rescued from the water by her mother.

Director Brian McKenna watching her performance on the monitor.

Brian and the crew.

Once her scene was over, she went to her trailer and sipped champagne while playing with her contractually required orange balloon.

Ha ha, good one.

Frolicking with another filthy kiddo, adorable Arthur.

Unfortunately that's not makeup.

One more group shot at the end and voilà! That's a wrap!

OK, unable to end a post with my kid dressed like that, here she is at the Crystal Palace brunch at the Magic Kingdom:

And there it is. Just think, you can say that you knew her when!

Seriously, not hoping that L will be an actor for realz. But we're having fun with opportunities as they come.

Although... You gotta admit, she looks pretty comfortable in a sparkly costume:

I will end by saying that we have successfully cleared ALL errant Halloween candy from this house. My hips are relieved.

And that Stéphane bought a Christmas present for Liliane today which is impressive because a) it's only November 7 and b) IT'S ONLY NOVEMBER 7. He's such a hero.

Oh and I went to TWO cardio classes this week and totally enjoyed myself. Go me.

Have a great week everybody!

Halloween Cookie Massacre

2010-10-31T22:16:00.005-04:00

Hi internet!

Even scarier than the fact that I have not posted in an entire month (my bad) is the crazy amount of sugar we had flying around here this weekend.

It's Halloween! A.K.A. Let it all hang out day! It's like warmup for Christmas where *some people* (no one I know- um, me) give themselves permission to hoover up the treats like there's no tomorrow (Mayan calendar predictions aside).

My poison this year. Honey Grandma's sugar cookies.

Mugs we bought in Disneyworld. Only the thought of upcoming Christmas (and unbridled consumption of butter and baking that goes along with) is keeping me from falling into total Disneyworld withdrawl depression. Don't laugh, PDD is REAL. I'm planning a Telethon next month.

Liliane chose the colours and wielded the food colouring bottles. That's all I have to say about that.

Had an excellent morning with Manon and Luana. We ventured out in the afternoon to get treat bags from the dép around the corner. Fairy wings over winter coats - perfectly sums up Halloween in Montreal.

After dinner we bundled up and headed out to get more treats. We didn't have to go far to hit a bunch of really fun houses with decorations. It was cold, but fun. We, I mean Liliane got some good stuff.

My new favourite picture.

L went as Tinkerbell (Kabby-bew), albeit a more generously clothed version. It was all good though since there was still a little snow on the ground from last night. My B.C. brain can't accept that, even after all these years.

Betcha didn't know Tinkerbell enjoys practicing Tai-Chi:

Our stairs on the way out.

I bought that hat when in Salem, MA with my Mom a couple of weeks ago. Wait, I didn't tell you about that? No? Oh, right. I've been meaning to bring you up to date.

October was all about family visits, Liliane's 3rd birthday, road trip to Boston and Salem with my Mom and browbeating myself for not going to any of my cardio classes until last week.

Guilt and poor self image keeps a girl busy, what can I say?

I have a bazillion and one photos to share including more Disney (shut UP, it's part of my therapy), Liliane playing a near-drowned Irish immigrant toddler in a documentary (JEALOUS?) not to mention Thanksgiving, birthday parties and oh man, are you tired yet?

Sorry for being away so long, I promise to do better.

Please don't punish me with the silent treatment.

Please feel free to suggest what I should post next.

Please tell me to stop eating Halloween treats.

Although, if I continue on this path I will soon be too large to get out of my own bedroom and will therefore have all kinds of time to blog. Huh. Kind of win-win when you think about it that way. Which I won't.

PUT DOWN THE KIT KAT.