Days 14 - 17.... Wow, I'm Terrible At This

Okay, let's play a little more catch-up:

Day 14 - a photo of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day

A 2 year old has it pretty sweet. Someone pays attention to you all day long, you're encouraged to take the longest naps possible, people generally think you're cute even when you're being a stinker, somebody makes your meals and cleans up the majority of your messes, and your parents try to make you happy just to hear your giggle. How great is that? Of course, if you're this particular 2 year old, you're also learning about what you can and can't do, learning how to share, still dealing with teeth coming in, and your world is about to get rocked again by the arrival of yet another sibling. So while it would be fun, it would also be a good reminder for Mommy that she's only two, no matter how grown-up she seems somedays.

Day 15 - a photo of yourself and a new friend you met this year

This year I met a ton of new people and we've become really good friends. Like, drop-your-kids-off-at-the-spur-of-the-moment and who-cares-how-messy-the-house-is kind of friends. So how is it possible I don't have any pictures of us together? I direct you instead to 2 of my new-but-good friends Lori & Sandra, The Sling Sisters. Feel free to purchase some of their amazing products while you're there.

Day 16 - a song that makes you cry - I don't remember the last time I cried because of a song.

Day 17 - your favourite website

Well, the one that is always open on the laptop is Facebook. I'm not actually on FB 24 hours a day, although it probably looks like I am, but our mouse and screensaver have some kind of battle royal going on, so the computer often doesn't go to sleep. I also check the on-line news frequently throughout the day (cbc.com, foxnews.com, cnn.com), and have been reading Enjoying the Small Things quite a bit. And of course, because it is just so funny, I can't delete that website with the Weight Watcher's recipe cards from My Favourites. Because you never know when I might need to send someone a link to Frankfurter Spectacular.

The Safeways

Yesterday I was out doing a little Christmas shopping and stopped in at Safeway for a few things. I was standing in a long line behind a dad and his (maybe 13 year old?) son. The boy was texting furiously and his dad was all "Who are you texting from The Safeways? MADISON?!? Ooooooh, Madison!!!!" (insert smoochy noises here.) Then he sent his son to the back of the store for 1 litre of eggnog. The boy came back within a few minutes with a 2 litre, the dad said "That's a 2 litre, I want a 1 litre," and sent him back again. The boy rolled his eyes but off he went.

Once his son was gone, the dad looked at me and said "We don't even need eggnog. I just like screwin' with his love life."

I laughed so hard I thought I might pee myself. And I can't help but think I've peered into a future Christmas moment of young Mr. Nicho Pink, shopping with Jeffy at The Safeways, wouldn't you say, Shanny?????

Days 11, 12, & 13

Okay, so I'm not the best at posting everyday. Meh. Here's a few "all about me" things to catch me up a little:

Day 11: A photo that makes you angry/sad

Why would sweet little puppies make me angry/sad, you ask? I'm sad because it appears Declan may be allergic to the boys. If this is the case, they've got to go. That makes me sad, but it also makes me worried for them. Bert has seizures and is on daily medication. Ernie has allergies (hey, maybe he's allergic to Declan?) and is on crazy expensive specialty food. Who is going to take either of them with their special needs? Also, they are littermates who have never been apart. Even with different trainers and programs, we have not been hugely successful at breaking their pack mentality, as a result the 2 of them together are a bit intense, I don't know that anyone will want to take them both together. Sigh. Poor boys.

Day 12: Something you are OCD about

It's gotta be the cloth diapers. We initially went to cloth diapers when we found out Declan was on the way. I was a little bit interested in cloth when I was pregnant with Talia - Rainer was not on board at all. It was way more important to me that he be a diaper-changer than it was for my baby to be in cloth diapers, so I basically just stopped looking into it. When I got pregnant again, Rainer saw the financial advantage of having 2 in cloth vs. disposables (I love my accountant!!!), so we jumped in to the world of cloth diapers! The first day Rainer threatened to throw them all out the window, but by the end of the week he would be the first to tell you they are just as easy as disposables. He even does the laundry and totally recommends cloth to anyone who has a baby.

Anyway, the world of cloth diapering is pretty interesting. People have definite opinions re: the best diapers, the best wash routine, the best detergent, etc. I am a hard-core Bum Genius fan, for sure. I am also always on the hunt for the best detergent, best wash routine, any way I can improve my diapers, etc. And here's the kicker - I don't really have any problems that need solving. It's ridiculous that I spend so much time on the diapers - we've never had a leak (apart from our recent nighttime issue), a repelling problem, excessive staining, etc. We have a slight ammonia odor in the mornings - but when your kids are big wetters that sleep for over 12 hours, what can you expect? Even disposables will be stinky in the morning. Declan has become a super heavy night wetter, so I had to figure out what do about that, but that's a problem we would have with disposables as well. In any case, my friend Lori and I spend altogether too much time and energy figuring out diapering things, and I love every minute of it. And it's a good thing I do, since after we made the switch, both babies ended up developing allergies to all disposables except the 7th Generation diapers, which can be pretty expensive.

Day 13: A description of what is in your diaper bag

In my diaper bag right now:

- cloth diapers & flushable liners for Declan

- disposable diaper for Declan

- extra "geetch" and pants for Talia

- wipes

- table toppers

- wallet

- mittens

- extra outfit for Declan

- bibs

- presents for kids from the Playgroup party this week

- chequebook

- wetbags

- assorted reusable snack bags

- assorted pens and chapsticks

I would love to have one of those diaper bags that are actually 2 separate bags that attach together - that way I could take one or both, and I wouldn't have to be packing/unpacking a bunch of stuff depending on which kids I have with me.

Day 10: A Picture That Makes You Happy

Talia, giving her new baby brother some smooches at the hospital. It was so easy when Declan was born, he just slipped right into our family like he had always been here. I hope it's as easy with #3.

Day 9 and Conversations With My Son

Day 9: Description of My Dream House

Well, the locals know that my dream house fluctuates between the one right outside the perimeter and the one on the Niverville corner. But that's not a helpful description when you don't know either of those places, huh?

Rainer and I made a lot of changes to this house when we moved in. We haven't finished yet, we still want to pull up the rest of the carpet and finish the basement. There are many things I love about this house - it's a nice, open concept and it's very handy to have all the bedrooms & family room on the same level. What I would change about this house is a different layout in the kitchen (including a pantry), more bedrooms (since we keep filling them up with babies so fast!!) and another bathroom. We can achieve more bedrooms and another bathroom when we finish the basement, and if we stay here we could also renovate the main floor and achieve the kitchen remodel. We love the yard (especially the pool) and we've really become part of the community, so I would love to stay. But my goodness, we could use a bit more space, and the pool is too close to the house to allow for an addition, unless we build up and put on a second floor. So we'll see if this house evolves into my dream house. Stay tuned.

In other news, Declan has turned into a Chatty Cathy pracitically overnight. I love that his favourite things to say lend themselves easily to conversations with him. Here he was at the doctor's office the other day when some woman sat down beside us:
Declan: Hiiiiiiiiiiiii!
Stranger: Uh, did he just say "hi" to me?
Declan: Yeah!
Stranger (laughing): Well, hello, buddy. You ARE a boy, right?
Declan: YEAH!!
Stranger: You're the cutest thing I've ever seen!
Declan: Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! (claps wildly)

It's really funny because he's almost 10 months old, but he's so tiny, so he seems far too young to be chatting away. I love setting him up with questions to answer "yeah" to, like "Is Mommy the boss around here?" and "You're so good lookin', do you take after your Mother?" The only problem is that he also has started saying Daddy, so he now he often ruins my game by squealing "DADDEEEEEEEEEEEE" and pointing at his father. Hrmph.

Day 8: Favourite Quote

I don't know who originally said it, but my favourite quote is:

"Different isn't always better, but better is always different."

I pulled this gem out in a job interview once and it totally got me the job. For reals.