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Hello everybody, Happy New Year! So, I've been having a bit of misery keeping this blog up to date. Part of the problem is the computer that I'm using is horribly slow and I never have enough time at hand to work on it. It makes everything worse when it takes 10 minutes just to get started! It seems, to, that once I've started, somebody wakes up from their nap, or needs my immediate attention. I'm not complaining, not at all, just be patient, Dear Readers. Though as some of you have pointed out, it's really the videos that draw my audience :)
Alexis and Mathilde are one! This is such a fun age too. They are so determined to learn new things, such as walking, talking, dancing and climbing. The other day, for example, I found both girls inside the book case. I can only imagine what they have in store for me in the future!
Our trip to Thunder Bay was excellent. The plane ride was actually quite unremarkable. I'm sure that they cried, though I don't have a clear memory of it. For the most part, they seemed to enjoy the experience. It would have been much better had we all been able to sit together, but there are not enough oxygen masks available in each row to allow that. Most importantly, they loved being with their family, and in particular, Nicholas and Charlotte. It was wonderful to see Alexis and Mathilde with Babashka, too.
Well, as I said, time is short and the girls are about to wake up from their nap. Lots of love from Ivan, Alexis, Mathilde and I.
Hello everyone! I suppose it's time to sit down and reflect on the last two weeks, isn't it? I've probably been avoiding it a bit, since they've been bitter-sweet, really. I'll start off by saying that everyone is absolutely fine with everything, really. And maybe that's what makes it a bit bitter? Maybe I expected more upset, more upheaval. But we're just successfully enjoying a different kind of reality these days.
Alexis and Mathilde are fitting into their day-care situation with absolute ease. They are off and exploring from the second they're in the door. Upon pick-up, we always find them engaged in some sort of play and in very good spirits. But it's sometimes a bit emotional when they see us and realize that they've missed us. We can get a few tears, but nothing over the top. Ivan and I drop them off and pick them up together and Mathilde always heads directly for her Papa. So sweet.
This past week was even better than the first. Once the girls got used to their routine and became able to predict what came next, they really started enjoying themselves. It's fun to see Mathilde watch the bigger kids thundering around and try to join in! Alexis is very content to play with stuffed animals and do her finger painting. She always goes down happily for her naps and is the first to line up to be placed in her high chair for lunch or snacks. Mathilde is the Ham that she is at home and loves to make little faces. She scrunches up her nose and squints her eyes and smiles at you from her knees. She is quite content still to view the world from knee level. She can pull herself up and even stand on her own, but she prefers not to! Alexis on the other hand, can often be found standing up with a toy in her hand with no indication of how she got there in the first place. Perhaps she used Mathilde to get up, then Tilly crawled away leaving her sister standing there? You have to watch to find out!
But it's sad to know that the bulk of their day is spent with someone else. I could explore that more in depth, but just know that I'll always harbour the guilt associated with that fact. Enough said.
Mathilde celebrated the arrival of her 5th tooth today. On top of her crusty, stuffy nose, she's been teething as well! We kept her home on Thursday and with tons of cuddles, love and sleep, she was back in action the following day. I'm pretty sure that Lexi's already gone through her version of this cold, but Ivan just got it yesterday and mine has shown itself in a completely different way. It's hard to say. I really hope she doesn't come down with the same symptoms as Mathilde. We have to get them vaccinated again this week and it's better if they're not sick. Especially since they had a reaction to the last dose (high fever). I know I shouldn't say this, but they're so sweet when they're sick! I wouldn't want them to be sick very often, but when they are, the cuddles are the best in the world.
So that's all the news from this Lightwood house. We're looking forward to our trip to Thunder Bay in December. It seems like it's just around the corner! We won't be decorating for Christmas until the 13th so as not to interfere with Lexi and Tilly's birthday celebration. And no tree again this year. Next year though, look out! Don't tell Ivan, but I've been playing Christmas Carols for the past week.
Just a quick note before I return to work tomorrow. I won't go on and on about how sad I am because it won't help me or the girls. Let's just say I'm sad and leave it at that, shall we?
What I do want to talk about is the fabulous milestone that both girls reached today. Alexis actually stood up yesterday on her own by scaling the patio window, but today we found her in all sorts of different places standing up. She stood up in the play yard and unfortunately for her, she found out how to stand up in her crib. Unfortunately because she doesn't yet know how to sit back down and she was stranded in her new-found favourite position! I was so happy to see her do this before I went back to work because I really wanted to be present for it. I was a little sad that I would miss Mathilde's big standing debut, but then Ivan and I found her standing in the play yard too! Talk about monkey see, monkey do! Hopefully they will wait until Christmas to do their walking, preferably after the flight home from Thunder Bay.
Also, Miss Alexis has another pearly white tooth, bringing her to 5. I'll bet that she'll have the next one through by the time I get to writing another entry.
So, I said it would be quick. I've a few more things to put together before I head off to bed. I'll have lots to talk about next time, I'm sure. Have a great week everybody.
I had planned to write about this flu pandemic (Swine, H1N1, call it what you like). I wanted to have on record for the girls an account of what was going on around them at such an important time in their lives. They are starting day-care in a week during the weirdest time I've ever experienced in my 35 years. And it is weird. It's been stunning to listen to the news everyday, listen to them bungle around reporting about a fear so extensive; a fear that is largely perpetuated by the media itself. And as a new parent, I'm (we're) caught right in the middle of it. There is nothing as powerful as Mama Guilt, nothing can send a mother's brain into a maelstrom of what-ifs faster than a gamble with their kids' health. If I don't get the vaccine, I could harm my children. If I do get this potentially insufficiently untested vaccine, I could harm them. If I have to wait in line to get this vaccine, I could expose them to the virus. If I don't wait in the line, I could leave them unprotected. I'm sick of feeling sick about it. One day, I'm told they need two doses. The next day I'm told they only need one. If I don't keep my ear to the radio/Health Canada/WHO sites I might miss some vitally important information. While I am keeping my ears and eyes open, I'm subjected to images of huge line ups and panicked Canadians. As I write this I can barely make out the news on CBC Radio in the other room. I just picked out the words fear, terror and vaccination. Damn the media. Anyway, we will try to get the girls vaccinated as the clinics prepare for the Gullies group tomorrow afternoon. Ivan and I got in at work.
Anyway, enough about that. The girls are wonderful, as usual! So bright and happy and active. They are learning about their world now at a lightening pace. Each day they show us something new that they have absorbed. Mathilde is clapping, both girls adore giving a high-five. They understand many of our directions. If I say, Mathilde, where is your sister? She will look for her. They love walking around assisted by us and of course, standing. They still haven't figured out how to get up into that standing position, but I don't think that's any cause for concern.
They love to play peek-a-boo with each other. It is so fun for them when their sister appears around the corner, or peeks at them from around a chair leg. They look for objects when they roll away, or under a chair. Both girls adore playing in the baking cupboard that I've set aside for them. They love to bounce the metal bowls off the ceramic tiles. It makes such a tremendous sound!
We got a digital scale so we could weigh them at home. Alexis is 18.4lbs and Mathilde is 19lbs. We picked up their new Big Kid car seats yesterday. It's really and truly amazing to me how fast the time has gone this year. I was told that it would be so, and I vowed to pay attention and not let the time get away from me. But I guess I did anyway. I do grieve the loss of their littleness, but I excitedly embrace the adventures that await us.
Well, that's it for now. I've got a thousand things to do to get myself ready for work, and to get the girls ready for the sitter. We would all like to wish my Mom, JoAnn a very happy birthday tomorrow. Sorry we can't be there to celebrate with you. Have a wonderful day all the same.
Whew! I'm tired. It's been a long five days since Ivan left us for his European destination. And to think we toyed with the idea of all of us going with him. Ha! It's hard enough being home in my own environment, let alone traipsing around Belgium on my own with two 10 month olds. But, really, if I had to do it, I'd rather do it with our 10 month olds. They're so good. And I'm not just saying that because I'm their Mama. They are really that good.
So much has happened since I last posted. David and Jeanette arrived to keep us company on the same day that Ivan left. They stayed until Tuesday and spent some wonderful quality time with Mathilde and Alexis (and me too, of course!) D & J took the girls and I out to supper on Sunday night to the restaurant down the road. Ivan and I have been meaning to get out to this place since we arrived, but never quite made it. It was pretty good. The food was really nice, but maybe the service was a bit slow and confused. Slow service is tricky when dining with infants since by the time the meal arrives, they are pretty much at their melting point. But, really over all, I have to say that they did just fine. They dined on salmon and spaghetti bol and flirted mercilessly with a young gentleman seated at the next table. Alexis enjoyed watching the TV overhead as well. They used to get 10 minutes of Canada AM every morning while I nursed them, but I can't keep them on the bed with me anymore since they can crawl away and have no fear of ledges!
So, yes, you ready correctly. They can crawl. Both of them. Forwards, backwards, sideways. It's all the same to them. They are mobile and exploratory. What's even more fun is that Alexis can stand on her own, not holding on to anything for 20 seconds or more. She gets up on her knees as well and sort of looks like a meer cat when danger is afoot. She's not smelling the air or anything like that, but she crawls along, stands up on her knees, arms at her side, looks around and then continues crawling. I should probably capture that on video since it's probably just temporary until she discovers how to pull herself up onto her feet. Neither of them can do that yet. I'm not sure why.
We've been having fun though. Now that they are mobile they seem to enjoy crawling in and out of my lap. Alexis will crawl into my lap, snuggle in and suck her thumb for a minute or so and then once she's had her fill, she takes off in search of adventure. Then she'll return to fill up on Mama security for a bit and then she's off. Mathilde loves to crawl up for a rough sort of cuddle. She climbs up on me, grabs my shoulders and lays a big open mouth "kiss" on me and then crawls away. Yesterday my girlfriend, Krista, asked if I ever nursed them at the same time and I said no. I hadn't for about 7 months maybe. Well, now that they can get into my lap, they can also ask to nurse...at the same time. So we tried it. It was a little strange, I have to say, but wow, what a time saver!
Both of them wave bye bye. So now that the image is in your head of the action, it would be fair to note that they actually don't know the proper context of the wave. They wave at objects that please them, the ceiling, River, whatever. Waving is just fun. I tried to show River how to wave back, but it would seem that this will take more time than showing the girls when it's appropriate to wave. We're working on clapping next, and since I just figured out how to play Patty Cake, we're all set!
Well, this post is just as much for Ivan as anyone else. He called today and I was not in top form at all. I spent 8 hours of my precious day dialing and re-dialling the pediatric clinic on the only day they're accepting appointments for December trying to get the girls an appointment for their shots as well as their 1 year check up. I never did get through. Thank God my beautiful girls were still in excellent humour at the end of the day. They brought their Mama back from a very frustrated state. So Ivan didn't get any of the important Gully information when he called, just a blast of frustration over the technical difficulties I was having with the phone. I maintain our phone setup sucks, but it's not his fault that I couldn't get through to the clinic. I hope the video helps to ease the shock of dealing with this frustrated Mama. And I did squeeze your Lexi for you.
That's it from this Lightwood household for today. I'm still soliciting phone calls this week. Don't be afraid; I'm done dealing with Pediatric Clinics for this month!
Can you believe that we are creeping up on 10 months of Gully bliss? It's unbelievable to me that I'm returning to work next month and that it's time to start getting them prepared for not having Mama around every moment. I will start weaning (not fully) this month, as well as trying to eliminate the morning nap in favour of a longer afternoon nap. We'd like to get them used to drinking from a sippy cup on their own and hopefully improve their pincer grasp so that they can do a little more self feeding.
But I don't think it's going to be as difficult as I thought it was going to be. We went to Ottawa last weekend to visit a girlfriend of mine and her husband. (Kyla and Nick) I thought the trip would only take 4 hours, but it ended up taking 6. The girls had absolutely no difficulties with this at all! In fact, they woke up just in time to hit traffic in Montreal and seemed to enjoy the sights from the back of the mini van that we rented. I was very worried about how they would adapt to sleeping in both a strange room and in a strange bed, but they slept through the night! I think we only had tears twice and both times it was little quick sniffles from Mathilde which were very quickly settled by a nearby grown up. We didn't even have high chairs for them. We just sat them on the dining room table and fed them until they tried to crawl away. The ride home was just as quiet, and everybody settled back into their schedule very nicely. It was inspirational! We're trying to figure out where we go next!
Since that last post, both girls can get into a sitting position from their bellies and both are pretty much crawling. They don't cruise along with ease yet, but they are figuring it out. I often find Mathilde sitting up in her crib when she is supposed to be napping. One time I went into see what she was crying about, and I found her sitting up with her legs through the bars, and holding on to them with her hands. It was like she was saying "Please help me! I'm tired and I want to go to sleep, but I don't know how to back up and lie down!" Poor thing. Alexis, on the other hand, has no difficulties with this sleep thing. She lets me know she's sleepy with a yawn, I put her down and she smiles, grabs her blanket, pops her thumb in her mouth and closes her eyes. That's it. You don't hear from her again, and in fact, I only go in to get her up because I hear Mathilde calling for me! I suppose she figures she doesn't need to fuss, Miss Mathilde does enough of that!
Well, that's not fair to Mathilde. I think that neither of them are particularly difficult. In fact, quite the opposite. I think that they are just going to settle into this day care thing with flying colours. I have a vision of them sitting down with little Magnolia (our care provider's 10 month old) and taking over the place. I hope that's true anyway. This is going to be very hard for me. Anyway, Ivan leaves on Saturday for two weeks, and this is going to be a long, hard haul for me with two infants on my own. If you have the time, please give me a call. I could certainly use the support. If you really have the time, please come and visit! That would be terrific! Until next time, all the very best.
Greetings from Quebec City once more! We are all very well here, settling into the glorious Fall weather and enjoying the girls and their antics every day. We had a fairly busy weekend. Mathilde and Alexis were invited to their first birthday party ever and I would say that they enjoyed themselves very much! Thank you to Anna and Maria for sharing their special day(s) with the Gullies. They enjoyed playing with someone else's toys for a change, and even got to have a veggie burger and some chocolate and carrot cake. They really loved watching the 'older' kids run around and some of the adult guests took turns jostling Mathilde about, which she just adored. After we left the party, we went over to another friend's place to return the baby swing that he loaned to us, and his daughter, Zoey, now three, handed over a whole box of her toys for the girls to use! They enjoyed meeting the little dog, Puppy, and very friendly cat, Kitty, who for some reason sat entirely still while the girls pulled their fur. Puppy even had his tongue and face fur in Mathilde's vice like grip for a minute before being rescued by Ivan. Silly thing even came back for more! We had such a wonderful sleep that night since the girls were pleasantly exhausted. If we could find a birthday party every weekend, we'd be set.
Mathilde has been finding her stride in terms of developing a wonderful sense of humour. She watches very intently for reactions to her antics and then looks at you with a devilish grin and breaks into laughter when she gets the reaction she wants. She is very much a social creature at this point. Alexis, on the other hand, has a shy smile that is heart-melting when she finally gives it up. Both girls are eating any and everything that is placed before them. I have not been encouraging self feeding too much yet, but next month will be training for day care.
The girls are very much on par in terms of their gross motor development. Both are up on their knees and rocking, and often I find them having gone from their bellies to a sitting position. I haven't witness how they do it yet. They can both stand for long periods when put up against something, but they haven't shown too much interest in pulling themselves up to standing. Fine by me! (note: before I edited this, Mathilde tried very hard to stand up on her own. Not quite there yet though).
They play wonderfully together. It's mostly side-by-side play, but they do it for long periods and quite happily. Mathilde has unfortunately developed a penchant for pulling hair. And too often it is her sister who is the target, so I do have to move them away from one another quite often. I'm a bit worried for the little girl at their day care, but she has a brother and a sister so she can probably take care of herself! Me on the other hand! I have to keep my hair in a constant pony tail!
Well that's it for us for this week. It's just about time to get the girls up from their morning nap and get them ready for a nice long and very wet walk. Have a terrific week everyone. Oh, and we're off to Ottawa this weekend to visit my girlfriend Kyla and her husband, Nick. Wish us luck!
