Last Thursday, both Matthew and Kayla woke up sick. Their biggest symptom was having a fever, although Matthew did throw up three times that day. By Thursday evening Jon had a fever. On Friday morning I woke up with a fever. It's really difficult to take care of three kids (two of which are sick) when you feel awful yourself. To make matters worse, it was a snow day and I couldn't even take the kids outside to enjoy the snow. I did send them outside by themselves, but they only lasted 15 minutes before they were bored.
Today is Thursday, a week later, and I'm STILL sick. This darn fever won't go away! I'm tired of not feeling well. Luckily Jon seems to be better now so at least I can take it easy.
After struggling with infertility for three years, we were blessed with the birth of Matthew and Kayla in March 2011 (by in vitro) , Nathan in October 2013 (by frozen embryo transfer), and Olivia in August 2015 (naturally!). We are loving every moment (well, almost!) of our lives as parents.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Keeping Busy in December
**There's another new post below this one**
Here's a few photos of some of what we've been doing in December...
Colouring egg cartons
Swimming at Surrey Sport & Leisure Centre with Jon. Nathan LOVED it. He was in the water with us the entire time and was completely content.
Watching the Cloverdale Christmas Parade with Jon's parents.
Visiting Oma Vander Ende (my great-grandmother) at Elim.
Playing in the garage on a rainy day.
Being a handsome date for the BackCheck Christmas party.
Visiting Santa Claus at Port Kells Nursery.
Two Months Old!
Nathan, although he had a rough start to feeding, is nicely gaining weight now, weighing 15lb 9oz. He's now starting to wear his 6-9 month clothes, which still baffles me. I'm so glad he's not my first because we would have never gotten any use out of any of his (what would have been new) smaller-sized clothing. It's crazy how fast he's growing out of things. I've never been so busy with packing away one size and pulling out boxes of the next size.
- Has started to go from happy to angry in just seconds. He's not spoiled at all...
- Really enjoys sitting in his bouncy chair or laying under his play mat. He doesn't intentionally touch the hanging toys, but loves looking at the.
- Has started to follow people's movements.
- Always has smiles for Jon. ALWAYS. I actually don't mind because then Jon doesn't mind to hold him more often, knowing that he's the favourite :).
- Usually does a five hour stretch of sleep when he first goes to bed, and then three hour stretches after that.
- Drinks 4 oz of milk, about 9 times a day. 4 oz is never enough for him, and he usually lets out a cry of anger when he's done.
- Drinks every two hours during the day when he's awake.
- He's very unscheduled. The days we stay at home he barely naps. The days we're out and about running errands or at my parents' he'll easily sleep what seems like all morning/afternoon, only waking to be fed. He seems to typically cat nap throughout the day, and have one longer nap, at any random point.
- Doesn't mind being in his car seat.
- Knows what he wants. He won't take the soother if it's not what he's fussing for.
- Has amazing neck control. Pretty soon I'll be able to try him out in the bumbo and exersaucer.
- Is constantly on the receiving end of kisses from Matthew. Matthew absolutely ADORES him, and is always smothering him with hugs and kisses. Nathan actually quite enjoys Matthew's company, for the most part.
- Is starting to get watery eyes/tears when he cries. He doesn't cry very often. Like, never, actually. He just fusses enough to get our attention when he is tired or hungry and we either hold him or feed him. He's actually very easy...just unpredictable.
- Has started to go from happy to angry in just seconds. He's not spoiled at all...
- Really enjoys sitting in his bouncy chair or laying under his play mat. He doesn't intentionally touch the hanging toys, but loves looking at the.
- Has started to follow people's movements.
- Always has smiles for Jon. ALWAYS. I actually don't mind because then Jon doesn't mind to hold him more often, knowing that he's the favourite :).
- Usually does a five hour stretch of sleep when he first goes to bed, and then three hour stretches after that.
- Drinks 4 oz of milk, about 9 times a day. 4 oz is never enough for him, and he usually lets out a cry of anger when he's done.
- Drinks every two hours during the day when he's awake.
- He's very unscheduled. The days we stay at home he barely naps. The days we're out and about running errands or at my parents' he'll easily sleep what seems like all morning/afternoon, only waking to be fed. He seems to typically cat nap throughout the day, and have one longer nap, at any random point.
- Doesn't mind being in his car seat.
- Knows what he wants. He won't take the soother if it's not what he's fussing for.
- Has amazing neck control. Pretty soon I'll be able to try him out in the bumbo and exersaucer.
- Is constantly on the receiving end of kisses from Matthew. Matthew absolutely ADORES him, and is always smothering him with hugs and kisses. Nathan actually quite enjoys Matthew's company, for the most part.
- Is starting to get watery eyes/tears when he cries. He doesn't cry very often. Like, never, actually. He just fusses enough to get our attention when he is tired or hungry and we either hold him or feed him. He's actually very easy...just unpredictable.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Little Bear
Matthew and Kayla LOVE watching Little Bear. Through Shaw's Video-On-Demand we have endless access to hundreds of episodes, at no cost to us. It's great! Matthew is in love with the character 'Duck'. She's kind of ditsy which cracks Matthew up. He also loves it when Little Bear is hiding or peeking at someone. Kayla tries to laugh when Matthew does, but it's not a sincere laugh.
Kayla has now developed a fear of scary creatures on cartoons. I first realized this when she started creeping towards me during an episode of Little Bear where there's a bear monster in it. She started hiding behind my shoulder while we were on the couch, and then started crying every time the monster showed. It happened again during an episode this morning when Father Bear was pretending that his foot was a sea monster while having a bath. It's really cute, in a sad sort of way. She's definitely my daughter!
Kayla has now developed a fear of scary creatures on cartoons. I first realized this when she started creeping towards me during an episode of Little Bear where there's a bear monster in it. She started hiding behind my shoulder while we were on the couch, and then started crying every time the monster showed. It happened again during an episode this morning when Father Bear was pretending that his foot was a sea monster while having a bath. It's really cute, in a sad sort of way. She's definitely my daughter!
Monday, December 9, 2013
Potty Training Update
After our crazy day last week that ended on a high, Matthew has been 100% day-trained (he manages to stay dry during his nap, but he still has to wear a diaper to bed a night)! We have not had any accidents (knock on wood), which has been amazing. I don't even have to constantly ask him if he has to pee...he just tells me when he has to go. It's definitely a little extreme right now as he likes to come out of bed two or three times each evening just to do pee, but I'm hoping this is only temporary as being potty trained is still new for him. Regardless, I'm thrilled that he actually turned out to be easy to train!
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Things Kayla has said
Matthew and Kayla both love shouting out what colour the lights are at intersections when we approach them. On the way to Guildford Mall a week or two ago I accidentally ran a red light. Kayla must have heard me say, "Oh shit, that was a red light!", because after I turned right on a red light the other day she shouted, "Mom went through a red light!"
On the way to driving to my parents' house Kayla exclaimed that she saw the moon in the sky. A minute later, she told me that "the moon is following us to Grandma's house!"
On the way to driving to my parents' house Kayla exclaimed that she saw the moon in the sky. A minute later, she told me that "the moon is following us to Grandma's house!"
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Ending the Crazy Day on a High Note
After waking Matthew and Kayla up from their naps, Nathan FINALLY fell into a deep sleep. We enjoyed a very laid-back afternoon. I decided that we would have leftovers for dinner so that I didn't have to cook anything. Matthew and Kayla ate really well (and in a timely manner!), which isn't surprising because they always do really well when it's potatoes (boiled or mashed - this time was mashed), a boiled veggie (this time was snijbonen), and sausage. And then to make the afternoon/evening extra enjoyable, MATTHEW POOED ON THE POTTY! I was beyond ecstatic. Both him and Kayla said at the same time that they had to pee, so Kayla went on the toilet and Matthew went on the potty. When he said he was "done" I asked him, "Did you pee?" He said, "pee and poo". I nearly died. And then later on in the evening he went again! Maybe he's over his fear of going poo on the potty. I hope so! I'm so proud of him for learning so quick!
Crazy Morning
The nice thing about toddlers is that they can't tell time. I just put Matthew and Kayla down for a nap 30 minutes earlier than usual. I think I would have lost my sanity otherwise.
Around 9am Matthew realized that he had to go poo. We spent a few hours last night running back and forth to the potty trying to convince him to go on the potty, which ended up in half on the floor/half in the potty success. Apparently there was still more in his system because we spent 2.5 hours this morning running back and forth to the potty every 30 seconds. I had to feed Nathan, and of course, Matthew decides to go for good. Kayla came running to me exclaiming that Matthew had pooed and peed on the floor, right outside of the bathroom. Go figure. I gave Nathan to Kayla to finish feeding (oh how I appreciate a mature toddler on days like today. How many people would trust their 2.5 year to feed their 6.5 week old on the couch?) and proceeded to get mad at Matthew and clean up. Kayla nicely fed him for about 5 minutes, and then was rewarded with a fuzzy peach.
And to top it off, Nathan doesn't like to nap...at least, unless he is being held...which, on days like today where you are running back and forth to the bathroom, is not good news. I just managed to get him to sleep in his crib when I put Matthew and Kayla upstairs for a nap at 12:30pm...but it's 1pm now and he's already awake. I think he's only slept for 45 minutes total this morning.
At least I got to have a quick shower and change out of my pajamas and write this entry before he woke up.
Around 9am Matthew realized that he had to go poo. We spent a few hours last night running back and forth to the potty trying to convince him to go on the potty, which ended up in half on the floor/half in the potty success. Apparently there was still more in his system because we spent 2.5 hours this morning running back and forth to the potty every 30 seconds. I had to feed Nathan, and of course, Matthew decides to go for good. Kayla came running to me exclaiming that Matthew had pooed and peed on the floor, right outside of the bathroom. Go figure. I gave Nathan to Kayla to finish feeding (oh how I appreciate a mature toddler on days like today. How many people would trust their 2.5 year to feed their 6.5 week old on the couch?) and proceeded to get mad at Matthew and clean up. Kayla nicely fed him for about 5 minutes, and then was rewarded with a fuzzy peach.
And to top it off, Nathan doesn't like to nap...at least, unless he is being held...which, on days like today where you are running back and forth to the bathroom, is not good news. I just managed to get him to sleep in his crib when I put Matthew and Kayla upstairs for a nap at 12:30pm...but it's 1pm now and he's already awake. I think he's only slept for 45 minutes total this morning.
At least I got to have a quick shower and change out of my pajamas and write this entry before he woke up.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Potty Training Days 2 - 4 - Matthew
Saturday was day two of potty training. I think because Friday had gone incredibly well (except for one poo accident at my parents' in the evening) I was counting on Saturday being the same. I was wrong. I was so distracted by helping Jon set up all of our Christmas decorations (including the tree) and tending to Nathan that I forgot that if Matthew didn't initiate going to the bathroom that I had to remind him. I had taken for granted the fact that he had initiated it all the time on Friday. Anyways, we went through three or four pairs of pants in the morning alone. The afternoon/evening was better because I was more focused on reminding him.
Sunday was day three, and went AMAZING. He wore a disposable diaper to church, but stayed dry the entire time and then told me when he had to go pee when we were at my grandparents' house. He was dry the entire time he napped, had no accidents in the afternoon, and stayed dry during church in the evening. Quite a successful day if you ask me.
Today. Well, today has been a bit of a gong show. I was pumping when he woke up so I couldn't take him to the bathroom, so I imagine he did his morning pee in his diaper. When I finished pumping I dressed him and put big boy underwear on him. For the rest of the morning he kept saying he had to do poo or pee, would sit on the potty for 10 seconds, and then would get off saying he didn't have to go. After doing this twenty times over the course of the morning, I happened to look at him while he was jumping on the couch and noticed that he was peeing. A big pee. All over the couch. I quickly put Nathan on the ground, who immediately started crying because I had been feeding him, so I told Kayla to feed him and then I would give her a candy. I picked Matthew up and threw him onto the potty, and ran to get cloths to clean the couch. My Mom happened to come over that very instant. What a life saver for Nathan. I'm sure our house seemed like mayhem that moment. Matthew then took a full hour to eat his lunch, and then after he couldn't/refused to pee on potty I wrestled him on the ground to put a diaper on him and put him to bed for a nap. He refused to stay in his bed, so I closed his bedroom door...which he can't open yet. After a couple minutes he had cooled off enough to attempt to use the potty (unsuccessfully) again. So that's today in a nut shell. One accident, zero successes. I'm hoping he wakes up from his nap all refreshed and ready to pee :) Otherwise...well...maybe he WILL be difficult to train after all.
Sunday was day three, and went AMAZING. He wore a disposable diaper to church, but stayed dry the entire time and then told me when he had to go pee when we were at my grandparents' house. He was dry the entire time he napped, had no accidents in the afternoon, and stayed dry during church in the evening. Quite a successful day if you ask me.
Today. Well, today has been a bit of a gong show. I was pumping when he woke up so I couldn't take him to the bathroom, so I imagine he did his morning pee in his diaper. When I finished pumping I dressed him and put big boy underwear on him. For the rest of the morning he kept saying he had to do poo or pee, would sit on the potty for 10 seconds, and then would get off saying he didn't have to go. After doing this twenty times over the course of the morning, I happened to look at him while he was jumping on the couch and noticed that he was peeing. A big pee. All over the couch. I quickly put Nathan on the ground, who immediately started crying because I had been feeding him, so I told Kayla to feed him and then I would give her a candy. I picked Matthew up and threw him onto the potty, and ran to get cloths to clean the couch. My Mom happened to come over that very instant. What a life saver for Nathan. I'm sure our house seemed like mayhem that moment. Matthew then took a full hour to eat his lunch, and then after he couldn't/refused to pee on potty I wrestled him on the ground to put a diaper on him and put him to bed for a nap. He refused to stay in his bed, so I closed his bedroom door...which he can't open yet. After a couple minutes he had cooled off enough to attempt to use the potty (unsuccessfully) again. So that's today in a nut shell. One accident, zero successes. I'm hoping he wakes up from his nap all refreshed and ready to pee :) Otherwise...well...maybe he WILL be difficult to train after all.
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