It's so hard to get on here!!

Sorry it's taking so long, but if Arlan isn't on me, Landon wants to be!!
So a quick post, as Arlan's already calling for me.
Here are some pics of Landon having fun in his pool on the weekend. He was showing off for Aunty Trish and Phil :-) It was soooo hot that day, he loved the pool. Thank goodness, as Arlan hit his 10 day growth spurt on the weekend and nursed nursed nursed!
Here's a pic from last week as well ... mom with her boys. Landon always wants mom in the morning, so he crawled up on the couch beside us.
Things are settling in a bit more now - I can usually get a good morning snuggle in with Landon without too much trouble. And Arlan is getting a bit better at letting me have some sleep at night.
Anyways - Arlan's still calling, so until next time....

One week, and counting...

Well, we've made it through the first week of adjustment with Arlan. He's pretty darned cute -albeit in a loud, demanding sort of way. He's much more content than Landon was in some ways though - he'll sleep somewhere other than on us, and when he's awake he's more content to watch a mobile or stare at the window or just listen to Landon be rambunctious! But I'm thankful for that - I can actually put Arlan down and do something while he's napping! LOL Which means I get to spend some time with Landon too - which is very important.
So all things are going pretty well I think. Dr appt on Tues - Arlan's healthy which is good. Mom's healing well, which is a blessing. Nursing is going pretty well -- a bit sore, but overall pretty good. I'm getting a bit of sleep, with Arlan doing his cluster feeding into the early morning hours and then giving me some time off. Now if he would just quit yowling every time we change his diapers! LOL

Landon is adjusting pretty well we think. He is jealous at times - who wouldn't be? A couple of times a day he demands that I put the baby down to play with him, and thankfully with Arlan's demeanor I can usually comply - unless I'm nursing. John and Landon are having fun though - playing in the backyard, going to the store, even doing some stuff in the basement. If it wasn't for the G-D mosquitoes, I don't think we'd have to do anything to entertain Landon! But they are so bad at times that even Landon comes running in the house "Bad mosquitoes!". The picture of him running below is Landon running from the "noisy lawnmower" (even though John and the mower are on the other side of the fence). And he's been enjoying his little swing / slide structure more and more too, which is nice. He's even started to sit in the swing a bit, although he doesn't like it as much as he likes the swing at the park. John's trying to teach him to pump his feet to swing himself - I hope he succeeds because 20 minutes of standing there pushing Landon on the swing ... we'll let's just say I'd rather be relaxing!

Landon's a BIG BROTHER

Arlan Jarrett Keller came absolutely RACING into our lives on Wed morning, June 18. Here are the stats:

Born 10:16 am June 18, 2008

Weight: 8 pounds, 8.5 ounces

Length: 20.5" (exactly the same as Landon)

The story behind RACING?

At my doc appt on Tues, I was 1 cm dilated. So the waiting game had really begun. John and I spent the evening with Landon, and making final preps, waiting waiting waiting ('oh, maybe that was a contraction). Then we went to bed.

I woke at 6:10 to go pee (of course). When I laid back down I though "hmm, that might've been a contraction". About 10 minutes later, same thing. John and I started discussing if he'd go into work or stay home, knowing we didn't have to decide on that until 7:30. I was thinking I'd let Landon sleep until 9:30, get him ready to go to Ricki's, and we'd go from there. The contractions began to be noticeable shortly before 7, so I knew it was the real thing. We got up at 7 and I was already talking that we may have to wake Landon by 9, no, maybe by 8:30. Almost immediately my contractions went from 10 minutes to 4 or 5 minutes within 1 or 2 contractions. We made our calls (my mom, Ricki & Trish who would be watching Landon throughout the day, John to his work). By now I'm saying we'll get Landon up no later than 8.

So we got Landon up, I spent a few minutes with just him (kind of 'good-bye' to the 'just us' times....). We got him dressed and in the car and over to Ricki's by ~8:30 and were at the hospital at 9. I thinking we hit triage at about 9:10, I was 6 cm dilated. I requested an epidural when we walked through the doors ... no such luck. By the time they could assess me, get me into a delivery room, and request an anesthesiologist ... no time. Arlan likely would've arrived quicker had the dr arrived sooner to break my waters. Three pushes and BAM! A beautiful, squawling baby boy. 10:16 am ... I hadn't even been admitted until ~9:30 (I was one of those moms who was in the delivery room while dad was admitting me!!).

We came home Thurs morning. John and Landon came to the hospital to pick us up. Landon took the baby in stride ... even offered Arlan his puppy blanket in the car, and insisted on having his hand on Arlan's head while we were driving (in newborn fashion, Arlan's neck was cranked right over, poor thing). The day's since haven't necessarily been all that glorious for Landon - it's a tough adjustment. But Grandma and Grandpa came for a quick visit to spoil Landon, and John's off work for a few weeks to spend time with him too. He is mostly jealous of Arlan when he first gets up -- he's very used to having mommy in the mornings. And I've been trying hard to find time for Landon every day. The first couple of days were pretty good - Arlan ate, pooped and slept. Now Arlan's a bit more demanding ( I say that tongue-in-cheek ... that kid can WAIL), eating what feels like non-stop, and it's harder to get that time with Landon. But we're adjusting ... stories on the couch beside mommy, lots of kisses, and I try to get in to see him before he goes to sleep at night for at least a couple of minutes.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks we'll all be better adjusted -- John to his new domestic duties, me being healed up, Arlan to opening his frickin' mouth when he latches on, and Landon to sharing mommy a bit more.

So that's really that ... LONG post as I've been off for awhile, and who knows when I'll get this chance again :-/

Belly pics...

Here are a couple of belly pics from tonight. The belly is definitely a biggun! lol I'm ready for baby to come, hopefully the baby is ready soon too :-)

Fun at the Science Centre

Landon had a blast running around the Science Centre last Friday. The most fun was the 'perspective room' seen here. He ran and ran and ran! Of course, I don't expect anything less than full-tilt running with him these days...

No baby yet...

just a post to report on dr appt. No baby yet!
Baby is low and ready to go. Should be any day now. Heartbeat at 142. My BP still great at 101/70. We're busy doing 'last minute' things all the time ... trying to prepare but it's hard when you don't know when baby's coming.
But I'm off for a snoozers before I miss my chance and Landon wakes up. He's still got a runny nose, but slept well last night so hopefully a runny nose is all that it will be :-/ He had a blast this morning playing outside, it's a beautiful day here. I love the nice weather too - so nice to enjoy coffee on the deck in the morning!

No Baby Yet...

Sorry for taking so long to post - esp for those watching this waiting for baby news!

We've had a good week. Went swimming again with Landon last Wed, he had fun and I do enjoy just relaxing in the water a bit :-) We'll see if I can find the energy to take him again this week.

Thursday I had a good visit with Amy - she was up staying at Ricki's. Landon had fun playing too - Keaton has tons of trucks so Landon was well entertained!

Friday we went to the Science Centre, met Heidi and the boys there. It was an absolute ZOO again, so we spent most of our time in the Children's Museum. I really like the place, but it was overwhelming for me, let alone for the little ones :-/ There are so many school groups there all the time, and usually older kids, all running like mad. Maybe the weekends would be better....

Uncle Bob and Aunty Rosemary were here for the weekend ... we had a wonderful visit! Sat night they went to watch John play -- the new back-up singer has really added to the band and I guess they sounded great. Sunday we had a pretty low-key day. We walked down to the Northern Hills Summerfest for pancake breakfast, but we were too late :-/ So we walked on back home, as all the bouncy castles and everything were soooooooooo lined up it just wouldn't have been worth the wait for Landon - who may or may not have liked them. But it was a nice walk nonetheless. The weather is finally nicer, so we spent much of our time outside, either playing with Landon in the back or whatever. And we all had nice snoozes in the afternoon too. They went back to Saskatoon today, and Landon was soooo sad to see them go. He LOVED having them here for a visit. He could say Uncle Bob very clearly, and Aunty Rosemary was improving quickly throughout the weekend too (to 'Anty rrsmary' by today).

And we're still just a waiting for baby to decide to come along. We were hoping for yesterday - since we had babysitters here for Landon - but baby didn't cooperate. So we'll just have to see. I have dr appt tomorrow, so we'll see if there's any 'action' down there yet.

that really is the news. Oh yeah - we have a gopher living under our driveway; I discovered him today. Hopefully we can get rid of him - I really don't want a gopher living here ... :-/ Maybe we'll have to borrow a cat for a few days or something!!

So, just because I don't post, don't be assuming we're having a baby. I'm just really super tired these days, and I'm trying to do things with Landon every day so that I'm not just sitting here waiting. Now that the weather's nicer, Landon and I were outside all day today. Hopefully this weather holds, I'm so sick of rain.

And I'm hoping Landon doesn't get too sick - he woke up with a cough last night a couple of times - a real barking cough, and you could hear the congestion in his throat and chest. He woke up much better today, although he was a bit out of sorts. He had a good nap. He has a runny nose, and it seemed to get worse tonight. I gave him decongestant, and we'll see how he sleeps. Hopefully well. His eyes were watery tonight too, I sure hope it's not allergies .... we'll have to see what the next few days bring. Poor kid.

That's the news for now....

Doc Update...

No news thus far. Baby is where it's supposed to be. All signs still good. Next week is the internal, so we'll know if there's any action on that front at that time. Assuming there's no action before then ... Today I'm feeling that I'll likely have the baby next week -- 18 or 19. Mostly because I refuse to envision me going to the due date (or heaven forbid beyond my due date of June 22), and also because my mom and dad have a short trip to Regina planned for the 19, so of course we'll have the baby then!! LOL
It's raining here again ... of course. I'm VERY sick of rain. Hopefully we'll have a nicer July to make up for this. I don't need (or want) 30+ weather, 20 is fine, just get rid of the rain!! Poor Landon - all cabin-fevered and half nuts. We'll go swimming again tomorrow morning, and have a visit with Ricki and Amy planned for Thurs morning, and a trip to the Science Centre with Heidi and boys booked for Friday morning - so even if the rain keeps up we'll be getting out of the house. I'll most definitely be napping after those events!! LOL I'll relax on the weekend and let John play with Landon...

Today I was buying 'bring home' outfits, a girl one and a boy one. I asked Landon if he thought he was going to have a little brother or a little sister. He looked at me very solemnly, shook his head, and said "no little brother. no little sister". Guess it's a good thing the stork didn't arrive today ... we have a few more days to convince him it's ok to have a little brother or sister :-/

Well, I'm off to make supper. Marc is in town for a visit, and the boys should be home soon. Until next time....

Where do the days go?

Landon and I did go swimming on Wed, and he really enjoyed it. I will try to go again next week, assuming no baby and that we're feeling good. It was nice for me too, just sitting in the water while Landon played and splashed around. He has me concerned though - he was going up to all of the girls and giving them kisses....*sigh* He also says that some toys are 'girls toys' when he doesn't want to play with them, just like things he can't have are 'daddys' or 'mommys' things. Heh heh Funny how those things get entrenched so young. I've been trying to use this to my advantage with things like 'soothers are baby toys' and stuff like that!!

We got the Amby bed, the bassinet, the swing and the bouncy chairs out and washed up last night. I've been bugging John, and last night I think he understood that I meant him to get them up NOW (as in this baby is going to come soon man, get this sh!t done!! LOL). Poor John - I think he finally had the realization last night that we're having a baby VERY soon (I had that realization about a month ago and have been panicking ever since!). I wasn't feeling well, and finally he asked if I was going into labour. When I answered that I was starting to wonder that myself, he 'got it'. Any day now ... 10 days to ultrasound due date, 2 weeks to dr due date.

Landon has been handling the rainy weather pretty well ... as well as any 2-year-old who's couped up inside while wanting to play outside. Yesterday Stephanie and Iden came for a visit - it was so nice to have them. Iden and Landon played very well together. It took Landon a little bit of coaxing to share all of his toys - whatever Iden had Landon wanted, even if he hadn't played with it in ~3 months or so. But he really enjoyed having a friend over, and I REALLY enjoyed getting a chance for a visit with Steph.
Tonight I think Landon and I will make chocolate chip cookies again ... or rather, he can eat the cookie dough and I'll make cookies! LOL Then we'll have to figure out what sort of fun we'll have tomorrow to beat the cabin-fever crazies..........

Belly Pics and Doc update...

Here are some pics of the belly from today. According to the doc, I'm 37 weeks, 2 days. According to the ultrasound I'm 38 weeks. Only time will tell...

So my bp is still crazy low (explains why I'm dizzy when I lie down, when I sit up etc) at 106/63 today. Baby's heartbeat was 144 bpm. My ultrasound showed everything is really good (amniotic fluid, etc), the baby is 3.6 kg right now (just over 7.5 pounds ... not quite as scary as the 8 pounds the ultrasound tech mentioned -> maybe she meant estimated weight at due date???). So all is ticking along quite fine. I'm having more and more trouble sleeping, even my afternoon snoozes are disrupted now (those used to be undisturbed). I just can't get comfortable, and when I finally do fall asleep I wake up frequently because I've rolled over to an uncomfortable position. but I can't complain too much - Landon's still napping for ~2 hours in the afternoon, so I get a chance to lay down and rest if nothing else. The heartburn hasn't been too bad - actually I haven't had heartburn at night since I stopped brushing my teeth before going to bed (I know....eeeewwww). I think that might've been the source ...

So the countdown is on ... I definitely feel more like "c'mon out kid, let's get this show on the road" this time, whereas with Landon he could've stayed snuggled in there for awhile longer as far as I was concerned :-) Funny how a person's outlook changes.

Now if we could get some sunnyshiny days so that my cabin-fevered kid quits driving us nuts! Tomorrow we're going swimming, so hopefully that'll help.....

Camera Hide n Seek

We haven't been able to get many photos of Landon over the past couple of months because he's been sooo interested in seeing what's on the camera he won't stand in front of it. That has changed the past few days though, as now Landon thinks the camera is a game, and he plays hide n seek with it! Esp if I'm at the computer (where I've spent a fair amount of time the past few days). He gives me the camera, then runs to the futon and hides, waiting for the flash. Then he'll run back, wait for a pic to be taken, and run back to hide again. So we've managed to get some cute pics once again ... here's a few to share.

Landon LOVED the backyard activities

Landon loved that we were all in the backyard today ... he was very busy running around, moving the wagon to strategic locations, and rearranging the dirt piles using his loader, bulldozer and back-hoe trucks! Then he had a quick shower and good long snooze!!

At least he's gone from calling Brian 'visitor' to saying 'Brian' now :-) He's had a busy, but a very fun day.

and yes, those are his 'bee boots' with his shorts. He loves those boots!!

That's a BIG pile o' dirt!

With Brian's help (a considerable amount of it actually), we got our trees planted in the backyard today. These boys moved a LOT of dirt around, let me tell you!! But the trees look fabulous! Here are the 5 aspens, as well as the double-flowering plum and 'sensation' lilac (they look so small now that they're planted!!).

Now let's just hope and pray the trees survive -- we certainly don't want to go through this again! yes - that's a pick-ax in Brian's hand - the clay soil was like concrete, we had to use a pick-ax to get any lower than ~8" or so. I don't know if John will let me plan on planting any more trees ever again! LOL

And once these guys were done in the yard, they moved onto the basement. John and Brian moved over half of the drywall into the basement (via the side window) before supper yet. They most definitely earned their HUGE steaks (thanks again Brian) for supper, and the nice cold beers too (made me really want a beer today...)

Swinging Swinging Swinging ... with a ball!

Landon LOVES to go to the park and swing. He'll play with other kids if they're there (and interested in playing with him), but mostly he just loves to swing. Yesterday was extra fun because he had his soccer ball, and could hold that while swinging :-/ Silly kid. He rested his head on the ball, I thought he was going to fall asleep. John may not want to put a playset in the backyard, but as much as Landon loves to swing we may have to break down and buy one I'm thinking!! LOL

This last picture captures just how much Landon looks like Thomson! Holy moly -- these kids are DEFINITELY related!

I'm just glad that Landon will wear this hat that we bought him. I bought one earlier and he won't leave it on his head for any length of time. I should've known. Landon has preferred the type of hat seen here ever since his first summer ... I will just have to quit trying to get him to wear other types of hats. Maybe the next kid will like the 'other' hats... heh heh.

Ultrasound Update...

All of the appointments are done for this week, and I was VERY happy to have a day to be at home. I haven't been sleeping well, between sore hips, peeing every 13 minutes or so, and heartburn from hell (something I didn't experience at all with Landon). Last night it was so bad I had to get up and sit right up, even just reclining a bit was out of the question. So I've taken to sleeping in the bonus room, propped up with lots of pillows and blankets on the futon on those bad nights. Usually by 2 or 3 am I'm able to get to sleep (!!) and I sleep late with Landon (surprise surprise). Landon and I have been napping VERY well in the afternoons as well ... 2 or 3 hours on some days! Thank goodness or I'd be completely wiped out. He's still going to sleep fairly well at night too as long as we get him outside to play and stuff.
Today was so nice, Landon and I went to the park for ~1.5 hours this morning. He loves to swing and swing and swing. We took his soccer ball too, and he was able to kick it around with another little guy there for awhile. Tonight we all went out back and kicked the ball and played with the neighbours and stuff. I LOVE this nice weather!!

The ultrasound was good, although I didn't get any pics to bring home this time. You just can't see so much now that the kid is scrunched in there! But all the parts seem to be there and the technician didn't seem concerned over anything, so hopefully it's all good news. I will find out on Tues at my next dr appt I guess. What scares me the most is that the baby is estimated to be 8 pounds already! I'd better not go overdue....!!!! I guess we'll just play the waiting game....

Appointments for baby!

It seems that all we do is run to appointments for the baby :-/ Yesterday I went in to have my blood work done, today was dr appt, tomorrow is ultrasound. Then we're good until next Tues (another dr appt).
I am B-strep negative this time (was positive with Landon) which is nice as I won't need antibiotics via IV when we go into labour. Dr appt was fine - heartbeat of 144, bp 115/65. Landon has learned to be such a patient little stinker while waiting for the dr, or for me to get bloodwork done, or whatever. He makes me proud. Tomorrow John is coming home from work to stay with him while I go to the ultrasound though - I don't think it'd be fair to ask him to be THAT patient!! LOL Hopefully we get some pics of baby from the ultrasound.

I'm feeling good - tired but good. Actually today I had more energy again - I think that's because the sun was out FINALLY. Am still hoping to plant trees on the weekend, then I think my yard work will be done for the spring / summer. Maybe in the fall I'll have more energy again - we'll see.

Landon has been as adorable as can be. Singing lots - today was Rock-a-bye Baby, which surprised me, I didn't know he knew that song. He's pretty demanding from the backseat now too. Not only does he want 'sing songs', but he wants specific ones (mostly bumble bee and wheels on the bus) and when he likes the song he says 'louder' so I turn it up for him :-D He loves his sing songs, but he loves metal too .... we played Metallica and he danced his little butt off Sunday night. His dance is pretty funny to watch, mostly involving little hops with a right kick out to the side (a high kick too!) while he bops his head. I will try to get that on video for sure!

the basement is coming along well. We have people coming in the morning to fix our two cracks, and then John can finish the framing, wiring, etc etc etc etc. It'll be going on for months! LOL But we will have walls for a bedroom and a toilet down there at least for when Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit!

I am starting to 'nest' a bit too. Washed up all of baby's clothes -- SO SMALL! And did the big grocery shop today for canned and frozen goods ... we shouldn't have much to pick up aside from fresh produce, milk, bread, etc. I will have to get the hospital bag packed soon, as well as Landon's bag should he be needing to spend the night elsewhere when we go into labour. John promised to get the bassinet, Amby bed, playmat, etc out of the basement soon too, so I will get those things ready as well. The dresser is in our room right now (until we can move the spare room furniture to the basement), and is all full of baby's clothes. *sigh* Such little things ... so exciting for when he/she will be coming home. Only 25 days to go!

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