MMMMMM Cookies!!!

Well, Landon learned today that despite the hand blender making an almost scary noise, there are good things to be had in the kitchen. He wasn't at all interested in helping me put cookies on the cookie sheet for baking - but I do have a taste-tester extraordinaire on my hands!! I had to cut him off of the cookie dough, or we wouldn't have had ANY cookies I'm afraid!

It's still raining - so we've been doing what we can to entertain ourselves in the house. Last night I went to a friends to help watch her and another friends' kids. All 3 of the 2-year-olds stood at the back door looking forlornly out at the rain-drenched deck, wanting to go out and play in the sandbox. Poor things!! At least Landon got out to play with some other kids, to help alleviate the cabin-fever at home!

Tomorrow I think I'll do some shopping - pick up a few more baby items, etc. Hopefully getting Landon out of the house, even if just for shopping, will help too :-/ Poor Landon ... just ask him! lol

Tonight I washed up more baby stuff. Sooooo small. The little newborn diapers, the little onesies and sleepers....*sigh* I know it's going to be a tough slog for the first weeks, but I am looking forward to this little aerobics instructor's arrival. I have an(other) ultrasound on Wed, I'm very much curious as to what we'll get to see now that the baby takes up my entire abdomen. There are lots of kicks and dance moves happening these days, moreso it seems than I had with Landon, or maybe that's just a trick of memory *shrug* Between 1 and 2 am though, wowsers there's a lot of action going on in my belly!! LOL

Landon's first C-Train Trip

Landon LOVED riding the c-train today. He didn't really want to go anywhere this morning, but I knew with the crappy weather he'd get cabin-fever by the end of the day, so I got him up and out the door. Once we were in the car, he was excited to ride the train. No hysterics like when we went for a ride on Thomas. We went downtown to McNally Robinson, but all he really wanted to do was to get back on the train once we got off! LOL We did end up spending a couple of hours at McNally - had lunch which he sat through VERY well ... John and I might have to have a few lunches out before the baby's born, given how well Landon behaved today - and we bought his birthday gift from Aunty Margaret. He got Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose, and a fishing wooden puzzle (a wooden puzzle with a magnetic fishing pole for him to 'fish' the various sea creatures ). Landon's been loving playing with the magnets on his trains so I thought the magnets would be fun for him, and he's had a ton of fun so far today. He also is enjoying hearing the Mother Goose nursery rhymes (and I'm enjoying the break from Thomas stories!! LOL). All in all it was a wonderful trip downtown for Landon and mommy ... I'm hoping to do it again before the baby comes ... whether we go to the Telus Science Centre, back to McNally, or somewhere else. It was just a nice trip.

Of course, I really enjoyed the nap when we got home too!! My big roly-poly belly requires me to nap with Landon these days ... I can hardly function if I don't take that chance for downtime! Ah well ... they say napping is supposed to increase your life-expectancy, so I should be set to reach at least 100!!

General Life Update...

I didn't realize it had been over a week since I've posted! Ooops.....

We've had a good week. Landon and I picked out trees at the nursery, and some flowers too. He was a big help. mostly he just wanted to see the kitty (which was always sleeping, so Landon would stand there "wake up kitty!" ... very cute if you ask me). We got our annuals planted on Sunday - exhausted me for 2 days! LOL The trees were delivered yesterday, so now I have to wait for the rainy dreary weather to pass and we'll plant trees (likely on the weekend). There are 5 columnar aspens, a lilac, and a double-flowering plum. Should help to make the yard look a bit nicer.

We've spent most of our time outside the past week. It was HOT and beautiful all weekend, so we were out more than in. Landon loves the yard, and keeps asking me to 'make grass' (rake). He plays with his little swing/slide thing in the back now (which he ignored when we first got it last fall) and loves to kick a ball around most of all. I love having that yard, let me tell you!!

His ear is hopefully getting better. We go for our follow-up appt tomorrow morning. His last day of antibiotics is today. He hasn't been miserable or anything, sleeping a bit more maybe, and his nose is still runny and he has a bit of a cough. Poor kid ... hopefully this will be the last illness for awhile! He'll have enough to contend within a few weeks.

I'm feeling ok. Getting big though. My hands really bother me (retaining fluid I guess) - they are almost always numb and stiff :-/ But other than that, and a bit of heartburn at night, I can't really complain :-) Baby likes to move the most between 1 and 2 am, so I find that I'm waking up lots then - likely a sign of things to come... Dr appt yesterday was fine, my blood pressure was 110/63, baby's heartrate was 144. I go for an ultrasound next Wed so I should have some new pics.

That's the news, such as it is. Landon and I are going to ride the C-train downtown today, to go to McNally Robinson (he has a gift card from Aunty Margaret for his birthday). Hopefully he likes riding the train -- we'll see. Heh heh

Poor Landon!

Landon has a ruptured ear drum :-( Poor kid! He had a runny nose Fri, thick runny nose Sat, and by Sunday the ear drum must've ruptured. That's all we can figure out. He didn't really fuss, nothing beyond the general 'I've got a runny nose' kind of complaints. Sat night overnight he woke up crying, which is pretty unusual for him these days. After laying with him for about 30 minutes, he would keep waking up and crying a bit, then going back to sleep only to wake a few minutes later, I could tell he was pretty uncomfortable so I gave him Motrin. He went right back to sleep and slept like a trooper. It wasn't until Monday morning that I noticed discharge from his ear, and took him to the doc Mon afternoon. So, another round of antibiotics :-/ 10 days this time (the previous 2 bouts have been 5 days each). Then back to make sure the ear drum is healing properly. The doc actually couldn't even see anything in his ear on Mon, it was too full of discharge.

Poor kid. And Landon will let you know when he's feeling particularly miserable ... he comes up and says "poor Landon". Cracks me up.
So no swimming this week, or next likely. Hopefully they'll have drop-in swimming still in the summer, although I'm getting close to popping here, so I don't know how much we'll take advantage. I guess we'll try to get in there sometimes, when John's off work. Plus when it's nice out we can fill the pool a bit.
We did get outside for a bit today, but his ear must be bugging him a bit as he would pull at it when the wind got up. But at least he did play outside for a bit.
The upside is that he sleeps LOTS! He's been sleeping in, then LoooooNG naps, and to bed 'on time' (which is still late, but it's on time for us :-/). John's been putting him to bed too ... getting prepared for baby's arrival. Landon doesn't particularly go for that yet, but he's getting better. I still have to go in and say good-night again after stories are read, etc, but it's getting better.

I'm anxious to get some yard work in. Hoping to get some trees ordered for delivery to go in maybe on the weekend ... if I can convince Landon to go to the nursery tomorrow. The only way to get him there is to promise that he can see the kitty that's there. But now that I know what I want, I just need to go in and order them and hopefully they can deliver in a reasonable time. We'll see... But it's supposed to be a beautiful long weekend (I'll believe THAT when I see it), so we'll spend time outside.

Until next time...

Rainy days bring out the cute outfits :-)

Landon absolutely LOVES his Thomas rain hat, which is a good thing on these rainy days! Yesterday he had on the rain coat too, and his yellow boots -- he was an adorable sight heading into and marching around Superstore! lol He got many comments on just how cute he was.

The sun is out today though - thank goodness, and the weekend shouldn't be snowy. Not that it matters much to Landon and I as we have yet another cold. We got it from John this time. He's managed to fight it off quickly (with Cold F/X ... gotta love that stuff!), so we'll see how long it hangs onto Landon and I. For Landon it's mostly just a runny nose, although he's been getting a slight fever all day -- he'll warm up, then cool down, then warm up, then cool down. So far I haven't had to drug him (except decongestant when he went to bed last night).

He was pretty cute last night. He woke up shortly after 1 and I could hear him coughing and snuffling and sort of crying. So I went in and laid in bed with him. He wasn't really awake, just kind of waking himself a bit when he'd cough and then back to sleep. But at one point he was snoring with one breath, and then on the next breath he opened his eyes and said "Hi!" -- like we just ran into each other on the street or something. It was pretty cute. I stayed in bed with him for awhile, but I don't think I really would've had to, and when I went back to bed he slept the rest of the night just fine. Let's hope tonight's the same way!

But we have to thank Aunty Vonnie for the popsicle recipe once again. I made them last night anticipating this cold to settle in fully, and Landon's been a popsicle-demolisher all day long :-D He loves the 'pink juice' as he calls it.

Tomorrow morning I'm off to the Kids Stuff garage sale to see what kind of fun stuff I can find. I'm going with our neighbours who are expecting twins in the fall - so it'll be even more fun helping them navigate through this scary world of becoming first-time parents! Until next time...

dr appt update

I had my dr appt this morning, and everything looks great. I'm retaining water, so my hands have been bothering me ... the doctor said I should lay down in the afternoons for a couple of hours - NO PROBLEM! heh heh Heartbeat was 142 bpm (slightly higher than the 138 that has been so consistent). Everything else is looking good :-D

Landon's getting to be very good and patient while at the dr office. I have to scold him less and less. He likes to hear the baby's heartbeat too. And he even helped the nurse to take my blood pressure this morning (which is still nice and low ... 115/65).

And I can't say it enough - I LOVE A FENCED BACKYARD!! Today we bought groceries, and when we got home, Landon wanted to go into the backyard. So I locked him in there (we have locks on the gates so that he can't get out) and was able to unload and put away groceries in peace :-D How wonderful! lol Ah, the little things that a person appreciates so much now.

It's a cloudy, dreary day ... some rain. Blech. Hopefully it doesn't last too long - but it's giving me time to be inside and work through some yard planning. Hoping to get to the nursery this week, and start 'working' on the yard on the weekend (which will be simply choosing spots for trees and starting to prep soil). I'm hoping to plant some trees before the end of the month -- then the yard work will be on hold until the fall I'm thinking ;-)

Well, I'm off to lay down - doctor's orders!

Having a backyard is FABULOUS!

Landon thinks so too. We spend lots of time out in the yard now - and I think Landon's starting to find it as much if not more fun than the park even (I hope so - although he does love to swing at the park). He's just learning and realizing how much he can run and play back there. Plus he's having a blast kicking the ball around and around and around, and tonight he played hockey. It took him awhile to realize just how fun it can be back there, but I think he's got it now. Especially when mom's working out there, he loves to have us back there with him. And I'm happy to be able to get out and do a bit of yardwork - like raking the grass. I've got our yard planned out, now to see what we'll get done this spring before the baby comes.

And I just love this last picture -- he wants to see the camera whenever we pull it out. We seldom get a nice picture of him because he's always reaching for the camera and gets mad if we don't give it to him (which he tells us by saying he's 'frush-trated!'). So this is the typical face that we get whenever we bring the camera out. heh heh

the best thing about the yard and all the playing we do -- good naps and better bedtimes!! LOL John put him down at 9:30 the other night and didn't hear another thing from him. He didn't go right to sleep as he had a truck in bed with him in the morning, but at least he's going to bed earlier and is staying there. Gotta' love that!

Day Out with Thomas!

Today was "Day Out with Thomas" at Heritage Park for Landon. He wasn't too sure about that Thomas train though - certainly wasn't interested in getting close, that's for sure. Then when we boarded for our train ride (the reason we're there, after all) Landon threw a hissy fit!! But we got him calmed down and he enjoyed the train ride once it started moving. The most fun he had was just running around the grass and meeting other kids :-) But it was still a good day - the weather was incredibly beautiful and I really enjoyed it (even if Landon was 'meh' about the whole thing!!). At least tonight at supper he was excitedly reminding us that he rode on Thomas ("rwode on Thompus") today, so maybe it made more of an impression than I realize.

Fun at the Park

Welcome to my world! Everyday that the sun shines we are at the park! Landon loves it. Esp when he remembers to bring fun things like trucks. But even without them he has fun. He likes to swing, but as soon as other kids show up then he wants to play with them, climbing and sliding and jumping, and imitating everything they say or do.

There were many things to watch today too - the workers cleaning up the trees, the tractor aerating the grass, lots of trucks and cars and van-trucks going by.......

Some pictures ... for Grandma!!

Grandma has been requesting pics, and I can't really blame her. I've taken basically none this entire month. So I will try to take a few more in upcoming weeks, before the focus shifts to baby #2 :-/ Most of the time I find that I just don't want to miss out on whatever Landon's doing to try and find the camera, so I just take in and enjoy the moment(s) without capturing it to share with others. So I will try to keep the camera a bit closer at hand.

Landon is excited to help daddy work in the basement. He has to explore ALL the tools, and get in the way as much as possible. John did hammer in the first nail(s) tonight, so work is officially underway *YAY*. Months (and months, and months) of planning are coming together, and hopefully we'll have somewhere for guests to sleep once baby #2 takes over the spare room upstairs :-D

The weather has finally smartened up, and Landon is once again enjoying the outdoors. Hours at a time! He loves his sandbox, and is waiting for the dirt to dry out so he can play in that again. Aside from that, swinging and sliding and climbing at the park are favourites too. Our fenceposts have been put in in the backyard, so I'm looking forward to the fence going up (hopefully this week) and we'll have a nice play area for Landon (not to mention I can get some of the backyard planning done prior to baby coming along).

So hopefully this week stays nice and we can spend more and more time outside. It definitely helps the days pass nicer, Landon is so much calmer in the evenings when he's been able to play hard outside for awhile!

The Long Awaited BELLY SHOTS!

Here it is, on full display :-) My belly is definitely getting rolly-polly-er! lol I checked it against pics at ~32 weeks with Landon and i'm actually a pretty similar size. I thought I was bigger this time, but that must just be my butt. *sigh*

Little pisser!

That Landon - aiaiaiai. Last night, not once but TWICE, he took off his diaper and then peed in his bed! *shaking head* Now ... shame on me for not realizing the first time that he still had more pee in him. And maybe I shouldn't be quite so stern on the 'stay in bed' command ... I tried to explain to him that if he wants to pee on his potty he can get out of bed to do that, although I'd much rather he just went to sleep and peed in his diaper - that's what it's there for after all!! LOL Good thing we had extra clean sheets, and I could wash them all up right away today in preparation for tonight's waterworks (if there are any).

We went to the Telus Science Centre yesterday - met a friend from University there with her two kids. It was GREAT to see her and to watch the boys playing (it's a Bob the Builder display right now). It was WAY packed in there, but so much fun. We didn't go to the Children's Museum at all, and didn't even see all there was to see of the Science Centre, so I'm hoping to go back again before Bob the Builder is gone. It was lots of fun though. Landon loved the bulldozer (I guess that's the next toy we'll have to buy for him!), and then we discovered a farming section too with a tractor and everything right when we were leaving, so I'll have to take him back to explore that!

Landon did a bit better at swimming lessons on Wed. He didn't like it at the start, but by the end he was having more fun. So we'll see how it goes on this upcoming (last) week of lessons ... he'll probably start liking it now! It made me realize how I need to get him into some group things so that he can learn to appreciate doing activities as a group (vs always individually). Of course his favourite was playing in the toddler pool after his lesson - we were there for another hour. But at least we're there and don't get turned away for the pool being full (they were turning people away again Wed, just like on Mon when we went and were turned away).

On the sleeping front, things seem to be turning around. Landon is going to sleep easier (even with the peeing the bed thing!), and today he was awake and up all by himself at 9:30 (I don't remember the last time THAT happened). So maybe, just maybe, we're turning a corner? Maybe. We'll see. He's been fighting naps harder recently, although this afternoon he went down easier. If it's not one thing it's another I guess. At least right now he's eating his meals really well too - instead of fighting us at suppertime like he did for a few weeks!!

And YAY - they're putting up our fence posts today (yup - digging through the snow!!)!! So we should have a fence complete by next week! Hallellujia!! I can hardly wait :-) That and we're getting lumber / drywall / etc delivered today so John has his work cut out for him in the basement. We'll be working in the basement and in the backyard for the whole month of May (well, in the backyard assuming it stops snowing!! LOL)! I'm looking forward to it, sort of. Hopefully my back holds out - that's the only part of me that gets sore when I do too much. But I'm sure Landon and I will be spending plenty of time outside in upcoming weeks.

That's the news today. Oh yeah, other good news is that John doesn't have to go on his business trip next week (PHEW!) so Landon doesn't have to be all put-out that John's not home. I am VERY pleased about that. Until next time...

We Missed our Weekend Trip :-(

Nice weather, Calgary!! We ended up not going back to Sk for mom & dad's anniversary on the weekend, the weather was too miserable. It's been snowing (!!) in Calgary since Friday ... today's DAY 5! Enough already!!
But we had a nice weekend at home. I looked back and it's our first weekend without visitors or traveling since early Feb (and then Landon and I were sick, so does that even count?). No wonder it felt so good to just hang out at home! LOL

Landon wasn't too bad - I thought he'd suffer more from cabin-fever than he did. But we managed to get him out every day, even if it was just to the store with dad (he asks to do that now ... he must've had fun with dad!). We were going to go swimming yesterday, but the pool was 'full' (yeah, full ... wtf? they had only 2 lifeguards on for toddler swim time, so wouldn't accept any more kids ... like, get some more lifeguards on duty - don't they know it's been snowing for days!!??). So we just grocery shopped instead :-/ Landon was so disappointed though - he was standing at the glass looking in at the pool "swimming! swimming!" Poor guy. Instead he got to buy a loader tractor at Superstore. heh heh

We went to the doc today and FINALLY Landon does NOT have an ear infection!! YAY It's all cleared up. And he's done his 2-weeks of Sinulair, so now we see if this post-nasal drip returns. If so, he's likely got allergies. If not, he just had an infection that just wouldn't quit. He's eating WAY better now, at mealtimes even, so hopefully that's all it was and we're out of the woods.

Sleep - different story. He just keeps pushing at night and won't go to sleep forEVER when we put him to bed. I've been keeping him up later and later, hoping he'll go to sleep faster, but to no avail. Last night I put him to bed 1 hour earlier and he went to sleep 1.5 hours earlier, so maybe he's just been so wound up and overtired that he fought sleep that much harder? Who knows. He fought his nap today again ... grrrr. But we'll put him to bed at the same time as last night again tonight and see if that helps. It's a good thing he's so good natured, even so late at night. He's always in a good mood it seems, so it's easier to handle the wonky hours!! LOL

That seems to be the news for today ... still snowing, hopefully that will quit soon!

Swimming lessons still no fun

Landon still doesn't like his swimming lessons. He wasn't even that thrilled to be in the pool at all. He just wants to get into the toddler pool and play with the boats!! We made it through the lesson with minimal screaming, but also with minimal participation. He'd just cling to me, and wouldn't even blow bubbles (one of his favourite tricks in the bathtub). Ah well, only a couple of lessons left. Maybe next year he'll be more into organized play in the pool. He did love the toddler pool with the boats and other kids, and enjoyed the hottub too (I loved putting my legs in and really look forward to being able to sit in the hottub again!).
The best thing about swimming is he's so tuckered out he has a GREAT nap afterwards! LOL

News?

Not much news really here. Life is just plodding along. It's been good though. Landon is sleeping a lot better, even if he's going to sleep late. the weather's been beautiful so we've been heading to the park lots. Landon loves to swing, and climb, and slide. Then he loves to come home and play in either the dirt or his sandbox. I'm glad he's liking his sandbox more ... I can at least then come in and make lunch or whatever while he's playing. When he's out front in the dirt I can't see him from the house so end up sitting on the steps (but when it's nice out and I have a book to read, I don't really mind all that much!!).

our fence should be in maybe this week, or hopefully even next week -- assuming the weather doesn't turn too stupid! THAT will be SO nice - and Landon will have a nice big pile of dirt to play with then :-D

We are heading home on the weekend for my mom & dad's 40th anniversary. Supper on Sunday at the K in Swift Current (where else??). It'll be nice. It's a quick trip home though - leave Sat, come back Mon. I might head back the following week though, as John will be gone for a business trip and I don't like the thought of despondent Landon for a whole week again! We'll see ... mom and dad will be busy seeding, but I'm sure Landon and I can stumble around a bit without causing too much trouble.

Swimming lessons tomorrow - we'll see if Landon is any happier. He loves the pool, just not the lessons part. It'll be the last lessons he takes for at least a year ... when he's 3 he can take 'non-parented' lessons, where he wears a life jacket for lessons. That is when I'll think about next enrolling him. For the next month of so, we'll just go swimming ~once a week so he can have fun in the pool.

It's much nicer to take Landon to play these days ... he can do so much more on his own. He's such a little boy! He climbs up on the play structure and comes down the slide all by himself! He is part monkey though, I'm sure.

Anyways, just a quick post...will try to post again before we leave.

mid-week update...

Holy moly is Landon glad that John's home!! LOL He is a 100% different kid since John got home Sunday night. He's contented, he's happy to play at the park (versus just walking walking walking to nowhere and flipping out when I insisted we come back home), he's eating better. A definite change. Makes me dread the week that John's gone at the end of the month. Ah well, after that there aren't any trips planned for quite awhile. Maybe I'll have to hit the road again at the end of the month in order to keep my sanity!!

Landon and I went to the dr yesterday. Landon has been sleeping better, Sat night was the only really difficult night, although he still cries at times during the night he doesn't wake up at all (or not enough to need me). The doctor confirmed that yes, Landon has post-nasal drip that is causing him to gag on his snot at night. We are doing a 2-week stint on Singulair to see if he has allergies. It's hard to say though as Landon slept well last night with only Singulair (no other meds like the previous 2 nights), but the Singulair won't kick in for a week or so ... so why would he sleep better last night essentially sans medication? I don't really think it's allergies, I think he just has a low-grade infection in his sinuses that won't let go ... I know altogether too well how that feels. But we'll do the Singulair and check that out. It's almost pointless, since if it does appear that he has allergies we won't do allergy tests for a year or more anyways. I guess it is just meant for peace of mind *shrug*

But yes, Landon has been sleeping better, which is a blessing. I usually get up to check on him once in the night - he wakes me with his whimpering / crying, I check on him & cover him up, he goes back to sleep easily (if, in fact, he was actually awake to begin with), and we sleep 'til morning. Now, of course, it's time to start getting up earlier (again!!). A never-ending story with us....*sigh* At least Landon has a 'regular' schedule right now, something we haven't had for MONTHS! It's just a late schedule ... up late at night, sleep late in the morning :-/ Ah well, we'll get it sorted out soon enough.

The dr appt went well for me. My diabetes results were fine (i.e. no gestational diabetes), baby's heartrate 138 bpm, I'm growing at a 'good' rate, all is well so far. Now I have appts every 2 weeks until early June when I'll start going every week. yay (not). But so far so good anyways.

Liz was here last night for a quick visit (she was out west for work). Landon had a ton of fun with "aunty", he didn't want to go to bed without her!! But he sure enjoyed the visit, as did Aunty and we did too.

That's the mid-week update ....

not feeling so well...

I am wondering if Landon either still has an ear infection, or now has a sinus infection or something. Last night was a long night with very little sleep. He woke up at 1 am crying and coughing so hard he couldn't breathe and spit up in bed. Poor kid - he was very disconcerted with that whole event. So we were up for a couple of hours and he finally went back to sleep in my bed. But he woke every few minutes (20, 30, maybe 40 minutes) coughing and gagging again. I think he just has so much snot draining down the back of his throat that he's gagging on it - I think that because I had that happening to me a few weeks back. *sigh* Finally I plugged the humidifier in at 7 am, and we got a bit more sleep (well, longer periods between crying and gagging anyways). I have a dr appt on Tues aft, so I'm hoping decongestants will help us sleep til then and I'll get the dr to check him out for infections ... again.

On the bright side - John will be home soon! YAY He arrives just before 9, so Landon and I will meet him at the airport. I think Landon will be very excited to see him, he's been out of sorts the past few days, and has been asking for daddy. So I'm sure he'll be excited to see him. As will I ... hopefully Landon won't have to be glued to my side with John home again! It's like he's thinking 'you're the only parent left in this house, I'm not letting you out of my sight!'. Good thing he's so frickin' cute - esp with his new haircut!!

more haircut pics

Here are a couple more pics I had on my phone from Landon's haircut day. You can see the hair 'cut' itself better in the one where he's playing in the mall. He's playing with the school bus you see in the first picture - a treat from the hairdressers. It has hardly left his hand since Thursday, and has already made many miles in the 'dirt' (flowerbed?) in front of our house!

Very first Haircut :-)

Landon got his very first haircut today. We went to Beaners for kids, which I think was a good move. It took all of 15 minutes, and he barely even registered what was happening. He was excited to sit in a truck chair, and watched treehouse while the hairdresser gave him the snip. I was very proud that he sat so well ... until she said that most first haircuts are good, it's the ones after that that cause the most turmoil :-/

Ah well...Landon was happy to have a sucker when it was all said and done too. Then we went to the mall, and he played in the playplace which was fun. Then some french fries when we came home and he played in the dirt for another 45 minutes. By then he was getting pretty sleepy so we washed up (dirt head to toe!) and he is having a nice nap. We'll see what kind of funky hairdo he'll wake up with! LOL

Fun in the Snow

Yesterday we woke up to a wintery wonderland, and went outside to enjoy the snow and nice temperatures. Landon thought it was pretty fun - moreso than he found the snow to be all winter I think! He had a blast playing at the park. Yes, he climbs up that play structure all by himself (we stand close by just in case, but he makes it up there himself).

Back from fun in Edmonton

We made it back from Edmonton - it was a FUN trip! We went up Thursday afternoon, got home yesterday afternoon. We spent Friday at the waterpark in West Edmonton Mall. Landon liked the kiddie pool the most there, but wasn't too fond of the waves in the wave pool. Mostly he hated the fog horn that sounded to indicate the waves were coming. He would scramble into my arms every time it went off. Poor kid. But by the end of the day he was ok with the waves, as long as all four limbs were clamped onto me as tightly as possible. LOL

We met up with Rhonda & Clay, and their kids Bailey (almost 7) and Drew (3 1/2). They played very well together - Landon loves so much to have kids to play with. When we got home yesterday, Landon was very excited to see his toys and his dad and be home again -- but he kept calling out "Drew! Where are you? Come play trains!!". It was pretty cute.

And it was great to see Rhonda and Clay again - it has been FAR too long!!! Considering this is the first time I met Drew...aiaiaiai! Of course, we don't get to visit that much running after 3 kids, but at least we got some visiting in.

Landon traveled well too. We slept together in the hotel room bed, which was adventurous for mom, that's for sure. He's such a squirmer! And he took forever to go to sleep - I think he was so excited to have me there (to beat on and drive his trucks on, etc) that he wouldn't go to sleep. And once asleep he was very restless which didn't help me sleep much. But overall I would say he handled the traveling very well - and has allayed my fears of traveling with Landon and staying in hotels ... it's not nearly as bad as I thought it'd be. But only for a couple of nights - I need my sleep too! LOL

Today we woke up to a wintery wonderland. We went to the park and played in the nice white snow, and it's still flurrying a bit here. I don't know if that's supposed to continue or not - maybe we'll have snow tomorrow to play in too.

Swimming is FUN

Landon definitely loves the pool! Not the swimming lessons part, but the time afterwards when he can play! He was fussing all through swimming lessons - wanting to play with the boats, and in the bubbles, and do everything except what we were doing. But once we got through lessons, he was very happy to play in the toddler pool - for an hour!! LOL It makes me think that Friday at the waterpark in Edmonton should be a ton of fun.

When we got home, Landon had a sandwich and then almost fell asleep on the couch. So I carried him up to bed - he hasn't been so co-operative to go down for a nap for ages! LOL But it's been a good nap, so that makes me happy.

Tomorrow Landon and I are headed to Edmonton to visit with Rhonda. I'm very much looking forward to that - it's been far too long since we had a chance to visit. And I know Landon will love the waterpark on Friday.

I found the camera today (it was in the bag with our pool gear...), so here's a picture of Landon in the tractor with Grandpa at the farm last week. He was pretty concerned about the whole thing when he first went in there, but once they got going Landon enjoyed himself.

we DID IT!

Yes! We got a full night's sleep :-) Very very happy mommy, much better rested Landon.

I think it was a full combination of things; moving into a bed, having a mouth that hurts (so much that he won't let me brush his teeth), and getting cold at night. Last night he did cry out at about 1:20 am, but he went back to sleep without me going in there, so that's great news to me. He slept until about 9:30 this morning. Tomorrow we'll be up earlier to go to swim lessons, and so I'm hoping we keep wake-up time by about 9 moving forward.

Landon was a very good and patient boy today while I had to sit in a waiting room for an HOUR to complete my glucose - pregnancy test (to check for gestational diabetes). Poor kid - I had promised him walking through the mall, but I guess I had to sit there to get an accurate reading. There was no Treehouse (or any tv at all), nor any story books, so it was a pretty boring hour for Landon. But he managed to entertain himself (and most people waiting) and we got through it. I was very proud of him for being such a good boy - even though he ran into the reception desk and gave himself a goose-egg (I think goose-eggs will be a big part of Landon's life, at least for the next several years!).

And we have some travel plans for later this week - Landon and I are going to head up to Edmonton to meet up with Rhonda and her kids for a couple of nights. We will do the water park at West Ed Mall, and do whatever else meets our fancy. I'm looking forward to that as I haven't seen Rhonda for YEARS! aiaiaiaiai
I learned while looking at stuff in Edmonton that Body Worlds will be on exhibit there from June 13 - Oct 13. I would like to go to that again - we'll have to see how this baby #2 behaves and maybe try a trip up there towards the end of the show. I don't know if Landon would like it much - so maybe we'll have to see if we can convince Grandma to come too or something. We'll have to see, but I'd like to see it (this is Body Worlds 1, I saw Body World 2 in Toronto a couple of years ago), and I think John would find it interesting too.

Anyways, that's the story for today. Happier mommy, better sleeping Landon (let's hope that continues). I hope our trip doesn't jinx this sleeping thing - but I figure I'd better get this trip in now as I won't be going anywhere for awhile after #2 comes along (not a trip like this anyways). And since he's in a bed, he can just sleep with me now which will hopefully make it easier too. As long as puppy blanket is there that is ;-)

He may be cute, but...

Landon has certainly been trying our nerves these days! It doesn't help that he's waking up all night long, so we aren't as rested nor as patient as we sometimes can be. But let me tell you -- aiaiai -- is this what all 2-year-olds are like? If so, I cannot believe that there exist any siblings with a 3-year age difference .... who would be thinking about having another when the first one is acting like this!!!!!?????

He hasn't been feeling well -- feverish since last Wed although that seems to be calming down now (we haven't had to give him Motrin today at all). And he's getting these frickin' 2-year molars which must be like somebody drilling in his head or something the way he's carrying on. The bottom 2 have come through already, so I'm thinking the top ones must be that much worse (???). Add to that moving to his bed from the crib (which he was so ready to give up, or so we thought). aiaiaiaiaiai He wakes every night at 2:30, sometimes just for a minute or two, sometimes for a couple of hours. Drives me nuts, and I know my patience had worn right down. I'll be so glad for a full night's sleep.
And of course he's more difficult than ever to even get to sleep at night - given that he can climb out of bed sooooo easily. Plus he fights going to sleep ... last night he was on his tummy, up on his hands, he couldn't even open his eyes anymore he was so close to sleeping, but he was still swaying there until finally he fell over and stayed asleep. Reminded me of a kitten before it's eyes open, with their big heads all wobbly on their legs.

So sleep hasn't been easy and it hasn't been plentiful. The only consolation is a great nap in the afternoon - for Landon and me usually. *sigh* Hopefully he's getting past this illness / teething pain thing, and will get more used to his bed and we will all get back to sleeping again - at least until the baby comes.

I'm off to bed now, for a couple of hours sleep before he drives me nuts in the middle of the night again. Wish us luck....

Catch-up Post

Well, it's been awhile - we've had a couple of crazy weeks. As you can see, Landon's birthday party was a big success. He was very excited - so excited that he refused to nap that day. Then he was up in the middle of the night looking for his new loader tractor. At one point our bed consisted of dad, loader tractor, three other smaller tractors, Landon, and mommy!! Finally he made it back to sleep, much to everyone's relief.

Monday (Mar 10) Landon went to Grandma and Grandpa's -- riding in Grandpa's new 'noisy' truck. He was good for the whole trip (except for about 15 miles before Swift, but they stopped in Swift and all was well again). Landon had a BLAST at the farm -- riding in the grain truck, in the front end loader helping Grandpa move some wood around, and sleeping in a big boy bed! Yup - that's right. Grandma moved Landon into a bed for his week at the farm, and we haven't looked back since!

John and I had a great week out in Banff with Carla and Dave (pics to come soon). Then I went to the farm to get Landon -- spent a couple of days out there as well. We went to Kyle for Kyle's birthday on Sun (16), which was a lot of fun. Aunty Vonnie and Landon had a snooze together, and Landon played very nicely with some cars and trucks aunty had for him.
We came home on Tuesday, and again Landon traveled very well. When we pulled into Medicine Hat he was already asking for french fries...and I hadn't even turned off of the highway yet! LOL But he got some fries and we ran around the mall for awhile. When we went through Strathmore I stopped for ice cream cones too, and Landon devoured his with very little drippings ... attesting to his love of ice cream!! About half-way through his cone I hear from the back seat 'Thank you mommy!' :-)

Wed morning we went to swimming lessons. At first Landon wasn't too sure of the water, but he warmed up to it fairly quickly - especially when he got to jump from the side of the pool in to mom. He thought that was absolutely fantastic! LOL He squealed and smiled and jumped jumped jumped. After lessons he swam for another half an hour in the toddler pool, playing with the boats and just generally loving the water. I'm glad I got back into swim lessons with him - he loves the water so much and we just haven't swam much all winter.

We had a chance to visit with Kirby and James on Thursday morning before they flew back to Winnipeg. It was so nice to see them - it's been WAY too long!!

And now Landon is sick. Poor kid. He spiked a fever Wed evening, almost falling asleep on me after supper (VERY unusual for this energetic little rug rat). Thursday still miserable and feverish, Friday too. Today - not quite as bad, there's been no need to give him Motrin so far anyways. I'm not sure if it's an ear infection, or if it's just his teeth bothering him. He got his two bottom 2-year molars, and I think one of the top ones is working it's way through now too. Poor kid!! The good news is that these are the last ones for him, thank goodness!! Hopefully they'll all be through shortly and we can go back to peaceful sleep.

Sleep - yes Landon is in his big boy bed. We even took his crib down the other night. He has been sleeping in there pretty well. I fell asleep with him a few nights, but last night he went to sleep on his own, and for his nap today as well. So I think we're well on the way to him being comfortable in his own bed...with his very own Thomas quilt (very important). It's nicer for me too when putting him to bed. At least now I can lay beside him to read stories and sing songs (Froggie Went A-Courtin' is a nightly request).

So that's the update for now, I will post more when I get the Banff pics uploaded, etc. Happy Easter everyone!!

Opening birthday presents

Landon got a new tricycle from mom & dad for his birthday. He had discovered it in the garage before his birthday, but finally we let him ride it. He even likes his 'hat' (helmet). Notice the gorgous Thomas quilt he's riding on -- that was a present from Grandma and Grandpa (homemade) and is now on his big boy bed :-)
Taylor is showing Landon how to play with the new Thomas magnet book that she brought him for a gift. He loves that book. Almost as much as he loves the Happy Birthday Thomas book that Taylor also brought for him (THANK you Taylor and Eastynn, and Nikki & Fabian!) ... we read that book several times a day, often over and over and over again...
Grandpa brought Landon a new loader tractor - and that was a definite hit. He had to help Grandpa get all that packaging off, and he's been inseparable since then. That night Landon was climbing out of his crib at 2 am crying for the tractor!! *sigh*
Opening the tractor
Opening more gifts on the beautiful Thomas quilt. I love this quilt!

Happy Birthday my big boy!

Here is Landon on his birthday -- nice face hey?? LOL Gotta love it.
Saturday March 8 we had a birthday party for Landon. Here he is admiring the 'crackle' on his cake (he was WAY more excited about the candle than he was about the cake....hmmmm...maybe next year it'll just be an icecream cake! LOL)
Landon's friend Taylor was here for his birthday party. They played very nicely together, and ate their lunch together too, which was very nice.
Grandpa and dad brought Landon a Thomas balloon in the morning - it was a BIG hit. When you hit the balloon it played a happy birthday song for him.
Here's Landon blowing out his candle. He really did blow, but mom ended up having to help him get it out ( to save the cake from getting too full of spittle!!).

Birthday suits can be so much FUN!

Landon has been loving running around naked the past days. He even wanted me to take his shirt off in the store on Sunday - stinker!! And once we get the shirt off, then he wants pants off, then he wants diaper off....

Last night he spent a fair amount of time naked without accidents. Until he was sitting on me while I was sitting on our bed, of course. But we got that cleaned up without too much trouble.
The troublesome one was when he went to bed. At some time between going to bed (and crawling out of bed 4 times) and falling asleep Landon stripped down. Then he went to sleep. Then he peed. John found him sound asleep, curled up in a ball, cold and wet everywhere. So we had to get him dressed and change the bedding - poor Landon was so upset at being woke up. For a kid that takes to long to fall asleep, he sure is miserable if you wake him up again!!! Poor guy :-( I felt bad for him. But maybe, just maybe, he'll keep his clothes on when he goes to bed now!! LOL

He was very good kid this morning - I had running around to do and he was so well behaved. I don't even take the stroller anymore, he wants nothing to do with it. But he is pretty good when we go shopping. I let him spend about an hour in Toys R Us too, which helps. He checked out Thomas stuff, and ride-on toys (I was there to buy a bike helmet to go with his birthday tricycle this weekend), and all the Tonka trucks and loaders and tractors, and balls and cars. It was a pretty busy trip, but I managed to get away with only a bit more than I went in there for ;-) Then we stopped at Michaels to return some stuff and he was good there, and then we spent some time in the dollar store getting party supplies and he was really good in there too. I was so impressed. Makes life a lot easier when Landon is behaving.
Although I almost missed the naptime window this afternoon - he was out of the crib 3 times before finally sucumbing to snoozer-time. Thank goodness, I like the downtime.

That's the news for now...

Dr Appt went well today

Landon is getting soooo big... makes me amazed and somewhat sad that he's getting so big! lol He's 35.5" tall, and 30 pounds! So that's about 75th percentile for height, 85th for weight (which is somewhat surprising since he's such a wiry little bugger! There isn't much fat on Landon, that's for sure. But he is very strong, which is where the weight is coming from I guess *shrug*
So he's doing well. He still has a bit of an ear infection, so he has ear drops for the next 5 days. Hopefully he'll be fully recovered to go to Grandma's house! Poor kid. He still hasn't been acting like he's in pain - he does pull at his ear a bit, and he wants a soother all the time, and he's been chewing on his fingers alot -> all of which I thought meant he's teething (I hear horror stories about 2-year molars!). But maybe it's just been his ears.

And I'm doing well, and baby #2 is doing well. When the doc was listening to baby's heartrate, s/he didn't like it too much. They moved from one side of my belly to the other, and when the doctor followed with his heartbeat-hearing thingy, the baby kicked him and moved again! LOL Fiesty little bugger already!! aiaiaiai

Last night Landon was a very good boy for his babysitters. John and I went out for dinner with some friends, and they're kids looked after Landon for the evening. He didn't even cry or fuss when we left. But those poor sitters - they were pretty tired by the time we got back from dinner! LOL He even tires out the teen-agers that kid! I was very glad that he was so good, hopefully we'll get out a few more times before #2 comes along.

I'm getting geared up for Landon's birthday party on Saturday. We're hoping Nikki, Fabian and the girls are able to stop on their way through to Edmonton. Plus Aunty Trish will be here, as will Grandma and Grandpa. I know Landon will be very excited to see Grandma and Grandpa, that's for sure. I haven't even mentioned that they're coming yet - he gets so worked up!! LOL I'm picking up the Thomas cake pan tomorrow - then the fun will begin :-/ Ah well, I'm sure it will work out just fine.

So that's our news for today...

poop on pot...

...and pee on floor.

Well, hey, what can a poor kid do?

Landon was pretty good tonight - he of course wanted to run around naked, so we kept asking if he had to pee or poop. He came over to me holding himself, so I said "do you have to pee?" 'no' "do you have to poop?" and he ran to the pot saying 'poo poo! poo poo!'. Then he sat down and pooped! Good boy!! But he still had to have his diaper off. So he would be playing, then say 'pee pee' so we'd take him to his pot, and twice he peed a bit, not lots, but some. YAY! We celebrated (and cleaned the potty for the second and third times :-D). He's still running around naked. Then he sits on a kitchen chair, doesn't say a thing, and we hear what sounds like water running ... *sigh* I think he gets so excited when he starts to pee on the pot that he doesn't relax to let himself finish. So I took him to his potty and sat him on it, but of course he was now completely done peeing. So I just said to him 'that's okay, you missed the pot this time, but we'll do it next time' and John cleaned the floor ... and we put a diaper on Landon (of course, after he's had his accident!! LOL We likely could've left him diaperless for the rest of the evening with no more accidents! ) But all in all, I think it was a good night ... he's catching on, and it is the most action we've had for a few weeks on that front.

We had a wonderful weekend with Uncle Bob, Aunty Rosemary, Juli and Lilja. What an incredibly good little baby!! Wow! Sleeps wonderfully, eats wonderfully, and is SO cute to boot! A real little angel.
We didn't make it to the Home and Garden Show yesterday, like we'd set out to do. Instead we did some shopping for fabrics, I got Kyle's b'day gift, and we stopped at e-Children (which I'd been wanting to do since we moved here!). By then it was time for lunch and we came home again. It was a fabulous day - I really enjoyed the shopping, and it was a real treat to get to eat in a restaurant, without Landon (Landon went with Uncle Bob and John to the motorcycle shops).

Today we relaxed, did a few errands, but nothing major. Just a nice quiet day at home. Tomorrow night we're out for dinner with some friends while their daughter watches Landon for a couple of hours ... hopefully that goes well. Tues is doc appt for both Landon and I (his 2-year check-up! I can hardly believe it!!). Wed I pick up the Thomas cake pan for Landon's b'day cake, and then the final preps for Grandma and Grandpa's visit as well as the making and decorating of Landon's cake for the rest of the week. Should be fun - we are very much looking forward to it!

Mama Broke It!

Yes I did ... I knocked over a shelf in the basement, made a big mess, and scared the bejesus out of Landon. Not the knocking over part, but the vacuuming up afterwards part :-/ To calm him down, John just kept repeating "mommy broke it, but it's okay" so that Landon knew we weren't mad at him. So all night long it's been "Mama broke it!!". He won't let me live it down, the little stinker bug!

I heard today, and just confirmed online, that Thomas the Tank Engine will be at Heritage Park in May. Oh my good bloody gawd ... I had better get tickets! LOL Actually, I don't know if Landon will be excited or somewhat scared, but I will take him to see Thomas in any case; I'm looking forward to it.

Any bets on how many trips out of the crib tonight? I'm off to put Landon to bed now...........

getting better...slowly

Landon and I are getting better. Well, Landon's energy levels are right back up to supersonic anyways. I am doing better, but not 100%. Still a bit stuffy, but much better than last week at this time anyways. Landon is still pulling on his ears now and again, I don't know if he still has some infection or if he's getting some teeth. It's been so long since he got any teeth, I just don't know what to think. But he's been pulling on his ears more since he started his antibiotics than he did beforehand...? And at night he asks for medicine when he's getting ready for bed. I've been giving him Camilia (a natural teething pain reliever) at night, although one night I did give him Motrin.

Speaking of going to bed at night....

Any bets on how many times he'll climb out of the crib tonight? One night it was EIGHT times ... over a period of 1.5 hours!! It's usually at least 2 or 3 times, and he seems to do it when he's almost asleep so that he can wake himself up again for another half hour of fun. Drives me nuts!! Of course. We just keep on putting him back in bed every time he gets out. *shaking head* It's not so bad, we're usually just in bed ourselves reading, but with my belly getting bigger and bigger it's getting harder and harder to get up after I lay down!! LOL Ah well ... I'm sure it'll be even more fun when we put Landon in a bed (vs the crib).

We went to the zoo yesterday, it was so nice out. Landon had a BLAST! He ran ran ran all over the zoo - thank goodness it wasn't too busy! I would say that he got the most out of the zoo yesterday of all the times we've been. He was excited to see some of the animals, and was happy to name some and imitate their sounds (like elephants, and zebras which say 'boogie boogie boogie' dontcha know!). He walked / ran most of the time, while I pushed an empty stroller. Which isn't too bad, the stroller is so much lighter without him in it, and it carries all our junk nicely :-D We met Stephanie and Iden there, so it was nice to get a big of a visit, too.
Landon did almost get bitten by a Canada Goose though -- they were sitting on some grass and he just ran right up to them. So very excited to see some birds. He got close enough that they were hissing at him until I was able to get to him (through a throng of moms standing there watching Landon almost get bitten without moving a muscle to stop him, but blocking my way to get to him myself, and then having the nerve to give ME disapproving looks ... *sigh*). Landon stopped when they hissed, thank goodness, and just stood there quacking at them - he was so excited to see them!! It was funny because it all ended up ok.
The highlight must've been feeding the ducks though. You can buy a handful of oats for 25 cents and the ducks will come up to you pretty close. Landon was quacking and squealing and chasing those ducks. I could just picture him and Grandpa feeding those ducks daily ... heh heh Maybe we'll make another trip to the zoo during one of their trips and they can feed the ducks.

Uncle Bob, Aunty Rosemary, Juli and Lilya will be here this weekend. I'm so very much looking forward to having a little baby here! It will be good for Landon too - he'll get some 'practise' heh heh. So I won't post until after their visit. Have a good weekend! And Happy Birthday to Pam -- you are one SEXY 33 year-old baby!! :-D

antibiotics for both of us :-(

I had to break down and go to the doctor yesterday ... I have a sinus infection that is making my face so sore I can barely open my mouth wide enough to eat! So I took Landon as well ... even though he's improved considerably the past few days. We are barely needing to wipe his nose throughout the day, and he's been sleeping well and everything.
So I got antibiotics, which I was fully expecting (and hoping for). What surprised me is that Landon has a 'raging ear infection', so he got antibiotics too. I didn't think he had an ear infection - he sure hasn't been fussy or anything. He hasn't been pulling on his ears too much, he has been sleeping through the night... But at least it's getting treated now - maybe it would've gotten worse yet, who knows? So we're doing the drug thing and hoping to feel better for the weekend, finally!!

Landon is singing away these days ... all day long. He sings Wheels on the Bus which comes out "wheels...bus...round and ROUND!", and he does the alphabet from beginning to end, you just can't understand the words he's saying, but he has the tune and some of the letters. I love when he says LMNOP, he just mumbles all the way through. He even does the "Now ABC, next time, play...me" Too sweet.

Landon hasn't been crawling out of his crib too much. A couple of nights ago he was out 3 times, then 2 nights ago he didn't crawl out at all, and last night only once. So that's a good thing. We just grab him and put him back in the crib - we don't say anything or linger, just stick him in there and walk out again. He even slept without a soother the other night, all night. Which is good, as I'd like to take it away from him. He ends up chewing on the soother which puts holes in it and we have to toss it. So soothers aren't lasting him very long these days and I really don't see much point in buying new soothers every few weeks just to keep this habit going. Hopefully when this ear infection clears up we'll be able to drop it altogether!

That's the news for today. I'm just hoping that we both finally get good and healthy and stay that way for a few months!! LOL Well, at least until after Landon's birthday and our trip to Banff!

pictures, finally!

Landon loves to be tossed in the air. Here we were trying to catch his big laughs while he was in mid-flight (John is throwing him up from the landing, I'm in the bonus room). He giggles and laughs and wants "again" long after we're both exhausted from this activity!!
Here is a smiley faced Landon from a couple of weeks ago.
Here is what we're seeing more of -- the grumpy, frustrated Landon that wants to hit you. He doesn't like this picture though ... he really stares at it, he knows it's him, but he doesn't like it. Maybe it'll come in useful as a tool to help him control his frustration? I don't know ... in the meantime there's lots of "Landon, stop hitting mommy!" going on in our house :-( Poor little stinker!

And our luck has run out...

Yup - Landon has figured out how to get out of that crib, easily and repeatedly! lol Yesterday afternoon he wasn't falling asleep for his nap, but I was leaving him in there in the hopes that he would eventually fall asleep. Well...he crawled out of his crib and stood at the top of the stairs looking at me like "if you won't get me out, I'll get out myself, so there". I put him in and asked him to show me how he got out - which he promptly did. He showed John too when he came upstairs. LOL He just puts a foot up on the side rail, lifts himself up, swings his legs over to the recliner and crawls down. This morning when he (finally) woke up I walked in his room to see him sitting in the recliner. Goof ball!

So, I guess our 'luck' at having him stay in his crib has officially run out. Now we'll have much more fun getting him to sleep at night I'm sure. *sigh* Ah well ... it had to happen sooner or later. I'm picking up a safety bed rail today for his 'big boy bed', and we'll probably be moving the mattress upstairs soon. We're still on the hunt for a headboard etc, perhaps we'll have to make next weekend a shopping extravaganza too!

This past weekend we did shop shop shop! On Sunday John bought some pants and I bought shoes. Yesterday John bought more clothes as well, and we got Landon's b'day gift (a tricycle). Both days Landon didn't nap :-( He was so tired both days when we left the shopping centres, but then when we got home he wouldn't (or couldn't) fall asleep. Poor stinker. Sunday was tough - he was soooooo tired and miserable until he finally went to bed. Monday wasn't so bad though - you'd never have known he hadn't napped. I sure hope this isn't the end of naps - I still think he needs the break in the day. We may just have to be a bit more diligent in getting him to bed when he's sleepy (vs whenever we get home from shopping LOL).

This week is supposed to be gorgous ... I'm looking forward to that! Lots of sunshine. Yesterday was so beautiful. And Landon is so ready for nice weather and playing outside. He went out on the deck in the morning with just a light coat and shoes on ... he was so happy just to get out there. He rediscovered his turtle sandbox and played in there despite the cold sand. It will be wonderful to get the backyard fenced and then he can go out so much more - which is really what he needs! Poor energetic little stinkerpants! I can hardly wait to see him on the tricycle ... I'm sure he'll absolutely love it!

That's it for today. Some pics should come soon -- once they're uploaded onto the computer. Since I'm not planning to do any shopping today, maybe I'll get that done! LOL

Shopping Day Extravaganza!

Wow - did we shop today! LOL We picked up our new blinds that we ordered for our bedroom, and headed to IKEA ... our first trip there (I went once in Edmonton about 8 years ago ... it was NOTHING like the trip today...!). Overall John thinks it was a positive experience, I'm like 'meh'. I'm not a huge Ikea fan, although I don't dislike their stuff. I just didn't like the entire feeling of being moved through the store almost like a reverse assembly line. You follow these arrows on the floor which is the path through all the departments; stop off in a dept and pick up what you need, and continue. I felt like I was being herded ... vs a dept store where you go up and down aisles. *shrug* Ah well ... we got our new cupboards for the laundry room that John is installing right now. He put the blinds up this afternoon and they look great. I'm so pleased.
Landon was a very good boy in Ikea ... he had loads of fun saying 'hi' to all of the furniture and toys and stuff there (if you can imagine "Hello moon. Hello frog. Hello truck. Hello bunny.") He did fall asleep on the ride home though ... it was too much, all that excitement of Ikea !! LOL

I also got my car worked on today - well, just a tune-up / check-up / oil change. All's good there. And I went to Toys R Us for awhile *by myself* this afternoon. It was much less stressful than my last trip (a week before Xmas), and I enjoyed going through the store without having to appease Landon at every turn. I liked wandering through Babies R Us and contemplating what to get for the new one :-D

Landon and I are slowly getting over these colds of ours. *sigh* I sure hope it's the last one of the season! I'm so sick of being sick.
But at least Landon has been sleeping very well at night - we don't hear a peep out of him. I've noticed that he's moving around in his crib less, he even kept the afghan on him for the entire night last night - I don't think he's ever stayed under a blanket all night (since the days of swaddling that is). So maybe, just maybe, he's getting ready for a big boy bed. We have been watching for a headboard, etc for him, but haven't found something we're interested in yet. I was tempted to get the Thomas toddler bed today - but the fact that we'd be moving him to get him into a bigger bed (as well as out of the crib) means that it's pointless to use the same mattress when we move him. He is just so big ... he lolls around all over that crib, with arms and legs sticking out of the bars! LOL So cute, I can hardly stand it!

So that's the news from Calgary today. Maybe some more shopping tomorrow - John's wanting some pants. Heh heh Maybe momma will have to buy herself some new shoes or something .... we'll see.

NOW I know...

Now I know what was up with Landon ... it's this cold. Last night I would've sat up and cried all night too if I'd have thought it would help! So we are both sick with a cold, both miserable and whiny...poor John.
Landon did sleep the entire night last night which was a blessing. But he is whiny today :-( Hopefully he'll be better after a nap. However I will have to keep his nap a bit shorter ... yesterday he slept for 3.5 hours in the afternoon! Needless to say he didn't go to sleep until close to midnight last night, which may be why he's a tad bit grumpy today. I had fallen asleep yesterday afternoon, not waking up until John got home ! Which is why Landon got in such a good sleep too ... heh heh We obviously both needed it though, that's my defense and I'm sticking to it!

So that's really it. Just a couple of sicklings here...*sigh* hopefully this is the last cold of the season for us, I'm really sick of feeling crappy! Oct and Nov were nausea with pregnancy, early Dec was stomach flu, and now I've been sick pretty much since Christmas. Ugh ... 4 months is enough, give me a few months of health before this baby arrives...PLEASE!!
Until next time...TK

Tough night...

Don't really know what was up with Landon last night. He had fun playing all night long, and everything seemed pretty much normal. We put him to bed at the usual time, and he played and babbled for awhile in there which is not unusual. Then about 11 he started fussing, and he cried on and off until 1 am when he finally got to sleep. He was soooooo tired he could hardly keep his eyes open...his eyes would roll back and close, then snap open and he'd cry out. Then he woke up crying at 2. He cried himself back to sleep in about 20 minutes, but woke up at 3 crying again. He cried on and off until 5 am! And he was soooo sleepy -- again he could hardly keep his eyes open, but once they'd close they'd snap open again and he'd be off crying. And he wouldn't settle down for me, only for John. Which was something new (and I have to admit, welcomed as well ... John can have some middle-of-the-night fun for once...heh heh). Finally I had him in the chair with me and he fell into a nice deep sleep about 5. We gave him Motrin at 4 which may have helped. He slept until 9:40 (which is when he usually wakes up if we don't get him up earlier), and was in a pretty good mood all morning. He played well, we went to the store and he behaved well there. He ate a good lunch. He was VERY excited to get some new Thomas trains and tracks in the mail and played nicely with that for almost an hour before going down for his nap.

So we really don't know what's up. He still has a cough and a runny nose. I put Vick's on his chest last night, but maybe it didn't help ...? Today I have a cough that hurts my chest, so maybe that was his problem? But he wasn't coughing in his sleep, so I don't know what woke him up. Once he was awake and crying, then he'd start coughing, and then I can see why he was so miserable. Grandma thinks nightmares, which may be, since he seemed so reluctant to fall asleep. I don't really know - I just hope he sleeps better tonight. One sleepless night isn't too bad, but 2 in a row is tough. Esp since I'm battling this stuffy nose / chest cough thing too. *sigh*

Other than that - dancer was jumping around in my belly all night long too. Must've known something was up! LOL I bought a story book today for Landon for Valentine's Day - it's a Berenstain Bears book and has a story on bringing a new baby home, plus 4 other stories. He seems to really like Arthur books and Berenstain Bears, and the subject matter was fitting so I figured it's a good V day gift :-)

That's the news...I'm going to relax while Landon naps, because who knows how long it'll last!

Do they HAVE to turn 2?

aiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiai

need I say more? Not really, but I will.

Today was one of those days. Landon had a melt-down at lunch-time, for what reason I do not know. He was just bawling and screaming and clinging to me and didn't eat a thing. Nice. Finally we laid down on my bed and read some books. After 3 stories he was fine, and went playing away for an hour or so without bothering me for a minute. *shrug*
So it's coming up to nap time, he needs to eat something, so we go downstairs for some yogurt. He ate one, wanted another, okay. I got another out of the fridge. He decided to see what the big yellow container was ... well, he found out. Orange juice all over the floor, fridge, cupboards. To his credit - he was pretty cute, standing there completely stunned at the mess he had just made.
So I stripped his clothes off, and put him in the living room while I went about finding something to mop up. He followed me around babbling away. I start mopping, he comes around the corner giggling and laughing because he'd taken his diaper off (I should've seen something coming here... but I was busy). I look up again, about half-way through oj mopping, and he playing in a new puddle with his car. Yup - he'd peed, on the car, his hand, etc, it was fun. I'm sure he thought I was playing in a puddle of oj, he should play in a puddle too. *sigh*
So put off cleaning up oj to clean Landon up, and mop up that mess on the floor. Then finally back to the oj, and trying to figure out how to get it all from under the fridge.

After this wonderful 15 minutes (all the time I will say he was in a good mood though - much different than the lunchtime meltdown period), we finished up yogurt and had a snooze - Landon and mommy!!

Tonight he's been in a much better mood - John thinks I'm nuts when I talk about his grumpy/clingy/sucky times all day long. *sigh* Maybe I am. or maybe it's just because between John and I Landon gets more attention at night. Ah well...I guess I might as well get used to it, he's SO close to 2....makes me sad.

Another cold :-(

Landon has another cold, poor little stinker. He started coughing Wed even, had a slight fever. That lasted through yesterday, and his afternoon nap was tough (a sure sign he's not feeling well). Today his nose started running. Poor kid ... At least he knows how to blow his nose now though. But I feel bad for him, we can hear him coughing at night. Last night he woke up, miserable, from coughing, and cried for a few minutes before he could get himself back to sleep. Hopefully it won't be as severe as the last one, and won't last as long. At least he was up and playing happily this morning for awhile, even if his appetite is gone.

Haven't done too much this week. Landon has received some Thomas track and stuff that we ordered on ebay. He was so excited going through that new stuff. Now we have train tracks running everywhere LOL And trains are everywhere too.
We got some new little trucks for him as well, at the consignment store, a firetruck, dumptruck, and cement truck. He has been playing with those for every minute that he's not playing with trains for the past couple of days too. Too funny ... he absolutely loves the cement truck -- if he doesn't have it, we have to find it or else!

No more potty business this week - maybe he has been feeling this cold coming on, I don't know, but he hasn't been interested in running around naked and using the pot. He is interested in us using the toilet - whenever John goes pee Landon's running right into the bathroom behind him to watch! LOL And he likes to flush the toilets too, whether they really need it or not. Thank goodness we have low-flow toilets!

That's the news - not too much. Bedtimes are still not perfect, but getting a bit better (maybe?). He'll likely fall asleep easier while he's not feeling good these days - but it still breaks my heart to have to yank him out of bed in the morning when he's sleeping so nicely. Especially since he's usually grumpy when I get him up and I'm very used to a kid who's very happy when he wakes up (on his own). But we'll stick to it ... hopefully we'll get his schedule moved up eventually -- he just really likes that 11 pm sleep-time I guess *shrug*

That's all for now...

Monday News...

There isn't much Monday news today. We had a nice weekend, didn't do too much (which is likely why it was nice LOL).
Nothing more has been happening on the potty training front. Landon has been wanting to keep his clothes on, and I'm fine with that.
Landon is definitely closer to 2 though - he's starting to have tantrums. This morning he laid on the floor crying and wailing - then looking to see if I was looking - and then crying and wailing some more; for about 15 minutes! I couldn't believe he kept it up, since I was doing what the 'experts' say to do and ignoring him. Finally I sat on the couch -he came over and wanted up and wanted to snuggle. He still cried a bit though, even on my knee. Stinker! Then we went for a car ride (to the post office) and all was good.
The sleep thing - we have had Landon getting up at 9 am for the past couple of weeks, hoping that he'll go to sleep better for us at night. It really wasn't helping - he would lay in bed from 10 until 11:30 or so before going to sleep at night. During this time he would cause all sorts of trouble - like taking his sleeper off, throwing everything out of his crib and then crying to get it back, and he even showed me he could reach the pictures on the wall (when one came crashing down off the wall) so I had to rehang them higher. I think he reached a peak of being overtired last week when he woke up at 8:30 one morning after only 9 hours of sleep! aiaiai He wasn't very happy that morning, let me tell you!
But he finally went to sleep that night when we put him to bed, and he did the same again last night. Plus he's finally starting to wake up easily at 9 am, usually he's already starting to shuffle around in there by 9. So maybe, after TWO WEEKS, he's starting to get used to it? Let's hope. I'd like it if he could start falling asleep better at night - I feel bad when we put him to bed and he's awake for so long in there. He doesn't seem to mind - he plays quite happily, singing and babbling. But that situation doesn't bode well for when we move him to a 'big boy bed' -- a move which will be coming up soon I'm sure. Although he hasn't crawled out of his crib for almost 2 months (knock on wood!).

Singing - yes, Landon does love to sing. He is always singing his "mommy, I seepy" song that I made up for him when I put him down for his naps. And he's singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for us too ... he has the tune down, and he says some or most of the words of each line (tinkle tinkle star, how wonder you are, up world high, diamond sky ...) It's very cute, and I love it.

Landon has also been playing non-stop with either his matchbox trucks (memuck guck = cement truck; loadah - loader; beeguck guck = big dump truck; cahne guck = crane truck) or his Thomas trains and tracks. We watch Thomas dvd's aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllll day long! He particularly likes Gordon for some reason, and Percy. and Cranky. Too funny - it amazes me how he remembers all of their names!

Well, that's Monday afternoon for ya. I go to the doc tomorrow for my monthly prenatal check-up. Landon's going with me to this one ... could make it interesting!! I've definitely packed on some pounds this month, so we'll see what the doc says. I'm not worried though - I'm following the same weight gain path as I did with Landon, and I lost that weight so I'm sure I'll be fine ... esp with two monkeys to chase after! aiaiaiaiai

Until next time...