Being grateful - 20121231

I am grateful for cheeseplates and cheap lobster.

We kind of improvised on the new year's eve plans this year. Every year, it seems, we kinda scramble a bit, and it gets to a point where we're not sure we wanna do anything and think about sleeping through it all, and waking up in a whole new year (sounds magical, doesn't it?). This year, we decided to hang out with The Brother and eat. And eat and eat and eat and eat.

We went out for Chinese food and had pretty much all our favourites, and that meant and included lobster. Yes. And then we made a family-friendly cheeseplate, that pretty much became an anythingplate.

2013's gonna be a good year.

20121229

I am grateful for funny family pictures

20121228

I am grateful for days off.

Mr.S took a day off today and we went for dim sum (I feel like we often go for dim sum when he's off) and then I went to watch Monster's Inc 3D with D-nutty. He was sooooo happy. He even got his own Mike Wizowski glasses.

December 14, 2012.

Being grateful - 20121123

I am grateful for my bros-in-law.

My sisters and brother went to Michigan to be with our family there. My cousin passed away a few days ago. He had mental illness since he was a child, and as long as I can remember him, he and his family has always been awesome to us. With WyGuy still breastfeeding, it would have been hard for me to join them, so and I sent my and my family's condolences and best wishes for the family with them. This left me at home, siblingless. It was quite a lonely feeling.

And then my bros-in-law called me up and we met up for lunch...and then hung out for dinner. How could I say I felt siblingless?! I love those guys so so so so so much.

It's 12:23AM

And I'm sitting waiting for Mr.S to come home so I can take a shower post-work out. The boys are sleeping soundly and I have a slim and slimmer period of time during which I can do this before the baby wakes up for a snack. All I can think of are things like this:

Ice cream and crepes
Short hair and sunglasses
Sour cream and ______ hair ***EDIT!!!*** CHIPS! I meant chips!!
Anvil shoes
Long, wavy, ombre-dyed hair
Dirty sweaty salty dri-fit shirts
Love handles and stretchy skin
Laser hair removal

I need to take a shower already. I need to have better thoughts. Cue key in the door.

P.S. Mr.S actually came through the door half a second after I hit "Publish". Neat, eh? And this was the second time I wrote this post because the first time I wrote it, it got erased when I published it. Neat again, eh?

A Round of Applause 2!

Remember this?

Well, guess who learned to clap this weekend?

A new running motivation

I hope our kids love running as much as I do. And if they do, if I'm so blessed, I'm so excited to run with them.

This mom makes me excited...http://powerofmoms.com/2012/11/running-with-joy/

Thoughts on Insanity

I started Insanity last week. Finally. So far, I know why it's called, "Insanity". Also, I miss P90X.

But you know, after every workout, after my frame of mind is back in its usual place and my body isn't so mad at me anymore, I look forward to doing it again and feeling better that I did better.

Isn't that what a successful work out is about?

20121101

I am grateful for daylight savings time, of the falling back kind.

I'm going back to sleep. For an hour. 

Nails

My hands are a disaster right now. My skin is so try, it feels like velcro. As do my heels. I think my hands might feel worse than my heels do. We've been quite busy in the past few weeks and so the skin on my hands and feet have not been my first priority...nor high up there on the list.

Anyway, when summer packed up its things and went on vacation, my pretty nails, fingers and toes, packed up and went for some R&R. They have been polishless since, and have been given some time to breathe. Much needed, if you ask me, judging from how they looked after self-mani/pedicure after self-mani/pedicure. (Who has the time and money to keep going to get these things done? Not me!)

And so now, after Thanksgiving weekend and cooking up a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my family, which also included even more hand washing, I'm staring at my hands, both dry, and now still a bit covered with butternut squash juices (you know how it sticks to your hands like glue, only it doesn't peel off), and wishing that my nails were pretty. But then again, my nail broke last week, pretty low down, and nothing, NOTHING, can make it look pretty. So, I'm waiting for that to grow back and my hands to feel moisture again.

My feet? Well, who knows if I'll ever let those guys see the light of day anymore. Just kidding. I'm working on it.

20120916

I am grateful for Jesus and Christianity. That, unto itself, deserves a whole other post, a whole other blog, on a whole other internet, in a whole other world.

WyGuy was baptised today. It was a beautiful ceremony, following Sunday morning mass. The actual baptism itself went well -- WyGuy was asleep until he jerked at the feeling of the water on his head and some of the water went up his nose and he yelped. Oopsies. He was fine though, and just has some pretty holy nasal cavities. 

I am also very very grateful for understanding friends. It's just always nice to have friends who understand. You don't really owe them any explanation, but you give one anyway, and they understand and tell you there was no explanation needed. I love that.

Memories - first day of school

Not many people can remember their very first day of school. My memories of that day are quite vague, but I do vividly remember my very first day of high school. I'm not counting the first day, which is one hour and you sit in your homeroom and then take off. I'm talking about the first day of high school, first day of classes, first day of navigating the hallways to find your classes, first day of pushing through crowds to get to your class in time (if you went to my high school, which was originally built to be a public middle school, you know that this was a scary experience unto itself), first day of all the older kids eyeing you with the looks they reserve solely for the Minor Niners. It was scary. I didn't want to go to school that morning. I was scared I'd get out of the car and puke all over the parking lot. 

I remember stuffing all my morning books into my bag for fear that stopping by my locker between classes was going to make me late. And being late was asking for more trouble. So, my bag was extra heavy that first day. 

That first day was also the first time I was recognized as the fifth child who went to that school with my last name. Yes, I was another one, the last girl, and I'm bright too, so you better give me good marks and let me get away with anything I want. But, at the time, I didn't know that was how it was gonna go. 

My goddaughter is having her first real day of high school today. I'm sure she's fine, but I was thinking of her this morning as I was feeling nauseous from being sick with the onset of what feels like a really bad cough and cold. I hope she was feeling braver than I was!

Being random at 12:19am

I'm up and usually at this time, I'm too sleepy to function. But I'm not sleepy. I've done 4 loads of laundry, folded 2 of them, 1 load is in the dryer and hung the rest to dry. I feel productive, only, not, because my To Do List is never ending.

Also, since it's late, I'm in bed and blogging and having random thoughts. The light from my phone doesn't seem to be disturbing my sleeping boys, which is nice.

We all sleep in the same queen-sized bed. I always wish we bought a king and that I knew that then when we bought our bed frame and headboard. i don't know why I didn't realize a family bed should be big. We sleep horizontally on the bed. D. Me. W. J. I love sleeping every night with the most dear to me. I also miss sleeping in the right direction and with just my husband. We talk about doing that again almost the same way we talk about winning the lottery. Like it'd be nice if it happened but maybe it never will.

I hate it when D cries in his sleep and sounds like he's having a bad dream. It's like a silent cry, one that two year olds shouldn't know how to do. I enjoy hearing him talk in his sleep. And in the morning, one of my favourite things is hearing what the very first thing is that he's going to say. It's usually really funny. Sometimes he wakes up and still thinks he's dreaming and what he says has no relation to anything in reality whatsoever.

I wish he didn't get morning breath. You know that scene in Toy Story 2 when Woody is trying to get his arm from Big Al's pocket while he's sleeping and Big Al's stomach gurgles and then he has an airy burp or something? D does that and often it's in my face. He also yawns in his sleep, which confuses me because if yawns usually mean you're sleepy why are you yawning if you're already sleeping? Anyway, I know yawning has to do with CO2 and stuff blah blah blah.

W has wonderful breath. I wish he had more airy burps. He sleeps like a starfish. Like a champ who just won something. In any case, a bed-hog like his father. Lucky for me, he can't roll from his back yet. I should teach him to roll towards his father.

Speaking of, he's awake now. He's very appreciative that I didn't successfully wake him up to fold laundry with me.

And now we're doing my favourite thing--talking before going to bed, so I need to sign off. He's doing his Michael Buble rendition of Rihanna's part of Drake's Take Care. Gotta go.

I've been busy

Hi there. Long time no write. Where have I been? What was the last entry I posted and what was the last post I wrote? I haven't just been on Pinterest all this time. I promise. Things have been, well, busy. It's summer. That, and life has been happening.

There have been a lot of changes and with that come a lot of things to do, to think about, to decide. What I can tell you right now is that I haven't been doing nothing. At the end of the day, the time I had been reserving for updating my blog, I have found myself very tired from full days, even if some of them felt like replays of days past.

Although the easy thing to do would be to just start where we are now, I think it's important for me to still go back and try to recap everything I've been grateful for for each day this summer. There is just so much. Please be patient with me. I'll be back soon. Promise.

Being grateful - 20120717

I am grateful for co-parenting.

There are many, many, many reasons I am grateful I am married to and am a co-parent with Mr.S. Today, we really needed each other when disciplining D-nut.

D-nut is the King of not finishing his food if he wants something else to eat. We'll be eating and he'll decide midway through the meal that he wants to eat something else (usually junk food, sometimes fruit though!) and will not eat what he's supposed to be eating. So, we tell him that he can have that other thing, but only if he finishes his actual meal first.

Tonight, he was eating pizza for dinner. He had one small piece left and decided he didn't want to eat it. He wanted to eat Smartfood. So, we told him to finish the last piece and he could have some. The boy cried and cried. He wanted Poppa to finish his last piece. So we told him if Poppa eats the last piece, Poppa eats his popcorn too. He cried and cried.

D-nut is also the King of attempted distraction. In such situations, he tries to bring up something else in an attempt to get us to forget what we just said. It never works. Maybe he got this from us -- he's easily distracted, like most kids, so we use distraction when we need him to forget about something.

So, what did he do while crying? "GASP! Where's the broccoli? I can't see the broccoli!!!!" His hand on his forehead, like he was looking for the treelike vegetable in the far-off distance on a sunny day...only his palm was facing upward.

We did not have broccoli AT ALL for dinner. I have no idea where this was coming from.

Mr.S tried to get him to stop it, but then started laughing. And then I jumped in to try to get him to stop it (and also corrected his hand - palm down) and told him if he wanted broccoli, we could find him some...and then I started laughing. Both of us had to put our heads down on the table and hide our laughing. It was horrible. He tried this again a few minutes later, looking for green grapes. We did not have green grapes either. And this time, we didn't laugh, since we got our giggles out already.

Being grateful - 20120711

I am grateful for funny sleeping moments...

Like this one.

Excuse my hiatus...

I've been on Pinterest for a month.

Seriously.

But not seriously, I've been up to other things too, like parenting an evergrowing infant, putting together birth announcements, finally putting together albums for our wedding and honeymoon and family yearbooks, dealing with a broken computer now being repaired, toilet training, etc., etc.

I am, however, catching up on my Grateful posts and drafting my 30s posts and whatever other posts I've been meaning to write but never got to. I'll be back, I promise!!

Being grateful - 20120610

I am grateful for forgiveness.

Sometimes you meet ignorant and silly people, and sometimes those people aren't the nicest to you and do horrible things. It's a good thing that you can forgive these people and it's also a good thing if you can teach them a thing or two, in a nice way.

Being grateful - 20120609

I am grateful for gracious losers.

If you know any Filipinos, you know that Manny Pacquiao lost a fight today. I didn't watch it, but apparently he didn't actually lose it. He only lost it because they said he did, but his fighting didn't say so. Way to represent, Ninong!

Being grateful - 20120608

I am grateful for naps on long drives.

We headed up to Blue Mountain for a nice getaway with my side of the family, and we were nervous about the drive up...but the boys slept pretty much the whole way, giving Mr.S and I some time to just talk and stuff, like old times on long drives. :)

Being grateful - 20120607

I am grateful for apple pie a la mode. Regardless of the quality of pie or quality of a la mode. Delicious.

Being grateful - 20120606

I am grateful for survival.

The boys each had shots today. And Mr.S was volunteering so I was tackling this on my own. Heaven help me. And Heaven did!

Being grateful - 20120605

I am grateful for Pinterest.

Okay, back to pinning.

I've decided to finally join Pinterest

The thing that scares me most is not how much I'll be glued to it (although that is a scary thing too!) but how much more work this means for me...because I'm going to want to do every.single.thing I pin.

Now to wait for my invitation.

Being grateful - 20120603

I am grateful for unusual sales.

I like going to sales where you find stuff you wouldn't usually find elsewhere. Like garage sales. Or antique sales. Or hotel sales.

Hotel sales? Yes, they sell hotels there. No they don't. I'm talking about the sale we went to today where they sold items from a closed hotel. My sister lives in the area and told us about it and she had me at "big baking sheets".

We went today and I scored a few of them as well as some heavy duty baking tools. All under $20. Nice.

Too bad I couldn't buy one of the pianos. Or a chandelier.

Being grateful - 20120602

I am grateful for fake glasses. D loves them. I did too.

Being grateful - 20120601

I am grateful for dim sum and umbrellas. With some siblings off work today, the boys and i met up with many, many members of my family for dim sum. We do dim sum well, I think. Our Chinese ancestors would be proud.

Anyway, it was pouring out. As I drove to the restaurant my mind raced all over, worrying about how I was gonna rush the boys in in the heavy rain. As I parked, I remembered how silly worrying was as my brothers ran over to rescue us with umbrellas and muscles in tow.

And we returned the favour, helping my sister and her family in the rain after dim sum. That's just what families do.

Being grateful - 20120531

I am grateful for Unblock Me.

I'm addicted, as you can see from my 200th game. I just got this (nerdy) app too. It also helps me pass the time during feedings.

Being grateful - 20120530

I am grateful for Krazy Glue.

It fixed this:

Being grateful - 20120529

I am grateful for Sarah Richardson.

Her new season of Sarah 101 started today, and they're airing two episodes every week. And I'm on mat leave. Awesome. While I can't say I agree with her decisions and design choices 100% of the time, I do like her style and find Tommy Smythe highly entertaining. If her choices aren't exactly top notch in my book, I find that the end snippet after the closing credits with Tommy makes up for it.

Being grateful - 20120528

I am grateful for organized mess.

D-nut plays in a fashion I've never seen before. He likes to group and align his toys. He does it with his food too. It's kind of awesome. And easy to clean up.

There's a reason why I'm picky about what I use in the kitchen

The eco-safe kitchen

Another sweet sweet proposal

Check this out:

Being grateful - 20120527

I am grateful for birthday celebrations with friends.

I finally celebrated my 30th birthday with friends today. It was nice to have so many there together and celebrate, well, me. Hahahahahaah! No really, it was nice to be able to do that with the people I've been closest to since I was in my teens. Here's what I wrote to them after we got home.


Hi everyone!

Thank you all so much for coming out tonight for dinner. And those who weren’t able to make it, thank you for thinking of me! [Mr.S], thanks for bringing everyone together!!

I know it’s been three weeks since my birthday, during which time many of you celebrated your own birthdays, but thank you all for your wishes over that time and today. Thank you for coming out on a Sunday night when many of you have to get up early tomorrow morning for work. Thank you for coming out to a family restaurant, to celebrate my thirtieth birthday, instead of a hip joint downtown with drinks and gourmet cuisine, and so, showing that you understand and embrace that my lifestyle is quite different from most thirty-year-olds (i.e. you guys)! I’ve been meaning to tell you guys this for a long time, but I’m so grateful that, despite how busy our lives have been and how much they’ve changed over the past few years with becoming parents to one and then two boys, our friendships with you all have never changed, never wavered, and that the only real difference has been that we just haven’t seen each other as often. You’re all such amazing aunts and uncles to our boys, and the love and care you extend to our kids makes us so happy.

That said, thank you most of all for being the most amazing friends anyone could ask for. We turned out alright, didn’t we? I’m so happy I got to celebrate turning thirty with my best friends, people I’ve grown up with, people I’ve grown to love and cherish, people who have been constants in my life for as long as I’ve known them. I am so, so blessed to have you all in my life. I love you all so much! Onward to FORTY! ;)

xo,
Treeh

Here are some pics from the night. We didn't manage to get everyone in, but I think most of us are here!

This is what our family looks like at 30.

Being grateful - 20120526

I am grateful for Asian grocery stores.

Don't you love how you can find foods there that can't be found elsewhere? And don't you love how some of them are delicious and some of them are, well, kinda, weird? And don't you love that some smell good and some just stink? I have yet to full on smell a durian. And taste one too. I also love how organized and neat some of them are.

I am also grateful for seasonal haircuts.

D-nut got what-will-be-his-annual head shave today. (I make him sound like he's a sheep who got sheared. Oops.) He looks so cute. And even more like his Poppa.

Being grateful - 20120525

I am grateful for hanging out.

We hung out with Brother today. It was nice. I feel like every time we hang out at his place, I'm baking, and usually to fill an order, but today we just hung out. It was nice. We ate at one of our fave Filipino diners and then headed over to his place, which is just up the street.

Being grateful - 20120524

I am grateful for friendly waitresses.

We ate at Montana's tonight. We haven't been there in aaaaaaaaaaaaages. As in, before we had kids. Wow, that feels like forevers ago. We introduced D-nut to the Despicable Me 2 trailer and he's been singing his own version of the song ever since, several times a day, and very loudly. He did not shy away from doing it at dinner tonight. It was nice that everyone around us at the restaurant found it endearing and complimented him on his nice voice (strange that that song brings out a good voice?)

Our waitress, in particular, was awesome. Some wait staff aren't very good with kids, and it's a shame. She wasn't like that at all. In fact, of all the good wait staff we've had with D around, she was the best. She was really amused by him and encouraged him every time she passed us. D really liked her too and kept trying to get her attention when she was nearby and would even talk to her after she had walked away. We gave her a good tip.

Being grateful - 20120523

I am grateful for big brothers.

D is already a really good big brother. Yes, he does have jealous moments and moments when he craves attention, but not nearly as much as we thought he'd have. He loves kissing his little brother and is enjoying watching him grow, right along with us. You can see him starting to itch for a buddy, someone to play with him, but he's being very patient and very gentle. It's so sweet.

Being grateful - 20120522

I am grateful for my Toms.

They are probably the most comfortable shoes I own (and hopefully the most comfortable shoes a child in Africa owns too!). They were packed away. Sad face.

Until today! Happy face!

With the changing weather and my body adjusting to not being pregnant (is this ever gonna stop? Haha!), I have been digging into bins of packed clothing, searching for suitable clothes for this weather, for clothes that fit me for now, and well, it's been difficult to not dig into the shoe box. No, really, it has been difficult. I don't know where my big box of shoes is. The only shoes I've had out are the ones my swollen pregnant feet could fit into, i.e. the function over form ones, and winter shoes. It's Spring.

So, since I need my runners (YAY!), I asked Mr.S if he could do some digging for me and get them out. And while there, he pulled out my Toms. Yipee!!!!!

Being grateful - 20120521

I am grateful for Queen Victoria.

D-nut doesn't like Queen Victoria. He watched "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" with Mr.S and some of his cousins and Tita, and is forever scared of/turned-off by Queen Victoria. He often talks about how the scary queen hit the pirates. I didn't watch that movie, so I have no idea if she really did, nor am I scared of her.

Anyway, I am grateful for her and Victoria Day, and her 60 year reign. Let's love her -- we have a day off because of her. Or well, most of us do (Mr.S doesn't, boo!).

Being grateful - 20120520

I am grateful for fireworks.

We introduced D-nut to Sparklers today, in the spirit of Victoria Day. And, just as expected, he was SOOOOO excited! We lit a few and put them in the ground and he loved it. We also saw some fireworks up in the sky and he liked those too. WyGuy slept inside the whole time. So excited to have the two boys up and about and do this for both of them some day soon. :)

Being grateful - 20120519

I am grateful for restaurant locator apps.

Being relatively new to the world of smartphones, I'm still marveling at how easy it is to find things these days. We truly are in the information age. Anyway, we were out today and I was craving Japanese food, only we didn't know where to find a place in the area we were in that wasn't all-you-can-eat (it's also marvelous at how there are so many places where you can get way too much food). And so, we used one of those apps and found a Japanese place that was good, inexpensive, and not AYCE. Amazing.

Being grateful - 20120518

I am grateful for stay-at-home days.

Let's face it. While it's nice to go out, it's also nice to spend an entire day at home doing nothing. Isn't it? Especially after a busy week. And, instead of going out, a couple of our friends came over to meet W. It was so nice to spend some time with them since we hadn't seen each other in months, since our friend's wedding in October. It was too bad we didn't get to see their misters too.

Being grateful - 20120517

I am grateful for good reviews and schedules.

We had some bffs over tonight for fun. I made dinner and dessert and also did some baking for Mr.S' work potluck. It wad hectic but I stuck to my schedule and felt awesome after it all.

And even better, I finally unleashed my White Chocolate Brownie to my girlfriends, who are the biggest fans of the Moxies version and they deemed it BETTER!! Amazing amazing amazing. (i would have had a pic but we ate them before I remembered.)

My Schedule for the day. Crazy, but I did it!

Key Lime Cheesecupcakes. Some for us, some for the potluck!

Being grateful - 20120516

I am grateful for good news from my doctor.

I had my first appointment after delivering today. It was good. First, I'm okay to go for running again. Second, I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Pre-pregnancy body is another story, which also makes the green light to run a good thing.

Bring grateful - 20120515

I am grateful for the ability to make cookies.

I am told that baking and/or cooking don't come naturally to some people. I like to think I'm not one of them and hope that years of watching and helping my moms, sisters, aunts, dad, Yan, Pasquale, and all those people on the Food Network and food blogs taught me something.

My favourite things to make ever are cookies. I love cookies myself, so I guess maybe it's somewhat selfish (I'm not much of a cake person) but they're so easy, so simple, and so delicious.

D-nut is a cookie monster. You should see him eat a cookie. He savours every bite and sometimes closes his eyes when he bites and chews. I often wish i could bake cookies just to watch him eat them.

And I did just that. Or well, for him and me and Mr.S. And then Mr.S asked me to make some for his work potluck in addition to the cupcakes I was planning to make. I guess I make good cookies. Watch out, Mr. Christie.

Being grateful - 20120514

I am grateful for strollers and nice walks.

I took the boys for a walk today to the store instead of driving. It was so nice. What would have been a five minute drive each way was a twenty to thirty minute walk. It was exercise too, of course, pushing around 30+ pounds plus the cargo back. D like being out and looking at the houses and lawns and birds and people and W, well, he slept the whole time. Must do this more often.

And I thought I'd already seen crazy strollers...

Being grateful - 20120513

I am grateful for beautiful days on beautiful days.

Happy Mother's Day, Mothers! I love Mother's Day. I think it's partially because I love being a mother, and partially because I like having a day a week or so after my birthday where I get more presents. Just kidding about that last part.

Wasn't it such a nice day out today, for you Torontonians/GTAers? It was a beauty.

I got to do things like this...

It was so cute. We woke up D and told him he could have some popcorn, and after, blow some bubbles. There was so much open area around for him to chase after the bubbles. He was so excited, and even made some friends with people sitting around or people walking their dogs.

Pinch little guys like this...

Argh, isn't he so scrumptious?!?!? Sometimes I find myself pinching his cheeks so hard, he ends up with marks on his face. I know, bad momma, bad momma, but I can't help myself.

 And eat cold, sweet things like this...

....from a sweet thang like this! Hahahaha!

I hope your Mother's Day was a beautiful one!

Being grateful - 20120512

I am grateful for patience and Creative Bag.

One of the things I'm learning as a mother is what true patience really is. There was this one episode of The Simpsons (Oh goodness, I hate that show) where Marge Simpson was telling Lisa (I think it was Lisa?) that when she becomes a mother, she learns to hold in her feelings. I remember hearing that and thinking, "Oh no, what's gonna happen to me?" Well, I learned that very well today.

We were at my nephew's First Communion, at church, and well, D-nut's nap for today took place in the car ride to church. We live maybe, 15-20 minutes away from the church. You do the math. He woke up and saw so many familiar faces, he started to get hyper. Add to that lack of sleep and a desire to snack. He was making a fuss about having milk and we left his sippy cup in the car (don't worry, the cup is insulated as is the bag). He stopped, looked at me with this look I had never seen and yelled, "MILK!!!!" in the middle of the mass. I think any colour I had in my face sank away at that moment. I had it. I looked at Mr.S who had a facial expression I probably had on my face as well and said, "Outside." With that, he swooped D-nut into his arms and brought him to the hallway just outside, where D-nut continued his demands for milk. (Mr.S ended up going to the car to get his sippy cup because of all the fuss he was making, disturbing other parishioners and guests. I also want to add that I couldn't take him outside because I needed to stay with W.)

Oh man, patience is definitely a good thing to have, and to have a LOT of when you're a parent. Oh man.

-o-

Anyway, my nephew/sister prepared some pretty cool goodie bags for all their guests today. Double butter popcorn in resealable bags with a window to see what's inside. You can even seal the top and use the tear notch. Awesome.

Being grateful - 20120511

I am grateful for the spread of good things.

One of my favourite bloggers, nienie (Stephanie Nielson of The Nienie Dialogues) just released her book, "Heaven is Here" (review/feelings to be posted soon!) and was on Anderson today. She was actually on several shows this week, taking New York by storm, and I was able to catch one. I was a superstar and put both boys to sleep in time to catch the show and to have complete silence during her segment. The show was on Moms and she was featured as a mother who overcame all odds in a deadly plane crash burning 80% of her body and coming back as an even better wife and mother than before. It's so nice to be a follower of a blogger who leads such an amazing life and is a wonderful example of how we should live ours, and to see that the media wants to spread her amazing story.

Being grateful - 20120510

I am grateful for conversations with D-nut.

Despite the Terrible Two+New Older Brother thing D-nut has going on at times, D is at a really funny age. He makes me laugh so hard sometimes. They say the Twos are Terrible because they're just starting to understand how things work but don't quite have it down yet. It's nice to see him understanding a little bit more every day. We have some pretty funny conversations sometimes, and when you think about it, it's nice to be able to have a conversation, period. You take things like that for granted, and well, conversing with someone who's just learning to converse is quite entertaining. Also, it's quite nice to talk to someone whom you've been talking to all his life, and finally have him understand you. The exchange is quite an amazing thing. I know conversations with him are going to get more and more ordinary as he gets older, so I'm doing my best to remember how fun our conversations are now, while he's still young and learning how things work.

Being grateful - 20120509

I am grateful for funny dinner conversation.

Tonight we met up for dinner with Mr.S' cousins. It had been a while since we had been together, and we thought it was high time we do something about it. So we did, and got together for Chinese food. And as is often the case, we came up with ideas for further plans for getting together as well as did some catching up. It was fun, it was funny.

Being grateful - 20120508

I am grateful for Maurice Sendak.

Where The Wild Things Are. We all know him best for that work of art that tells of the greatest time-out ever. Thank you for a wonderful story that tells it like it is, and for letting Max have dinner before sleeping, after all. Thank you for giving us a theme for our Wild Thing's birthday and bedroom. Thank you for wonderful stories and illustrations. Thank you.

Being grateful - 20120507

I am grateful for white chocolate brownies and girl talk.

I got together with two of my best(girl)friends tonight as a sort of happy birthday to me/catch up thing. We haven't had girl time in a while, with us getting together bringing our significant others (and in our case, the kids), so this was much overdue. It was so nice to get to talk about our lives, what's going on, and also the realization of how our friendship has matured over the past 15+ years.

Add to that Moxie's White Chocolate Brownie, the reason we end up there when we end up there. It was a wonderful treat from them. I love them so much.

Being grateful - 20120506

I am grateful for fam jams.

Today was one of those good days where you spend time with family, but not just one set. We had a much needed fam jam with my mom's side of the family today as our relatives from Jacksonville were in town. It's been a while since we were last all together, so it was so nice to be in each other's presence again. Good times.

Afterwards, we had a fam jam with my husband's side for the May birthdays we have plenty of. It was lots of laughs, lots of talking, lots of food -- you know, fam jam stuff.

It was a very full day, in every sense of the word.

Being grateful - 20120505

I am grateful for my twenties.

My twenties were really good to me. A lot happened in my twenties. I accomplished a lot, all of which I'm proud of. I actively set out goals for almost every year of my twenties and I was able to meet almost all of them, which makes me really proud. I'm not sure I'm going to do the same for my thirties -- we'll see. As I've gotten older, I've found that having several goals/projects, small and large, is just as fulfilling as having one really big one. I plan to write a series of posts with thoughts and insights on various important aspects of my life as I've gone through them in my twenties. It'll be nice to look back on those posts in another ten years and see what more I've learned.

To my dear Twenties,

Thank you for getting me to my thirties. It has been a wonderful ride. Thank you for getting me through university, as much as I had no idea what I was doing and what I was doing it for, and for ultimately getting me through to my degree. Thank you for years of adventurous dating with my now-husband. Thank you for seeing me through my courage and confidence to move out on my own, despite how tight my parents wanted to hold on to me. Thank you for accompanying me to my first job and the jobs that followed. Thank you for bringing me to several fundraisers for various causes close to my heart, and for being there when I grew and then chopped off a foot of my hair and later found out the shape of my head is pretty nice when I shaved my hair off for the cure. Thank you for witnessing one of the most romantic times of my life -- being engaged to my then-fiance-now-husband and then all the wedding plans. Thank you for sharing that special day when we got married, changing my life forever and fulfilling one of my lifelong dreams -- becoming a wife to an amazing man. Thank you for not laughing at me as I trained for my first marathon, a half marathon and countless other races and showing me that youth isn't confined to age, but to ability and outlook on life. Thank you for being there when I was pregnant with and the birth of our firstborn, who is constantly rewarding and challenging me, while enriching every moment of my life. Thank you for coming with me on travels to foreign places, places I've never been before, near and far. Thank you for being there when I was pregnant with and the birth of our secondborn, who is growing bigger and more and more quickly every day, and continues to teach us something new about life and so many other important things, even though it's only been a bit over a month. Thank you for sticking around through all the lessons, all the experiences, everything. You've been so good to me and now we say goodbye. You were an amazing set of years, and now I move on to my thirties, which will, no doubt, be at least as good to me as you've been.

Love,
Treeh

Being grateful - 20120504

I am grateful for clean cars.

As an early birthday gift to myself, I cleaned the interior of our car. I decided to do this before yesterday's fiasco, by the way.

After dinner, after Mr.S was home already, I backed the car out of the driveway and cleaned it. No more crumbs. No more dirt. No more dust. No more stray wrappers. No more receipts. No more clutter. All clean. All tidy.

Now to tackle the outside one of these days when rain isn't in the forecast every day...

How awesome is this?

The Singer 60th Anniversary Sewing Machine.

Being grateful - 20120503

I am grateful for disassembly of child products.

D-nut threw up in the car today. He was having one of his terrible two fits (ugh!!!) and was crying/screaming to the point where he was gagging and BLINK! He had vomit all over himself and his car seat.

NOT COOL.

Luckily we were on our way home (and if we weren't, we would be on our way home) and the extra clothes we always have on hand were quite handy.

We got home and I bathed him right away, while Mr.S took his car seat out of the car and cleaned up whatever mess might have lurked there (luckily very very little).

After cleaning up D, I tackled the car seat. All the pieces that needed to be washed came off, and I washed all the nastiness off. Ick.

Being grateful - 20120502

I am grateful for good shopping finds, child-to-child interaction and baby growth spurts.

Don't you love it when you think of something you want and you don't really know if you'll find it because you just thought of it and then you go out and find EXACTLY the thing you thought of? I do! I've been forced to look at my wardrobe and evaluate which pieces I like best, which are most practical, and which work with my current body (my "pouch" has mostly disappeared but left this flabby little thing and I'm not a fan of it), which fit in the space I have to store my clothes, which make sense...etc. In doing so, I've found that I don't have many bright/coloured pieces. So, I decided I'd like to add some colour. And I thought I'd look for a yellow cardigan. I saw a few, but didn't like the fabric, or the cut, or the make and then I found one at Marshall's. It was on clearance and it was a really good brand that makes really good quality clothes and it was perfect. Love that.

Today was also the boys' doctor appointment. It was an adventure. The most interesting things for either boy?

D pretended he didn't know who Toopy was from Toopy and Binoo. Why? Because there was another little girl in the waiting room whose favourite TV show was also Toopy and Binoo. I was watching him interact with her and they both heard the theme song and looked straight at the TV. And then I heard this come out of his mouth, "Who's that one?" WHATEVER, DUDE. You know exactly who that is. Ugh, why's he such a ladies man?

W had clearly gained weight in the eyes of his doctor. She guesstimated his weight and was off by nearly 2 lbs. The boy had a growth spurt and in a span of 2 weeks, he gained almost 3 lbs. You could also say that since birth, he's already gained 50% of his weight. Crazy. And well, I should know -- he's been eating every 1.5 hours!!!

Being grateful - 20120501

I am grateful for Mindy Gledhill and what we call Tag Team dinners.

Mindy Gledhill is just awesome. Download her music on iTunes. You won't regret it.

Mr.S and I sometimes like to cook together. We would both say our best "Tag Team dish" is our lasagna. Mr.S makes his sauce (it's really good...like really, really good...I dare say that I like it better than our friend's mom's sauce...and we all go crazy for our friend's mom's sauce) and I use my lasagna recipe with many kinds of cheeses. It's a very saucy and cheesy lasagna, and very flavourful, if I do say so myself. Yum yum yum.

Being grateful - 20120430

I am grateful for small, but important milestones and Froot Loops.

Our little W is 1 month old today. He has grown so much and already, his newborn features are starting to become more distinct and he's filling out. And, he's also got his baby acne coming in, which makes me excited for when his skin becomes super soft right after. Ahhhh....

Also, we bought a box of Froot Loops. I'm trying to get out my sugar craze and the only time I can have some is after D-nut is asleep. Otherwise, he asks for "Green Cheerios". I forgot how good Froot Loops are.

Being grateful - 20120429

I am grateful for moments that remind you how amazing you have it.

Being grateful - 20120428

I am grateful for coffee.

I'm not a big coffee drinker. I only drink decaf. I once had a medium double double one morning in university and I was so wired, I almost pulled an all-nighter studying for an exam just because I couldn't sleep. Also, my stomach was not happy. My first and only caffeinated latte (Mr.S ordered decaf but I'm pretty sure it wasn't decaf) gave me the worst gas of my life. And keep in mind I've been pregnant twice (if you don't know, you get pretty gassy sometimes when you're pregnant). Mr.S is never going to get a coffee/latte/whatever for me without double and triple checking it's decaf ever again.

But today felt like a coffee day. Do you ever have days like that? You just feel like having some coffee just for having some coffee?

I had a large...which is their old extra large. BIG.

Make your Toms different

I just found out about this guy's idea. It's so cool. Now, if I can just find my Toms somewhere...

Being grateful - 20120427

I am grateful for Thomas the Tank Engine.

We have this DVD of Thomas the Tank Engine. 15 episodes back-to-back or something like that. D-nut recently rediscovered it and loves watching it...which makes my life a little easier when I have a ton of stuff to do. I know, TV, the babysitter = not good parenting. But seriously, sometimes you need TV or some sort of distraction just to give you enough time to get some stuff done, and when playing with toys, reading books and all that other good stuff isn't working, sometimes you desperately need TV. Ugh, I sound horrible.

BTW, does anyone else think Gordon is scary?

Being grateful - 20120426

I am grateful for breaks.

Mr.S and D-nut had a date tonight to spend time together and to give me a break. It was nice to be able to watch just one child, something I haven't done for weeks. I had no idea how easy it was to have one child versus having two.

And you know, when they came home, I felt more appreciative of them in my life, and D was so excited to see me. I love that.

Being grateful - 20120425

I am grateful for little hands learning to do things and random run-ins.

I was watching D-nut's hands today as he fed himself. It's amazing how much he has learned and you only remember how far he's come when you realize how little he used to be able to do. Gotta love the human body and mind. I love watching his little hands do things. And I love watching him think. He's so bright, that one.

Later we went to pick up Mr.S and ran into one of my bffs who was running errands before her vacation. We then ran into our other bff and her love and just like that, like old times, we were hanging out at the mall.

Being grateful - 20120424

I am grateful for quick getaways.

Today was one of those Momster days. D-nut was having a terrible two day and I needed a break. So after Mr.S got home, after dinner, I escaped to the grocery store for diapers.

Grocery stores are so peaceful after the after-work rush is done. The bigs stores especially. It was a quick trip but much need and very enjoyable.

I'm not saying a need an escape from my life but sometimes you need a step outside of your day, some time alone to spend with yourself, to regroup and go back to be a better you. Mothers know what I'm talking about, right?

OMPFC

It's finally coming to Canada.

Holy, double pan-fried noodles, Batman.

P.F. Chang's Coming to the Shops at Don Mills

(Thanks, SAM, for sharing! I'm so happy...and so is Mr.S!)

Being grateful - 20120423

I am grateful for naptime.

What mother, at home with her kids, isn't? Today's naptime came at something like 6PM. Dinner time. I knew though that if I had kept the big one awake to eat, he wouldn't have eaten and likely would have had a meltdown...and then I would have one too. So 6PM naptime was fine with me.

Being grateful - 20120422

I am grateful for social activism and Apple.

So Cover The Night was two days ago and for the past two days, I've been seeing Kony 2012 paraphernalia up in various parts of the city. There wasn't too much to see considering I live in the burbs, but it was nice to see posters up at main intersections and main roads. On Friday, someone even stopped me to ask me about my shirt and it turned out she was actually planning to do some covering of the night herself.

Also, today was a fun day. Even though our initial plans didn't plan out, we decided to do something fun today, something outside to celebrate Earth Day (Happy Earth Day) and decided to become connected. After much research, rationalizing and number crunching over the past few weeks, Mr.S and I finally decided to join most of the world and get smartphones. We are now proud iPhone owners (I know, I know, iPhones aren't really considered to be in the smartphone category) and since then, our marriage has gotten quiet. Too quiet. But we do facetime sometimes. Just kidding. But really, we now understand why we go places and kids are on their phones during dinner or people are on their phones when out with their friends. We're not saying we'll do that nor that it's okay, we just get it now. They're hard to put down.

Being grateful - 20120421

I am grateful for face painters.

We were at my cousin's daughter's 3rd birthday party today. It was fun! They had an awesome clown come in who did amazing balloon creatures, face painting and magic. She was really patient and really quick too.

Is it crazy of me to kinda wanna do this for fun on the side? I think I could be a good clown who does face painting...and wouldn't it be a crazy talent to be able to twist balloons into animals?

Ladybugs on my face!

D's Nemo -- he didn't want it, but she managed to get it on his cheek really quickly and pretty well done!

The birthday girl and her amazing Rapunzel.

Being grateful - 20120420

I am grateful for turn arounds.

Let me explain what this is first. You're having a bad day, and you purposefully and willfully turn it around into a good day. It's an active choice and decision and it's hard to do at first, but when you've done it enough times and have had good practice and results, it's easy to do.

I had a long To Do list today, where all the items were past due. For example, I went to apply for a new passport today. My last one expired...in OCTOBER. Anyway, I needed to apply, not renew, because I wanted to update my last name on it.

Because of all the things on my mind about all the things I had to do today, my mind was everywhere. That caused me to make trips back home while on the road because of things I forgot and also caused Brother, my guarantor on my application, to go back home to give me his passport number because I forgot to put it on the form...in NOVEMBER, even after asking him for it several times. I had just deleted the text he sent with that info from NOVEMBER because I thought I should clear out some space on my phone. Anyway, after many, many wrongs, I found myself crying twice in public, once where a man was doing that try-not-to-look-but-can't-help-it-because-he-feels-bad thing. Ugh.

Anyway, it turned around. Mr.S reminded me that I could do that. People were no longer walking through the handicapped doors and instead were pressing the button for me and W in stroller. Lines weren't too long. D was okay and having a fun time with my parents. There were no issues with my passport application. W's hearing was fine. Chatted with random strangers. I finally changed my address on my license.

I got things done today. It was nice.

Being grateful - 20120419

I am grateful for crepe makers.

I want one. The kind that comes with that tool that looks like a T and you woosh it around in a circular motion and have a perfectly circular crepe. I had one for dinner today at the mall and I think I enjoyed watching it being made more than eating it (it wasn't completely cooked and the batter was too sweet for my savoury crepe).

Look at how fun...

...this looks!!

Penis

Yes, I just called this post that.

Boys, by nature, are viewed to be the more curious sex at times...and well, D-nut has discovered his junk. Not just discovered it though, but is also exploring it. It's gotten to the point that he finds that putting his hand down his pants helps put himself to sleep. We're not sure what to do about this.

So, I was reading up about it and trying to remember what stuff I've read and heard about this topic, and found this.

So, if you're ever around my son, don't be surprised if he says "I like my penis". He's just learned it has a name.

(AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Help me.)

Being grateful - 20120418

I am grateful for Tylenol.

I had some funk going through my body today. It felt like the flu and a migraine met, hooked up and impregnated me with their child. Horrible. And sudden too. What sluts. Anyway, that's how it felt. It settled in yesterday night actually, and then in the middle of the night, I was freeeeezing and covered myself with layers and blankets and then woke up in the middle of the night sweaty but with chills. Don't you hate that feeling? We didn't have any Tylenol other than what the hospital gave me after I delivered so I popped some of those after realizing I couldn't "tough it out". Phew, thank goodness. I don't think I could have survived the day, especially with two little ones. I kept thinking about how I felt like I was living a Tylenol commercial today. Seriously.

Open letter (to W):

Dear W.,

Please wake up and eat soon. My right boob is starting to hurt.

Thanks,
Momma

Being grateful - 20120417

I am grateful for during the day shopping.

Particularly, Costco during the day. Mr.S had today off and since we needed to stock up on Vaseline for baby butts, we decided to go to Costco today. We actually planned to go this past weekend, but we pulled into the parking lot, saw the ZOO and drove out of the lot. So, since we were there today, we decided to go inside, walk around a bit and have some cheap lunch. The place was almost deserted. If I didn't have W in a stroller (D was in the cart -- our double stroller with D in the front has been killing my back. Must work that out.), I would have zoomed around the place like I was on that grocery shopping game show. What's it called again? SUPER MARKET SWEEP!!! Yeah, it was that empty. Too bad there weren't any samples going out today.

Being grateful - 20120416

I am grateful for Oprah.

She's actually in town, IN TOWN!! Her traveling Life Class show is here, in Toronto today. A few of my friends got tickets to go and had one for me to buy, but because it was so close to my due date, I declined. And then they asked me again this weekend and I still had to decline. Oh man, to see Oprah, in person...definitely one of the things I want to do while she and I am still alive. Maybe she'll come back to Toronto or I'll have the opportunity to meet her somewhere else. Anyway, I'm grateful for her. Just to know she's in our city, imparting her wisdom with others so that we can live better lives for ourselves. She's had so much to share and has given so many the opportunity to share as well. What a wonderful person.

Being grateful - 20120415

I am grateful for innovative ideas.

We were at Michael's today so I could get some ideas and possibly buy some supplies for W's birth announcements. I haven't found myself in Michael's for a long time (shame on me) and so I was really excited to go. I wanted to lose myself in there and anticipated having so many ideas, I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

It turned out though that I wasn't finding anything. I was hoping to find something from which I could stem the rest of the project, something that would create a string of ideas that I could tie into one very crafty, colourful piece. Didn't happen. I walked around like I was in a maze (what's with the layouts of the newer Michael's stores?!) and told myself I wouldn't buy anything - I didn't have the coupons anyway - and just remember what stuff I liked and go home and put together some ideas and then come back to make my purchases.

But then as I looked around, I started thinking about what I could do with this tool and that paper and ideas started flowing. I had to figure out the specifics, but I was coming up with something doable. Nope, it wouldn't be as close to D-nut's announcement as I had initially thought it could be, but it would be similar enough that after announcing all our children's births, we'd have a nice collection of birth announcements.

I'm excited to put them together. Now I just have to go back and buy more supplies...and wait for W's baby acne to come and go (it's just starting to come in).

Being grateful - 20120414

I am grateful for loving cousins and sugar.

W is a very loved cousin. He's the newest and the second baby brother on my side of the family. All his cousins seem to want to hold him, it's so cute. Today, at their cousin's 7th birthday party, so many of them took turns holding him on the couch, using the arm rest as their arm rest and support for his head, some along with a pillow. It's the cutest thing, how they look at his face moving and admire his tiny features that are still learning to make regular movements. My heart melts at how their love and admiration for this little one is so visible on their faces. It's so sweet.

And speaking of sweet, I love sugar. I almost forgot how much with how little I was ingesting while I was preggers. Okay, no wait, I cheated a few times, but I never went overboard or anything. It was all in moderation! Anyway, birthday parties mean birthday cake...and juice and sweet stuff and foooood. I did not skimp on anything. Food makes me so happy and I didn't realize it until recently. And juice? OMG, juice is delicious. Anyway, yes, my sweet tooth is back and I'm doing my best not to go crazy.

Being grateful - 20120413

I am grateful for shared guilty pleasures.

D-nut and I did something bad today. While waiting to meet up with Mr.S after work, we had some time to kill, so we opted for a snack. We went to McDonalds. We had ice cream and medium fries and shared it. I realize that what we snacked on was actually my decision, not his. I just craved something sweet and salty and hot and cold and that was exactly what I needed. And, I figured I'd introduce my little man to this cheap snack, and if he didn't like it, he'd enjoy the ice cream and fries separately.

So, we did it. And he liked it. At first he kinda poked the ice cream with his fry, and then he was swooping in like I was. I also taught him how to lick ice cream from a cone. And then he learned what a cone was. He kept saying he wanted to try the "cookie" and I kept telling him, "No, this is called a coooonnne." "A cooooonnnne, Momma?" "Yes, a coooonnne." "Mmmm...I try... ... ...Mmmmm! I like coooommme!" "No, cooooNNNNNNNNe!" "Yeah! I like cooooome!"

So really, this snack was not only a guilty pleasure, but a lesson in food. HA!

Being grateful - 20120412

I am grateful for awesome things.

1000 awesome things is winding down, but that doesn't mean that we're running out of awesome things. Mr.S has the Awesome Things calendar at work and sends me ones he likes. Today's is:

"Finally farting after the guests leave."

True, no?

Being grateful - 20120411

I am grateful for downtime.

Mr.S and I have been spending more quality time together after the boys are asleep. I've been finding myself eating (my stomach seems to still be on that diabetes diet, which requires a snack before bed), while he does other stuff, sometimes eating too. We did a lot of this last week too, and I guess this is just continuation of that. Also, because it's pretty late, we've been finding funny things to watch online. Sometimes the only time I have to check my email and read my blogs is late at night.

Here is one of those videos we found funny...
INJURED SOCCER PLAYER GETS BUTT TO THE FACE
(yes, you read that right.)

Being grateful - 20120410

I am grateful for easy days.

Day 2 - me and the boys. Today was much easier than yesterday. This week is kind of experimental. With it being the first few days of me being home with the boys, I'm trying to figure out what works and what doesn't and what the best methods are for juggling the needs of two very different boys of two different age groups, who are also in the process of adjusting.

Today was good. There wasn't much juggling involved since their needs seemed pretty much staggered, and well, D-nut put himself to sleep for a nap...which meant that I could also go to sleep for a nap without what has becoming a very daunting task of getting him to sleep.

I think there's hope for me.

Being grateful - 20120409

I am grateful for survival.

Today was the first day of me being home with the two kids without Mr.S. He went back to work today.

It was a LLLLLLLLONG day.

And at the "end" of it, we met up with Mr.S, who missed the boys and me ("the boys and me"!!!) so much, he asked us to meet up with him so he could see us ASAP.

Being grateful - 20120408

I am grateful for Easter and Diaper Derbies.

Alleluia! He is Risen!

Easter is one of my favourite holidays. Aside from the fact that it celebrates the main reason for our faith, it is a time for celebration with family. I love fam jams. We didn't get around to doing an actual egg hunt this year (sorry, kids), but it was still a fun gathering.

It was especially nice for our new family of four because our family gathering also welcomed our neWest into the family. My family threw a Diaper Derby for us with our Easter celebration. It was a very nice surprise and we're so grateful for all the diapers and wipes we received (God knows we'll need them!) along with all the gifts that came along with those necessities.

Being grateful - 20120407

I am grateful for nursing stations.

Modernization of malls these days means more places to nurse your baby. I probably wrote about this when I was a new mom, but yeah, they're awesome. They're always nice, quiet places to nurse your baby. The good ones even have places to entertain your older children or even have a TV for you, usually on CP24 or something like that, so you're not entirely out of touch with the world.

Being grateful - 20120406

I am grateful for sacrifices and the park.

Today is Good Friday, the day we remember Christ's sacrifice for our sins. It is one of the most important days of our faith, as Christians, and we remember this sacrifice every time we pray. I am so grateful for our Saviour and for all that he has brought to us and done for us.

After Good Friday mass, Mr.S thought it would be nice to go for a walk in the park. It was a nice sunny day and so we picked up some coffee (darn, Roll Up the Rim cups were done at the location we went to -- I didn't win anything this time around!) and cookies and went for a nice stroll at the park. With how busy we've been trying to adjust to the juggling that is being new to having two kids, we haven't had much down time to just talk and so Mr.S and I found ourselves walking towards a bench to sit and talk while D munched contentedly on a cookie and W slept soundly and snugly. We were greeted by many fellow walkers and runners who were taking advantage of the day's beauty too. Today was great.

I shouldn't be buying those organic bananas

We're currently on a grocery shopping break. Living with my in-laws, we don't shop as much as we used to, and also, that means we're eating less organic food, something my stomach has taken some time to adjust to. As we look forward to going back to doing our own food shopping and making our own food purchases and choices, I've been reading up on how to save money while shopping for organic food. Why does it all have to be so much more expensive?

Anyway, I thought this was a good start.
The Benefits of Eating Organic

Being grateful - 20120405

I am grateful for understanding people.

We had a family outing today - we went to the mall to buy some birthday presents. We ended up eating dinner at the food court. D-nut was tired and moody. When Mr.S went to go move the car from a department store lot (where we'd get stuck if they closed the entrance) to a mall lot, D-nut freaked out. He's become quite clingy and has been suffering from some separation anxiety since W was born - more on his adjustment later. So, I was sitting there with a sleeping infant and a screaming toddler as people scrambled up and down the escalator to leave the mall that was closing in minutes. Some of them stared but most of them looked then looked away. It's like those people knew that this kid was tired but was going to be heading home soon. Thank God for them.

Being grateful - 20120404

I am grateful for clean bills of health.

Today W had his first visit with his pediatrician. It was a good one. It must be nice to be fresh and healthy.

Being grateful - 20120403

I am grateful for sitz baths.

Recovery post-delivery is a tricky process. Each woman has a different recovery process and feels different discomforts and pains. Mine's been okay. It hasn't been intolerable, but it hasn't been fun either. The best part of my day when I'm alone lately is my sitz bath. If you don't know what it is, look it up...I'm not explaining it here. Anyway, it has been helping the healing process, for which I'm truly thankful as well.

Being grateful - 20120402

I am grateful for sashimi.

We were discharged today. Yipee! And as is becoming a tradition, for lunch, we had Japanese. Included in our take-out lunch was sashimi just for me. Life is good.

I would like to introduce you to...

...the newest addition to our growing family:

Isn't he sweet?

We're still in the process of finding his "web name", but for now, we'll just stick with W.

More details (and a wonderfully long blog post, I'm sure) to come.

Being grateful - 20120401

I am grateful for empty semi-private rooms.

Even though we opted for a private room (yay for insurance that covers private rooms!), the Mother & Baby unit has been so busy, we got the last room available for the next while, which was a semi-private room. Darn. We were placed first on a waiting list for a private room but were told that there was next-to-no chance of being moved. Darn again.

Anyway, today, our neighbours were discharged and no one has been brought in. It's not that we don't like having neighbours; it's just nice to have a room to ourselves. So, it was a very quiet day with a few visitors (thanks to everyone who visited!!) and lots of room.

Being grateful - 20120331

I am grateful for second-borns.

Today, our second-born, W, was born. He arrived after 13 minutes of pushing, and around 12 hours of labour.  The entire experience of birthing this child was familiar but also unknown territory. I'll save much of this for my delivery post (whenever that gets written!), but it was a completely amazing experience. We were #17 of 17 births delivered that day (or actually that began yesterday), and our nurses were happy that we got this baby delivered 17 minutes before their shifts ended. We were also happy that we got the chance to introduce him to one of our nurses, who we got a chance to talk to about our love for running. We're hoping we'll get to see each other in one of this year's later races.

Our second-born has already taught us so much, more than he'll ever really understand. There is so much we've learned from him about life, faith, marriage and above all, love. There's so much he'll teach his big brother and so much he'll teach his younger sibling(s) too.

Today, the world is a better place because of people like our W, born today. The sun got a little bit brighter, colours got even more vivid, and life is sweeter.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, W.

Being grateful - 20120330

I am grateful for pain tolerance/experience and cheery nurses.

Today I am in labour. It's crazy. This is actually happening. I was scheduled for an induction today, but with  how busy it is in the Labour and Delivery unit, it looks like this baby isn't coming out today. Maybe like his brother, he'll be born in the wee hours of tomorrow. That's fine with us.

I've been sitting for the majority of the day and the pain I feel is mostly on my butt...from sitting for HOURS. Yes, I have contractions, but they're not so much painful as uncomfortable. Mr.S is liking that I'm cruising through them instead of getting frustrated with him to touch me or not touch me. Haha! I think because I know what to expect in terms of the pain, I'm okay. It's not at its worst, or at least not at the worst it was last time, so this is okay.

The nurse in the assessment area is amazing. She's one of those people who seems to be doing exactly what is her calling. Imagine being good at calming 10+ pregnant women in labour or about to be in labour or about to undergo a c-section. She gets a prize, seriously. And the unit is so busy, she's the only one in here.

See you tomorrow, when I'm officially a mother of two!

Being grateful - 20120329

I am grateful for networking, free food, and ultrasounds.

It was one of my last days of work before mat leave and I spent it in training today. I know, strange, but you know, it was okay. It was nice to spend it with many of the people I work with, some of whom I've been emailing all year and never met. It was a good networking opportunity, and I was asked to join a team of people (when I come back) who would work towards advancing our roles in the organization. I was flattered and agreed that I'd be a part of it next April, upon my return. Also, it helped that we got free food, something we don't get often in the public sector.

I had to leave training early, though, for an ultrasound. Baby S II is doing well and they even said that I could last until Monday. Like that's happening.

Update to come!

Being grateful - 20120328

I am grateful for burgers and babies and baked goods.

I met up with one of our BFFs today for lunch after my regular doctor appointment. We work in buildings pretty much right beside each other and haven't had lunch together in a while, so it was just time to meet up, and also we needed to have one more lunch before I went on mat leave. We went for burgers at Hero Burger and talked about all sorts of stuff, catching up on what we've been up to. When I went on mat leave last time, we also met up for burgers. It was just really nice to hang out and talk over lunch. And, of course, I didn't leave lunch without a big stain on my belly. Thanks, mustard.

I also baked some cheesecupcakes for my colleagues. With me going away for a year, I figured that it'd be nice to leave them with a treat, and also thank them for the shower they threw me. Also, a bunch of them have been asking me when I'd be making my cupcakes since the last time (they were slightly disappointed when, at our last pot luck, I brought in snowflake decorated sugar cookies -- impressed but disappointed they weren't my cupcakes. Also, I'm missing our next pot luck, which is on Monday). So I left some on our floor and the floor below us (we're spread out over two floors) and ended up being swarmed. I heard that the ones on the floor below were gone in 2 seconds after I sent out an email saying that they were there. I didn't even get to try one -- they were white chocolate brownie crusted cheesecake cupcakes with raspberry cream cheese frosting. Dang, that sounds good. Luckily, the dozen that I set aside for Mr.S to bring to work weren't all needed (he brought in just a few for his team), so we were able to try the rest at home. I mean this in the most modest way -- they were amazing.

Being grateful - 20120327

I am grateful for chicken wings and instant test results.

The last few weeks have been pretty hectic and tiring for us. Mr.S has been studying for an exam for one of the courses he's taking and it has required us to manage our time and energy differently, i.e. time and energy we don't have, or at least that I don't have. It's been quite challenging...until today.

The exam was this morning, and Mr.S did very well. The good thing about this exam was that his pass/fail result was given once he was done (PASS!), so there wasn't any anxiety or worry between the end of the exam and waiting for a mark.

We met up for lunch, wings, to celebrate his passing the exam, to celebrate going back to our usual time and energy assignments (i.e. me going back to passing out every opportunity I get because I'm so frickin' tired these days!), and to celebrate, er, WINGS!

Congrats, Mr.S! Until the next exam!

Being grateful - 20120326

I am grateful for work friends and baby showers.

I can't remember if I posted about this, but I found out that my work friends were planning a shower for me. As a member of the administrative staff in the organization, I have access to several people's calendars, all of whom were invited to the shower. And so, when they got the invitation, so did I. I pretended that I didn't get those notifications and deleted them when I saw them to minimize the amount of information I had about the "surprise". Later, my colleague who was planning it apologized for the spoiled surprise and we laughed about it, after I told her I was just going to pretend I didn't know. I was certainly not expecting anything, especially with this being my second child, so I told her and my team that I was totally flattered and touched that they were planning something for me and the baby.

And today was that day. We giggled about how I should react since everyone outside my team didn't know I knew about it. It was nice to have so many of the people I work with in one room, all of whom have become my friends, and coming from different levels in the organization. We played a few games and ate some treats, something we always welcome.

And, it was nice to introduce everyone to my mat leave replacement, who, BONUS! also bakes. Everyone was relieved to have someone who could still contribute baked goods to our pot lucks in my absence.

Being grateful - 20120325

I am grateful for family celebrations and dog kisses.

Today is our cousin's birthday -- we spent a good chunk of the day at their house with family, both her/our side and her in-laws. It was really nice to see so much family and friends together all in honour of one person's birthday. And speaking of family, this included their Chocolate Lab, a member of the family and just one of our kids' canine cousins (there are a growing number of dogs in our family). He's really the only big dog D-nut has met (although they met when he was still a tiny puppy) and so even though he loves dogs, he seems a little intimidated by his size at first. But he's one of those big dogs who's so sweet. And we're always reminded of this by his big whole-face kisses. D-nut's always thrown off by those! We always have to remind him that that's how dogs kiss.

Being grateful - 20120324

I am grateful for authentic restaurants.

Living in Toronto, one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world, we've been spoiled with international cuisine. Unfortunately, much of it has been "North Americanized" and so it's easy to mistake what we're eating for "authentic".

We went to a Korean restaurant tonight for one of our BFF's birthday. It was REALLY good. We all ate so much that we all had to fight not to pass out at the end of the meal...which was also the end of the night. We ate until we closed the restaurant, something that is not new to us.

Try out Song Cooks.

Being grateful - 20120323

I am grateful for 2nd chances and days off.

Today we attempted to use our Groupon for Magenta Studios. I say attempted because well, D-nut was under the weather and being very grumpy and uncooperative. We got a few shots, but most of them were solos of me  (and belly), which were only taken to show him what we were doing there. After the allotted time slot for our session came to a close, the photographer let us know that we could always come back for another session, for free, a service they have for occasions just like this. Thank goodness. We didn't have any shots of just D-nut and belly, but we did get a few family shots, which weren't bad.

So yes, we had today off. It's my last day off before my mat leave/vacation starts and with us having the car, we decided to drop by my work so I could bring some stuff home from my desk. God knows I wasn't carrying all that stuff home on the subway. So, we made our way downtown and I introduced my office friends to my family. It was nice to bring those two worlds together.