2 by 2

I was cleaning out my email today and found this forward Taryn sent me months back...I always meant to return it

You know the deal....copy it, answer it, and send it to your friends :-)

* Two names you go by:
1. Mama
2. Mrs. Springthorpe

* Two things you are wearing right now:
1. sweater
2. jeans


* Two things you would want (or have) in a relationship:
1. love
2. Trust

* Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Read
2. play with my kids

* Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. for a snow day from work tomorrow
2. for the boys to sleep most of the way on the plane to BC

* Two pets you’ve had:
1. Skippy (cat)
2. Duffy (dog)

* Two things you did last night:
1. Went to Jaclyn's Christmas Party
2. cooked tortellini

* Two last things you ate:
1. cheeseburger
2. fries

* Two people you last talked to:
1. Jonathan
2. Elijah

* Two things you’re going to do today:
1. battle laundry mountain
2. pack Christmas gifts

* Two longest car rides:
1. cross Canada - 8 hour days for 8 days straight
2. BC to California

* Two favorite holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Easter

* Two favorite beverages:
1. Empress Afternoon Tea
2. Chai Tea Latte

A Compliment...I think

Last week one of my grade 7 students told me that I was a mean teacher, but that it was a good thing because I'm mean the way teachers are supposed to be mean. HMMMM...I wonder what that means.

just when you have had enough...

...they go and do something really sweet (3 year olds that is). It was just one of those days with Elijah...I don't know if it was the houseboundness of a snowday or what but bedtime couldn't come fast enough tonight. So of course he's up again an hour past when he was originally put to bed (as I said, just one of those days) and I tuck him in again and prepare to leave, he asks if he can pray for me. So he prays his usual prayer, "Dear Jesus, thank you for blessing my mommy, Amen, Bye-bye" he looks at me and asks, "Mommy, are you still sick?" (I've been battling off ear/throat infections for a month now)...so I told him I was mostly better, but still had a sore throat (2 rounds of anti-biotics and I'm heading back to the doctor), so Elijah puts his hands on my head and starts to pray again this time: "Dear Lord Jesus, please make my mommy all better so she's not sick any more, Amen, Bye-bye"...then he gives me a kiss and rolls over to go to sleep.

Blog, oh blog...do you still love me?

Not that I've had anything else to do during the past 2 months besides teaching at 2 schools (21 classes), being a mom to 2 little lads, being a wife (to 1 man), co-running a household, volunteering with church stuff, directing choir, planning assemblies and musical gathering school stuff, battling off illnesses (more on that later)...you know just life stuff...

how else am I blogging?

One of my goals this year in teaching (yes, we have official growth plans) is to use more technology in my teaching. Actually, I've gotten that "I'm such a cool teacher" feeling as a result of this...yes, I laugh at myself over that too. The first time I got that feeling this year was with my grade 7s. I'd designed a unit on Elvis Presley and I was trying to figure out a way to show him as the performer he was. Thanks to YouTube, Blogger and and LCD projector, I did. I gathered up a few of his performances, starting with his first appearance on Ed Sullivan and ending with his last performance 3 weeks before his death in 1977 and posted them on a site. The kids loved it! I actually had a table of boys so enthralled that I caught them trying to style their hair like Elvis.
The current unit I'm teaching the 7's (yes, it is currently the grade 7's I'm trying to impress, 5 years of grade 7 music, maybe I'm starting to get it right) is Music Around the World. I was inspired to play Name that Tune by Country as our introductory lesson. Again, thanks to YouTube and Blogger and some help from Wikipedia, I was able to. I found 15 different music videos that represented 15 different countries and played them for the kids. They had to try to name the song, artist and country...I actually haven't shown them the videos yet, I just played the music on my laptop with the screen away from them. Again, they were captivated. The noisier and more difficult to impress class were so quiet you could have heard a pin drop, I couldn't believe it. There were some students who came late and the other kids were like "quiet, we're playing a game"...if you knew who the students were that said that, you'd be even more impressed.
If you'd like to check out my sites they are: http://elvispresleyvideolessons.blogspot.com/
and
http://aroundtheworldmusic.blogspot.com/
try your hand at name that tune (okay, some of them are labeled, some of them are not, but I'll let you know how you did)

I'm sorry

I've been shamefully ignoring my blog this month...terrible of me really. I have good reason though. I've been busy...here's what I've been up to.
I'm back at work teaching at 2 schools music k-7. Then there's my boys to take care of. Elijah is back on with the potty, and Jeremy's crawling everywhere backwards. We (Jonathan & I) have been working at finishing the kitchen renos and getting the house ready for winter. There's a couple other top-secret projects that I've been working on that I'll mention when they are finished...I've been pretty pleased at the way we've been working at getting the routine down and keeping the house in order. I'm starting to feel like we're settling in. I wasn't looking forward to going back to work (and I still would rather be home). But I know I enjoy my job and feel quite at home in the classroom. It helps that I have such a great base school. Actually I had a moment of "I'm such a cool teacher" last week. I'm doing a unit on Elvis with my 2 grade 7 classes and last week we watched some of his performances that I put together on a blog so they could see the span of his carreer. You can see it here http://elvispresleyvideolessons.blogspot.com/ I'm really enjoying teaching that unit. Well GO Diego Go, I've gotta go again...not that I'm busy or anything!

Add to this list as you please

peas and carrots

check it out: http://peasandcarrotsplease.blogspot.com/

If I were a Simpson

Help...my generation is showing!

This week at Camp Medley I was getting Elijah to call Shawn "Bible Man" after watching him walk to the pool wearing his towel around his shoulders cape-style and carrying his bible in hand. He later mentioned that there was a "Bible Man" superhero.
"I know", I said, "it's Buddy."
"Buddy?"
"Buddy from Charles in Charge" Only Jonathan showed some look of recognition
"Charles in Charge with Scott Baio" more blank stares
"Scott Baio, you know Chachi?" a few more looks of quasi-recognition
"Chachi from Happy Days"
"Oh..."
Forget it.

Slinging in England

I started babywearing (or slinging) a few months back with Jeremy. Thanks to Sarah's creations, I'm enjoying it emensely. (Yes Jill, I should have listened to you and got one with Elijah way back when...) I have Jeremy in the sling when we're out shopping, when I'm vaccuming, when I'm gardening...you get the picture. I was so glad to have the sling along for our England trip. It packs well, no bulky stroller to pack around, no worries about stairs, and Jeremy loves it and can nap in it too. (what a terrible run-on sentence that was).
Well didn't I have more looks and questions in England about the sling than I've ever had in Canada. I met only one person who had ever seen a sling before, to the rest it was a complete novelty. They all thought it was great and I (or Jeremy rather) got a lot of smiles. Here's a pic or 2 of us slinging in England...some you have to search for the little hand or foot that represents Jeremy, as I mentioned, he loves to sleep in it.

Kristen's Contemplations is on holiday

To my faithful readers, Christian, Jill & Mom...I am away for a few weeks, please leave a message.

Another Stupid Quiz

47%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Tampa Singles from Mingle²

One Week Down, One Week To Go

Most of you know that Jonathan is away in England and I'm parenting our two boys solo. It's been a pretty good week considering. I've tried to keep Elijah as busy as possible, which seemed to work well at the begining of the week, but I needed some down time these last couple of days. We've been all over the place and seen many people. The first surprise was seeing my friend Shawna from University and her daughter Ally down in Cap Pele. I had a great visit with her. She's one of those people who just never change and we could catch up pretty fast. I did discover that 2 hours straight in the car is just a half hour too long for Elijah. Both on the way down and on the way back. (Note to self, take the drive to Halifax in hour and a half stretches).
Last Sunday was taken up by church stuff mostly. The summer evening service couldn't have been better. Rod and Lisa Brandtfrancis spoke (they have a ministry up in Wemindji in Northern Quebec...Cree country). I'm always fascinated and excited when I hear what they are doing. I just love their work. It was also a great time for Elijah as both the Smith kids and the Cox kids were there to play with.
Monday I got Elijah's 3 year old pictures taken and they turned out great. Jen Smith brought her kids over later for lunch and they all had a great time together.
Tuesday, we headed down to Moncton for the day. Both boys did really well for the drive and we really enjoyed the day together (see...Moncton is less than 2 hours away).
Wednesday, we were back in the photo studio. Jen and I thought it would be great to have the kids get their pictures done together. (and at 8 bucks for a whole whack of pictures why not? There's the plug for the Superstore)...well, we could have had the cutest shot ever, except Elijah was just not wanting to cooperate...by the time he was ready, Jeremy was not happy anymore...so the picture we got is quite a character shot...still cute, shows all of their personalities, just not calendar stuff. Oh well, that's kids. They had a great time later that night, Jen dropped by when we were out in the backyard. She took Jeremy for me, while the older ones played and I worked in the garden. We had a really nice visit. On a side note, my second garden patch that I'm removing and planting grass seed in is finished, and the first plot already has grass sprouting.
Thursday, I needed some down time so we took it and just enjoyed the sunshine at home. We filled Elijah's pool and he played while I gardened. Jeremy just enjoyed being in the sling.
Yesterday, it was still hot (I love it!)...and we did more of the same...enjoyed the sunshine...well, we did get some basics done too like groceries and some house cleaning. George and Coralee had us up to their place for BBQ. Elijah had a ball playing golf with George and I really enjoyed visiting with Coralee.
Then came today. It's like Elijah had been holding in all of his emotions about missing Dad and it all came out sideways. My day started at five to seven with the announcement that I needed to wake up and this is his house and no he did not want to come and cuddle with me...just before he crawled into my bed and cuddled me...this was foreshadowing of the rest of the day. The whole idea of Go Away, but stay with me repeated itself again and again. Poor little guy. He stormed through the house like a caged bear...so we went out to play...that didn't work either. I thought maybe after his nap he may feel better...didn't work. So I could hear echoes of Jonathan's voice telling me of all the people that had offered to help me and to take them up on it. I called Ruby. Bless her, she came over and played with Elijah for over an hour. I think he really needed that. He needed space from me and to have attention from another adult.
So both boys are now sleeping and I'm ready to hit the hay myself. *One thing I didn't mention is that it appears both boys are getting colds too, so we need all the sleep we can get!

Images of Summer

My Garden...the saga continues

I have successfully grown 3 vegetables from seeds that are ready to eat: peas, lettuce and green onions. The cornflowers Elijah planted are up too. The other pictures are random flowers in my huge garden. I have to say I'm frustrated with the whole weeding process. I'll get a patch done, just to have it rain and have the weeds grow back again! AGGH.

New Music

A friend of ours recently released his first CD, check it out: http://michaelandrewsmith.com/

More on Canada Post

Apparently 8 is the number of times a parcel must travel across this country to reach its destination. After al the rigamarole, our parcel did get to us. Apparently the non-helpful person did something helpful, he quit. The file got turned over to his manager and surprise, surprise, she was able to get it righted on her first try. Not only that, but she called me personally to follow up and apologise for the delay. When you want something done, go one step up I guess.

Crying Wolf

2 nights ago Elijah looked at me, put both hands on my cheeks and said, "You're not a wolf." Surprised, I assured him that I wasn't a wolf. "You're a Mommy". Yep. I thought it was funny, but he's 2 so, sometimes he comes up with these random thoughts. The next morning we were setting up at Kid's Club (VBS) at church. Jen and I are running the games (we trade off with our boys). Elijah says, "I don't want to play that big, bad wolf game" Click! Now it makes sense to me. We played 'What time is it Mr. Wolf?' the day before with the 5/6 year old group and I was Mr. Wolf. I also remembered that that was when Elijah left the games room. Bingo. No, i'm not a wolf, I'm a Mommy.

Colour

I'm trying out a new colour scheme on here. Yes, I can decorate in colours that aren't mainly blue...what do you think?

I love a rainy night

Yes, I have Eddie Rabbit's old song going through my head. Saint John has experienced downpour conditions like I haven't seen since I left BC. And I love it! My maritime friends don't understand this about me, and quite frankly this is something I don't understand about Maritimers. They are wonderful people. 20 below and blowing snow doesn't phase them, but rain? Run for cover. Even light mist and kids are getting rides to school and looking at me oddly that I won't let them in the building early. Where are the rainboots? Where are the gortex jackets? Where are the umbrella's? I don't know. Most Maritimers seem not to have heard of such things. I feel sorry for these children who will have no fond memories of jumping in puddles, looking for earthworms, or taking a cup outside to see how much rainwater you can catch. Just listening to the rain pound down last night brought back fond memories of walks chasing rainbows, soccer games in the mud, and lazy Saturday afternoons with a movie, hot chocolate and popcorn. As much as I love it, I'm glad it will be sunny for Saturday because I did have a mild panic attack at the idea of having Elijah's birthday party inside...woo hoo, bring on the water balloons!

Something I took for granted

It's Kid's Club week at Stone (aka VBS) and I filled in for one of the drivers today to transport a couple of kids to and from the church. The kids I transported come from a rough neighbourhood. I know because I used to teach at the school they go to. (side note-I don't know who thought low-income housing neighbourhoods were a good idea, but they are not - but that is another blog note completely). As they piled in the car, they were surprised that I wouldn't let any of them sit in the front seat. I'm up on the latest safety stats, any kids under 12 are going in the backseat. That debate didn't surprise me too much, but the next one did. Put on your seatbelt. I thought seatbelts were a given...I was wrong. Not only, did I have to instruct them in wearing them, I had to show one girl how and then I had to get them to put the seatbelts back on when they undid them at a stoplight to stand up in the car (yes, I said stand up) because they wanted to look for groundhogs. Other things about this relatively short car ride surprised me. Like how much they noticed the hills on the road and cried "Whee" as we went down one of them. I talked to my friend Debbie about this afterwards and she reminded me of something I just didn't think about. These kids probably have had very few trips in a car. Whereas most of us have grown up in families with one if not 2 cars, they wouldn't have one. If they are going anywhere, they go on the bus, or they walk. Debbie also shared with me about driving a lady from the churchplant to a retreat last summer. The retreat was on Deer Island which is about an hour/hour and a half away from Saint John. The lady commented to Debbie what a long trip it was. Debbie was surprised by that. Apparently this was this lady's first trip anywhere, so of course it would seem very long. To me a trip like that is a drop in the bucket. I've been so blessed to have been raised by parents who love to travel. We went all over the West Coast of the States and through the Western Canadian Provinces when I was a kid. They took us on some really big trips and I thank them for that. I'm also very blessed to be married to a man with the travel bug too. The idea of not travelling is so foreign, that I forget that some people just don't. They don't have the opportunity. And for some the idea of travelling is just so far-fetched for their lives that it just wouldn't happen. I just sit here tonight amazed once again how the Lord has so thoroughly blessed me throughout my life and I'm humbled yet again.

The perfect drink

I was thinking last night how tea has to be the most perfect drink. There is nothing like a cup of tea to relax with. First thing in the morning I plug the kettle in for a cup to start my day. In the evening I plug the kettle in again to have a cup to unwind with. People are particular about how they like their tea. I'm a black tea kind of girl - Red Rose Orange Pekoe for the everyday, Murchies Empress Afternoon for special occassions. I take it with lots of milk, and one and a bit sugars. And not in a little teacup either, that's just a sip. We have these wonderful big mugs to use so I can sit down and enjoy it, not jump up right away to refill my cup. There's an art to getting tea right. I have wonderful memories of going to my Auntie Suzanne's for tea. She always made the best tea...got it just right. Some people make it too strong and it leaves a bitter taste, even with the sugar. My teapot takes 2 teabags for steeping...I don't know why people would throw in more, it just spoils it. I know the one thing Jonathan would change about me if he could would be that I would be a coffee drinker, I'm not. I don't like regular coffee (I know, a lot of you think that's the perfect drink). But pass me a cup of tea and I'm a happy girl.

Guilty Pleasures

So I've been a stay-at-home-mom for 4 months now. As managing 2 boys got a little easier, I have to own up to something that I would never do normally - watch daytime TV. I'm actually not a big TV watcher, movies yes, TV no. We don't subscribe to cable of any sort. Jonathan has rigged up an old am radio wire to serve as our antenna for the 3 channels we do get. As Jeremy settled into a routine, quite often he needs to be fed at noon hour...coincidentally, we need to be home for this feed so Elijah and I can have our lunch too...coincidentally, The View airs at this time. Yes, I admit it, I enjoy the first part of The View, the hen party. And I also admit, I enjoy it more now without Rosie. (and I can't believe I have an opinion about this). There's no political agenda, just women talking, the way the show used to be when I watched it back in university. I also can't believe I have an opinion about who should fill the 2 vacant spots in the fall and who should fill in for Elisabeth when she goes on mat. leave in November (the fact that I know this scares me slightly). The other daytime TV that I find myself getting sucked back into has been an on and off addiction since I was 11 and Patch and Kayla were getting married, Days of Our Lives. It is the only soap opera I have ever watched. And I haven't watched it in years...you know what, that really doesn't matter, it took me all of 3 shows to catch up, figure out which kids had been superaged and it was pretty easy to follow. So once a week (more or less), if Elijah is napping between 2 and 3, I tune in and enjoy this brainless feast.

About Canada Post

I would say most of the time Canada Post gets it right (well, we are still waiting for a birthday present my parents sent Jonathan in 2006) and this time they have got it really, really wrong.
About a month ago I got a phone call from my mom asking if I got my parcel. No, I hadn't. Well that's strange seeing as she had sent it a couple of weeks before. She had kept the receipt with the tracking number so I did some investigating. I checked it out and it looked to be in Montreal so we thought we'd wait and see. Mom and Dad went away on their trip to China and I kept looking into this package location for her. Much to my surprise the next place it was tracked to was Richmond, BC...yes, that's back towards where it came from. So I called. First, the lady didn't want to talk to me because I wasn't the one who sent it and really that should be the person calling, and I didn't know how much the postage was and I didn't know the contents...apparently, being in China is not a good enough reason not to track a package yourself. But she took my information and started a file.
I later received a message from one fellow saying that the package was listed as having a BC postal code on it and he would make a note in the computer system to override this and get it sent on to NB. Great! or so I thought. 2 weeks later mom is back from China and still no package...in fact I've watched it bounce back and forth between Richmond and Monteal more than once now.
Mom calls, speaks to a very nice lady that says I should have the package by Monday. Great! Monday comes and goes, no package. Tuesday comes and goes, no package. I call Mom.
Mom goes down to the post office...nothing they can do, call the 800 number...she can't interfere or she can be charged, but she'll leave a message for this fellow that we'd spoken to previously who handles all these things. Mom has his number and calls him herself. He's of no help, all he says (repeatedly) it that it has a wrong postal code on it. Mom says "Look, it was checked in to Richmond again this morning" She will go down there herself to pick it up. Apparently she can't do that as it is a huge warehouse.
Why isn't it being retuned to sender? - no real answer
Why does it keep getting sent out of BC if it has a BC postal code? - no real answer
So she says, fine, I want to collect my $100 insurance on it so I can re-purchase and send the items. - Ma-am, you can't do that because it is still in the system.
Seriously, at last count this package has been across this country 7 times! When do they decide, or notice that something is wrong? You'd think someone in one of these sorting plants would see some sort of discrepancy here. Well Canada, there is our government postal system hard at work.

Kristen, the amazing cleaning machine

No, I haven't improved my housekeeping skills, this is your clean due to neccessity clean machine. Elijah has decided that he doesn't want to wear diapers anymore (Yes! I have been waiting for this moment to arrive) After spending several trips back and forth to the potty ("Mommy, I have to pee now!") with no actual results, just a lot of waiting and looking, we decided to watch a video. Every 10 minutes or so, I'd ask..."do you have to pee?"
"No." Okay.
Reminder, "if you do have to pee, tell Mommy and run to the potty."
"Okay."
"What do you do?"
"Run to the potty." Okay.
I figure I can slip downstairs to switch over the laundry. I was wrong. The moment I hit the bottom step I hear a cry of "MOMMY!" I run back up..."I peed."
"Where?"
"Over there"...he points to a spot beside his chair. Okay, I sit him on the potty to reinforce the use the potty to pee idea, clean up the pee spot and get him some clean underpants. Not 15 minutes later, he looks at me, "I'm peeing Mommy"...I pick him up, sprint to the potty, he giggles his head off as I say this is as fast as you have to go...He sits on the potty and waits as I go, clean up the pee trail from the living room to the bathroom, this time get him an Easy-up diaper...then I hear a shout of joy from the washroom, "I did it!, I peed in the potty!" Great! we celebrate...this is the moment Jeremy chooses to spit up all over me...Okay. I clean it up...finish getting Elijah redressed, attempt to get Jeremy to nap, when I hear an "Oh, no" come from Elijah's room. I go and look..."My music box broke" I look and see glass everywhere and glitter water, all over the wall, the floor and his dresser cabinet. Somehow, he had climbed to the top of the 5 foot structure and knocked it down. I stay calm (Amazing really when you think about it)...you know what, it's nap time, way overdue naptime for both of you. (translation=Mommy needs a break!) I let Elijah nap in our bed, and amazingly enough he actually falls asleep, Jeremy is kind enough to sleep long enough to allow me to clean up the glitter water/glass mess in Elijah's room before screaming his head off. Apparently, he doesn't want to sleep in the swing, he'd rather sleep in my arms...I wonder if at some point this evening I'll actually get to the cleaning I was meant to do today, I now have extra laundry to do!

And the winner is...

Paul Potts! Woo Hoo...from Cell Phone Warehouse guy to Opera Star!

Canadian Cuties

Hey everyone, check out my boys at Please Mum

More Connie and my thoughts on British TV

Jonathan and I went to England in 2004. One thing I absolutely enjoyed while there was British TV. They have fun shows, great personalities (I adore Ant and Dec), wonderful humour...it's just good entertainment. Apparently, Americans think so too as most of reality TV has been taken from a British show. I started to get hooked on a show called the X Factor, which featured both Simon Cowell (yes, I enjoy Simon) and Sharon Osbourne. I didn't get to see all of the series, just some of it. I understand that it has since run 2 more seasons. What I do give cudos to the internet for is that I can enjoy British TV once again. I am hooked on Britain's Got Talent. The website won't let me watch clips as I'm not in their region, but I can watch them on YouTube. (not the whole show of course, but the best of the best). The Semi-finals are over and my 2 favorites, Connie Talbot and Paul Potts have made it to the finals. Which of these 2 will get to entertain the Queen? Maybe neither...there are 4 other contenders. I'm kinda leaning towards Paul at this point, although I believe that 6 year old Connie has gained a huge world-wide following via YouTube. Here's her semi-final performance:

And on with gardening

I've now learned what a daunting task weeding can be. I actually don't know how to tell the difference between what is supposed to be growing in there and what isn't...at first. Now, some things are becoming clear so...I'm weeding around what I know and leaving the rest. It is actually quite relaxing if I look at it a little bit at a time and not the whole garden, which becomes overwhelming and makes me want to give up altogether. There's something about the repetitiveness of it, sitting there with the baby in my lap that I enjoy. Knowing that I'm actually growing real vegetables is exciting too. We ate green onions from the garden last week! I know that we are growing peas, beans, lettuce, tomatoes and herbs successfully too...we'll see about the rest in time.

More Paul Potts

Britain's Got Talent

I was looking around on You Tube yesterday for new things to watch with Elijah (like any other preschooler he likes repetition) and found these. I think the British version is way better than the American from what I can see.

Hey Ya! - Charlie Brown Style

Why I love 2

I love watching all the stages that my boys go through, some are more pleasant than others granted, but most are endearing. Example: Elijah's pronounciation, he tends to add a syllable to a number of words:
hospital=hos-i-pit-al
Piglet=Pig-il-et
yogurt=yog-ur-et
but then he will leave off syllables of other words as if to even things out:
computer=pu-ter
I also enjoy the complete innocence of his age. Example: Yesterday, he came in from playing outside and told me he just needed to get something. "Okay" I said. He went to his room and came back moments later without any clothes on, carrying his bathing suit and heading out the door. "Whoa, wait a minute, where are you going?"
"I'm just going to play in the sprink-e-ler with Jillian"
"Let me get you dressed first buddy"
He's also pretty funny trying to express his independance. Example: We were leaving Chapters on Saturday and just as we get outside he says to me, "oh, I forgot something, I'll be back in one second" (oh really, I think), "what did you forget?"
"My jamanama"
"what's a jamanama?"
"it's a bamming" he answers ever so matter a factly.
Yes, my son is full of wonderful made up words like bamming and jamanama that he uses frequently in conversation. Every night at bedtime he tosses his hand toward me as I head out the door and says "here's your manama" , I make sure I give him some manama too.
Also, yesterday Elijah decided he needed a jacket, so he put on his winter coat, pulled up the hood and played outside in his shorts. It was a pretty funny sight.
And what conversation on being 2 and independant is complete without a comment on potty training? After 2 lovely hassle-free successful potty days, Elijah decided to declare the potty, his pull-ups and his underpants his mortal enemies...don't you even dare mention them unless you want to witness the master of all fits...clearly, he's not yet ready.
Yes, when they are miserable, they are really miserable, but when they are lovely, they are really lovely creatures, 2 year olds are. He gives the most wonderful cuddles and complements. "Mom, you're pretty, you're beautiful"
And they are funny creatures. This morning the poor dear fell and bumped his head. As I scooped him up to comfort him I kissed him better and asked "are you okay?" "I bumped my head, that's why I'm crying" (just in case I missed it).
Another time I asked for a kiss and he said "we don't have any kisses, but we have a holiday kiss" "can I have a holiday kiss" "nope, we are all out" "what kind of kisses do you have?" "we have a hos=i=pit=al kiss, and a doctor kiss and a holy kiss..." I did get one eventually.

My Saturday on my own

This past weekend Jonathan was away in Fredericton at Synod. So I had the task of getting myself and both boys ready to pick him up. Elijah is fairly easy to get ready, once you convince him not to stay in his pyjamas all day. I also had muffins and bananas on hand for breakfast so that was easy...or should be until Jeremy woke up and needed to eat so I basically handed the muffin container to Elijah and let him go at 'er. After Jeremy was happily fed, I started to get his bath ready, reminding myself continuously not to forget to bring his towel with me because there was no other adult in the house to rescue me. As I'm on my way to the tub with Jeremy and a towel, I hear a cry of "I need help please." Elijah is coming towards me carrying the jug of chocolate milk. My first thought is exasperation, but he says "please Mommy, I can't do it"...and I look and see he also has a sippy cup out and the regular milk out to pour half and half. So I put Jeremy down and help Elijah out. After getting Jeremy successfully in the bath, congratulating myself on having a towel close at hand I realise I have no washcloth. The only person who can help me out is Elijah. So I call out "Elijah, can you please get Mommy a baby washcloth?" "I can't" "Yes you can, please go now" "I'm just busy dancing now" rrrrgggghhhh! After some convincing and threats of toys taken away he finally gives in. I finish getting Jeremy ready. I get Elijah resettled with 321 Penguins on, Jeremy happily babbling away to his mobile animals and here's the trick of the day, attempt to get my own shower in. Just as I'm about to shampoo I hear, a crying baby...shoot...ouch! shampoo in my eye (when do I ever do that?) "mom, baby is crying!" comes the shout from the hall. "I know" as I frantically rinse the stinging shampoo out of my eye. So I finally get finished and dressed and race to the crib to find a smiling baby cooing...he had self soothed. Okay, deep breath. I move Jeremy to the bassinet by my bed a begin to fold the laundry and then Jeremy does something I'd only read about in books, he fell asleep on his own in his bassinet. Not nursing, not rocking, not in the car, but on his own completely. I'd heard about this but I thought it was some myth made up to make parents feel inadequate. This unexpected miracle allowed me to finish the laundry and spend some time playing with Elijah before we had to truck out to Fredericton...hmmm, maybe we'll get through the 2 weeks Jonathan will be away this summer after all.

my pirate name

My pirate name is:

Captain Grace Flint

Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Jill Inspires me yet again

Jill recently wrote about being the encyclopedia for her son's world. It was one of those read it and smile moments for me, nodding my head and relating, "so true, so true". Jill's son, Andrew is only weeks apart in age from Elijah...he too uses us as his encyclopedia of the world. Most enjoyable, or exasperating depending on your mood are his questions about his brother.
"Where's Baby Mommy?" *side note, I'm sure Jeremy will love being called Baby by Elijah 13 years from now
"Right here Elijah"
"Is Baby sleeping?"
"Yes"
"Does Baby have eyes?"
"Yes"
"Are his eyes closed?"
"Yes"
"Why?"
"because he is sleeping"
"I have eyes, right Mommy?"
"Yes, you have eyes"
"And baby has eyes too!"
"Yes, you both have eyes"
"And Mommy and Daddy have eyes"
"Yes, we all have eyes"
"Mommy and Daddy and Jeremy and Elijah all have eyes"
"Yes"
"Does baby have a nose?"...
and so it continues

He also thinks I know everybody we see.

"Who's that Mommy?"
"A lady"
"what lady"
"the lady at the store"
"the lady at the store?"
"yes"
"what is she doing?"
"she's shopping"
"she's shopping?"
"yes"
"like Mommy and Jeremy and Elijah?"
"yes"
"what's her name?"
"I don't know"
"why?"
"because I don't know her"
"she's a lady mommy?"
"yes"
"at the store"
"yes"...
and so it continues again

My boys

It has ben a while since I've really sat down to blog. The evil called Facebook has overtaken my online time. I've even started importing my blog to Facebook, just because I can.
So today is Jeremy's 3 month birthday...officially ending the 4th trimester. The question I get asked the most is how is he like Elijah? Well...they are very different. Jeremy is much more social than Elijah was (than Elijah ever was really). He is full of smiles for everyone and has no problem being held by someone that isn't me. Elijah is much more cautious when it comes to new people and people that aren't us. Jeremy is a happy baby who love to smile and "talk" to us. Already he loves to jump with Jonathan...a game that Elijah loved at the same age. Pretty soon he will be able to go into the Jolly Jumper. He's also pretty portable, on a good schedule and I can take him pretty much anywhere...Elijah was like that too. The great thing about breastfeeding is that you can breastfeed anywhere...you don't have to worry about mixing formula and making the bottle the right temperature. I also always carry a nursing canopy in my diaper bag, which helps. Actually, Jeremy won't take a bottle from me at all. He has taken one from our friend Debbie, who has looked after him a couple of times, but not me...he's like, that is not what I want mom...I want the good stuff. The only funny thing with Jeremy is that he seems to know that the bassinet is for sleeping at night. He won't sleep in it during the day. He will sleep in my arms, in the stroller, in the car, or in the swing, but not the bassinet. So on my friend Jill's reccommendation I bought a sling. I got it yesterday, made locally from a girl here in Saint John. Very well priced if you are looking for one, I'll give you her email. So far, so good. We're still figuring out the best way for Jeremy to be the most comfortable, but he seems happy to be in it, or sleep in it and I can still get work done in the house. The other big difference between Jeremy and Elijah is that Jeremy won't take a soother. Elijah had his until he was about 18 months old and Jeremy spits them out. He has started to suck on his fingers...I sucked my thumb for a long time, so we'll see how long this habit lasts. The good thing with the soother was that we could "lose" it.
Elijah is coming into his own at 2 (almost 3). He is quite the musician/actor/athlete. He has a great imagination and sense of humour. He likes to tell stories about when he was a teenager. This morning he told me he didn't like Daddy. I asked why and he said because Daddy is a giant and giants squish people. Later on I found out that Elijah had climbed into the futon with Jonathan in the middle of the night (because Jeremy sleeps in our room, usually one of us ends up on the futon at some point to get more sleep)...anyways, Jonathan had a dream that he was hugging Elijah...I guess that is when the giant was squishing him and so he left and crawled into bed with me instead. Elijah also told me recently that he was going to college to study music...we'll see how true that is 15 years from now. The next 2 months are going to be long months as now he knows about birthdays and keeps asking for his party. This Sunday at church we sang Happy Birthday to a congregation member. At the end Elijah called out "Where's the cake?" Oh and to answer the other question we get a lot, Yes Elijah likes his baby brother and is looking forward to when Jeremy can really play with him. Right now, he enjoys holding him and talking to him and singing to him. He does not like other people stopping us in the stores to see Jeremy. "That's my baby, you don't talk to him!" is the response from Elijah. And that's a brief description of my boys at this point in time...I better log off now and clean the pizza sauce of Elijah's face!

funny church moments

My beautiful garden...

...is missing one daffodil and one tulip courtesy of my 2 year old son and his 6 year old friend.

I saw it

Yep, I just saw the first Brenda/Kelly fight on 90210. What a moment of television history. Our sitter just lent me the first season. What a way to relive my teenage years...did we really dress like that? You don't think you are going to be dated until you look back 15 years later. Yikes!

When did friendship get so complicated?

Today I changed my name. No, you don't have to start calling me Francine, or, Summer, or anything like that. In the online world of Facebook, I changed my name to include my maiden name. Why? I know it is a little rediculous, but I am just tired of contacting old friends that I haven't seen since before I was married and doing the whole "you knew me as..."thing. And I realise how silly the whole thing is. Were I to run into these people at a mall or a reunion of some sort we'd just see each other and have instant recognition; but, because we live in a world where we reunite online we have some explaining to do. I think most of us agree that it is fun finding old friends and catching up...I'm having a great time, but still, it's an odd phenomenon don't you think?

I'm not ready for this...

Elijah is 2. Up until now, pretty much all of his play with other kids has been at daycare, church, playgroup, or playdates with kids of my friends. Now, he's friends with the little girl who lives in the house behind us who is 6. I'm totally fine with this, except I just find it so weird that he has a friend over whose mother I don't know really well and whose mother is not over at the same time for a visit while the kids play. I wasn't expecting him to have a friendship like this until he was at least 4.

Adventures in Gardening

I'm very excited about my garden this year. Things that I've planted (not inherited from the previous owners) are starting to bloom and grow. Here's a shot of one of my daffodils that Elijah and I planted last fall, and the shoots of my shallots I planted at the end of April.

Who are you like?

When I was firstborn, my mom took one look at me and said, "There's little Neal". Elijah, no question is little Jonathan...and Jeremy? Take a look, here's me as a wee one ane Jeremy a week or so ago. What do you think?

Anniversary

Jonathan and I picked a great weekend to get married, Mother's Day weekend, 2 weeks after his birthday (you should see our fireplace mantle, it is littered with cards!). Each year we alternate who plans a date for the event (one does Valentine's and the other does anniversary). This year was my year for the anniversary. #5 if anyone is counting. We made it into a day long event...hot breakfast of crepes, lunch out at Kredles in Hampton (we lived out in Hampton when we were first married) and a surprise location for the evening date. Yes, we got a sitter for this part, only my 2nd time leaving Jeremy (thanks Debbie!). Jonathan was so convinced that we were going to see Spiderman 3. We always go to the movies. Well, I got him this year. This year, we went to see Robin Mark. Oh, what a great time! It has been so long since Jonathan and I really got to worship together and I'm so glad that we did. Geoff Moore opened the show, and I really enjoyed him. A good mix of humour in with his message and music. And Robin Mark was fantastic. The funny thing about going to a Christian concert is the audience. Is it a concert? Is it a worship event? Do you sit down? Do you stand? I wanted to stand right from the beginning and it was driving me nuts, so by the third song, I leaned over and told Jonathan I was going to the back because I couldn't sit anymore. He joined me there and we had a great time singing and dancing and worshipping. What an amazing way to celebrate our marriage, keep it focussed on the One who keeps us together.

Happy Mother's Day...a few days late

I awoke Sunday morning a little later than usual...no 2 year old boy came to my room, instead, just the 2 month old calling from the bassinet to be fed. As I nursed Jeremy, I heard noises from the kitchen. I knew better than to go and look. Jonathan and Elijah were cooking breakfast. A while later, Elijah bounded into my bedroom calling out " Happy Mother's Day Mom! Here you go. Happy Birthday, here's your card! I love you!" (well, my birthday is not for another 6 months, but celebrations of any sort mean birthday to Elijah). After looking at my beautiful homemade card, I was finally invited into the kitchen for breakfast...waffles on my new waffle maker. MMMM, yummy! What a great way to start the day...well, not half an hour later, Elijah was in a time out for something...Jonathan said, "well, there's your mother's day"...it's all part of being a mom. When they are sweet, they are very sweet, when they aren't...

Silly Bird

The robin is now trying to get in through Jeremy's bedroom window

perserverance

So about that Robin, he does that every day now. Not just our ding room window, but yesterday he tried the bathroom window and today he added the side door window too.

Kris's gardening saga take 2

Last year, I had an excitement about gardening that waned when I realised just how much garden I had to take care of. In the fall, I faced my garden, weeded and pruned back for the winter, planted bulbs and waited. Well, my bulbs are popping up into flowers (very encouraging), and I have a new gardening plan! Elijah and I planted a vegetable garden in the main patch last week...I'm just hoping one vegetable takes, anything beyond that is a bonus! I've also decided to take out 2 of the garden plots and transplant the plants to another area...just to make is more manageable for me (the previous owners of the house were lovely retired people with lots of time and no toddlers). I'm also exploring the possibilities of the greenhouse...any tips on growing tomatoes, herbs and cantalope out there? To be continued...

It's that time!

I'm so excited I have that feeling inside that is bursting out...the sun is shining! It is spring! The buds are out on the trees, my daffs and tulips are popping up, I've planted my summer garden and I want to be outside all the time, I want to bbq, I want to take daytrips, I just love this time of year!

What was I worried about?

A few months back while I was very pregnant, I wondered a lot about the new baby. Mostly, I wondered how would I feel about the baby. I love Elijah so much and couldn't imagine life without him and worried would I feel like that about this one? As I said to Jonathan, "we don't know that one, we know this one, that one is a stranger to our family"...well, I laugh now because what everyone told me is true. You fall just as madly in love with your second as you do with your first and now I can't imagine life without him. He is just the lovliest baby boy. And he is one of the family.

Migratory patterns of birds

This morning Jonathan said, 'do you hear that?'..."thump" and then again "thump"...Stupid Robin, tried to fly through our dining room window for at least an hour.

Adventures in Haircutting

I don't know what is is about being a mom, but suddenly you believe that you have all these mom abilities that you never had before , but being a mom somehow qualifies you. Cutting hair is one of these things. I've been cutting Elijah's hair for a year and a half now, and it's not bad...esp. since I just use the clippers. But you know you start to think that you are more talented than you are. The hair around Elijah's ears was driving me nuts, it was always looking long and shaggy, so last night I thought I'll just snip it with scissors...oops! My poor son now has a slight bald patch around his right ear...and of course I had to make somewhat of a match on the left (that one is neater) and then blend the whole haircut together...So poor Elijah who was told that Mom was just going to snip, ended with up a full unattractive haircut. Well at least hair grows back.

Announcements!

Jeremy

I caved...

So I joined Facebook yesterday and I'm feeling all of my coolness factor has faded into oblivion. Whatever level of it I once had is gone now. Until Jaclyn told me about Facebook on Thursday, I didn't know it existed (yes, Jen, I know you invited me a while back, but I didn't get what it was about). Apparently the rest of the world does though because they are all there. I'm still figuring it out. I guess when you are living a life when you are dancing to the music of the Backyardigans while you make KD for your 2 year old you realise that life has indeed changed!

That's my favorite

Elijah has a new love...it's called Gramma and Grandpa's big TV. Not only does it have a clear signal (we don't have cable, so we play with an antenna), it has Treehouse TV anytime of the day. Max and Ruby, the Backyardigans, Thomas, Bob the Builder, Franklin and Miffy. Elijah's world was opened up past the videos we borrow from the library. Now that we are home, how do I meet this entertainment fix for my son? Well now that our internet is fixed (we haven't had it since we've been home this past week and a bit), we have discovered treehousetv.com which has a link for TV clips that fortunate for me I can play and check my email at the same time. Currently playing are the Backyardigans (or the Backyard Kids according to Elijah). There's a whole TV culture out there that I had no idea about. There was no such thing as preschool TV when I was a kid...I have some fond memories of Sesame Street, Mr. Dressup and the Friendly Giant...but it was not 24 hours a day, 7 days a week solid. I'm kinda glad we don't have cable...I'd rather he get his energy out and play. Remember play? It's what kids did before kidtv and video games. Did you know that the biggest growing video game market is for the under 3 crowd? Rediculous really. And that's today's rant.

It has been a week and then some...

I'm posting from my parent's place in Abbotsford today. We've been here for over a week now and still have some time to go. My mother-in-law, Carole passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the end of March. It has been a very strange time. I knew we'd have to deal with the deaths of our parents one day, but I always figured it would be much much later down the road. It is a very strange time to be here. I keep thinking and wondering why we haven't seen Carole yet, and then I remember. She was a very loving woman who was always ready for a hug or a prayer. I miss her very much.

And we are surviving

Here we are lacking sleep, fighting off colds, watching too much Blue's Clues and enjoying every minute of Jeremy's life with us. There are things about newborns that I love that I totally forgot about. Some like all night cluster feeding I think God programs us to forget or we'd never have more than one baby. Others, like their smell, their facial expressions and their tiny toes you want to hold onto forever. Elijah says Jeremy smells like a bowl of honey. I asked him what he smells like and he answered popcorn. As tired as I am, I do cherish the little moments. Like the 4 in the morning feeding where you feel like you and your baby are the only people in the world. (this is only special if you don't have the baby blues, otherwise that contentment turns into a feeling of abandonment). I've had those moments too, but what gets me through is knowing this time around that newborn doesn't last forever. I got through it before and I will get through it again. I look at Elijah and wonder where the last 2 and a half years went...it makes me cherish my time with him and Jeremy all the more. I love my boys and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I thank Jonathan for all he does to make this time as easy on me as possible, Jill for encouraging me 7 weeks down the road from us, and everyone else who have sent along messages of love and well wishes and prayers...they are much appreciated.

Only if you are from Abby...

You know you're from Abbotsford when:

1. You aren't sure whether marijuana is legal or not.
2. You can swear in Punjabi, English and Mennonite (Darnit!)
3. You've hunted mailboxes
4. You see a gas station on every corner.
5. You see a church on every corner.
6. You see a grow-op on every corner.
7. Five degrees is really cold and twenty is really hot.
8. Rain is a part of daily life.
9. You secretly have a firm stance on the great Blueberry Cannon Debate.
10.You don't get excited about Christmas lights anymore because people keep them up all year round.
11. Your town's automall is bigger than the actual mall.
12. You don't think seven hockey arenas is enough.
13. Your town has had 2 mayors even.
14. Your current mayor is an octogenarian.
15. You know when the Diwali festival is.
16. You know when the Berry Festival is.
17. You've grown accustomed to the smell of cow manure in the morning.
18. Going to Vancouver is a long day trip.
19. You use the Trans-Canada highway to get around
20. You know you only have two dates with a girl to score before you have to start taking her to the same places again.
21. Someone asks you where you're from, and you answer, " Vancouver ."
22. You tell someone you're from Abbotsford and they ask, "Where?"
23. Bowling is the highlight of your day.
24. Your yard is the drainage center for all of Washington and Vancouver's pollution.
25. You know what the "big orange bubble" is
26. You know how to spell and pronounce "Trethewey"
27. You celebrated your 25th birthday and 6th wedding anniversary in the same year.... at Sneakers.
28. You don't need Playland, because you got the Agrifair.
29. You've noticed your 'water tower' is really a cheese tower.
30. You know what the 'mechanical vacuum gorillas' are.
31. You know where to go for Karaoke 5 nights a week.
32. You sit on a bench which is actually a paint palette, farm machinery or a creepy guy.
33. You consider a gravel pit a decent place to meet up and hang out.
34. You're SO much better than those kids in Mission
35. The flea-market is a must-go-to-event on Sunday... after everyone goes to church of course
36. You have been part of the glory days partying up on Sandy Hill before there were houses there
37. You see ten people that you know walking two blocks to a convenience store
38. You hate Chilliwack . I mean the Chillbillies.
39. You develop asthma.
40. Your city is both the murder capital and bible belt of Canada .

Jill always finds these things...

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The 1st Week Part 2

The 1st Week Part 1

Just in case you missed the email!

Jeremy Neal Kenneth Springthorpe was born this
evening March 6th at 7:10pm, weighing 8 pounds 3
and 1/2 ounces. He is named after Jeremiah in the
Bible (OT one of Jonathan's favorite OT Prophets,
and we also really like the name!) and after
Kristen's Father, Neal, and her Grandfather,
Kenneth.

Both Mom and Baby are doing fine. Kristen will
e-mail more details I am sure, once her and
Jeremy are home.

Thanks for your Prayers, and well wishes,

Jonathan

Doctors should not be allowed to do this...and other pregnant notes

So at my appointment on Friday, my doctor says to me...this baby is coming this weekend. All the signs point in that direction. Great, I'm ready, I'll have time to do my last minute packing and make sure that the house is all in order. We call my parents and Jonathan's sister to put them on standby. We call our friends that are going to look after Elijah to let them know that he'll probably be coming this weekend. And then we wait, and wait, and wait. And I re-read about labour and delivery and breathing techniques and all of that. Jonathan makes sure that the driveway is ready (because you know there's a storm of course). And sure enough I have early labour symptoms (so many, that I start thinking the book checklist is made for this moment). And I count contractions. And I start getting consistant contractions...20 minutes apart...up to 10 minutes apart for a good hour. And they do get stronger and more painful...and then nothing. Stops completely. In fact I've had very few contractions today and very mild and nothing consistant. So here we are, ready for church...and who knows how long until this baby will come. I guess that's false labour for you...at least it didn't get as far as some people who get all the way up to 3 minute apart contractions consistantly, go to the hospital, only to have them stop altogether and be sent home.
Oh, yes, the other pregnant notes:
1) Girls, when you buy your maternity clothes, nothing will fit you right in the last weeks of pregnancy...even if your pants fit very well when you get dressed in the morning, they inevitably will slide down during the course of the day...several times...trust me, it is no fun having to keep re-adjusting your pants while grocery shopping.
2) The concept of get as much rest as you can before the baby comes is a joke...if only because you can only sleep on your side and when that side gets uncomfortable, you can't just roll over...you actually have to physically sit up and then turn over to the other side.
3) Take a 2 year old with you to the doctor's appointments...they learn to lose their fear of the doctor (they still get the sticker) and you get extra checkups at home. Elijah has found my old school keys key ring that is like a long necklace that has become his baby heart rate monitor. He "checks" the baby with it daily, complete with the static sound and heartbeats. He also takes a tape measure to measure the baby and would take my blood pressure, I'm sure if we had something resembling that too.

Elijah the pancake-aholic

Ask Elijah what his favorite food is lately, it's pancakes. In fact, we've had so many pancakes for breakfast lately that yesterday, I made a batch for him and Jonathan and then made myself poached eggs and toast, just to take a break. So, how many pancakes does the average 2 1/2 year old boy eat? Personally, I eat 2 or 3 and I'm done, so I would assume Elijah would eat the same or less. Nope, not my boy. His current record is 7. His average pancake intake a day is 6. Seriously, I can't get them off the pan fast enough for him. I serve him 2 at a time and just finish the next set in time for hear "more please". I know I don't have to make him pancakes every day, but how do you resist when he comes up in the morning all sleepy eyed and loving and says..."hug and a kiss mommy" and then says "pancakes please mommy". It's kind of a nice ritual in the morning too...he helps make the batter (the recipe that I pretty much have memorised now). And I know he's getting a good breakfast to start the day. I don't have to look far to figure out where he gets this pancake love from. The last 2 year old that I knew that ate pancakes so much? My brother Jeff. Family legend has 2 pancake stories in it. The first was when we were staying at our auntie's house for the weekend and she couldn't keep up with his pancake demand either (every time she turned around his plate was empty...so she says). The other was on vacation at Samba's (?) for breakfast where they made silver dollar pancakes for kids. I think you got 10 a serving. Jeff ate his and half of mine and some of Krystal and Danielle's (family friends) as well. So Elijah comes by it honestly. It's getting to be pretty funny, this pancake thing. Last night at supper, he asks for pancakes and I said that he could have some for breakfast tomorrow, but it was suppertime now. He looks at me very seriously and replies, "I want it breaket time now".

This, my friends, is what very pregnant looks like!

39 weeks and counting

Blog Blab Blah and Baby Poll

So after a month of not being able to post I believe I suffer from a phenonmenon called Blog Blab Blah. Most random thoughts were not captured in this past month, and there was so much that I wanted to post that now I'm suffering from overload and don't know where to begin, or even if I need too because really, most is just random thoughts and everyday details. I can catch you up a bit on my life in the last month.
Surprise, surprise I'm more pregnant than ever. Although I think that is kind of a misnomer because really, there isn't such a thing as a little bit pregnant, you either are or you aren't...I'm just further along (39 weeks, if you are counting). I've now been on mat leave for a week and a half, and that is some transition during the school year (my mat leave with Elijah started during summer vacation, so it was different). I've already been back at the school 3 times. Twice to meet with my replacement and once for the variety show (way to go Jaclyn and Angela! great job...Fame!). I've also had to transition into the idea that I don't have to follow a schedule, I don't have to be anywhere at any particular time, I can just relax (this is surprisingly difficult for me!).
I finished up at the gym last Friday (yes, I worked out for the 1st 38 weeks of my pregnancy, that does not make me some sort of hero.)
I'm enjoying my last bit of just me and Elijah time...somewhat melencholy with this because I know I won't get the same kind of time with him once the baby is here.
The baby's room and all that goes along with it seems to be ready, yes I'm excited for the baby to be here, but I'm enjoying this last bit of time before the birth, because I know what newborn reality is like. I remember not sleeping (and I didn't have a toddler around the last time). So I am napping whenever possible and enjoying books and bubble baths. Jonathan and I went out for what I believe will be our last dinner and a movie date for a while (Music and Lyrics, worth it to see Hugh Grant in 80's mode). For the record, at this point, I do not know what the sex of the baby is. And there is no majority in people's guesses either. With Elijah, 99% said boy, this baby 50-50, so half of us will be surprised in the next couple of weeks (I say couple because although, I know I could have this baby any day, Elijah was born a week late, and I'm kind of fond of the week late option...as if I have any say in the matter.) So here's your chance for a baby poll...What sex do you think the baby will be? What day? What weight? Put your answer in my comments box, just for fun.

One Week to go, here's where I was a month ago

Here's a couple of pregnant poses for you! These were taken at 34 weeks.

3rd time's a charm?

I certainly hope so! This is of course, my 3rd blog, this one created out of sheer frustration (and supposedly, I'm a patient person). You can see my original blog at: http://kspring.spaces.live.com/ and my second blog at:
http://kristensrantsandraves.blogspot.com/ So now I begin the process all over again and we'll see how it goes. You can blame the switch to BETA on this blog because my second blog has yet to get switched over and I've been waiting months. And now for some reason I can't even access the dashboard anymore, and I just got tired of waiting to post. So here I am!