More rain = more crafts

I'm going to start today's post yesterday. We were driving home, and listening to the radio. It's kind of a battle between Julie and I - whenever one of us is out of the vehicle, we switch stations. Anyway, yesterday I had won, and we were listening to the '80's station (satellite radio). Def Leppard came on with 'Pour Some Sugar on Me.' I was trying to educate the girls that this was good music, and maybe they should get into it a bit, you know, bang your head a bit. Jorja replied, "I'm not grooving Dad, because I don't like it." All right then.

I'm amazed at the power of a sticker. We've been having some issues lately with bedtime (and by issues, I mean crying, wailing, tantrums, getting out of bed, general carrying on), so we decided to try a different approach. Ginny's issue is going to bed. Jorja's issue is getting up too many times during the night, and too early in the morning. We got them this big book of stickers and each special book to put their stickers in. All they had to do was stay in bed all night, and not come out till 7:00 am. IT WORKED!! If CeCe hadn't been so snotty and up with that, it would have been my best sleep in years. As it was it was actually pretty good. Jorja got up once in the night to pee, and didn't get out of bed till seven. Then she asked if she could go downstairs by herself and play computer games. I was kind of in shock. She would get up by herself and let me stay in bed?! I was all over that. She cam back up after about half an hour and asked if I would get up. So I went down and dozed on the couch. Ginny came down at 8:00, and I turned on Sesame Street, and dozed on the couch till 9:00 while they watched that. I was in heaven.

It was still raining today - will it ever end? Oh well, at least we didn't get snow. After preschool, Jorja was wanting to do something special again on the rainy day. I knew exactly what she wanted, but I was playing dumb. What would be special I asked. I don't know, she would say. This went on for a while when finally I relented. Would a craft be special? Well, that was apparently the answer. We did a quick internet search, and found some egg carton caterpillars. It went quite well - she is definitely in her element with glitter glue in one hand and sequins in the other. Ginny had fun too, but most of her decorating consisted of stickers. That's just as well too. I didn't take any pictures, so you'll have to use your imaginations, put they are pretty awesome.

Hopefully it's nicer tomorrow - I'm not sure how much more Martha I have in me...

Craft Time

Well, I have to say that last night I was feeling exactly the same as Julie's post. I'm not sure what had gotten into the kids, but it wasn't good. Today is another rainy, dreary day, promising to keep us all cooped up in the house, especially since we took the car in for an oil change this morning (we couldn't go anywhere if we wanted to).

I decided to bring out my inner Martha Stewart or whoever else is crafty these days. I'm a little out of the crafting loop. I looked up some ideas on the internet, altered them slightly to suit what we had for supplies and to accommodate a two year old and voila! We had lady bugs complete with googly eyes and pipe cleaner legs and antennae. Not only was I impressed with myself, but it killed almost an hour. My co-worker at the brewery would be proud of me I think. She ran a daycare before coming to work at the brewery and was telling me about craft websites before I left work.

Anyhow, it's time to start thinking about lunch now. Anyone up for fresh buns?

Is it wrong....

to want to wring a child's neck sometimes?? Cuz it's been that kind of day around here! I love my kids, really, I do, but sometimes they truly drive me around the bend.

Some days it seems as though there is nothing but constant bickering and whining. Jorja has been particularly trying, as of late. She's got some serious 4 year old sass and attitude going on. And tantrums!! Oh my!! She stomps her foot, hollers, and carries on like a nasty little diva! If this is what 4 is like, I shudder to see where we're at 10 years from now. And then there's Ginny. She can be just as awful! Always toeing the line, antagonizing Jorja, and such other behaviours. And have I mentioned how crappy night times have been lately? I don't know what the deal is, but she has these major malfunctions after she's been tucked in. She carries on with hysterics and wailing - the scene becomes a major annoyance, and if Jorja's still awake (believe it or not, she can actually sleep through this noise), then she starts to cry because she knows that Ginny's going to catch major trouble.

AND, to top it all off, poor Miss CeCe has caught the dreaded cold that Dave and I have been dealing with. So, she's needing extra love and snuggles in between all of this nonsense.

Highlights of the day include me conquering my fear of yeast. Yes, I made buns for the very first time today, and they actually look okay! Well, that's maybe stretching it a bit - but they taste pretty good. At least, Dave and I thought so. The girls took a few bites and decided that they didn't want anymore. Suits me fine - it just means that I don't have to share them with the girls! Hah!

Anyhow, enough of my whining. Tomorrow's a brand new day, thank goodness. How's the day been in YOUR world?

~Julie

Drama

We were outside playing in the backyard this afternoon, Jorja, Ginny and I. They have a toy lawn mower that the handle pulls off the base. Jorja had found the base, and decided she wanted to use it. The only problem was that Ginny had the handle. A verbal war of words ensued, and then a tug-of-war. At this point I stepped in and said that if they couldn't take turns, no one was going to use it. Well, long story short, they couldn't come to a consensus as to who should go first, so I took it away. Jorja then proceeded to have a major tantrum, stomped her foot, and yelled at me. I calmly explained that this was no way to talk to me and if she didn't apologize, she would be sitting on the outside 'naughty step.' Well, she didn't apologize, so I sent her off. She said no. Stubborn little thing. I said that if she didn't go, I would take something away. She stomped off and broke out into her death-wail, a high-pitched scream that sounds as though the world is ending. And she didn't stop. I'm sure the neighbors must have thought she was in fact dieing, or that I was killing her. Eventually, she relented and came over and said sorry. Good times.

On the upside, I think we set a new record today. We went to Costco this morning, bought four things and only spent $35. I couldn't belive it.

Preschool

Today was Jorja's 'special day' at preschool, which means she gets to bring a special item for share time as well as a parent helper. She gets quite excited about these days (they happen once a month), but I am really not that crazy about them. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind helping out, and I gladly do it for her, but they leave me drained. Today was worse than usual.

First of all, there are the bathroom breaks. I dread them. You have to take whatever kids have to go to the same bathroom, and just supervise. So I have to take them all to the 'boys'. Well, these kids never lock the doors, so I end up standing there holding one door with my hand, reaching the other with my foot and trying to keep an eye on the ones that still have to go or have already gone. It's very stressful. And yes, when one has to go, usually a whole herd has to go. I had three bathroom breaks today.

Then there's the snack time. It's the parent's job to get set up (clean table after craft time and set out place mats) and clean up when it's over. There was a term that was used at work on days when nothing was going right, and it was a general disaster. That term was s**t storm. And it applied to snack time today. One boy's iced tea had leaked all over the inside of his backpack. One girl's spoon had punctured the top of her pudding, so there was pudding all over the inside of her lunch kit. One girl had a yogurt tube, and it exploded all over her face and shirt while she was attempting to open it. One girl spilled a glass of water. One boy had no straw for his juice box, but insisted on drinking it anyway. Ahh, good times.

Craft time itself today was pretty benign, just some glue sticks, scissors and markers. No paint at least.

Then there's the clean up after - sweep, mop vacuum. All in all, a fun filled 2 hrs 20 mins.

This morning the girls all wanted to get into Jorja's bed together (well, I'm not too sure about CeCe).

This evening Ginny was a rock star. I don't know why, but she always puts sunglasses on upside down.

That was about it for today. Time for bed.

The weekend at my parents' place

We arrived in Tofield in time for supper on Thursday. We had left here right after lunch, thinking the girls would nap right away. Well, that didn't happen. We were well past Battleford, and I think it was after 3:30 by the time they fell asleep. Needless to say, it was not an early bedtime. However, for our girls (Jorja especially), a late night does not translate into a sleep in.

That was all right the first day, because we were going to Edmonton to do some shopping. Let me tell you, trying to shop with a four year old, a two year old and a two month old in the West Edmonton Mall is an exercise in futility. One is touching this, one is running that way, one is waking up and wanting the soother...a general gong show really. I had brought the stroller that seats two (the car seat with CeCe and one more), but trying to get Ginny to sit in it was not happening. So we tried to shop a bit in the morning, then met a friend of Julie's for lunch, and then we were pretty much drained.

The girls had fun playing with Nanny and Pappa. At one point, Jorja and Ginny were both sitting on Dad's lap, and he was drawing them pictures on one of those magnetic boards. "Draw a house Pappa."...pause while he draws..."That's not a very good house Pappa. Draw a cow"...pause while he draws..."That's the weirdest cow I've ever seen"...ahh, the honesty of a four year old. Later on, Ginny and Mom were doing a wooden puzzle. All the shapes were in, except one. "I think it's under your bum," Mom says. Ginny gets up and looks, "No, it was under my 'gina (she kind of loses the first syllable of that word)." Ahh, the honesty of a two year old.

We woke up this morning to snow. What's up with that. Then it snowed off and on the whole way home, and now it is still snowing. Last week, we were wearing shorts and sandals. I'm not impressed. Here's hoping it warms up soon.

We're home

Well, we survived the 10 hours of driving with the children on the weekend relatively unscathed. I have to admit there were times when I was wondering what the heck we were doing. We have a small SUV, so the three kids are all strapped in their respective seats straight across one bench. It can make for rather close quarters after several hours. Before we had kids, we decided we didn't want a DVD player in the vehicle - we didn't and the kids should be able to entertain themselves with books, colouring etc... I'm beginning to think we're crazy, but we'll have to see. Anyhow, everyone is alive, and we are home. I'll write more about the weekend later, but right now there's more stuff to unpack, supper to think about...Not to mention I've got a wicked head cold.

Packing

We're heading out of town for the weekend today, so there may not be much writing done here till Monday. We're heading to my parents place in Tofield. Travelling with three little children is exhausting - packing for them is exhausting. This is our second major road trip since CeCe was born, and she proved to be a good traveller on the first, so that is a plus. It's keeping the other two entertained and from fighting that gets to be the issue after a while.

Right now, they are discussing what toys they should bring along. Jorja wants to bring along two puzzles, the zebra one and the goose one. Our last trip, I just picked some for her and they were the wrong ones. She just told me that it was okay that I 'messed up' last time. Sheesh.

Anyway, I've got a lot of stuff to get together yet - formula, water, bottles, diapers, wipes, etc., etc., etc. We really should have bought a van.

2:12 am

We had bought a new fan for the bedroom yesterday, and I put it together and set it up after the girls were in bed. Jorja got up to pee at 2:12, and she came to my side of the bed like she always does. She say, "So, how's the new fan working out for you?" At 2:00 in the morning! How is she so observant and alert? I don't know how she does it. At that hour, I don't even know who I am.

Cuts, bumps and bruises

Today was kind of a rough day for the girls. It started this morning when Ginny went running though the kitchen, attempted the corner to go upstairs, and didn't make it. Her forehead hit the corner of the steps, and instantly swelled up and almost split open. There was a line down the middle probably a centimeter and a half long that almost cut through. I think we would have been heading for stitches. Needless to say there were a lot of tears. Jorja is such a little mother, she does not like seeing her sister hurt. Ginny was jumping around shortly after, but it looks nasty.

Jorja took her turn just before lunch when her and Julie went to check the mail. She wiped out and skinned her knee and another spot just above her foot. I think there was more wailing from her when the band aids had to come off in the tub.

I was carrying Ginny this evening and she says to me, "Don't touch my fart." What!? How or why would I want to touch her fart I say. She replies, "It's in my butt."

Shots

Today, CeCe had to have her first set of immunizations - one shot in each leg. I've always hated that part, but I'm the shot guy. I've taken both girls for all theirs so far, and it works better that way. Anyway, she did pretty good, and now weighs 11 lbs 9 oz.

After the shots, CeCe and I came home, and it wasn't quite time to get Jorja from preschool yet, so Julie, Ginny, CeCe and I went to M&M to pick up some kabobs to BBQ for supper. On the way home, we stopped at the Coop and Julie picked the girls up a can of orange pop to share, and some 5 cent candies. Then we picked Jorja up and went home and they had a 'picnic' with their treats in the back yard. It could have been a five star restaurant the way they thought this was so special. Except for Ginny trying to talk with gummy candy sticking her teeth together - that was pretty funny.

They took their shoes off after their picnic and were playing in the yard. Ginny was colouring with sidewalk chalk when she saw a spider. Jorja came running by with very determined look on her face. "I've just got to get my shoe so I can kill this spider. I've got to smack it in the head." Ahh, the mighty hunter strikes again.

We went for a bike ride after supper, Jorja on her's, and I had Ginny in the seat on the back of mine. As we were biking Jorja asked, "Does God love us all the time? Even when we do bad things?" I assured her He did, and asked if there was something she wanted to tell me. "No, just wondering." Hmmmm...

I got a blister on my finger yesterday working in the yard, and it popped and ripped off before I was done. This evening Jorja grabbed in and I said ouch. Then I showed it to her. She got this really serious, concerned look an her face. "What is that Dad. Will the skin come back." I assured her it would and she wanted to know if it hurt. A little I said. "You shouldn't let anyone touch that Dad, not even you. You shouls use your other hand for stuff." I think it was quite unsettling to her, kind of cute.

Well, here's hoping there's some sleep tonight.

Breaking my silence...

Where to start.

WASSUPPPPPPPPP!!

This is Julie. Dave has posted on the side profile that I will be contributing to this blog on occasion. So, I suppose it's time to break my silence, pony up, and "speak". Dave has a real gift when it comes to re-telling the stories and antics of the kids - much better than I. I think that I'll leave that portion up to him.

How did we end up in this situation of both being off during a maternity leave? Well, it goes a little something like this.

When I was 23 1/2 weeks pregnant, I found myself with some bizarre symptoms. I was having numbness and tingling in my hands and feet, and also some numbness on both sides of my tongue. I saw my Doctor and she thought that the hands and feet thing could be attributed to pregnancy, but the tongue thing was weird, so she was going to refer me to an OB/GYN. If I got worse, I was to come back to see her. The next day, I noticed that I was having trouble chewing on my left side, my left eye was blinking slower, and I had a small "dead" spot on my left cheek. Needless to say, I had an appointment the next morning to see a neurologist.

I saw the neurologist at the hospital, and by the time that Dave and I left, I was unable to completely close both of my eyes. It was decided that I had bilateral Bell's Palsy. However, he said that there was a chance of Guillain-Barre Syndrome as the numbness in the hands and feet are not associated with Bell's Palsy. If I got worse, I was to come back to the hospital immediately. He said that with Bell's Palsy, my face would get worse before it got better.

Well, my face most definitely DID get worse. In fact, I would say that the worst day was on my birthday. My face was completely paralyzed. I was unable to smile, raise my eyebrows, show my teeth, pucker my lips...I had nothing. Because my eyes weren't closing all of the way, I had to put thick ointment in them at night and tape them shut, so that they wouldn't dry out or get debris inside of them. My speech was difficult, as I was unable to make certain sounds with my lips and cheek. Thankfully, I could still swallow, but chewing was interesting, as I had to push the food from my cheek to my teeth.

This is a picture of me on my 32nd birthday, and believe it or not, I'm smiling for all that I'm worth!!

I continued on with life and prednisone, which is the standard form of treatment for Bell's Palsy, and continued sending the kids to daycare, as I was unable to care for them at this point. I had no energy and I was moving so slowly, as though I was 40+ weeks pregnant. This made no sense to me, but I attributed it to the Bell's Palsy and fatigue.

At the beginning of November, I finished the prednisone, but still had lots of numbness in my feet and hands, and found that I was getting weaker. I was struggling to get up the stairs, and seeing as how we live in a 4 level split, this made life rather challenging. I knew that I needed to go back to the doctor when I fell twice in one day while attempting to go up the stairs - once while dropping the kids off at daycare, and once while trying to get back into the house. I was seen by the neurologist two days after these falls and my worst fears came true. I was being diagnosed with Guillain-Barre.

My reflexes had completely left me. How many of you have had the doctor tap your knee and your leg kicks out? When the neurologist did this to me, there was no response. I had nothing. I was quickly whisked down the hall for a "tasering" test, also known as Nerve Conduction Studies. After 1 1/2 hours of being shocked and zapped, it was proven that I had Gullain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). I was to be admitted to hospital for monitoring and treatment, as well as a lumbar puncture.

Standard treatment for this is IVIg, which is an immunoglobulin therapy. GBS is an autoimmune disease, where the body starts to attack itself and begins to eat the myelin coating (the insulation) off of the nerve fibers. By giving this therapy, the hope is to turn one's immune system on to attacking something else, rather than itself. I was hospitalized for 5 days, and was discharged on our 8th wedding anniversary.

Life goes on, as did the pregnancy. Thankfully, none of this mess had any ill effects on Cecilia. Recovery has been incredibly slow, with a relapse of GBS in January. I had 5 more rounds of IVIg on an outpatient basis. The IVIg DOES help, but my body is certainly stubborn. As I sit and type this, I fear that I am on the verge of yet another relapse, as I can feel the numbness creeping back into my feet. There are times that I wish I was just imagining it, but I know that it's real. How does this affect me? Well, it would no longer be called GBS, but rather CIDP. Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy. Say WHAT?!?? Essentially, this is a "chronic", or long term form of this cannibal behaviour. I'm not going to put the cart before the horse, and I'll leave the official diagnosis up to the experts, but it won't surprise me.

Needless to say, I am on disability, as this condition makes a lot of walking difficult, and is very fatiguing. Being that I'm on disability and tired all of the time, Dave opted to take parental leave, which means that he gets 37 weeks to be home with all of us! With me staying on disability, I know that if I start to get better sooner rather than later, I go back to work, regardless of whether or not I've had a full year off with the baby. We decided that this was the best option for all of us, as I just don't have the stamina to take care of 3 kids by myself right now.

SO, thank the good Lord for Dave!! He has been the rock through all of this drama, and the superglue that keeps us all stuck together. He's the calm and the soft place to land. He's the super Dad, the super Chef, and, of course, my super Star!

Anyhow, I've broken my silence and filled up this space with a lot of words. Dave is much more succinct and to the point. I'm a blabberer and a talker.

Till next time....

~Julie~

Where's your pants?

We got out some spring/summer clothes for the girls this morning. They are both prancing around saying 'look at my leggings'. Jorja has a shirt on with sleeves that are a little puffy. "Look at my ball sleeves Dad, just like Cinderella." Very nice. It took a bit to convince Ginny that she didn't need socks. I don't think she remembered what shorts were either. "Where's your pants?" She asked me.

Dirt

What a gorgeous day out today - warm and not even windy. After Ginny's nap, we went out to the backyard. The girls each have a special water bottle for outside - Jorja's has hearts on it, Ginny's has 'rainbow' (stripes). It's amazing how good water can taste from a water bottle outside - Ginny will basically sit there and drink till all 500 ml are gone. Anyway, Jorja was digging in the flower bed. Her mission is to fill up the flower pots with dirt. Whatever, it keeps her amused. She is taking this tsk fairly seriously though, and was upset that Ginny wasn't helping, she was just sitting and drinking her water. "Ginny, you should help me. This is hard work for just one person. Dad, are you going to help me? Dad, Ginny's not helping me." I was busy pruning some bushes. Eventually, she decided she had to pee and that she was NOT coming back out. Diva.

We were coming home from church this morning, and someone was mowing their lawn. It was nice, so we had some windows down. Ginny says, "What's that noise. It's annoying to me." Diva.

The Four year old mother

I was tucking the girls into bed this evening, and laying the law down for Ginny (because that works so well) about not getting out of bed. Jorja told me, "Don't worry Dad, I'm actually going to have a little chat with her when you go downstairs." All right then.

I fired up the lawn mower this afternoon to pick up all the leaves etc. on the lawn. I was walking outside with my toolbox, when Julie gave me this funny look. What, I said, it may need some work the first time of the year. "And you know how?" she says. "Honey", I say, "How long have you known me, and don't these things always work out?" She had to admit that they usually did, and that she felt proud of me when they did. Pride after the fact is great, I said, but a little faith beforehand might be good. Oh well, for as often as I use tools, she's probably got reason to doubt. I can do a lot of things when I have to, I just don't really enjoy tinkering with things like a lot of guys do.

The girls were playing outside after I was done mowing, and Julie and I went in to get ready for supper. We had the window open and Jorja was yelling, "Bang, bang, rattle-bing-bang gonna make my noise all day." Ginny tells her that that is really noisy. "Good, then I'll get their attention."

I took Jorja to piano lessons this morning, and we were coming home on Broadway and the pubs must have their patios set up. "Look Dad, there's an umbrella of your work." Do a lot of four year olds know beer logos?

Alone time

I was on the basement doing laundry this morning, with the door closed. I can hear the girls at the door, Ginny saying she wants to see Daddy. Jorja was telling her, "No Ginny, Daddy just needs this time alone." If only she knew...

It's the end of the world as we know it, but I feel fine.

I was getting a little worried this morning - the day was shaping up to not have much to write about. I guess that's not a bad thing, it would have meant no drama. But all that changed after preschool.

We all went to get Jorja today - we loaded Ginny and CeCe up in the wagon, and off we went. When we were getting packed up to come home, I noticed Jorja's backpack was leaking. It turns out her cup that she keeps in her lunch pack was broken. It was a princess cup with a second lining and the middle is filled with some sort of liquid and glitter (kind of like a snow globe around the cup). Well, pretty much all the liquid was gone. I say liquid because I don't know what was in there, all I know is that is was made in China, so let's just hope it wasn't toxic. I think it was leaking on the outside, and not the inside, so we should be all right.

Anyway, back to the drama. I asked Jorja if she was sad about the cup, and she said no. She was trying to put on a brave face, but you could tell she was fighting back the tears. We played outside at home for a while, and then she finally let go. She cried...and cried...and cried. That was her favorite cup. Ginny tried to console her, "It's all right Jorja. Why are you crying. It's all right." In the end, it was decided that we would make a Walmart run after supper to get a new cup. I needed new socks anyway. I've been wearing black ones now for three days in a row, and although Ginny feels they are 'pretty', I prefer white for every day.

I finally fired up the BBQ this evening for supper - the first time this year. Too bad all we had to go on it were hot dogs. Oh well, the girls and I enjoyed them. I made six, and they asked for more. Julie had left over sausage. She finally started eating BBQed hot dogs last year, but then a coworker of mine (who is taking food science) ruined them for her by saying they are mostly organ meat. Sheesh.

We found a suitable replacement cup at Walmart this evening - several princesses on it and some jewels. This one is even dishwasher safe, which the other one wasn't.

When we got home, a Shaw salesman showed up. We're going to switch from Sasktel - TV, internet, and phone. We'll see how it goes. Anyway, we're sitting at the table filling out the paper work and Ginny asks, "Who's that boy?" Julie replied that she didn't know his name, he was the Cable Guy.

That's about it I think. There's nothing on TV Friday nights. Lots of hockey, but the Oil didn't quite make it this year, so it's not that exciting. Later.

Killing things

It was finally nice enough to go outside today. We went for a walk around the crescent, Jorja rode her bike and I pulled Ginny and CeCe in the wagon. Jorja is getting pretty good - no where near losing the training wheels, but all right. She calls her bike Jasmine, and talks to it as she rides, chastises it when it takes a wrong turn, or falls over.

Then we played outside in the back yard for a while. I was holding CeCe when Jorja came running over saying there was a beetle in the wagon. "Ginny, stay away from the beetle, they can sting sometimes." I'm not sure where she got that from, but oh well. Anyway, I tell her that she should kill it. No way, she says. I then remind her how she killed an ant a couple of days earlier. This gives her a new sense of courage and she says, "Watch out Ginny, I've got to go kill something." Ahh, the brave hunter.

I'm now watching the late showing of Survivor. Gotta run.

Playing with Dolls

The girls were playing with their babies this morning. Jorja decided that her baby was baby Jesus, she was Mary, and Ginny was Joseph. Ginny's baby was Kate - not sure where she fits in. She had both babies wrapped up in blankets and placed in the feed box. Then they woke up and it was time to eat. Only one of the dolls came with a bottle, and Jorja was using it. Ginny asked for the bottle to feed her baby as well, and Jorja replied, "No, you gotta use your boob." "My boob?" "Yes, your boob." Then it came time to change diapers. I was in the other room so I could just hear what was going on. Jorja laid her baby down on the change mat and said, "Jesus." I hope she was just saying the baby's name, and it wasn't a reaction to the diaper. We may need to have a talk then.

Wednesday

Well, today started with a blow-out and ended with a melt-down. The middle was all right, for the most part, I think.

First, the blow-out. CeCe rarely poops when she's not eating. Depending on how you're holding her, it's kind of a crap shoot as to if it's going to be contained or not. Today, it was not. Half way up her back. Not good.

It was still cold today, but not raining anymore, so that was good. We were able to walk to preschool anyway. I usually walk Jorja there, and then Ginny always needs to come and pick her up. Today was no different. Ginny and I got there to pick her up, and it's like the long lost reunion between the two of them. Jorja comes running to the door. "Ginny came!" Then one of her little friends asked her if that was her new sister. "No", she replied, "she's my old sister." So then we walked home, the two of them holding hands pretty much the whole way. Half way home we discovered we could see our breath today, so there was a lot of puffing to see that for a while. "It's silver air Ginny."

I made tacos for supper tonight. I was almost done when Jorja came up and asked what we were having. "I don't like that. I had that once when I was two." Well, I inform her that IS what we are having. I decided to try letting them build their own - maybe that would make them taste better. Well, it worked. It was a bit of a struggle by the end, but they both ate one. It helped that Julie was making cookies and that always makes for a good bribe.

We were done tubbing a little early tonight, so it was pedicure time. It is amazing how still Ginny can sit when Julie is painting her toes. The two of them are always so proud of their freshly painted toes.

Then, the melt-down. Ginny goes to bed not too bad, but if for some reason, we need to go back up to the kitchen before she's asleep, it's a disaster. By then, she's quite overtired and just gets herself more and more worked up. An hour later, she's finally asleep.

Here's hoping they sleep good tonight...

Rain, rain

Well, CeCe had to go for a hearing test this afternoon - just a routine thing they do now, usually while you are still in the hospital after birth, but we got missed. All is well, except for the fact that we had to venture out in the weather today. It rained a ton.

We decided to just go out for supper after the appointment. Jorja eats chicken finger, Ginny eats 'fwies'. It works out all right, so they can just split a meal. Half way through supper Ginny asks, "What day is it today?" Tuesday, I say. "Tuesday, ok. What number is it?" Thirteen, I tell her. "Thirteen, ok." What a two year old needs to know the day and the date for, I'm not sure. I guess she needs to plan her calendar. I guess she gets it from Jorja, who always needs to know the day. Monkey see, monkey do.

The new season of Glee starts tonight. I have to admit, I am excited. Does that make me gay? It probably doesn't help, but I'm all right. I'm secure. I've worn a pink Ariel crown to play the princess board game. I'm good.

Jorja is asleep now, and Ginny keeps coming out of bed. I am amazed at the racket Jorja can sleep through. Some days it's a lot. We weren't really familiar with tantrums till Ginny came along. She is definitely willful. And independent.

Well, time to pour the diet Pepsi and watch TV. Later.

Mumba

It's a cold, rainy, miserable day out today. I thought spring was here in March, but April is a different story this year.

The girls are playing behind me - they have such imaginations. They are talking on their Barbie phone to 'Mumba', some boy apparently. I guess he's coming over today, but he's still getting dressed. Jorja asked Ginny how he was, and Ginny said 'He's bootiful.' Jorja replied, 'No Ginny, boys aren't beautiful, they're handsome.'

Hmm...

So this evening Jorja tells me she's going to marry me when she's grown up, and that Mommy is going to have to marry someone else. At least she's not into polygamy.

Kids can be so flattering

The 'N' was jammed in the wooden cut-out shape puzzle upsidedown. Ginny couldn't get it, so she asked Jorja. Jorja couldn't get it so she asked me: "Just try Dad with you big, strong muscles."

Here we go...

Well, I'm not really sure how to begin. There's so much that has already happened, but I want this to be a journal of my time at home with my girls now. I guess I'll fill in the blanks from the past as needed. Perhaps it is fitting that I am typing this with one hand while holding Cecilia (CeCe).

My wife, Julie and I have three daughters - Jorja is 4, Virginia (Ginny) is 2, and Cecilia is 2 months. It can be a handful. I feel a bit outnumbered some days, but that's the way it's going to be - I've got the appointment booked to make sure there are no more additions.

I am on leave from arguably the greatest job ever. In addition to doing physical and chemical tests on the beer, I am also a 'sensory expert'. This means that every day at 2:oo I had to taste the beer. Yeah, it's rough. I do love being home most days, but I do miss my friends at work. They are an amazing bunch of people.

Well, I should run now. There is a trip to Superstore planned for this morning, then taking Jorja to preschool this afternoon. I also have a physio appt - it's funny now that a physio appt is looked forward to as an outing (by myself).