Author Archives: Nicole

Fun with Friends – March 7th, 2009

Two nights out in a row – wow. Saturday night was dinner at the Halters. The perfect opportunity to catch up with quite possibly the first friends we made in Portland. We don’t get together much but when we do it’s a chat fest as we try and catch up on everything that has been going on in each others’ lives.

I didn’t take many photos and of course the few I did take were of the kids. How could I not get a photo of those gorgeous big eyes. They’re hard to miss.

And this one who looks so much like a boy when I look at this photo, but who will always look like a baby in my head. I am having a hard time as the three year olds begin looking less like toddlers and more like boys and girls.

These two found themselves at the same level – literally. I think Samuel enjoyed being around someone else likes to crawl.

And these two had a great time together. They played and shared and ran around – and of course bonded over a mutual love of television. We really should get these two together more often.

Jenny Sizzler – March 6th, 2009

One Friday night a month is Jenny Sizzler night. Good music (starring a fellow daycare parent and neighbour on the fiddle), good pizza and lots of crazy kids in a daycare mosh pit. Oh, AND there’s a disco ball. What’s not to love?

Drenched – March 5th, 2009

It took a while, but Samuel finally loves his bath. He sits there splashing and having the most wonderful time and then Thomas will join in and egg him on. I ultimately end up drenched with water and my instinct is to stop them to avoid getting water all over the floor and the walls. But then I stop myself and remember that this time is so short. In just a few years Samuel may be inhibited and unwilling to just let loose and have fun. I’ll miss having water all over the floor and I’ll miss the giggles of a little boy who’s cracking himself up. Water dries but these moments don’t last forever.

Wow – that was deep. 🙂

ER – March 4th, 2009

Samuel experienced his very first ear infection a few weeks ago. It was bad with infections in both ears and a great deal of pain and lost sleep. I took this photo in the doctor’s office right before she wrote a prescription for his second round of antibiotics to get rid of the stubborn infection once and for all.

It got worse last night with our very first trip to the ER. It seems this little boy has an allergy to Penicillin. An allergy that showed itself through symptoms like vomiting, puffy eyes and a rash that covered most of his stomach and went up under his arms. The symptoms appeared at 12:30 last night and I spent the next 5 or so hours in the Emergency Room – about 3 and a half of them sitting in a uncomfortable chair before they moved us to an examining room. I was worried and scared but held it together until I reached the admitting window and then I very nearly lost it. The only other time that I had experienced this type of panic was when I was giving birth to Thomas.

We are lucky that we have one of the very best pediatric ER’s in the state just minutes up the road at the same hospital where both boys were born. It meant that we could sit in a waiting room with other parents and their children in a special waiting room, rather than being subjected to other traumas that might come through the door. The worst thing I had to witness was a mother who, after telling me that her son was in the ER for the second night in a row for Asthma, stepped outside to have a cigarette. I held my tongue but I was dying to ask her what she was thinking exposing her son to a habit that could further endanger his health.

The good news is that now we know about Samuel’s allergy and can avoid penicillin so it doesn’t happen again. The bad news is that we need to give him medication every six hours – especially painful now that he’s just started sleeping through the night. Nevertheless he is on the road to recovery and I am about to catch up on some much needed sleep. I know that with two boys this is likely not our last visit to the ER but I would be happy not to have to go through it again.

The Motherload – March 3rd, 2009

 

This was the ultimate potty training gift. Thomas has really been interested in firetrucks lately, so when Kei saw this Playmobil version at the store, he thought it may motivate Thomas to use the potty. And boy, did he draw it out. Every time Thomas was successful he earned one part of the Firetruck – one fireman and then the other, the hose, the ladder, even the box and instructions. I think it eventually got to the point where Kei wanted him to earn the firetruck more than Thomas did. Apparently it is also a good vehicle for the Wiggles. You know how much they like anything that is big and red.

And, for the record, it a pretty cool toy. You can fill the hose with water and spray it everywhere (yes, everywhere). The only downside is that Playmobil toys, as cool as they are, have a LOT of very small pieces. Small pieces that are attractive to a nine month old with an oral fixation.

Little Fish – March 2nd, 2009

Swimming lessons are paying off. Thomas is now comfortable (almost) putting his head under water. He can blow bubbles as well, with a little encouragement from Kei. The only downside is that when he is lying in the water like this, he can very easily pretend that he can’t hear me and getting him out of the bath can be a time consuming process.

Soup Night – March 1st, 2009

Our friends decided to host a soup night before the weather starts to warm up. Given the past few days, it seems we could have easily waited and still managed to hold the event during some wintry weather (more snow – it’s getting old).

Nevertheless it was a great opportunity to hang out with friends and let our kids run wild for a couple of hours. At one point they decided to all jump on the bed together wich, surpisingly, did not end in tears. It’s the simple things that make life exciting for a three year old.